Adam Hoff Reviews

I worked with Adam Hoff from Amerasia Consulting. I was looking to apply only to 2 schools - HBS and GSB, primarily because I was late in the game, and barely had 40 days left before the Round 2 deadline. When I started looking for consultants to work with for my B-School application, I was overwhelmed with the number of options I had. After speaking to a number of consultants, I really couldn't figure who to go with as they all claimed to have helped a large number of applicants get through top schools. The primary reason whey I decided to work with Adam was that he seemed to be honest, while the others were more salesy.

Adam immediately understood my strengths and weaknesses - he knew how to mould my story in order to bring out my strengths. Given that I had limited time, his tremendous experience came to my rescue on numerous occasions. He had sample examples for every kind of direction I was thinking of with my story. He would help me try multiple permutations and combinations with the elements in my story before I was completely satisfied with the result. An integral part of the entire process is personal coaching. Writing essays is strenuous, and one can feel disheartened at times. Adam went out of his way to motivate me and push me to bring out my best. It was comforting to know that someone else cared about my application as much I did. He knows how to pump someone up and get them back to work.

Adam didn't hesitate to speak his mind if he felt that I was going off the track, even if it meant more time investment at his end. His turnaround times were always quicker than what he had promised. I lost count of the number of iterations my essays went through with him, but he never once lost patience.

Adam is genuinely good at what he does, and I am certain that it would not have been possible for me to get into HBS without Adam's mentorship.

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The bottom line first: If you want your best shot at getting into the school of your choice, you want to talk to Adam Hoff at Amerasia.

I worked with Adam using the complete package deal on 3 schools last fall (Harvard, Stanford and Wharton). I had introductory calls with several consultants before Adam and was immediately impressed by Adam’s energy and enthusiasm for getting me admitted. One of the things that’s nice about Adam is that he’ll have an open conversation with you about which schools make sense for you to apply to given your resume. In other words, if he agrees to work with you for a particular school, he thinks there’s a chance you’ll be admitted and he’ll do everything possible to get you there.

Adam’s background prepares him well for his job. (You can read about it on the Amerasia website). I can attest that the skillsets inherent to his multi-faceted background stand-out during the consultation process. He understands the unique (and common) DNA of each top university and takes the guessing game out of approaching open-ended essay prompts by providing specific strategy guidelines, goals, examples, and brainstorm feedback.

Once you understand the path to take on your essays, I think Adam stands out most for his ability to turn your “statement” into a “story”. In other words, how to capture the interest of the admissions officer and pull them on to your side so that they’re rooting for your acceptance. It’s a highly customized and personal experience that I think is unique to Amerasia. Adam will help you iterate and revise as many times as necessary to get your essay the absolute finest it can be. He has an incredible ability to take what you’re trying to say and make it more clear, more concise, and more engaging for the admissions committee. I can't emphasize that enough.

Once you’re accepted to interview, Adam will provide interview preparation guidance as well as mock interviews with pros from the Amerasia network. Mock interviews are absolutely critical to preparing for the toughest questions and getting feedback on whether you sound as great as you think you might. (I did not at first).

With Adam’s help, I’m happy to say I’ll be attending Harvard next fall. Thanks, Adam.

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When I was applying to business school I was completely overwhelmed by how competitive the entire process was and also by contrasting opinions on what the best way to go about an application was. I found there was a lot of advice, but none of it applied entirely to me. I knew my time was limited (as I was really busy with my job) so I wanted a consultant to guide me through the process, I just didn't know which one.

Lucky for me, my husband had applied to b-school a year earlier, so I had seen him go through the process and more or less knew what to expect. My husband had enlisted the help of Amerasia Consultants and had been successful into getting into Columbia and University of Chicago. While his profile was certainly strong (perfect gpa, perfect job, tons of extracurriculars, high gmat, etc etc) – so is everyone else’s. Applying to b-school is all about telling a compelling story and about highlighting your strengths and the characteristics that make you unique as an applicant. It’s also about appealing to the specific things each school is looking for. My husband strongly believes that had he not had the guidance, he would not have had the success he had.

To figure out if Amerasia Consultants was a good fit for me, I scheduled a call with Adam (the founder) and we talked for about an hour. I was applying to Columbia, so we talked about the school and Adam quickly gave me a very realistic assessment of my chances of getting in and what I'd need to do to highlight my strengths in my application to make up for my weaknesses (for me, the gmat...bleh). I liked how straight-forward Adam was and appreciated the honesty. He didn’t give me false expectations, instead really told me how it was – which is so important. Needless to say, I decided to work with him for my applications.

