Last visit was: 18 Nov 2025, 20:52 It is currently 18 Nov 2025, 20:52
Home
GMAT
Messages
Tests
Schools
Events
Rewards
Chat
My Profile
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Go to My Error Log Learn more
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
User avatar
Vinitkhicha1111
User avatar
Joined: 18 Jun 2014
Last visit: 19 Sep 2025
Posts: 74
Own Kudos:
42
 [1]
Given Kudos: 240
Location: India
GMAT 1: 720 Q50 V38
GMAT 2: 740 Q50 V40
GPA: 3.8
WE:Business Development (Insurance)
Products:
My Reviews
GMAT 2: 740 Q50 V40
Posts: 74
Kudos: 42
 [1]
"Best" Admissions Consulting Companies - 2015 Season 21 Mar 2015, 00:31
Kudos
Add Kudos
1
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
abdc99
Amazing post cissorz; Nicely put together and will definitely be very helpful to many who are new to the subject.

I think the first and most basic question is, do you really need a consultant? Many fall in the trap of hiring a consutant just because it's common or maybe because it looks like a safe move. A big part of what makes your partnership with a consultant a great investment is to know what you want from him/her. That should always be number 1 thing on your list. Is it essay editing, resume quick or deep review, or maybe suggest some extracurricular stuff? Do you need a specific targeted involvement of the consultant or do you want him/her to go broadly over multiple things? You could even need him to go deeply into everything. Whatever the case maybe, it's your responsibility to define the weaknesses in your application well ahead before even starting talking to him/her. Don't sign up for a full package unless you are sure you need it the most because you're going to have to pay the full amount (Which will mostly be high) upfront before starting the process. so once you have done that, everthing will be easier tracking what you're getting from the consultant versus what you need.

For me, I didn't really know much about the application process as a whole not to mention that I nearly had a weakness in every part of it. Also, I didn't have a friend or a colleague who'd graduated from a top business school. I was going alone into this with a "it-could-very-well-happen" type of risk of getting dings from everywhere. The decision was clear for me, I needed a consultant with more than just an hourly-basis involvement. So I signed up first for a 30-minute consultation with a consultant that I knew was a great one (I read tesimonials about her and saw videos of her explaining different things). She suggested another consultant for me, one she thought had a really close background to mine and would be more helpful to my application specifically. I met that other consultant and communicated clearly what I wanted beforehand. From the first conversation, she gave me her full contact numbers and email. She'd signed on a commitment to reply to any emails I send (no matter how many) in less than 48 hours. She explained what she will and won't do as well as an honest first impression on my potential (It was not a fake one). I was truly surprised by how professional she was from the beginning. And I knew I was up for a good start, so I signed up for a full package.

My experience with her was without a doubt nothing short of amazing. She tirelessly turned everything upside down and digged deep into things I knew were important but never thought I'd have the time for. She greatly helped me stay on track when it comes to time management. And on top of everything, she cared A LOT about my success (In some cases, I wondered if she cared more than I did). Now I am seriously not sure how many of that type of consltants exist in the consulting industry, but I know for a fact that I wouldn't have found her had I not done the due diligence of looking for what and whom I wanted.

If you're someone who is looking for a consultant and probably have a little to look for the right one, then have free consultation calls with different consulting companies and send emails to some consultants individually. Get a feeling of how professional each one is (This is damn important. It's not just a lip service. Integrity is a key) and then decide from there.
Show more

Can we please know about the consultant with whom you had a fantastic experience so that we might follow in your shoes and highly benefit from the same.
avatar
abdc99
avatar
Joined: 29 Oct 2014
Last visit: 12 Dec 2015
Posts: 53
Own Kudos:
64
Given Kudos: 2
Concentration: Strategy, General Management
Schools: Duke '17 (M) Darden '17 (WD)
GMAT 1: 660 Q49 V31
GPA: 3.45
WE:Project Management (Energy)
Schools: Duke '17 (M) Darden '17 (WD)
GMAT 1: 660 Q49 V31
Posts: 53
Kudos: 64
"Best" Admissions Consulting Companies - 2015 Season 21 Mar 2015, 05:13
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Vinitkhicha1111
Can we please know about the consultant with whom you had a fantastic experience so that we might follow in your shoes and highly benefit from the same.
Show more

She was Debbie Choy from MBAmission (Not sure if I'm allowed to give out names). I have to note that the way they assign consultants for you is not based on what you want but rather based on what they recommend for you. So after the free 30-min call, they will match you to 1 or 2 consultants and you will choose what you think is right for you.
User avatar
bagdbmba
User avatar
Retired Moderator
Joined: 27 Aug 2012
Last visit: 10 Dec 2021
Posts: 1,005
Own Kudos:
4,194
Given Kudos: 156
Posts: 1,005
Kudos: 4,194
"Best" Admissions Consulting Companies - 2015 Season 22 Mar 2015, 08:29
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Interesting and insightful discussion Guys.

