Your Round 2 MBA Application Timeline

February 02, 2022 :: Admissionado Team

A strategic MBA application timeline made to help you survive December and submit your app for round 2. You’ve got five weeks left before MBA round 2 deadlines, and your MBA application timeline is starting to feel impossible. 

Round 2 deadlines are particularly evil since they’re perfectly timed to conflict with family obligations, additional festive stress, and holiday hangovers. But as long as you’ve got a strategic MBA application timeline, you’ll be able to survive December and submit for round 2.

Round 2 MBA Application deadline

Best MBA programs in the US offered by prestigious colleges like Stanford or Harvard are famous for these universities’ history and the high-quality modern entrepreneurship programs and projects created by experts in this area. Stanford round 2 and Harvard business school round 2 application deadlines are nearly identical. Something you should bear in mind while preparing your essays. You could also be interested in the acceptance rate. Usually, this rate is higher in one-degree programs. Meanwhile, for instance, Harvard’s 2+2 MBA Program is highly selective. Before you start planning anything, put all your achievements on your desk in front of you. SAT, GMAT, level tests, and grades are the basic musts for a good application. If you are not pleased with scores, retake the GMAT or other tests. Now, if you are comfortable, move on.

MBA Application Timeline – Week 1

Set a realistic timeline

In round 2 MBA applications, you still have to stick to some deadlines, and you should make your timeline. The best MBA programs in US are looking for excellent, creative, and analytical brains. Read through the entire application and make sure you plan for everything on it (don’t forget those short answers!). Make a timeline for yourself and stick to it. If you scramble at the end, you’re setting yourself up for disaster. Know exactly who your recommenders are and what your strategy is going to be. The top US and top European MBA programs require recommendation letters. Give your recommenders as much time as possible. After all, they’re doing you a huge favor. But don’t let them run the show. It’s up to you to coach your recommenders and make sure that their recommendations support your strategy and how you want to present yourself to the adcom.

MBA Application Timeline – Week 2

Start drafting your first set of essays

If you’re applying to multiple schools, the first school is going to take the longest. But once you’ve got that down, each subsequent application will go much faster. Focus on picking your best stories and figuring out how to present them in a compelling way. If you are applying for an MD/MBA program, state your career characteristics and explain how they can be beneficial in combination with business studies.

Don’t neglect your resume

Your resume is your business card which will give information about your proficiency. You are not likely to want anyone to have an incomplete and blurred report about you. If you, for instance, are applying for Stanford GSB round 2, you should know that these schools are not seeking job experience. Here are some do’s and don’ts of an MBA resume creation process. 

• Formatting – Do not create too long resumes. Be precise and laconic. MBA admissions are not interested in reading a novel.
• Language – MBA resume is not a friendly conversation. Do not use jargon and idioms in your resume. Avoid too technical language. Your readers are humans, do not make them suffer. 
• Be creative – Do not just list your job experiences and knowledge aptitudes. Be a natural person with pros and cons, with hobbies and passions. 
• Progress – Your MBA resume should be flexible. It is not a static document. It is your personal and professional evolution testimony.

MBA Application Timeline – Week 3

Draft and re-draft

The earlier you start the editing and drafting process, the better. Give yourself time to be introspective and think things through. The last thing you want to do is write drafts with a deadline breathing down your neck. Try to be yourself, do not copy or write things that have no connection with you. It will sound unnatural, and if you are asked for an interview, you can have some issues seeming natural. Check the tone of your answers. Make them more suitable for the audience they are meant to.

Get a second opinion

Having another set of eyes on your application is crucial. And get that second opinion early on in the drafting process. If you’re going in the wrong direction, you want time to make smart revisions (and avoid total re-writes 5 hours before the deadline). But beware of having too many cooks in the kitchen. Everyone’s got an opinion, and if you get too many, your voice is going to get lost. So stick with one or two trusted sources.

MBA Application Timeline – Week 4

Check in on your recommendations

Make sure everything is on track to hit your deadlines, and don’t forget to remind them of any holiday delays that may occur. Sometimes, you can be so busy that you forget to remind your recommendation letter authors to make sure to send the recommendation on time. This can be challenging, especially when some bank holidays are on the horizon. Check your schedule constantly to skip surprises. 

Continue working on your essays

Essays are your creativity checking tools. You are not supposed to give memorized academic answers. However, some silly mistakes can spoil your image. It is a bad idea to start several essays at once. You may lose the coherence of the topic if you are not focused on one. Focus on one college at a time and work on one question. Reread your essays, read them not as an author but as your audience. See if your essay has the hook to make you a desirable candidate. 

Take a break

Around this time, you’ll probably be tempted to take some time off to gorge yourself on ham, but that’s ok! Taking a break can help you avoid application fatigue and give you the push you need to get to the finish line. Give yourself time to rest your mental and physical well-being can condition the quality of your application. Breath deep and move forward.

MBA Application Timeline – Week 5

Keep your recommenders on track

Letters of recommendation are really a test of how well you can manage other people your recommenders. If they submit the letters late or blow the word limits, that’s going to reflect poorly on you. So check in on them!

Double and triple check your application

The admission committee does not have any idea who you are. Your application is you. Your essays are you. Use all the possible and impossible tools to avoid any spelling mistakes. Focus on grammar, semantics, pragmatics, and more. Have a look at special names that the online correctors may omit. 

Submit on time

It is a fallacy that early applicants have more chances to get the place. The opportunities are the same. Check and recheck deadlines. Be on time remember there’s no benefit to submitting early, but there’s definitely no benefit to submitting late. We hear this all the time, people wait until the very last second to submit their application and their Internet goes out, the server crashes, they had the time wrong.

MBA Application Timeline – Week 6

Your application is sent! So what’s next? Are you done? Do not rush. It is true that now you can feel less stressed but start checking your email account. Sometimes colleges are quick enough to check if you have all the necessary documents uploaded. They may send you an email with some requests. Update your account and clean all your unread correspondence. You are now aware of any new mail you receive. You can take your time and check the tuition tax MBA deduction options, reduce this year’s burden on inversion into studies- so far at least!

MBA Application Timeline – Week 7

I hope you didn’t get too comfortable in week 6 because it’s time to start thinking about your MBA interview. Even if you are told that these interviews are not compulsory, admit them. It is your chance to be yourself. Interviews are an excellent opportunity to contact and express your desires emotions and emphasize your strong points. Pay attention to every question, you are likely to be asked similar questions if chosen for the 2nd round MBA interviews. By the way, do some research and find out when the 2nd round of MBA interviews will occur. You’ve made it this far and don’t get lazy now. The interview is a significant and essential step in the process, so prepare for it! And while you’re at it, now’s a great time to send out thank you cards and gifts to your recommenders.

Final Thoughts

The process of applying to an MBA program can be stressful, challenging, or call it the way you want. However, it is the beginning of something big and emotional. If your decision is made, move forward. It is a wrong conception that first-round applications are likely to have more chances than second-round ones. Do not overload yourself with unnecessary thoughts and move towards your bright future. Follow some tips to create and send a perfect application. Be yourself, and do not give up!