# MBA Application Tracker: [Your name, cycle YYYY-YY]

> A single tracker for running an MBA application season: one row per application with round, official and internal
> deadlines, component status, recommenders, fees, interview and decision, plus a weekly review routine and the
> spreadsheet formulas that keep it current. It is for applicants managing several programmes across rounds, after
> the school list is fixed in mba/mba-school-list-strategy.
> Source basis: project tracking practice (work breakdown, status, internal deadlines with buffer) applied to
> admissions, written in our own words. Replace every [bracketed] value and every row marked *Example*.
> This is a planning aid, not admissions advice. No school endorses or is affiliated with this template; School A to
> D and all dates in the examples are invented.

<!--
Guidance: How to use this template
- Create one row per application as soon as the list is fixed. Copy each official deadline, with time and time zone, from the school's own page and record the date you checked it.
- Set an internal deadline one week before each official one, and recommender deadlines two weeks before that.
- Update the tracker in a weekly 20-minute review (section 6). The tracker only works if it is current.
- Keep essays and stories in their own templates; the tracker holds status, not content.
- Related templates: mba/mba-school-list-strategy, mba/mba-program-comparison, mba/mba-school-research-log, mba/mba-recommender-brief, mba/mba-resume, mba/mba-short-answers, mba/mba-interview-prep, mba/mba-post-interview-reflection, mba/mba-waitlist-update-letter, mba/mba-admit-decision, mba/mba-ai-use-policy-check, mba/mba-master-checklist
-->

## Document control

<!-- Guidance: One tracker per cycle. -->

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Document ID | [TRK-2026-01] |
| Applicant | [Your name] |
| Cycle | [2026-27, entry YYYY] |
| Version | [0.1] |
| Last updated | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Reviewed by | [Mentor or coach, for feedback only] |
| Classification | Personal, private |

## 1. Season flow

<!-- Guidance: Each application moves through the same states. Record the state in the main table. -->

```mermaid
stateDiagram-v2
  [*] --> Planned
  Planned --> InProgress: work started
  InProgress --> Submitted: all components done
  Submitted --> Interview: invitation
  Submitted --> Decision: no interview
  Interview --> Decision
  Decision --> Admitted
  Decision --> Waitlisted
  Decision --> Declined
  Waitlisted --> Admitted
  Waitlisted --> Declined
  InProgress --> Withdrawn: I withdraw
  Submitted --> Withdrawn: I withdraw
  Withdrawn --> [*]
  Admitted --> [*]
  Declined --> [*]
```

Use the states exactly as named so that counts and filters work: Planned, In progress, Submitted, Interview,
Admitted, Waitlisted, Declined, Withdrawn.

## 2. Main tracker

<!-- Guidance: One row per application. "Days left" and "Completion" are formulas; never type them by hand. -->

Example values are computed as of 2026-08-17 (a fixed date so the example can be checked); in your copy, `TODAY()`
updates every day.

| ID | School | Round | Official deadline (time, zone, checked) | Internal deadline | Days left | Completion | State | Fee | Decision date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| APP-001 *Example* | School A | R1 | 2026-09-08, 17:00 ET, checked 2026-07-02 | 2026-09-01 | 22 | 78% | In progress | 250 | [From school page] |
| APP-002 *Example* | School B | R1 | 2026-09-15, 23:59 CET, checked 2026-07-02 | 2026-09-08 | 29 | 56% | In progress | 275 | [ ] |
| APP-003 *Example* | School C | R2 | 2027-01-06, 12:00 ET, checked 2026-07-02 | 2026-12-30 | 142 | 22% | Planned | 200 | [ ] |
| APP-004 *Example* | School D | R2 | 2027-01-12, 17:00 ET, checked 2026-07-02 | 2027-01-05 | 148 | 11% | Planned | 150 | [ ] |
| **Total fees** | | | | | | | | **875** | |
| [APP-nnn] | [School] | [ ] | YYYY-MM-DD, [time, zone, checked] | YYYY-MM-DD | [formula] | [formula] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] |

