Should you respond to a confirmation email re: an MBA application?

Dear Prep Professor: I recently submitted my application for School “X” and I received a confirmation email. Should I reply to it?

Almost every school uses an online application submission process. Most of these will automatically send confirmation emails to individual applicants confirming their application has been received.

Some are even personalized as per the example below:

Dear [Name],

Thank you for submitting your application to [School X]. My name is [Admissions Contact] and I will be your point of contact throughout the application process.

I am pleased to confirm that your application is now complete and will be considered in our next applicant round. I will be in touch within [some timeframe] to let you know if you have been selected for interviews. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions in the meantime.

Best regards,

Some students ask whether they should respond to these emails. They wonder if there are there any “general protocols” for this situation.

Generally, no reply is expected unless they have asked a specific question (which in our hypothetical example they didn’t) or you have a specific question — in which case you should ask thoughtful questions. By thoughtful questions, we mean those that cannot be answered via the school’s website or other readily available sources.

Otherwise, sit tight and wait for the interview invitations to start rolling in!

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