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Looking Ahead: Applying for Admission in Fall 2009

As we approach the end of this year's admissions season, we know that many candidates are beginning to think about applying to Wharton for admission in Fall 2009.  We very much appreciate your interest in the School, and we look forward to sharing with you our curriculum, community and culture.

Getting to Know Wharton

There are a variety of ways to get to know Wharton, including through our website, at our events around the world and by visiting campus.  Our events include general and diversity-targeted receptions, MBA fairs, student and alumni coffee chats, meet-and-greets, and online chats, to name a few.  Over the summer, we will begin to post details about events at which Wharton MBA Admissions staff, alumni or current students will be present this fall and winter.  Our event calendar is continually updated, so please check back periodically to find out when Wharton will be in your city. 

For those applicants interested in visiting Wharton, we host visitors every day that the office is open and offer an information session given by an admissions officer.  In the fall, once classes are back in session, we allow applicants to experience Wharton further by attending a class, having lunch with current students and taking a campus tour.

Fall 2009 Application

Our application will be available online for Fall 2009 applications by late summer.  However, we will post our application deadlines, as well as this year's essay questions, right here on our blog before the application goes live (generally, by mid-summer). 

For those applicants eager to learn more about the MBA degree now, or to start preparing for the application process, we encourage you to check out the information about making the MBA decision and preparing a successful application on our website.  You may also be interested in visiting our student2student discussion board, on which current Wharton students, alumni and admissions officers answer questions from applicants (as well as dispel myths!) about Wharton and the admissions process.

Again, thank you for your interest in Wharton, and we look forward to reading your application.

15 May 2008 04:53 PM in Application Preparation , Application Processing , Application Strategy , Events | Permalink | Comments (0)

Next Steps for Round 2 Wharton MBA Applicants

All Round 2 Applicants:  The deadline for Round 2 applications was yesterday, 3 Jan 08, at 5pm Eastern Standard Time (EST).  If you submitted your application by the deadline, you shoud have received an email from our office outlining the next steps in your application process. If not (sadly, quite a few emails get firewalled), a copy of the letter follows.

------

   

Thank you for submitting your application for Round Two.

    

The following will provide you with information concerning the processing of application materials, timeline for the release of interview invitations, and final decision releases.

   

If your online account reads “Complete - Round Two,” your application has all the required materials, has been processed by the Operations Team, and has been forwarded to the Committee for review.

   

If your online account reads “Received,” then the Operations Team needs to process your online application submission and any materials submitted by hard copy. After your materials have been processed (assuming they arrived by the Round Two deadline), your online account will be changed to “Complete for Round Two” and your file will be forwarded to the Committee for review. Due to the high number of candidates who submitted their application during the past few days (more than 60% of candidates applying for Round Two submitted their application within 24 hours of the deadline), it will take the Operations Team a few weeks to complete the processing of all materials. Therefore, please allow the Operations Team until Thursday, 24 January 08 before inquiring about the completeness of your application.

   

The Admissions Committee will begin to release interview invitations on Thursday, 17 January 08and will continue to release invitations on a daily basis until 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on Thursday, 21 February 08. Due to the nature and complexity associated with the admissions process there is no particular order in which invitations are released. Also on 21 February 08, the Committee will release all final admissions decisions to candidates that are not being invited for an interview and therefore no longer being considered for admission.

   

If you are invited for an interview, you will need to complete your interview by Thursday, 6 March 08.

   

Interviews will be available on campus with second-year Wharton MBA Students who are full members of the Admissions Committee, off campus with alumni, and off campus in various “Hubs” around the world by Admissions staff members. All interview options are equally considered within the admissions process.

Candidates who are offered an interview will receive their final admissions decision by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on Thursday, 27 March 08.

Thank you again for applying to Wharton. We look forward to reading your application.

