Ethics and legality of MBA consultants

Question

The application certification (terms and conditions) of the Anderson MBA states the following -

My electronic signature confirms that I certify to the best of my knowledge... that the work is my own or properly cited, and that I received no assistance in completing this application or the accompanying essays.... This is my own, honest statement to the Admissions Committee.

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aeon86 · Answer

it's a thin line.
if what the consultant does is review and suggest changes, then i think it's legal.
same with CV review etc.

the second they start writing parts of your essays even if you modify them after you're headed into uncharted teritory.

my logic to state this? You ask people to proofread your essays right? your mom, dad, sister brother?
By your logic, you're not allowed to do that either. cause any suggestion they make would make your work not your own.
so my vote goes to yes it's legal, as long as you do the work yourself.

carpediemwtf · Answer

Most MBA consultants sell their products specifically saying that they would help present the profile better. I strongly feel that getting MBA consultants should at least be strongly discouraged by the MBA colleges. It feels like cheating when you look at it from that perspective. I talked to a few consultants regarding college selection and ding analysis and truly found no value to those discussions. I think that if MBA colleges would really give it a good thought, they'll find it unethical that one can pay money to improve the essays which are possibly the most weighted aspect of the application. Isn't that analogous to paying money to get a better GMAT score?

Also, my question was whether you think it is ethical. It is currently legal but simple logic dictates that if Anderson MBA's certification is true then MBA consultants shouldn't be legal.

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gmatpercher · Answer

NVM

carpediemwtf · Answer

I doubt that the top scorers really get GMAT prep class and the way the exam is structured, you do not need classes. Since you seem to have done the same and it seems that you are personally offended, let me ask you if I put these two facts as a CR question to you, would it seem legal?

Also, everyone does it so it's legal isn't how law works. I think the worst performers of an MBA class who find themselves without a job join consulting companies. Noone dreams of being an MBA consultant. Thereafter, they peddle a lot of nonsense and are actively trying to muddle the distinction to keep their coffers full. MBA colleges wouldn't want to see the losers they let in (due in part to help from MBA consultants) die hungry and thus the cycle is repeating. Do you see the cyclical nature of this entire farce?

gmatpercher · Answer

NVM

carpediemwtf · Answer

Nice way of showing class! See this is how you find out who's been prepped up in a hurry. It's Straw Man not strawman. Since you were insistent on using Ad Hominem, I too had to.

Between, your Circular Arguments aren't helping the discussion at hand. I just asked whether two things are logically consistent with each other. Also, it'd really help if you would not generalise Hastily. The money I spent was immaterial and the Red Herrings you keep putting up instead of the answering the simple question is just a weird way of going about a simple discussion. If you would go back and look at my initial question, you'd find that it was a simple question regarding logic.

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carpediemwtf · Answer

By the way, the quality of upbringing obviously has to do with your parents. So, if your parents are good MBAs, you just would be better than the average at management. So, having parents with good profiles obviously should play a part in your candidacy.

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aeon86 · Answer

Ok, i'm just going to reply since you personally addressed me.

you asked me what I consider ethical: 
as long as they don't put words in your mouth, and just coach you by telling you your weak points, and what you can improve on.
basically, it's the same any other person could do for you, except since you're unrelated to them and they don't owe you anything you pay them for their time.

the service has nothing ethical to do with it. whether you can afford to pay for it or not has nothing to do with ethics.
it would be an entirely different thing if you were to pay the ADCOM of the school you're applying to, to review your application and tell you your weaknesses, THEN you would have an ethics issue.

that's all I'm going to say about it. You may agree or disagree, that's your privilege.

let me just point out to the both of you, that a mentality like that where you start throwing veiled attacks at each other cause you disagree on a point, is something not a single school is looking for, so you better change that if you want to get into any B-school.

carpediemwtf · Answer

Sorry about that. That is anyhow the way things are being discussed around the world nowadays. Sorry to say you'd find similar discussions within top MBA programs too. This is some light-hearted ribbing. Have you seen how ugly the Israel Palestine fight has become at UCLA?

Anyhow, I say all of this because I hired a "top mba consultant" who told me that it's okay to ADD enhancements in your essays. "They don't check". And because another consultant suggested that LGBTQ "have a benefit in US colleges".

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bb · Answer

Perhaps this email screenshot will answer your question. We get these from time to time, though I never ended up attending but schools do reach out and campaign and promote themselves to Consultants. I got at least 2 such invitations in October.

Attachments

consultants.png [ 62.49 KiB | Viewed 4197 times ]

bb · Answer

Ethics and legality of MBA consultants

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