In your first required essay for the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, you need to discuss your immediate post-MBA professional aspirations, then explain to the admissions committee why the Ross MBA program is the best way for you to gain the skills and experiences you need to achieve that career goal and succeed in it. For Ross’s second essay, you have a choice of three prompts, all of which give you the opportunity to share something about yourself and your life that is separate from your career and academic achievements. A brief optional essay is available as well, should you have any elements in your candidacy that you believe warrant some clarification. Read on for our full analysis of the school’s 2026–2027 essay prompts.
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Part 1: Career Aspirations
What is your short-term career goal, and how do you plan to leverage the Ross MBA and its program offerings in your first role after graduation? Please be specific and answer both parts of this question (300 words).
In most MBA applications, and almost all business school interviews, you will be asked about your career goals. Admissions committees understand that you might later change your mind about your goals and could be interested in different career paths; you might be planning to use the initial portion of your MBA experience to gain insight into which direction to choose. However, the schools still want to make sure that you have given your objectives serious thought. In this essay, you must convince Ross not only that you have a goal in mind but also that an MBA is necessary to achieve it. Therefore, in responding to the first part of this two-part question, be as specific as possible in presenting your immediate post-MBA goal.
The admissions committee knows that recruiting will start immediately after students arrive on campus, so the more you have thought about the role you want to target, the more effective you will likely be in your job search. In describing your desired position, you can note your preferred industry and function, as well as which companies (or type of companies) you plan to focus on. You might also need to provide context to show why your goal is realistic based on your background and your transferable skills. In addition, make sure that the job is feasible for a newly graduated MBA, especially one from Ross. Demonstrating that you have done your research on this post-MBA role will convince the admissions committee that you are confident that investing in this degree will pay off.
In the second part of this prompt, the admissions committee wants you to clarify how the Ross program specifically will help you achieve your goal. The school is not looking for individuals who simply want to be lectured to or spoon-fed business concepts, and we hope that you are ready for, if not genuinely excited about, this reality. Therefore, your response to this question should emphasize that the program’s hands-on learning environment is exactly what you need to be ready to enter, and excel in, the next phase of your career. Start by determining what skills and experiences you need to gain from an MBA program that will position you to be hired for, and succeed in, your target post-MBA role. Then, focus specifically on the ones you believe you could most effectively acquire in a learning-by-doing setting. Next, identify the particular offerings at Ross that will deliver these learning opportunities for you. If you can convince the admissions committee that the school’s Action-Based Learning environment will provide you with the resources you will need to thrive after you graduate, then you will have illustrated that Ross stands out among other programs and is the ideal fit for you.
This is the part of our essay analysis where we once again urge you to go well beyond a school’s website and published materials in your research. Visit the campus (if possible), sit in on a class in person or virtually, connect with students and alumni, read recent press releases and student blogs, peruse the school’s YouTube channel, and download your free copy of the mbaMission Insider’s Guide to the University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business. Identify any clubs, events, courses, initiatives, or other opportunities that resonate with you and relate to who you want to be by the time you graduate and enter your post-MBA career. Note specific resources at the school that would enable you to make your career goal a reality and/or success, and when you include this information in your essay, explain how you will engage with the resource(s) and what you expect to gain as a result.
Part 2: Impact and Growth
Michigan Ross is proud to support a community of leaders and impact makers who value growth. As a future member of this community, we want to know more about who you are and what drives you. Choose one of the following prompts to tell us more about what makes you stand out beyond your academic and work experience. List the prompt you are answering at the top of your essay. (200 words)
- Think of a time something important did not go as planned. What did you do next?
- What is something you worked on for an extended period of time (over six months) that ultimately resulted in a positive outcome? What kept you committed?
- Share an example of a specific situation when your actions created a positive impact on your community or an individual.
We encourage you to first consider very carefully which of these prompts feels most authentic to who you are as an individual and will allow you to write a truly revelatory essay in response. Then, thoroughly and thoughtfully brainstorm to identify your strongest possible topic(s). Be sure to consider all aspects of your life outside of your professional experience and academic history. You want to be sure you can “own” your answer—as we like to say—meaning that no other applicant could write the same thing as you do. Strive to ensure that your essay genuinely reflects who you are as a candidate and is as specific to you alone as possible. You also do not want to repeat any element of your profile that is already well explained or represented in a different part of your application. Let us now take a closer look at each prompt option individually.
