Ross Women’s Weekend and UpClose Diversity Weekend
October 3-5, 2024
Application Deadline: Wednesday, September 4, 2024
Questions after reviewing the information below?
Please email [email protected]
Ross Women’s Weekend: October 3-4, 2024
UpClose Diversity Weekend: October 4-5, 2024
Join current students, alumni, admissions representatives, and fellow prospective students for interactive and informative programming designed to help you gain an understanding of life in the Michigan Ross Full-Time MBA Program.
At Michigan Ross, we believe that enrolling a diverse community is essential to the character of our school, the education and leadership development of our students, and the contribution our graduates make to business and society. Ross Women’s Weekend and UpClose are integral parts of these continuing efforts.
You may choose to apply to attend Ross Women’s Weekend, UpClose, or both programs. All events will be in-person at the Ross School of Business in Ann Arbor, MI.
Women's Weekend Programming UpClose Weekend Programming
Ross Women's Weekend Check-In
3-5 p.m.
Winter Garden
If you would like to attend the optional programming offered during check-in, we recommend arriving at or just before 3:00 p.m. If you would only like to attend a building tour or some coffee chats, we advise arriving closer to 3:45 p.m. All attendees need to be checked in by 5:00 p.m.
Ross Women’s Weekend Optional Programming During Check-In:
3-4:45 p.m.
- Career Coffee Chats with Current Students
Robertson/Stewart Lobby
Drop by the Robertson/Stewart Lobby to chat with current Ross students about their career and experience at Ross! No reservations required. - Learn About Forte Fellows at Michigan Ross
Winter Garden
Come meet some of our Michigan Ross Forte Fellows and learn more about the benefits of being a part of the Forte Foundation! - Building Tours of Ross
Winter Garden
Join current students for a building tour of Ross! Tours will be available starting at 3:15 and 4 p.m. Note - there will also be tours available on Friday afternoon.
Ross Women’s Weekend: Welcome Kickoff & The Power Within: Building Authentic Executive Presence with Soojin Kwon, Founder & CEO Talent Peak Advisors
5:15-6:15 p.m.
Tauber Colloquium
Start the weekend off with an inspiring and dynamic session led by Soojin Kwon, Founder and CEO of Talent Peak Advisors and a Ross Alumna! Work alongside your peers and learn key tools for developing your own authentic executive presence, a crucial business skill in today’s world.
Ross Women’s Weekend Welcome Dinner
6:15-8:15 p.m.
Tauber Colloquium
Enjoy dinner with fellow Ross Women’s Weekend attendees, students, and alumni!
Ross Women’s Weekend: Breakfast
8:45-10 a.m.
Robertson/Stewart Lobby
Enjoy breakfast in Robertson/Stewart Lobby before the day begins.
Ross Women’s Weekend & UpClose: Meet the Centers and Institutes Informational Drop-In Fair
9 a.m. - noon
Robertson/Stewart Lobby
Join us for an informational fair where you will meet representatives from our various centers and institutes at Ross, including Tauber Institute for Global Operations, Business + Impact, Center for Positive Organizations, Zell Lurie Institute, Sanger Leadership Center, and more!
Note - RWW attendees can visit the fair during breakfast, UpClose attendees can visit the fair during check-in. We encourage UpClose attendees to arrive a bit early if they would like to check out the fair.
Ross Women’s Weekend: Women in Leadership Conference Combined Programming - Leading in Turbulent Times Panel
10:10-11 a.m.
Robertson Auditorium
A panel of Ross Alumna participating in the Michigan Business Women student-led Women in Leadership Conference (WILC) dive into the topic of leading in turbulent times, offering attendees insights on how to navigate difficult times as a leader, how to advocate for your people, and how to protect your mental health while also doing what is best for your career and team.
UpClose: Registration/Check-In & Optional Breakfast
10 a.m. - noon
Winter Garden
UpClose only attendees are invited to check in between the hours of 10 a.m. - noon and enjoy light refreshments.
Arrival time suggestions: If you would like to attend the optional Mock Class at 11:15 a.m. and drop by the Meet the Institutes Fair, we advise arriving at 10 a.m. If you only plan to attend the Meet the Institutes Fair, we advise arriving between 11:00 am - noon. If you would like to attend the optional Mock Class at 11:15, please arrive before 10:45 a.m. to ensure we can get you up to the session in time.. If you are interested in a building tour before the mock class, we will offer one from 10:15-11 a.m.
