Catching Up with Taylor Rooks
7/10/2018 5:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Graduate student Taylor Rooks joined the Wolverines this past spring after graduating from Harvard with a degree in economics. Rooks will have one season of eligibility with the Wolverines while pursuing a Master of Management degree from the Ross School of Business. She talks about how her summer has been, her unique situation as a graduate transfer and why she picked Michigan.
Q: You came to Ann Arbor to start your program in June. How has your time been here so far?
A: It's been great. I am loving it. Ross (School of Business) has been challenging, but I feel like I have learned so much already in just a month. Basketball is picking up now too, which is nice. It has been great to get back in the gym.
Q: You are getting your Master of Management from the Ross School of Business while you are here. What kind of program is that?
A: Right now, it's helping the people like me, who don't come from this background with finance and business acumen get those experiences. We have done a lot of career prep and interview prep so far. We have dealt with some cases already because Ross is very case-oriented. It's been exposing us to that kind of setup, which is what you deal with in the real world but don't get much experience with in undergrad.
Q: What does a normal day look like for you right now?
A: I have class at 9 a.m., so before that I have breakfast, get my car to the gym and get on the bus up to Ross. I have that class at 9 a.m. and another class at noon, then I get some lunch with my friends. I have another class in the afternoon before coming back to Crisler to get a workout in with (strength and conditioning) Coach Jamie (Preiss). Sometimes I will have an individual or a full team workout, then it's time for dinner and more time with my teammates. I will watch some TV, do my homework and then go to bed. Then repeat that same thing the next day!
Q: What has been the biggest adjustment for you so far this summer?
A: I would say it is a combination of adjusting both academically and athletically. I have not been in school during the summer since my freshman year. I am taking a pretty heavy course load and now fitting in basketball, lifting and conditioning; I haven't experienced that combination for most of my undergrad time. At Harvard, I was coming back right when school was starting, we would have three weeks of workouts and then it was October and time for the season. The pace is different now, since we have more time. The emphasis is on getting better, not just getting ready for the season to start.
Q: How is trying to balance the fact that you are the oldest player here with the most collegiate experience, but brand new to this program?
A: It is a weird dichotomy. I have had more basketball experience than everybody here, but at the same time, everything here is new. I am more experienced than the freshmen, but not nearly as experienced as the returning players. There are times when I know what I am doing and there are times when I have to sit back and watch. I sometimes have to assume a "freshman" role, where I like to see what is happening before going out and doing it so I am not making a mistake.
Q: Why Michigan?
A: I love the coaches; that was the first thing. I have loved Michigan since I was in high school. It was a level of comfort for me in coming here. I know the type of players that Coach Arico recruits and felt like I would get along well with them. The team is awesome. I am getting the top of the top academic experiences here with one of the top grad programs in the country while playing at the highest level of basketball. Being able to finish out my basketball career achieving both is so special.Â
Q: What do you envision for your life after you graduate?
A: As of right now, I am planning on going back to the bank I was working at, back to that grind. It will be fun but hard. It can't be any harder than what I am doing right now with class and basketball. But my plan for now is to go back to working with a hedge fund or a Wall Street bank.
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