Timing your MBA application

[bailey]

Origin from http://rusgirl.blogspot.com/

Timing your application

As for going to admission consultants, there are three situations when you should think of them:
1. You cannot spend time researching schools and their requirements. You need information right now.
2. You apply to 3+ schools in one round.
3. You need a good advice about your essays.

1. Essays
Start: ASAP
Finish: three weeks before deadline
Think about essays as soon as you decide to do an MBA. Read books, watch news, work – always thinking about your essays. Write down ideas.
Extreme schedule: finish your essays three days before deadline, give yourself a break and then one day before the deadline reread and correct them (not recommended).
Normal schedule: finish the drafts as least three weeks before the deadline and give them to someone to reread. Better it be two persons: a former (or current) MBA and a person, who knows your current affairs very well (a close friend, a beloved one, a parent). The first one can say in what way you should rewrite the essays to sell better, the second – what you have forgotten to mention about yourself.

2. GMAT
Start: ASAP
Finish: 2 months before deadline
Schedule as early as you can. Otherwise you may be prepared but there will be no seats.
Extreme schedule: Pass at least a month before deadline. Prepare for at least for two weeks. You should obtain GMAT literature beforehand. You’ll have to take a two-three week holiday at work and make yourself a crash-course on GMAT. You’ll have to be successful the very first time (not recommended).
Normal schedule: Pass at least two months before deadline, so that you will have time to redo it. Prepare for at least for two months.

3. Language test
Start: ASAP
Finish: 2 months before deadline
If you pass computer-based TOEFL, do it immediately after GMAT.
If you pass a paper test like IELTS, you’ll have to schedule it a month beforehand and wait for results 1,5 months after it.
Important note: make a copy of all your score reports and send them to schools with transcripts. Your official results arrive separately, but you don’t want to worry whether they arrive late and you’ll know about it one day before the decision due.

4. Transcript
Start: three months before deadline
Finish: 2 weeks before deadline
Ask for it as soon as possible. Your university may not make transcripts (Russian universities don’t, for example), so you’ll have to take care of it yourself.

5. Letters of recommendation
Start: two months before deadline
Finish: three days before deadline
Ask your future recommenders at least two months before the deadline. Find out whether they’ll have any business or holiday trips at that time.
You should provide a draft for them at least a month before the deadline.
If you write the whole recommendation yourself, give them at least a week before the deadline to read and correct it.
If they have to print recommendations, sign and give back to you, make sure, you know how to mend the broken printers. Don’t forget to buy envelopes.
If you have online recommendations, offer your recommenders help in submitting it. They may not be accustomed to the interface.
Thank them afterwards.

6. CV
Finish: a week before deadline
I must be ready at least a week before the deadline. This is one of the easiest things to do. You can even start with it: put a tick in your list and feel that part of the task is accomplished. If you’re not sure it is good: send it for some good vacancy – if they reply, you know it is good.

7. Application
Start: two weeks before deadline
Finish: a day before deadline
You’ll need at least a week to make an application. Many schools (including LBS) ask for additional mini-essays in the application form – this may come as an unpleasant surprise. And you’d better spend a day on familiarizing with the interface of the application. And better submit it a day or two before the deadline.

8. Send written application
Finish: two days before deadline
If you send on a holiday (or weekend) DHL will charge you 10 dollars more. So better send on weekday. I’ve heard that in US there is such thing as ‘University express’, e.g. you send documents to universities they take a half of their normal charge. Alas, no such thing in Russia.

Once, when my mother’s friend was waiting for a baby – tired of 8 months of nausea, immobility and all other things that accompany this happy process – she said: ‘Oh, how good it will soon be all over!’. And my mother, who already had me by that time, replied: ‘No, dear, IT is just the beginning’.
The application process is also just the beginning :)
Good luck!



