Application submission confusion

Which schools are you specifically targeting? Some have later deadlines - we've seen people put together a full set of apps for 3+ schools in the time that we have remaining right now. Not for HBS of course but many schools are October. If you're doing GMAT prep at the same time it's definitely tough but you should try to do at least one Rd 1 app - that way if you don't even get the interview invitation you will have very useful info to go on, and you'll know that you need to change your pitch! Plus you'll go through the agony of finishing the first application sooner - it will help you all around. See what you can do.

EssaySnark

Hi

Anderson '16, Darden '16, McCombs '16, Tepper '16, Kenan-Flagler '16, McDonough '16, Tulane '16, Boston U '16, Krannert '16, Foster '16, W.P. Carey

These are the schools i am targeting ....

I would have definitely applied in R1 if my gmat mock scores would have been little better...I had a plan to take Gmat by september end but now this much time is not sufficient for gmat prep, moreover it will take around a month to write the app.

On the other hand for R2 the deadlines would be in dec-jan so i can take the exam by nov end...But the only thing which is bothering me is that whether R1 would have given me any advantage over R2??

That's a really big list of schools. You won't be able to do a good job on that many schools in a single round, no matter when you apply. That's why we asked which ones you're targeting. When you set up that list initially were you planning on doing all of them in Rd 1? You say it will take a month to write the app - well, that's 11 schools. It actually takes almost a month to write EACH app - you can stack them and work concurrently but this is not a trivial amount of work. If you're really planning on applying to that many, you MUST get some of them in at the earliest rounds.

For the lower-ranked schools like Boston and Krannert, no, not a big advantage to Rd 1, but for many of the others there is - especially given that we presume you're coming from the classically oversubscribed pool of Indian male.

We also don't understand the strategy. You're not applying in Rd 1 because you need to take the test at the end of September and there wouldn't be enough time for essays... OK, we get that, though we feel that it would be a major missed opportunity. But then in the next breath you say that you want to do Rd 2 since you could take the GMAT in November. Why wouldn't you keep your current GMAT test date? Then you could start immediately working on essays and have the greatest chance of all.

The GMAT is important, and yes it's a lot of work, and yes it's best if you focus exclusively on GMAT prep and don't try to worry about essays simultaneously. We're behind you on all of that.

But the essays typically take longer than people expect, and if you push everything out to Rd 2, then all you're doing is prolonging the agony. And a rushed essay is never a good essay.

Just make sure you're thinking all of this through. Every year right around now, we see people put everything off for what seems like a good reason but it often ends up biting them, big time.



EssaySnark

Haha the Toon was Classic!

You guessed it right i did not plan to apply to the listed schools all together . Anderson '16, Darden '16, Tepper '16, Kenan-Flagler '16, McDonough '16.

Had a plan to go for the above 5 schools for R1 and rest of the schools by R2 and R3.

I have not taken any gmat date yet, but do you mean that i should stick with my plan and take gmat by sep end? But what happens if i get a low score? Do you suggest to go ahead and apply with that score and later retake gmat??

OK this is now looking like a strategy.

Here's what we suggest: Stick with your original test date. You don't know if you will need to retest until you have a score in hand; it will simplify decision-making across the board.

K-F Rd 1 is binding early action. Only apply there if you're committed to attending. Of this list, they are one more open to lower GMAT scores though, so if you do like them, then you should definitely consider that.

UCLA and Darden have just one essay question each so those could be feasible apps to try in a short timeframe. The Darden one is a killer though. However, the single UCLA essay is completely focused on career goals - and you'd be able to re-use that content for other schools. Those two are also the most competitive / selective on this list, which means they have the greatest advantage for a Rd 1 app.

So, we would suggest shooting for a UCLA Rd 1 submit. That will get you ahead of the game in terms of your essay-writing skills, and it's not the most challenging essay to deal with (it's actually a very good one to begin your projects on). All of this is predicated on doing a good job on that GMAT of course. If your score doesn't cooperate, then don't waste an opportunity at a school like that since they'll have a hard time saying yes when the score is off target. But it looks like maybe you have some interesting angles to pull in, which can show differentiation. That doesn't trump a low GMAT or a poorly written career goals essay but it certainly can help (the former only; the schools almost never overlook a bad set of goals).

Basically what we're suggesting is, break this big project down into chunks and see which ones you can start to pick off. The advantage in Rd 1 is real and it would be a shame to forego that unnecessarily.

EssaySnark

With each of your new post i learn so much.....Always good to hear these facts which am not aware of...

This looks like a good deal to me also it wont overburden me....

So its time to work on gmat to get going with this plan....

Really appreciate your time and effort, and i believe i will get back once i start collecting the documents and work on essays.