TIMING your MBA application can have important consequences. Early on in the application process (October in the typical cycle for the following autumn) there are lots of places and by March/April there are none. The window closes steadily during this time.

Most business schools have a series of deadlines. The deadlines are typically in October, January and March. The admissions committee will have decided in advance what percentage of the total intake is going to be taken from each round. Generally, about 45 per cent will be taken at the first round, the same again in the second round and the remaining 5 to 10 per cent in the third round.

The key principle is that each round is a separate mini-competition: candidates who miss out do not go forward to the next round. In the first round, the field is wide open. Every part of the class profile, every nationality, every background, every skill-set and every previous employer is under-represented. Here schools traditionally select the best, with little or no regard to class mix. The second round is where the business of balancing the class begins in earnest.

By this deadline the school has almost all the serious applications it is going to get, and sets about sorting the best and balancing those under consideration with the candidates who have accepted offers from the first round. By the third round, there are only a handful of places left, which are given to the wild-card applicants who bring some amazing and unique attribute.

Common wisdom holds that if you are a strong, traditional candidate and you meet all the academic requirements, then you should apply in the first round. If you have lower academic qualifications and/or come from a more unique background, it is better to apply in the second round.

If you are creating a schedule to get everything done on time (for a September start date) it should look like this: spring (18 months before the course starts) take the Graduate Management Admission Test (Gmat); summer, do your personal profile (see next week’s article); September to October, research and select schools and submit your first applications; November to December, finish applications.


Precis from MBA Admissions Strategy, by A. V. Gordon (£13.99).

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