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<\/h2>\n<\/h2>\nRound two deadlines for HBS<\/a>, Wharton<\/a>, Chicago Booth<\/a> and Duke Fuqua arrive on January 3. Kellogg<\/a> and Stanford GSB<\/a> are waiting to hear from you by January 9 and 10, respectively. Meanwhile, Dartmouth Tuck, Yale SOM and Michigan Ross apps are due on January 7. Six months ago, you had the opportunity to shape your profile, but with roughly three weeks and ticking, it\u2019s all about packaging and polishing.<\/p>\n In a recent article for Poets&Quants, my Fortuna Admissions colleagues\u00a0offer six top tips for prioritizing your remaining time and submitting an application that\u2019s as brilliant and memorable as you are.<\/p>\n 1. Show schools the love.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Programs like Dartmouth Tuck, NYU Stern, Yale SOM, UVA Darden, UCLA Anderson and Duke Fuqua witness a spike in round 2 applications from candidates who were dinged elsewhere in round 1. It\u2019s vital to be even more convincing given this reality. \u201cWhat\u2019s essential in crafting each application is making each program believe that they\u2019re your first choice,\u201d says my Fortuna colleague Amy Hugo in her article,\u00a08 Tips for Tailoring Your MBA Application<\/em><\/strong><\/a>. \u201cOf course, schools know that you\u2019re applying to other programs \u2014 they expect that and it\u2019s a sensible thing to do. But to win their acceptance, show them the love. This means going the extra mile to prove you understand a school\u2019s unique culture and values, and that you\u2019ve given considered thought both to how you\u2019ll contribute to their community and what you hope to gain from it.\u201d<\/p>\n 2. Account for the holidays.<\/strong><\/p>\n Don\u2019t underestimate the inevitable chaos of the imminent holiday season, when essential collaborators like your recommenders are poised to set their out-of-office replies. In my former role as head of MBA admissions at INSEAD, I received countless panicked call from round 2 candidates this time of year who just learned that a recommender had left on vacation and was unlikely to submit the letter by deadline. If you haven\u2019t already, circle back to your recommenders, know where they are in the process, and confirm their end-of-year availability in this overbooked time. Deploy your ability to manage up: anticipate what your recommenders need and ensure the optimal conditions for them to submit a substantive and glowing letter of support.<\/p>\n View all six tips in our article for Poets&Quants: Countdown To Round 2: Top Tips For Polishing Your MBA App<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n