Application Consultants for hire??

Question

Hi Paul,

Can you recommend a person or firm for application consulting? I checked the accepted.com website and found a lot to do with essay editing. I have some good resources for this and would like some help with strategy, choosing what essays to write, Q&A, advise, etc...

I strongly prefer a consultant who was previously and admissions committee member, but will welcome others who have the requisite understanding and experience.

Do you have any recommendations?

Best,
Ross

PaulBodine · Answer

Hi Paul,

Can you recommend a person or firm for application consulting? I checked the accepted.com website and found a lot to do with essay editing. I have some good resources for this and would like some help with strategy, choosing what essays to write, Q&A, advise, etc...

I strongly prefer a consultant who was previously and admissions committee member, but will welcome others who have the requisite understanding and experience.

Do you have any recommendations?

Ross,

Accepted.com offers much more than essay-related services. We have extensive experience working with clients who primarily want "high-level" consulting in strategy, essay topic selection, positioning, school selection, etc. We do it all the time. As Accepted.com's senior-most editor I've seen a large number of applications, so the additional value someone with adcom experience offers is unclear to me.

I'd be happy to answer any questions you have about our services.

Good luck,

rosstbomb · Answer

Thanks. How do I move the process forward? How is the pricing structured? I would prefer an hourly rate rather than a lump sum because I typically have my "stuff" together and have already done countless hours of research and have put together a strengths / weakness matrix, etc., etc. Anyway, please let me know how you recommend I move forward.

One question: do you know if recommendations have to follow the application questions or if the recommender can write an "essay" recommendation covering the salient characteristics? Will I be penalized if they do this? I am applying to ten schools and would prefer that my recommenders, who are all very busy, be able to write one solid essay and not have to answer 10 unique forms...

Lastly, are you for hire as part of accepted.coms consulting practice or individually?

PaulBodine · Answer

Rosstbomb, Accepted.com offers many different service packages (school-specific, for example, or individual essay-by-essay services), but the basic distinction is between hourly and flat-fee services. The latter tend to most useful for those who need the most help. You sound like you would be a good candidate for our hourly services, which if purchased in bulk can reduce the actual per-hour rate you pay by alot. The next step is to check out the description of our services at our website and to choose the one you prefer. You can also call me directly at (949) 589-1031 and I can take care of the billing. The only way the one-reco-letter-fits-all approach will work is if the generic letter your recommenders write covers *all* the questions on their reco forms. Most schools insist these days that the recommender directly answer their questions. Since this could give you a really long generic letter, you could just combine the reco questions of the schools you most want to get into and hope your safety schools don't care that your reco letters aren't exactly responsive (it should not be a deal-breaker). I discuss all this is the chapter on reco letters in my book . My services are available through Accepted.com, but when you sign up with me you work exclusively with me -- I won't shunt you off to some consulting intern or junior editor. :-)

I look forward to working with you.

Application Consultants for hire??

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards