Number of Applications

Question

I am just wondering.... how many schools do people typically apply to? I was thinking that something around 8-10 would be somewhere close to the average, but really have no clue. So, how many schools do people find themselves applying to? And, how have your experiences been in the process (overburdened, lax, etc.)?

dabots · Answer

i think average is around 4-5...8-10 is definitely on the high side

personally i'm doing 3 r1, 2 r2

aviroop · Answer

I made an initial plan of choosing 8 schools - then I selected 5 schools, and now I finalised 4.

8-10 is definitely on the high side. You would spend long nights writing essays.

mNeo · Answer

I am also doing 3 R1s and 1 or 2 R2s (if needed) .. although so far I've only finalized on two of my R1 schools.

kryzak · Answer

8-10 is VERY high and unfocused... called the "shotgun" approach.

You should do the "sniper approach" (search the forums for it, rhyme has a good article on it) and apply to 4-6, but break it up into 50-75% R1 and the rest R2

I'm applying to 3 R1, and maybe 2 R2 if I don't hear of any interviews by December. If I get a few interviews, then I might only prepare one for R2, if at all.

riverripper · Answer

I am doing 4 R1 (I am counting Tucks first non-ED round in there). The due dates are spread from Oct 17th to Nov 14th though. 

R2 will have two prepped and ready to go depending on the progress of the R1 apps.

ncp · Answer

I am with river on this. I am also planning to do 4 R1 and 2 R2.

riverripper · Answer

I actually made a poll asking last years class this question. There were a suprising number of people who applied to a LOT of schools. Some spread out over 2 or 3 rounds at least.

riverripper · Answer

https://www.gmatclub.com/phpbb/viewtopic ... highlight=

shmegs · Answer

Trying to get 4 in R1, and 2-3 in R2.

kryzak · Answer

Hrm... might be 4 in R1 and none in R2 now... a Stanford alumnus (of all people) convinced me that Kellogg is the place to apply (between Kellogg and Chicago) if I like Stanford, and that I should apply R1. 

Chicago is still in consideration, I just need to talk to more alums and students there...

kripalkavi · Answer

Ditto

mNeo · Answer

I agree completely (Based on my limited information)

lepium · Answer

I've heard that the recommended target is 6-8. You usually "lose" 1 or 2 apps while struggling with everything, so that would leave you with an actual number of submitted apps of 4 - 7.

L.

shmegs · Answer

I hadn't thought about that, thanks L. Also, how long is it taking people to complete the first set of essays. I've finished the first draft of my Tuck essays and the essays are very rough. I figure it'll take 4-6 revisions before I'm happy with them.

riverripper · Answer

Thats efficient. Two of my three completed kellogg essays are at 4 or 5 and I am still working on them. There are jokes about Rhyme having 20+ on each of his. I think in the end after half a dozen major revisions mine will just be small tweaks here and there as I come up with better ways of presenting info.

shmegs · Answer

Thanks for the info river, I'm glad to know that my initial estimates aren't too far off base. After seeing Rhyme's posts I started to freak out a bit...I'm stressing out as it is without trying to go through 20+ revisions per essay.

sangoman · Answer

My goals essay UChic took me abt 4-5 days. But then had it labelled as "an absolute joke".....so really dunno how long its gonna take

lepium · Answer

I think it's totally subjective. Sometimes you write and write for hours and finish an ultra revised version of "crappy essay #1" (which gets discarded a couple of days later) while some other times you finish writing a particular essay and say "this is it" and leave as is.

I, personally, spent way more time thinking about the essays (from the typical "Why MBA / Why now" to the fearful: "what do you think is leadership?") and doing lots of research than actually writing. By the time I sat down and wrote, I just had to figure out how to say what I knew I wanted to say elegantly and within the word limits. I first started working on my R2 apps about early Nov and kept them in my mind (not actually working everyday, but thinking about them regularly and working on them on and off) all the way through submission date (late Dec / early Jan). Most of the final versions, I wrote during the last couple of weeks. I just needed to "click" to find the right version.

Others, on the other hand, like to write and review, write and review, etc. for weeks / months. 

Neither method is right or wrong. You should find out what works for you.

L.

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