"Best" Admissions Consulting Companies - 2015 Season

I purchased a strategic package for 5 schools with Critical Square and I worked with Bhavik. Overall, I was very pleased with my experience. Bhavik and the rest of the Critical Square team are professional, prompt, and very easy to work with. Most importantly, the proof is in the pudding, and Critical Square helped me get into my dream school.

We started with an informal, but comprehensive interview to dig deep into my background and career goals to create a framework for the entire application process. From there, we delved into my school choices to come up with a straightforward plan of attack and a story that was always authentic but custom tailored for each program. With that information we created a recommender packet that gave my referees all of the ammunition they needed to write excellent letters while also helping them understand how seriously I was taking the process. When it came time to work on essays, Bhavik’s patient willingness to serve as a sounding board was invaluable - I had a number of non-traditional essay ideas and Bhavik helped me evaluate which worked and which fell flat. His proofreads were consistently thoughtful and he helped me make my essays sing.

I had a pretty aggressive school selection with all five of my apps going to top-15 programs (three were top-10), but with Critical Square’s help I was very fortunate and got into three programs, waitlisted after an interview at another, and invited for an interview at my fifth which I declined since I already got into my dream school. I’m headed to Tuck in the Fall.

While I’m very pleased with my experience with Critical Square, hiring any consultant is going to be an expensive endeavor and applicants will need to evaluate the cost tradeoff for themselves. In my case, it’s very easy to say that the few extra thousand dollars in my bank account would be nice as I face the daunting tuition bill, but frankly I doubt I would have been granted admission to my dream school without such a great coach helping me along the way. If I had to do it over again I would absolutely hire Critical Square.

BLUF

Bhavik at Critical Square crushed it for me. If you are looking for a consultant, go to Bhavik. He is the real deal. I cannot emphasize this enough – Bhavik is the man.

Background
I’m from a non-traditional background and didn’t have many connections or insight into traditional business sectors. As a result, I didn’t really know people who had gone through the MBA process or who were familiar with it to bounce ideas off of or to review my narrative/pitch/story. I needed an independent audit of my materials from someone intimately familiar with top MBA programs about my chances, my application, and just general pointers.

There are some higher-end packages on the market where the consultant will hold your hand and walk you through the process. I didn’t want that for two reasons: 1. I couldn’t afford it and 2. I felt confident in my narrative and didn’t want someone to try and change that. So I was looking at packages where the consultants would review my materials and help smooth out the rough edges.

I called up most of the major consulting services and spoke to some really insightful and smart people who I am sure are on their A-game and will be able to help someone out. However, I think this process is not just about finding someone who is competent, but also about finding someone who you connect with and who understands your background, story, and future and what/why you are going to business school. Ultimately, I got that connection with Bhavik when we spoke and emailed. Frankly, I feel lucky to have rung him up. His guidance on not just the application, but about industries and business school life in general was invaluable.

The Engagement
I’ll break this down into three sections: work product; timeliness; and attitude.

Work Product
Obviously the most important factor. I’m going to use “crush” a lot, because that’s the best way to describe it without going into expletives. Bhavik crushed it. He brought out the best in the story and experience I was trying to capture. Deleting a clause here, adding an adjective here, sprinkling some business school jargon here, he helped my essays flow better and convey my message clearer. I’ll be honest: despite having already finished my essays, some of them were weak. Bhavik was like steroids, he helped strengthen my essays.

Also, throughout the process, Bhavik was honest with me. If something sounded like BS or fluff, he would call me out on it. He also explained why he suggested changing X from Y and how it could help my case. I definitely appreciated the realness and candor.

Looking back at my application, substantively it didn’t change. However, in terms of execution, they are killers. I wouldn’t have been able to crush it without Bhavik. I knew that the schools I was applying to were extremely competitive and although I felt confident in my pitch, I knew execution would be key.


Timeliness
Some Asian applicants have asked me about response time from a different time zone. However, Bhavik’s response time is amazing. There even came a point where I was considering taking a new job and asked Bhavik for his opinion – I got a response from him within minutes laying out pros, cons, and how it fit into my narrative. I was blown away by the thoroughness and promptness of the response. He was invested in my success. I never had to worry about getting feedback from him on an application. For example, he had to travel internationally one week, but he was still emailing at his breakneck speed. Great customer service.

