Feedback for Alex Chu @ mbaapply

Question

Hi All,
I am debating on using Alex Chu @ mbaapply for my essay reviews (I dont have many friedns in B schools). What do you guys suggest? Any feedback will be greatly appreciated...If you have any alternate please feel free to suggest that too.
thanks in advance!

lagomez · Answer

I've sent him an email in the past and read many of his postings. I think he offers good advice. He can be very candid so if your feelings hurt easily you may want to look elsewhere.

Honestly, he offers better advice, based on forum postings, than some of the other people. Not to say others are not as good.

jzd · Answer

Alex is great. I did not use Alex for essay reviews but from my experiences with him, he really knows his stuff and I would recommend him.

I would have obtained his services if my GMAT scores are not as laughable as they are. (basically, no consultants will be able to help me in my case)

Class2012 · Answer

I used Alex for essay reviews(hourly).He provides honest feedback.

rao · Answer

Thanks Guys!!!

Some people suggested Sandy also but I think 'ego' and 'time' are two big problems with sandy.

ariel · Answer

Has anyone used MBA Volunteers?

lagomez · Answer

haven't heard anything about them

MBAgirl2010 · Answer

If this is for Wharton - Alex C Fleming (an '09 grad and former adcom member) has also started doing consulting. He has a solid sample essay on his site and nicer pricing. PrecisionEssay is another option I know of - former HBS grads with excellent essay write-ups for the top schools and also more affordable. Either of these will probably give you more attention than the top two guys who do hundreds of essays per season.

praz · Answer

a friend of mine used hbsguru and was pretty disappointed with the turn around time and lack of interest shown. 
i just believe hbsguru is stretched thin. 
i've used alex chu's help through gmatclub and he gave really good feedback. 
i also used mba volunteers last year, and they were really good. i'd recommend them, considering it's just 100$ and the in depth feedback they offer, it should be an easy decision to try them out mbavolunteers.org.
Precision Essay's essay analysis in my opinion is out of the league. They really helped me in writing my wharton essays. They should be a solid bet to take advice from.

aggie20 · Answer

Long time viewer of these forums, first time poster, but I felt the need to share how much I truly enjoyed working with Alex. His advice was blunt but completely constructive and he totally helped me create great essays. He was especially helpful in steering me in the right direction. Every essay was completely in my own words...he just helped me position my ideas in a way that would be the most effective for the application. I look back at my first drafts and can't believe how well they eventually turned out, but they definitely wouldn't have been as good without him!

ariel · Answer

For those of you who have used Alex Chu's services, I'd really appreciate any insight on the following:

1) What's the usual turnaround time this time of the year? 
2) Does he charge per essay or per app? I didn't see that kind of pricing on his website. 
3) Is review of revisions included?

Thanks a lot!

rao · Answer

Thanks Guys!!!

how about MBA Exchange? little confused between the two.

rao · Answer

Any feedback on Dan @ MBA Exchange

MBAgirl2010 · Answer

All I know about them is that they cost 2-3 times the price of an Alex or Sandy' one-school-packet because their standard packet is 3-4 schools. They have former Adcoms from several schools in their ranks, and they are committed to getting you in at least one school from your list of 3-4 ( at least one is also the criteria their success rate is based on ). So if you have the cash and really really need to get into at least one school this year - they may be a good choice. Dan was also persistent in following up on your request for info with e-mails, so expect several e-mails if you reach out to them for information until you tell them Yay or Nay.

mbasc2010 · Answer

I used Alex for one application and he was great. Not only does he provide really quick turnaround time (about a day or two, in some cases the same day), he went through as many revisions as I wanted. Not only that, he stays with you even after you submit the application (minus interview prep which is extra). Whenever I had questions about the general admissions process, he was extremely helpful. I think he's great and he'll be completely honest with you about your essays, etc..to ensure that you submit the best application possible.

levfin2003 · Answer

Alex,

I read your earlier post regarding MIT's Rd1. I understand that RD2 is more competitive than RD1, but is it as competitive as RD3 at other schools? If that is, in fact, the case, I probbaly would not be very eager to apply to Sloan.

Thanks.

ounce · Answer

The only concern I have with Alex Chu is that he charges about $2,250 for one school package - not saying it's excessive fees, but maybe just not as flexible as others who only charges per essay - and honestly, most of us only need help with 1 or 2 essays for each school.

If you use him for an hourly service, it's at the range of $200+/hour, would it be worth it? I wanted to use him to edit about 2 essays, but his fees are a bit expensive - by my standard as I'm poor.

Feedback for Alex Chu @ mbaapply

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