E#3: What they Don't Tell you about Michigan Ross with Director of Admissions Lysa Wang

And so that way, when they do graduate, they are really able to go out into the real world and show up with like, authenticity and like being confident and being able to really have their own voice. And so I think that's why all of our students leave our program with not only just the clarity about their career.

Right.

But also just a much stronger sense of who they are and the kind of impact that they want to have, you know, whether in the world or within the company or just within the small community that they're with.

Hi, everyone. Welcome back to MBA Golden Buzzer. Today I'm really excited to be joined by Lisa Wang, Senior Associate Director of full time MBA Admissions and Recruitment at Michigan Ross, for a behind the scenes look at what makes Ross such a distinct and compelling business school. We're going to explore not just the basics, but, but also the subtleties, the culture behind case studies, real world learning, and everything that goes into the buzzwords. We're also going to look at what applicants don't realize until they're already on campus. Lisa, thank you so much for joining me today. It's such a pleasure to have you. Do you maybe want to start by just introducing yourself a little bit?

Thanks, Ellen. So like Ellen said, my name is Lisa Wang. I've been with Ross for the past five years. Prior to Ross, I actually lived and worked in Beijing, China for eight years where I was also recruiting for a top MBA program in China. And so my passion really lies in higher ed. I actually don't come from a traditional business background. I actually in undergrad pursued pre med and was a biology major at Emory, then pivoted into the business world through an MBA like many of our applicants. And so here I am now, over a decade in the higher ed admissions industry and loving it, still.

Awesome. Awesome. I know that Ross is really lucky to have you. They really benefit a ton from your experience. So. And it's always great to have non traditional applicants, I think, come to the admissions experience to be able to understand and advocate more for those types of applicants. So let's kick things off a little differently. What's one thing that most impresses you when you meet current students or Ross alumni?

Yeah, to be honest, it's the passion that they have whenever you talk to a current student, whether they're incoming MBA ones who are just excited and getting started in their MBA journey or they're already, you know, rising MBA too. They've done the internship, they're in their last phase and heavy on recruiting. They're all just so passionate about Whatever it is that they're pursuing, whether it's challenging themselves with new ideas and new opportunities and new interests at Ross, or, you know, talking about, hey, I used to be in consulting, and I'm going back to consulting and why it is that I'm so passionate about consulting and what I do. It's just they're always so excited about the things that they truly want to pursue. And then with the alarm, to be honest, it's the same. It's honestly just that passion that they have for the Ross community, for the Ross brand. And I see that a lot in alums giving back.

Right.

Just this past round, in round two, we actually piloted a alumni hosted dinner for all of our round two admits. And so I was honestly shocked again, at just how many of our alums didn't hesitate to volunteer their time to host these admits and to share more about their own experience at Ross and why it is that they feel like Ross is such a great school. And these aren't even, like, recent graduates from, like, the past one to two years.

Right.

Some of these people have graduated, like, 10, 15, 20 years ago, and they're volunteering their time. Yeah. Some of these are executive, you know, like, they're in the executive suite and they're still taking the time to be like, sure, I'll host, you know, four to five admits for a dinner and, you know, share my experience with them and answer their questions. So really, it is that passion throughout all of our students, our community, our alums that truly, truly impresses me. It's not just like a marketing tactic where you're like, oh, yeah, like, we have a collaborative community. We have, you know, alums coming back. It's actually real. Like, these alums are actually coming back and doing things for us and volunteering their time. Yeah.

Yeah.

You know, when you've got a super Busy alum from 10, 15 years ago that they really want to be there.

Oh, yeah. And you're just like, wow, you have the time to do this. Great.

That is awesome. That is so cool. I love that you're piloting that too, because I feel like that's really what can make the difference for students when they're making the choice. Right. I got into all these schools, of course, I did a lot of research, but there's always that kind of intangible factor. Right. About where you feel at home and where you don't feel at home. And I love that. That program. That's really cool.

Yeah, thanks. Yeah, it's. It went really well. And so we'll definitely continue for round one, round two next year.

That's exciting. That's cool. And is that all around the world or just for kind of in the Midwest?

