{"id":28470,"date":"2015-05-12T23:35:19","date_gmt":"2015-05-13T06:35:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=28470"},"modified":"2015-05-12T23:35:19","modified_gmt":"2015-05-13T06:35:19","slug":"mba-maze-application-timing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/mba-maze-application-timing\/","title":{"rendered":"MBA Maze: Application Timing"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Application Timing\" is the first post in our series, Navigate the MBA Maze<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Download<\/a>
Apply in the earliest round possible PROVIDED you don\u2019t compromise the quality of your application.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Should you apply Round 1, Round 2, or Round 3?<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Do not try to win the admissions game through timing. Quality\u2014not timing\u2014trumps all. Submit your application when it is at its best.<\/p>\n

When in doubt, listen to Linda\u2019s rule:<\/p>\n

\u201cApply in the earliest round possible PROVIDED you don\u2019t compromise the quality of your application.\u201d<\/p>\n

The R1 vs. R2 Dilemma:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cLisa,\u201d who has been struggling with her GMAT, wants to attend a top 15 program. She is unlikely to be admitted with her current score and she wants to apply Round 1. She is better off raising her GMAT and postponing her application to Round 2.<\/p>\n

Or take a look at John\u2019s profile: \u201cJohn\u201d has good scores, grades, and work experience, but is in a common applicant sub-group and wants to apply Round 2 because he believes competition will be less intense. Big mistake. Competition is intense both rounds. Instead of focusing on this timing question,\u00a0he should be working to improve his profile, differentiate himself, learn about the schools<\/a>, and start on his essays<\/a> so that he can submit Round 1 when there are more spots available.<\/p>\n

Is there an advantage to applying early in a round, especially Round 1? I don\u2019t think so. More importantly, there is an advantage to holding onto a completed first application and submitting it closer to the deadline. \u00a0(Any school, CBS<\/a> for example, with rolling admissions could be an exception to\u00a0this.) As you work on subsequent applications, you will improve your essays and relate experiences and goals with greater clarity. If you just put that first completed application away while you work on applications 2, 3, and N, then you can go back to application 1 before that school\u2019s R1 deadline and tweak it before you submit. That first application will then benefit from your recent writing experience and greater clarity.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t, however, wait until the 11th hour to upload your app and press SUBMIT. Servers are often overloaded on deadline day. You don\u2019t want to miss a deadline on an application that was completed weeks earlier because you waited too long.<\/p>\n

Should you apply R3?<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

If you belong to the following groups, I advise you not <\/i><\/b>to apply Round 3:<\/p>\n

\u2022 You do not have a clear post-MBA goal<\/a> and competitive stats<\/a>, work experience, and community \u00a0service.<\/a>\u00a0In other words, you\u2019re not really ready.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Your target schools<\/a> are not reapplicant friendly.<\/p>\n

\u2022 You are not a US permanent resident and you anticipate visa issues or problems if accepted by the later notification dates.<\/p>\n

\u2022 You are a card-carrying member of an over-represented group.<\/p>\n

However, you should <\/i><\/b>apply during the third or later rounds if you are among those who:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Just missed the Round 2 deadlines due to circumstances beyond your control, but have your GMAT<\/a> and a clear idea of where you want to apply and why you want an MBA.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Are a non-traditional applicant or member of an under-represented group or have diversity elements in your profile.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Prefer to have a slight chance of acceptance over no chance, which is what you will have if you don\u2019t apply.<\/p>\n

A third round application has the following advantages over waiting until Round 1 next fall:<\/p>\n

\u2022 You have a chance of acceptance this year, even if it isn\u2019t as good as it would be earlier in the application cycle.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Some programs give feedback so that you will be better prepared for Round 1 in next year\u2019s application. Don\u2019t apply just to obtain feedback, but the opportunity to receive feedback could make applying educational and worthwhile, even if you are rejected.<\/p>\n

The main disadvantage: The cost and time required to apply.<\/p>\n

\"Download<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/i>\"Accepted:<\/a><\/p>\n

Related Resources:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 Round 3 or Next Year: When to Apply to Business School<\/a>
\n\u2022 I was Accepted...But Can I Do Better?<\/a>
\n\u2022\u00a0Application Timing: When Should You Submit?<\/a><\/p>\n

\u200b\u200b<\/a><\/div>\n

This article<\/a>\u00a0originally appeared on\u00a0blog.accepted.com<\/a>, the official blog of\u00a0Accepted.com<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“Application Timing” is the first post in our series, Navigate the MBA Maze. Should you apply Round 1, Round 2, or Round 3? Do not try to win the admissions…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,939,113],"tags":[949,967,1896,1813,1292,1688,777,1372,790],"class_list":["post-28470","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mba","category-accepted","category-applications","tag-application-advice","tag-applying-to-business-school","tag-mba","tag-mba-round-one","tag-mistakes-in-applying-to-business-school","tag-round-2-applications","tag-round-2-mba-admissions","tag-round-2-tips","tag-round-3","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28470","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=28470"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28470\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28471,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28470\/revisions\/28471"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}