Winning Marketing Strategy for Business School Admissions
  • Home
  • About
    • Our Team
    • How We Rank
    • Praise
    • About SBC
    • Meet Stacy
    • Press
    • Client Stories
  • Work With Us
    • The All-In Package
    • Hourly Services
    • Test Prep
    • The SBC Flight Test™
    • For College Seniors
    • Editing Services
    • MBA Interview Prep
    • Plan Ahead Package
Stacy Blackman Consulting – MBA Admissions Consulting
  • Store
    • Strategy Guides
    • Interview Guides
    • Application Basics
    • Services
    • 21 Day Projects
    • MBA Application Roadmap Book
  • Hot Topics
    • COVID-19 Updates
    • Application Cheat Sheet
    • MBA Essay Questions
    • MBA Essay Tips
    • MBA Application Deadlines
    • GMAT and GRE
    • For College Seniors
    • Diversity
    • Free Branding Guide
    • MBA Applicant Stories
    • B-Schooled Podcast
    • Subscribe to Newsletter
  • Blog
    • Top 10 Blog Posts
    • Schools in the News
    • Sign Up
  • Let’s Talk
    • Request a Free Analysis
    • Contact Information
  • Home
  • About
    • Our Team
    • How We Rank
    • Praise
    • About SBC
    • Meet Stacy
    • Press
    • Client Stories
  • Work With Us
    • The All-In Package
    • Hourly Services
    • Test Prep
    • The SBC Flight Test™
    • For College Seniors
    • Editing Services
    • MBA Interview Prep
    • Plan Ahead Package
  • Store
    • Strategy Guides
    • Interview Guides
    • Application Basics
    • Services
    • 21 Day Projects
    • MBA Application Roadmap Book
  • Hot Topics
    • COVID-19 Updates
    • Application Cheat Sheet
    • MBA Essay Questions
    • MBA Essay Tips
    • MBA Application Deadlines
    • GMAT and GRE
    • For College Seniors
    • Diversity
    • Free Branding Guide
    • MBA Applicant Stories
    • B-Schooled Podcast
    • Subscribe to Newsletter
  • Blog
    • Top 10 Blog Posts
    • Schools in the News
    • Sign Up
  • Let’s Talk
    • Request a Free Analysis
    • Contact Information
Stacy Blackman Blog

Let us evaluate your MBA potential and develop your game plan.
Give us 15 minutes.

June 14, 2016

Tips for Finalizing Your School List

One of the most important decisions you’ll make during the MBA application process is which schools you’re going to apply to in the first place. We know—duh, right? But seriously, we can’t stress enough how important it is to put significant thought into which programs you’re going to dedicate dozens of hours to over the coming months.

Each year we see excellent candidates who want to prematurely take themselves out of the running for some of the top programs. Make no mistake: it is extremely tough to get into a highly ranked business school. Certain programs have single-digit acceptance rates, and literally thousands of more-than-qualified applicants are turned away each year. But if you don’t even give yourself a chance at admission, you may always wonder, “What if?” Is there anything worse?

That’s why we typically recommend that people ask themselves whether or not getting an MBA is most important to them—or if getting an MBA from a certain school is what really matters most. If you’d truly be at peace with never getting an MBA if you weren’t accepted to School X, then you can move forward by focusing all of your efforts solely on your dream school or schools.

However, if you want an MBA no matter what, then you’d be wise to consider five or six schools, or maybe spread your efforts across Rounds 1 and 2.

We hope you at least give yourself a shot at the programs you’re really interested in, though. Applying to top business schools is something of a self-selecting process: most people who apply are overachievers who would be assets to any class. It’s easy to let that discourage or intimidate an applicant to the point of not even trying. You might think, “What’s the use? There are thousands of other people like me fighting for spots.”

But we’d argue: 1) no, there isn’t anyone else exactly like you, so figure out how to differentiate yourself, and 2) why would you want to make it easier for someone else to get in by taking yourself out of the mix? You deserve a shot just like everyone else.

Think of it this way:

school selection

 

 

 

 

 

 

***
Do you want to stay on top of the application process with timely tips like these? Please subscribe to our weekly newsletter and you’ll receive our expert advice straight in your mailbox before it appears on the blog, plus special offers, promotions, discounts, invitations to events, and more.

This entry was posted in Application Tips and tagged safety schools, SBC newsletter, School Selection, which round.
Bookmark this post..

