Schools typically have Round 1, Round 2 and Round 3 deadlines with the majority of Round 1 deadline in Sep/Oct, Round 2 in January and Round 3 deadlines in Mar/Apr. However, a few top schools (Darden, Duke Fuqua, and IESE) offer an early application round in September for those applicants who are only applying to one school. Although the number of applicants who opt for such a path is low, those who follow through in the early-round has a higher chance of acceptance than the applicants from later rounds.
We don’t want to start the Round 1 vs. Round 2 debate but it is safe to assume that a 2:3 strategy that we had recommended in our consulting and review service would balance the risk of targeting all your dream schools in one round and getting rejected or waiting for Round 2 to target the dream schools. Spread the risk, earn some offers, and then keep one or two dream schools for R2. Freeing up your mind with an offer from a top 10 MBA program in hand could do wonders when you are targeting a top 5 MBA program in Round 2.
Applicants, depending on the Round 1 results, would set out to create a backup school list. We would encourage the applicant not to pursue an MBA or reapply next year rather than choosing an MBA just for the title. It is not worth spending $40000 to $50,000 for a tier-3 MBA program if you are destined to be in a tier-1 program. Burn the bridges. Remove ‘stretch schools’ from your vocabulary. It would remain a stretch. Rather choose an inspirational term. ‘Dream School’ perhaps. Align your recommender’s energy towards customizing the narrative according to the top school you are targeting in Round 1. Meet recommenders in person and share your passion for joining the MBA program.
From our experience, the only round that applicant should target is when they are ready. I have seen applicants getting in at Round 3 because they had a visible promotion in early February. Applicants, who had planned a year back, tend to avoid the last-minute edits and sail through round 1 while there are many who made it through the chaos of the Winter holidays for Round 2.
So don’t panic. Apply when you are ready. Build your profile. Connect your story with the MBA program. Retake the GMAT if necessary and don’t take the interview lightly.
To make it easier for you to plan, we have collected the deadlines for the world's top 50 MBA program.