   

Sincerely,

Wharton MBA & Lauder MA Admissions Team

04 Jan 2008 10:28 AM in Application Strategy | Permalink | Comments (4)

Tips on the Wharton MBA Admissions Interview

Invited to an interview? Here are some tips directly from the Admissions Committee to to help prepare you…

    

PURPOSE

Interviews provide additional information about your candidacy that is included in the final reviews of your application.  As such inteviews, are not the decisive factor in your admissions decision. In most cases, interviews are fairly consistent with the application.

 

STRUCTURE

Interviews are blind, which reduces bias as your interviewer will have no preconceived ideas of your ability or personality based on your written application. 

   

Interviews may include behavioral questions. Questions may center on specific examples or detailed descriptions of events, projects or experience that demonstrate how situations you’ve faced in the past have been handled and what you learned from them. Behavioral interviewing assumes that past performance predicts future behavior.

   

No advance preparation is required.  Questions are straightforward and cover topics such as why you seek an MBA, why you feel you are a good fit for Wharton (vice versa), what your career goals are, how you spend your spare time, what you value, about what you are passionate, etc. You will not be asked analyze a case study or demonstrate your mastery of particular subjects.

    

All interviews carry equal weight. There is no advantage to interviewing on-campus or with an admissions staff member.  Arrange the type of interview that is most convenient for you.

   

GENERAL TIPS

Interviews are dialogues or exchange between two people. Steer away from pre-rehearsed speech and over reliance on your résumé. We are interested in getting to know you as an individual, so follow the queues of the interviewer.

   

The exact length of the interview does not indicate how well the interview went. While we schedule 30 minute interviews, they may vary a bit.  Deviations from the schedule are random and unrelated to the candidate.

   

Do not expect the interviewer to give you feedback – literally or figuratively. Be careful to avoid any interpretation of verbal or non-verbal communication, as both may mislead you.

   

Interviews are not a popularity contest.  The interviewer is assessing your fit for the Wharton MBA program, not whether or not the two of you would make good or best friends.

The key is to relax, be genuine, and enjoy the opportunity for us to get to know one another.

08 Nov 2007 07:13 AM in Application Strategy | Permalink | Comments (5)

The Wharton MBA Waitlist: A Time for Inactivity & Repose

You are on the Wharton waitlist. You feel as though your hands are tied: the policy is to truly wait. Surely there is something that can be done to secure a spot in the class – not.  Instead of being stressed over your inability to take action, look at the positive aspects of Wharton’s procedures.

   

At Wharton, there is no need to:

• spend countless hours developing creative ways to keep in touch and “win us over.” You express your interest simply by remaining on the waitlist.
• expend additional time and resources submitting additional recommendations and other materials. These are unlikely to change your eventual decision, which is made across multiple criteria; or
• fear that those who lobby lavishly and loudest will receive preference. All waitlist candidates are given equal consideration – equity and fairness rule the day.

So what are Wharton’s waitlist policies again? For some reason, waitlist candidates seem to have trouble remembering them. However, here is a copy of the email that was sent to all Round 1 waitlist candidates (please note that the dates will change following our Round 2 decision release):

   

Dear Waitlist Candidate:

As a waitlist candidate, you may have some questions about the admissions process going forward.  Below is some information about waitlist procedures that will be helpful to you:

      

We will retain your name on the waitlist for consideration at the end of the next round unless you request your application be withdrawn. If you would like to withdraw, please e-mail mba.admissions@wharton.upenn.edu, using the subject header: “Waitlist Remove.”

      

All waitlist candidates who do not ask to be removed from the list will be reconsidered for admission in Round 3 and notified of the Admissions Committee decision by 5pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) of the Round 3 decision release date of Thursday, May 17, 2007. 

      

Decisions include: admit waitlist, waitlist continue, and deny waitlist. In the spirit of fairness and equity, we will not accept additional materials for inclusion in your application. In this same spirit, we do not offer another interview.

   

There is no point person in the office for the waitlist. All waitlist decisions are handled by the Admissions Committee.

    

Feedback to candidates is not offered to candidates while they are on the waitlist.

   

There is no rank order to the waitlist.

