SQ17 - what I would do is choose only 2 schools max for the deadlines in the first week of January. I'm not sure I would go with CBS because they have so many seats already filled from the early action round. Maybe go with LBS.
Then I would add either Ross or Stern. Ross deadline is Jan 10 and has a very simple application; don't ignore it until Jan 7 but you could realistically get it done in a couple days. Stern is also good because the deadline is Jan 15, and Sloan because its on Jan 19. Stern can be done in a week if you have some interesting photos and some copywriting skills. Sloan is a 300 word cover letter; I use 2 examples of where you made a tangible lasting impact and tie those together to show your brand. Once you do HBS its pretty figureoutable.
As for IESE, shoot for R3, the application isnt huge but does require some additional thought for the first essay. Your GMAT and background will make you competitive esp since they have 4 rounds.
And last, go for Round 2 at INSEAD for
January *NOT R3 for Sept intake*- it's only 3 months later and they have 1000 free seats and there will still be plenty open in R2 (but def apply R2 because of scholarships.) And, maybe add HEC, for January intake (sometimes they will invite you to the fall intake if there is room.)
Don't just think about this from the perspective of essays, however, make sure to think about very strong anecdotes your recommenders can illustrate for the rec questions. These are so vital, people often put more weight on what others have to say about you than what you have to say about you.
Choose anecdotes that make a strong claim about you as a person and then back it up with a story that demonstrates leadership, teamwork, problem solving and/or innovation. (not all of these though; don't make it super messy, just a clear statement and facts to back it up.) They go out to all the schools so let your recommenders to the heavy lifting but have a long chat with them and give them a clear roadmap. If you enter the school name and recommendation questions you can find them online.
Hope this helps, good luck to you!
SQ17 wrote:
Some background first - below is a high-level view of my profile:
- GMAT: 720 (Q48/V40/IR6)
- 8 years of total work XP, currently at a T2 consulting firm (recently promoted to manager)
- Very unique/under-represented nationality but also a US national so I won't have any visa issues
- I have a pretty unique background and post-MBA story crafted
- University GPA: 3.2 (public university in Florida, decent ranking)
Given the basics above, I think I have a pretty good shot to get into a top tier program. Now with that said, I have five weeks to go until R2 deadlines and I'm just barely getting started on my apps (long story but not important to this discussion).
My initial school plan was as follows:
-Long-shots: HBS, CBS
-Realistic target: LBS
-Fallback: IESE
Having spoken to friends who have applied to MBA programs in recent years, it seems a 2-3 week period is required per application to really ensure you're submitting a quality app.
Is it in any way realistic for me to push to apply to all four of the schools on my list within a 5-week period or should I sacrifice 1-2 to ensure I submit my best possible apps?
Would appreciate any advice - thanks!
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02 Dec 2021, 02:53