Formulas, with the official deadline in column D as a date and the components in section 3 on a sheet named
Components (ID in column A, the nine components in columns B to J; row 2 shown):

| Column | Excel formula | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Internal deadline | `=D2-7` | One week of buffer |
| Days left | `=E2-TODAY()` to the internal deadline, or `=D2-TODAY()` to the official one | The example shows days to the official deadline |
| Completion | `=COUNTIF(Components!B2:J2,"Done")/COUNTA(Components!B2:J2)` | Share of the nine components marked Done |
| Total fees | `=SUM(I2:I5)` | Check fee waivers on each school page |
| Count by state | `=COUNTIF(H2:H20,"Submitted")` | One cell per state |
| Recommender ask date | `=D2-56` | About eight weeks before the official deadline |

Conditional formatting that helps: red when days left is under 14 and completion is under 80%
(`=AND(F2<14,G2<0.8)`), grey when the state is Withdrawn or Declined.

Note on the dates in the example: they are invented. Copy real dates only from each school's official admissions
page; for dated public examples of real round structures, see mba/mba-school-list-strategy section 6.

## 3. Components by application

<!-- Guidance: Adjust the nine columns to what each school asks for. Status values: Not started, Drafting, Review, Done, N/A. -->

| ID | Test score sent | Transcripts | Resume | Essay 1 | Essay 2 or short answers | Recommender 1 | Recommender 2 | Video or extra | Form and fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| APP-001 *Example* | Done | Done | Done | Done | Review | Done | Done | Drafting | Done |
| APP-002 *Example* | Done | Done | Done | Review | Drafting | Done | Drafting | Done | Not started |
| APP-003 *Example* | Done | Done | Not started | Not started | Not started | Drafting | Not started | Not started | Not started |
| APP-004 *Example* | Done | Not started | Not started | Not started | Not started | Not started | Not started | Not started | Not started |

Completion in section 2 counts the Done cells: APP-001 has 7 of 9 (78%), APP-002 5 of 9 (56%), APP-003 2 of 9 (22%)
and APP-004 1 of 9 (11%). If a school does not ask for a component, mark N/A and exclude it from the count
(`=COUNTIF(B2:J2,"Done")/(COUNTA(B2:J2)-COUNTIF(B2:J2,"N/A"))`).

## 4. Recommenders

<!-- Guidance: Recommenders need time and a brief. Ask early, confirm each school's portal deadline, and thank them whatever the outcome. -->

| Recommender | Relationship | Schools (IDs) | Asked | Brief sent | Portal links sent | Submitted | Thank-you |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 *Example*: current manager | Supervised me for three years | APP-001, APP-002, APP-003 | 2026-07-10 | 2026-07-14 | 2026-07-20 | APP-001 2026-08-12 | [ ] |
| R2 *Example*: former client lead | Worked with me on two projects | APP-001, APP-002 | 2026-07-10 | 2026-07-14 | 2026-07-20 | [ ] | [ ] |
| [Name or role] | [ ] | [ ] | YYYY-MM-DD | YYYY-MM-DD | YYYY-MM-DD | [ ] | [ ] |

Ask by `=D2-56` (eight weeks before the official deadline): for APP-001 that is 2026-07-14 and for APP-003
2026-11-11. Brief each recommender with mba/mba-recommender-brief. The recommender writes the letter; check each
school's rules on who may help and on AI use (mba/mba-ai-use-policy-check).

## 5. Interviews and decisions

<!-- Guidance: Log invitations the day they arrive. Reflection notes go in mba/mba-post-interview-reflection. -->

| ID | Invitation date | Format | Interview date | Prepared with | Reflection done | Decision | Scholarship | Deposit deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| APP-001 *Example* | YYYY-MM-DD | Alumni, blind | YYYY-MM-DD | mba/mba-interview-prep | Yes | [Admitted / Waitlisted / Declined] | [Amount] | YYYY-MM-DD |
| [APP-nnn] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] |

When admits arrive, carry the decisions, scholarships and deposit deadlines into mba/mba-admit-decision; for
waitlists follow each school's instructions exactly (mba/mba-waitlist-update-letter).

