Due to other demands on your time, or just a case of procrastination, you’ve missed the Round 1 application deadline at your dream business school. Conventional wisdom, urban mythology and online chatter say that you’ve just blown your best opportunity for admission. If you accept such “logic,” you’ll probably delay your campaign until Round 1 next year. In prior years, that reaction would have made sense.
But in today’s world, as MBA application volume is significantly down at even the most prestigious and selective schools, postponing your submission is uninformed and unnecessary. There’s still sufficient time to produce stellar applications for Round 2 deadlines. Yes, that’s right, we said Round 2.
Today, there’s an unprecedented, albeit temporary, imbalance between the supply of MBA applicants and schools’ demand for quality MBA admits. As a result, business schools are under heavy pressure to fill their available seats. Knowing that Round 2 will produce additional candidates, schools have the freedom in Round 1 to conservatively “cherry pick” admits from the applicant pool. However, given the current trend in application volume, the number of R1 applicants is likely to fall below schools’ hopes and expectations. So, schools will likely fill the majority of their seats in Round 2, i.e., there’s never been a better time for most applicants to pursue admission.
However, this situation doesn’t mean that having a quality candidacy and a stellar application are less important than in the past. To the contrary, schools like Harvard, Stanford and Wharton are not going to tarnish their iconic brands by admitting a sub-par applicant. So, optimizing your profile and making a powerful, authentic case remain essential. That’s why engaging an admissions expert like The MBA Exchange is such a smart move for serious R2 applicants.
If you’re still uncertain whether the timing is right for you, we invite you to request a free, expert evaluation of your candidacy. Feedback from The MBA Exchange can help you discover how competitive you are in today’s admissions climate and whether you should move forward with a campaign now vs. next year.
A word to the wise: if you wait much longer to get started, your probability of success for Round 2 will diminish as other serious candidates who have already started working on their R2 applications will have had more time to craft stronger applications to you dream schools.
