{"id":2656,"date":"2010-03-18T19:47:46","date_gmt":"2010-03-19T03:47:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=2656"},"modified":"2010-03-21T19:50:05","modified_gmt":"2010-03-22T03:50:05","slug":"mba-program-selection-how-many-schools-should-you-apply-to","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/mba-program-selection-how-many-schools-should-you-apply-to\/","title":{"rendered":"MBA Program Selection: How Many Schools Should You Apply To?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><em>NOTE<\/em><\/strong><em>: This is #7 in a series of blog posts on the topic, \u201cHow to Select the Right MBA Programs.\u201d To see previous segments, link to the following: <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/acceptedcom_blog\/2010\/2\/22\/what-mba-programs-should-you-apply-to-next-season.html\">Post #1, Introducing the Series<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/acceptedcom_blog\/2010\/3\/17\/mba-program-selection-researching-schools.html\">Post #6, Researching Schools<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>HOW MANY SCHOOLS SHOULD YOU APPLY TO?<\/p>\n<p>Deciding how many schools to apply to is another often shortchanged step in the pre-application process.\u00a0 It\u2019s something that people seem to think just happens.\u00a0 And it will just happen, but not necessarily in the most advantageous way, unless you make it.\u00a0\u00a0 Your specific situation and needs should drive your decision of number of schools to apply to \u2013 in each category: on-par, reach, and safety.\u00a0 Having a clear idea before you start your applications of how many schools you\u2019ll be targeting will help you plan and allocate your resources.\u00a0\u00a0 Please note: by \u201cnumber\u201d I mean roughly; a short range such as \u201cfive or six\u201d is fine.<\/p>\n<p>A \u201ctypical\u201d applicant would apply to about six programs: two to three reasonable reaches, two to three on pars, and one to two safeties.\u00a0 This scenario assumes the applicant has selected programs in each category for which she can make an effective case.\u00a0 The rationale for this scenario is that it yields a decent possibility of acceptance at a reach, likelihood of acceptance at an on-par program, and certainty through the safety.<\/p>\n<p>This\u00a0typical case doesn\u2019t apply to a lot of people though.\u00a0 Here are some common exceptions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li> You\u2019re on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/mba\/older.aspx\">older side<\/a>, so getting in this year is essential \u2013 next year you will be solidly in EMBA territory.\u00a0 Consider applying to more programs \u2013 as many as you can manage.<\/li>\n<li>You\u2019re <a href=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/mba\/younger.aspx\">fairly young<\/a>, have a spectacular career and stats, and aren\u2019t certain it makes sense to take off two years now if it\u2019s not HBS or Stanford.\u00a0 You should apply to those two only, because you can reapply next year if need be without worrying about age.<\/li>\n<li>The brands you require are all reaches, some reasonable and some almost out of reach.\u00a0 It wouldn\u2019t be worth it to you to attend other programs. Apply to as many as you can that fit your criteria and offer some realistic hope of acceptance to increase the possibility of a hit.<\/li>\n<li>You are applying with a handicap \u2013 a DUI or honor code infraction, were fired for cause, etc. \u2013 if you write a frank and compelling essay about growing from the situation (and if it didn\u2019t happen yesterday), you should have a shot. But because it\u2019s such an unpredictable factor and adcoms often react defensively, you should consider applying to more schools than you otherwise would need to.<\/li>\n<li>You\u2019re unsettled about geographic region and want to keep options open.\u00a0 Apply to more programs to cover yourself.<\/li>\n<li>You\u2019re pressed for time \u2013 maybe you can\u2019t devote more than 2 hours a week, or maybe you have to have all your apps done by a given deadline.\u00a0 Select a number that will allow you to deliver quality, even if it\u2019s fewer than you would normally do under other circumstances.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Last but not least, this number isn\u2019t written in stone.\u00a0 The application process is dynamic, and you are not closing off opportunities by deciding on a number to target now.<\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"color: black\" lang=\"EN\">By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/aboutus\/editors.aspx?editorid=3\">Cindy Tokumitsu<\/a>, co-author of The <a href=\"https:\/\/accepted.squarespace.com\/Users\/Linda%20Abraham\/AppData\/Local\/Users\/Linda%20Abraham\/AppData\/Local\/Microsoft\/Windows\/Temporary%20Internet%20Files\/Content.Outlook\/51OO5MWQ\/Where%20Should%20You%20Apply%20BLOG%201%20v2.doc\">Finance Professional\u2019s Guide to MBA Success<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/accepted.squarespace.com\/Users\/Linda%20Abraham\/AppData\/Local\/Users\/Linda%20Abraham\/AppData\/Local\/Microsoft\/Windows\/Temporary%20Internet%20Files\/Content.Outlook\/51OO5MWQ\/Where%20Should%20You%20Apply%20BLOG%201%20v2.doc\">The Consultants\u2019 Guide to MBA Admission<\/a>, T<\/span><\/em><em><span style=\"color: black\" lang=\"EN\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/Ecommerce\/mba\/EMBAEssay.aspx%20\"><em>he EMBA Edge<\/em><\/a><em>,\u00a0and author of several articles and the free, email mini-course,<\/em><\/span><\/em><span style=\"color: black\" lang=\"EN\"><a title=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/mba\/embaadmissionscourse.aspx\" href=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/mba\/embaadmissionscourse.aspx\" target=\"_blank\"><em> \"Ace the EMBA.\"<\/em><\/a><em><br \/>\n<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NOTE: This is #7 in a series of blog posts on the topic, \u201cHow to Select the Right MBA Programs.\u201d To see previous segments, link to the following: Post #1,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,3,6],"tags":[39],"class_list":["post-2656","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mba","category-b-school-life","category-current-events","tag-mba-admissions","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2656","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2656"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2656\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2658,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2656\/revisions\/2658"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2656"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2656"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2656"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}