Episode 801 — Back to Business: Advice for a Fulfilling MBA at Michigan Ross

In the first half of the episode, the panel focused on their goals for the new school year. First-year student Omar Elsherif, MBA ’25 shared the — at times — overwhelming experience of his first few weeks. His goals center around juggling as many opportunities as possible, particularly attempting to balance a fulfilling social life with recruiting and academic success. As an MBA1, Omar shared that his most valuable resource is his time, which can be difficult to manage with so many exciting possibilities.

Impact Driven Goals

The second-year guests, Amitoj Singh, MBA ’24 and Chloe Bally, MBA ’24, and the two second-year hosts, David Amorim, MBA ’24 and Arpit Sharma, MBA ’24, echoed Omar’s sentiments. Like Omar, they came into their MBA1 experience intent on filling their experiential learning calendars, acing their exams, and advancing their careers. Now at the start of their second year, many of the pressures of recruiting and transition to full-time academics are gone. At the beginning of their second year at Ross, the resident MBA2s are using the increased free time to target more impact and experience-driven goals.

“What I want out of [my second year] is to challenge myself when I have the opportunity in a safe space environment. The way I see things is: what would I regret not having done at Ross 10 years from now? It probably won’t be my class selection; it will probably be not trying to do a podcast or something out of my comfort zone. Now that I have more time, I am being more intentional,” said Chloe.  

Challenges and Surprises at Ross

In the second half of the discussion, the group focuses on challenges, surprises, and lessons they’ve learned while at Ross. Some challenges included time management, settling into a new environment, self-doubt, and career anxiety. Although they may have different challenges or fears, what they all found surprising was how impactful the community was in conquering them. Whether it was advice and mentorship from their peers or the wisdom of support networks, the Ross community gave them a foundation to overcome challenges.

Outside of leaning on the community for support, the MBA2s shared that taking care of yourself from a physical and mental perspective is essential. Some strategies they shared were exercise, sports, accountability journaling, and more.

To close the conversation, the panel shares advice for MBA1s and prospective students seeking an MBA. Overall, the panel highlights the unique challenges and rewards of pursuing an MBA, particularly the importance of setting goals and prioritizing certain aspects of the experience to achieve them.

 Have thoughts about topics we should cover, or just want to get in touch? 

Send us an email at bbupodcast@umich.edu.

 Want to hear more from Ross students, faculty, and alumni? 
Check out more of our podcasts. 

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Business + Society: Michigan Ross professors discuss the business world and how it impacts our society. Each episode features a panel of featured experts addressing a current issue or problem facing our world.

About the participants

Hosts and Producers: David Amorim and Arpit Sharma

Guest: Amitoj Singh, Chloe Bally, and Omar Elsherif

Executive Producers: John Brown, David Amorim, Arpit Sharma, and JT Godfrey

Audio Engineer: Jonah Brockman