Hi
Montauk5! I realize this is a bit after the party, so to speak- since you asked this question in April- but assuming you are still looking at R1 2016/2017 season this answer should still apply.
After spending many years on the admissions side, I've now gone over to the consultant side. And here's my take from having seen both sides. Can you apply to a top B school without a consultant and do well- absolutely! And you certainly have some great scores to work with. But knowing both sides- the admissions process is not like a vending machine where you just put in these numbers... GMAT, GPA work.... and out pops the appropriately ranked school that fits with an automatic YES. I have seen candidates with GMATs upwards of 750 not make it through because of something ELSE that may have been off. Maybe it was arrogance that of course I will get in with my 750, or maybe it was how someone treated a student or staff member during the visit, maybe it was that someone did not articulate their WHY MBA program and WHY this one very well. The top schools are very competitive and they can choose the best for every category.
So how an admissions consultant can help is really to be a sounding board to challenge your thinking on short term and long term goals, help you with the introspection process that is really a gift to yourself that helps you clarify YOUR unique themes and things that make you pop and come alive versus all the other applicants. A recent survey from the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants reported that less than 20% of applicants to B schools who were entering by Jan 17 went it alone on the application. Most used Friends, 39% used admissions consultants and third was family. If you do have access to family or friends who have attended a top B school program they can be very helpful. But remember they probably only applied once- and when you work with a consultant you've got someone who is following trends year after year- has seen a variety of candidates applying to schools and can see some patterns that might be helpful.
It also is a very personal decision- some people like having the structure of someone to bounce ideas off of, to help challenge your thinking. If you have a good friend they may do this for you- but they may not want to do it to the level or frequency you want. And they might not be trained to guide you through introspection exercises that might help you unearth more about yourself that could help you clarify your own personal WHY- for both the MBA, the school and Why you are seeking a certain type of work.
At StratusPrep, we have many years of helping people be successful in their MBA applications- it is still the client doing the heavy lifting -- but the counselor can be a trusted sounding board to help keep a client on track- help them work smart and not just hard. For example we can challenge you to think about a deeper meaning or checking to make sure your own personal themes are really coming through in the essays YOU choose to write. You want to work with a reputable firm- and we are members of AIGAC- The Association of International Graduate Admissions Counselors and we agree to uphold standards of integrity through the process. Here's a link to the principles that we uphold and regardless of who you pick - from an integrity perspective I encourage you to live by these principles.
AIGAC PrinciplesYou can go to our website at StratusPrep and see some of the testimonials from our many satisfied and successful clients. I think in the end this is something you must decide for yourself- but if you'd like to talk to us to find out how we could help you- you can get a free consult from our website. I hope this provides some perspective. When I applied to B schools many years ago this was unheard of - at least to me-- but now it is becoming a more typical part of the process and the schools themselves host Admissions Consultants on chats or visits because they want to make sure we are providing the correct info to clients. You can get lots of information from the schools directly too- but admissions staff are so busy SELECTING you so you are not going to be given the amount of time that you might get if you are a paying client-- and also you are not going to want to expose your weaknesses or bounce ideas off the people actually selecting you! You want to present your best self once you are contacting admissions directly so that is also another way consultants can help. Hope that provides a perspective that clarifies a bit! Hope to hear from you- and regardless-- sincerely-- best wishes as you approach MBA applications!
Montauk5 wrote:
I'm going to just be very direct about this. I have pretty good stats I think for the top schools (750 GMAT first try, Big 4 accounting firm, top 10 undergrad 3.3, dual citizen U.K. / U.S., regular volunteer). I thought I'd be fine on my own - I got into a top 10 undergrad just fine. But I know a handful of other people applying this year and they have all heard from the MBAs in their offices that they should talk to a consultant. I had never heard of mba consultants (or gmatclub for that matter) (sorry) until about a month ago. Through checking-out a few websites I can't seem to figure out who really needs your services (eh hem, if I do). Can you give me a quick summary of if or how you'd help me given my stats? Would it really help improve my odds even though I don't have any glaring issues? Full disclosure - I'm posting this on a few boards here randomly. Hoping the direct approach gives me more insight than googling did. Thanks in advance for your honest advice