   

The chances of being admitted off the waitlist are not predictable since much depends on the strength of the pool in subsequent rounds.  Historically, the admit rate has varied from year to year and has very little correlation with the number of candidates placed on the waitlist.

Thank you in advance for honoring these guidelines.  We sincerely appreciate your interest in the Wharton School.

23 Mar 2007 09:50 AM in Application Strategy | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

The Wharton MBA Waitlist: A Time for Inactivity & Repose

You are on the Wharton waitlist. You feel as though your hands are tied: the policy is to truly wait. Surely there is something that can be done to secure a spot in the class – not.  Instead of being stressed over your inability to take action, look at the positive aspects of Wharton’s procedures.

   

At Wharton, there is no need to:

• spend countless hours developing creative ways to keep in touch and “win us over.” You express your interest simply by remaining on the waitlist.
• expend additional time and resources submitting additional recommendations and other materials. These are unlikely to change your eventual decision, which is made across multiple criteria; or
• fear that those who lobby lavishly and loudest will receive preference. All waitlist candidates are given equal consideration – equity and fairness rule the day.

So what are Wharton’s waitlist policies again? For some reason, waitlist candidates seem to have trouble remembering them. However, here is a copy of the email that was sent to all Round 1 waitlist candidates (please note that the dates will change following our Round 2 decision release):

   

Dear Waitlist Candidate:

    

As a waitlist candidate, you may have some about the admissions process going forward.  Below is some information about waitlist procedures that will be helpful to you:

• We will retain your name on the waitlist for consideration at the end of the next round unless you request your application be withdrawn. If you would like to withdraw, please e-mail mba.admissions@wharton.upenn.edu, using the subject header: “Waitlist Remove.”
• All waitlist candidates who do not ask to be removed from the list will be reconsidered for admission in Round 3 and notified of the Admissions Committee decision by 5pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) of the Round 3 decision release date of Thursday, May 17, 2007.  Decisions include: admit waitlist, waitlist continue, and deny waitlist.
• In the spirit of fairness and equity, we will not accept additional materials for inclusion in your application. In this same spirit, we do not offer another interview.
• There is no point person in the office for the waitlist. All waitlist decisions are handled by the Admissions Committee.
• Feedback to candidates is not offered to candidates while they are on the waitlist.
• There is no rank order to the waitlist. 
• The chances of being admitted off the waitlist are hard to predict since much depends on the strength of the pool in subsequent rounds.  Historically, the admit rate has varied from year to year and has very little correlation with the number of candidates placed on the waitlist.

Thank you in advance for honoring these guidelines.  We sincerely appreciate your interest in the Wharton School.

09 Jan 2007 04:14 PM in Application Strategy | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

MBA Admissions Essential #10: Submitting Supplemental Application Materials

You succeeded!   All of your MBA application materials arrived by the deadline and your file has been sent out for review.  Since submitting your application, however, you have been promoted, received a new community or work award, or experienced some other noteworthy event. You are convinced that this one new change in your personal or professional life is significant enough to tip the balance of your candidacy toward a sure admit – or at least make you more attractive to the Admissions Committee. J Should you submit this additional information even though school policy encourages you not to?

   

While MBA programs differ in their policies, many schools, including Wharton, discourage the submissions of supplemental materials once the deadline has passed. For one thing, the timing is poor. There is no guarantee the information arrives in time for the application review.  To ask for an additional review based on new data could delay the evaluation process, particularly if hundreds of applicants make this same request. At some point in time, there has to be a real deadline.

    

In terms of equity, it is unfair to add supplemental application materials for those who request it, knowing that just as many (if not more) individuals who have similar new accomplishments to share do not do so because they honor established guidelines. We prefer to dispel, rather than reinforce, the old adage that “the squeaky wheel gets the grease.”

