Admissionado with Yaron Dahan

I came to Admissionado after getting dinged without interviews at three schools (Wharton, Yale, and Columbia). I realized that there were major flaws in my profile and I needed help fixing them. My friend worked at Admissionado in their Beijing office as the director of undergraduate admissions consulting. He also applied to business schools the previous year with great success, ultimately landed at Boothe, and he recommended their services.

After an initial consultation and a ding analysis with Yaron, the consultant, we pointed out several shortcomings in my profile:

1. Lukewarm GMAT score of 710.
2. Lack of super employer and high salary. Non-traditional MBA background. With 6 years of work experience, I had worked at 3 different companies spanning education, sales, and HR.
3. Lukewarm undergraduate GPA of 3.45. Liberal Arts degree.

Yaron explained that I didn't have strong enough numbers to be a "numbers candidate" but had potential to be a good "story candidate." He suggested that I play the numbers game and apply to 8-10 schools. I was hestitant to take his advice because the service was very expensive and we would have only 8 weeks to apply to 8 schools. At the same time I also felt dejected from the round 1 rejections but I was committed to going to business school no matter what. I ultimately ran with his advice and applied to 8 schools, all with deluxe packages. And I did not regret it.

Here is what Yaron did well:

1. He overhauled my resume. My previous resume had too much jargon and did not have an extracurricular/community involvement section. He made sure that every bullet point followed an "action + impact" formula. I came to realize that the resume is super important as it is the first thing adcoms look at.

2. He did an extensive analysis of my work experience, extracurricular activities, and personal/family background to find the most interesting things about me and craft them into a compelling narrative.

3. He helped me prepare for my interviews.

4. He was on call whenever I needed him.

Overall, I think the thing to keep in mind when choosing an admissions consultant is that you are paying for an editor. The essays are important because it's one of the few things that you have control over. Although you think you know yourself well, an admissions consultant can tell your story better. Yaron and I went through four drafts of every essay and his edits came back within 24 hours. With every draft, my essays not only improved but I also learned more about myself. Working with Yaron gave me a process and a discipline to work within that I would not have had on my own. There was an ease of mind knowing that all I had to do was follow their process and everything else would work itself out. The MBA admissions process is like wedding planning. You are only going to do this once in your life. If you are unsure of yourself, it's best to get a consultant to walk you through the process.

Here are my results with Admissionado:

1. Cornell Johnson -- On Campus interview --> Admitted with scholarship.
2. Duke Fuqua -- On Campus interview --> Admitted
3. UCLA Anderson -- On Campus interview --> Admitted
4. NYU Stern -- Waitlisted without interview
5. Dartmouth Tuck -- Open interview, on campus --> Dinged
6. Northwestern Kellogg -- Open interview, off campus --> Dinged
7. UMich Ross -- On Campus interview --> Dinged
8. UVA Darden -- On Campus interview --> Dinged