Edit: Moderator Note: As it's very specific about the feedback to admission consultants, hence moving it to the relevant forum and merging with the respective thread.
avatar
cissorz
avatar
Joined: 15 Jan 2014
Last visit: 20 Aug 2015
Posts: 4
Own Kudos:
19
Location: United States
Concentration: General Management, Leadership
Schools: Kellogg '17 (WL) Sloan '17 (D) Booth '17 (A)
GMAT 1: 720 Q46 V42
GPA: 3.75
WE:Asset Management (Finance: Investment Banking)
Schools: Kellogg '17 (WL) Sloan '17 (D) Booth '17 (A)
GMAT 1: 720 Q46 V42
Posts: 4
Kudos: 19
"Best" Admissions Consulting Companies - 2015 Season 22 Mar 2015, 21:44
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Thanks for the kudos! I couldn't agree more with abdc99 and OasisGC, hiring a consultant is a big investment and you have to decide if it's something you really need. If you have the money to spare, then a good consultant can certainly be a plus. If money is tight for you, and you have friends/family (especially those who have been accepted into a top MBA program) who can look over your application/essays, then a consultant may not be worth it. At the end of the day, it depends on your individual application and needs as abdc99 pointed out. A consultant can push you to dive deeper and put forth a stronger application, but as long as you're willing to do the work yourself, they aren't necessary. Plenty of people are accepted into a top program without a consultant after all! :)

TheBookie, I actually ended up applying FT to Booth, not PT but feel free to PM me if you have any questions!
User avatar
bb
User avatar
Founder
Joined: 04 Dec 2002
Last visit: 18 Nov 2025
Posts: 42,384
Own Kudos:
82,110
Given Kudos: 24,105
Location: United States
GMAT 1: 750 Q49 V42
GPA: 3
Products:
GMAT Club Tests Forum Quiz
Expert
Expert reply
GMAT 1: 750 Q49 V42
Posts: 42,384
Kudos: 82,110
"Best" Admissions Consulting Companies - 2015 Season 22 Mar 2015, 22:11
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Thank you for your feedback and your review and endorsement of Square One Prep. Congratulations on getting into Stern.
Please consider posting an official review here: https://gmatclub.com/reviews

Thank you!
User avatar
bb
User avatar
Founder
Joined: 04 Dec 2002
Last visit: 18 Nov 2025
Posts: 42,384
Own Kudos:
82,110
Given Kudos: 24,105
Location: United States
GMAT 1: 750 Q49 V42
GPA: 3
Products:
GMAT Club Tests Forum Quiz
Expert
Expert reply
GMAT 1: 750 Q49 V42
Posts: 42,384
Kudos: 82,110
"Best" Admissions Consulting Companies - 2015 Season 28 Mar 2015, 10:42
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Thank you all for your posts. We welcome any questions you may have about admissions consultants.
However, reviewers posting here need to follow the rules - if you have 30+ posts, we welcome your review and endorsement here. Otherwise, your posts/reviews will be deleted.... I have deleted about 5. I don't care if you can prove your legitimacy - that's what the Verified Reviews section is for. This is for GMAT Club established members to share their feelings and if you lack 30 posts then nothing can save your review from me hitting that delete button. I have made a few exceptions in this case where posts have been moved and merged from elsewhere and contribute to the value of the overall discussion but otherwise, reviews will be deleted. No questions asked.

Thank you for your cooperation.
Have a great day :-)
avatar
HBSR3
avatar
Joined: 15 May 2014
Last visit: 05 May 2015
Posts: 33
Own Kudos:
6
 [2]
Given Kudos: 8
Posts: 33
Kudos: 6
 [2]
"Best" Admissions Consulting Companies - 2015 Season 31 Mar 2015, 18:53
2
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
flyingdragonamy
In HBS as well. Such a relief and it was such a journey. I want to thank everyone around me who have been supporting me along the way. And personally I have benefited enormously for having a mentor in this process. I really just want to share the name of the consultant I worked with and developed a strong connection with.

Her name is Alice van Harten. I had shopped around before choosing a consultant and Alice struck me as a warm, down-to-earth person, whom I want to open myself to. More importantly, Alice believed in me and was always there for me especially when I doubted myself. I am just so grateful.

For those who are preparing for R2, I recommend just having a chat with her about your progress. It doesn't hurt. :)

Here is her website: https://menlocoaching.com/

All the best to those who are still working on your application!
Show more

I too would like to wholeheartedly recommend Alice van Harten of Menlo Coaching (https://www.menlocoaching.com)
I contacted Alice for a free 30 minute consultation. after reading these words by flyingdragonamy: "More importantly, Alice believed in me and was always there for me especially when I doubted myself" If you've ever felt like this was you, please read on.

Background
I applied to HBS in round 3 of the 13/14 admissions cycle. I was waitlisted and ultimately rejected. Most people (friends, family, colleagues) thought it was because I had applied R3. They reasoned that if I retook the GMAT and mentioned my promotion in my new application, I would be fine. However I became concerned when I saw a fellow round 3 13/14 admissions cycle re-applicant get waitlisted in R1 of this year. So I reached out to Alice on a whim, just to see what she would have to say. I only planned on retaking the GMAT and updating my resume to reflection my promotion. I was also only going to make minor changes to my essay. But working with Alice changed all that.

The Basics
Alice will review your resume, your essay, your recommender packages, your application etc and provide insightful and grammatically correct edits. She has good inside knowledge of how Adcoms operate and think. She used to be a consultant, so she knows how to help you communicate what you are trying to say compellingly and concisely. But anybody can do that right?

Executive Summary
Choose Alice because she's not going to put you in a cookie-cutter archetype b-school applicant box. She will help you become the best, most compelling, most engaging version of you. She will help you become crystal clear and super specific about your short and long term career goals and why an MBA is needed. When you are done with your application, it will still look, feel, sound and read like you! Read on for further details

Menlo Coaching Difference
More importantly, Alice lets you be you, while you are working with her and when you tell your story in the B-school application. This is an unfortunate pitfall with many consultants. They say "why don't you say this, or write about this or have this as your long term goal" - because in their experience that's what someone like you (stats, background, X factor) should say to maximize chances of getting in. I did that the first go around and while the application all made sense and it seemed like someone like me could write it, I wasn't passionate about it, I couldn't defend my essay or my long term goals in the interview and it showed.

