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apply for Round 3 or wait until fall?

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apply for Round 3 or wait until fall?

by 9dragonsSF » Tue Jan 04, 2011 10:36 pm
I've recently decided to apply to business school due to various factors related to my current job. I believe I will have a strong application for several reasons: graduate of Ivy undergrad school with good GPA, 2+ years of post-college work experience with a multinational corporation in multiple cities/countries, and English native/ fluency in Mandarin Chinese.

However the timing does not look good for me this year, due to the situation with my employer I am only starting to prepare now, I have not taken the GMAT and will require much study to brush up my test-taking skills.

Given the deadlines of Round 3 for the top-tier US schools I'm interested in, do I realistically still have time to prepare thorough applications with a good chance of success?

Also, how serious is the Round 3 disadvantage and would I be better advised to wait until next fall. Having to start B-school in Fall 2012 rather than Fall 2011 is less than ideal, but I could live with it if it means going to a better school.
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by Bryant@VeritasPrep » Wed Jan 05, 2011 6:43 pm
If there are several top schools with which you'd be happy, and you think by preparing adequately you can get a great GMAT score, I'd go ahead and put in applications to 2-3 of your target schools in round three. If not, you can not only reapply, but also be a first time applicant for your other choices for 2011. Many applicants are afraid of the third round and for good reason--there are precious few seats left and they are generally looking to fill specific niches or holes in their student body makeup. If you offer a diversity angle (ie you are a woman, are non-caucasian, or some other unique quality), round three can sometimes work.
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by 9dragonsSF » Wed Jan 05, 2011 6:50 pm
Thank you Bryant, this is all helpful information. Unfortunately I am merely a white American male and may not get picked for one of those rainbow diversity slots, despite my rich experiences living and working in foreign countries.

Do you think that having a rejected application in Round 3 would impact my chances at all if I re-applied to the same school in the fall?
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by bln123 » Thu Jan 06, 2011 2:15 pm
9dragonsSF wrote: Unfortunately I am merely a white American male and may not get picked for one of those rainbow diversity slots
Nice one!
Diversity is not limited to country of origin and skin colour, but also about age, professional and educational background, special skills, etc.
By the way, since you "only" have 2 years of work exp. and often programmes require 3+, maybe applying for 2012 and in the 1st round isnt such a bad idea
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by Bryant@VeritasPrep » Thu Jan 06, 2011 7:29 pm
From a strategy perspective, it might indeed be a challenge to re-apply only a few months after getting dinged, since the only way to get in as a reapplicant is to show significant improvement in your application, which may be tough to do in such a short amount of time. If you don't have a good list of schools with which you'd be happy (and could therefore split up into applying this year and next year to different schools), I'd try to expand the list. Or at least build a strategy around how you will demonstrate advancement or progress in your career or other achievements which will sway adcoms on a re-app. Sorry I can't be more helpful, as I realize some of this seems obvious.
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by 9dragonsSF » Thu Jan 06, 2011 7:42 pm
Bryant@VeritasPrep wrote:Sorry I can't be more helpful, as I realize some of this seems obvious.
On the contrary, this helps a lot, some of us are new to this game and need even the basic advice in various re-iterations that ring true. Thanks again!

I also think that the time between now and certain Round 3 deadlines seems pretty tight to prepare a well-considered application even without the GMAT part. It also doesn't leave much time for campus tours/interviews and other helpful methods of deciding which schools to prioritize on the list.
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by PurpleReign » Thu Jan 06, 2011 11:38 pm
Good thread. I've been mulling back and forth about this, too.
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