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Re: "Best" admission consulting companies? [#permalink]
 17 Feb 2011, 15:45
Moderator: first post of user, low credibility Hi all, really wanted to put my 2 cents in here too: I used Amerasia consulting for my applications to two top ten schools because while I am reasonably confident in my application, I work in a quantitative industry and wasn't too sure I was going to express myself clearly on paper. Also, I lacked a staple of a perfect application: a decently high percentile GPA from my undergraduate institution. Finally, as we all know, business school is a life-changing decision, so I wanted to make sure my applications were top-notch, well thought out, and fully represented my strengths. I spoke to a few consulting firms, and quickly found Amerasia to be by far the most helpful right off the bat. During other free consultations, I was told the usual: I have a decent profile, they can set me up with a consultant, I just need to sign and pay. Amerasia was completely different; I took 5 pages of notes during my 1 hour free consultation (with the actual consultant I would be working with), and could quickly discern that I was getting valuable, useable advice. Also, I found the fee to be reasonable, and I also liked the fact that they do not charge you for interview counseling unless you actually get the interview. During the application process itself, my consultant was incredibly helpful. He listened to my life story, helped me pick out my biggest strengths, and really saw to it that these characteristics were well represented in my essays. He was not afraid to tell me bluntly that sometimes my first drafts wouldn't work and that I would have to write another. I also procrastinated greatly during my month of application writing, and my consultant kept me on track by shooting me quick emails, reminding me to stay on track and get certain drafts/revisions done. I've heard that other consultants seemingly get swamped during busy times, but mine was thoroughly consistant and timely in terms of returning comments on essay drafts, emailing me answers to my questions, and just generally keeping me on track. When I was invited to an interview with my top choice school, my consultant yet again saved me. Having a mock interview beforehand was more helpful than I could've imagined, and his knowledge of admissions practices/commonly asked questions/school-specific questions was instrumental in my preparation. When I had a strange and unique post-interview situation and had no idea what to do, the first thing I did was email my consultant, who immediately responded with helpful and correct advice. To make a long story short, I highly recommend Amerasia Consulting for MBA admissions. The money was well worth it to be admitted to a top 10 MBA program of my dreams. If you have any questions about any of this, feel free to PM me.
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Joined: 18 Jun 2010
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Schools: Haas (Admitted /w $$$), Anderson (Admitted), LBS (Waitlist), MIT (ding), Stanford (ding), HBS (ding)
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Re: "Best" admission consulting companies? [#permalink]
02 Mar 2011, 21:11
I shopped around quite a bit and used Precision Essay. I only applied to top 16 schools, and two admits later and one waitlist (including a full ride to Haas) I can vouch for Jon and his team 100%. I did start with ample time to work together and I think this definitely makes a difference - if you are rushing to finish when everybody else is crunching then the result is obvious no matter where you go. In the end, I did end up in a time crunch situation for a few schools, but the response time was amazing - a few times I chatted with Jon at 4AM in the heat of the app season, while stressing out about something in my application. I also talked to him on the phone when he was travelling overseas in china at some crazy local time. The service isn't for everyone--they make you work HARD to bring out your story and your voice - there were times where I was thinking OH COME ON GUYS, another edit, wasn't that last one good enough? It's one of those processes where you get out what you put in it - no consultant can (nor should they) do all your writing and have a pre-packaged story ready for you. By the way, I haven't heard of half the consultants who post here--new ones seem to pop up every day. The only way to really tell what consultant is right for you is their track record, and to reach out to them and speak to them personally, get a sense of their response times, and see if you match with them personality wise. To me what set them apart was personalized responses that were specific to me, not some cookie cutter "your profile looks good, but theres areas we have to work on" generic email. Feel free to pm me or talk to the guys directly. If you do talk to Jon and his crew at PE, I am sure you'll see how amazing they are.
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Joined: 31 Dec 1969
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Re: "Best" admission consulting companies? [#permalink]
06 Mar 2011, 17:26
Hi, I've landed on very exciting offers from top 10 schools and I owe a great deal to Precision Essay (“PE”). Anyone can churn out sentences and paragraphs for your essays but PE gives you a view of what goes on in peoples’ heads. His blog entries and exercises (google “ Precision Essay”) are very insightful and if followed, leads to an introspective experience. I, like other applicants, would have gone through weekends and Xmas going through the essays and perhaps complain about it to my friends, but secretly I believe that I have found the application experience rewarding because I just got to know myself more and got a renewed sense of direction, PE's advice and feedback, was instrumental for that experience. I'd go for them to get you into a top school, but also for the tough (he'd scrutinise your choice of words and write a whole paragraph as to why a word is inappropriate) but rewarding application experience.
