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sanachka
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should i save dream school for dessert?))) 27 Nov 2006, 09:37
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Hello people:)

well, i am preparing to apply to several schools and i just wanted your expert opinion:

is it better to work first on the application to the school i really want to go to, or is it wiser to "warm-up" with essays and everything else on other schools i plan to apply to?

The thing is, I am really passionate about one school and am mostly motivated to do all the good work to apply there, but perhaps it is better to start with others and gain some "application experience"?

thanks in advance for answering this)))
Alex
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rhyme
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should i save dream school for dessert?))) 27 Nov 2006, 09:57
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Having done this, I'd make your first school something other than your top choice, and then prioritize based only on deadlines.
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swgotz
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should i save dream school for dessert?))) 27 Nov 2006, 11:34
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I'd like to echo Rhyme's comments. I thought I wouldn't have a problem making my first app my best, but I think ultimately I made a poor decision.

-Steve
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mbatalvez
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should i save dream school for dessert?))) 22 Mar 2014, 16:23
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One caveat: If your time management happens to be very poor, your first app might be your best one (that is what happened to me). With deadlines pretty close together, if you're short on time it might make sense to tackle the most important one first, to make sure you have enough time to make it great. Good luck!
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should i save dream school for dessert?))) 22 Mar 2014, 19:34
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Pay attention to deposit deadlines if you apply across rounds 1 and 2.

I think my last app was the best, and by the time I interviewed with my last/top choices, I already had experience with other schools.

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should i save dream school for dessert?))) 24 Mar 2014, 10:15
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Hey there,

I think it's natural for most applicants to continue to refine their story and messaging as they get more apps under their belts. If you're going at it alone, I'd definitely suggest ramping up the way some of the posters above have mentioned. If you're working with a firm, then this is less of an issue.

What I would say, however, is be careful what you define "dessert" to be. If you're asking if you should apply to a bunch of programs R1 and then apply to your dream school R2, then no. Don't do that. Get your dream program's app in R1. Always. But If you mean within rounds, then definitely start early and start with a couple of apps from other programs. Make sure you manage your time and recommenders appropriately!

If you get to the point of interviews, hopefully you're in a position where you can use earlier sessions as practice. If not and your dream school is scheduled first, then look into prep sessions to make sure you're ready!

Bhavik