At MBA Admissions Advisors, we know that many MBA applicants wonder about the possibility of putting together a solid B-school application in less than a month. On such a tight MBA application timeline, you risk submitting a half-baked application — but there are ways to make it work.
The typical MBA application process
Applying to a top business school usually requires months of effort, and GMAT preparation alone takes a minimum of 6–8 weeks for most applicants. Furthermore, choosing, reaching out to, and managing recommenders can be extremely time-consuming. Finally, most MBA programs require applicants to submit university or college transcripts; obtaining them can turn into a long struggle, especially for international students (who also need to translate their transcripts and convert their grades).
Most MBA programs offer three application deadlines — three “rounds” — in which you can submit your MBA application. Although there are more open spots in earlier rounds, business school admissions committees are more likely to admit a candidate with impressive application components, including concrete career goals and a compelling story — even in a later round — than a mediocre Round 1 applicant.
Our recommendation, therefore, is to submit your MBA application when it’s ready, even if doing so means applying at a later stage. This is usually a no-brainer for early birds who, after considering applying in Round 1, realize that they need a bit more time to polish their essays and decide to apply in Round 2. Although it’s considered more competitive, many realize that Round 2 will give them an opportunity to submit a much more robust application.
However, skipping Round 2 and applying in Round 3 is a much bigger risk to take because of the limited number of spots still available then at most MBA programs. Postponing MBA plans by a year is often not an option for applicants who have spent months crafting their story and just want to go to business school in the fall.
How to apply to business school in 4 weeks
If you’re a month out from the deadlines of your target schools and haven’t started putting together your application materials (and feel that you absolutely need to submit it before the Round 2 deadline), here are 10 tips that may help you achieve the impossible:
1. Request time off from work.
Putting together your MBA application in less than a month will quickly become a full-time job. So there won’t be room in your brief MBA application timeline for any other work commitments if you want to meet the fast-approaching application deadlines.
2. Schedule a GMAT date immediately.
Pick a date as close as possible to your deadline. If your score is really low, you may have to retake the test and apply in Round 2 or 3; but in that case, the rest of your application will be ready, and you won’t have to worry about it anymore.
Once your appointment is booked, prepare for the GMAT every day for several hours. Most schools still see test scores as a critical component of your application, so we highly recommend establishing a realistic study plan and possibly hiring a GMAT tutor to increase your chances of achieving your target test scores on your first try.
If you need to take the TOEFL, apply immediately as well (TOEFL does not necessarily require a lot of preparation, except maybe for the speaking skills assessment; plan to prepare for a couple of hours the night before the exam).
3. Reach out to recommenders today.
Take your potential recommenders out to lunch or dinner this week. Pick them carefully, because by starting your business school application so late, you are indicating that you are managing the process poorly. Pick people who know you well (ideally in a professional capacity) and are able to understand why you are asking for such a huge favor with so little time to work on it.
Aim to ensure that your recommenders submit their work at least one or two days in advance of the MBA program’s deadline. It may be beneficial to send them a courtesy email on the weekend right before the deadline to make sure they’re on top of things — and offer to help should they face technical difficulties.
4. Request college/university transcripts immediately.
It will be harder than you think! You might even consider planning a trip to your undergrad institution. This is how I ended up getting my transcripts. December and January can be very busy for US and EU schools’ registrar services. Don’t expect them to prioritize your request; they won’t, unless you’re standing right in front of them.
5. Create an account for all B-schools and “introduce yourself.”
Make sure to take note of all deadlines your schools release — not just the official submission deadline — in order to avoid missing important milestones (e.g., Kellogg requests applicants to indicate a preferred location for the in-person interview before its official application deadline).
6. Prepare a rock-solid résumé.
This can be done in one or two days. Just try to keep it to one page and quantify every accomplishment you mention. Ask a friend or a coach to review it and provide feedback, as your résumé is one of the most important pieces of your application.
7. Download essay questions from the official application site.
Then keep them in the back of your mind night and day, adding ideas and anecdotes to your draft document on a daily basis. Don’t forget to mention why you are applying to a specific program. Fit matters. Additionally, make sure to prepare for any video essays or additional short answer questions your programs might have on the application form.
8. Keep track of everything.
Create an Excel or Google Sheets tracker with predetermined milestones for key deliverables (résumé, essays, letters of recommendation, etc.). Don’t miss a single deadline.
9. Talk to alumni and current students as school research.
You will not have the time to attend official information events, but do talk to alumni and current students to confirm that their school is a place where you can see yourself. These conversations can actually feed into some of your essays, giving you insider information that could show how interested you are in the specific MBA programs.
10. Leave enough time to complete the application form.
Business schools tend to have lengthy online application forms. Give yourself at least three hours to go through it and fill it out properly. Ensure you have all the necessary information about past job titles, exact employment dates, and compensation data. You will have to write meaningful job descriptions, explain why you left any jobs, detail key achievements and any big challenges. Some of this will already appear on your résumé (but in a different format).
And then you’ll go through the same excruciating process for your extracurricular activities, awards and recognition, and academic experience.
In any case, don’t panic if the options from a dropdown menu don’t exactly line up with your personal situation, and don’t worry about the limited space allocated to describe your work experiences. Filling this form out properly is important, but keep in mind that your résumé is the main document the admissions committee will use to assess your pre-MBA experience.
11. Perform consistency checks.
Attention to detail is important. Without spending an unreasonable amount of time reviewing and re-reviewing your materials, do your best to avoid any inconsistencies that will make you look sloppy. That includes scanning for grammatical errors and other typos, and it means paying close attention to how your online form lines up with your résumé.
Many applicants will engage in frantic copy-pasting behaviors close to the MBA application deadline, or recycle resumes and forget to update a thing or two. Make sure to save some time to verify all the job titles, dates, and locations you list.
12. Get help.
Ask a friend, relative, or coach to review your key deliverables and brainstorm with you on a regular basis. You’ll need the extra pair of eyes. After weeks working on your application, you may no longer be able to spot obvious errors or inconsistencies in your application. You’ll also need someone to check your progress throughout the MBA application timeline and motivate you along the way.
Final thoughts
Before you submit your MBA application, you may find it useful to print your application and read it one last time. Don’t underestimate the importance of this last consistency check, and don’t review your work after hitting the submit button! Spotting an error when there’s no longer anything you can do about it is a good way to lose sleep.