Anxiously waiting for Essays - Aiming R1. Anyone else?
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My Applicant Blog: http://hamm0.wordpress.com/

If my WLs don't work out, I will aim for R1. Sage Hall is awesome.
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Duke MBA Class of 2016

Deadlines are out:

Round 1

Deadline: October 2, 2013

Notification: December 11, 2013

Round 2

Deadline: December 4, 2013

Notification: February 5, 2014

Round 3

Deadline: February 12, 2014

Notification: March 26, 2014

The application will go live on July 15, 2013.
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My Applicant Blog: http://hamm0.wordpress.com/

Admissions blog
http://www.johnson.cornell.edu/Full-Tim ... lines.aspx

Precisely.

Glad to see you finally "blue-ed" up a school. Enjoy Ithaca this Fall.
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My Applicant Blog: http://hamm0.wordpress.com/

A lot of interesting things going in here. The first thing you'll notice is that Round 4 is GONE, so Johnson will be going to a traditional 3-round application cycle. What's not so traditional is that round 2 and 3 deadlines are about a month before other top schools deadlines. This isn't by accident. Johnson wants to notify students of their acceptance and get them deposited before some schools even release their round 2 and 3 decisions. ( the deposit deadlines are R1-Jan 8, R2-Mar 5, and R3-April 16)

A good move is moving round 1 up to October 2 as I'm sure the adcom wants more time to review and wants to avoid last year's late interview invites.

Good luck everyone!
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fWvub_WBho

Great breakdown CobraKai. Congrats on your admit - any tips to share?
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My Applicant Blog: http://hamm0.wordpress.com/

In for R2...

I wouldnt think to delete this post and dont believe it really violates any policies. As a candidate last year I would have loved to come across this, as I had no idea where to start on the TOC essay, which is a Johnson staple. Its nice just to see what others are doing.

I dont think I personally would share my essay with the world (likewise i have no great achievements, but tried my own ways to make it unique), but if next year any good Gmat contributor is really stuck and needs help I would be willing to pitch suggestions.

On a side note, its hard for me to believe that this time of year has come around already. I guess 1 year ago I was starting this process, the time just flew by. I will share tips from my experiences along the way via this thread and probably the general message board.

I will say that the past year was fun (despite all the stress and nerves from B school apps and interviews, and deadlines). The whole year was a chance to really take a deep introspective look into your own life, who you are and what you want to become. I would say I have learned more about myself through the B-school process than through most other life experiences. So to all the candidates in the upcoming year, enjoy the journey you are embarking on and really take a good look in the mirror. Determining early on who and what you want to be really makes the experience a lot easier.

My early tips would be:

1) Fit is king. For the next year you will sit through countless admission forums, and all adcom will tell you its all about the fit. Embrace this because its true. When you have your list narrowed down to the top 5 schools or top 20 schools, each school is as good as the next. Okay #1 and 20 have their differences for sure, but dont get too hung up on #9 vs #13, or #1 vs #3. It doesnt matter. You need to go where you will be happy. Figure out where you fit best now.

2) Consultants are nice, but not necessary. Anything they can provide you in terms of insights you can get from books or gmatclub.com. I read 3 books on admissions and talked to a few consultants, but they couldnt tell me much different than what I read. Gmatclub.com was my number 1 source for anything bschool admissions. It has everything you can find in any book, just gotta dig for it. (shameless plug there, but I dont actually work for gmatclub so its all good) The candidates on the board and accepted students offer a great wealth of knowledge. Just ask nicely and you will most likely find help here.

3) Pick a good number of schools to apply to (schools you fit well at!) because you most likely wont get into all of them. Its kind of a numbers game out there if you arent the worlds greatest candidates.

4) There are plenty of intimidating candidates you will meet out there. No lie when I say I met countless entrepenuers with successful ventures, some professional athletes (none famous American athletes, but pro athletes none the less), people from every Ivy leauge school as undergraduates, people who've interned and currently work for the President. It is unbelievable the people you will meet. They intimidated me when I met them at interviews and info sessions. The tip here is dont let them get in your head. Let them do their thing and you will do yours. Find the something that makes you special and be passionate about it. For every unbelievable candidate there are 5 average ones like me who get in. Learn from, but dont be initimated by the best candidates.

5) B-school is just a stepping stone to a greater path in your life. Its okay to obsess over it (in fact I recommend obsessing if you want to get in). Just dont lose perspective on what is truly important in life in the process.

Cheers and best of luck to all those applying! (especially to the Cornell applicants)