Attitude
Picking a top tier consultant is a lot like picking a top tier business school: you’ll get a similar quality of product, but you won’t get the same experience. I felt like Bhavik understood my vibe and reason for an MBA better than any other consultant. He crushed it for me. When we were locking down the contract I asked to only work with him and he obliged willingly. Some consultancies will pass off editing to someone else. I felt that if I’m paying for a consultant, I want a consultant to review my materials, because their time at elite MBA programs and selective jobs gives them a different perspective. Bhavik completed agreed and that’s how Critical Square works.

He also provided advice on business school life and culture, and how different industries shape out. For someone without a lot of business connects, this was incredibly useful. After I received my admits, I was torn over two schools. Bhavik told me to sleep on it, but to give him a call afterwards to think it over. Even after our engagement had completed, he was still invested in me. Seriously, he CRUSHED it.

Bottom Line
Do I think I would have gotten into a school without Bhavik? Maybe. Do I think I would have felt as confident about getting into my top choices without Bhavik? Definitely not. If you are considering a consultant, I highly, highly, highly, recommend Bhavik at Critical Square.

I would like to recommend Alice Van Harten from Menlo Coaching (menlocoaching.com). I engaged her for the entire application process and had a great experience with her. I reached out to a lot of consultants for their free initial consultations and it was a tough decision after narrowing it down to a handful of firms, but I clicked with Alice the most and was really impressed with her qualifications (Cambridge PhD / Bain consulting).

She helped me manage the unavoidably long and painful process that is MBA admissions, including narrowing down my school list based on my career goals, brainstorming life experiences to highlight in my application, selecting recommenders, reviewing the many revisions and iterations of essays, and conducting mock interviews on Skype. Her advice really felt personalized when it came to crafting my story. I couldn’t be happier with the outcome, as I was accepted into one of my top choice schools (and one that was admittedly a reach for me). Of course there are some things that no amount of consulting can change: hard stats such as your GMAT, undergrad institution, and GPA are what they are. With Alice however, I always felt like I was presenting myself in the best way possible to adcoms while avoiding any possible pitfalls in my applications.

No doubt hiring an admissions consultant can be a big cost so I recommend everyone to do their own diligence when selecting a consultant. As I said before, I spoke to a lot of consultants before I picked Alice. With Alice, I definitely felt like I got my money’s worth and more. Happy to answer any questions or share more about my experience with Alice. To anyone considering an admissions consultant, I would make sure to check out Alice at Menlo Coaching and at least get an initial consultation.

sisar- You have a PM on this.

Please revert over there!

T17tobe- You have a PM on this.

Please revert over there!

Hey Cissorz,

1. Do you feel like the first consultant actually hurt your application more than if you hadn't taken him on at all?

2. If you feel comfortable sharing - how much did you spend on the consulting process total? What was the cost breakdown? I'm a non profit guy and really am not sure if I have the money to hire a consultant.

This post has been deleted due to personal reasons.

As someone who has witnessed Shawn and his "schpiel" I couldn't agree more. One of my favourite things was having a brief sit-down with him at an MBA tour, and he didn't once look directly at me the entire time. Instead, he was on his phone. It was dismissive and insulting, and moreover, some of the stuff he said was factually wrong. E.G. USC is better for tech than Texas.

This post has been deleted due to personal reasons.

If you are looking for crisp and professional essay reviews with quick turnaround times then you must have a look at Vibranture. Especially if your work keeps you occupied and you don't have much time to do the careful deliberation your essays demand or if you think you know what you want to write but cannot quite get your head around how to articulate it.

My experience with a consultant I signed up for prior to Vibranture was not very good and my expectations were high. I was looking for a service that was professional and delivered within committed time frames without compromising on quality.

Shea, a graduate from a top US business school herself, was my consultant from Vibranture. She not only helped me with my essays, which was the service I had signed up for, but also extended help on whatever query I had from "which school" decisions to post MBA careers.

My essay reviews were extremely detailed and very professionally done with crisp suggestions and corrections that only someone very seasoned would identify. Also, the turnaround time for my essay reviews and edits was very quick and delivered on better than committed timelines. Needless to say, I got admission to my target top 15 school in the US even though I represent an extremely competitive applicant pool (Indian Male Engineer) and at 25 am below the average age of admits.

