alphabear1 wrote:
Hello,
I created an account just to answer this question!
So my answer: well it depends. If you have a number one school that you HAVE to get into, then I would say spend the money on a consultant. Particularly, if that school is Harvard or Stanford
............. nice to do maybe but they won't make or break you. A GOOD consultant, on the other hand, can guide you if you don't have a lot of MBA-types around you that can help.
I would agree more with alphabear who takes more a devil's advocate approach. Also, I'm an international student but am combining a trip the firm is paying for to the US, taking a break after, and paying for my domestic travel/hotel myself (I know that doesn't help most international students out, but it took a lot of maneuvering!)
I'm in the exact same position right now, deciding on consultants VS visits. Some insights I've gleaned from a friend in Wharton and 4 alumni I've spoken to within McKinsey & Co. regarding this topic:
1) 2 out of 5 used consultants - HOWEVER, the one's that did not had very strong peer review support. And by that I mean peers/family in the industry who could spend quality time editing those essays. I personally do not have that. On the contrary, a Haas alumni mentioned that schools can "smell tailored essays from a mile away", just to keep that in mind.
2) Get one done - My plan since I have very low savings: Get one (MAXIMUM 2) essays paid for, even that's a ton. Save the rest for campus visits.
3) Free half hour consult - Both StacyBlackman and Precission Essay have free half hour consults. Register and speak to a consultant and have very specific questions to ask them. I did both. Ask for that consultant again if you really liked them and decide to pay.
4) Reference for discount - Not so important, but every $ counts, get referred by a friend who's used that service, I'm getting 15% off. I know, on like $3000 not exactly big savings, but why not..
The Wharton fellow paid for 5 schools with
Stacy Blackman, that's a crazy $15K I think. I don't have that kind of cash, but he said it was definitely worth it as they really helped him crack essential points to better understand his essays where as his prior effort was shallow.
Good luck my friend, I'm beginning the campus visits in September and will apply in R2 to all my schools. Would love to know any body else's insights on this topic and if they would like to connect in the US, message me!