When to Apply: Early Action, Round 1 or Round 2?

Early action versus Round 1 (R1) versus Round 2 (R2), USA

With over 2 decades of International Education experience, one of the most common questions I get from clients is: R1 vs R2?

Short Answer: When your Application is 100% ready

Long Answer: It’s complex and requires self-introspection and honesty with oneself. Questions like these could be asked:

• Have you achieved your highest possible GMAT/GRE score, or should you retake it?

• Could a promotion, leadership role, or key project completion improve your profile if you wait for a few more months?

• Have you deeply introspected, researched, strategized, written, and revised your essays?

• Are your goals school-specific well–researched, in alignment with the school, and clearly articulated?

• Have you researched your target schools, spoken to a credible number of alumni, and asked the right questions?

• Do you have the bandwidth to give the process an extensive amount of time, energy, and efforts given the time limit?

Early Action is available at selective US business schools like Darden, Duke Fuqua, and MIT Sloan. It’s non-binding and often includes interviews within 2-6 weeks of submission. It’s great for candidates who are ready early and want to show strong interest. Some of my clients have succeeded here, not because they rushed, but because they were prepared early.

Round 1 is what I call the “moment of maximum opportunity.” Schools have a full class to fill, and scholarship budgets are untouched. Most Round 1 clients begin in April or May, using the summer to refine their story and build a polished application.

Round 2, contrary to popular belief, is not second-best. In fact, some of my client admissions came from Round 2 candidates who used the extra time to improve test scores, earn promotions, or clarify their personal narrative, paying more attention and spending more time.

Round 3 is limited and generally riskier, especially for international students.

Also, to give you an idea, at Chicago Booth, the acceptance rate dropped just slightly from 26% in Round 1 to 23% in Round 2. Interestingly, several top international schools saw the opposite trend in 2022. At London Business School (LBS), the rate increased from 19.9% to 30.6%. IESE saw a jump from 14.3% to 47.4%, INSEAD from 31.7% to 40%, and CEIBS from 31.4% to 55.6%. Only HEC Paris showed a decrease, from 32.5% in Round 1 to 25% in Round 2.

So, what matters most is the quality of your application, not whether it’s Early Action or R1 or R2.

So what happens if you rush?

• You may make some errors or miss some critical details.
• You might not pay attention to detail and or double-check/vet your work yourself or with someone else.
• You may not have enough time to develop comprehensive strategies and ensure your application aligns holistically.
• You might not have enough time to conduct appropriate school/application research.

And, since a lot of the application is introspection, if you do not get enough time, you might not be able to introspect deeply enough to ideate the most compelling stories stories which might make your application less competitive.

So, you’re not going to bring out your most authentic, genuine self, or the real person behind your application. And that could cost you big time.

To those asking, “Should I apply early to increase my chances?”, my advice is clear and straightforward:

Before applying, please consider this. Rather than submitting a 95% complete application in early action or round one, you would rather submit a 100% ready application in round two.

We’re currently shortlisting Round 2 candidates. If you’d like a Free Profile Evaluation, comment “Profile Evaluation”, and we will get in touch with you!