You May Also Like

Stacy Blackman

B-Schooled Episode #25: Part-Time MBA Programs

Stacy Blackman

The GMAT and Your MBA Application Strategy

MBA resume

5 Resume Traits that Wow the MBA Admissions Committee

Stacy Blackman

Darden School of Business 2014-2015 Deadlines

← Texas MBA Program Fall 2017 MBA Application Deadlines
CMU Tepper School Fall 2017 MBA Application Deadlines →
  • Follow SBC On

    Stacy Blackman on Facebook Stacy Blackman on Twitter Stacy Blackman on YouTube Stacy Blackman RSS
  • Connect on Facebook:

  • YouTube Channel


    See more videos
  • Recent Posts

    • How Self-Doubt Can Stall Your Career
    • Kellogg Interview: Format, Criteria + Sample Questions
    • B-Schooled Podcast Episode #38: For Waitlisted Candidates
    • Stanford’s Deferred MBA Program: Get Accepted
    • How Should You Use MBA Rankings?
  • Categories

  • Archives

  • Applicant/Student Blogs

    • SBC B-School Buzz Bloggers
  • Application and MBA Prep

    • 25 MBA Prep Resources
  • Application Deadlines

    • Application Deadlines for 2020-2021
  • Application Essays

    • Application Essays for 2020-2021
  • Application Tips ("Tuesday Tips")

    • EMBA Tips
    • Essay Tips 20/21: Cambridge Judge
    • Essay Tips 20/21: Chicago Booth
    • Essay Tips 20/21: CMU Tepper School
    • Essay Tips 20/21: Columbia Business School
    • Essay Tips 20/21: Cornell Johnson
    • Essay Tips 20/21: Dartmouth Tuck
    • Essay Tips 20/21: Duke Fuqua
    • Essay Tips 20/21: Emory Goizueta
    • Essay Tips 20/21: Georgetown McDonough
    • Essay Tips 20/21: Harvard Business School
    • Essay Tips 20/21: HEC Paris
    • Essay Tips 20/21: IESE Business School
    • Essay Tips 20/21: INSEAD
    • Essay Tips 20/21: IU Kelley School
    • Essay Tips 20/21: London Business School
    • Essay Tips 20/21: Michigan Ross
    • Essay Tips 20/21: MIT Sloan
    • Essay Tips 20/21: Northwestern Kellogg
    • Essay Tips 20/21: NYU Stern
    • Essay Tips 20/21: Oxford Said Business School
    • Essay Tips 20/21: SMU Cox
    • Essay Tips 20/21: Stanford
    • Essay Tips 20/21: UC Berkeley Haas
    • Essay Tips 20/21: UCLA Anderson
    • Essay Tips 20/21: UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School
    • Essay Tips 20/21: UPenn Wharton
    • Essay Tips 20/21: USC Marshall
    • Essay Tips 20/21: UT McCombs
    • Essay Tips 20/21: UVA Darden
    • Essay Tips 20/21: Yale School of Management
    • Extracurricular Activities
    • Improving Candidacy
    • Low GPA
    • MBA Goals
    • Paying for MBA
    • Program Options
    • Reapplication
    • Recommendations
    • Round Three Tips
    • School Research
    • Strengths & Weaknesses
    • The Waiting Game
    • Waitlist
    • Why an MBA?
  • Resources

    • List of Resources
  • Test Prep

    • SBC Test Prep
  • Tags

    advice application application advice application deadlines applications application tips Application Tips career goals Chicago Booth School of Business Columbia Columbia Business School Darden School of Business Essay Questions essay tips Essay Tips GMAC GMAT Harvard Business School HBS INSEAD Kellogg School of Management London Business School MBA MBA admissions MBA application MBA Essays MBA program Michigan Ross School of Business MIT Sloan School of Management Rankings Ross School of Business SBC newsletter School Selection Stanford Stanford Graduate School of Business Stanford GSB Tips Tuck School of Business UC Berkeley Haas UCLA Anderson School of Management US News Strictly Business Wharton Wharton School Yale School of Management Yale SOM

LEARN ABOUT OUR ALL-IN
SERVICE

ALL-IN<br />
SERVICE

MEET THE SBC CONSULTING
TEAM

SBC CONSULTING<br />
TEAM
Stacy Blackman Consulting

Contact

323.934.3936
info@StacyBlackman.com

Latest Blog Post

How Self-Doubt Can Stall Your Career

“FRESH IDEAS FROM THE BLACKLIGHT” SBC’s Weekly Newsletter for Professionals Even the most prepared and accomplished professionals experience periods of self-doubt. Often, these feelings work on a subconscious level. But if left unaddressed, they can … →

© 2001-2021 STACY BLACKMAN CONSULTING, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.     the Blacklight

Scroll