So all over the US and so since this was a pilot year, we had mostly New York, Chicago, Louisiana, San Francisco, you know, California, the major metro areas. But I know we had a lot of demand for like Atlanta and like, you know, other smaller, not smaller cities, I guess, cities where we have less admits, we also have quite a big demand for, you know, connecting with alums. And so next year, hopefully, as word has gotten out with our alumni community and we have more time to prepare for these type of events, we can have more options for our admits. And then in terms of international students, we actually also host ADMIT dinners for our international communities. We coordinate that through our international affinity clubs. And so our students will help connect with alums in the country that they're from. And then our alums or current students who are back, you know, for vacation will help host these admits. So yeah, we do it all over the world, but this is the first time, I guess we piloted alumni hosted dinners in the US because previously we used to have these large admit events where everyone would come together, but we find that more intimate, smaller settings provide better value for everyone's time and being able to connect more closely.

That's cool. I really like that. That's awesome. So no matter where you are, be on the lookout. And I think, of course, Ross is really known for its action based learning approach. The essay questions, you know, the MAP project. A lot of people come really excited about that when they're applying. But what does the action based learning approach look like beyond the MAP project?

Yeah, so really it's this idea that you really can't just go into the business world and go into your next job with just theories and case studies and sitting in a classroom all day.

Right.

You need to actually equip yourself with the skills that are needed to tackle everyday challenges in a business world. And so that's where this action based learning approach stems from. And so it's definitely embedded throughout our students entire MBA journey at Ross. So outside of map, to be honest, there's so many initiatives. Just about every initiative at Ross has a component of action based learning to it. So for example, if you're interested in getting your hands dirty in investments and like you don't have any experience, we actually have seven student led investment funds, more than any other business school out there. We were actually also the first business school to ever have a student Led investment fund. And so, yeah, it's amazing. I mean, you are actually managing, you know, two to $3 million portfolios and then actually, you know, doing all of the valuation, all of the research into these startup companies and actually investing in these companies with real money. And so that's a huge benefit for anyone hoping to, you know, go into that industry post mba. And then we also have like the Sanger leadership crisis challenge where you act as an executive, you know, a leader in the executive suite and you're managing like a challenge within a 24 hour period where you have to, you know, answer questions from stakeholders and like the media and then you have to present, you know, your ideas after 24 hours to like, I guess a room full of, you know, reporters or they're not real reporters, but like, you know, your classmates who are pretending to be reporters and stuff. And then we also do invite like executives to come back and listen to what solutions you've created. And so again, that's kind of putting you into the real world where you're, you know, if you have to make a tough decision within 24 hours and how are you going to manage that crisis? How are you going to communicate? Communicate? What are the solutions that you have on hand? For example, business plus Tech, if you're interested in business, you know, the conjunction of business plus technology, we have the business plus Tech innovation jam which is again another very action based learning, hands on, real world experience where you're put in a team of, you know, that mim what a real business plus tech team would look like with product managers, with you know, project managers and analysts, you know, technical designers. And you're all working together to come up with an idea and a prototype and then eventually presenting it to an audience. So I know I'm, you know, rambling on and on about all of the different types of action based learning opportunities we have at Ross. But honestly the list is so, so long. And these are just three small examples that kind of showcases, hey, look, whatever your interests are, you know, when you come to Ross, not only are you learning about the theories and like, you know, all of the, you know, case studies on how this can work, you're actually putting yourself out there to really experience it before you actually even get out into the real world for your internship and job.

I love that, especially the crisis management one really stands out to me because I think it's people who are going to business school, you know, with their four years of, maybe five years of experience. That's not something usually that you have the direct experience, handling. It's not your decision all the time about how you're going to handle that. And, you know, crisis come up more and more frequently. I think in the business world nowadays, having that practice just seems so invaluable.

Yeah. And it's a fun time. They do it at the big house.

Oh, that does have fun. And I think one other thing that Ross stands out for is being really collaborative. Can you share an example of how that culture has shown up in a way that maybe is more spontaneous or behind the scenes?

To be honest, I do want to clarify this whole understanding of, like, Ross is a collaborative community. Yes, we are very, very collaborative. But I think one of the misconceptions that a lot of prospective students have, and we've been asked this, and I've personally been asked this quite a bit, is do Ross look for like the nice guys to admit? Like, is it just that? And that is not what we mean when we say that we are known for being a collaborative community.

Right.

You can have healthy arguments, disagreements. That is not. We're not looking for people who are agreeable to come enjoy the community. That is absolutely not the case. I think collaboration more so stems from having that self awareness and ability to self reflect on yourself.

Right.

To be able to, you know, know that, hey, the world doesn't revolve around me.

Right.

