erlandgas wrote:
I don't want to assume that GMAT club data is telling of everything but for now 123 applied R1 and 87 R2. The data may be off; it's unlikely with that totalling over 200 apps though. Some people might wait until decision date to input their info. It'd have to be over 36 people to though. I'd be willing to bet there aren't more round 2 apps then round 1. That doesn't happen often at any top school any year. My guess is that's something admissions says every year because they feel overwhelmed. The data doesn't suggest that.
There's many factors at play here. People were probably very ambitious and zealous in round 1, but have lost energy, motivation, and rythmn by round 2 (i know I have) and thus are under reporting. I bet there's more R2 applicants than R1 for a myriad of reasons: waiting to get a higher gmat score, waiting to write the best essays, squeezing in a campus visit, etc. The truth of the matter is, neither of us have hard and reliable data to support our conjectures. I'm just going by what the adcoms said. That weighs more than guessing. Especially since there's no good reason for giving plattitudes. They Could have just said other things, like "we're deliberating closely", or "we haven't begun the review process yet".