Ankur Kumar, Director of Admissions
Greetings to our Round 1 Candidates,
As I am sure you are aware, the Round 1 deadline to apply is just days away. I know you have spent the past few months writing (and rewriting!) essays, taking the GMAT or GRE, and managing your recommenders in their process, all in preparation for this deadline. After meeting with many of you during our travels around the country and globe the last few months, we’re looking forward to getting to know you even further as we read your applications.
As you put the finishing touches on your materials, remember, you should only hit the submit button when you feel that you are able to put your best foot forward with the application you have prepared. That being said, I would strongly recommend you not wait until just before 5pm EST on October 3 to submit. We receive several thousand applications each round, it’s less than ideal (for both you – and us) to have heavy traffic volume so near the deadline. Please give yourself enough time in the end stage of this phase so as not to risk all the work you’ve been doing with a last minute internet issue or a server crash!
A few last minute tips as you fine-tune those applications
1) Spell check, spell check, spell check! Nothing undermines an essay like misspellings and grammar mistakes. Also, while we understand you are likely applying to more than one school, please double check the school referenced in your essays to ensure it corresponds to the one to which you are applying (yes, this does happen!)
2) Double check with your recommenders that they remember the deadline. It is your responsibility to follow up with them and make sure they are submitting prior to the deadline. Late recommendations will render your application as incomplete, and you will be moved to Round 2.
3) Double check your dates of employment and salary/bonus history one last time. If you are admitted, we do verify the information you provide in your application. If you accidentally misreport any information, it is possible you will be flagged as a discrepancy. A quick phone call to a former employer or look back at your tax records or bank statements can resolve any issues with a lack of memory on the specifics.
Once we receive all of the Round 1 applications, we will begin our review process. Given the holistic and iterative nature (as you know, your application is read cover-to-cover by several members of our Admissions Team), we will be spending the next few weeks poring through your applications. We will begin inviting Round 1 candidates to interview starting in late October. You’ll be receiving notification through the online system, so be sure to file away your login information and ensure that emails from the system don’t land in the junk folder of your inbox by mistake.
We’ll be sharing more information on the interview logistics and giving you some tips and tricks to prepare as we near that stage of the process. Please keep an eye out for more information to come in an upcoming blog.
Best of luck to our Round 1 candidates! We look forward to reading your applications next week and to being in touch in a few weeks with interview invitations.
Sincerely,
Read the full article: Notes from the Director: Round 1 Deadline Coming Up
