Strategic School Selection and Rounds in MBA Applications

At Touch MBA we help point applicants in the right direction when it comes to best-fit schools. But which schools should you target in the first, second or third rounds? Should you apply to all your top choices in round 1?

In this episode, Darren talks to Dean Nordheilm, who came to Touch MBA last Fall and just got into Kellogg. Dean applied to 4 top schools - Harvard Business School, Stanford GSB, MIT Sloan and Northwestern Kellogg - and learned many lessons along the way. We discuss his "round strategy" as well as how he positioned himself and researched schools. Don't miss these great tips from someone who just got admitted!

Questions

1. Dean's background (2:32)
2. Dean's positioning tips (4:10)
3. Researching and presenting your post-MBA goals (6:08)
4. Which schools to apply to? (9:30)
5. Dean's round strategy and reflections (15:32)
6. Do your applications get better to each subsequent school? (17:20)
7. Getting recommendations for multiple rounds and schools (18:30)
8. Not setting expectations too high (20:50)
9. The importance of building up your application network (23:45)