GMAT / GRE, essays, recommendations, resume, transcripts, and online application questions. For all your schools across different application rounds.
Timelining your application process is critical in ensuring every application component is the very best by the deadline.
Resources
+ MBA Program Stats here.
+ MBA Program Deadlines here.
In this article, I’ll give you a high-level overview of how to timeline your MBA applications.
The first item on the timeline is the GMAT / GRE
If you just graduated college and you’re reading this the summer before you start your full-time job, this is the best time to study for and take your test – whether the GMAT or GRE. Your score will be valid for five years. If you can commit the time now and get the test out of the way, you will be happy about that decision when you’re ready to apply to business school.
If you’re considering applying to business school next year or in a few years, this is the second-best time to get your test out of the way. Give yourself time to study, be disciplined, and take whichever test you choose before you tackle the rest of the application components.
Finally, if you are reading this and are already in your application cycle, the test is the first thing you want to get sorted. Start working on it at least six months before your first deadline. Set a target score, invest in test preparation, and give yourself enough time in case you need to retake the test.
The next item is – school selection
Research your schools; you can use the MBA Program Stats to see rankings, class size, acceptance rates, average GPAs, and test scores. At this point, you should be reflecting a lot on your post-MBA goals and what factors are important to you in selecting a program.
Ideally, three months out, you should have your schools selected.
And you can move on to the following items — working on the application materials.
Five things you’d need to work on here:
1. Strategic Candidacy Analysis — at least three months before your deadline, you’ll need to create an application strategy based on your strengths, weaknesses, and key stories. This process requires a lot of introspection, and you get a ton of value from working with a dedicated consultant who takes a personal approach to clients. Of course, I would say this, as that’s my business, but even if it wasn’t, it’s true — having an expert to guide, advise, and help you draw out your strategic candidacy will be a game-changer in your application process.
2. Recommendations — based on your strategic candidacy analysis, you’ll need to put together a recommender strategy that effectively complements the overall narrative you are telling the Admissions Committee. You’ll select your true champions, create a recommender packet and guide them through the process. This should be at least 2-3 months before your deadline. Then you can set check-ins a month before the deadline and a week before. For advice on choosing recommenders and mastering this part of the application process, see our article on it here.
3. Essays — here’s a fun part! Telling your story. It would be best to start writing your essays at least two months before the deadline. This gives you enough time to write multiple drafts and receive reviews. Many applicants struggle with this part of the process. It can be overwhelming even to know where to start. But suppose you have properly done your strategic candidacy analysis. In that case, this becomes a lot easier as you have your application strategy and overall narrative in mind and key stories you can choose from. In 80 MBA Admissions Tips, I cover tips on tackling the essays. The guide also comes with an accountability workbook that will help you with the very essence of this article – timelining your application process. You can get the guide here.
4. Resume — this needs to be updated to be current, impactful, quantified, and cohesive with the rest of your application. Don’t wait until the last minute. Start working on your resume at least a month before the deadline. You can get a free MBA resume template by signing up here. Use that to build out your stellar resume for your applications.
5. Application Questions — the online application itself contains questions that must be filled out. Once you’ve completed your application strategy and resume, this will be a lot easier to work on. But still, give it the time needed. Start working on this at least a month before the deadline.
Once you submit your application, take a minute to give thanks and acknowledge the work you’ve put in.
Then, a week after you’ve submitted, start preparing for interviews. You’ll want to be ready to go when you get those interview invites!
I hope this article has been helpful in thinking about how to order and time your MBA application process. Don’t worry too much if you’re starting a little later than this advice, do the best you can in the time you have, following the order I shared.
Share this with a friend, and stay tuned for more.
For further support, you can:
Request an intake screening to work with Aniekemeinfo@aniekeme.com.
Get the guide, 80 MBA Admissions Tips.
See if comprehensive MBA admissions consulting is right for you.
Cheering you on,
Aniekeme
