MBA Application in Round 2: Timeline
- Malvika Patil
- Apr 15
- 10 min read
All business schools have multiple application rounds throughout the year. Applicants from competitive industries (eg. Investment Banking or Consulting) should aim to submit their applications in Round 1 or Round 2.
Due to the timing of school deadlines, Round 2 tends to be a faster-moving round. Here is our suggested timeline for Round 2 applicants, so you can plan ahead for your Round 2 MBA application:
August - October
GMAT
Your GMAT/GRE/EA test scores are an important component of your application. They help the school assess your academic readiness and also factor into their official rankings – which means that applicants with high test scores are an attractive prospect for the school. A strong test score also helps balance out a lower GPA or demonstrates your quantitative and analytical skills if you have worked in a largely qualitative industry/role.
If you have taken the GMAT/GRE and still think that you can improve your score (and still have enough time to attend to other parts of your application like your recommendations and essays), it may be worth it to apply in Round 2. Unless you’re from an over-represented applicant pool (think White management consultants or Indian male engineers) – in which case you would be better off postponing your application to Round 1 next year.
In your MBA application, include the score from your best test. If the school permits, consider adding multiple tests if the Verbal or Quant section was higher.
Most MBA programs allow applicants to take the GMAT/GRE exam up to the application deadline (not that we’re saying that you should push your GMAT to the last minute!). Note that the GMAT Focus Edition and the new GRE tests don’t provide an official score on the same day as you take the test, but instead offer an unofficial score. You’ll get your actual score within 1-3 business days (8-10 days for the GRE), but this may take longer. It’s up to the AdCom at your target school to provide you an offer of admissions based on your unofficial score, which they will cross-check with your official score once generated. Some schools like Columbia and Wharton recommend that applicants send their test scores well before the application deadline, so don’t leave your GMAT too late!
Profile-building
Ideally, you should begin any activities to strengthen your profile 12-18 months before your application deadline. With the shorter timeline in Round 2, you may not have enough time to get involved in a new extracurricular activity or leadership role. Even if you do, it’ll look like it was a last-ditch effort to boost your candidacy, which AdCom will pick up on immediately.
However, there are some things you can do within this time to help bolster your candidacy:
Additional classes: If you want to demonstrate quant readiness or if your GPA isn’t very competitive for your target schools, you may want to take extra courses online, like business classes on Coursera or MBA Math (which takes 15-30 hours to complete). For courses like HBS’s Online CORe, you’ll need to plan ahead and check enrollment dates. This course takes anywhere from 10-17 weeks and has 2 start dates in May and July.
Leadership roles: if you are already involved in an extracurricular activity or community organization, this is a good time to take up more leadership activities and management responsibilities. If you lack management experience in your professional life, this can be a good way to show that you have the leadership skills required for business school. For example, if you’re training new colleagues in your team, consider turning it into an official program. If you’ve been freelancing or have a significant side hustle, formalize your work by creating a website or LinkedIn page.
Career Goals: Research your target programs and their employment reports to understand their recruitment pipelines, industry ties, and graduate employment outcomes. This will help you set your own goals and learn about opportunities at the school that can help you progress towards them.
School Research
Make sure to spend some extra time really getting to know the business schools you're considering. Plan a visit to the school campus if possible. Schools are looking for applicants who care enough to dig deep into what they offer and have a clear idea of how they'll use their resources and network to reach their career goals and contribute to the community.
You should also join virtual and in-person events and reach out to alumni. Doing this homework will give you deeper insights, helping you write more focused goal statements and put together a stronger application for the Round 2 deadline.
October - November
Hire a Consultant
If you’re applying to MBA programs for the first time or applying to a different set of schools in Round 2, an MBA admissions consultant can offer guidance throughout the entire process within your tight timeline. They’ll help you refine your application goals, perfect your essays and resume, run mock interviews, and even assist with scholarship negotiations.
For Round 2 applicants, it’s best to start searching for a consultant around October. This gives you enough time to get your applications ready for submission by December and January.