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Re: "Best" admission consulting companies? [#permalink]
14 Mar 2011, 09:26
Hi, I am looking for your feedback on Veritas Prep consultation for 3-4 schools! Thank you so much
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Re: "Best" admission consulting companies? [#permalink]
16 Mar 2011, 12:26
Researching/shopping for consultant for next year. Very interested to know of people's success'. Profiles, admitted schools, etc. would be helpful. PM me if you are not comfortable submitting openly.
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Schools: Booth R1 (WL), NYU R1 (WL), Kellogg JD/MBA R2, Tepper R2, Ross R2 (admit)
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Re: "Best" admission consulting companies? [#permalink]
17 Mar 2011, 11:22
I want to echo Michmax' and the previous poster's comments on Amerasia - if you're planning to use a consultant, I highly recommend them. They're much more reasonably priced than MBA Exchange or Stacy Blackman, and I feel like their "boutique" approach allows them to get much more hands on with their clients. I never had a problem with turnaround times, and more often than not had responses within 24 hours. I used the full-service package for Booth and NYU, and then essay editing for Ross and Kellogg. I'm in at Ross so far, and still waiting on Kellogg. To also echo what Michmax said, I feel like they did a great job of assuaging my fears when it comes to the application process. After getting 3 dings last year, I was trying to shoot for rank 20-30 programs in the hopes of actually going somewhere; but after talking to them, I was bolstered enough to apply to all top 15 schools, and so far with good results. A consultant will not turn a bad application into gold, but they can help you pull out your best stories and make sure you're portraying yourself in the best light possible. And as much as everyone here on GmatClub has been a help in the application process, it's great to have a personalized coach in your corner, who has insight into all the top programs and can be there for you when you need it.
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Re: "Best" admission consulting companies? [#permalink]
21 Mar 2011, 07:46
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Re: "Best" admission consulting companies? [#permalink]
23 Mar 2011, 12:16
m7 wrote: The purpose of boards like this is to help each other with honest opinions about any subject. Many people use consultants so why so few replies?? I am looking for a good consultant also and really do not know what to do as I cant just rely on raving reviews on their own sites. I contacted few firms but of course they "are the best in the industry" and so on. Consultant's fee is not only a considerable investment, it will be detrimental if the wrong one is hired. Negative results plus waste of money, opportunity g o n e. Or ruined....
C'mon, people! Just few sentences-who did you use and what do you think-would be nice, to say the least. And pleeease, stop with this "I am not here to ruin anybodys busines"..You should be outspoken and warn others so please don't hesitate to name names, thats the purpose of this blog! Many of you went through the same hassle during your own research, so be a hero now, share with other humans! Please. Remember - consultants are also here to make a living, and I am not here to interfere with anyone's business. If you want to know more, you should PM people to know about their specific experiences. This being a forum (not a blog) makes me think that I should still share my experiences with my colleagues here, but privately. You can always PM people to get their perspectives. Just a simple click of a button! Good luck!
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Re: "Best" admission consulting companies? [#permalink]
23 Mar 2011, 12:40
goldgoldandgold wrote: Remember - consultants are also here to make a living, and I am not here to interfere with anyone's business. If you want to know more, you should PM people to know about their specific experiences. This being a forum (not a blog) makes me think that I should still share my experiences with my colleagues here, but privately. You can always PM people to get their perspectives. Just a simple click of a button!
Good luck! I agree with you mostly. Unlike the previous poster, I've been here awhile but do not actually know who is using a consultant. I've heard rumors that about 50% of B-school applicants are doing so these days and I even heard an AdCom member say "to the detriment of other applicants" which is why I posted here. I do appreciate your feedback and I was hoping to hear from more than just 3 applicants this cycle (all using the same company). Needless to say I do share some of the concerns of that poster (on a separate note - showing up w/out building credibility and demanding such info is distasteful and rude) and I'm trying to get some good quality feedback from others I respect on this board early for next cycle.
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Re: "Best" admission consulting companies? [#permalink]
23 Mar 2011, 12:46
jb88 wrote: goldgoldandgold wrote: Remember - consultants are also here to make a living, and I am not here to interfere with anyone's business. If you want to know more, you should PM people to know about their specific experiences. This being a forum (not a blog) makes me think that I should still share my experiences with my colleagues here, but privately. You can always PM people to get their perspectives. Just a simple click of a button!