The very first thing Adam has you do is a career assessment so that he truly understands what you want to convey in your application-- and to make sure that everything you want to say in your application is coherent and tells a solid story. Once you do that, he breaks down the DNA of each school and caters his strategy for your applications accordingly. Before writing your essays, you fully understand what each school is looking for, and know what to highlight and what points to hit. In addition to the application itself, once you get an interview, Adam helps with in-depth interview prep (which most consultants don't do). Long story short, I applied to Columbia early decision, and got in. I can honestly say that the guidance I got was invaluable.

I would highly recommend Adam to anyone applying to a top school. What I liked the most is that you get Adam's attention directly, not someone else's. He takes on a few clients at a time, which is great because you have his full attention. He also works via email, and is really responsive, especially as deadlines approach. All in all, I had a great experience. While it's definitely expensive, it's totally worth it. You will undoubtedly have the strongest strategy applying and peace of mind as all concerns are addressed along the way. While there's no guarantee of getting in, there are definitely ways of increasing your chances and being strategic, and hiring Amerasia Consultants was definitely the best thing I did.

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My experience with admissions consultants dates back to 2013. That year I hired a consultant for the MBA application. The experience was awful and I couldn't get into any of the schools that I applied to. In 2014 I was starting again my MBA applications and given my bad experience the prior year I wasn't even considering to hire an admissions consultant again (I thought it was going to be a waste of money – again). But a friend who was admitted into 2 of the top 5 MBA programs in the US spoke very fondly about Adam and Amerasia, so I decided to give it a try.

The outcome was amazing, I was admitted to Columbia, and what I liked the most is that Adam really helped me to navigate the painful process of being a reapplicant. Working with Adam gave me an advantage vs. the rest of the applicants: He understands better than anyone the DNA of the business schools. After reading hundreds of pages about business schools profiles from different admissions companies, I can tell for sure that Adam really understands what every school is looking for in the applicants (for my surprise, each school is completely different) and he does a great job highlighting those points in the application and in the interviews.

My experience with him was excellent, I recommended Adam to a friend, and he also got into his dream school! There is no downside with Adam and Amerasia.

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I worked with Adam for my full time MBA application and signed up for the comprehensive package. The overall experience was very positive and I would recommend him to anyone looking for a consultant. A few key highlights below:

1. Communication. Adam was very responsive to emails and did a great job communicating extensive feedback on my application materials. He insisted to conduct all communications through email, which was a good forcing mechanism to document everything and pushed me to write out my thoughts concisely and clearly.

2. Personal approach. Adam was very personable and got to know my stories well. He was able to provide strategic guidance on how I should package my stories based on my key accomplishments; he was even able to point out which specific experiences I should draw on in certain essays

3. Strong opinions. Adam had very strong opinions throughout the whole process. This might not work for everything but was a strong positive for me. I talked with many consultants before signing with Adam and realized that many of them play more of a "cheerleader" role and give very generic comments. In addition to having strong opinions, Adam was not shy about commuting them. He was always very direct.

I ended up getting in Chicago Booth with a scholarship and cannot more satisfied with my choice of consultant. I would recommend Adam to anyone who's considering working with a consultant.

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A quick note about my background - I was 25 when I applied to b-schools, my undergraduate GPA was a 3.94 from Villanova, and I scored a modest 680 on the GMAT. I decided to apply to b-schools in November of 2012 and reached out to Amerasia for guidance given the short amount of time I had to submit my applications (I applied to five schools round three in the spring of 2013). It was absolutely the best decision I made in the application process. Columbia was my top choice, and Adam Hoff offered to work with me given his expertise on this program.

Adam was truly fantastic! I will never forget our first phone call. I had spoken with a few consultants at other companies before Adam, and most of them made me feel that my profile was inadequate and discouraged me from trying to apply to my programs of choice with so little time. Adam was a refreshing and inspiring breath of fresh air! He got me excited about the application process and the journey I was about to start. He was incredibly knowledgeable about the schools I was interested in and immediately shared some of his insider info (before talking about prices and contracts for his services). He focused on the positive aspects of my profile, and discussed the realities of my situation in a kind way. Our first chat was almost an hour long and he really got to know me as a person. I knew without question that I wanted Adam as my partner and champion in this process.

Adam's essay guidance was invaluable. His school-specific essay guides provided a strong starting point, and through various iterations of my essays, he helped me to present my story in a very structured and compelling way. Adam has an impeccable eye for detail and was extremely timely in his review of my drafts. Never once did I feel that Adam tried to change my voice, but rather offered grounded advice that helped me to make a much stronger connection between my background, the programs I was applying to, and my career aspirations. I thank him for helping me to bring my stories to life!