   

On practical grounds, supplemental information rarely, if ever, alters a candidate evaluation.  Admissions decisions are made across multiple criteria, so that bolstering any one area is unlikely to alter the overall profile. And, in most cases, additional information is work-related.  A promotion or raise, while certainly a nice bonus, is not likely to be a key differentiator.  You are, after all, applying to graduate school and not for a job.  An MBA program considers not only your demonstrated abilities to date, but your potential going forward.  Potential would already be recognized.

   

So, before you send in additional materials, think again. Remember that the timing is poor; respect the need for equity; and be mindful that the practical benefit is negligible.  Do not provide the Admissions Committee with reason to question your judgment.

07 Dec 2006 06:53 AM in Application Strategy | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

MBA Admissions Essential #7: Extracurricular Activities & Community Service

What do these MBA Admissions folks want from me? Not only do they expect me to take the GMAT test, demonstrate an ability to handle the academic rigors of b-school, write essays that outline my entire life history and goals, but they also want me to describe every club, hobby, volunteer activity, and/or community service in which I’ve been engaged since high school!  What if I don’t measure up? What if I don’t have the right number and mix of activities? What if the adcoms don’t find my interests of value?

                     

Relax… It’s as simple as this: we adcoms simply want to know more about you and your values. What matters to you beyond academics and work?  What motivates and inspires you? How well rounded are you?  For many applicants, these questions will be answered through formal, organized activities and events. For others, they will be addressed through less formal means: commitment to family or religion, observations made by recommenders, information revealed in essays.  And for some, the answers reflect a combination of formal and less formal contributions.

    

And why do we care about these things? The MBA is a professional degree that develops individuals for leadership and management positions at work and in the world. Applicants who are well-rounded possess a greater capacity to develop these skills.  Indeed, there are significant differences around the world as to the level of extra-curricular activities and community service in which people engage.  It is with this awareness in mind that we seek applicants who are broad-minded in perspective, if not in deed.

01 Nov 2006 03:12 PM in Application Strategy | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

MBA Admissions Essential #3: Look Beyond the Numbers

You’re applying to b-school. You look at the application and its requirements: academic records of all coursework and degrees earned since high school; the GMAT; list of extra-curricular activities and/or community service; a resume or record of professional work experience; essays; letters of recommendation; and sometimes an interview. Your first thought is to focus on the most easily quantified requirements: GPA, GMAT, and years of work experience. Since these are clear-cut measures of your ability, you naturally assume the adcoms reviewing your application will do the same.

      

Think again.  The MBA, unlike a PhD and many other advanced degrees, is a professional, applied program. As such, applicants do not compete with one another for entrance into the program based on academics alone. In fact, we find that ~75-80% of all applicants are admissible based on academic and professional experience. All things being equal, it is the more qualitative measures that come to the forefront in the evaluation process.  Key differentiators in many applications become personal qualities such as leadership, management, communication skills, initiative, contribution to community, and integrity.

    

The irony for many applicants is that it is precisely the “numbers” over which they fret and the area over which they have least control at the time of application. What applicants do have the greatest ability to manage is essays, choice of recommenders, and general presentation. Presenting a clear, genuine picture of oneself helps adcoms assess your “fit” for the learning environment and school culture. 

    

Two analogies may help to explain: charisma and movies. With charisma, few agree on how to define it and whether or not it is an inborn or acquired quality. Yet charisma is something we all recognize when we see it.

      

With movies, think of your top five favorite movies of all time.  Are you able to identify any one key element or group of elements all five movies have in common? Not likely. You may prefer one for its genre, one for its visual effects, one for its plot, one for its actors/actresses, and the last for some indescribable reason or gut visceral reaction that defies logic or words.

      

So forget strict numbers. Admission is neither as random as playing roulette in Monte Carlo nor as exacting as a multiple regression analysis of all elements of an application. Rather, admission is a holistic assessment of both qualitative and quantitative dimensions. And like charisma or a good movie, when we’ve read thousands upon thousands of applications, we know a good “fit” for Wharton when we see it.

