"Best" admission consulting companies?

Hi,

I am recommending the services from Natalie and accepted. com. I get to know Natalie through this community and it has been a truly grateful, pleaseant experience to work with such seasoned professionals. She have helped me to get into one of the top 10 MBA in the nation and I truly appreciate for her caring atttiude, energy and professional serivices that she have prepared me in this journey.

Natalie basically tansformed me from a raw material into a presentable statue. My background is Ivy League, medium-ranked GPA, 720 GMAT, 2+ yrs I-bankng experience in New York. However, Natalie not only help me edit the essays but also teaches me how to strcuture the essays into a presentable format. I truly appreciate her help.

If you have any questions or comments, please pm me, thanks!

*****Sorry for the late UPDATE, I still feel this will be useful********-------------------------------
I had really bad experience with Veritas after 2 interactions with my consultant. I wanted my money back - and after SEVERAL calls they agreed but still didn't refund $300.00
Now I am working on my own. This tells me that - whatever research we do - at the end its your luck if you get a good consultant or not.

Also one of their consultants - wanted me to work with him/her seperately without going thru Veritas !! Can u believe that!!---------------------------------

Hi,

I received several PM's from members and thought I will post this message here that I replied to them, but obviously taking out any personal info and consultants names etc... this is my experience and it is very subjective process, also I am keeping an open mind for the process and will get back to you after my experience - Good/Bad with Veritas..

I will try to be to the point here..But it will still be long .... hope it helps
I had my fixed criteria to choose which was not completely objective but subjective as well. Like, first after doing basic research I narrowed down 7 consultants;
Out of 7 - 1st consultant emailed me that for comprehensive package I should wait and email them back by May end / June.
If I am taking comprehensive package - I want to utilize maximum amount of time and wanted to finish working on Resume by May and also needed their feedback on strategy and visiting schools etc. So I dropped it.

Then I had 30 min phone consultation with the remianing 6 consultants.
While talking I knew if the person was intersted and really willing to help or just on the call to promote his/her consultancy. Obviously they are doing business but still there is some difference.
So I dropped - 2nd option because - I had a 30 min call with consultant and from the beginning of the call she was hesitant in providing me more info on my profile, and she was eager to finish the call even when it was only 15 min. For every question I asked her, she told me that she would need more information and cannot tell anything at this step. So right away I felt that this is a no go for me. But still I waited for my 2nd round of information.

After speaking with all 6 consultants though I narrowed down to 3 in my mind - I still emailed all 6 consultants with my 2 questions, 1 stupid but real question and other one relevant to their process.
2nd option** - consultants response was rude and derogatory. - Thats how I felt and so dropped that option right away.
3rd Consultant was very helpful but told me to get good score in Gmat and I can get u in Chicago booth/Kellogg - I dont want anyone to make any promises to me as I know this can be done - but no one can promise - also very costly - so dropped that one.
4th one - was pricey + had so many conditions in order to allow me to sign one school first and then other schools with the same discount. I didnt want conditions, as that made me doubt about their work quality.. so didnt want to enroll for 5 school package and then regret.. also in the initial call consultant provided me with more pessimistic answers, I know that no one can promise and I dont want any fake promises, but if the person whom I am going to work with is already so negative about my profile - where will I seek some support from ? - so dropped it.
-----Remaining 3 - Amerasia, StacyB and Veritas -- All were great - Shortlisted)
StacyB - was to the point and good /efficient/on time but pricey for me - I didnt feel like price for 1 school package was competitive enough for me. and didnt want to pay so much money for 5 schools.
Paul was really really helpful - but I had my own reasons .... for now - I am going to go with him in 2nd round of applications ...
Consultant from Veritas Prep - she called me first time, talked happily for 50 min on a 30 min promised time call, when I emailed her my question later, she was travelling, she emailed me right away that if she can reply to me after 1 day as she is on vacation.
After 1 day she emailed me saying she can call me to discuss my questions and she again did a 30 min call with me for free and answered all my questions.
Then I spoke to Veritas Prep rep about taking only 1 school package now and then adding later. Now, everyone can do it. They have not yet updated their website though. And I got 10% gmatclub discount - and he also is going to add the discount later for subsequent packages too.
I can change my consultants 2-3 times till the time I am not happy with my head consultant - just in case.
Provides 1 Head consultant and 1 specialist to work with for 1 school.. I liked that.... so going with it..