To sum it up, I had a really good experience with Shea and Vibranture and hoped that I had signed them up at the first place. If you are someone looking for something similar as described, I encourage you to go check out their website (www.vibranture.com). It contains neat essay question reviews and admission advice for almost all top schools. Adding to that, their unique word by word pricing, also mentioned on their website, makes it a very attractive proposition for someone on a tight budget.

I used Paul Bodine - from Paul Bodine Admissions Consulting and writer of the highly acclaimed book "Great Applications for Business School."

This guy is a genius. (Literally - he went to University of Chicago and Johns Hopkins University)

The story:
Last year I applied to a few business schools and got denied from all - not even an interview was granted. I knew I was going to reapply (this year ) and wanted some professional help. Soon afterward I started looking into all of the top consulting companies - mbaMission, Amerasia, Stratus Prep, MBAPrepSchool, Veritas Prep, HBSGuru and Admissionado. I had phone conversations with consultants from the companies and met in person with two.

I was looking for someone who was honest and who would get right to the point but was not a bulldog like Sandy Kreisberg from HBSguru. I wanted someone who would listen to my story and help me pick which pieces paint the best picture of myself. I also wanted someone who has been in the industry for a while and who takes his clients seriously. Some consultants out there do consulting as a side job - I have had a few side jobs in my life and no matter how dedicated I plan to be I can never find enough time in the day to give these jobs the attention they deserve.

I initially came across Paul's name here on gmatclub.com. He has the top rated business school book on one of the lists here. I thought "hmmm this guy wrote the book about admissions maybe I should check him out." I then found out that he write frequently on the Businessweek forums and read a few of his posts. He seemed to really help direct people.

I contacted Paul and answered a few questions for him about myself via email and then set up an initial phone call. During the call I was shocked at home much he knew about me. He brought up things on the questionnaire that I totally forgot that I answered - it was almost creepy how much he knew! haha On a serious note, my point is that he obviously paid deep attention to me and I wasn't even a paying client yet. He had me convinced to work with him.

After I enlisted his services--he was everything I was looking for. He also has many connections in the industry since he has been working in it so long (since 1997).
We decided to map a plan of attack. He took a deep dive into my background - I think the call lasted 2 or 3 hours. Then came up with a few things I could/should do over the next few months to polish my application. He even told me exactly which GMAT score he thought I should get to make up for my low gpa. This was the type of detailed feedback I needed. On these forums many people say things like -- "ohh 710 gmat is good, over 700 and your fine." But this may GENERALLY be true but it doesn't take into account your demographic, or what type of industry you work in, or whether you had quant classes in college...Paul was able to take into account all the aspects of my application and based off of the many idiosyncrasies of my application suggest certain things. I trusted his decisions also since he as an extensive history of helping many applicants over the years.

Another thing which made Paul awesome was he connected me with someone from a school I was targeting. He helped many people get into top programs and he would call them up and ask if they'd speak with me. This gave me deep insight into these programs. One person gave me little tidbits of what I should say in my essay that would show how much I knew about the program! Additionally, he knew a few people on some of the schools admissions committees and would share how he thought I should approach them based on their personality.

Work Product:
Paul's editing is absolutely top notch (Master's degree from Johns Hopkins - cant beat that). He can edit a 3 page essay down to 250 words and somehow capture exactly what you wanted to say and not drop a bit of detail. It was magical. One day I was in a rush and I asked him to do a quick edit just so I could have a clear essay to work on again (my version was too convoluted) he managed to whip it out in minutes...literally like 30 minutes.

He also asked all the right questions. When I wrote an essay he would not only edit the essay but say something like "why don't you mention that thing you told me about that happened 2 months ago...." or " I think this story does not work as well as the story you told me about a few weeks ago..." This is the type of direction I really loved. This constant back and forth really helped me understand myself, my story and I am certain it helped me kill the interviews.

He also did mock interviews with me. He would ask different questions based off of which school I was interview with. He knew which schools ask which questions. Many of the questions he asked I actually received in the interview.

Timeliness:
As I mentioned above, he is very quick. He would always respond within a day and generally within hours. But the best part was, he would often email me saying "..I have a dinner this Friday so I may not be reachable until Saturday morning.." or 'I am out of town Wednesday so don't expect emails until Wednesday night" This was soo important to me because it allowed me to plan my work schedule.