To be able to step aside and allow others to shine that are on your team. And so I think I want to first clarify that, you know, yes, we do have a reputation for being collaborative, but it does not mean we only admit people who are agreeable and kind, like, nice, you know, it's more so about your ability to be collaborative. And so that really comes up, you know, throughout just even the recruiting phase at Ross. To be honest, I was really surprised because I've also worked for other business schools. I was once an MBA student myself. And so when I actually first heard that our MBA students share information about interview tips. For example, if two people are interviewing for Nike and one person had an interview before the other person a couple days, they will actually come out and share tips and information about how their interview went so that their classmate can have a better interview.

Right.

And do better. And so it's not competitive in the way that you would think of an mba where students are like, you know, all like, you know, at each other's throats trying to get that one job or one position at Amazon or wherever it is they're trying to go. They are truly, truly supporting each other throughout this Entire recruiting process. And that's one thing that I think one shocked me a little bit when I first started working for the full time MBA program where I was like, oh, wow. Like I didn't realize that the students were sharing this type of information too and setting each other up for success, you know, in this type of manner. And so that's something that has been pretty impressive for me. And then again, just overall, I think it's just pretty much embedded into who we are at Ross is that they want to give back. They want to give back. And I think it kind of, I don't want to repeat myself, but going back again to our alums that, you know, offered their time to host our admits, you know, even though they, they're so busy themselves.

Right.

And so again, I think that's really what shows up when you come to Ross. You really do feel the true genuine collaborative nature of the students and alums in our community.

I love that. Yeah, you don't have to kind of be a doormat that to be collaborative.

Because I was like, what do you. No, we're not just. And how do you even assess who is a nice guy?

Right.

But yeah, I think that it's, it's so good to see because I think a lot of people think, oh, to be collaborative you just have to agree with everybody else. And that's not really collaboration, is it?

Oh, no.

It's not going to get your team very far either. The real world.

Yeah.

And let's talk about Ann Arbor. It's such a vibrant city. There's so much going on. What's something that you think being based there enhances the NBA experience in an unexpected.

Most of the students who come to Ross are not local to Ann Arbor or Detroit or Michigan at all. And so in a sense, everyone is experiencing Ann Arbor for the first time. So unlike big cities like, you know, Atlanta, Chicago, New York or like la San Francisco, a lot of people are probably already living there, working there.

Right.

Professionally. And so they already have kind of their professional network and their personal network of friends too. Whereas Ann Arbor, because most people are not local to this small town, everyone is new. And so in that sense, everyone is really able to build very strong relationships and connections with their classmates. And so I think that's what really starts that kind of strong bond and that community at Ross is because everyone is in this together for the first time. And so, and I hear all the time when our students go off to one of the bigger cities for their summer internships and they come back And I'm like, how was your internship? Did you like it over there? Like, oh, how are things going? And they're always like, oh, it's great, but I miss Ann Arbor. And I'm like, what do you mean? You're in, like, one of the coolest cities, right? But the weather, like, sunshine. What do you mean you miss Ann Arbor? And they're like, well, I really miss the community and, like, just my friends and like, just. Just the way things were, like, as overall. And so I think that's definitely what makes Ann Arbor so special in terms of, you know, spending the next two years here and really being able to build very deep and strong and genuine connections with everyone that's in your class.

And because the University of Michigan is such a big school as well, too, you have so much going on, connected to the school. Right.

I don't think people expect that. They're like, oh, a small town, boring. No, there's always something.

It's a huge state school, guys. There's games, there's parties. There's so much going on.

There's always something to. To go out for. Yes.

And I think a lot of raw students, especially with our admits, we notice that they have a really strong sense of self. Is that something that the school deliberately kind of designs for? And how do you develop that throughout the MBA process?

Yeah, that's a. That's a really great question. And to be honest, I really think it's because we always tell our students, look, you're here to get your mba, and obviously, number one top of mind for many, many students is that post MBA career, right? Or that job, Right. And so while that is important, we always tell everyone that is not the only reason you should be here for your mba. You should also take this time, right, to really deeply reflect on who you want to be in the future. What type of leader do you want to become?

Right?

And then, like, what type of a community member do you want to be while you're here at Ross? And so it's really, I think, the entire MBA journey from start, even over the summer, where they're starting to think about, okay, what are the initiatives that I want to get involved with? What are the clubs that I want to get involved with? All of these centers that we have here at Ross, which ones are going to really help me discover my voice, build my confidence, and, you know, build on the weaknesses that I feel like I have now. And so that way, when they do graduate, they are really able to go out into the real world and show up with like, authenticity and like being confident and being able to really have their own voice. And so I think that's why all of our students leave our program with not only just the clarity about their career.

