Hi Gmatclub!
Nationality: Southeast Asian
Age: 30
Degree: Bachelor of Mathematics
GPA: 3.0/4
GRE Score: 166 Q, 166 V (for comparison, Harvard median is 163 on both Q and V)
Work Experience: >5 years in small local tech startups, currently head of software engineering
International experience: Leading a team of remote engineers from all over Asia, Africa, Europe.
Post-MBA aspiration: MBB Consulting or upper management in big-tech, will be coming back to my country, tho.
I have submitted applications to several B-schools, including some of my dream schools and others that are considered dream-but-lower-ranked. I'm contemplating whether it's worthwhile to apply to additional schools in Round 3 or if I should wait for Round 1. As an international student, I'm concerned about the competitiveness of Round 3, especially for applicants from abroad.
The dilemma arises because, although some of the schools I've applied to are my dream choices, they are lower-ranked, particularly for MBB recruiting opportunities. I'm inclined to apply to higher-ranked schools, However, I am confident in my chances of admission to the initial schools, and there are compelling reasons for needing an acceptance by this fall.
I appreciate any insights or advice you can provide. Thank you!
Have you heard back from any of the schools you applied to? I recommend applying in the late rounds if the response in the early rounds was positive from the lower-ranked schools. Also, if it doesn't hurt to apply, you should definitely do it and not regret it later if you get a good response from some/all of your R1 and R2 schools. If you plan to return to your home country eventually, you can also consider applying to some consulting schools outside of the US that still have early rounds of applications (INSEAD, HEC).