Extended dealines

[melonade]

Two of the schools I'm interested in extended their fall admissions deadlines for their MBA programs. One is one of the top 5 schools in Canada, that extended its deadline for 3 extra months, the other is a school that recently established a graduate program. That school's Fall admissions period is actually still open. Both schools say it's due to an "overwhelming response", but if there was an overwhelming response, why would they extend their deadlines to solicit more applicants??

Do schools just say its due to an overwhelming response so they won't look bad for not receiving the amount of applications they expected?

Do grad schools usually see a decline in applicants during a recession? Or an increase in applicants since more companies are downsizing and its hard to find jobs?

[Cindy Tokumitsu]

Hello,

I can't claim to speak for the schools, but typically schools extend deadlines when they have fewer than expected applicants.

Sometimes grad schools see an increase during a recession because it's a place to "park" while the job scene is slow and one can increase his/her market value for when the hiring picks up. But each economic cycle is different, and the factors that are driving the downturn could trigger either increased or decreased grad school applications, depending on the specifics.

Best regards,
Cindy Tokumitsu
Senior Editor, Accepted.com
www.Accepted.com