Adam also helped me to completely revamp my resume for the better, and coached me through the entire interview and decision making processes. I wasn't accepted to Columbia, but I was lucky to decide between Booth, Darden and NYU. In addition to offering his own, deep insight on each program, Adam personally connected me with MBA students that he knew at each school to help me make my decision.

Throughout the entire process I felt that Adam was my ultimate champion - his positive enthusiasm was contagious and energized me during moments of self doubt, and I doubt his professionalism and expertise can be matched. I am sincerely grateful for all that he did to help me achieve success and would recommend him and Amerasia one hundred times over!

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I want to start off by saying I firmly believe that I would not have been accepted to four top 10 programs if I had not worked with Adam Hoff.

As I began this process (back in January 2013), I knew next to nothing about MBA admissions, and truly was lost as to where to even start. I was studying for the GMAT, had decided that I wanted to attend a "top 10" program (because that sounded like the right thing to do), and was pretty open to moving around, but that was where my knowledge stopped.

I am a big researcher, so I did what many people do -- I reached out to all the big admissions consulting companies. I spoke with ALL of the big players... Stacy Blackman, Admissionado, MBA Mission, Veritas Prep, Accepted.com, Clear Admit, MBA Exchange, you name it. This was a huge investment of time and energy, but this is not only a significant investment of money (no surprise that admissions consultants aren't cheap), but will have a lasting impact on the rest of my life. I will not speak to my experiences with each individual firm, but I will share that generally, I would speak to the founder / CEO who would provide general insights into MBA admissions, let me know my "chances" at some top programs, proceed to apply some broad stroke comparisons to my profile, let me know they would be passing me along to a consultant on their team (who I didn't get a chance to meet yet), and then would proceed to ask if I would like to sign the dotted line. This rubbed me the wrong way, and to be honest, I wasn't willing to take a leap of faith with this process so I kept looking. I will say, some of the people that I spoke with were great, but overall, I wasn't ready to commit.

This is where Amerasia came in -- I stumbled across the company in one of the message boards. They don't have as big of a presence (yet), but I was blown away from the first call. First of all, Adam didn't "pass me off", he spoke to me directly and had no intention of putting on a sales pitch just to have me work with someone else. We spent over an hour talking about his experiences, my background, and what I wanted out of this process -- quite simply, he got to know me, he asked about my biggest concerns, and I could tell he cared about my success. This was the last introductory call that I made and signed up for his complete school package the next day.

I was very, very early to the game and was pleasantly surprised that Adam was willing to help right from the beginning. We worked through my resume to get it sorted out before applications came out, he provided detailed (personalized) strategy guides for me and each of my schools, and when the time came, he set me up with members of his team to work on mock interviews (I liked that he had me meet with other people on his team for this component -- as they did not know me, it would be more representative of the "blind" interview that I would be going into). Also, I cannot stress how much I appreciated his 48 hour response commitment.

This entire process is stressful -- at least it was for me, and having someone like Adam in your corner is a tremendous asset. Admissions consultant aren't able to change your GMAT / GPA, change your job, or make you into someone you're not... they do NOT write your essays and they certainly don't have "a guy" who can get you in... BUT they are able to help put the best "you" on paper. Adam knew the right questions to ask me, to get the right stories, for the right essays, at the best schools.

His knowledge of the process, his understanding of the culture at each of the top 10-15 programs, and his insights from years of working in admissions helped make the difference for me. Thankfully, I was accepted to four premier programs and in the end, Adam was instrumental in helping me make the decision to attend Booth.

I would recommend him to anyone who is serious about getting into a top program, and is willing to put in the time and energy to get there. Pursuing an MBA is an expensive endeavor, but having a consultant ensures that you're putting your best foot forward. Adam was worth. every. penny.

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I decided to work with Adam, based on a recommendation from two trusted friends that both worked with him in the prior year and received stellar results. To be honest, I didn't take the time to thoroughly assess all of the different consulting services available, simple because I didn't feel the need after my initial consultation with Adam.

To provide some background, I had applied the year prior (2013 cycle) using another consulting service, with very mixed and unsatisfactory results. I decided to take a leap of faith and reapply for R1 2014 to my top choices - Wharton (interviewed and dinged R3 2013) and Kellogg. At this point, my morale/confidence was pretty low, but Adam was very encouraging and even offered to provide a complimentary ding analysis, which typically costs $400 with other consulting companies. I was really impressed with the extra step Adam was willing to take to see if he could provide valuable consulting services to me - this showed me that he really cared for me as a person and wasn't trying to push his services onto me. I really appreciated the extra mile he was willing to take, and instinctively, he felt like a great fit for me.