Alice let me show her my whole self and then she took it all - the good bad and the stuff I don't like to think about and helped me shape it into something that I am incredibly proud of and something that speaks incredibly well of me. She took all my life stories and helped me see the common thread in them, the X factor that makes me special and helps me standout from all the other under-represented minorities I may be compared with. She pushed me to think critically about my short and long term goals to the point where I did not just talk about them in the application, they are actually what I'm going to do after HBS. I'd always thought I'd get in and figure that stuff out later, but working with Alice has enabled me to be more focused about how I'm going to use my time at B-school. I'd like to add that my long term goals and my first essay for HBS remain true - they just weren't communicated in a way that was uniquely me or that I could be passionate about and defend. Anyone could have written my first HBS essay, but only I could have written the second one.

Responsiveness & Flexibility
Alice also took me on 3 weeks before the R2 deadline and helped me revamp my entire application! Then she helped me with my apps to Wharton and Sloan which I hadn't even started before I engaged her. Guys this was Christmas time and she has a family. That is the kind of amazing, kind-hearted, emotionally invested person she is. I was slacking on everything because I wasn't really convinced I could get in anywhere but Alice was a huge motivator. She would tell me stories about her life and background that were just what I needed to hear. It's uncanny how perfectly she understood why I was doubting myself and how she was able to give me strategies and pep talks to overcome my doubts. Her response time is amazing, she lets you know when she will get back to you and keeps the promise. If you need something quicker than she can manage, she'll give you some quick edits and general editing direction to help you get started while she works on fuller edits. That's how committed she is.

Interview Prep
After getting interview invites, I flew out to the west coast to practice with her in person and it made a world of difference. She was flexible enough to schedule more time with me because I needed more time. She helped my sister last minute with her GSB interview and I'm talking last minute here. My sister who is a tough customer said Alice provided better value than her main consultant did. My sister got into GSB!

Alice also helped me with Wharton TBD. I believe as a result of her help, my idea was selected. This allowed me to shine and contributed to my Wharton admit I'm sure.

Watch outs
Only watch-out with Alice as a result of her niceness. I like people to be blunt, otherwise I don't always get the feedback or suggestion they are trying to make. I told Alice this after she gave me some advice I did not want to take. After that, she was as blunt as I needed her to be. So make sure to let Alice know that if she disagrees with your direction, she should let you know loud and clear.

Conclusion
I'm so grateful to have had Alice's support this time around and I hope to work with her for many more years!

If you have any further questions, please PM me or ask on here. Happy to help!
avatar
apeltzer
avatar
Joined: 01 Oct 2013
Last visit: 11 Apr 2015
Posts: 1
Own Kudos:
5
Products:
My Reviews
Posts: 1
Kudos: 5
"Best" Admissions Consulting Companies - 2015 Season 31 Mar 2015, 19:24
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
I had a quick question for those considering admissions consultants for their upcoming application. I am currently in B-school and am working on an idea to connect current B school students with B school applicants for more affordable admissions consultancy services. (Think of it as an hourly nerd but for MBA admissions consulting). I'm interested to know if this is something that would be of interest to prospective applicants. (I used a consultant, was happy with the service, but would have been interested in something more affordable and with a student who shared my non-traditional background). Feel free to ping me with your response! Thanks!
avatar
lokilaiho
avatar
Joined: 31 Mar 2015
Last visit: 16 Jul 2015
Posts: 1
Posts: 1
Kudos: 0
"Best" Admissions Consulting Companies - 2015 Season 01 Apr 2015, 02:15
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Show SpoilerUser with fewer than 30 posts - post pending deletion
I would like to highly recommend Seth Gilmore of MBA Exchange. I am sure that without his assistance I wouldn’t have made it to one of the top 10 business schools (poetsandquants ranking). Seth coached me through entire process; working with him was an absolutely transformative experience.

The list of items was pretty much the same the most MBA consulting companies offer but the personal approach really made the difference. Seth helped me to re-evaluate my achievements and shape my personal brand without adding anything that wasn’t part of me.

He helped me to completely revamp the resume, articulate my short- and long-term goals and prepare the essays for each school in a clear and compelling way. Seth was very diligent and professional. He was replying to my emails and sending me his notes almost always within 24 hours despite the amount of work. This was very important for me for I am an international student based outside the US, we had 12 hours difference and the application timing was very tight. Thorough the entire process I always had his constant support and assistance.

My GMAT is 700, my GPA is also well below average for all of the top10 schools. Judging by pure numbers I was not in the top10 ballpark, still due to the well-formulated goals, compelling story and self-awareness, that Seth helped me to put together, I got interviews with 3 out of 4 top10 schools I applied (I didn’t apply to safety schools). In the end I got accepted to one, rejected by two and waitlisted by another one (I guess I would have done better with the last one if only I took more time preparing for the interview).

I would recommend Seth Gilmore to anyone without hesitation. He is extremely smart, genuine and professional person. He was always there when I needed his help. His guidance helped me to avoid most of the pitfalls, which I was not even aware of, despite all the books I’ve read on the subject.