雖然多數人的申請已步入尾聲，提供給來年申請的人作參考

[fiona]

謝謝分享~
可是要把ESSAY在DEADLINE前3週完成 對我來說簡直是不可能的任務阿 哈哈~

[sophiechen]

Bailey

我建議把你陸續貼上來的東西
彙總後置頂
這樣以後申請人可以直接找到這些非常有用的資料

謝謝

[bailey]

謝謝分享~
可是要把ESSAY在DEADLINE前3週完成 對我來說簡直是不可能的任務阿 哈哈~

原作指的是先有八成草稿，然後給朋友proof-read。
我個人覺得至少要抓兩週，給對方3-5天，回來還有一週可重寫 :)

[習慣仔]

Thanks for being so considerate to those who start application this year!

[wpchang]

deadline的前兩天～
大家都是這麼趕嗎～

[Yimmiwan]

現在很多學校都是線上申請
兩天前從網路上submit其實不會算很趕
只要沒有碰到像去年台灣外海大地震把海底光纖網線震斷而連不上網的情形
至於其他書面文件(成績單,GMAT/TOEFL成績影本,推薦信,履歷等)則是應該最慢截止前兩個星期就該寄出

[hybird]

感謝啊~ 應該要萬年置頂的

[achia]

Many thsnks... it's really helpful! thanks...

[davidlee0222]

for next year applicants (entering MBA programs since 2010 fall)
it's better to start to prepare GMAT and TOEFL now (or at least early spring, i.e. March)
the myth and the rumor are always "go prep school since July for 3 months, get a score in Oct, and apply in Nov or Dec..."
this may work for applicants in China (who knows how they did it?), but won't work for Taiwanese applicants

in the last 4 years
most of applicants in Taiwan (probably up to 90%) underestimated the difficulty and needed much longer time for GMAT and TOEFL
longer time to prepare (commonly only GMAT can take more than half year), and most of time takes several exams to get a decent score
while it can be a big distraction to prepare tests when writing essays (just don't do that!)
for decent application packages aiming top 30
it can take a couple of weeks full-time preparation for a single school
of course it'll get much faster when you get experienced for multiple applications
but for a common 6~8 school application process
it'll take at least 2 months for really experienced applicants
anything less than this time frame will mostly fail, due to indifferent content
and no time to do extensive homework on specific schools, not to mention concentrations or campus resources
especially MBA application is actually a career management process
it take considerable time to introspect and reorganize your career pathing
commonly weeks to months
then craft your own personal brand takes another month

but guess what happened last year?
most of applicants missed the early decision or even first round
which closed in mid-October, and the most optimistic chance
since less competition can stand you a bigger chance for admission
but when most of applicants started to draft the essays from late October
they realized the burning difficulty and get even more frustrated after a not-so-satisfied GMAT and TOEFL scores
so people suddenly hit the wall in November
then the following process gets even more messy
for a more realistic commitment
early decision can be submitted in August
or at least the first round in early October
so pushing back a couple of months
to start crafting essays in June or the latest July is more reasonable
which will stand you much bigger chance
applicants can also pace yourselves on the application learning curve
more delicate message can be drawn
much deeper understanding about yourself and target schools

to do so
you need decent scores on both GMAT and TOEFL
which means the time frame pushes back to now, late winter and early spring
don't be surprise, since you don't want to be even more surprise when you hit the wall in October

For general English environment and education
Taiwan is a resourceful place but it takes longer time to get to advanced level
And it’s always better to prepare earlier before rain

[davidlee0222]

just a friendly reminder
if you're applying for MBA 2010 admission
you should already start writing essays for the first school
and it's even a bit late now
some really competitive applicants have already done the first school and now starting the second school
normally if you want to make some really competitive application
each school will take 3 weeks to a month (unless you already quit the job)
especially M7 will take even longer
so if you start now, before the first round deadline in early October you should be able to make 3 schools
then another 3 by second round (the latter schools you will crack faster after some learning curve)
then the rest schools will be left for the third round
that's too late
so start as early as possible

[davidlee0222]

