In the current market there are three kinds of consultants. One the former admission officers, the second MBA alumni who is doing editing as a side gig and some in a full-time role. The third are consultants who themselves are writers and editors like us. I update F1GMAT’s Essay Guides every year. So, I understand the struggles of applicants. The writing process is never easy, even for an established writer. There are phrases and sentences that appear to be precious but eventually have limited value.
Most consultants who have been in the industry for the past decade have something unique to offer. They can drastically improve your narrative.
Here are 2 factors that you need to keep in mind while working with an admission consultant
1) Editing vs Writing vs Branding
Applicants have a wide-ranging writing skill. Some are coming from analytically heavy industries like Finance and Technology, where writing essays is not a requirement. They also have a limited understanding of branding. For such applicants, a consultant who edits and guides them to capture the right story can dramatically improve the quality of the essay. Understanding the story elements – the beginning, middle, and end, capturing vulnerable moments, using W Pattern narratives with the ups, downs, and resolution, maintaining a consistent tone, and, most importantly – answering the question can help turn around the application.
Some consultants only offer edit comments without any input on how to improve the entire narrative. I would not subscribe to such a service. Recently, I had a conversation with a client who after failing for two years, reached out to me with a copy of the edit comments of a famous consultant. And in all the comments, there were never mentions of weaknesses in the examples shortlisted. The editing exercise was about comments on each line without thinking about the entire application. With a completely rebranded application, I could help the client get interview invites from 3 top schools this year. So, if branding is wrong, any great lines are not going to turn around the chances.
You should always understand that application is all about branding, storytelling, and corrective actions.
If one of them is missing or the branding is based on a cliched top-level strategy, it will be seen in the essay.
2) M7 vs T15
This is a common complaint against consultants. Many push applicants to aim higher. Even I do that. It is a 50-50 outcome. Some got into M7 schools. Some didn’t get the desired results. But the ones who got into M7 would have never applied hadn’t I pushed the person to apply. When consultants have such experience, they tend to encourage aiming higher. A lot of frustration from applicants is from a mischaracterization that consultants are doing this to get a higher editing or consulting package. The bigger reason is that apart from sure winners, which is close to 5-10% of all applicants, there is a wide range of applicants who are right at the border. For them to win, many times, it just requires a small corrective step in the GMAT/GRE retake, a change in branding, shortlisting better examples that are unique for the background, and coordinating with recommenders to ensure that the stories add up.
I would always recommend a writer/editor consultant with a strong understanding of branding regardless of their background. To realize a consultant’s grasp of branding, you must talk to a lot of consultants and ask about your profile weaknesses.
There are genuine weaknesses that cannot be mitigated with short-term engagements or any great essays.
Consultants who are honest will share the weaknesses that can limit your admission chances to m7 or T10 schools.
