Peterson's Crafting Your App Page 7
The rolling admissions process is also a tool you can use to your
advantage: apply early. Obviously, schools have greater flexibility earlier
in the admission season than later. There are more seats available earlier
in the year. That is not to say that if you apply late in the season you will
be rejected. In fact, it is impossible to quantify exactly the advantage that
applications received earlier rather than later enjoy. Still, if you want to
maximize your chances of acceptance, apply early!
The same advice applies for schools that offer early admission. Early
admission procedures require applications by a certain date early in the
application season and guarantee a decision by a certain date. Early
admission procedures are either restrictive or nonrestrictive. A restrictive
procedure requires the applicant to agree that if an offer of admission is
extended, then the candidate withdraws applications from all other schools
and declines any other offers of admission. In other words, applying for
the early decision commits you to attending that school if you are
accepted. Other early admission procedures do not require such a
commitment.
Where to Apply
Given the financial commitment that you will be making, one of the
obvious questions on your mind will be, "Where should I apply?" You
should apply to a group of schools such that, given your economic
resources, maximize your chances of gaining admission to the business
school of your choice.
Let's assume that you have the resources to apply to ten schools and that
you have an above-average GPA and GMAT score. Depending on the
Early admission? A good idea, but be sure to read the fine print, because
you may be committing yourself to withdrawing all of your other
applications.
