Profile evaluation

Sayantan,

Round one/round two is obviously a huge question right now. Our advice is to apply to at least one school for round one (provided it's not *too* late) so that you can get the wheels turning. It gets your recommenders going, it forces you to consider key themes, and so on.

At this stage though, unless you are applying to Columbia for ED, we don't recommend applying to more than one "early October" program for round one. There's no reason to cram several apps through the system when there's no real difference between Rd 1 and Rd 2. Round one is often a byproduct of hype more than anything.

So to answer your question: pick one school with a pre-October 15 deadline and apply there round one. If you can find another school you like with a Rd 1 post Oct 15, go ahead and add that one. Save everything else for round two.

As for schools that might be a fit with your profile, you have to look at Haas, of course, given the sector you are interested in. Ross, Kellogg, Duke, and Sloan are other elite schools that would be great fits. All are going to be difficult for admissions purposes, no doubt, but if you compile great apps, you can be competitive.

As for programs outside the big guns, consider UNC, Texas, and even Rice.

Hope this helps. If you feel like you could use some help on all of this, feel free to PM me and I can get you set up with a free initial consultation.

Respectfully,

Paul Lanzillotti