Right.

But also just a much stronger sense of who they are and the kind of impact that they want to have have, you know, whether in the world or within the company or just within the small community that they're with.

I love that. That's awesome. And now we'll get into the part of the podcast where we're going to go into our fast pass insights. So we'll do some rapid fire questions. Our first one, what is one word that you would use to describe Ross's culture?

I'm going to say vibrant. I'm not going to say collaborative.

I love that.

Yeah, very vibrant. We have students from all over the world. There's always so much going on. No matter what interests are, there's always something for you. And if there isn't, students are always empowered to create it.

Right.

If there's no club for whatever it is, you like, create that club. And then there we go, we have a new community. So it's just a really vibrant community. Yeah. And culture.

And can you share an alum who you think really embodies the Ross spirit?

I can't because I don't want to offend anyone, but I will. Overall, again, just our alums in general are always, always willing to help out, whether it's for our webinars, whether it's going on the road to recruit with us. And this is alums in the US and all over the world. They are always eager to support us and we are so thankful. And we couldn't, we really couldn't do this without them because they are, you know, the true Ross brand ambassadors.

Right.

They live the experience and so they're the best ones to really share that.

And what's your favorite spot in Ann Arbor?

My favorite spot in Ann Arbor, I will say is probably Gallic Park. It's very near our my house and so it's just a great place. I used to take my son Nathan a lot during COVID We used to go there a lot, but it's really nice. There's playgrounds. You can kayak down the Huron River. Yeah.

Wow.

I usually do the very simple, like lazy, like calm waters, but apparently there's a full route where it's like white water rafting. Wow. From what I hear. And it takes like two plus hours to finish the entire kayaking thing, but I usually just do the very calm. Like that's so cool around. Yeah. So it's a nice place to hang out on the weekend and it's usually packed too, especially over the summer.

Wow. Like right in the middle of the city. That's awesome.

Well, yeah, it's kind of on the east side. Yeah.

And what's something that most students take for granted but later realized was an invaluable part of the Ross experience?

I don't think anyone takes an MBA for granted because it's such a huge investment and they've taken such a long time to prepare to get here. But I do think that what they miss the most is again that community.

Right.

Because they build such strong bonds here. And then after their mba, everyone kind of disperses out throughout the whole entire world. And so I think they really do miss that tight knit community feel that they were when they were student here, which is why they love coming back and they love being engaged. Yeah.

Oh yeah. That is nice. It is a really special moment. I. All of those people will probably never be together again.

So maybe at a reunion hopefully.

And what is your. Is your golden buzzer insight about Ross something that defines the experience but would never show up in a brochure or an info session slide?

I don't know if I can say this, but honestly, it's snow in April. It does happen. Guys, I'm not going to sugarcoat it. Ann Arbor is a cold, cold place. Look, I'm from the south, so Ann Arbor is definitely the coldest place, place I've ever lived. And when I tell you when I saw snow in April the first time ever, I was like, what in the world is going on? But now I'm not even phased. Like, we had snow during gbr, which is our admit weekend. On the first day of gbr, we were like, well, it wouldn't be GBR without snow.

Oh gosh. But it's a cozy experience. It's. It's a really nice, a really nice environment.

Yes. And so we definitely don't promote this out on the road or in our brochures, but it does happen. Guys. Prepare yourselves.

Growing up in like a day or.

Two, you'll be fine.

You'll be fine. Growing up in Colorado, you know, I, I experienced that a lot. You get used to it.

Yeah, you get used to it. Get yourself some hand warmers and you'll.

Be good to go. Exactly. And for our final round, if someone is choosing between Ross and another top program, what's the one question they should ask themselves to make the right decision.

Can I envision myself living here and being around these people within this community for the next two years?

Right.

I think that's very important. You really can't go wrong with any of the top MBA programs. Let's be honest. We all have our distinctive traits, but at the end of the day, they're all great MBA programs. It's really about where you feel like you belong.

Well, Lisa, thank you so much. This has been super helpful. We also recorded another episode with her about admissions tips, everything that Ross is looking for. So make sure that you check that out as well. But thank you again. This has been really insightful and a great peek into what makes Ross such a unique school.

Of course. Thank you for having me. And good luck to everyone and the rest of your application journey.

Thank you so much. And so thank you to all of you who have listened today. And if you're looking for help applying to Ross, check out our link below or visit ellen lawley's.com for more information about working with us. So have a good rest of your day.