He was also always open to a quick phone call or skype. I remember a few occasions where I would be freaking out about some little worry in my head and I would email him "Got a minute for a call" and he and I would be on the phone minutes later discussing my worry.

Attitude:
You can already get an idea of his personality from everything I wrote above but I also want to point out that he is super super nice. He is always very friendly and open and willing to talk to you about anything. He will talk to you about the same thing numerous times and give his advice on what he thinks you need to do.

Bottom Line:
Paul is the complete package. I purchased a 3 school comprehensive package from him and I was accepted to all those schools. I also then purchased some extra hours for 4 other schools and was accepted to those as well. Do I think I could have gotten in without his help - no. I struck out last year and this year he helped me win the World Series. It is right train of thought that he gave me that helped me have many little wins along the way which lead to the ultimate acceptance.

You got to check this guys out - google his name.

For the Moderator: I have less than 30 posts; however would like my post to be verified as genuine.

Firstly and foremost, thank you to all the members of the GMATClub. I would have not found my consultant without your help.

I signed up with Karthik - August Academy (https://www.augustacademy.in) after reading his reviews on GMATClub. I had spoken with other consultants prior to Karthik; however he stood out because of his intelligence and personality. I worked with him on 5 applications which resulted in interviews from 4 schools (the fifth school has not yet responded). All my applications were filed in R2.

Karthik is a thorough professional and took the time to understand my background. Accordingly we brainstormed and worked together in compiling the essays/resume that would highlight my key areas of expertise, my strengths and my accomplishments. He encouraged me every step of the way - be it prior to my GMAT exam, when my applications were sent in or when I was called for an interview. His insight into the interview questions/responses helped me immensely during my interviews.

Couple of things that I did appreciate: Karthik did not spoon feed during the application process. This was extremely vital as I wanted my applications to project who I was. Secondly he was very accommodating and available (considering there was a 10 hour time difference) for multiple rounds of review. Other consultants whom I had spoken with indicated that they would cover only 2 or 3 rounds of review. Thirdly he repeatedly stressed on honesty and quality of the applications - a virtue that I appreciate and that is extremely important in the essays and the interview process.

Bottom Line: I definitely got my money's worth working with Karthik. My journey and acceptance into B-School (Emory - this was #1 on my list of schools) would not have been possible without his help. Thanks Karthik and August Academy !! If there are questions with regards to my experience, would be happy to answer them.

Wow.
This is one of the most useful posts to come across GMAT Club in a long time.
I interviewed almost 12 consultants and I chose Kevin from Onida Prep, based on a friends recommendation.
My experience was similar to yours, and I paid for my package upfront. Let's just say he was on the higher side of admission consultants fees.

I went against my gut when choosing him, and I am now looking down the barrel of all dings. I have a strong profile which needed help on GPA mitigation. My work experience has been in Finance and Non Profit space.

In terms of story generation, resume review, essay editing, etc. He was nearly non existent.
I cross checked his edits on my essays with several neighbors who work for a local newspaper and they flat out said he was wrong (which he was)
He was spread too thin, and his version of assisting me was a few brief phone calls, probably 2 essay revisions on each school and a
" hey , looks really good to me, yeah I say you're good to submit".

In hindsight, of course it was on me to submit the application, but being new to the process, I thought a consultant would be on your side and give you the polishing touch to submit a strong application. What I got were a few buzzwords and incorrect essay edits. He said my resume looked fine, and had no input there. His only strong suites were sending pre-existing information from previous "successful" applicants that were admitted.
Otherwise, he was almost completely hands off.
I spent $8,000 upfront to basically dig my own grave this application season.
I'm deflated and frankly, insulted. I was duped my consultant, and the tips you provided in your post should be read by everyone before ever choosing a consultant.
If I do choose a consultant, I will pick the original one I had my gut instinct tell me was right for my profile.

People, do yourself a favor. Don't get taken for by any consultant without a very in depth review of how they will help shape you and your profile when applying. You want someone who will be ruthlessly honest with you, and fight for your cause. Don't get duped, and don't spend money if you can rely on good friends who are already in the programs.

And I would recommend against using Onida Prep.

