The Round I deadlines for many of the top b-schools will have passed by the time this newsletter arrives in your inbox. October and November are often busy months for many MBA applicants, as most Round One application deadlines fall within a six-week span of each other. Some deadlines have already passed, but more are right around the corner:
Oct 14
Univ. of Chicago (Booth)
UCLA (Anderson)
UC Berkeley (Haas)
Oct 23
UNC (Kenan-Flagler)
Oct 26
Carnegie Mellon (Tepper)
MIT (Sloan)
Oct 28
Univ. of Virginia (Darden)
Nov 1
Emory (Goizueta)
Indiana (Kelley)
Georgetown (McDonough)
USC (Marshall)
UT (Austin)
Nov 11
Duke (Fuqua)
Dartmouth (Tuck)
Nov 15
NYU (Stern)
The question to ask yourself about which round to submit your application in isn't, "Am I going to look as good or better than everyone else applying in this round?" The question to ask is, "Am I prepared to present my strengths and abilities in a way that will persuade the admissions committee to accept
me?"
If the answer to that question is yes - if you've got great essays and references, good professional experience, strong GMAT scores, and the academic GPA and background you need - by all means make the effort to submit your application by the Round 1 deadline. It will convey an extra sense of enthusiasm for the program you're applying to, which can, in fact, give your application an extra edge.
But if you think you could do better on the GMAT if you took it again, or if you need to put your essays through another round of revision and editing, wait for Round 2 (or even later). An under-prepared application is an under-prepared application, no matter what round it's submitted in. Never forget that, in the end, you'll be accepted or rejected because of who you are and how effectively you present yourself to the admissions committee. You owe it to yourself to invest the time and work needed to make sure you submit an application that optimizes your chances of being seen and appreciated as the strong applicant that you are.
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