If u need the original post please PM me... as I omitted details here...

Hope this helps!!!!!!

If u like this post - Please click on Kudos :)

I have been looking for an admissions consultant for a while and from what I read on the GC and else where, I scheduled two calls, one with MBAMission - Jeremy and other one with Amerasia - Paul.
MBAMission. I had a 30 minute discussion with Jeremy where he basically commented on my profile, what could have been my strengths and weaknesses and he answered my questions. Then he asked me to send him one of my applications past year and we scheduled another call where he went through my old application, pointed out the week parts of my essays and potential improvement areas.
I like talking to Jeremy but if he told me that if I hire them I would working with another consultant from the company.

Amerasia: Before the talk, Paul had answered a lot of PM's from GC and he had given good advices / comments. So I decided to have a call with him too. before the call I send him one of my old applications and our call was similar to the one with MBAMission. Paul gave his comments on all of 4 essays on that application, and again pointed out the potential improvements in each of them. We had scheduled the call for 30 mins. but it took almost an hour and he answered all of my questions in detail. After the call he sent me a bunch of documents like sample essays , school guides, interview guides etc.

I am slightly inclined towards Amerasia (it is slightly cheaper and I felt very comfortable talking with Paul, I am not sure if I'll feel the same with the consultant MBAMission assigns me) currently but still not sure which one to go with. But based on my initial calls but guys seem great..

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to chime into the discussion and mention the consultant I used, which I don't think anyone has discussed yet. Like many of you, I took many companies up on the free initial consultation - I think I spoke with consultants from MBAmission and Admit Advantage. I was referred to Tyler Cormney (https://tylercormney.com/) by a colleague, and I eventually chose to work with him.

I started the process pretty early - I took the GMAT in May and started working with Tyler soon after. We spent probably the first 2 months working on my story, goals, personality/leadership strengths and weaknesses, etc. - basically, all the building blocks. With that ironed out early on, essay writing became significantly easier, and I firmly believe that is where I got the most value from Tyler. He really took the time to get to know me as a person, and that helped him mold my story.

In terms of essay editing, I found him to be very helpful and prompt as well - I write a lot of lengthy (and difficult to understand) sentences, so he really helped there, as well as making sure that the entire thing made sense as a whole. I did a mock interview with him too, and he did lots of research beforehand to make sure that he asked questions that the school's admissions officers typically ask.

Anyhow, if any of you have questions about Tyler, I'd be happy to answer them - I got into my top choice school with a scholarship, so the results definitely show.

Thanks!

My personal experience and advice is to choose someone who's been doing it for a while, knows the process and the schools you're applying to inside and out, and that you have rapport with. I am happy with my experience but think my consultant is a bit light in admissions consulting experience...I would pick the same company again, but pick a different person.

UA87:
Thanks for the props.
- Paul Lanzillotti

I received some questions like what are the initial important questions that we should ask the consultants, i.e., how to make most out of the first FREE session with the consultant?
And when I initially went through this process I had the same questions but not very concrete answers, after experiencing and down talking with 12 + consultants now I think I am ready to put down my experience here to help other members who are just starting this process, it might save them some time :

1. Do not try to have calls with all the consultants same day - Maximum of 2 calls per day - as you need to analyze the information you get and think about it for at least a day before deciding. After a day or so you will be in a better position to compare all the previous consultants to spoke with.

2. Some profile related basic questions for which everyone of us would like to get an answer from the consultant are:
- What do you think about my profile?
- What are my strengths and weaknesses?
- What schools you think I should apply to – looking at my current profile?
- What are areas you think I need an improvement and can I still do something to improve in those areas?
- Do you have experience working with students with my background?

3. Questions to determine the working style of consultant – For the companies that provide options to work with different consultants and you spoke to only one of them – your experience might vary and you might be able to find a worst and best consultant in the same company, so in case if u have bad experience with one, do not hesitate to ask for another consultant to talk with if you think you liked the firm in terms of package/pricing/feedback/reviews etc.

4. Find out if the consultant is going to do 3 -4 edits (though they advertize unlimited, they have an internal limit set for their consultants as a general guideline) or will they help you to get a perfect essay irrespective of number of edits? You do not want to work with someone who is always watching the clock even when you paid for a comprehensive package.

