Time it right

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 08/24/2014 - 23:40

Every MBA aspirant wonders about the best time to apply for admission to top business schools.

“ Will my application be looked at more closely in Round One? Or is it better if I move over the entire process to Round Two?”

For an international applicant, the dilemma of the best time to apply is very real. This is a hotly debated topic with groups of people in favour of Round One or Round Two. Many business schools and admissions officers concur that there is not much difference in the opportunity to interview (or get admission), regardless of whether you apply in Round One or Round Two. However, opinions vary.

Some people believe that applying early will demonstrate your level of readiness, motivation and enthusiasm. Moreover, during the initial round, admissions officers just begin reviewing applications, and, therefore, are more attentive and receptive. All the seats are yet to be filled, and the chances of landing some kind of financial aid are high. So, if you’ve already researched on your choice of colleges (maybe during the GMAT preparation stage) and appeared for your GMAT, it’s best to apply now.

Arguments in support of Round Two claim that it is during this time that schools generally fill up about 50 per cent of their seats, and the evaluation criteria may be a bit relaxed as compared to R1.

In my opinion, this is not necessarily true because the volume of applications also increases considerably, making the selection process similar to the earlier round. Business schools do follow the same selection criteria for both the rounds. Moreover, some seats are already filled up and in addition to other Round Two applicants you are also competing with those waitlisted in Round One.

Round Two gives you the opportunity to apply to your dream colleges in case you were not able to start early, the most common reason being a poor GMAT score that you want to improve. The additional 2-3 months you get to build a stronger CV can work to your advantage. Candidates must gear up, get ready and apply early, but never at the cost of quality.

Do not however, be in a rush to complete your applications just because you want to make the first round deadline. Rather, you could apply when you can give your 100 per cent to your applications.

Many applicants find it challenging to complete all applications within the first round, especially if they are applying to more than three or four schools. A good strategy for them would be to target a few schools in the first round and keep a few in the second.

The ones with rolling deadlines of course allow immense flexibility but the trick is to begin planning a schedule for specific schools to target in each round and in order of preference.

Undoubtedly, getting admission at any top business school in Round Three is challenging. A majority of the seats are already filled up, and, often, schools are looking for candidates with specific profiles.

This is definitely disastrous for other candidates, especially international candidates. Business schools also understand that if you are serious about your MBA plans, you should be applying in the earlier rounds. The fact that you’re applying in the final round can lead the school to assume that they were not your first choice.

As an international applicant, it’s best to postpone your application by a few more months and apply from a position of strength in the oncoming Round One deadlines.

Many European schools follow a rolling deadline process, which means they review applications as and when they receive them and typically start giving out decisions within four to six weeks of application review. If you are applying to European schools, it is best to apply in the earlier months so as to maximise your chances of getting an admit.

Many Indian applicants (almost all of them holding impressive positions with fantastic companies) procrastinate and delay the process of the application for as long as they can. Round One gets delayed to Round Two and applications end up getting completed in a hurry at the last minute and submitted seconds before the deadline.

The MBA journey is a time-consuming one, and, to be successful, it is imperative that you remain committed to the process and dedicate a significant portion of your daily schedule to it.

The writer is founder and master coach, The MBA Admission Coach.

Article references
www.thehindu.com