Which MBA Applicants ‘Should’ Apply in Round 1
Round 1 deadlines at the world’s top business schools will hit over the next few weeks. This round typically sees the most driven, organized, academically and professionally accomplished applicants. These candidates beat the GMAT months ago and have been prepping their recommenders all summer. If you can apply in Round 1, there are definite advantages to doing so.
First, you’ll have more time to prepare for business school next fall. There’s also less uncertainty around winter vacation time. Lastly, you can start networking with your classmates early. If you have a solid application ready to submit in September or October, take a moment to review our last-minute Round 1 checklist before you hit submit.
While Round 2 historically receives more applications, these three groups should strongly consider applying in the first round.
Reapplicants
Reapplicants should aim to turn in their revised applications no later than the first round when admissions committees are just beginning to assemble the next incoming class. If you fail again, you can realign your expectations and apply to other, more appropriate schools in round two.
However, these candidates must show they’ve made a sincere effort to improve upon their prior application and strengthen their candidacy. Most business schools will have your previous application in your file. So, whatever you submit should demonstrate a fresh approach and how you’ve grown academically or professionally.
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Candidates from an Over-Represented Applicant Pool
Competition for a seat at the top programs is fierce, so candidates from an over-represented industry or geographic region need to think strategically about the timing of their application.
For example, applicants from India face a disadvantage at highly ranked schools, needing a much higher GMAT score to compete with applicants from other regions. While the elite business schools receive a high volume of qualified applicants from India, they want to maintain diversity in the class and, therefore, need to cap acceptances from a single region.
Candidates from overrepresented industries such as IT, consulting, or finance should also try to apply in round 1. By the time Round 2 deadlines roll around, the admissions team may have already admitted many applicants with very similar profiles.
If you belong to an overrepresented group, submitting your application before your peers are well-represented in the class can be a wise strategy.
Non-Traditional Candidates with Lower GMAT Scores
Applicants with unconventional or less traditional work or academic experience before business school often worry about how admissions committees will assess their records. However, it’s more than okay to be different because no MBA program wants to fill an entire class solely with candidates from investment banking or consulting.
B-Schooled Podcast Episode #209: Advice for Military (and Other Non-Traditional) Applicants
For entrepreneurs with no traditional work experience, military applicants, or individuals from professions where an MBA is not typically required, having a low GMAT score does not have to mean the kiss of death. Just aim to apply in round 1. Later in the admissions cycle, fewer spots may be available for low-scoring candidates as schools consider driving their GMAT average higher for ranking purposes.
Finally, we would urge applicants to apply a few days before the deadline to ease some of the last-minute pressure and congestion on the programs’ servers. Do a thorough review, hit submit, and take comfort in knowing you did your best.
Final Thoughts on Who Should Apply in Round 1
As you prepare to submit your Round 1 application, remember that timing can be as critical as the content of your application. By applying early, you’re giving yourself the best possible chance to stand out in the eyes of admissions committees when the slate is fresh and the opportunity to shape the class is at its peak.
Whether you’re a reapplicant, a candidate from an overrepresented group, or a non-traditional applicant with a lower GMAT score, Round 1 can provide the strategic edge you need. Take advantage of the resources available, fine-tune your story, and go into this process with confidence. The journey to your dream business school starts now—don’t miss the chance to make the strongest first impression.
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Stacy Blackman Consulting offers multiple services to meet your MBA application needs, from our All-In Partnership to test prep to hourly help with targeted tasks. Contact us today for a free 15-minute advising session to talk strategy with a Principal SBC consultant.
Here’s a snapshot of the caliber of expertise on our SBC team.
Ashley
Ashley is a former MBA Admissions Board Member for Harvard Business School (HBS), where she interviewed and evaluated thousands of business school applicants for over a six year tenure. Ashley holds an MBA from HBS. During her HBS years, Ashley was the Sports Editor for the Harbus and a member of the B-School Blades Ice Hockey Team. After HBS, she worked in Marketing at the Gillette Company on Male and Female shaving ...
×Pauline
A former associate director of admissions at Harvard Business School, Pauline served on the HBS MBA Admissions Board full-time for four years. She evaluated and interviewed HBS applicants, both on-campus and globally. Pauline's career has included sales and marketing management roles with Coca-Cola, Gillette, Procter & Gamble, and IBM. For over 10 years, Pauline has expertly guided MBA applicants, and her clients h ...
×Laura
Laura comes from the MBA Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS) and is an HBS MBA alumnus. In her HBS Admissions role, she evaluated and interviewed hundreds of business school candidates, including internationals, women, military and other applicant pools, for five years. Prior to her time as a student at HBS, Laura began her career in advertising and marketing in Chicago at Leo Burnett where she worked on th ...
