After a relatively sleepy February, March will soon be upon us with its extensive list of application deadlines and decision notification dates. Let’s take a look at the long list of Round 3 (or 4 or 5) deadlines spread over the next two months:
March 1: Michigan/Ross R3
March 3: Columbia (int’l applicants)
March 4: Northwestern/Kellogg R3
March 8: CMU Tepper R3
March 9: Wharton R3, Duke/Fuqua R3
March 10: INSEAD R1 (Jan. intake), Chicago/Booth R3, Yale R3, Berkeley/Haas R4
March 15: NYU/Stern R3
March 17: UCLA/Anderson R3
March 19: UNC/Kenan-Flagler R3
March 30: Cornell R4
March 31: INSEAD R4 (Sept. intake), UVA/Darden R3
April 2: Dartmouth/Tuck R3
April 7: Stanford R3
April 8: HBS R3
April 14: Columbia (final)
April 26 CMU Tepper R4
While it’s always best to apply as early as possible, the difference between applying in Round 1 and applying in Round 2 is, for most applicants, a marginal one. However, the later rounds are a very different game. Because most of the seats in the incoming class will have been given away by the time round two decisions are released, the acceptance rate in the third round is dramatically lower than that for the first two deadlines of the season.
To maximize your chances of a later round acceptance, demonstrating your interest in the school and submitting thoughtful and error-free written materials will be crucial. Just as applying in Round 1 is generally taken as a sign of interest in a given program, applicants submitting their materials in a later round need to work extra hard to convince the adcom that they are genuinely interested in the school and are not simply applying as an afterthought because interview invitations didn’t come through in round two. Demonstrating that you would make a valuable contribution to the community and providing evidence that you have taken steps to engage current students and alumni will work to your advantage.
As always, we’d like to recommend the in-depth Clear Admit School Guides to those applicants who are targeting the later deadlines and just beginning to investigate certain programs, and to encourage those who’ve visited the campus and interviewed to share their experiences in the Clear Admit Wiki. Potential R3 or R4 applicants are also welcome to contact Clear Admit directly to discuss the strength of their later round candidacies and learn more about our one-on-one counseling services.
Are you planning on sending in a late round application in the next couple of months? Feel free to share your strategies, questions, and concerns below!
Read the full article: Admissions Tip: Late Round Considerations