I recall my decision to apply to business school and wondering, “where do I begin?” and “what are they looking for?” and “when is the best time and round for me to apply?”

Applying to business school is a daunting task, but one that I guarantee will be worth the investment. You should begin by assessing your readiness to embark on this journey. Take stock in the career experiences you have had to date, what your future aspirations are, and whether or not you feel you have both sufficient experiences to add value to your classmates and to get the most out of your learning so that it prepares you for that next phase in your career.

For me, it was about the 5-year mark, which also happens to be close to our Daytime MBA class average. For many, however, it could be much sooner, say after three or four years. The key is to be able to demonstrate the quality of your work experiences and the impact you have had, regardless of the amount of time.

Once you have decided that you are ready to start the process, then you need to determine how much time it will take you to prepare your application. Before you begin working on it you might ask yourself, when is the best time to apply? The fact is we admit people in all of our application rounds. When it comes to determining which round is best for you, the general rule is that you should apply when you are able to submit your strongest application.

With that said, here are some helpful tips:

• Fuqua offers four application rounds. Our Early Action option is a binding commitment and best for people who feel they are ready to commit to Fuqua if admitted.
• International applicants should try to apply in Early Action, Round 1, or Round 2 to have enough time to get a visa.
• We also have individuals who choose to apply in Round 3, although the majority of applicants will submit earlier and there tend to be more spots available in the earlier rounds. However, we have it available for a reason, so do not be afraid to take advantage of it if that is the earliest you feel you are able to submit a competitive application.  
• One more thing to know is that we consider all applicants for merit-based scholarships, in all four rounds. There is no separate application process.

Good luck with completing your application. Our team looks forward to getting to know you!