My first advice to anyone who is coming to Ross…

Do an MTrek!

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Coming from India and seeing my savings in INR depleted by the exchange rate, I was oh so tempted to not do an MTrek (they are not free!). But it did not disappoint. Actually surpassed my wildest hopes and was a perfect introduction to Ross.

MTreks come in all shapes and sizes. From a partner trek (for couples) to Northern Michigan (which I thought was a bit lame compared to the others… Don’t worry couples, this time my classmates are planning some awesome partner treks) to exotic locations like Egypt & Bali… from the cold mountains of Canada to the hot beaches of Panama, Costa Rica and Hawaii, there are treks to choose from to fit your appetite. But more important aspect of the MTrek is the group itself.

My 8 days in the wild country side of Montana & Wyoming with 13 MBA1s and 3 MBA2s have forged some strong friendships. We still meet often and help each other out. In fact I was invited to Thanksgiving to one of my MTrek’s buddy’s hometown, with his family.

We had a lot of fun, from trekking to whitewater rafting, from horse riding to fly-fishing, we did it all. We cooked our own food and stayed in houses in the woods. There was a lot of merriment and my official initiation into American culture (including drinking games).

On the other side, I saw this group as a mini-representation of the Ross community. Within the 13 MBA1s, we had:

  • 2 Israelis, 2 Indians, 1 Chinese
  • An army man who jumped out of airplanes in Iraq
  • A girl who was among the top 150 squash players in the world
  • A sprinter who tried out for All American
  • An accountant, an accountant turned advertising manager, engineers who veered into marketing, army, intelligence and banking
  • A guy who got a top-paid hedge fund job, though a Craigslist ad
  • Passionate people from the non-profit background
  • …

We had several great conversations… From topics ranging from beer and Jägermeister to war, politics, religion, business and policy. It is true to say that the MTrek (though I was sad it ended), left me wanting to get to know more people than ever. If my MTrek group was any indication of my classmates; I was going to have a ball-of-a-time. And it did not disappoint.

The houses we lived in Jacksonhole,WY and Big Sky, MT

We cooked our own food.. It was fun! From mexican to chillies to corn-dogs

Rafting in the Snake River

Horseback-riding and fly-fishing

Some postcards from the MTrek

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