February 1st was either an exciting day or a tearful one for Harvard Business School (HBS) Round 2 (R2) applicants: the school’s MBA Admissions Board notified candidates whether they were invited to interview or had merited “early release.” Euphemistic though it sounds, early release should really be viewed by R2 applicants as the blessing that it is: you now know that you are out of the running for the HBS program and are free to consider your other options. So dab your eyes with a tissue, patch up the wall you punched, and take a look at what some of those other options are.
U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents
If you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, you can still consider Round 3 (R3) at your top-choice programs, especially if you have a unique background or profile that these programs might still want to round out their classes. Did you steer growth in Africa, lead a new product in Eastern Europe, or pioneer a revolutionary health program in Mongolia? These are examples of unique experiences and insights that many top MBA programs would love to include among their student bodies. While visa challenges tend to stymie R3 applicants who need an F-1 Visa to study in the United States, if you have U.S. residency, you might be a prime R3 candidate.
Moreover, if you are living in the United States, you might find one of the many top MBA programs with part-time options to be the perfect alternative if there are weak points in your profile. Students in Berkeley Haas’s full-time program have an average GMAT of 733, but those in its part-time program have a median GMAT of only 700 (with 80% of students falling within the 620-740 range). The average GMAT score for students in Northwestern Kellogg’s full-time MBA program is 731, but (even though its part-time MBA does not release data about student test scores) Kellogg waives test requirements for applicants with an undergrad GPA of 3.4 or higher in a business, economics, or STEM field. Chicago Booth’s full-time students have a 728 average GMAT, but its average for the part-time program is only 691. If your GMAT score was a significant factor holding you back, then part-time programs offer the opportunity to graduate with the same degree without making another attempt – or several! – to improve your GMAT scores.
Non-U.S. Citizens
If you are an international student and therefore not a good R3 candidate for the U.S. fall-entry MBA programs, you do have alternatives that will put you in a business school classroom in the coming year. First, if your heart is set on building your career in the United States, then there are other program options to consider here. For example, if your goals are in finance, you might consider a Master of Financial Engineering degree at Berkeley Haas (R2 deadline is March 28th, R3 is May 16th) or Baruch College (R3 deadline is February 15th). Columbia also offers a Master of Applied Analytics (priority deadline is February 15th, final deadline is June 1st) . For those interested in business analytics or careers in management science and engineering or financial engineering, you might consider Columbia’s Master of Science in Industrial Engineering, which offers concentrations focused on these areas (regular deadline is February 15th). Aspiring product managers and tech entrepreneurs might consider Cornell Tech’s MBA (rolling admissions through March 6th).
Outside the United States
MBA aspirants who are seeking international careers can consider the top MBA programs in Europe and Canada as well. Oxford Saïd has one remaining deadline for this year (March 20th), as does London Business School (March 25th), as does the MBA program at Cambridge Judge has two (March 11th and May 7th).
In addition, IMD practically just began its admissions process, with upcoming deadlines of February 15th, April 15th, June 15th, August 15th, September 15th, and October 15th remaining to enter its program (pre-program work starts in October). Similarly, INSEAD’s Round 4 deadline for its August intake is March 5th, and for its January-intake program – whose students complete an internship in the middle of the program – has an R1 deadline of March 12th.
For applicants who were particularly interested in HBS’s case study approach, the Ivey MBA program in Canada – whose students analyze more than 300 cases over the course of its one-year MBA – might be the perfect alternative (the R1 deadline was Jan 29th, but international students can apply up through R4, for which the deadline is September 23rd). IESE in Spain also bases its program on the case method and accepts applications through May 31st. Other programs in Canada include Toronto Rotman, Sauder, and HEC Montreal, all of which accept international applicants with early March deadlines.
Address Your Weaknesses
Finally, if your heart is still set on HBS and its full-time U.S. program peers, early release offers you time to assess your application profile and address any weaknesses over the next seven months. Many applicants find Accepted’s rejection review the perfect starting point in identifying the parts of their application and profile that would benefit from improvement.
Have you made a noticeable impact beyond the norm in your professional role? Have you demonstrated deep community engagement? Is your GMAT/GRE score meeting (or ideally, exceeding) your target program’s average score? If not, this is a great time to take action and patch those holes.
If you would like a free profile review to identify weaknesses in your profile or shortcomings in your previous applications, register for a free consultation.
Vanessa Febo has ten years of experience teaching academic and professional writing at UCLA, with a special certification in teaching writing techniques. She has drawn on this expertise to guide clients to placements at top institutions, including Harvard, Stanford, and USC. Before joining Accepted, Vanessa coached UCLA students through the application process for graduate programs, major grants, fellowships, and scholarships, including the Fulbright, Stanford Knight-Hennessey, and the Ford Foundation Fellowship. Additionally, Vanessa has extensive experience successfully guiding clients through applications for a diverse range of programs, including those in business, humanities, social sciences, and STEM fields. Want Vanessa to help you get accepted? Click here to get in touch!
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