抱歉抱歉 原本八月中就要寫最後通牒
忙到連寫字的時間都沒有

相當擔心台灣申請人今年情勢將會跟去年一樣
到現在還沒看到有多少人有大動作在趕工
現在沒寫到第三間的第一輪都會錯失良機
最佳狀態是在第一輪丟出所有申請 大約六到八間學校
簡單算一下
還在上班的 前三間一間大約要寫一個月 現在九月了
名校第一輪都十月第一週就死期 現在趕也剛好寫完第一間
要不就辭掉工作
到現在看PTT上後知後覺的還在問天兵問題
不過真正令人擔憂的是絕大多數不知不覺的申請人
現在還在補習的都要到後年了
頂多趕第三輪沒名額也是後年
提醒還有一絲危機意識的申請人趕快


另外提醒
要申請後年2011入學的 現在該開始補托福了
大約明年初會考過一百分門檻 到時再補GMAT
這樣大約明年中之前AT可以考到理想分數
年中開始申請 大概明年十月第一輪可以丟出三到四間
這是高手申請人去年的時程
還請各位申請人加油

[sblacker]

話說我自己也常常搞不清楚現在是西元幾年了
不過davidlee大哥說的是指準備後年--2011年入學
還是大後年2012入學的呢??

[davidlee0222]

哎呀 忙到都忘了今夕是何夕啦
後年是2011年入學才對啦
感謝sblacker更正的啦

[j4fun]

Nice article. FYI


-----------------------------

The Business School Application Process, Step 2: Managing The Application Process

by Heather Gilchrist on September 26th, 2009 2 c



If you’ve completed your research, you should be ready to move on to the next step and begin some real work. But before you start plugging away, it’s smart to organize your application process. With that in mind, here’s the next step on our list:


Step 2: Manage the application process.
Managing the process– much like you might manage a project at work– will help ensure you meet all deadlines and obligations while maintaining high quality standards in your applications. Here are the most important elements you’ll want to be sure to work into your routine:

Tend to your relationships with potential recommenders.
Your recommendations will play a big role in your applications, and you should ensure that you’re getting absolutely top-notch recommendations. And while noted alumni are great recommenders for targeted schools, the most important characteristic of good recommendations is that they come from people who are credible, know you well, and can speak to your aptitude and preparedness for graduate work.

While your recommendations can come from a variety of sources (academic, professional, personal), most schools have preferences regarding at least some of your recommendations. In fact, many schools prefer to receive at least one academic and one professional recommendation. If you’ve been out of school for a while, it may take some time to hunt down an old professor who remembers you well and fondly enough to sign his or her good name to your application to graduate business studies.

Start early, and make sure you show your gratitude at each step of the process. If it’s been a while since you’ve spoken or seen each other, write a quick email to say hello. Maybe invite him/her to lunch (you’ll buy, of course). Make sure this person feels comfortable recommending you strongly; if you’re unsure, you might want to ask just that: “How strongly would you be comfortable recommending me to — school/program?” It never hurts to ask, as long as you are courteous.

Sort your list of possible schools into categories.
At this early point in your application process, you probably aren’t sure where you’ll score on the GMAT/GRE (many schools now accept both). But you should have done plenty of research on the schools that offer your desired program. Sort your list of possible schools into three categories:

“Reach” schools, where you may be unlikely to gain admission, but would nonetheless love to attend;
“Target” schools, where you are competitive for admission and would like to attend; and
“Safety” schools, where you have a very high likelihood of admission.
While you may not be absolutely certain which schools are “reach”, “target”, and “safety” schools until after you get your scores back, you probably have some early inclinations one way or the other about many schools. You can always rearrange your list later.

I’m a spreadsheet addict, so I personally recommend making a spreadsheet. A spreadsheet is probably the best way to organize your list of schools. You’ll be able to add columns for “applied” (date submitted), “complete” (date application is “complete” at each school), “interview” (date), “financial aid” (dollar amount), “tuition” (total), and “decision” (outcome). You may want to include other columns as well, but these should get you started. A spreadsheet with all important information will make selecting the best school for you much easier once all the columns get filled out, and you can always delete a row if you decide that a particular school isn’t right for you.

