We’re now through the first full week of 2016 and this is a time of year when many people look to define their goals for the coming 12 months. The start of any year can be seen as representative of the potential for new opportunities, journeys and challenges and it can provide you with a great ‘leaping off’ point for some career-defining (and future-defining) work. Since you’re reading this article, you’re almost certainly considering Business School as part of that future. You might even be in the process of working on your applications, studying to take the GMAT or just beginning to gather information on the entire process. Regardless of what ‘step’ you might be on, now is the perfect time to make some big choices that will most certainly impact your future.

For those Working On Round 2 or Round 3 Application Deadlines:

At this time of year, application deadlines are certainly coming up fast. Many applicants become so ‘locked in’ to a particular set of deadlines that they miss out on the bigger picture issues. Business School Admissions Officers are savvy people – they know when an applicant ‘looks good’ and when an applicant doesn’t (or is just ‘so so’). Each applicant has one chance to make an amazing first impression - and if you don’t think that your application truly provides that impression, then something has to be done about that.

When applying to highly ranked, competitive Programs, the level of competition is remarkably high. Schools such as Stanford and Harvard typically accept just 6%-10% of applicants during any given year. It’s worth noting that almost all of the applicants who don’t receive an invite to those Schools ARE exceptional applicants, but something clearly could have been better in their applications. To that end, a higher GMAT score MIGHT be the issue, but it’s usually beneficial to consult with an Admissions Expert on your OVERALL application to be sure. While that service can be expensive, the expertise provided cannot be randomly found online for free.

For those Rushing to make a Round 2 Deadline:

Here’s a straight-forward question that should help you to prioritize your goals:

What’s MORE important… getting your application in for Round 2 OR greatly increasing your chances of getting into your first-choice Business School?

Business School is rarely a ‘right now or never’ opportunity. While it’s understandable that most applicants would rather get accepted to Business School sooner rather than later, rushing to try to make a deadline (especially to a competitive Program) is usually NOT a good idea. Applicants who rush often present an application that falls short of their potential and THAT is something that must be avoided. For practical purposes, it might actually be best for your FUTURE if you push back your application deadline to a later Round (in this case, Round 3) or to the next application cycle (which typically begins in September). While that choice usually doesn’t make applicants happy, the BIG PICTURE goal is what matters. Having an extra 6 months to put together an amazing OVERALL application with a fantastic GMAT score would almost certainly increase your chances of getting into your first-choice Business School (and would certainly be better than rushing forward at the last minute with a hastily assembled application).

For those Just Beginning their GMAT Studies: 

The following article applies to you no matter when you begin your GMAT studies…

http://www.topmba.com/blog/5-important-factors-planning-out-your-gmat-studies

Remember that every part of this process is standardized and predictable, so you don’t have to stumble through it on your own. There are Experts at every point in the process who can help you to succeed. 

To that end, we’re here to help.

GMAT assassins aren’t born, they’re made,