Comments on: A brief survey of the MBA admission consulting market

By: Min

Min — Thu, 21 May 2009 14:14:44 +0000

Hi Konfused,

I am very impressed with your achievement here. Would you mind giving me some advice here?

I am above average (academically /GMAT). But I have a fatal weakness, my age. Several consultants I talked to simply told me go to EMBA which I am not that interested at all as I am a career switcher. After he reviewed my resume and my last year app, one consultant told me not to apply because I literally have no chance for top programs. I would like to hear your opinion if you don't mind or maybe share some of your story.

By: Min

Min — Thu, 21 May 2009 10:14:44 +0000

By: Vani

Vani — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 21:36:13 +0000

This is a very good comparison! We have created a list of interview experience blogs for each school written by current applicants, students and alumni. If an applicant goes through few blogs, s/he can understand the interview process and prepare well for it. You can go through the list here:

http://www.interviewbay.com/interview_resources...

Best of luck!

By: Santiago

Santiago — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 14:45:34 +0000

For international Student (as I am) Admission Consultants are more useful because they give you an insight on the US culture that we may be lacking.
I hired one and help me indeed! Could I do it without one? Perhaps, but I prefer a certain shot… Obviously, in my national currency, the prices above are prohibitive for me.
My 2 cents.

By: Konfused

Konfused — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 02:43:46 +0000

Hope.

Thats what it is. You have a bunch of applicants who are not too sure about where they stand, how competitive they are and then they see these fancy ads of Admission Consultants. These Consultants do add value because they have seen the process closely, but is it right? I dont think so.

I am a below average student (Academically/ GMAT). No admission consultant would dare suggest me the school that I am at but I made it because of my confidence and motivation. And in some ways, this is what the MBA is all about. An MBA is supposed to change your outlook, on both professional as well as personal level. If an applicant doesnt go through the process by himself, then he is missing out on a great learning experience. Of course it might not pan out well but not everything in life is supposed to work out right.

What about unfair advantage? If I pay 10 grands to a professional writer to come up with my motivations for MBA then is it fair to the next person who cannot afford these services?

At the end of the day, this is a game. Admission Consultants sell hope to the gullible. I might be being harsh here but this is my honest 2 cents.

By: Scott Shrum

Scott Shrum — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 21:27:45 +0000

Thanks for this nice overview of our industry! I am the Director of MBA Admissions Research for Veritas Prep, and just wanted to add one more free resource that is available to anyone who is just starting the MBA application process. Our Business School Selector (http://www.veritasprep.com/selector) is a fun tool that allows an applicant to input his application "stats" and see what his approximate chances are of getting into a top MBA program. Keep in mind that this tool is mainly just for fun, and isn't able to account for many other extremely important attributes that impact an applicant's chances of success. But, your readers may find it useful, so I wanted to share it here!

Best regards,
Scott

By: Graham Richmond

Graham Richmond — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 15:53:54 +0000

Dear GeekMBA360,

This is an interesting piece - thanks for putting it together! If you have a moment I'd love to chat with you about the article and provide you with some further background information on the admissions consulting industry. I currently serve as the President of AIGAC (the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants - http://www.aigac.org), a non-profit that sets ethical standards and serves to regulate the industry. I am also the co-founder of Clear Admit, one of the firms that you cited in your piece. You can email me at grichmond AT aigac DOT org. I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards,

Graham

By: MBA Admissions Advice (free)

MBA Admissions Advice (free) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 07:59:37 +0000

Thank you for putting the overview together – I will link to it from gmat club. Just wanted to add that many of the Admissions consultants offer free advice on many of the internet bulletin board, including gmatclub and business week. You can get an “initial” or “mini” series of MBA admissions consultations absolutely free of charge and many people have – you can also read their stories, advice that was given, and often the end result, allowing you to compare performance.

There is definitely enough data out there and an ever-increasing number of bschool Admissions consultants…

By: MBAPodcaster

MBAPodcaster — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 05:59:17 +0000

Good analysis, nice chart! Admission consultants now have their own association: The Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants (AIGAC) which launched a couple years ago. They're 'committed to upholding the highest ethical practices in graduate admissions advisory services'. All the consultants you mention above are members except for Cambridge Essay Service.

We interviewed 4 of the leading admission consultants, who are all on your chart above, to find out what value they bring to different types of applicants. Read/hear it here: http://www.mbapodcaster.com/MBA_MoreInfo/Consul...