While many business schools operate under a "rolling admissions" schedule—in which applications are reviewed as they are received and decisions are made throughout the admissions season until all spaces have been filled—many others operate in "rounds." A school that has admission "rounds" publicizes distinct application deadlines. Once a deadline is hit, the admissions committee reviews all completed applications submitted before the deadline. All subsequent applications are held until the next deadline, or "round."
The commonly accepted wisdom is that submitting your application in an earlier round is better than submitting it later. Why? Because in the first round, no acceptances have been sent out yet and almost all of the spaces in the upcoming class remain open. By the time the second round rolls around, however, that pool of openings has shrunk. By the third or fourth round, things are definitely getting more competitive (as if they weren't competitive enough during the first round). The same philosophy holds true for rolling admissions (earlier is better than later), except there aren't any set deadlines staring you in the face.
Now, this conventional wisdom has to be balanced with reality. Not everyone is ready to apply by the first round deadline. A rushed application submitted by the first round deadline is going to fare worse than a thoughtful, carefully prepared application submitted by the second round deadline. Also, there is some truth to the rumor that the first round applicants are made up of the gunners—those folks who seem to have it all, a GMAT score over 720, three recommendations to die for, and a killer resume—but don't let them scare you into a later round when there are more people vying for fewer spots. If you have the "right stuff" for a school, you'll be better off, and if you don't, when you apply won't make a difference.
Why all this talk about deadlines? Well, if you are going for a first-round deadline, be prepared. These deadlines are early. Yale School of Management's first-round deadline is November 14th. University of Michigan's first deadline is November 1st. Harvard's is even earlier—October 16th (if you didn't know this already and are considering Harvard, set your sights on the second round deadline, a more realistic January 8th).
This means that everything—GMAT score, recommendations, transcripts, essays, resume, etc.—has to be submitted by that date. Compiling all this stuff usually takes at least six to eight weeks, and that's if you hit the ground running and are in pretty good shape to begin with.
While you can speed up certain things, others take more time. If you haven't taken the GMAT yet, schedule your test date now. During the fall months, lots of applicants are taking (and re-taking) the GMAT, so getting a date and location may not be so easy. And, do you really want to rush your recommendations? Remember, you're asking for a professional favor, so give them as much time as possible—otherwise your recommendations might not be as glowing as you had hoped. |
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