Business Beyond Usual

Welcome to a new expansion of the “Business Beyond Usual” concept. Each week, a couple members of the regular “BBU” team run down the top happenings at Michigan Ross for the coming week. They’ll also feature a spotlight interview with a current student talking about their interests  — this week, hear from Mike Sessine about life as a dual-degree student getting his medical degree along with his MB...

The opening days of the Michigan Ross experience often includes MTrek — a memorable trip and a great opportunity to start bonding with your classmates before the start of classes. But that’s just the beginning. Ross also offers opportunities for treks throughout the U.S. and overseas to help expand your horizons and take the next step in your career. Listen to hear about the amazing opportunities...

Welcome to a new expansion of the “Business Beyond Usual” concept. Each week, a couple members of the regular “BBU” team run down the top happenings at Michigan Ross for the coming week. They’ll also feature a spotlight interview with a current student, talking about their interests and a Ross club they’re involved with — this week, hear from Jake Corness about this weekend's Boyne ski trip. Check...

Welcome to a new expansion of the “Business Beyond Usual” concept. Each week, a couple members of the regular “BBU” team run down the top happenings at Michigan Ross for the coming week. They’ll also feature a spotlight interview with a current student, talking about their interests and a Ross club they’re involved with — this week, hear from Caleb Idiaghe of the Africa Business Club and its upcom...

Welcome to a new expansion of the “Business Beyond Usual” concept. Each week, a couple members of the regular “BBU” team will run down the top happenings at Michigan Ross for the coming week. They’ll also feature a spotlight interview with a current student, talking about their interests and a Ross club they’re involved with — this week, hear from Roy Yewah of the Black Business Students Associati...

The time between being accepted into an MBA program and the start of orientation will fly by. You’ll want to line up housing, consider waiving out of core courses, figure out how and when to quit your job, start getting to know your future classmates, start exploring Ann Arbor, and possibly deal with visas and other international concerns. It’s a lot, but our veteran panel is here to help you navi...

Welcome to a new expansion of the “Business Beyond Usual” concept. Each week, a couple members of the regular “BBU” team will run down the top happenings at Michigan Ross for the coming week. They’ll also feature a spotlight interview with a current student, talking about their interests and a Ross club they’re involved with — this week, hear from Sonja Manning of FitX, a new club focused on compa...

Welcome to a new expansion of the “Business Beyond Usual” concept. Each week, a couple members of the regular “BBU” team will run down the top happenings at Michigan Ross for the coming week. They’ll also feature a spotlight interview with a current student, talking about their interests and a Ross club they’re involved with — this week, hear from Rachel Skolnick of Women Who Launch.  Check out th...

The most intensive, immersive experience of its kind, MAP essentially puts first-year MBA students to work on a real-world consulting project full time for seven weeks. Learn how the process works, the multifaceted value of the experience, and tips to make the most of your MAP. Also, Adam conducts a one-on-one interview with Chris Tarnacki from the Office of Action-Based Learning for some backgrou...

So getting a top MBA isn’t enough of a challenge? In this episode, “Business Beyond Usual” tackles the subject of dual degrees, featuring those hardy souls who are pursuing a graduate degree in law, information, or another field in addition to their MBA. Hosts Andres and Stephanie (who is herself a dual-degree student) welcome guest panelists Chloe, Alex, and Gabe to discuss why they decided to pu...

In this episode, “Business Beyond Usual” takes an insightful look at the issue of being part of a couple while getting your MBA. Hosts Adam and Katie, along with guest panelists (and married couple) Becca and Peter, discuss the challenges and benefits of having a partner as part of your MBA journey, whether or not they are in the program too. The panelists offer valuable tips and advice if you’re...

In this episode, the “Business Beyond Usual” team looks at how to use an MBA education to pivot into a new industry or career function.  A wide-ranging discussion with first- and second-year students, as well as one recent graduate, covers the reasons you may want to pivot in your career, common hurdles you might face, and insider tips on how to go about actually making the change. Have thoughts a...

The group takes turns answering some burning questions on topics like whether their career ambitions changed since starting B-school, what most surprised them about coming to Michigan Ross, and what is their most-used emoji. They also chat about what they’re looking forward to covering in the upcoming season of the show. Have thoughts about topics we should cover or just want to get in touch? Send...