Everyone decides for him/herself to go for a consulting firm or to look for other sources of expertise. In my case I knew from the beginning that none of my friends, teachers or family members was able to provide the coaching I needed. However, it is only after I started working with Seth I got the idea of the true extent and importance of this expertise.
avatar
usmabama
avatar
Joined: 20 Mar 2012
Last visit: 14 Jul 2015
Posts: 109
Own Kudos:
24
Given Kudos: 93
Location: United States
Concentration: Strategy, Marketing
Schools: Kellogg '17 (D) Duke '17 (WA) Yale '17 (WL) Tepper '17 (A$) Ross '17 (A) Darden '17 (M$) HBS '17 (D)
GMAT 1: 700 Q49 V35
GPA: 3.25
WE:Military Officer (Military & Defense)
Products:
My Reviews
Schools: Kellogg '17 (D) Duke '17 (WA) Yale '17 (WL) Tepper '17 (A$) Ross '17 (A) Darden '17 (M$) HBS '17 (D)
GMAT 1: 700 Q49 V35
Posts: 109
Kudos: 24
"Best" Admissions Consulting Companies - 2015 Season 06 Apr 2015, 08:14
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Critical Square will take your application to the next level. With their help I went from WLed at Duke in Round 1 to accepted with scholarship at Darden in Round 2. I consider Fuqua and Darden to be peer schools and wouldn't have been nearly as successful in Round 2 without Critical Square's help.

I originally contacted several consultants in the Spring/Summer before I was to apply to business school. After a few free consultations, I concluded that given enough time I could craft a compelling story on my own and that spending a few thousand dollars on a consultant was unnecessary. I spent months writing my essays making sure each part of my application was polished. The result? I was rejected from all the schools I applied to in round one with the lone exception being Fuqua, where I was wait-listed. I was heart broken and a little unsure on what I should do next.

After returning from a Christmas trip in the Caribbean (where I was when I received the depressing news), I spent some time weighing my options. On a Saturday- December 27th - I used the GMAT Club website to post an urgent message asking for help. I received a response from Bhavik in less than 30 minutes - he remembered me from our free consultation the summer before. I sent Bhavik all my Duke documentation Saturday night and we set-up a wait-list review early Monday morning. The conversation lasted almost two hours and was very in-depth. Bhavik was blunt - he pointed out shortcomings in my application and thoroughly answered each of my questions. With Round 2 deadlines rapidly approaching, Bhavik informed me that he could only provide support on an hourly, a la-carte basis. As a military veteran who wanted a "civilian's" perspective and given my condensed timeline, I decided to purchase the hourly package from Critical Square.

Despite the fact that I had purchased only an hourly service, Critical Square helped me come up with a detailed round 2 game-plan and redo every aspect of my application for four different business schools. Because Round 2 deadlines were less than a week away I was really pressed for time, but Bhavik is a machine. I really don't know when the guy sleeps. I worked non stop all week on my applications and every time I sent Bhavik an updated essay or short answer to review he would respond in less than two hours - regardless of the time of day or day of the week. Each response would have detailed instructions on how to further shape the essay and would often include subtle changes that really took my applications to another level. During the process, it was also reassuring to have someone with limited military experience review my application. When Bhavik didn't understand military jargon he would call me to discuss and then we would reword the story to ensure that the key points I wanted to emphasize were obvious to the ADCOM.

The Round 2 results? I received interview invites to all four schools we applied to during that first week. I was accepted to three and received a significant scholarship to two. The only school of the four I wasn't accepted to was Yale, where I was wait-listed. I think that was due to my terrible on campus interview. I didn't use Critical Square for the interview prep, but wish I had.

If I could go back to last Spring I would purchase a more in-depth package from Critical Square. I'm extremely pleased to be attending Darden this fall, but I'm confident that if I had given Critical Square more time I would've been accepted to a top 7 school. They are a joy to work with and really understand the intricacies of what makes an application stand out in the crowd. I've already suggested Critical Square to several peers and would strongly recommend applicants spend the extra cash. It's a wise investment. A few thousand dollars now might result in tens of thousands of dollars in awarded scholarships. Thanks to Critical Square - it did for me.

https://criticalsquare.com/
avatar
hmgp22
avatar
Schools: Yale '17 (D) Anderson '17 (WL) CBS '17 (D) Tepper '17 (A) Duke '17 (D) Johnson '17 (A) Ross '17 (D) Haas '17 (WL)
Posts: 10
Kudos: 0
"Best" Admissions Consulting Companies - 2015 Season 22 Apr 2015, 18:58
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Show SpoilerPoster has fewer than 30 posts. Review is hidden.
I first discovered Critical Square while lurking around Beat The GMAT. I noticed that Bhavik's posts were very insightful, so I reached out for a free consultation. At the time, I wasn't sure when I wanted to apply to business school. In fact, I was thinking of applying at least a year later and had recently applied to a program on my own. However, despite the long time frame in between, Bhavik was very willing to continue answering any of my questions along the way. Half a year later, due to certain factors at work, I decided that applying for Round 1 was in my best interests. Unfortunately, my applications were due in just a few weeks, and I hadn’t started on anything at all. Moreover, I had an untraditional background with a startup that was located abroad and an unorthodox corporate job in the States afterwards. I simply did not know how to present my experiences in the best possible light.

That’s where Critical Square came in. Bhavik first did a quick call to discuss my background and then helped me narrow down a list of schools. We talked about more than just schools – we really went into career options and the paths to get there. Next, he proceeded to revamp my resume, which was very impressive. I had signed up for resume services in the past with others but, even with all that work, they tore it apart. I was really impressed with the outcome. The essays, naturally, were a portion I was concerned about but Bhavik helped position my story in the best possible way. He really understood where I was coming from and what I felt made me stand out. He took that and ran. I had sent him my essays from my previous application but we didn’t even use them as a foundation. We started fresh and built from there. And he didn’t just take my story into his own hands – he really pushed me to dig deeper and do my research. The first round covered content, and the second one polished and tightened everything up. Turnaround and response time was quick and efficient. In the end I was able to secure 5 interview invites out of 7 applications. I don't think I could have gotten this far without Critical Square!
User avatar
EXPARTUS
User avatar
Expartus Admissions Consultant
Joined: 18 Dec 2014
Last visit: 11 Mar 2016
Posts: 30
Own Kudos:
17
Posts: 30
Kudos: 17
"Best" Admissions Consulting Companies - 2015 Season 24 Apr 2015, 03:16
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hello All,

I came across this thread and wanted to share a few thoughts.

