‘Any college will do’

An article in today’s Wall Street Journal by Carol Humowitz titled ‘Any college will do’ makes the following point:

Getting to the corner office has more to do with leadership talent and a drive for success than it does with having an undergraduatea degree from a prestigious university...Most CEOs of the biggest corporations didn’t attend Ivy League or other highly selective colleges. They went to state universities, big and small, or to less-known private colleges.

I consider this the best possible news for us, because I consider Ross to be a state university that is also in the position of also being able to be selective. This way you get the benefits of a larger school (resources, range of options, diversity in every possible dimension) combined with the high quality student body that selectivity brings.

The article goes on to say:

What counts most, CEOs say, is a person’s capacity to seize opportunities. As students, they recall immersing themselves in their interests, becoming campus leaders and forging strong relationships with teachers. And at state and lesser-known schools, where many were the first in their families to attend college, they sought challenges and mixed with students from diverse backgrounds — an experience that helped them later in their corporate climbs.

This sounds like it comes directly out of the playbook of our BBA advisors. What we want you to do is to do well in class, but also be sure that you have a well-rounded extracurricular experience that allows you to lead teams, manage projects, and get things done. It’s all in a day’s work for Ross BBAs.