I have many thoughts regarding consultants. I had planned to write a review of the one I used after I figured out where I would matriculate, but it seems that might be awhile due to waitlists and such.
I should give a little background first. I knew very little about the business world and did not know anyone in it. I never even heard of the GMAT a year ago. I was looking for a career change and knew I wanted to attend a professional school of some sort. I was actually studying for the MCAT when I came across the GMAT, and despite the hundreds of hours I put into studying for the MCAT, I somehow ended up taking the GMAT instead.
After the GMAT, I convinced myself I needed to hire a consultant, mainly to have access to someone who has knowledge of the business world (and the app process!) and to help guide me though my goals and possibly explain to me the different career paths that are available with an MBA. I didn't think I needed help with my essay writing and editing - I have more than enough friends who could help me with that.
I decided an all-inclusive school package worth $3000+ was out of the question. That's almost two months of my offspring's daycare tuition! (Yes yes, I pay way too much for daycare). I really only needed something simple that would help me plan my MBA application strategy and goals. Maybe they could help with my school selection and resume as well.
I looked into a lot of à la carte services and 'basic' packages (think
Amerasia's essay with resume service,
MBA Admit's basic service,
MBA Prep School's application strategy, etc). I used a dozen of those 'free 30 min consultations' and ended up picking from there.
One thing I learned from my dozen free consultations is that no one really had any good idea of how competitive of an applicant I was. Maybe it's because of the lack of information they have for their free consultation, but I had gotten a huge range of responses from "You have a shot at HBS" to "You should be looking at schools such as Babson or Thunderbird". I also found that many tend to be ageists and suggested I only look at EMBA or part-time programs. Also, I'm not sure why, but only one (Darren from touchmba.com, whom I contacted after already picking a consultant) suggested I look at schools with a healthcare element, which should have been blindingly obvious to both me and other consultants. I'm really grateful he was there to point out the obvious to me.
In any case, I used consulting services for my Yale application. I chose Yale because I thought I had a decent chance of getting in and logistically, it would have made the most sense to attend Yale. I was dinged without an interview.
Specifically, we spent a lot of time on my goals. After re-reading them recently, I'm certain that one reason for my failure this application cycle is due to my weak goals. Still, they are a lot better than it would have been had I not received help from my consultant. My resume was gibberish, and again, it's better now with some help, but I still don't think I got my money's worth for it. I asked for help in explanation of different career paths with industry/functions, but they did very little to help in that regard. Maybe it's not part of the package or it's not really explainable in any short concise way. Their essay service however, was better than I expected. I really didn't think I needed help with it, but my essays were certainly better because of them.
I have reasons to believe any consulting services will be more or less the same. I'm not convinced any one is better than another, and even current students or applicants who have gone through the cycle can offer tremendous feedback. I certainly have learned a lot and if I choose to be a re-applicant, I am sure I will have much greater success.
For my personal situation, I still have mixed thoughts. The consultant certainly did help and I would have been way worse off without the assistance. On hindsight however, I feel like I could have done other things instead that would have been much more useful.
For example, one of the most useful things I've done (unfortunately, after submitting my apps) is be active on the gmatclub chat. The first day there I listened to someone in the energy sector and another person who worked for Accenture and learned more about what it is that they do and understand more about the everyday activities of a consultant. Yesterday, I learned even more about what entrepreneurship entails and about the biofuel industry and its associated problems and opportunities. I find that listening to other people's jobs and goals have helped me tremendously.
Sorry for my long-winded response. If money isn't an issue, certainly go for it - it can't hurt! And if budget is tight, consider basic or à la carte services on exactly what you might need help with. Whether or not to hire a consultant I feel is very dependent on what you need and what you're looking for. Nevertheless, do take advantage of the many free consultations throughout the process (even after you hire one, if you choose to do so) and know that there are a lot of resources here on this forum alone (albeit, difficult to find)!
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