vivek_dj wrote:
Hi Linda,
I have not been able to decide as to which round I should apply for...intially I was of the view that there would be nothing better than applying for R1 but now that I have spoken to some past/current students I feel that applying for R2 would be a better option.
I'm listing the pro's and con's of applying for R1 below(these are my views):
PRO's
1) The number of seats in R1 is maximum and subsequently the scholarships/TA/RA/GA doled out is also maximum and being a international student the amount of scholarship( if I do get any) matters a lot when I decide which school to attend.
2) If I do get rejected by my first choice schools I can apply for my backup schools in the subsequent rounds.
CON's:
1) After Im done with my GMAT I would be having only 2 - 2 1/2 months to nail my essays and this may cause my essays to be rudimentary or rather unpolished.
2) I would be competing with the over achievers and reapps in R1( after receiving feedback frm last year they would have significantly improved their app) which could significantly harm my prospects.
Would like to know your views on this.
Thanks & Regards,
Vivek.
Vivek,
Good question.
Remember Linda's Rule: Apply as early as possible PROVIDED you don't compromise the quality of your application.
If you follow Linda's Rule, then Con #1 doesn't apply because you won't rush your applications. You will submit those that are ready for R1 and those that don't quite get done will go in R2.
I don't agree with Con 2. High achievers apply in all the round -- even the last round. Yes there are more reapplicants first round, but they aren't usually the over-achievers. They are simply more seasoned applicants. In addition, if you come from a common profile, like Indian males especially Indian males in IT, you don't want to apply after adcom members have been dazzled by R1 applicants and given a bunch of spots to your competition and are now dealing with X fewer spots for people like you.
Apply according to Linda's Rule. Submit your best application as soon as it is ready. Don't submit before it's your best and don't postpone submitting that best application in an attempt to guess which round is best.
Good luck!
Good luck!