×Andrea
Andrea served as the Associate Director of MBA Admissions at Harvard Business School (HBS) for over five years. In this role, she provided strategic direction for student yield-management activities and also served as a full member of the admissions committee. In 2007, Andrea launched the new 2+2 Program at Harvard Business School – a program targeted at college junior applicants to Harvard Business School. Andrea has also served as a Career Coach for Harvard Business School for both cu ...
×Jennifer
Jennifer served as Admissions Officer at the Stanford (GSB) for five years. She holds an MBA from Stanford (GSB) and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Jennifer has over 15 years experience in guiding applicants through the increasingly competitive admissions process into top MBA programs. Having read thousands and thousands of essays and applications while at Stanford (GSB) Admiss ...
×Erin K.
Erin served in key roles in MBA Admissions--as Director at Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and Assistant Director at Stanford's Graduate School of Business (GSB). Erin served on the admissions committee at each school and has read thousands of applications in her career. At Haas, she served for seven years in roles that encompassed evaluation, outreach, and diversity and inclusion. During her tenure in Admissions at GSB, she was responsible for candidate evaluation, applicant outreach, ...
×Susie
Susie comes from the Admissions Office of the Stanford Graduate School of Business where she reviewed and evaluated hundreds of prospective students’ applications. She holds an MBA from Stanford’s GSB and a BA from Stanford in Economics. Prior to advising MBA applicants, Susie held a variety of roles over a 15-year period in capital markets, finance, and real estate, including as partner in one of the nation’s most innovative finance and real estate investment organizations. In that r ...
×Dione
Dione holds an MBA degree from Stanford Business School (GSB) and a BA degree from Stanford University, where she double majored in Economics and Communication with concentrations in journalism and sociology. Dione has served as an Admissions reader and member of the Minority Admissions Advisory Committee at Stanford. Dione is an accomplished and respected advocate and thought leader on education and diversity. She is ...
×Anthony
Anthony served as the Associate Director of MBA Admissions at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he dedicated over 10 years of expertise. During his time as a Wharton Admissions Officer, he read and reviewed thousands of applications and helped bring in a class of 800+ students a year. Anthony has traveled both domestically and internationally to recruit a ...
×Meghan
Meghan served as the Associate Director of Admissions and Marketing at the Wharton MBA’s Lauder Institute, a joint degree program combining the Wharton MBA with an MA in International Studies. In her role on the Wharton MBA admissions committee, Meghan advised domestic and international applicants; conducted interviews and information sessions domestically and overseas in Asia, Central and South America, and Europe; and evaluated applicants for admission to the program. Meghan also managed ...
×Amy
Amy comes from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where she was Associate Director. Amy devoted 12 years at the Wharton School, working closely with MBA students and supporting the admissions team. During her tenure at Wharton, Amy served as a trusted adviser to prospective applicants as well as admitted and matriculated students. She conducted admissions chats with applicants early in the admissions ...
×Ally
Ally brings six years of admissions experience to the SBC team, most recently as an Assistant Director of Admission for the full-time MBA program at Columbia Business School (CBS). During her time at Columbia, Ally was responsible for reviewing applications, planning recruitment events, and interviewing candidates for both the full-time MBA program and the Executive MBA program. She traveled both internationally and dome ...
×Emma
Emma comes from the MBA Admissions Office at Columbia Business School (CBS), where she was Associate Director. Emma conducted dozens of interviews each cycle for the MBA and EMBA programs, as well as coordinating the alumni ambassador interview program. She read and evaluated hundreds of applications each cycle, delivered information sessions to audiences across the globe, and advised countless waitlisted applicants. ×
Dana
Dana served as Assistant Director of Admissions at Columbia Business School for the Full-Time MBA program and has over 10 years of experience working in higher education. Known as a scrupulous file reader, Dana reviewed countless applications and assisted in rendering final decisions for the Admissions Committee at CBS. While leading information sessions at Columbia and on the road, Dana met and advised myriad applicants� ...
×Holly
Holly worked as a member of the NYU Stern MBA Admissions team for seven years and holds an MBA from NYU Stern. In her tenure as Director of NYU MBA Admissions, Holly worked closely with admissions teams from Columbia, Michigan Ross, UVA Darden, Cornell Johnson, Berkeley Haas, Yale SOM, and Duke Fuqua on recruiting events domestically and internationally. On the NYU Stern admissions committee, Holly conducted interviews, planned and hosted events, and trained staff on reading and interviewi ...
×Mark
Mark has been working in global higher education for nearly ten years, focusing on MBA Admissions at European programs including Oxford Said Business School and London Business School (LBS). At the University of Oxford’s Said Business School, Mark was the Associate Director of MBA Recruitment, leading the recruitment of all applicants to the Oxford MBA and 1+1 MBA programs. In this role, Mark advised countless MBA applic ...
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