MBA Admissions Consultant
Joined: 25 Jan 2010
Status:Admissions Expert
Affiliations: Founder, Amerasia Consulting Group
Posts: 1081
Given Kudos: 264
Re: Rounds and Resume
[#permalink]
18 Sep 2010, 19:34
Niladri,
First, regarding your resume, always put your professional experience first when apply to b-school.
As for rounds, I keep waiting for all schools to just go to rolling admissions like law school or even to segment the process like medical school (clearinghouse application, supplemental applications, interviews, admits). The rounds system just confuses more than helps.
Here is what you need to know:
They use rounds of admissions for two reasons: 1) because b-school is a midstream degree, not all the candidates come to the "I should attend" realizations perfectly in lockstep with a fall application period. 2) It helps them with enrollment management. When you can see what is coming in the door in batches, you can be far more exact in your decisions. This is one of the reasons why you see huge yield numbers at top b-schools (especially compared to top law schools, although the open-ended nature of the law school app also has something to do with it).
Here is what else you need to know:
The difference between round one and round two is negligible, at best. There is almost never a statistical difference. (Applying to round three is another matter.) What Stanford and Booth are saying ... both true statements. But they mean the same thing. Stanford gets more apps in round two - they also admit students corresponding to that fact, which means more admits. Booth admits more students round two - they also get apps corresponding to that fact, which means more applications. The question is why they phrase things differently and it probably comes down to when you heard it. Most schools will have some version of "you should apply round one," but it's not something to take too much stock in. Why? Because they want your application early. If they get it early, they've got it for good and can put it on the ledger. If you wait, you might not apply there or anywhere else. Early apps are the best apps for b-schools.
For all these reasons, round one is more hype than anything else.
Don't rush to get things in for round one if it means that your application will suffer even a tiny bit.
Sorry that this is causing you stress. Don't let it.
Thanks for reaching out.
Respectfully,
Paul Lanzillotti