Do You Really Need A Consultant?

Consultants, on the other hand, point out that they don’t write essays for students; rather, they coax out personal stories that candidates might otherwise overlook. “The truth is these essays are coming from the client themselves with our guidance,” says admissions consultant Stacy Blackman. “It’s not going to be a Stacy Blackman Consulting-produced essay. A lot of our clients want to write a Joe Business School essay that is actually impersonal, and we help them to insert themselves into the essay and make it more unique.” She concedes there are consultants who take it too far and highjack the story. But a good consultant should help candidates express themselves more compellingly, she says.

While consultants no doubt make the admissions process easier, Eddy contends that they can’t call you out when you’re off target. Whereas, someone like your mom will let you know when what you believe about yourself simply isn’t true. “I thought that I’m unique and different, but it turns out that’s not at my core,” he says. “One of things that is core to me is being honest and dependable, and that defines me a lot more than seeking out usual activities like Japanese Taiko drumming. There’s no way an admissions consultant would have directed me away from those things and toward what are actually the most important aspects of myself.”

But consultants claim they make a concerted effort to know their students and to develop a rapport with them. Blackman says her firm limits the number of clients per consultant to ensure students receive plenty of one-on-one attention. Betsy Masser of Master Admissions arranges consultations with clients before taking them on to ensure it’s a good fit on both sides. “I spend a virtual bottle of wine with my students, getting to know them and helping them find their authentic selves,” she says.

Whether or not your consultant becomes your best friend, they can help candidates navigate a daunting set of deadlines and check boxes. Blackman compares consultants to coaches. From leadership skills to sports to public speaking, coaches can save you time, stress, and mental angst by offering a third-party perspective. For many applicants, this is well worth a $5,000 investment. For others, not so much. “I wasn’t one of those people who was making a bunch of money and has little time,” Veling says. “I had the time available, but not the money. Whereas, I think a lot of people applying to business school have plenty of money on hand but no time to invest in writing their application.” For them, a consultant may very well make sense.

Then again, if you’re a contender for a top B-school, you’ll probably have a great experience wherever you go. So shelling out several thousand dollars to get into that “one” school may not be worth it. This was certainly the case for Matt Jacobs, 28, who took a “more haphazard” approach to MBA applications.

He applied to the business schools at New York University, Yale, Columbia, Dartmouth, U Penn, and Tepper. He ultimately went to the school he got in  – Tepper. “Honestly, this is the part where maybe a consultant would have made sense because I only got interviewed for one of them,” he says. “I ended up going to the school that I wanted to go to least, but honestly it worked out for the best. It was a fabulous experience.”

Securing a consultant to prune his essays and shape his application might have led to a bad fit. “Not hiring a consultant … gave me the best result, so luck all around,” he adds.

Of course, it’s also possible that Jacobs could have gotten in to a greater variety of schools had he paid for the guidance of a good admissions consultant. As anyone will tell you, getting into a highly selective MBA program is a difficult road, whether you use a consultant or not.

DON’T MISS: What MBA Admission Consultants Charge or MBA Admission Consulting Claims: How Credible?

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