When choosing a consultant, make sure they can work with your schedule (including your time zone and availability), are clear about their approach and expectations, and are someone you feel comfortable working with. Since you’ll be sharing personal details and stories, you’ll want to work with someone who feels like a good fit and whom you trust.
At SWC, we offer flexible options to match your budget, time zone, and needs—whether it’s a single session for a quick check-in, hourly packages for more flexibility, or a full package for ongoing support.
Resume
If you’ve been expecting a promotion at work, have taken on additional leadership responsibilities at an extracurricular, or have any other major developments in your professional or personal life, update your resume. This is especially important to show evidence that you’re progressing towards your post-MBA career goals.
Your MBA resume should show AdCom that you’ve contributed to your workplace, demonstrated leadership, worked in teams, and made an impact on the community. Here are 10 simple steps to adjust your work resume for your MBA applications.
Brainstorm your Application Narrative
For applicants in a crunch, the Brainstorm course on MBAconsultant.com is a self-paced course to guide you through shaping your application story and laying the foundation for your essays.
To create a strong narrative, you’ll need to outline your personal journey, career goals, reasons for pursuing an MBA, the experiences that have influenced you, and why you’ve chosen the specific school you’re applying to.
Your personal story is key to your application. Business schools want to get to know you – what motivates you, how your past has shaped your future goals, and what drives your ambitions. As a Round 2 applicant, you may feel like rushing through the process, but that will do your application a disservice. Focus on showing your improved understanding of the school’s program, highlight any promotions or increased responsibilities at work that have brought you closer to your goals, work in your conversations with people at the school, and highlight those parts of your personal story that may be most intriguing to AdCom.
November-December
Write Essays
Around November-early December, you should start writing your MBA essays.
MBA programs may phrase their essay questions differently, but they’re all essentially looking for the same thing: who you are, what drives you, and how you’ll add value to their community. Double-check the prompts on the school’s application portal, look out for any word limit changes, and follow the guidelines given.
At Sam Weeks Consulting, our step-by-step essay writing process helps you tell your story clearly and effectively.
Step 1: We take the narrative you created during our live brainstorming sessions and build a structure.
Step 2: We use this structure to create your first draft.
Step 3: Then, we refine and revise it with feedback from other consultants on the team.
Step 4: Finally, we tighten everything up, get it within the word limit, and polish it for submission.
Need help figuring out what each school is looking for? Our School Guides break down the essay prompts and offer insights for over 25 top MBA programs. And if you’re curious about what a successful essay actually looks like, MBAconsultant.com has examples from applicants who made it through to their target programs.
Letters of Recommendation
As a Round 2 applicant, you can use the extra time to strengthen your letters of recommendation or ask for additional letters of recommendation. You may also want to approach your recommenders again to discuss any significant promotions, projects, or increased responsibilities that they can include in the letter of recommendation.
Make sure they understand your timeline and how much effort is required. It’s a good idea to give them a quick outline or bullet points to guide their writing and let them know what updates have been made to your profile. Also let them know exactly how many programs you're applying to! This helps avoid burnout and ensures they stick with you through the process.
A great letter will typically include a few key elements:
How the recommender knows you and why they’re qualified to speak on your behalf.
A few standout examples of your work and accomplishments. If you're in a niche or lesser-known industry, context is crucial—highlight anything that sets you apart, like an early promotion or major responsibility.
Constructive feedback that shows you're coachable and always working to improve. The best letters include real examples that back this up.
Want more detail? We’ve got a full Letter of Recommendation Guide you can check out here.
December - January
Hit Submit
When December rolls around, you should be ready to finalize and submit your Round 2 MBA applications. Make sure you check and fill up each part of the application form, including any short questions, basic biographical and citizenship information, employment history, and your extracurricular and academic history. Some questions may be optional, but we recommend that you provide the school with as much context and information as possible.
Don’t wait till the deadline to submit; it’s best to submit a few days prior. You don’t want to miss the deadline because of last minute technical issues, application form crashes, or other unprecedented circumstances. If you are an international applicant, watch out for Visa processing timelines and any accommodation/relocation logistics and dates.
