Michigan Business students have coined the name "Rossholes" and it's rightfully so. The definitions vary, but generally a Rosshole (n.) can be defined as a Michigan business student with a cutthroat attitude, access to supreme buildings with added perks, and a closet full of suits, and who never lets you forget about it. As a student at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business, I guess that I qualify as a Rosshole, although I'm not a very good one.
My wardrobe is not made of business attire.
As a business student, we are expected to dress the part. I would be acing this if "the part" were considered ripped jeans and Birkenstocks. The number of leggings that I own greatly outnumbers the number of business clothes that I own. My clothing choice screams "college dropout hippie" rather than "future business leader." I guess that I would consider myself to be working on this.
My mentality is passive.
I’m not saying that I am not driven or competitive, but I would say that I am not extremely cutthroat, which is needed in the business world today. I don’t like to start arguments or debates in class or try to one-up my classmates. It’s not because I’m afraid to be wrong, I just prefer not to indulge in heavy battles with my classmates. This is going to be crucial when going into recruiting, where you are essentially fighting with your classmates for the same jobs. Let’s hope that I remedy my behavior in time!
I have various hobbies.
Unlike what I would consider a usual Rosshole’s extracurricular activities, I’m not in a business fraternity and I don’t enjoy anything that has to do with finance or the real-estate market these days. I occasionally pretend to in order to think that I actually know what’s going on, but it makes me feel just a little smarter. Usually, instead of meeting with my frat or my business club, I indulge in work, anything outside, photography, reading, and the occasional night out. Unfortunately, this is not something that I can really change and I won’t apologize for that.
My future is uncertain.
Many Rossholes have their futures mapped out. Whether these plans will come true or not is still a question. On the other hand, I don’t have my future mapped out and I am completely OK with that. I don’t know if I want to work on Wall Street or as a consultant. I don’t even know if I want to work in business at all, which I know is an odd thing to say considering the time and effort that goes into the business school. Really, all I can think of doing right now is traveling, taking pictures, and gaining life experiences. The moral of the story is that I have no idea where I will be in five years or even an idea of where I will be.
I am in no way trying to stereotype or offend anyone in the business school because I know that not all business students are like this, this is just an observation. Thanks to my business school status, I should fit this definition better, but I don’t. I am weird and different. I would rather be outside, laying in a hammock or going camping with friends than searching for internships or talking about Ross. I am a mediocre Rosshole and I'm fine with that.