I will likely be a re applicant or a part time applicant at Booth.
Cissorz, ok if I PM you? Noticed you were also looking PT at Booth.
Appreciate your post!

I am sorry to hear about your experience. Before hiring an admission consultant, I would suggest:

1) Prepare 4-5 list of questions that you can ask about your profile.
2) Talk to your friend or someone who has got into the b-school and take his insights.
3) Take a free 30 mins free consultation with 3-4 admission consulting firms (almost all of them offer it)

After the above-mentioned exercise, compare the responses that a friend has given to you with the responses received from other consultants and you will easily be able to understand and differentiate between a good and a run of the mill consultant.

I have heard some very disappointing stories about the consultants. I also believe that mostly, it is the issue with the individual consultant and not with the consulting company. If you realize that the consultant is not taking interest in your application, you must approach the CEO/owner of the admission consulting firm and ask for another consultant. The sooner.. the better.

Please feel free to let me know if you need any help on your essays or profile (refer to my signature). I am not a consultant, the service is free and unconditional . GMATclub helped me with the required resourced while I was preparing for my GMAT. Now, I am done with my MBA from top b-school and have been helping GMATclub members for the last 3 years.

All the best.

Sorry to hear about these experiences. At Accepted we have put together a guide with advice on choosing a consultant: Things to Consider when Choosing an MBA Admissions Consultant.

Hopefully the suggestions found in this guide will help you avoid the experiences and frustration voiced in this thread. There is no cost for the download.

I do agree that fit is really important.

Linda Abraham

Amazing post cissorz; Nicely put together and will definitely be very helpful to many who are new to the subject.

I think the first and most basic question is, do you really need a consultant? Many fall in the trap of hiring a consutant just because it's common or maybe because it looks like a safe move. A big part of what makes your partnership with a consultant a great investment is to know what you want from him/her. That should always be number 1 thing on your list. Is it essay editing, resume quick or deep review, or maybe suggest some extracurricular stuff? Do you need a specific targeted involvement of the consultant or do you want him/her to go broadly over multiple things? You could even need him to go deeply into everything. Whatever the case maybe, it's your responsibility to define the weaknesses in your application well ahead before even starting talking to him/her. Don't sign up for a full package unless you are sure you need it the most because you're going to have to pay the full amount (Which will mostly be high) upfront before starting the process. so once you have done that, everthing will be easier tracking what you're getting from the consultant versus what you need.

For me, I didn't really know much about the application process as a whole not to mention that I nearly had a weakness in every part of it. Also, I didn't have a friend or a colleague who'd graduated from a top business school. I was going alone into this with a "it-could-very-well-happen" type of risk of getting dings from everywhere. The decision was clear for me, I needed a consultant with more than just an hourly-basis involvement. So I signed up first for a 30-minute consultation with a consultant that I knew was a great one (I read tesimonials about her and saw videos of her explaining different things). She suggested another consultant for me, one she thought had a really close background to mine and would be more helpful to my application specifically. I met that other consultant and communicated clearly what I wanted beforehand. From the first conversation, she gave me her full contact numbers and email. She'd signed on a commitment to reply to any emails I send (no matter how many) in less than 48 hours. She explained what she will and won't do as well as an honest first impression on my potential (It was not a fake one). I was truly surprised by how professional she was from the beginning. And I knew I was up for a good start, so I signed up for a full package.

My experience with her was without a doubt nothing short of amazing. She tirelessly turned everything upside down and digged deep into things I knew were important but never thought I'd have the time for. She greatly helped me stay on track when it comes to time management. And on top of everything, she cared A LOT about my success (In some cases, I wondered if she cared more than I did). Now I am seriously not sure how many of that type of consltants exist in the consulting industry, but I know for a fact that I wouldn't have found her had I not done the due diligence of looking for what and whom I wanted.

If you're someone who is looking for a consultant and probably have a little to look for the right one, then have free consultation calls with different consulting companies and send emails to some consultants individually. Get a feeling of how professional each one is (This is damn important. It's not just a lip service. Integrity is a key) and then decide from there.

Thank you all for pitching in and sharing your experiences with Admissions Consultants - we really appreciate your perspective.
I would also like to encourage everyone to submit their experiences and reviews here (GMAT Club Reviews Area) where your review is much more likely to be found and be helpful for future applicants making decisions.

All reviews are welcome!