How My Life Changed and I Found Where I Belong After Transferring to Michigan Ross

Around this time, I realized that science wasn’t really a fit for me, but rather my dream in a life I was outgrowing. So, my sophomore year, I applied to another program. In February, I got rejected. 

A few weeks later, the Ross transfer application caught my eye. Though I was a bit intimidated by what I had heard about how rigorous Ross was, reflecting on my skill set and entrepreneurial spirit, I started to see a fit. I submitted the application and crossed my fingers. In early July, 2020, I got in. I was elated, but disappointed by the social limitations of a virtual environment. I trekked along my first semester, interviewing for clubs but still found it difficult to find a community.

In the Winter semester, I became a BBA Ambassador, which helped me feel confident about my transfer experience. The following summer, I was accepted to study abroad in Paris. Slowly, my Ross experience was coming together. The Ross Integrative Semester classes were interesting, and more elective freedom led me to a marketing specialization. As a result, I had success recruiting and landed an internship with Procter & Gamble. As I approached my semester exchange, I was hesitant. Everyone was telling me that I would have the time of my life in Paris – what if I didn’t?!

But I did. From the growth and independence I developed solo-traveling all over Europe to the community that formed among Ross students in my program, it was like the universe wouldn’t let me be disappointed. I spent spring break in Greece with 7 other Ross students. The peers who I once found intimidating were now good friends who saw the real me – and liked her. 

Suddenly, I started to feel like maybe I had belonged all along. With my new friends, I shared values, humor, and interests. As a result, I entered my internship with reignited confidence. While I struggled through some of the work at the beginning, I was reminded that I deserved to be there; my experiences since I had gotten into Ross had shown me that I was capable of overcoming hardship and achieving success. At the end of the summer, I got the return offer.

For the first time in my entire 5-year college career, coming back to school this Fall was like a homecoming. I felt like a completely different person – one with confidence about who I am and what I am capable of, with a job offer and new friends to prove it. My confidence overflowed into every area: I participated in class, built more friendships, and mentored P&G hopefuls. I felt like I finally had permission to just be myself, and it paid off with an amazing semester. 

With just a few months left of this long college journey, I feel grateful for everything that has happened, even the parts that felt hopeless. For me, it took a lot of trial and error to find my fit, but 2022 was the best year of my life because I applied to Ross. As much as I feared it wouldn’t happen for me, Ross has completely changed my life.