Its a shame some of you have had a bad experience with consultants. I agree with Linda (from Accepted) that it comes down to fit. You should definitely not allow yourself to be pressured. The application process is already stressful enough. If your gut tells you that something is off, listen to that small voice!

There are many fundamental questions you must ask yourself and the consulting firm you are considering before you make the investment to choose a consultant. It's also important to know that what may work for one person may not necessarily work for you. Be clear about what you want from the experience and do your homework. You can check out our Complete Guide to Choosing an Admissions Consultant https://www.expartus.com/guides/hiring-a ... onsultant/.

Wishing all of you success with your application and future!

Chioma
CEO, EXPARTUS (former HBS adcom board member)
Author of The Best Business Schools' Admissions Secrets
avatar
summer99
avatar
Joined: 18 Jan 2012
Last visit: 12 Sep 2016
Posts: 40
Own Kudos:
11
Location: United States
Concentration: Finance, International Business
Schools: Duke '16 (D) Johnson '16 (A) Anderson '15 Carlson '16 (A)
GPA: 3.77
Schools: Duke '16 (D) Johnson '16 (A) Anderson '15 Carlson '16 (A)
Posts: 40
Kudos: 11
"Best" Admissions Consulting Companies - 2015 Season 30 Apr 2015, 06:10
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Waste of money

I bough a package from MBAmission and my consultant was Angela Guido. She seemed nice and at first I was excited. I quickly realized this was a horrible investment.

In short you get:
a couple phone calls (It felt like pulling teeth to get Angela on the phone)
Some revisions on your essays (you do all the heavy lifting: ideas, structure, details) Angela just gave me some generic comments that lacked school specific knowledge.

Here is an example of how things went:

"...rather than discussing some more stuff that we have already covered on two calls and that I have covered in my comments, I think some examples might help get you moving in the right direction. Please review the complete start to finish guide chapter on the Personal statement..."

"..I cannot tell you what to write. I cannot tell you what to say, I can only empower you with the tools to do so yourself and to let you know when you are falling shorter than the bar..."



At the end she gave me the OK with my essay, and said that they were great and good to go. My girlfriend took a look into them and pointed to lots of grammatical and mechanics errors. When I confronted Angela about them, she said that because I was an international student I was supposed to have error to "keep it real".

I actually ended up having a phone call with Jeremy Shinewald, president of MBAmission to discuss the poor service. I told Jeremy that I wasn't looking to get a refund or anything. I just wanted to voice out my frustration and concerns. I felt that once he knew I wasn't looking to get my money back, he seemed to disengage and nothing came out of the phone call.

At the end of the process I realized that these consulting services are just snake oil. Do yourself a favor and don't fall for it. If i were to do it all over again, I would reach out to current students and get their feedback; they know best their school and will let you know if your essays capture the essence of a good applicant. if you feel you need to polish your writing, go ahead and pay a freelancer or editor for a couple bucks, but don't waste thousands of dollars on these charlatans.
avatar
Doctorhm
avatar
Joined: 02 Nov 2014
Last visit: 21 Jan 2016
Posts: 30
Own Kudos:
47
Given Kudos: 142
Posts: 30
Kudos: 47
"Best" Admissions Consulting Companies - 2015 Season 30 Apr 2015, 06:44
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hello,

I have narrowed down to MBA Exchange or Ameresia or Stacy Blackman. Which one would you suggest? And, which consultant in particular from the chosen firm? Or any other suggestions? More importantly, is it necessary to hire a consultancy firm and/or consultant. Are these firms worth the bucks? Any take on Indian consultancy firms and/or consultants?

Thank you.
User avatar
PTK
User avatar
Joined: 02 Jul 2009
Last visit: 06 Oct 2022
Posts: 1,138
Own Kudos:
2,206
Given Kudos: 622
Status:mission completed!
GPA: 3.77
Products:
My Reviews
Posts: 1,138
Kudos: 2,206
"Best" Admissions Consulting Companies - 2015 Season Updated on: 01 May 2015, 15:12
Originally posted by PTK on 01 May 2015, 14:53.
Last edited by PTK on 01 May 2015, 15:12, edited 2 times in total.
typos
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hi,
First of all I would like to THANK very much bb for kind help and support during my application season. Without him and his precious advice I would not be able to achieve my goals!
I would like to thank Eddie for his hard work, quality of review, commitment, and friendly attitude.

I want to share with GMAT club members my experience with Critical Square (CS) and Eddie Hahn.
In short - I really enjoyed my experience and would strongly recommend CS!

I have read lots of positive reviews here on GC and decided to try CS's services for a R3 application (INSEAD asks for 5 essays and they are not easy).
My background: European and non-native speaker, 30+ years old, WE: big4 audit->big4 advisory, then a PE fund. Post-MBA goal to advance in my current industry.
This was my third application season and therefore I was pretty aware of who am I, what are my career goals, why MBA, why school X, etc. Therefore I picked their Tactical Package (1 review of resume and 2 rounds of essay review) and it proved to be excellent decision both in terms of value for money and pick of right package. Admissions consultant will not write essay for you, he/she will help you fill the gaps between your thoughts(in essays), compress your thoughts, cut the fluff, and provide really helpfull insight.
Please, if you feel uncertain regarding which package to choose, consult with them am I sure that they will help you and advice to choose the package, which will best fit your needs.

