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07 Mar 2015, 18:01
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LazyBoy8
This wouldn't help for you this application cycle, but Management Leaders for Tomorrow has great admissions counselors to help even out the field. Also, it's stuff like this that shows why the Consortium mission is so important. I plan to try to get in a position to counsel future applicants, and especially steer the really great ones to the school I end up attending
07 Mar 2015, 19:20
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I really appreciate the feedback and encouragement. I am trusting that things will work out.
bml1105
Retired Moderator
Joined: 18 Jan 2014
Last visit: 27 Apr 2018
Posts: 448
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Given Kudos: 49
Location: United States
Concentration: Marketing
Schools: Cnsrtm-Haas '17 (D) Cnsrtm-Stern '17 (A) Cnsrtm-Tuck '17 (A) Cnsrtm-Anderson '17 (WD) Kellogg '17 (M)
GMAT 1: 680 Q44 V40
GMAT 2: 710 Q49 V37
WE:Sales (Other)
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Schools: Cnsrtm-Haas '17 (D) Cnsrtm-Stern '17 (A) Cnsrtm-Tuck '17 (A) Cnsrtm-Anderson '17 (WD) Kellogg '17 (M)
GMAT 2: 710 Q49 V37
Posts: 448
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07 Mar 2015, 21:10
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Wildabout
I completely disagree. I did use a consultant and there is no doubt in my mind that I got into the schools I did because of her. Yeah, it was a lot of money and that really sucked. But I'm going to the best marketing school in the country and I'm going to have endless opportunities that I wouldn't have had before or even if I went to a lower ranked school. Also, while I'm sure she had multiple clients (it was a big firm and she's a big person there), I never once felt like she wasn't putting in everything when reviewing my materials. There were some things that had 8-9 drafts with very detailed feedback to make sure we were getting it right. And that would be for one school. I applied to 5. I'm a strong writer (law school does that to you), but that's not the only help I think consultants provide. While she did make edits to my essays, my biggest perks were:
- (1) Theme, Theme, Theme - I think this is the most important part of the application, that I wouldn't have necessarily thought of. It's easy for me to create a resume and write essays, but I would have just focused on each individual part and answering each question. Thanks to my consultant, we came up with a theme of what I wanted to achieve and every item I submitted with each of my applications focused on how I've been working towards those goals, why I'll be excellent in those roles, and how I'll accomplish it and be successful. It seems very basic, but when you get to a seemingly random question, tying it back to one central theme isn't the easiest thing to do.
(2) Giving me a streamlined career goal that made sense with my background and would be of interest to the schools - I know I'm interested in marketing and business development, but I don't really care what industry. Also, my experience while heavily marketing based doesn't come across that great on a resume, so breaking it down and picking an industry that I was interested in and worked well with my background was essential
(3) Answering questions in a way the adcomms want to see - while it's true we do all know our own story and experiences, there were times that I had an idea for an essay and while it definitely would have fit, she helped me pick a different experience that the adcomms would like and get the most value out of. We don't all have cookie cutter experiences that we can just drop into an essay, finding WHICH story is as important as the writing.
(4) Helping me explain some really low points in my GPA, based on a sensitive family issue that can easily be seen as a big red flag - She helped me craft my essays around that, to show that while this one thing happened 10 years ago, it shouldn't be something they are afraid of. While we all know if we have one of these issues, knowing how to frame it and present it is a big difference between it being seen as a positive/strength or a no way/we don't want to take a chance decision.
(5) Making my non-traditional background and semi-random work experience seem impressive and valued - as someone who has already been to graduate school, yet didn't come from a big company with a fancy job, mixed with the above two, I would have ended up at a much lower school without her help on this part. Writing a good essay isn't enough if they aren't impressed with your background and work experience
(6) Recommenders - we came up with this excellent template to send to my recommenders to make sure that when they wrote my letters, they had specific points to highlight that fit into my theme.
I don't think a consultant is necessary for everyone. If I had a higher GPA and had one of those highly sought after jobs, I wouldn't have gotten one. But I do think that if you are willing to invest $150K plus into graduate school, and you see there are some clear weaknesses in your application paying a couple thousand to make sure your $150K is spent on a school that will give you more opportunities to pay it off. Also, while I don't know the result of the Consortium fellowship, in my mind the money I spent on a consultant can easily be made up with the increased chances of a scholarship. Even though I only got a "small" scholarship at Kellogg, it far exceeds the amount I paid for the consultant. And I'm 100% convinced I wouldn't have gotten into Kellogg without her.
P.S. As a heads up, the only schools I didn't use the consultant for were Harvard and Stanford. The only school I was rejected at, with the help of the consultant, was Haas, and I'm fairly positive that if I hadn't withdrawn from UCLA I would have gotten in.