UpClose: Optional Building Tour
10:15-11a.m.
Join current students for a building tour of Ross! After the tour, you can choose to attend the optional Mock Class with Professor Chris Rider, or head down to the Meet the Centers and Institutes Fair.
Ross Women’s Weekend & Optional UpClose: Mock Class: Equity Analytics with Chris Rider
11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Tauber Colloquium
Professor Chris Rider gives attendees a taste of the student experience at Ross through an engaging Mock Class, Equity Analytics. This will be part of programming for Ross Women’s Weekend Attendees and is Optional (but encouraged!) Programming for early arrivals to UpClose Diversity Weekend.
Equity Analytics: Greater sensitivity to societal inequality, combined with an increasingly diverse workforce, has led many managers to ask if their business practices create disparities in opportunity and/or outcomes for employees, customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders. Yet, many managers lack the analytical skills to answer such questions. This session addresses that need. Students will learn how to analyze inequity in organizations, markets, and industries, infer plausible determinants of such inequities, and ways to design interventions to reduce documented inequities.
Ross Women’s Weekend & UpClose: Lunch
12:15-1 p.m.
Tauber Colloquium
Lunch with your fellow RWW & UpClose attendees, joined by current students and staff!
Ross Women’s Weekend & UpClose: Welcome from Ross Admissions and The Ross Difference Student Speaker Series
1:15-1:45 p.m.
Robertson Auditorium
A quick welcome from Ross Admissions, followed by personal stories from current Ross students detailing how they have been professionally, academically, and personally transformed at Ross. You don’t want to miss this highlight event.
Ross Women’s Weekend & UpClose Combined: DEI in Action Fireside Chat
2-3 p.m.
Robertson Auditorium
As part of our combined programming with the Michigan Business Women student-led Women in Leadership Conference (WILC), this session will be an intimate, real-talk conversation with Ross Alumnus focused on DEI in the workplace. Questions to be addressed will include: How does growth mindset relate to DEI? How does one recognize their own bias? What steps can be taken to improve and address implicit bias? What does being an ally or allyship mean to you?
Ross Women’s Weekend & UpClose Combined: Your Recruiting Journey at Ross with the Career Development Office
3:30-4:15 p.m.
Tauber Colloquium
The Career Development Office provides an overview of the recruiting process and the career support you will receive as a student at Ross. Current Ross students will also share their insights on their own individual experiences.
Ross Women’s Weekend & UpClose Combined: Optional Additional Building Tour and/or Drop-In Breakout session - Admissions “Ask Me Anything” Drop-In Booth
4:30-5:30 p.m.
Classroom Location
Miss an earlier building tour? Join Current Ross Students for a tour of Ross!
Alternatively, drop-in and meet with Admissions Officers to ask your burning questions about the application process at Ross.
Ross Women’s Weekend & UpClose: Student Hosted Dinners
6:30 p.m.
Student Homes/Various Locations
A signature Ross event, wrap up the evening with a dinner hosted by current Ross students in their homes. Dietary restrictions and pet allergies will be factored in when assigning dinner locations. Your dinner assignment will be shared one week prior to the event.
Ross Women’s Weekend & UpClose: General Social Hour
9:30 p.m.
End the evening exploring Ann Arbor with your fellow attendees!
UpClose: Breakfast
8:15-9 a.m.
Tauber Colloquium
Breakfast in Tauber Colloquium before the sessions begin!
UpClose: Get Real: Magnifying Your Superpowers with Michelle Pava, Associate Directions of Admissions and Thomn Bell, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Ross
9-10 a.m.
Tauber Colloquium
Michelle Pava & Thomn Bell lead an informative session identifying your unique superpowers utilizing the Social Change Model of Leadership Development, with a focus on individual values. You’ll then participate in an exercise that helps you uncover your values, and learn how you can apply this to your application and how you show up once you’re a student at Ross.
UpClose: Mock Class with Professor Marcus Collins
10:15-11:15 a.m.
Tauber Colloquium
Professor Marcus Collins leads a Mock Class on Marketing and Culture. Title forthcoming!
UpClose: The Consortium Experience Unplugged: Alumni Panel
11:25 a.m. - 12:25 p.m.
Tauber Colloquium
Ross alumni give their authentic take on life at Ross and beyond. Admissions representatives will leave the room, allowing for a truly “unplugged” experience.