05 Oct 2006 11:50 AM in Application Strategy | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

MBA Admissions Essential #1: Application Preparation Pays Off

Welcome to our first in a series of MBA Admissions Essentials.  If you are considering an MBA or work with individuals interested in pursuing the degree, come here for the official word on the subject.  Come here when you need to untangle the complex array of information to be found in the marketplace or to demystify the admissions process.

MBA Admissions Essential #l: Application Preparation Pays Off. Let's start with the bad news first. Preparing a successful application requires time and thought. Forget the adrenaline rush of writing a term paper the night before it's due. Admissions folks are savvy and can easily detect last minute efforts.  We'll talk more about this in upcoming posts.

Now the good news: not only does a well-prepared application offer a better chance of admission, but it provides one of those rare times in life when you are forced to sit and reflect on where you have been and where you hope to be in the future. So regardless of your MBA decision, the time spent in self-reflection is well worth it. 

In future posts we'll discuss how to best differentiate among the thousands of MBA programs around the world, with an eye to determining which one or ones is the best "fit" for you!

07 Sep 2006 04:30 PM in Application Strategy | Permalink | Comments (14) | TrackBack

The Lowdown on Feedback Sessions for Reapplicants

The beauty of the internet is the wealth of free resources one finds on it.  Less attractive is the equally rich amount of false and/or misleading information one encounters. This is true not only for sites promoting goods or services, but those purporting to give the “final” word on admissions to graduate schools. So if you’ve been trolling the worldwide web for the Wharton MBA Program’s policies on feedback sessions and reapplications, look no further.  Here’s the truth.

Myth #1: If I was unable to schedule a feedback session and reapply, I will be penalized in the evaluation process.

Truth: All reapplicants are given equal consideration in the admissions process. Since we are able to offer a limited number of feedback sessions on a first come, first served basis, we do not penalize individuals who are unable to schedule a feedback session. Both groups do well and are admitted yearly as they have successfully enhanced their candidacy – either through active measures or deeper reflection on their reasons for pursuing an MBA and goals going forward.

Myth #2:  A feedback session is the only way to enhance my candidacy and the chances of being admitted.

Truth: There is no best means of improving one’s chances of admission. In addition to feedback, there are multiple other sources which are as effective. One of these is the Wharton MBA website, which has extensive information about the application evaluation process, including our student2student (s2) discussion board and the MBA Admissions Blog! Of particular interest is the section on "Preparing a Successful Application". 

Other avenues for reapplicant preparation include visiting us on campus, at an MBA World Tour event, or one of our more than 70 receptions around the world.  Information about these events will be posted on our website in early August.               

               

And don’t forget your friends, former classmates, colleagues, neighbors – anyone who has earned an MBA or worked with people who have! Listen to their experiences and lessons.

Myth #3:  Reapplicants are viewed negatively in the admissions process. 

Truth: We offer feedback sessions, don’t we?  We are interested in selecting the best candidates, who include a mix of first-time applicants and reapplicants.  We assess candidates not only on demonstrated accomplishments and attributes, but also potential. We recommend that reapplicants focus on their application and not the debate surrounding their chances of admission.

11 May 2006 11:33 AM in Application Strategy | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Insider Info on the Wharton MBA Admissions Interview

Here are some insights into the Wharton MBA admissions interview.  We trust this information will help those of you who have applied and are invited for an interview prepare for your meeting with a member of the Wharton community.

PURPOSE

Interviews provide first-hand knowledge of you and supplement information provided in your application. Interviews are one of many factors considered in your final decision. Most interview results are fairly consistent with the application.

STRUCTURE

No advance preparation is required.  Questions are straightforward and cover topics such as your reasons for seeking an MBA, why you feel you are a good fit for Wharton (vice versa), what your career goals are, how you spend your spare time, what you value, etc. You will not be asked analyze a case study or demonstrate your mastery of particular subjects.

Interviews are blind, which reduces the bias that can arise from having seen your written application and having reached an impression of your ability and/or personality.