5. Are they going to help with school selection (Target / reach / safeties etc) and will set a MBA plan for you regardless of how many schools you work with them?

6. We generally tend to like people who are on time for the meetings and reply to your emails promptly – same applies to the consultant. If they think that it’s us only who are in need – and they are doing a favor – No – it’s their business. So even you can expect them to be punctual and professional.

7. Consultants must be prompt with deadlines – but depends on us the clients too – I would like a consultant who can help me complete my applications at least 10 days before the school deadline!

8. I would not be comfortable enrolling with a company who are not flexible with the package, if they are confident about the service they should be ok with adding more schools later with the same discount option.

9. Most important part is – You will understand with the way conversation goes – if the consultant starts with your weaknesses but till the end only tell you that your profile is very weak and you should think again and only target 15-20 rank school - Might be true – Might be he is very much to the point – But you don’t need that another person to add to your anxiety. As decision has already been made by you to apply – Now you need a person who can help you to strengthen your profile, structure the MBA game plan for you and bring out the best from you on paper in form of resumes and essays - You need someone who can criticize and edit your work but balance it out by his/her optimism and support. – specially in the later stages when the process becomes painful you not only need a knowledgeable consultant but as well as a good person.

I will come up with my next post – Worst Case Scenario - shortly!! ~~ Stay tuned :D
Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any more questions!!

As Always – If u like this post ~~ KUDOS ~~ is the way to let me know!!!

My recommendation is to read reviews on these forums,.. There is a lot of information available on consultants..

Once you are done talking with the consultants, read their reviews and then make your decision. Again, you have to do your research.. make sure they know the school you are applying to very well..

I have contacted Amerasia and mbaMission for free consultation. I will update the details once I am done with the consultation.

Gclubbers, Who, in your opinion, is a patient consultant at mbaMission. I have a consultation lined up and the consultants available are

Lynn Moloney
Regan Clarke
Brian Hartman
Jeremy Shinewald-This guys consultation is pretty late in the night wrt my time. If every other consultant is short tempered and impatient then I will choose Jeremy.

If you feel uncomfortable posting your choice, please pm me, it will be very helpful.

Thanks.

Hi..
Please provide ur input in this thread also... it will help us only when more n more mebers participate:)


https://gmatclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=103&t=112623&start&view=viewpoll

wow just had a call with Lisa Westlake at Stacy Blackman - she was late to the call and then she mixed up my profile with someone else's... which was ok, i mean, people make mistakes. she did offer some solid comments about interviews and what each school might focus on etc.

and then it just kinda became a boring sales pitch when i asked about the consultant pairing process etc. i also asked what's the maximum number of clients each consultant takes on (something i'm very concerned about), and she gave some vague answer like "for some consultants the max is 2, for others its 20"... C'MON. I'm a consultant myself and I say things like that to my clients all the time, and i fully understand how quality is usually compromised simply because of workload (because it happens to me too!!!).

i guess i do prefer the boutique firms ive spoken to so far...

I did my research well.. I read the reviews of admission consultants here, and I talked with 3 agencies.

1. MBA Missions.
2. Stacey Blackman
3. Amerasia

I am usually very through.. So, The way I compared everyone is, I sent them my resume / essays and asked them to provide feedback. (some only looked at resume) ..I will not comment on too much others, but I went ahead with Paul and will share my experience.

Some of the other agencies I talked to said they read one essay or just looked at resume and their advice was very superficial.. What i mean here is that their advice was very generic.. like you must show goodness of fit..or your goals need to match what you have been doing.. I know that. .. Paul on the other hand went through the entire package (all my essays+ Resume + goals) during our free consultation..and exactly addressed the weaknesses..like he said you have this experience X .. you need to talk more about it, it will match your goal Y which will also make you a perfect for this school Z... since the school's strengths are ... .. ..

Paul read through each and every sentence of all 4 essays and my resume - during our free consultation and provided me with feedback. I was very happy with his feedback because he was looking at the big picture and advised me with what I need to work on...

