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Which School Should I Start At?
Without doubt,
the most common
question that we
hear from new Erb
students is whether
to start in SNRE or
the Business
School—and for good
reason. This
important decision
will have a
significant impact
on your experience
at Michigan both
academically and
socially. The
decision is 100% up
to you and there is
no one simple answer
that fits all
situations. The
decision should be
made based on your
previous experience,
strengths,
weaknesses and what
you are looking to
get out of the
program. To help you
decide, the current
Erb student
community has put
together the
following
information. Please
feel free to contact
any of us if you
have further
questions.
The pros and
cons (by no means
exhaustive, just to
stimulate thought)
Benefits of
starting at SNRE:
- You can knock out a few b-school core course
during your
first year, which
will create
more course flexibility in the second year.
- You graduate with
the b-school
class that you
start with. The
b-school goes to
great lengths to
develop a sense
of community
among the
incoming class
and by starting
b-school in your
second year,
you’ll graduate
with your
cohort.
- You may have
a strong
business
background and
want to jump
right in to new
material.
- It may open
up more Graduate
Student
Instructor and
Graduate Student
Research
Assistant
funding
opportunities
for you as MBAs
typically don’t
have time for
them and/or
don’t know about
them.
Benefits
of starting at
Ross:
- You may
have a
strong
business
background
and want to
stay focused
on business
while
expanding
your skill
set into the
area of
sustainability.
- You want
to pursue a
more
“corporate”
internship
for the
first summer.
- You want
a really
strong sense
of school
community
during your
first year.
Downside to
starting at
SNRE:
- If
you opt
for a
group
Masters
Project,
you will
likely
have to
take the
master’s
project
planning
class at
SNRE
during
the
second
semester
of your
business
core
year,
overlapping
your MAP
experience.
- You
may have
difficulty
trying
to
obtain a
traditional “corporate”
internship
during
your
first
summer
if the
sponsor
expects
proficiency
with the
b-school
core.
Downside
to
starting
at Ross:
-
You
do
not
graduate
with
your
MBA
class.
- The nature and intensity of the coursework makes it difficult to integrate with the SNRE
community
during
your
first
year.
-
Besides
the
Erb
seminar,
you
will
spend
most
of
your
first
year
in
core
business
classes.
- Due to credit caps, students are not be able to take "Strategies for the Base of the Pyramid (BA 612)" during their first year, unless they test out of a core course during the fall semester. Note: enrollment in BA 612 makes students eligible for summer BoP projects.
Either
way
you
go….
- You will take the Erb Institute seminar during the first year where you will get to know your fellow Erb classmates and be introduced to the major themes that Erb students are interested in.
- You will have a very strong sense of community within the Erb Institute.
- You will have access to internships that come in through the Institute and other channels.
- You will have full access to the resources, clubs and facilities of both schools.
Looking for more insight?
Every Erb student has faced this difficult decision, so you can learn a lot from talking to them. Don’t hesitate to contact current students with your questions. They’re always happy to talk about their experiences. |
