{"id":49836,"date":"2020-09-15T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-09-15T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=49836"},"modified":"2020-09-13T04:17:18","modified_gmt":"2020-09-13T11:17:18","slug":"whats-the-rush-round-1-vs-round-2-for-mba-applicants-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/whats-the-rush-round-1-vs-round-2-for-mba-applicants-3\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s The Rush? Round 1 vs. Round 2 For MBA Applicants"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"What's<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Right now, most of my clients are scurrying about trying to complete their Round 1 applications. Many of them will be ready to submit for Round 1, but there are a handful of clients I\u2019ve suggested wait until Round 2, and we\u2019ve discussed whether or not there is a true advantage to Round 1 vs. Round 2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the difference between Round 1 and Round 2?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You may be wondering, is there a difference in acceptance rates between Round 1 and Round 2? The short answer is \u201cno.\u201d For some schools, like Columbia<\/a> that use rolling admissions, there is most definitely a distinct advantage to applying early, but for the bulk of the schools that use rounds, there is truly no advantage. Here\u2019s why the Round 1 and Round 2 acceptance rates are usually very similar. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a former Admissions Dean and Director<\/a>, my job was to project the number of offers I could make given the Dean\u2019s enrollment target and my projected applications. The projections are typically quite accurate and based on several factors including the number of GMAT\/GRE reports sent to a given school, the overall number of test takers, and the number of inquiries a director observes compared to the number of inquiries year to date. With this information at hand, a director instructs their admissions team to invite a percentage of the applicant pool to interview (or in the case of open interviews, advises their team to make a percentage of offers).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the admissions team begins to make offers in Round 2, the director uses the same percentage because they do not yet know the yield on any of the decisions they have made Round 1. Round 1 tends to be a smaller pool and more clear cut (very qualified candidates and also weaker candidates that believe that Round 1 gives them an advantage over Round 2). Schools tend to encourage Round 1 applications to smooth out the bottlenecks in Round 2 because Round 2 tends to be 2\u20136 times the size of Round 1 and the adcom is not only reviewing and interviewing applications<\/a> in Round 2, but also trying to field the Round 1 candidates. Once first-round admitted applicants begin to make enrollment deposits (typically in Round 3), the director will adjust the percentage of admits for all subsequent rounds and for the waitlist, often looking at the waitlist at the same time they are reviewing Round 2 or 3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which round is best for me?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So, what does all this mean for you? If you aren\u2019t ready for Round 1, don\u2019t worry. Your chances of getting in for Round 2 should basically be the same for schools that do not roll their admissions. If you are ready to apply in Round 1 and the MBA program admits you, you have the advantage of knowing your fate earlier, obtaining financial aid<\/a>, visas, housing, and getting to know your classmates. You can eliminate your safety schools from your list, sit back, and relax.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember, this is only if you are ready to apply in Round 1 \u2013  there is a substantial disadvantage <\/em>in submitting a rush job that doesn\u2019t reflect your best. You will be better served using the time leading up to Round 2 to perfect your application and maximize your chances of acceptance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A word from Accepted\u2019s founder<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Watch this video for Linda Abraham\u2019s 1-minute answer to: Which round should I apply to business school? <\/p>\n\n\n\n