Welcome to another edition of Trivia Tuesday, our weekly look at the distinguishing resources and opportunities offered by the leading business schools. With August coming to a close, first-year students at most MBA programs are on campus, getting to know each other, and getting ready for the start of classes. However, a few schools give students an opportunity to jump-start their friendships with classmates through participation in outdoor experiential learning trips. In past Trivia Tuesday columns we’ve discussed Chicago’s Random Walks, Kellogg’s KWEST trips, and Tuck’s Outward Bound program. To complement these discussions, we turn our attention this week to the Ross M-Trek program at the University of Michigan.
Prior to the start of Michigan’s pre-term and orientation programs, incoming students are invited to participate in M-Trek, an outdoor leadership program designed to foster leadership and teamwork skills while introducing students to their classmates. The trips were started in 1999 by a group of first-year students who wanted to strengthen the bonds between incoming classmates through experiential learning. The program has grown significantly since its inaugural year. Currently around 35-40% of incoming students participate in a Trek, with approximately 17% of second-year students choosing to lead a Trek. In summer 2007, the Class of 2009 chose from almost two dozen M-Trek trips.
The one-week trips are entirely student-run and each is led by a group of three to four second-year students. Destinations range from the U.S. and Europe to Africa and Latin America, with trips designed for a variety of skill levels and interests, and with prices ranging from $700-$1,600, plus airfare. By tradition, the M-Trek trip names tend to incorporate a pun on the destination and the 2007 Trek names are no exception. Some sample trip names include Getting the Banff Back Together, Where My Tahoe’s At?, You Gotta Belize! and All Thai-ed Up; students on these trips traveled to Banff, Canada; Tahoe, New Mexico; Belize and Thailand, respectively.
Since one of the goals of M-Trek is to be as inclusive as possible, partners of incoming students are also invited to take part in the M-Trek program through a specially designed three-day trip for partners that seeks to create the same bonds within this group as the other trips create among students. Students who have participated in an M-Trek rave about the experience, with 94% rating their experience as excellent or very good and many commenting that it was the best decision they made at Ross.
For more information on Ross’s M-Treks or the outdoor learning programs offered by other business schools, be sure to check out the Pre-Term & Orientation section of the Clear Admit School Guides!
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