He really helped me boost my confidence during the process, and was very timely with his emails/response (48 hour turnaround time). I also loved that he was very organized, which is very important for me because I'm very OCD myself. He really took the time to tailor guides for each essay, LOR outlines and provided great outlines for resumes that really helped me tighten my essays. Adam doesn't sugar coat anything; he's brutally honest, yet very professional.

However, our communication was limited to emails after our initial consultation. I understand why Adam does this, he just wants to maintain clear communication and leave very little room for any mishaps. I'll admit, this was very anxiety inducing at certain periods of the process, especially during such arduous process - but what I learned was to be patient and just trust the process. Luckily, I was able to reuse a majority of the material I had last year. We just needed to tighten up the points, create more focus and hit a home run with each of the schools I was applying to. I can't say what it would have been like, had I started from scratch. Regardless, Adam is reliable and a great resource to turn to when I had any admissions related questions.

Results: Unfortunately, I got dinged from Wharton without an interview (I still wonder why until this day sometimes, but Wharton was going through a lot of change this years)... but I got accepted in the MMM program at Kellogg with some scholarship.

Thanks for your help Adam!

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I worked with Adam for 5 top-10 schools. As an international applicant (one of the largest pool), I'm looking for a big career switch.

School selection (this part is the main reason I chose Adam over than consultants):

I had a lot of consultation sessions, but ONLY Adam thought the situation in my shoes. My list includes 12 top schools at the beginning. Adam helped me analyze each of them, including my chance, each program's pros and cons. Especially, he crossed out some schools that the job placement for international students are not desirable, although I thought they were strong in my target career field!

When I did the consultation sessions with other consultants, they all recommended me to apply top 20 (someone even recommended me to apply top 30) schools. I think the knowledge that Adam possesses about each school allows him to be confident and assist me to get in a top 10 program.

Resume and essay edit

The most valuable part of the service. Adam sent me a lot reading materials related to my short-term and long-term career goals, which I was overwhelmed at the beginning. But it turned out that these homework worked perfectly in my later essay writings. These materials brought me deeper knowledge about my target industry and function, as well as indicated the skills I may already have or I need to develop/improve during the MBA program. The two areas Adam focused on my essays were wording (since my native language is not English) and structure.

Turnaround Time and Price

The turnaround was usually 2 to 3 days for essays (I think this is FAST considering the quality of his feedback), and within 24 hours for general questions. The price is reasonable and considering the quality, especially the result, I couldn't expect cheaper.

I finally got 3 interviews, in one of the top 5 programs and another top 10 program. I am satisfied with the result!

At the end, I want to say that consulting service is not magic. You can't expect consultants could turn a rock into a gold. However, a excellent consultant, such as Adam, could fully support you, and work with him, you will leave no regret to yourself.

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Why I chose Amerasia:
Amerasia was the only admissions consultant who I came across who really seemed to know non-US business schools as well as US-based ones. Their guide to a European school that I applied to was extremely helpful. Unlike guides that I saw on other admissions consultants’ websites, it had a lot more information than just the facts about the programme (which anyone can find on a school’s website anyway). Adam (who also wrote the guide) was extremely helpful from the get-go and he really seemed to understand the nuances of the school and what would resonate with their admissions committee.

What was great about working with Adam:
School specifics aside, a few things set Adam apart for me. Unlike with another admissions consultants who I had worked with previously, with Adam the brainstorming process was more targeted and strategic as it focused on what was relevant to the school rather than cataloguing everything that had ever happened to me from the day I arrived on the planet! His approach focused on helping me put my best foot forward, and he had amazing advice for tackling the weaker aspects of my profile. Also, I found that some consultants are so paranoid about your stories being your stories that while they will offer endless edits to help you tell your story more eloquently, they don't guide you on which are the best stories to tell. Adam nailed it all. My stories were my stories, but he also helped me to look at things from a different perspective to uncover angles that I hadn’t considered before, and he helped me tell my story in an impactful way that was aligned with the programme.

Added bonus:
I got to do a practice interview with someone who is an alumnus from the school I applied to, which was a great source of added insights into the unique aspects of the school and gave me a lot of little nuggets that I got to drop into my two interviews.


Overall, I received outstanding guidance throughout the application process. If you're unsure of which consultant to work with, I highly recommend connecting with Amerasia!

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