If you have aspirations of attending an elite business school now is the time to apply. MBA applications across all tiers of programs, including Harvard, MIT, Stanford and Columbia have declined. This means less competition if you want to get in. Applications are down not because the value of an MBA has declined, but rather due to a strong labor market, which fewer people are inclined to leave in order to attend grad school. Additionally, shifts in U.S . immigration policy, trade and political tensions with China, have recently dampened foreign students’ enthusiasm for business schools in the U.S. Less applications means less competition and more available scholarship money. Apply now!