When to Apply to B-School

By: Jeremy Shinewald of mbaMission

At some point, every MBA candidate pauses to think about when is the best time to submit his/her
business school application. Inevitably, we find that two main concerns are common among applicants:

1. "If I apply in Round 1, will my application get lost among all of the 'uber type As'?"
2. "If I apply in Round 2, will I be too late?"
In the past, MBA admissions officers have gone to great lengths to calm applicants' jitters, explaining that
Rounds 1 and 2 are virtually equal with regard to one's chances of gaining admission. More recently,
however, many of these officers have shifted their tone and have begun telling candidates that if they can
complete their applications in time to submit them in Round 1, they should do so. Occasionally, a
candidate will call us and ask, "Isn't it better for me to apply in the second round, to avoid competing with
the best and most prepared applicants who typically apply in the first round?" The answer to this question,
in short, is "No!" Candidates, if prepared, should apply earlyin Round 1, no places in the class have
been given away yet, and the admissions committees are still "fresh" (and are thus reading applications
more attentively). Even if a school's Round 1 included "better" candidates, the school would not limit itself
to offering a fixed number of places, but would instead accept more of these superior candidates or
possibly place strong candidates on its waitlist to reconsider in the second round. So, you should make
every effort to apply early, but not at the expense of qualityonly apply when you can submit your best.
Quality should be your main determinant in deciding whether to apply in the first or second round, with
timing only a tie breaker.
Although we encourage candidates to apply early, if they are ready, we would never suggest that
someone should give up on their MBA dreams for a year if submitting his/her application in Round 1 is
just not practical. Admissions committees encourage early applications but also concede that selectivity
differs very little between the first and the second rounds. To support this statement, we offer a small
selection of quotes from our exclusive interviews with admissions officers:
"People ask, generally, is it better to apply in the first round or the second round or third round? We
definitely advise people to avoid the third round if possible, because space can become an issue by the
time the third round rolls around. But we do view the first two rounds as roughly equivalent."- Bruce
DelMonico, admissions director at the Yale School of Management
"[We] get about a third of our applications in Round 1, about 55% in Round 2, and the remainder in
Round 3.We encourage people to submit their application when they feel that they offer their best
possible applications. So, if you can get everything lined up and completed and you feel really good
about it by October 10, then I would encourage you to apply in Round 1. But if it takes you a bit longer,
and you want to take the time to look at your application again and maybe have somebody else look at it,
then Round 2 is fine, too."- Soojin Kwon Koh, admissions director at the Stephen M. Ross School of
Business at the University of Michigan

Without question, gaining admission at virtually any of the top schools in the third round is more
challenging. When mbaMission interviewed J.J. Cutler, the deputy vice dean of MBA admissions, financial
aid and career management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, he informed us,
"Our ability to make decisions in the third round is different than it is in the first round. So my advice is to
always use the third round as an absolutely last resort. I think if you're serious, and if it's possible, you
should apply in Round 1 or 2. Third round isand we're very clear about this on our Web sitejust
significantly less optimal for an applicant than Round 1 or Round 2."
Similarly, Assistant Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Beth Flye from the Kellogg Graduate School of
Management at Northwestern University told mbaMission, "I would strongly encourage (applicants to)
apply in one of the first two rounds. Are we going to shun those who apply in the third round? No, not at
all."
Indeed, Rose Martinelli, the associate dean for student recruitment and admissions at the University of
Chicago Booth School of Business, addressed the myth of the impossible third round (R3) in a blog post,
telling readers, "Somewhere along the line, R3 inherited the reputation of being somewhat irrelevant in
the overall admissions cycle. The truth is that R3 can be a bit more competitive simply because the
majority of applications and acceptances will occur in Rounds 1 and 2. However, I'd like to emphasize
that a good portion of our class will be admitted from R3."
Ms. Martinelli then added, "R3 exists for a reason. Your dream school should be on your radar no
matter what people 'are saying'!" Indeed, the third round is not a practical joke that schools are playing on
applicants. By the time Round 3 rolls around, most admissions committees have been inundated with
applications and are exhausted, yet they continue to review new candidates, and they still grant
acceptances. Otherwise, they would just cancel the round and start their vacations. So if you find yourself
unable to apply earlier than the third round, you do not need to take a pass on the year. If you feel you
are a standout candidate, apply and see what happens...