UpClose: Lunch at Pizza House
12:45 p.m.
Pizza House
Close the weekend with lunch at our favorite local spot…Pizza House! Pizza House is a quick five minute walk from campus on flat roads.
*The Ross School of Business and the University of Michigan (for more information see President Ono's remarks) remain deeply committed to recruiting and educating diverse student populations and striving for equity in all aspects of our work. The recent Supreme Court ruling in no way impacts our shared U-M core values that include diversity, equity and inclusion—these values make us all better, broadening our perspectives, creating equitable access and outcomes, and helping us make the best decisions in an increasingly complex and interconnected world.
Some transportation will be provided during your time at RWW/UpClose. Please note: shuttle transportation is not provided by Ross from DTW (Detroit Metropolitan Airport), however, Ubers and Lyfts are readily available, as is the Michigan Flyer.
Shuttle schedule will be released in September.
Programming during Ross Women’s Weekend is for prospective MBA students to get to know our women’s community along with resources and support at Michigan Ross. Ross Women’s Weekend is open to all prospective students, of any gender identity, who have an interest in improving the resources, support, and advancement of women in business schools and management. If you choose to attend Ross Women’s Weekend, plan to be in Ann Arbor October 3-4.
NOTE: Programming on Friday, October 4 will run for the entire day. We advise arranging travel plans for the following day.
Programming during UpClose is designed for prospective MBA students to get to know our African American, Hispanic American, and Native American/Indigenous Peoples community at Ross. UpClose is also open to all prospective students, of any race or ethnicity, who have an interest in improving the resources, support, and advancement of underrepresented students in business schools and in management. If you choose to attend UpClose, plan to be in Ann Arbor October 4-5.
If you are a prospective student in support of the advancement of women in academic and professional settings and also interested in improving the visibility of underrepresented minorities in business schools and in management, please consider applying to attend both programs.
If you choose to attend both events, plan to be in Ann Arbor October 3-5. The application for UpClose and Ross Women’s Weekend is combined, so if you are interested in attending both events, please select that option on the form. You will need to submit essay responses for both UpClose and Ross Women’s Weekend.
You will need to submit your current resume and a response to one essay question*, in addition to indicating if you plan to submit a GMAT score, GMAT Focus score, GRE score, or a statement of academic readiness when you submit your application for the MBA program. If you have already taken the GMAT, GMAT Focus, or GRE, there will be a place on the Ross Women’s Weekend/UpClose application to submit your test scores. Please note: Your test score entered here will not be used for your admissions application to the Full-Time MBA Program at Michigan Ross. We know that many students plan to take the test again before submitting their application to the FTMBA Program at Michigan Ross.
*If you are interested in applying to attend both Ross Women’s Weekend and UpClose, you will need to submit responses to both essay prompts.
The essay should be limited to 350 words and include your response to the following prompt(s):
UpClose Essay Prompt
UpClose seeks to promote the advancement of underrepresented minorities in management by attracting prospective business school students with a demonstrated commitment to that purpose. UpClose attendees may be of any race or ethnicity.
Please describe how you have or intend to support the advancement of underrepresented minorities (defined in this context as African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans) in academic or professional settings.
Ross Women’s Weekend Essay Prompt
Ross Women’s Weekend seeks to promote the advancement of women in management by attracting prospective MBA students, of any gender, with a demonstrated commitment to that purpose.
Please describe how you have or intend to support the advancement of women in academic or professional settings.
If you are selected to attend, you will be notified on September 11, 2024. Due to the growing popularity of this event, we cannot invite all qualified candidates to attend. We encourage all interested candidates to apply for the full-time MBA program whether or not you receive an invitation to this event.
Ross Women’s Weekend: Hotel accommodations are covered by Admissions on the nights of October 3 and 4.
UpClose: Hotel accommodations are covered by Admissions on the nights of October 4 and 5.
If you’d like to stay additional days, you are welcome to book the additional night(s) on your own. Hotel Information will be provided when you have been accepted to the weekend.
Michigan Ross has over 350 student and alumni ambassadors available to connect with - ask them anything to get an authentic take at life at Ross.
Additionally, be sure to check out our Full-Time MBA Admissions Blog for insights from the Admissions team, and our student-led Business Beyond Usual Podcast to hear current Ross students discuss burning issues on campus, the world, and beyond.