I went ahead with Paul, and he did an excellent job. What I liked about him is that he not only will help with all the essay editing etc.. But he will try to understand what you are trying to sell, what is your background.. If there are some community activities you list.. he will take the effort to learn about them , so he can better contribute to your application. It is this background research improves his knowledge of you. He tries to look holistically at your application just like the admissions would, rather than just trying to edit your essays or resume. Every call with him not only helped improved my application, but he helped bring out the best in me. He would ask about my experiences with company X and suggest ideas.

He even helped with my resume and helped me provide a guideline to my recommenders.. In the guideline I made a list of my strengths, weaknesses and other things that I want the recommenders to mention.

I had a very aggressive timeline and he met it with ease. He stayed up working late at night and also ensured that I met my date. In the end, when I was ready to submit my application, I sent him a PDF of the application and he reviewed it.

I must say his knowledge of the b-schools is outstanding. Knows the programs, knows the schools and the cultures extremely well. Again, a lot of people probably claim this, but knowing the programs with a knowledge of your background, will keep your application very relevant to you.

Throughout this process he was very easy to reach. If i wanted to discuss an essay he would be open anytime I requested. The best part was he had an email turn around time of a couple of minutes. When I sent him an email, he would respond in minutes..

I was very satisfied with this experience and would definitely recommend Paul from Amerasia if any of you are considering an admissions consultant. Send your essays and then discuss with him.

Special Kudos to MichMax and dibblebun who helped me during this process… So if there is someone who is at this crossroads, please PM me and I can provide you with more info.

EDIT: I was accepted to the schools I applied to ...

Does anyone have the pricing for MBA Exchange? Their site doesn't say and I've heard it can be very high, but according to admissions411, they come the most highly recommended and seem to have a very good acceptance rate.

You have to email/call them to find that out - or you can fill in the info for free evaluation and once they email you with the evaluation you can get the pricing also.

I've been getting a lot of questions from folks on admission consultants.. and how to evaluate them.. if A is better than B.. etc... I figured I should write up a post on how I evaluated them and provide some of the newbies with advice.

please feel free to add anything more info

1. Availability - During your initial consult you will get a feel for this.. Are they so busy that you have to wait more than a week.. do they only have 1 slot in that week etc... If they appear super busy then chances are they are super busy. Don't wait last minute though to start your app.. Another indication here is if they are actually reading your material during the call.. I expect them to have already read your stuff before the call.

2. Cost - Don't just look at the price, compare with the services offered. Be sure they offer the stuff that you need. Do you need only essays, think about other things like recommendations, interview, brainstorming, picking schools etc.. Also ask them how many times will they meet with you.. Some folks are particular like 3 consultations.. others are more flexible.

3. Knowledge of School -Ask questions about the school you are interested in.. Dont just ask if you have a shot ? .. Maybe ask why they believe you have a good shot.. or what are your strengths and weaknesses to get into school X ?


4. Knowledge of candidate background - Some of you may disagree here, but I found this very helpful when the consultant was an engineer with my background. This helps a lot with essays and brainstorming. Another important thing I've noticed is that, when I wrote something technical in my essay, he not just recognized that this is too technical, but he understood what it meant and converted it into relevant and understandable language. All this saves time on your end and helps with the schedule.

5. Schedule - Probably the most important. Acceptance of your timeline by the consultant. can he/she meet your schedule ? Can they deliver on date X ..Dont just look at the last milestone.. make sure you discuss the individual milestones and write it out together.. Add 1~2 weeks on top of that as a buffer.. This might occur if you add some more edits and changes.

6. Reviews on GMAT Club- Very helpful and pretty accurate.. read them see what people have said. Do this first before you start scheduling your calls.

Finally take notes when you talk with them, just like any interviewer would. Do they address all your concerns ? I think a lot of ppl will tell you that the free consultation is an extremely good indication of how they will be throughout your app process.. so if for any reason you are not happy during your first free call, either send them an email and say you want to talk about x again.. or just move to the next one.



There you go.. some of my thoughts.. please feel free to add anything I may have missed .. Again this is from my personal experience and is just to offer you some guidance.

Good Luck !!

Last time I researched all of the consultants, I found that MBA Exchange had the best reviews and results on admissions 411, and they also came highly recommended by other applicants. Although they might provide custom quotes for each person, the baseline package was somewhere around $6,250 for four (4) schools. That's probably cost prohibitive for most applicants, but there are plenty of other consultants out there that provide similar services at more affordable rate.