9 Tips for Timing and R1 MBA Application Deadlines

by , Jul 8, 2011

There's a rule of thumb when it comes to timing your business school application: Start early and dont rush.

Moving beyond that fundamental, if you are aiming to apply for Round 1, then you'll need to make sure you stay organized with an eye on the clock and the calendar. Stay on top of your game by following these 9 tips:

1. Submit your application by the earliest possible deadline PROVIDED you dont compromise on quality.
2. That being said, if you are applying to a school that has rolling admissions (like Columbia), then applying early is more important. Again, a rushed application is usually not a good application; but you should try your hardest to prepare a stellar, non-rushed application early in the admissions cycle. If in doubt, see #1
3. Given that deadlines tend to cluster, finish a couple of apps, put them away, and then take them out and review them a few days before the deadline. You'll have an easier time tweaking your earlier applications after you've gained perspective and application-writing experience from earlier applications
4. Dont wait until the last minute. Servers overload and crash right before the clock strikes midnight, or whatever hour the schools specify. You dont want to be a pumpkin.
5. Check for the exact hour and time zone that the school sets as a cut-off. For HBS noon ET is the cutoff. It would be a shame to have worked so hard to meet the R1 deadline, only to realize that due to a time difference, you actually missed it.
6. If you have more applications than you can do a good job on by R1 deadlines, wait until R2 for the schools that you are less interested in.
7. Develop a calendar for your personal application process. Accepted has the public Google-based MBA admissions calendar, where we list deadlines and notification dates for top business schools. Feel free to display it on your personal Google calendar.
8. Focus much more on the quality of your applications than the round. Those rumors that exceptional candidates apply only in Round 1 are false.
9. See rule #1