Think of a time something important did not go as planned. What did you do next?
With this essay, Ross wants to learn several things: (1) what are some of your key skills and strengths, (2) how do you apply them, and (3) how do you act (and react) in situations that do not go as expected? You want to convey that you are not easily discouraged by obstacles and instead use them as learning tools or stepping-stones on your path forward.
For this essay, after presenting a relevant situation, provide context that illustrates why it was “important.” We recommend using a narrative format to convey your story. In addition to clearly explaining how you approached and prevailed over the unanticipated challenge, make sure that you detail the inner workings of your decision-making—the thought process and motivation(s) behind your actions. This way, the admissions committee will get a clear impression not only of what you ultimately accomplished but also of the abilities and aspects of your character that enabled your success.
With just 200 words for this essay, you have limited space, but if you can find a way to work it in, consider relating how this experience will help you as a Ross MBA student. You might also explain what you learned from it, which would demonstrate to the admissions committee an advanced level of self-awareness and highlight your ability to overcome adversity.
What is something you worked on for an extended period of time (over six months) that ultimately resulted in a positive outcome? What kept you committed?
When brainstorming topics for this essay, your mind might initially go to a recent long-term project from your job, but note that the intro to the school’s prompt options here says that Ross wants to learn more about you “beyond your academic and work experience.” So, we encourage you to consider an example from your personal life or community involvement. Ross is looking to gauge your passion here. As Steve Jobs once said, “People with passion can change the world for the better,” and although he was speaking about careers at the time, the statement is true for all aspects of one’s life. Excitement can lead to big ideas and actions. Sharing where your enthusiasm lies gives the admissions committee valuable insight into who you are as an individual, apart from your academic prowess, professional strengths, and career aspirations.
Think about your story options in terms of intensity, enthusiasm, devotion, longevity, loyalty, excitement, and heart, and be honest with yourself. The elements of your life that align with these concepts could be appropriate fodder for this essay, while anything that does not should be immediately discarded. Also note that this question requires that this experience resulted in a “positive” outcome. Keep this in mind as you brainstorm different ideas. Once again, though, this outcome does not need to have generated significant impact; you simply should illustrate that the time and energy you spent was fruitful.
Do not worry if the project you focused on might seem commonplace to someone else or that it was perhaps small in scope. The key here is the depth and intensity of your engagement with it. Provide clear evidence of your motivation and the role it played in the project’s success. And by asking what kept you committed to this project, the admissions committee is essentially asking why you were so devoted to pursuing your objective. You should clarify that your motivation for investing yourself into the endeavor so intently was not borne out of necessity or obligation; instead, you were genuinely inspired and felt driven to see a time-consuming engagement through.
Share an example of a specific situation when your actions created a positive impact on your community or an individual.
For this essay, you will obviously need to convey what the actual “impact” was, and on whom. Despite the limited word count, do your best to “show,” or really spell out, how things unfolded—rather than just stating the outcome or flatly presenting the situation—to give the admissions reader perspective on how you conduct yourself and achieve. Ross wants to understand that the decisions you made (or were involved in making) and the actions you took clearly paid off and that an organization, individual, or group subsequently benefitted in some way. And because past behavior is generally believed to be a reliable indicator of future behavior, by explaining your specific role in the situation, you show the admissions committee not only some of the key skills you possess but also how you apply them.
If word space allows, touch on why you believe making a positive impact on others matters. This will provide the admissions reader with some insight into your values as well as your capabilities and could help you better stand out. Ross wants individuals who naturally use their knowledge and talents to achieve good things not just for themselves but also for the communities they belong to, and ideally, to the world. So show the admissions committee you are just this kind of candidate.
The Next Step: Mastering Your Michigan Ross Interview
Many MBA candidates find admissions interviews stressful and intimidating, but mastering this important element of the application process is definitely possible—the key is informed preparation. We therefore offer our free Interview Guides to spur you along! Download your free copy of the Michigan Ross Interview Guide today.
To learn more about the essays for other top business schools, visit our MBA Essay Tips and Examples Resources Page.