In my review I will follow the following structure:
  • Did you enjoy the process? - Yes, Eddie was very nice and friendly during the whole process. I even asked him some questions less/ or even not relevant to my application and he was very helpful in this regard too. I would say I do regret that I had not much time to work/talk with Eddie. He is very smart, easy going and funny person.
  • Was it stressful? - No, it was least stressful MBA application for me, because I was not alone, and I had someone who advised, helped and supported me during this challenging process. Moreover, when the person is positive and nice. The most stressful/challenging part was that I decided to use CS's service just 2 weeks before the deadline (please do not commit my mistake). Since the turnaround time was for about 3 days I was very stressed about the deadline (I did not want o submit my application in last hour). To alleviate my stress (I think he realized how important is to get things done in time) Eddie was really nice and replied within 2 days. This made my application experience even less stressful
  • Did they meet your expectations? - CS even exceeded my initial expectations. From the very beginning I though that "the cheapest package will give you less attention and value for money". However after first review of essays I realized how deep Eddie dug inside my essays and how relevant and helpful were his comments and/or questions.
  • What was their greatest strength? Quality of essay review. Experience. Commitment. Fast turnaround of essays. Compressing of my thoughts in essays (as a non-native speaker sometimes I use a lot of words to describe/explain something). Eddie is a word-wizard. He cut the fluff and compressed some of my sentences without losing intended meaning. Moreover he helped me to address some points in essays I missed to cover or misinterpreted.
  • What was their weakest part? - Ok, any feedback without things to improve would look suspicious or less credible. So I will post some points here. At the very beginning you will receive a self-assessment form to complete. I have spent 3-4 days to complete it, some questions are very detailed or seemed to me less relevant. I dont know whether it is the same form CS use for all packages or it is tailored to each package, but i did not feel we (me and Eddie) used much of information from it during the process. So if you are choosing Tactical package and know you story very well please dont spend much time on it, or ask your consultant which pages/para you may skip or not provide lot of details.
  • What was the outcome? - I was invited to interview and lately was not admitted to INSEAD, but I barely think it was due to my essays. They were really strong and shine brightly. I think the reason of my denial was a very specific/strange interview experience I had with my second interviewer, but that's another story. I reworked my INSEAD essays for my next application and was accepted to UNC Kenan-Flagler (my interview was OK), which proves that I and Eddie worked hard to submit a very strong application essays.

Dear Eddie, thank you very much for your hard work and commitment!

Guys, good luck with your applications to your dream schools!
avatar
luckyseventy7
avatar
Joined: 22 Jan 2014
Last visit: 24 May 2015
Posts: 36
Own Kudos:
12
 [2]
Given Kudos: 9
Location: United States
Schools: Stanford '17 (S) Wharton '17 (S) Booth '17 (A) Kellogg '17 (WL) HBS '17 (S)
Products:
My Reviews
Schools: Stanford '17 (S) Wharton '17 (S) Booth '17 (A) Kellogg '17 (WL) HBS '17 (S)
Posts: 36
Kudos: 12
 [2]
"Best" Admissions Consulting Companies - 2015 Season 08 May 2015, 14:23
2
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
I think posts like those from cissorz and summer99 are the most valuable posts about admissions consulting companies on this entire forum and couldn't agree more with the importance of doing your diligence on a consultant and having some street sense about the overall industry, which can be shady. For anyone interested I thought I'd share how I went about researching and choosing a consultant.

No doubt the mba admissions industry is a large one. When I first started researching prices for consultants, I was surprised to see that the typical pricing for school packages in the thousands of dollars. It was definitely more than I was expecting. Apparently, there's willing demand (myself included) for what consultants are able to charge. So with any lucrative market it's logical that it would attract good and bad players too. The hard part is discerning the good from the bad. The industry is incredibly opaque and I could not believe the amount of dis-information out there on the internet such as fake positive reviews and testimonials. Admissions statistics that some firms cite are impossible to verify or audit. I learned to read everything on the internet with a healthy amount of skepticism. Real reviews can be useful if you believe they're coming from a credible source or poster. I don't think it's always a matter of fit as some people say, since some firms I'm convinced are outright scams and are a good fit for no one. The consultant I ultimately signed with I actually learned about through the gmat club forums, but I also scoured other GMAT/MBA message boards, finance sites, poets&quants, and got a referral from my GMAT prep class and recommendations from college classmates and colleagues.

After coming up with a list of 10+ firms, I set up phone consultations with all of them and took detailed notes on every call. It was a huge hassle to schedule all the calls while working full-time, but I'd do it the same way again since it was important to me to be comprehensive. After like 5 calls I felt like I had a good feel for the industry overall and compared what each had to say. Another thing I became aware of was the bait and switch. At some of the bigger firms, sometimes the person giving me the consultation was not the same person who would be my consultant. It's great if the conversation went well, but no way I'm writing you a check for thousands of dollars if you're not going to be my consultant. Just make sure- some of those places were willing to follow up with a free conversation with who they would assign you to. If it's a firm that you're still questionable on, as an additional step you can also ask to contact a prior client as a reference. After I narrowed it down to the 3 most legit firms, that when I finally made my decision based of fit / gut.

