Omar Harb, BBA '18
It’s a long way from San Diego to Ann Arbor. But a visit to his brother, who was already a U-M student, convinced Omar Harb to seriously consider Michigan Ross.
“I came out for a football game weekend,” he recalls. “Walking to the game, my brother and I stopped and got some hot dogs. I looked back and saw hordes, thousands of people, in the streets. That was the first sense I got of, ‘This isn't just a town and it’s not just a school, it’s the combination of the two that builds this unparalleled culture.’”
People just care about you. Everyone is so willing to give back, and that kind of inspires your personal drive to do the same.
He knew in high school he wanted to major in business, and after coming to Michigan decided to pursue a minor in computer science as well. As part of the BBA Class of 2018, he’s been able to fully experience Michigan Ross’ innovative MERGE curriculum.
“Once you get to your junior year and your senior year, you can pursue whatever you’re passionate about, with so many great resources,” he says. He’s spending winter term studying abroad, at Hong Kong University of Science & Technology.
Any curriculum is only as good as the professors who teach it, and Omar speaks very highly of all of his — including David Mayer, Lindsey Gallo, Jun Li, Lori Rogala, and Mohamed Mostagir. “I’ve had incredible professors, absolutely incredible, and have been fortunate enough to have excellent relationships with each of them,” Omar says.
Outside of class, Omar serves as a Ross representative to student government and holds an office in business fraternity Delta Sigma Pi. And he’s going through recruiting for a career in consulting. “It really combines everything that I’m passionate about,” he says. “I love traveling; I love getting difficult problems and having to break them down; I love people and getting to work with teams.”
For now, he’s just making the most of the Ross experience. “Coming from San Diego, a big city — People are nice in San Diego, but you don’t see people go out of their way to help you like they do here. People just care about you. Everyone is so willing to give back, and that kind of inspires your personal drive to do the same. I look back on the decision I made to come here and I could not be happier with it.”