Interviews are largely behavioral. Discussion may center on specific examples or detailed descriptions of events, projects or experience that demonstrate how you’ve handled situations and what their outcomes were. Behavioral interviewing assumes that past performance predicts future behavior.

All interviews carry equal weight. There is no advantage to interviewing on-campus or with staff.  Arrange the type of interview that is most convenient for you.

GENERAL TIPS

Interviews are a dialogue or exchange between two people. Steer away from pre-rehearsed speech and over reliance on your résumé. We are interested in getting to know you as an individual. Just follow the queues of the interviewer.

The interview is not a popularity contest. :-( The interviewer is assessing your fit for the Wharton MBA program, not whether or not the two of you would make good or best friends.

Enjoy your interview!

05 Nov 2005 04:44 PM in Application Strategy | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack

Last Minute Round 1 Applicant Tips!

With five hours to go before the Round 1 application deadline (today, 13 Oct 05, 5pm EST), we'd like to offer some last minute application tips and support:

• Advise your recommenders to use the online application system — the online application module is working quite well and is very efficient;
• Apply now — no need to wait for recommendation letters to be submitted;
• Try not to wait until 4:55pm to submit your application — all you techies know what a strain it can be on a server when hundreds of folks get online at once;
• Kindly give us until 26 Oct 05 to process all incoming applications and supporting materials — even with an online application system, we receive a lot of snail mail; more than 60% of applicants typically apply within 24 hours of a deadline, which generates a high volume of mail that takes time, even with extra staff, to process;
• We will take responsibility for any delays in meeting the deadline that are attributable to technical problems or error on our part
• After 5pm EST, sit back, relax and leave the rest to us!

The Wharton MBA Admissions and Financial Aid Team

13 Oct 2005 12:10 PM in Application Strategy | Permalink | Comments (14) | TrackBack

Essentials for Round 1 Wharton MBA Applicants

Round 1 Deadline: Thurs, 13 Oct 05, 5pm Eastern Standard or Philly Time (EST)

Processing of Applications / Application Status
If your online account reads "Complete for Round One," your application has all the required materials, has been processed by the Operations Team, and has been forwarded to the Admissions Committee (Adcom) for review.

If your online account reads "Received," the Operations Team (Ops) needs to process your online application submission and any materials submitted by hard copy. Once your materials have been processed (assuming they arrived by the deadline), your online account will be changed to "Complete for Round One" and your file will be forwarded to the Adcom for review. Because of the large number of candidates who typically submit their application within 24 hours of a deadline (~60%), it takes Ops a few weeks to complete the processing of all materials. Please wait until Friday, 28 October 05 before inquiring about the completeness of your application.

Candidates who submitted a paper application will receive e-mails about how to access their online accounts once their applications have been processed. All paper applications will be processed by Friday, 28 October 05.

Invitations to Interview
The Admissions Committee will begin releasing interview invitations on Thursday, 20 October 05 and continue to do so daily until 5:00pm EST on Thursday, 17 November 05. Due to the nature and complexity of the admissions process, there is no particular order in which invitations are released. Complete details on how, when, and where to schedule an interview will be provided at the time of invitation. Candidates who are not invited to interview and are no longer being considered for admission will receive a final decision on 17 Nov 05.

Final Round 1 Decisions
Candidates who are offered an interview will receive their final admissions decision by 5:00pm EST on Thursday, 22 December 05.

07 Oct 2005 09:25 AM in Application Strategy | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack

Applying in Round 3?

It is the time of year when round 1 admits are busy weighing options among schools, round 2 applicants are nervously waiting for interview invites or other communications from various schools, and those who are considering applying in round 3 or waiting for the following year.

We are often asked whether there is merit in applying in round 3 versus waiting to apply for an earlier round in a subsequent year. Common wisdom suggests it is surely more difficult to gain admissions in round 3, and schools do encourage applicants to apply in earlier rounds. This does not mean we discourage round 3 applications (if that is when the application is ready), and certainly we admit people each year who apply in round 3.