Note that Round 1 decisions come out only briefly before Round 2 deadlines. It’s unwise to wait till you receive your Round 1 decisions before deciding to apply in Round 2 (will you really have the time and motivation to write compelling, deeply personal essays over Christmas and new year?)
January – March
Interviews
Many business schools release their interview notifications on a rolling basis. That means that as applications come in, the AdCom reviews them and offers an interview, and there is no one interview notification date. Many business school AdComs review applications and extend interview offers on a rolling basis. This means there isn't a single interview notification date, and applicants are notified as their applications are processed.
For other schools, Round 2 interview notifications are typically released in January-March. Some schools like INSEAD may send their interview invites earlier. See the list of interview notification dates below.
School | R2 Interview Decisions |
HBS | Released 29 January 2025 |
Stanford | Mid-January to Mid-March 2025 |
Wharton | Released 19 February 2025 |
Kellogg | Rolling |
Booth | Early February 2025 |
Columbia | Early Feb to 20 February 2025 |
NYU Stern | 1 January 2025 |
MIT Sloan | End-February 2025 |
Yale SOM | Rolling |
Duke Fuqua | By 17 February 2025 |
Berkeley Haas | Rolling |
Dartmouth Tuck | Early December 2024 to Mid-March 2025 |
UVA Darden | Rolling |
Oxford SBS | Shortly after deadlines |
Cambridge Judge | 17 February – 10 March 2025 |
LBS | 6 February 2025 |
INSEAD | 6 December 2024 |
IESE | 24 January 2025 |
Michigan Ross | Late January 2025 |
Yale SOM | Rolling |
Virginia Darden | Rolling |
UCLA Anderson | Late January to March 2025 |
Cornell Johnson | Mid January to March 2025 |
CMU Tepper | Rolling |
UT McCombs | Open to all applicants |
Emory Goizueta | Mid-January to March 2025 |
Georgetown | Late January to March 2025 |
USC Marshall | Rolling |
UNC Kenan Flagler | Mid-January to March 2025 |
UW Foster | Rolling |
Vanderbilt Owen | Late January 2025 |
Indiana Kelley | Late January to March 2025 |
ND Mendoza | Late January 2025 |
Wash U Olin | Early February 2025 |
HEC Paris | Rolling |
Rotman | Rolling |
To boost your MBA admissions chances, start preparing for your interview early while the application is still fresh in your mind. Research your interviewer(s) in advance, practice answering behavioral and motivational questions, and schedule mock interviews with your consultant or mentor.
The MBA interview is a crucial component of the admissions process and can significantly impact your acceptance. Here are some of our popular interview guides:
Decisions
Here are the application deadlines and results dates for MBA applications to top business schools in Europe, the US and Canada in the 2024-2025 application cycle.
Your application decision will be one of 3 outcomes: acceptance, waitlist, or rejection.
If you've been admitted to your target MBA program, congratulations! Now you can begin preparing for your MBA and negotiating your offers.
If you've been waitlisted, all is not lost! The school likes you; your profile may just not meet their diversity targets, the school might have received more competitive applications that round, or you may have underperformed in the interview. Here are 5 things you can do to improve your chances of getting off the waitlist.
If you've been rejected, stay strong and get ready to apply next year in Round 1. You can do a ding analysis with your consultant or a mentor to understand your application weaknesses and what you can improve for your re-application.
April – May
Scholarships
When applying for MBA funding, it's important to research available scholarships and if you are eligible for them. Many external organizations offer merit-based or minority scholarships that can partially or fully cover tuition costs.
AdCom members will often tell you that there is no significant difference between scholarship awards for applicants in Round 1 and Round 2. If you are an applicant the school really wants, they’ll be generous with their scholarship offer, no matter which Round you are applying in (note that this is not applicable to Round 3 and onwards).
Remember to check deadlines for each scholarship you're eligible for, as many deadlines are earlier than you might expect.
Gearing up for Round 2 applications? Book a free 20-minute chat with our team of expert consultants to get started.
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