Make an application calendar.
Get a calendar to track important dates for admissions process. Include the following:

1. Last acceptable test administration. From your list of schools, determine the last possible test date you can take to meet all application deadlines. Since you’ll likely have multiple schools, be sure to note the earliest of the test deadlines. Write this date in big, bold letters. Red, preferrably. Then plan backwards for at least one possible retake, should the worst happen. Make that your target test date, although you may want to back up your target test administration date even further to reduce your test anxiety a bit.

2. Financial aid/scholarship deadlines. Many schools have scholarship deadlines prior to regular admission deadlines, especially for larger scholarships. If you plan to apply for them, be sure to note the relevant dates and schools in your application calendar. You should also try to get your taxes done as early as possible, since most schools have a financial aid paperwork deadline of March 1st, and for U.S. schools, you’ll need to submit a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) in order to be considered for any need-based assistance or federally-backed loans. While you can estimate your taxes, I recommend doing them and getting the right numbers in rather than stressing about whether or not your paperwork is correct.

3. Three rounds of application deadlines. Many top business schools have three rounds of application deadlines. Applying to an earlier application round means there’s more space in the class for you. Deadlines for Round 1 are typically in October, Round 2 in January, and Round 3 in March/April. These vary by school so make sure you have the dates carefully organized by school. Apply early because by Round 3, there is a chance that there may not be enough room left in the program because of all of the Round 1 and Round 2 applicants.

4. Program start dates. Don’t forget to mark the date that classes start at each school. That’s what the application process is all about! It’ll help you remember why you’re doing all the legwork, plus it’ll help you organize the major life changes you’ll need to make as you get ready to start graduate school.

Set up both a physical grad school file box and a virtual file folder.
Go to Office Depot, Staples, or your office supply store of choice to pick up a portable file box and hanging file folders (unless you already have these on hand). Make a file for each school/program to which you intend to apply. You may choose to organize your files alphabetically or by preference (put your top choice program first, for instance).

Once you’ve made your physical files in your grad school file box, visit each school or program’s website. While you’re there, bookmark all important pages and organize them into folders in your web browser. Print out the admissions information, tuition and fees information, and the application form. Place a hard copy in the appropriate folder in your file box.

If you used a calendar program on your computer, then you should make an additional calendar folder. Print out a copy of each month between now and the final deadline for applications at the latest school’s deadline and slip the calendar pages into the folder so you’ll never miss a deadline.

Organize your finances for business school.
Since most of us will need some combination of personal contributions, scholarships, grants, and loans, you’ll need to make sure your finances are in order before you start the loads of paperwork that await you. Find out where you stand, and do your best to maintain or improve your financial outlook before your paperwork is submitted. Some tips:

1.Get a credit report. Know your credit score so you’re not caught off guard by an instance of identity theft or some oversight from a move five years ago that can prevent you from getting loans. Do everything in your power to maintain a good credit score or improve a weaker one in the time allotted. Google “credit repair” and research the many options available to you.

2. Make an application budget. Applying to business school isn’t cheap, and there are many “hidden” expenses people often forget. Be sure to include all application fees, standardized test fees, test prep/prep material costs (more on that in part 3 of 8), transcript/paperwork fees, recommender thank-you lunches, travel funds for school visits and interviews, a clothing allowance for interviews, interviewer and recommender “thank you” cards, and a seat deposit at the school you finally choose. Put the allotted budget into savings and don’t touch it until you need it (or start saving it, if you don’t have it available yet).

3. Put the amount you intend to pay out-of-pocket for tuition into savings and don’t touch it. Based on your FAFSA and/or other financial aid information, you will be provided with an expected contribution. Try to get an estimate of that as early as possible so you can put that money away until tuition is due. Again, if you don’t have it, start saving now.

Once you have your process all setup, you’re ready to get to the first major hurdle: taking your GMAT test(s).