## 6. Weekly review routine

<!-- Guidance: Same day, same time, 20 minutes. Short and regular beats long and rare. -->

Planning research suggests that people underestimate how long their own tasks take, even when they have run late on
similar tasks before (the planning fallacy, Buehler, Griffin and Ross 1994). Internal deadlines and a fixed weekly
review are the practical counter-measure.

1. Update states and component statuses from the past week (5 minutes).
2. Sort by days left; list the three tasks that move the nearest application forward most (5 minutes).
3. Check recommenders: anyone due within three weeks gets a polite reminder (3 minutes).
4. Check official pages for any change in deadlines or instructions for applications due within six weeks, and update
   the "checked" date (5 minutes).
5. Block the hours for next week's tasks in your calendar (2 minutes).

## 7. Quality checklist

<!-- Guidance: Before each submission. -->

- [ ] Official deadline, time and time zone re-checked on the school page within the past week.
- [ ] Every component marked Done has been proofread in the submitted format (PDF or portal preview).
- [ ] School name correct in every essay and short answer.
- [ ] Recommenders confirmed submitted, or the school's policy on late letters checked.
- [ ] AI-use statement or question answered truthfully where asked (mba/mba-ai-use-policy-check).
- [ ] Fee paid or waiver confirmed; confirmation email saved.
- [ ] Submitted at least 24 hours before the official deadline.

## 8. Common mistakes

<!-- Guidance: Read at the start of the season. -->

1. **Working to the official deadline.** Portals slow down near deadlines; use internal deadlines.
2. **Ignoring time zones.** Noon in one zone can be the previous evening in yours.
3. **Late recommender requests.** Eight weeks is a sensible minimum; senior people travel.
4. **Stale dates.** Deadlines and instructions change between cycles; record the date you checked.
5. **Wrong school name** in a reused essay: the most avoidable error of the season.
6. **Hand-typed day counts** that are never updated; use formulas.
7. **No record of submissions.** Save confirmations; portals sometimes fail silently.
8. **Skipping the weekly review** when busy, which is exactly when it matters most.

## Self-test

<!-- Guidance: Answer without looking, then check the answer key. -->

1. Your official deadline is 2027-01-05. What is your internal deadline and your recommender ask date using the
   rules in this template, and which Excel formulas give them?
2. An application has nine components; six are Done and one is N/A. What completion does the N/A-aware formula show?
3. Why is the "checked" date recorded next to every official deadline?
4. Name two states an application can move to directly from Submitted.

## Sources and further reading

<!-- Guidance: Add each school's official deadline page with the date you checked it. -->

- Buehler, R., Griffin, D., and Ross, M. (1994). Exploring the "planning fallacy": Why people underestimate their task
  completion times. *Journal of Personality and Social Psychology*, 67(3), 366-381.
- Microsoft Support, Excel functions TODAY, COUNTIF and COUNTA (checked 2026-10-28): https://support.microsoft.com/excel
- [School A, application deadlines page, checked YYYY-MM-DD]
- Related templates in this library: mba/mba-school-list-strategy, mba/mba-recommender-brief, mba/mba-admit-decision.

## Answer key

1. Internal deadline 2026-12-29 (`=D2-7`); recommender ask date 2026-11-10 (`=D2-56`).
2. 6 / (9 - 1) = 75% (`=COUNTIF(B2:J2,"Done")/(COUNTA(B2:J2)-COUNTIF(B2:J2,"N/A"))`).
3. Deadlines and instructions change between and sometimes within cycles; the date shows how current your copy is
   and tells you when to re-check.
4. Interview (invitation received) or Decision (schools that decide without an interview at that stage).

## Revision history

<!-- Guidance: Re-version when the list changes or a round closes. -->

| Version | Date | Author | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | YYYY-MM-DD | [Name] | First version from template |
| [0.2] | YYYY-MM-DD | [Name] | [Round 2 rows added after Round 1 decisions] |

## Standard and licence note

Structure aligned with common project tracking practice (work breakdown, status states, internal deadlines with
buffer), applied to MBA applications. The text, formulas and fictional examples are original; this template is not
affiliated with or endorsed by any school. Deadlines and instructions change: check each school's official page
before you rely on them. Template licence: MIT.