MSF Application Timing — Apply at 3 Months In vs Waiting for 6 Months of IB Experience?

Background: Graduated from a US university, didn’t land a US offer, ended up at a top regional bank in my region as an IB analyst instead. Plan is to do one full year in this seat, then use an MSF as the bridge to break into US IB full-time.

First deadline for the MSF programs I’m targeting is September 10th — I’d only have about 3 months of IB experience by then. The next deadline is in January, by which point I’d have roughly 6 months under my belt.

Question — is it better to apply at the September deadline with only 3 months of experience and clearly communicate the plan to complete a full year before matriculating, or wait for the January round so the application shows 6 months of live deal experience instead of 3?

Trying to figure out whether earlier applicant pool / rolling admissions advantages outweigh the extra resume seasoning from waiting, or if adcoms mostly care about the trajectory and story rather than the exact months on the job at submission time. Anyone gone through this specific sequencing — IB analyst abroad → MSF → US IB — and have a view on timing?

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