Good luck! I agree with you mostly. Unlike the previous poster, I've been here awhile but do not actually know who is using a consultant. I've heard rumors that about 50% of B-school applicants are doing so these days and I even heard an AdCom member say "to the detriment of other applicants" which is why I posted here. I do appreciate your feedback and I was hoping to hear from more than just 3 applicants this cycle (all using the same company). Needless to say I do share some of the concerns of that poster (on a separate note - showing up w/out building credibility and demanding such info is distasteful and rude) and I'm trying to get some good quality feedback from others I respect on this board early for next cycle. Yes I agree - more posters can definitely share. Hopefully they will share their experiences with other companies. PM me if you want to know more about a few more I spoke with....I have some perspective on them
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Re: "Best" admission consulting companies? [#permalink]
23 Mar 2011, 13:43
m7 wrote: "Making a living", integrity and professionalism should not be separated and if anyone had a bad experience with some consultant, why not share it here? Otherwise others will suffer as "nameless" consultant will remain anonymous, continue to florish and adding to reapplicants pool. Who benefits from this sugar coating? Only the same unprofessional. (oh, and maybe that "polite" fan of so called "taste".. I just dont see how anyway  Did you have a bad experience with some one? No sugar coating my friend - just respect for someone's profession. That is all
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Re: "Best" admission consulting companies? [#permalink]
24 Mar 2011, 00:43
bpengage, thank you a lot for detailedfeedback. +1 from my side!
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Re: "Best" admission consulting companies? [#permalink]
27 Mar 2011, 14:52
i am trying to decide on a consultant for next year. can you please help me chooose one. i am from europe so I will be doing most of the communication via email or skype
I have been hearing very good feedback on Amerisia and to be honest he has been very helpful on the questions I have asked so far on the forum...
please PM me any positive / negative comments I have 7/0 this year so I will start very early this year and preferably with a consultant.
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Re: "Best" admission consulting companies? [#permalink]
29 Mar 2011, 20:47
Guys anyone have a review or info on Bill Chionis from Stacey Blackman Consultant Group ??
You can either reply here or PM me..
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Re: "Best" admission consulting companies? [#permalink]
30 Mar 2011, 01:21
if anyone used MBAmission can you please comment on that..
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Re: "Best" admission consulting companies? [#permalink]
30 Mar 2011, 01:31
ua87 wrote: if anyone used MBAmission can you please comment on that.. I am sorry, but are you blind?! please see rpratt620's post above.
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Re: "Best" admission consulting companies? [#permalink]
04 Apr 2011, 08:36
I don't see any reviews on Veritas Prep ? Has anyone tried them yet? I spoke with 6 different consulting companies including StacyB, MBAM, AmerA, Accpted, MbaPrep and Veritas...and after reviewing all the paremeters that I needed, I am going with Veritas Prep and might be I will go with one other firm for 2nd round.. Any feedback ? Thanks!
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Re: "Best" admission consulting companies? [#permalink]
04 Apr 2011, 15:22
simmy818 wrote: I don't see any reviews on Veritas Prep ? Has anyone tried them yet? I spoke with 6 different consulting companies including StacyB, MBAM, AmerA, Accpted, MbaPrep and Veritas...and after reviewing all the paremeters that I needed, I am going with Veritas Prep and might be I will go with one other firm for 2nd round.. Any feedback ? Thanks! Not a ton, but I have heard anecdotally that they were up there. (not sure how comparative those are) When are you thinking to start your process?
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Re: "Best" admission consulting companies? [#permalink]
05 Apr 2011, 06:57
bb wrote: simmy818 wrote: I don't see any reviews on Veritas Prep ? Has anyone tried them yet? I spoke with 6 different consulting companies including StacyB, MBAM, AmerA, Accpted, MbaPrep and Veritas...and after reviewing all the paremeters that I needed, I am going with Veritas Prep and might be I will go with one other firm for 2nd round.. Any feedback ? Thanks! Not a ton, but I have heard anecdotally that they were up there. (not sure how comparative those are) When are you thinking to start your process? By next week... Any info? Please let me know..
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Re: "Best" admission consulting companies? [#permalink]
13 Apr 2011, 15:01
My personal experience and advice is to choose someone who's been doing it for a while, knows the process and the schools you're applying to inside and out, and that you have rapport with. I am happy with my experience but think my consultant is a bit light in admissions consulting experience...I would pick the same company again, but pick a different person.
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Re: "Best" admission consulting companies?
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13 Apr 2011, 15:01
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