Why MBA Admission Consultants Charge you by the Hour

MBA Admission Consultant - Don't Waste Time

Last week, I visited a specialist doctor and discussed with him about being part of an Entrepreneurial venture that will allow readers to ask questions directly to doctors. The reply was interesting.

“I have no problem answering the questions but don’t show my details including my phone number. The queries should be filtered through your website.”

 I thought it was a fair request and loudly guessed his intentions.

“You don’t want to offer your consulting time for free?”

“No. It’s not about the consulting time, but this tendency to call doctors will be a nuisance and I don’t want my routine to be disturbed. In my opinion, those who call Doctors without fixing an appointment are hypochondriacs or don’t have anything to do.”

Early in our article about Picking the Right MBA Admission consultant, one of our advice was:

“When you sign up for 1-2 hours, try to get a feel for how flexible they are with the communication or appointment. Consultants who are too rigid or charge for extra seconds are not the right people that you should depend on.”

A recent encounter with an MBA Aspirant has forced me to clarify this advice. He is a career switching Entrepreneurial applicant with a low GPA. Unfortunately, he has less than 2 years of experience and expects to score 750 in the GMAT. What differentiates the candidate is his Entrepreneurial achievements. However, the consultant he is seeking advice has asked him to fake experience, and hide his Entrepreneurial achievements. This dilemma led him to call me and ask about his chances if he sticks to the truth.

After two hours of conversation, I convinced him to focus on his Entrepreneurial achievements instead of faking experience. Reluctantly he agreed. The applicant was desperate to get into a top Business School without putting any work. The next day, he requested for additional time and asked us to review his fictional essay. I rejected the request.

Why?

These applicants are what I categorize as freeloaders. Most Admission consultants face such applicants on a regular basis.  We too get that request, but until now have resisted from offering to consult by the hours. You can start a free initial consultation here. The reason why Consultants have strict hourly rates for their services is to force you to focus on the essential service and show at the least the courtesy of buying the minimum amount of hours or basic consulting package or essential editing or review services or books (Essay Guide, Research Guide, and Interview Guide). More than charging for the services, what bother consultants is the time that applicants take away from other earnest applicants.

Some tips for approaching an MBA Admission Consultant:

1) If you are not sure about your target schools, create a list of 3-5 Business Schools before approaching them. Don’t expect the consultant to develop a life plan for you.

2) Be open about your fears. Don’t worry what the consultant would think about you if you reveal your fears.

3) Be honest about your experience. Don’t lie to the consultant.

4) Do the work. MBA is not a Shortcut. If you have poor work ethics, an MBA will not change that behavior.

5) MBA is a degree program. If you don’t enjoy learning for exams, MBA is not for you.

6) If you are an Entrepreneurial applicant, avoid traditional schools. MBA is a big investment and would lead the candidate to debt in the short-term. Any additional debt will add to the burden while funding your start-up venture.

Read 5 Tips to Pick the Best MBA Admissions Consultant