In this episode, Marjace and Sheela sign off from Business Beyond Usual with an exit interview featuring fellow recent MBA grad Kashay Sanders, who has been described as “one of the most quotable people at Michigan Ross.” We agree! The group reflects on their MBA education, what they’ve learned about being leaders, the battle between intuition and the ‘should’, and what they’re excited about movin...

Strap in, this is a wild one. In this episode, Marjace visits the offices of two Michigan Ross professors to talk about everything from marketing research and rebuilding old cars from scratch to algorithmically finding lead pipes in Flint, Michigan, and fronting a band with the craziest name you’ve ever heard. You hear from a lot of students on this show about their experience and what it’s like t...

The entrepreneurial spirit is strong in top MBA programs, with a fair number of MBA students entering business school each year with the intention of starting a business of their own — but what is that experience really like? In this episode, hear entrepreneurs and MBA students Holly Meyers, Chima Mbadugha, and Sheela Lal as they take you through their respective entrepreneurial journeys and why b...

It’s our first partners-only episode! We’ve kicked out (most of) our regular crew and have asked the partners of current MBA students to come together and dish on what it’s like to move across the world to be with your significant other while they pursue their MBA. Pursuing an MBA can mean big changes for students -- and partners. As a partner of an MBA student, it’s natural to wonder what lies ah...

Blockchain. Brand Management. Machine Learning. Marketing. AI. Supply Chain. Predictive Analytics. Finance. Growth Strategy. With so many business functions mixed with industry crossovers, it’s hard to nail down exactly what a career in tech for MBA graduates looks like. If you think about it hard enough, it begs the question: “Does Tech Even Know What Tech Is?” In this episode, we break it down....

For the majority of students, choosing to pursue an MBA at Michigan Ross means leaving home and moving to Ann Arbor for at least two years. But, what is that really like? Are there even any fun things to do in Michigan? Jamell Culler is joined by fellow Ross MBA students Ivan Aragon, Sabaina Kamara, and Gaurav Dhir to discuss their experiences in Ann Arbor. They came to Ross from different parts o...

Former Michigan Ross Student Jack Kramer started the popular daily email newsletter MarketSnacks while he was still working in the corporate world, and before starting his MBA at Michigan. Since then, together with his co-founding partner Nick Martell, Jack has been featured on CBS, CNN, Fortune, Fox Business, Fast Company — and they were both selected to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list this past year...

From resumés and admissions essays to recommendation letters and interviews, the application process for MBA programs is a gauntlet. There’s a lot of advice out there about how to navigate it and put your best foot forward, but the real experts are the ones making the final decisions. So in this episode, we ask those very experts the questions that really matter. Leslie Chang sits down with the le...

In this episode, we take a look into a common way mental health issues manifest in business school students, and some strategies for how to deal with it. First, Business Beyond Usual Producers Marjace Miles and Adam Fasher are joined by fellow students to share stories about how they’ve approached managing their own mental health during their Ross MBA. Then, Marjace and Adam will talk with Dr. Ari...

Business Beyond Usual Producer Sheela Lal has some questions about what it’s like to study and recruit for finance jobs while in business school. Luckily, she’s surrounded by people who know a lot about that. Sheela is joined by Michigan Ross MBA students Dana Miller and Rebecca Toth to talk about what “finance” really means, how recruiting for finance jobs varies wildly depending on the field you...

It’s a fresh start for Business Beyond Usual as a new team of producers takes the reins and offers thoughts on what’s in-store for the podcast this season. There’s a lot on deck this year, including episodes focusing on mental health, career switching, industry-specific recruiting panels, interviews with alumni doing interesting things, and a few surprises along the way. Have thoughts on what you’...

In this episode, Ramu signs off from Business Beyond Usual with an exit interview featuring fellow recent MBA grad Daryl Brown. They met earlier this summer at one of Daryl’s local haunts, The Beaver Trap, to have a chat about their time at Michigan Ross. The two reflect on their MBA education, how an era of social and political change impacted life on campus, and how those experiences will stay w...