You worked like a dog on your application - is there anything else you can do to increase your odds of getting accepted? Perhaps. The filing period ranges anywhere from six to eight months. Therefore, the timing of your application can make a difference. Although there are no guarantees, the earlier you apply, the better your chances. Here's why:
First, there's plenty of space available early on. As the application deadline nears, spaces fill up. The majority of applicants don't apply until the later months because of procrastination or unavoidable delays. As the deadline draws close, the greatest number of applicants compete for the fewest number of spaces.
Second, in the beginning, admissions officers have little clue about how selective they can be. They haven't reviewed enough applications to determine the competitiveness of the pool. An early application may be judged more on it’s own merit than how it stacks up against others. This is in your favour if the pool turns out to be unusually competitive. Admissions decisions may be more generous at this time.
Third, by getting your application in early you're showing a strong interest. The admissions committee is likely to view you as someone keen on going to their school.
Some admissions officers report that the first batch of applications tend to be from candidates with strong qualifications, confident of acceptance. In this case, you might not be the very first one on line; but closer to the front is still better than lost in the heap of last-minute hopefuls.
Of course, if applications are down that year at all business schools or - thanks to the latest drop in its ranking - at the one to which you are applying, then filing later means you can benefit from admissions officers desperately filling spaces. But this is risky business, especially since the rankings don't come out until the spring.
Conversely, if the school to which you are applying was recently ranked number one or two, applying early may make only a marginal difference. Swings in the rankings from year to year send school applications soaring and sagging. From beginning to end, a newly minted #1 or #2 school will be flooded with applications.
Source: The Princeton Review,
www.princetonreview.com