The problem with round 3 is we have already made a number of admissions decisions and often the success of someone applying in round 3 may be somewhat dependent on what has already occured in admissions for round 1 and 2, so the admit rates are typically not as high as previous rounds. Each year those admits rates can vary to quite a degree however so it is very difficult to estimate the admit rates ahead of time. Listed are the advantages of applying in round 3 versus waiting for the next admissions cycle:

a. you may get admitted this year (if you don't apply, well then you made that decision for us).

b. if you are not admitted you can get feedback from the admissions committee (check different schools on this policy, but Wharton offers a feedback process) and the feedback can guide you in strengthening your application (or applying elsewhere if it is clear we are not an option, which in itself is an advantage over waiting another year to receive that insight.)

c. there is a learning curve associated with the application process, thus you will write stronger applications as a result of being a reapplicant based on your round 3 experience.

Clearly there are disadvantages in applying in round 3, cost (application fees) and time put forth, but the time put forth can certainly pay dividends in the long run.

Thus when debating whether to apply in round 3 or wait consider that there is certainly no stigma attached to those who ultimately reapply (their admit rates are usually higher than first time applicants) and there is an opportunity to be admitted in round 3!

01 Feb 2005 02:51 PM in Application Strategy | Permalink | Comments (18) | TrackBack

How many applications and when to apply? When considering applying to business school the above questions are some of the early strategic decisions to be made. So how many schools are applicants applying to? The trend seems to be to apply to less schools than perhaps five years ago, the average being close to four schools (feel free to add to the comments the number you are planning to apply). The decrease over the last few years can be attributed to more information about schools being available to applicants, which should allow you to make a more selective choice. We (schools) also expect you to know more about us when you apply, and applying to too many schools can be a huge time commitment! Applicants typically fall in to one of two categories when considering business school:

A. Those that need to go that year
B. Those that wish to go to certain schools

If you fall into category A then it might make sense to select schools that are a decent fit (based on your understanding of your competitiveness and the schools' selectiveness), a reach school (a school you think may be a bit of a stretch) and a safety school (a school you think you are well qualified to attend). This strategy helps ensure you go to the best business school for you the year you have determined you need to return to business school.

If you fall into category B then it makes sense to only apply to schools you know you would attend if admitted (i.e. a safety school is not necessary). If you are not admitted to one of your schools of choice, see if you can get feedback and then consider reapplying the following year. You might also revisit whether you are still in category B, or whether you now fall into category A.

When to Apply?
Many schools have 'rounds' (we have 3 rounds so we are an easy example to follow in this case). The myth is, you should apply early, whereas the reality is, do not apply late. Applying in round 1 or round 2 is fine, the competitiveness of each round is pretty consistent (schools can use wait lists to ensure this). Applying in round 3 (or the school's last round if a different number of rounds) is typically going to be more risky and the admit rates shrink dramatically (having said that, we do admit out of each round, so if that is when your application is ready, then its better to apply then than not apply at all or apply with a rushed application). This also applies to rolling admissions. Try to apply relatively early in the cycle, do not wait until the deadline to apply.

Caveat re: the above: some schools are explicit about advantages of applying early (i.e. they favour early, committed applicants). If you know that a school has this policy and it is your preferred school, you may very well want to apply in that early round, but you want to check each of the schools you are interested in to determine if they do favour an early application. Also consider the conditions that may be associated with applying in the early round. If you are not successful you will then have time to apply to other schools for the round 2 deadlines.

For the most part however, the only advantage of applying early to schools is you will get your decisions from schools earlier which may help in your planning to transition to business school (or planning for more applications later in the application cycle).

It is also important to note there is a learning curve associated with developing a strong application, so while applicants will tend to prioritize their applications and use that order of priority as the order of submissions, it is seldom the case that the first application you submit is your best application. This further reinforces the notion of applying to your choice schools when you are truly ready to apply and know your application is as good as it can be.

02 Sep 2004 02:53 PM in Application Strategy | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBack