Sweating the Small Stuff | dMBA Weekly Check-In: March 18, 2025
It's time to connect the dots! Here's how to get all of your application sections set and ready for deadline season.
We’re here! Just within a month of the majority of Deferred MBA application deadlines (If you need a refresher on due dates, click here)! How are we feeling? Good? Excited? Overwhelmed?
With so many moving parts to this whole process, it’s important to not get lost and make silly mistakes. That’s why today, I’ll go over some quick last minute mistakes that I made during my application process last year that, hopefully, you can learn from!
Let’s do it.
In today’s check-in:
Quick plug on MBAxcel Coaching!
On Your Radar: This week’s deferred MBA admissions events
Tip of the Week: Sweat the Small Stuff!
But first, a quick note about MBAxcel Coaching!
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60-Minute 1:1 Mock Interview | $125
60-Minute Application Strategy Consultation | $90
30-Minute GMAT/GRE Test Strategy Consultation | $45
30-Minute Rec Letter Strategy Consultation | $45
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Join the MBAxcel Club on Discord and LinkedIn!
Join fellow deferred MBA applicants on Discord and LinkedIn to discuss admissions tips, share feedback, and navigate the world of dMBA programs together.
In our Discord, you’ll find…
School-specific forums
Channels for specific application requirements (GMAT, GRE, essays, interviews, etc.)
Voice channels/study lounges
Live webinars
And more!
On Your Radar
Darden (UVA): Future Year Scholars Program Virtual Coffee Chat
When: Tuesday, March 18, 2025, 10:00 AM to 10:45 AM EDT
Where: Virtual
Details: Chats are small group events for prospective students who are interested in learning more about Darden. Join Senior Associate Director of Global Recruitment, Merav Frazier, to learn more about the deferred admissions application process, what top business schools are looking for, and the value of an MBA degree.
Harvard (HBS): 2+2 Program Application Q&A
When: Wednesday, March 19, 2025, 5:00 PM to 5:30 PM EDT
Where: Virtual
Details: If you’re a final-year undergraduate student (or master’s student) contemplating or gearing up to apply for the 2+2 program, this virtual session is for you. The session will be hosted by a member of the MBA Admissions Team and will include a short presentation on the admissions process and plenty of time for questions.
Berkeley (Haas): Accelerated Access: Application Prep Webinar
When: Tuesday, March 25, 2025, 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM PDT
Where: Virtual
Details: Our App Prep Webinar is one of the most valuable resources available during your MBA application journey. If you are a current undergraduate or graduate student and considering applying to the Haas MBA through Berkeley Haas Accelerated Access, our deferred application pathway, join us for our webinar.
Darden (UVA): Future Year Scholars Program Application Tips
When: Tuesday, March 25, 2025, 12:00 PM to 12:45 PM EDT
Where: Virtual
Details: With the application deadline less than 2 weeks away, join Katherine Alford and Merav Frazier from Darden Admissions for last minute tips on how to put your best foot forward in your application. Bring your questions!
Columbia (CBS): Deferred Enrollment Program Campus Visit
When: Tuesday, March 25, 2025, 1:15 PM to 3:15 PM EDT
Where: Columbia Business School - Kravis Hall, 665 W 130th St, New York, NY 10027
Details: Join us for a Deferred Enrolled Program Campus Visit at Columbia Business School! Campus Visits are a great opportunity to have your questions answered by Admissions and visit our campus in Manhattanville!
Yale SOM: Silver Scholars Application Workshop
When: Wednesday, March 26, 2025, 12:00 PM to 12:45 PM EDT
Where: Virtual
Details: We invite you to join this live online event developed for Round 3 candidates applying to our Silver Scholars Program. The workshop is hosted by an Admissions Committee member, who will provide insight into what the Admissions Committee is looking for to help you prepare your best application.
Berkeley (Haas): Accelerated Access: Application Prep Webinar
When: Thursday, March 27, 2025, 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM EDT
Where: Virtual
Details: Our App Prep Webinar is one of the most valuable resources available during your MBA application journey. If you are a current undergraduate or graduate student and considering applying to the Haas MBA through Berkeley Haas Accelerated Access, our deferred application pathway, join us for our webinar.
Columbia (CBS): Virtual Deferred Enrollment Program Information Session
When: Wednesday, March 26, 2025, 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM EDT
Where: Virtual
Details: Interested in the Deferred Enrollment Program? Register for this webinar to hear from CBS admissions about the program and our application process.
Harvard (HBS): 2+2 Program Information Session
When: Wednesday, April 2, 2025, 9:00 AM to 9:45 AM EDT
Where: Virtual
Details: Calling all college students! Join this virtual info session hosted by a member of the HBS MBA Admissions Team to learn about the MBA program, the admissions process and financial aid, and the 2+2 deferred admissions pathway.
Columbia (CBS): The Time is Now: Deferred Enrollment Application Tips Webinar
When: Monday, April 7, 2025, 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM EDT
Where: Virtual
Details: Join us to learn about application tips for Columbia Business School. This online session, hosted by the Office of Admissions, offers you an opportunity to get information about applying to the Deferred Enrollment program as well a chance ask your questions.
Berkeley (Haas): Accelerated Access Info Session: Berkeley Haas Deferred MBA
When: Tuesday, April 8, 2025, 9:30 AM to 10:00 AM PDT
Where: Virtual
Details: Curious about Accelerated Access, the deferred admission application pathway to Berkeley Haas's top rated full-time MBA program? In this session, you'll learn about the value of an MBA, what makes Berkeley Haas special, and what we look for in outstanding candidates to the program.
Northwestern (Kellogg): Kellogg Future Leaders Virtual Information Session
When: Wednesday, April 9, 2025, 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM CDT
Where: Virtual
Details: Please join us for a virtual information session on the Kellogg Future Leaders deferred enrollment program. Kellogg admissions team members will give an overview of the program and provide context on the application itself.
Harvard (HBS): 2+2 Alum Insights: AMA Edition
When: Wednesday, April 9, 2025, 5:00 PM to 5:45 PM EDT
Where: Virtual
Details: Join Harvard Business School MBA students for an Ask Me Anything about the 2+2 program. This session will give you the opportunity to engage with students who have already been where you are and benefitted from all the 2+2 program has to offer.
Editor’s Note
Many dMBA schools offer on-campus events regularly, which I do not always include in these posts. I’ll usually highlight them here if they are deferred MBA-specific.
Looking for a full list of dMBA admissions sites?
Check out our FREE updated 2025 dMBA admissions guide here!
MBAxcel Tip of the Week: Sweat the Small Stuff!
Resume. Rec Letter. Essay. Interview. Long ago, these four application components lived together in harmony. Then everything changed when deadline season attacked.
Or something like that. I haven’t watched Avatar in ages.
Anyways, here’s the deal. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with all of the different components of your deferred MBA applications, especially if you’re applying to multiple programs with a range of varied requirements.
I’m here to give you some tips on aspects that I failed to acknowledge until the last minute — things that may seem inconsequential but are essential to completing your application with the utmost professionalism and completion.
Double-check the personal info section.
When I started my applications, I often completed the personal information sections first as a way of “productively procrastinating.” However, I would leave some sections blank if I didn’t know the answer.
On some applications, I was asked to provide my parents’ graduation years and degree programs, which I knew very little about. I completely forgot about those requirements until the few weeks leading up to the deadline. It wasn’t a huge deal — I just called up my parents and asked, and then the issue was resolved — but my point is, don’t overlook those little details!
Check that you finished everything, especially the seemingly inconsequential sections.
The biggest mistake I made when finishing my deferred MBA process was not allocating enough time/effort to the “activities” section on some of these applications.
You know how some job applications ask you to submit your resume, and then on the next page, they ask you to write in everything on your resume onto their own form? Well, some deferred MBA applications do the same thing.
The difference is that some applications will ask you for a short description of your clubs or activities, rather than just a copy-and-paste version of your resume. Fear not — this is actually a good thing! This gives you the opportunity to expand on your experiences and write even more in-depth, especially if you didn’t get to emphasize that experience on your resume due to space constraints.
Start proofreading early.
I bought a month-long subscription to Grammarly (not sponsored, but a great tool) to be extra certain about my grammar and tone in my essays as I was finalizing them. Not all of their suggestions are the best, but it’s incredibly insightful and honestly a great way to learn some grammar mechanics along the way. ChatGPT was also a lifesaver when it came to proofreading my work — I still use it to this day when writing for MBAxcel by pasting in my writing and asking GPT for feedback. These tools are super helpful early on before the deadline date to fix the small things and keep you on track.
This is not an endorsement for cheating — don’t make ChatGPT write your essays. I promise you that it’ll suck. It will have zero personality and it’s virtually impossible to make a personal statement “personal” if you’re not the one writing it. That being said, use these technology tools to your advantage and let them help you in more constructive ways, like proofreading your work and helping you outline!
Don’t be afraid to ask.
If you’re confused about an application requirement, don’t hesitate to ask the admissions team! Do your due diligence first: you don’t want to ask a question which has an answer that is readily available on the school’s website. But, if you can’t find your answer anywhere, get your answer straight from the source rather than asking random internet strangers. Just shoot a quick email or, if it’s urgent, give the admissions team a call.
After I submitted my Kellogg Future Leaders Application, I was a bit worried when I didn’t receive a video essay link. I had been hearing for weeks that Northwestern required a video essay to be done within two days after submitting the application, but it had already been 3 days. I sent a quick email to the admissions team and they quickly reassured me that the video essay portion of the application did not apply to the KFL program, so I was all set. That simple email saved me the headache of being worried for weeks about whether or not they received my application!
Postscript.
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Keep your head up! Proud of you! We’re almost there…