Oxford, LBS, Cambridge MBA application rounds?

Hey, I'm in the same boat, although just applying to Oxford and Cambridge. Just started studying for GMAT, so not sure where I'll be in September.

There's a good thread called Oxbridge 2011 applicants that has just been started. You can also sift through last year's Oxbridge thread. Another thing to consider, mentioned in the 2011 Oxbridge thread, is scholarship deadlines. Some of them are really early and would require a R1 application. This is my first time attempting links, so if I screwed that up royally, they're both in this same forum (international b-school applications) and both have pretty recent last posts.

I would also check out the Best MBA application tips thread, which has some very good insight on the MBA application process. One of the things I took away from here that is making my strategy a bit more complicated is that your applications get better as you complete more applications. So applying to your top school in R1 might not work in your favor since your applications might significantly improve in R2 or R3. This thread is in The B-School Application forum.

Actually, last year I think the Gates Cambridge scholarship (at least for non-USA applicants) deadline was in December, so my R2 application was sufficient. Unfortunately I was waitlisted until R3. I was not granted the scholarship though. I also applied to Oxford in R2, deadline in January.

Ah, they don't have the information up yet for next year's Cambridge scholarships, just the Judge and external scholarships. That would be nice if the deadline was in December; I'll have to check back...

I'm in the same boat--also considering those schools (plus a few others in Europe). I'm hoping to be GMAT-ready by late September/early October, an thus likely wouldn't make R1 for either Oxford or Cambridge.

I've heard a lot of buzz about applying to your "safeties" in R1 and waiting for your dream schools in R2 when your application skills have likely improved. I guess it's a gamble, because in so doing, yeah, you might miss a scholarship deadline or two.

I did just that, and I can recommend it warmly. I submitted to Judge R2 in November and Saïd in R2 in January. I was waitlisted at Judge until R3 and then admitted. Oxford admitted me in R2. I didn't miss any scholarship deadlines. I think my Oxbridge essays were the best ones I wrote. I had places at my safety schools and had a "nothing to lose"-attitude, so I wrote exactly about what I felt like writing.

Good luck with the applications. Check last year's Oxbridge applicants thread if you feel like you need inspiration and advice on essays.

Thanks, I'll check that thread out. Glad to hear that it does work out to defer your top choice schools a round. I suspect that perhaps schools do put the scholarship deadlines back enough for applicants to get to at least R2.