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Businessweek recently published an exposé on the unethical practices of certain MBA essay writing services. These companies are not—to be clear—the reputable admissions consultancies that help applicants brainstorm and then work with them to edit and polish their essays, but are the companies that admit to actually sitting down and writing the application essays themselves.
According to the article, the spokesmen for the companies defend their ghostwriting businesses, claiming that they help their clients express themselves, and that there is nothing unethical about that. In fact, explains David Burton of Essaywriter, most clients who use the services are international candidates and need help putting their thoughts into words in English. There is no plagiarism, he insists, and "once the essays are in the hands of clients, they use them as they see fit."
"I can't tell you that every student who uses our services does not use the work as his own …It would be fraudulent to pass the work of someone else off as your own," he says. "It's not fraudulent to give an example of your work to someone, who you think is honest."
Business schools administrators all agree that submitting ghostwritten essays is unethical, the essays comprise a significant portion of the admissions decision, and by turning in an essay written by someone else, applicants are being deceptive.
The BW article then shifts to an explanation of how legitimate consultancies differ from the essay writing firms: "Unlike essay writers, admissions consultants provide a broad range of services, from advising on GMAT preparation and choosing programs to preparing for interviews and providing feedback on essays." To ensure that applicants choose a legitimate firm, the article continues, they should check that their consultancy in question is a member of the professional alliance, the Association of International graduate Admissions Consultants (AIGAC).
It's satisfying to see both the press and the schools distinguishing between consultants who guide and edit and the essay writing services that think and write for applicants.
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