After going through the process, my overall impression of the admissions consulting industry is actually pretty negative, but I believe there are some that are worth it if you choose to. Just be sure to do your diligence! I had a very good experience with mine, but only after I did my work beforehand. You really owe it yourself if you're spending that much money.
User avatar
vivek1303
User avatar
Joined: 06 Feb 2013
Last visit: 15 Oct 2018
Posts: 56
Own Kudos:
11
Given Kudos: 24
Location: India
Concentration: Marketing
Schools: Olin '17 (A$) Krannert '17 (A$) Kelley '17 (A) Duke Fuqua (D) Foster '17 (A) Goizueta '17
GMAT 1: 750 Q50 V41
GPA: 3.1
Products:
My Reviews
Schools: Olin '17 (A$) Krannert '17 (A$) Kelley '17 (A) Duke Fuqua (D) Foster '17 (A) Goizueta '17
GMAT 1: 750 Q50 V41
Posts: 56
Kudos: 11
"Best" Admissions Consulting Companies - 2015 Season 24 May 2015, 04:04
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Here is my MBA application story and my experience with Experts' Global...

The path to pursuing an MBA abroad from some of the top management institutes looks like a step one can take without much guidance. Since everything on GMAT exam is so very well defined – right from the type of questions, to the kind of areas it tests, to the kind of curve balls it throws – one wishes that the journey to post-GMAT application process was equally peaceful. Alas! If wishes were horses..! I feel that taking one’s GMAT exam is barely 30% of the overall journey to a successful MBA.

I wrote GMAT exam in August 2013 and applied to some business schools with only 3 years of work experience under my belt. I worked with a part-time consultant who was helpful in helping me give slightly better essays than the ones I had written, but nothing above that. I ended the application cycle with an egg on my face.

In 2014, somewhere around May, I decided that I will prepare for my GMAT once again and will use a world-class consultant. An international student trying to fund the education myself, I needed scholarship to pursue global education. I was of the view that this time I would be going for someone who offers a scholarship guarantee - this would mean that if I am unable to secure a scholarship, at least I will get my money back. Searching for such consultants I came across a GMAT club testimonial where a member talked about the personal touch and a structured approach by the consultants he had chosen: ExpertsGlobal. I opened the website and voila – they were offering a scholarship guarantee! I spoke with Mayank – Head Mentor - twice and he was able to enthuse me with the confidence that considering my background and profile, I shall make for a healthy scholarships. They gave a written proof of my scholarship chances at Top25 and Top 50 schools. Impressed by the amounts they were confidently saying I would secure, I paid the deposit. The fee for sure is high, but one gets his/ her penny’s worth when one gets the results.

The best thing about EG is that they hand-hold you throughout the process. They will hold your pinky and show you everything – the post-GMAT peacefulness which I was missing found a good partner here. They have a well-defined college profiling questionnaire which helps them judge your personal/ professional highlights to be used strategically in the essays. After that it’s all breeze. The best part: the team is flexible in terms of the number of colleges to which you can apply. If required, they are ready to go the extra-mile to fill new applications. Lastly, they offer interview guidance which is flexible as well. They don’t bottle the number of times you can practice interviews with the team. If weak, one can give 4-5 interviews; in my case, only 2 interviews were sufficient.

I had one of the most wonderful professional association with my mentor and with Experts Global, in general. Their flexible and understanding nature is highly disarming. My mentor, Shailesh Otari, helped me with a flexible application list, interviews, and even post admission stuff. Overall, I would highly recommend EG’s services.

I rounded my application cycle with 7 conversions, 1 waitlist, and 1 reject. Of the 7 admits, I had scholarships in 6 of them – ranging from 40% to 100%.

CAVEAT: Sometimes, they might play extra safe, but it depends on the student to suggest them to be more aggressive and take higher risk. EG by themselves wouldn’t say a no, but it’s for the student to stand up and suggest taking greater risks for applying to more number of dream schools.
avatar
bspatafore
avatar
Joined: 08 Jun 2014
Last visit: 25 May 2015
Posts: 1
Posts: 1
Kudos: 0
"Best" Admissions Consulting Companies - 2015 Season 25 May 2015, 04:51
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Show SpoilerPost pending deletion - does not meet the user credibility standards
5 stars for Amerasia (specifically I worked with Adam)

After speaking with several of the large consulting shops (and being told, "as a generic white male you should consider applying to lower ranked schools), I contacted Amerasia. I spoke with Adam just a day or 2 later. We discussed my background, goals, and target schools. He was realistic with his feedback but not discouraging. He discussed Amerasia's approach, his personal working style, and afforded me the opportunity to ask questions. I knew immediately this was the right consultant for me. Unlike the major consulting firms, there were no limits on the number of calls we could have if necessary, there were no restrictions on how quickly he would reply (I was told by 2 of the major firms that turn around time 2 business days after receipt of a draft or question). Finally, and most importantly, the advice Amerasia gives is tailored specifically to each individual client.

Adam did not disappoint. He was very responsive and all his advice was specific to my circumstances. One of the biggest struggles I had before hiring Adam was putting my goals to paper; I knew why I wanted to go to business school but I couldn't seem to find the most effective way to demonstrate it. Adam's first step with me was to write a mock essay. It took the pressure off of writing an actual essay for a specific school, which helped me relax. After a couple rounds of revisions I was ready to begin actual applications; I referred back to the mock essay for nearly every single essay I wrote for every school I applied to. It was an amazing resource to have.

I applied to Columbia, Haas, and LBS. I was accepted to 2 and waitlisted at 1. I owe a large part of my success to advice Adam gave me.
User avatar
dtse86
User avatar
Retired Moderator
Joined: 03 Feb 2014
Last visit: 15 May 2023
Posts: 575
Own Kudos:
264
Given Kudos: 158
Status:And so it ends...
Concentration: Strategy, Other
Schools: Johnson (Cornell) - Class of 2017
GMAT 1: 730 Q49 V40
GPA: 2.48
WE:Engineering (Other)
Products:
My Reviews
Schools: Johnson (Cornell) - Class of 2017
GMAT 1: 730 Q49 V40
Posts: 575
Kudos: 264
"Best" Admissions Consulting Companies - 2015 Season 03 Jun 2015, 05:50
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
summer99
Waste of money

I bough a package from MBAmission and my consultant was Angela Guido. She seemed nice and at first I was excited. I quickly realized this was a horrible investment.

