Most MBA applicants face the dilemma on which admission round should they apply to. Applicants often wonder is there is a difference between the first (or early admissions) and second rounds? My answer to this is

“YES there is a difference between the First/Early and Second rounds of MBA admissions. It is EASIER to get admission in the First/Early Rounds.”

This might sound contradictory to what some other consultants or B-School admissions committees say. I have often heard them making statements that ‘there is no difference between Round 1 and Round 2 and applicants should apply when they think they are ready’. While I agree that you should apply only when you are ready with all application components, but if you can get your application in by the Early or First Round, then you should definitely do so. My personal experience over the years has been that getting admitted in the Early/First round is comparatively easier than getting a call in subsequent rounds. This apparently is true with almost all categories of MBA programs, be it Tier 1, Tier 2 or Tier 3 schools (for that matter any school that has more than one admission rounds). For schools that don’t have admission rounds but have rolling admissions, the early applicants are always at an advantage.

So if you are done with your GMAT and have you think that you can meet the Round 1 deadlines then don’t procrastinate. Get your applications in early.