*This blog was originally published on Poets&Quants where I served as an undergraduate columnist during the 2020-2021 academic year
In last month’s column, I looked at the Ross Integrative Semester (RIS). There was a lot to manage between a jammed-packed course load, an array of group projects, and the research and interview demands in recruiting. For me, RIS was the most mentally and physically challenging semester to-date at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. And yes, I said physically.
Mentally: you need to be on top of your calendar with assignment deadlines, internship application deadlines, and recruiting events.
Physically: you’re running from class to a coffee chat to a corporate presentation. It seems like you’re always on the go!
Through it all, I was able to gain a number of unexpected learnings that I’ll take with me throughout the rest of my time at Ross and beyond.
LOGISTICAL TIPS FOR SUCCESS
During RIS, I lived and breathed at Ross. I was there Monday-Thursday, all day, because of the 10.5 credits of business classes I was enrolled in. Even in the evenings, I was at Ross to attend career fairs, corporate presentations, coffee chats, and group meetings.
I quickly discovered that Ross is a building with a lot of amenities that I definitely could take advantage of.
First Tip: Invest in a Ross locker. I used mine every day! Lockers are conveniently located throughout the building.
I liked to always keep some business professional clothes in my locker. I would change after class for a corporate presentation or before an interview. I would also always put my coffee mug or laptop charger in my locker so I didn’t have to carry those around with me.
Second Tip: Stay fueled. I always kept a granola bar and almonds with me because you never know when you need a quick me up!
Luckily, if you forget your own snacks, you can grab a coffee at the Starbucks in Ross or grab something quick to eat at Seigle Cafe in between classes. Trust me, you’re going to need the energy if you want to get through the day – let alone the semester!
YOU’RE NOT THE ONLY ONE
I’m not going to lie: RIS felt overwhelming at times. I put so much pressure on myself in terms of performing well academically and recruiting for a summer 2020 internship. I tried to wrap my head around everything that was going on. Still, I forgot to step back and realize something important: every junior in Ross was feeling the same pressures that I was.
We are all enrolled in the same classes, not to mention the same number of group projects and same exact assignments to complete. The majority of us were also recruiting for summer internships. I needed to realize that I was not the only one feeling overwhelmed.
A fond RIS memory I have was when one of my peers made a GroupMe for a group of girls who all received PepsiCo marketing interviews. PepsiCo was hosting a networking event and we wanted to coordinate what time to show up and what we should wear to the event.
I know this little anecdote probably sounds a little childish, but truthfully none of us knew what to expect! What does “smart casual” mean? Just how casual was the vibe? Every company has a different vibe and culture, so we didn’t really know how to gauge what they meant by “casual”.
What makes this memory special to me is knowing that we all had the same questions and were undergoing this experience together. We were all feeling nervous and didn’t really know what to expect.
Honestly, we bonded over the excitement that comes with receiving an interview at a cool CPG company like PepsiCo and about being invited to their networking event, which was being hosted at a nice restaurant on Main Street!
I am happy that we had each other to lean on for support, even if we were all interviewing for the same position. I truly appreciated the gesture that my peer made in creating the GroupMe because it just goes to show the collaborative nature of Ross and how people actually do care about each other.
LEARN TO SAY NO
Something that I had to learn during RIS was how to say “no” more. Normally, I would feel guilty if I couldn’t make a club or group meeting. During RIS, I learned how to say no to things that weren’t the best use of my time and goals.
At first, it was hard to say no because I didn’t want to seem like a quitter. However, for your mental health and sanity, it’s important to let go of things that no longer serve you. That was difficult for me because I always want to give my 100% to everything I do.
Saying no to things included both recruiting and personal matters. For example, I quit a student organization; I knew deep down that I didn’t have the time and wouldn’t be able to be an active and involved member.
During recruiting, I also learned to say no when I declined an interview with a retail company. I already had an offer at a different company whose offer I planned to accept, so what was the point? Sure, I would have gained more interview experience, but I would have been wasting my time and the company’s time too.
BE FLEXIBLE
I was part of five different group projects during RIS. Coordinating meeting times with all of my group members was tough because everyone has different schedules!
Some groups preferred to use When2Meet to schedule meetings (I am personally not a fan of When2Meet, but to each their own). Other groups preferred to just talk through our availability for the week or bombard the group chat with times they could meet.
First Tip: Never leave a group meeting without scheduling another meeting! You can always reschedule or cancel the meeting, but it’s better to have one set just in case.
Second Tip: Be communicative. Being a good group member requires being honest and accommodating. It’s important to recognize that everyone has different schedules and that you should be as flexible as possible.
For example: I was in a group project with two football players. They weren’t able to meet until after 7 p.m. on weekdays. Of course, we couldn’t meet on Fridays because of Saturday Game Days. (Go Blue!) So we would meet on weekdays later at night and on Sundays.
I appreciated how they would come straight from practice to our group meetings. Even more, they were straightforward and honest about their availability. All of us worked together because we wanted to be as accommodating as possible; we genuinely did care about doing well on our group assignments.
BEING PRODUCTIVE DURING GROUP MEETINGS
Each group project I was a part of was different – a different number of members and (of course) different types of people. But across the board, how I approached each group meeting was the same.
First Tip: Have an agenda. Each group meeting was scheduled on Google Calendar for 1.5 hours or 2 hours, so it’s important to maximize your time together.
I liked to make sure that everyone came prepared to group meetings. This meant attempting the homework problems first and then going over them as a group. We also asked members to come to meetings with their respective parts of the paper written.
Second Tip: Listen to each other. Listening is such an underrated skill. During group meetings, it’s important to listen to people’s opinions on how they’d approach the assignment.
Additionally, it’s also important to listen to people when they vocalize what part of the assignment they’re comfortable doing. Everyone has different skill sets that they can provide and it’s important to leverage that in every group project!
So those are some of my unexpected learnings from RIS! I made some amazing memories with my peers and even made some new friends from my group projects! It was definitely a whirlwind of a semester, but I wouldn’t change anything about my experience because it gave me a lot to reflect on. I hope you find my tips insightful and helpful as you navigate business school yourself!
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