This blog post is part of our “Application Insider” blog post series that provides insider information, tips, and advice about applying to the UCLA Anderson MBA program.

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APPLICATION INSIDER TOPIC:

WHY MBA and WHEN YOU SHOULD APPLY

Awesome! You decided to invest in yourself and pursue the MBA full-time. If this is the case you likely fall into one of two categories: “career switcher” or “career enhancer”. The specific reasons for pursuing the MBA are arguably as diverse as the number of applicants pursuing the degree. 

Career Switcher: So you’ve been in your industry or function for a couple years now. You’re feeling a bit struck or maybe it’s not something your completely passionate about. If that’s the case then you’re looking to transition to a different role and/or industry. Many students come to business school with plans to switch industries and/or functional roles. Here at UCLA Anderson, over 90% of our graduates pivot to a different function or industry, about two-third of the class do both. Taking the two years to fully immerse yourself in an MBA program is the quickest way to make such a career change. These changes are supported vigorously by our top-ranked Parker Career Management Center and their dedicated team of career advisers.

Career Enhancer: So you don’t necessarily want to make a function or industry pivot because you want accelerate from where you currently are. If this is the case, pursuing a full-time MBA will enhance your leadership skills by developing those soft skills as you explore managerial roles. These skills are developed in MBA programs through the active student involvement in extracurricular leadership roles (in clubs, conferences, student government and more), and the extensive teamwork which is required of students during the program.

When You Should Apply: Now that you know that you will be pursuing the MBA, the next step is to apply. Which round to apply in is a question that we always get. The honest answer to apply is when you feel your application is at its strongest. The biggest disservice you can do for yourself is submit a hastily put together application to meet an earlier round deadline. UCLA Anderson accepts top-quality applicants across all three rounds! However, like all things in life, there are pros and cons to each round and the relative competitiveness of each round varies, as the applicant pool changes from year to year.

	PROS	CONS
Round 1	• All 360 seats are available  • Earlier notices so if you get admitted, you’re done with the process (if not, you have more time to apply to other programs in later rounds • Full amount of merit-based fellowships left to distribute	• Due to earlier deadline dates, you may feel rushed to complete application process • May not give your recommenders sufficient time to complete their letters • Least amount of time to complete your entrance exams and you might not have enough time to re-test if you’re not completely satisfied with your score
Round 2	• Most popular round for applicants because you have additional time to complete your application and write essays • Recommenders have more time to complete your letters • You have more time to learn about the school by attending admissions events	• Although we do not see a difference when it comes to the chances of a student being admitted in Round 1 vs. Round 2, we do receive the largest number of applications during Round 2. • If you do not get accepted (which hopefully won’t be the case!) you may not have sufficient time to apply to another program within the same academic year.
Round 3	• You have the most time to put together the strongest application possible • If you applied to other programs in earlier rounds, you will likely also be equipped with acceptance information from those schools • You have ample time to take entrance exams	• Unlike Round 2 where it’s competitive due to the sheer number of application received, this last round is the most competitive because our class size is capped • Fewer applicants are historically admitted in the last round simply due to the limited spots we have remaining to round out the in-coming class

Now that you have a clearer picture of the advantages and disadvantages of each round, below is a reminder of our application deadlines by round for this academic year: 

ROUND	APPLICATION DEADLINE DAY	DECISION  RELEASE DAY
1	October 2, 2020	December 18, 2020
2	January 8, 2021	March 26, 2021
3	April 16, 2021	May 21, 2021

Check back for more “Application Insider” blog posts that will cover information and tips on the many aspects of applying to the UCLA Anderson MBA program!

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