Are admissions consulting a waste of money?

Question

I am trying to get into UT (Mccombs), Wharton, Kellogg, and Rice. I have a 720 GMAT (Q49 V39). 3.1 GPA in Petroleum Engineering from LSU. 27 months WE. White Male. I have a hard time bringing myself to pay someone $5000 to help me write 2 400 word essays. That's all I think I'd need help with. I'm not working right now so I have 4 weeks to write the two essays for the four schools. What are your thoughts?

abhimahna · Answer

Hey dloren4 ,

No, admission consulting is not at all a waste of money, if you spend the money at the right place. This may help you determine some of those missing points that otherwise you may not even think of.

I would not prefer to spend those huge dollars as well.

If you are self motivated and can really push yourself to think as suggested(which otherwise you have to do), you can try ApplicantLab . This is an automated tool with so many benefits that you will be awestruck once you know how to use it. And surprisingly you will get everything for hardly 300 bucks instead of those 5000 bucks you are talking about.

PM me for more details and my special discount codes.

All the best

MBAPrepCoach · Answer

dloren4  I think a lot of people do waste their money on admissions consultants - but that said - if you find a good one, they could propel your candidacy to another level. I believe that this process requires 1-1 coaching. One of my recent clients (who just interviewed at McCombs) said I helped her discover who she was and the value she brings.

Also, I believe you need more help than essay editing.

Here are my standards :

Resume : Every single word has a purpose. It uses universal language instead of industry jargon. It contains resume bullets that are one line, focusing on actions and quantifiable achievements. If not a quantifiable achievement, something that speaks to human motivations, such as saving time and improving a process. Anyone from any industry would be able to step into your resume, and comprehend the value of what you have done. There is space to breathe on the page. It has white space, and the reader feels good when they look at it. It looks inviting. It has simple elegance.

Essays : The essays use anecdotes and examples that are written in chronological order. The reader can mentally see the story unfold. The story is told in brief sentences in a way that is accessible to a broad audience. Each essay shows a different side of you, yet all of them feel authentic, sincere, and accessible. They demonstrate self-awareness, personal growth, leadership and results-orientation. You reach the reader on both an analytical and emotional level.

Letters of recommendation : The recommender can “see” you – see the uniqueness of you – and articulate that eloquently. The letter is comprised chiefly of clear, specific anecdotes that point to your talents in the area of problem-solving, teamwork, leadership, communication and innovation. The reader is emotionally moved by the content and, ideally, wants to champion you to the adcom in quite the same way as the writer.

Online application : Twitter on steroids. Elevator pitch. Distills valuable information about you clearly and succinctly. Everything illustrates qualities that business schools value – strategic thinking, results orientation, etc. Employment section gives the reader a clear, succinct understanding of the experience you’ve gained, employing simple, universal language. The activities and awards point to the overall brand that you set forth in other aspects of the application.

TheIvyLeagueEdge · Answer

When I read your email, I was in a Doctor's office, waiting for the Doctor. And, I couldn't help but think on an analogy.

Good consultants  out there, have understood many schools (in their range of expertise) well, and what these schools "look for" (Trust me, different schools look for different things, even if the broad profile looks similar). This is just like good Doctors understand different medicines well.

Most importantly however, the  best consultants  make sincere attempts to understand their clients, and what style/ strategy would show them in the best light to the school. This is much like the best doctors make attempts to understand the patient's body well, and how it would accept/ react to different medicines/ medical procedures.

* Does this mean that the guy who researches on Google for his/her symptoms, and take medicines or go for medical procedures (assume they are freely available) always end up hurting himself/herself? NO, it doesn't

* Does this mean that the guy who goes to a good Doctor "wastes" money?

I would let you answer that question yourself, but what I would very strongly suggest, is that you need to choose a good consultant just like you would choose a good doctor. Anyone who offers his/her services in a standard (non-personalized) manner is not a good consultant.

IvyGroupeCEO · Answer

Hi there,

If you feel that you only need help with the essays, then you can work with a consultant on an hourly basis (which will come out to much less than the full comprehensive rate of $5000). Most consultants offer hourly packages, so that is something that you may want to look into!

Best,
Shaifali

Hussein3431 · Answer

Hi,

I think that hiring a consultant is beneficial but not vital . You can perfectly write the essays by yourself but don't forget to ask someone with a MBA experience for a feedback.

TheIvyLeagueEdge · Answer

dloren4,
In addition to the points above, I do think very strongly, getting an essays only/ hourly package is NOT a good idea. Primarily, to help you from a decent essays to outstanding, the consultant will need to "understand" and completely "involve" him/herself in your profile. That usually doesn't happen on a Per Hour basis.

Hope that helps.

Are admissions consulting a waste of money?

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