Choosing which round to apply to

Question

Hi all, I was just wondering if applying in Round 1, Round 2, or Round 3 is different for MSF programs. Assume that the application would be equal in quality regardless of round, and that the applicant is not international. Would applying in the different rounds have pros/cons?

EDIT: I know there are many posts on this topic for MBAs, but I couldn't find one for MSFs. Just wondering if the rule of thumb is a bit different for MSFs.

Thanks!

EDIT: I know there are many posts on this topic for MBAs, but I couldn't find one for MSFs. Just wondering if the rule of thumb is a bit different for MSFs.

Thanks!

MSFHQ · Answer

I'd recommend applying in the earliest rounds. US MSF programs tend to have students applying to a variety of the usual programs. So what happens you have a bunch of accepted students choosing to go to other schools. Which means programs must manage their yield. So if you apply first round you have access to scholarship money to basically lock students down. Towards the end they know roughly how their class will look so they can be pickier as they round out the class.

Now some programs will be low on students and more apt to accept marginal candidates as the program comes to an end, but you can't really know that. So without that bit of information it is best to assume most programs will fill up the closer to the program start meaning you will be most competitive in the earlier rounds.

This might be different advice than what you'd hear for an MBA program, but MSF's are a whole different beast. Hope this helps.

BarackObama · Answer

That's great advice, thank you very much. So basically what you're saying is that for the first round there are less applicants and schools will be less picky right? 
Getting a scholarship is not a concern for me, I just want to apply in the round that has the least competition / least selectivity.

MSFHQ · Answer

1st round has more open slots and schools will give out acceptances to students knowing that only a % will actually show up. It is the same thing as overbooking a flight. As the rounds go further the schools have a better idea of how many students will actually show up on day one and the number of open slots diminishes. They will use these last spots to round out the class (bump up the GMAT or GPA average, increase diversity, accept top applicants, etc). Some programs will have a ton of open slots to fill and these later rounds will actually be easier. The issue is you don't know which schools are like this so it is better to assume none are like this.

BarackObama · Answer

The MSFs / MoMs I'm applying to are USC, University of Virginia (McIntire), University of Michigan, Duke, University of Texas at Austin, and Washington Univ in St Louis. Not sure if you know how many open slots these programs have in the 2nd round. I know they are all pretty good programs but in terms of how they go about giving out acceptances I have no idea.

MSFHQ · Answer

All will be very competitive. Apply as early as you can.

Choosing which round to apply to

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