In short you get:
a couple phone calls (It felt like pulling teeth to get Angela on the phone)
Some revisions on your essays (you do all the heavy lifting: ideas, structure, details) Angela just gave me some generic comments that lacked school specific knowledge.

Here is an example of how things went:

"...rather than discussing some more stuff that we have already covered on two calls and that I have covered in my comments, I think some examples might help get you moving in the right direction. Please review the complete start to finish guide chapter on the Personal statement..."

"..I cannot tell you what to write. I cannot tell you what to say, I can only empower you with the tools to do so yourself and to let you know when you are falling shorter than the bar..."



At the end she gave me the OK with my essay, and said that they were great and good to go. My girlfriend took a look into them and pointed to lots of grammatical and mechanics errors. When I confronted Angela about them, she said that because I was an international student I was supposed to have error to "keep it real".

I actually ended up having a phone call with Jeremy Shinewald, president of MBAmission to discuss the poor service. I told Jeremy that I wasn't looking to get a refund or anything. I just wanted to voice out my frustration and concerns. I felt that once he knew I wasn't looking to get my money back, he seemed to disengage and nothing came out of the phone call.

At the end of the process I realized that these consulting services are just snake oil. Do yourself a favor and don't fall for it. If i were to do it all over again, I would reach out to current students and get their feedback; they know best their school and will let you know if your essays capture the essence of a good applicant. if you feel you need to polish your writing, go ahead and pay a freelancer or editor for a couple bucks, but don't waste thousands of dollars on these charlatans.
Show more

I had a similar experience to summer99 with MBAmission and wrote a review about my experience here: My Reviews

Although, my feelings towards them are not as harsh. I believe there are some people out there that will 100% benefit from using a consultant and for them it may be worth the money. But for me, I found that it wasn't worth the couple grand I paid (really wishing I bought a new road bike instead ;)). I think I was personally already informed enough about the process that I could've done just as well on my own (I pretty much did).
User avatar
avik629
User avatar
Joined: 30 Mar 2013
Last visit: 27 Aug 2023
Posts: 94
Own Kudos:
36
 [1]
Given Kudos: 131
Schools: ISB '16 (D) McCombs '17 (WD) Broad '17 (D) Kenan-Flagler '17 (D) Goizueta '17 (D) Smeal '17 (D) Duke Fuqua (D) Sloan '17 (D) Anderson '17 (M$) Marshall '17 (A) Mays '17 (A$) Urbana-Champaign '17 (D)
GMAT 1: 680 Q48 V35
GMAT 2: 690 Q50 V34
GMAT 3: 700 Q46 V40
GMAT 4: 730 Q50 V40
GPA: 3.41
Products:
My Reviews
Schools: ISB '16 (D) McCombs '17 (WD) Broad '17 (D) Kenan-Flagler '17 (D) Goizueta '17 (D) Smeal '17 (D) Duke Fuqua (D) Sloan '17 (D) Anderson '17 (M$) Marshall '17 (A) Mays '17 (A$) Urbana-Champaign '17 (D)
GMAT 4: 730 Q50 V40
Posts: 94
Kudos: 36
 [1]
"Best" Admissions Consulting Companies - 2015 Season 13 Jun 2015, 07:56
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Critical Square was ‘critical’ factor in turning my unfruitful 2 year struggle to get into a good business school into a success beyond my expectations. In my first year of trying for b-school I had hired another local admissions consultant, but I was not able to get an admit even though I got to the interview round. Their interview prep was off target. So a second time around, I was reluctant to get help from an consultant. But seven R1 denials, even from very safe schools, made me very shaky.

I wanted to go to b-school that very year, so I reluctantly decided to hire a US based admission consultant. I reached out to a number of admissions consultants asking them if they could suggest a package which was within my budget. Critical Square offered me a customised hour based plan which was affordable as well as suited to build upon the work of the older consultant. I had asked for a ding analysis which was not a part of their standard services, but they accommodated anyway. They even offered me a huge discount!

Bhavik was assigned to my case, and I want to say this about him - he gets you. That ding analysis turned out to be very helpful to my overall application. Bhavik saw through and through my application and was brutally honest in pointing out red flags. I was not even aware they were there. This helped me point out the sections I would work on and take their help.

I ended up signing up for resume editing, school selection, and help with 3 schools essays. A note to all b-school aspirants, there is a ton you could seek their help in, but it would be more effective if you know where you want to concentrate your efforts. They don’t hold your hand and instruct you and you are in the driving seat the whole time.

With a revamped resume, and essays reviewed by Critical Square at least once, I applied to 3 schools. I also leveraged that work to apply to two additional schools. When the schools started shortlisting candidates for interview I was amazed to get interview calls from all 5! I signed up for interview prep for my top choice UCLA and scheduled mock interviews with John and Eddie. Both sessions were tailored to UCLA and I was given a prep package and a detailed action tracker after each mock to track how I performed in each question and what further work was required which was very helpful. The actual interview turned out to be exactly the same as my first mock.

I ended up with 3 admits including UCLA where I am matriculating. I believe Critical Square helped me become a great candidate in the eyes of the adcoms. They are well aware of what the adcoms are looking for in an application and try to help ‘you’ say ‘your’ stories to achieve the best results. So to all aspirants who find themselves in a similar situation. If you are getting dings, there is something wrong with your app. You cant find it if you don’t know what to look for. Critical Square does.
   1   2   3