Today is our official Round 3 application deadline! Submissions have been coming in all weekend and throughout the day, and we are looking forward to reviewing the latest wave of applications and are excited to see the incoming class coming together!

The “official” nature of deadlines should provide a target date to submit applications, but unfortunately also creates a number of myths and subsequent theoretical application strategies – so I wanted to take a moment to address some of the common questions we get surrounding deadlines and do a little “myth busting” 🙂 .

Myth #1 – There is an optimal deadline to “maximize your odds” of getting in.  NOT true! We do not have quotas, or targets, where we admit a certain percentage of the class at each Round.  Quite simply, we admit great talent when we see it, regardless of application deadline so there is significant variation in the number of offers made in each Round year-over-year.  The only exception to the general belief would be candidates with a very typical MBA profile.  If this statement is relevant to your case, applying early does give you a slight advantage as we do keep a close eye on class diversity for core criteria like nationality, industry, and undergraduate background. But ultimately, we have a number of different Round deadlines running as late as June precisely because we know we will have capacity, make offers, and continue to see great candidates throughout the year!

Myth #2 – I have to apply by Round 2 to get a scholarship.  FALSE! Although applying in early Rounds gives you a slighly greater opportunity at all awards (because the entire scholarship budget will still be open) but just as we continue to make offers throughout the cycle, and we do continue to make offers with scholarships as well.  The other thing to remember about overthinking the timing of your application for scholarship purposes is that the scholarship process is quite fluid – we extend offers throughout the year but if (for some strange reason :)) a candidate declined our offer we would extend that funding to a candidate that is equally competitive at the time the funding becomes available again.  So to be very clear – we absolutely make offers in Rounds 3, 4 and usually even our final Round with funding.

Myth #3 – I must apply on a Deadline date for my application to be processed.  NOT true!  Despite operating on a Rounds basis, we do process applications as they are received here at Rotman.  So we do receive the vast majority of applications surrounding deadline dates, and the benefit of submitting during this pre-determined timing is the corresponding guaranteed decision date.  However, when an application arrives between deadlines we begin assessing it within days, and a decision is typically reached in 6-8 weeks as an absolute maximum. So there is no real downside of submitting between deadlines, and a nice option for candidates who had an unexpected delay impact their ability to exactly meet a deadline, and hopefully some encouragement to hit submit as soon as your application is ready.

I hope this post is helpful in debunking some of the more common, and all incorrect “myths” surrounding the application process. I firmly believe anything we can do to increase the transparency of the admissions experience is a positive step in encouraging the right candidates to apply, and ultimately to submit the very best application possible!  On that note, we will look forward to seeing your application on, before, or after, the R4 deadline!