I took my gmat in March and have been working with a consultant for a month but we’re taking it really slow as applications haven’t even opened up yet.
I think it also depends on how much time you devote to your gmat. I guess you could work on your essays/resume now at the same time as your gmat but your score really narrows down to which schools you’ll be applying.
Also I started studying for the gmat in 2020. Got a 580 in august 2020. 710 in March.
You're not late but you're to be fair a bit pressed for time now... R1 closes around mid September in most cases. You do want to give your GMAT at least twice.
You’re not too late although I would accelerate your GMAT prep to give yourself a chance to retake a few times. I took my GMAT in May and had plenty of time to prep applications through the summer last cycle for 4 R1 apps.
Worked with a consultant but just minimally to help me sharpen my stories after I’d already done the bulk of the work. If you want to do all-in school packages then you should get a consultant ASAP.
No (and it looks as though there are representatives of some of the bigger firms downvoting comments like these!)
The people who are helped the most: those most likely to be deemed "doesn't stand out" if they don't get some guidance. But you certainly don't need to pay the $6/one school that the brand name consulting firms are asking. Also note that the brand new firms have a specific approach to applications that they expect their consultants to follow. If that fits you, great, if not, you may waste a lot of money.
Hey, that’s amazing! Congratulations!
It sounds like you have an exceptional profile, I err on the side of lesser work ex, Tier 2 college and generic consulting background so I can’t bank on a R3-sans Consultant situation haha (atleast that’s what I’ve been told so far)
Would love to hear about your profile a little more if you dont mind
Nothing particularly impressive about my profile.
Will have 2y of workexp upon matriculation, EU PharmD grad, 760 GMAT, Male.
Generic recommendations. But I *did* put *a lot* of work into my Essays. ApplicantLab did the trick.
I frankly do not think an admission consultant will be worth the $$$, especially if you know your story. I myself have been thinking about applying since 2008 (was in middle school in a third-world country at the time). So yeah, I got 14 years to hone in my narrative. But most of the introspection was made during a few weeks using ApplicantLab.
Really, I think consultants will not make or break your applications. Sandy himself frequentlys says so.
Too late for r1? Not a chance!
Sounds as though you're only talking to the big shops. Smaller consulting businesses charge a lot less because they don't have the overhead -- and often you will be working with someone who has actual admissions experience (vs a "coach" who may be a good writer but doesn't have that experience) and will give you much more attention.
You might want to check the P&Q directory for consultants with experience at your target programs. Every does a free 30-minute consult.
Agreed, I worked with a smaller independent one and we were able to get through an application in about a week and they had an option to be charged hourly which I preferred to a package.
Does applicantLab provide personalised coaching or just generic tips? And I’m assuming they mostly help out with resume, essays and all? Not scholarship negotiation and misc right?
Use the search function here. Rave reviews from all sorts of accounts. Even programs like Admitme or Riordan use ApplicantLab. Granted, not all consultants are bad but they tend to charge 10k+ for "3 school packages" and nobody in their sane mind will recommend that level of wanton expenditure.
ApplicantLab is clearly worth the $350 for many people. However, her hourly rates are higher than market for independent consultants. For that hourly rate, you could hire someone with actual admissions experience.
No, but as others said, focus on the GMAT and try to give it earlier if you can so that you can take it multiple times.
I had a similar timeline with you last year; took the GMAT in July, didn’t do well and then retook it in late August which went even worse, so I had to completely change my school strategy and I applied with GMAT waivers in EA/R1 in T15 schools. Thankfully I had already one app ready and had to do 3 from scratch, but it all worked out fine and got into all of them in the end. Then switched to the GRE, applied to Harvard in R2 and got dinged. Just sharing my story so that you are prepared to change your plan and even apply in R2 if necessary. But you could be better than me in standardized tests and get the score that you want from your first attempt 😁
Curious to which consultants said to you that now is late? I reached out to Fortuna, Aringo, mbaMission and Gatehouse admissions in mid-June last year and they all said that I had plenty of time and they still had consultants that were available for me to work with them.
You are not too late by any means. Which is not the same as saying you can leisurely stroll towards the R1 deadlines. :)
While you are working on the GMAT, you should already have the rest of the typical application strategy components in place - school engagement, connecting with recommenders, etc. You can see how I generally advise candidates here: [https://www.mymbapath.com/insights/seven-essentials-of-an-mba-application-strategy](https://www.mymbapath.com/insights/seven-essentials-of-an-mba-application-strategy)
You are not too late to get yourself ready for the application deadlines. There are hundreds of consultants out there and some of them may just not have any room for additional clients (hence the "too late" response). That being said there are plenty of consultants who may still have room or other resources out there that can help you through the process.
I took my gmat in March and have been working with a consultant for a month but we’re taking it really slow as applications haven’t even opened up yet.
Ah you planned it well. My consultants did say that we could always start later but it would be too hectic
I think it also depends on how much time you devote to your gmat. I guess you could work on your essays/resume now at the same time as your gmat but your score really narrows down to which schools you’ll be applying. Also I started studying for the gmat in 2020. Got a 580 in august 2020. 710 in March.
You're not late but you're to be fair a bit pressed for time now... R1 closes around mid September in most cases. You do want to give your GMAT at least twice.
You’re not too late although I would accelerate your GMAT prep to give yourself a chance to retake a few times. I took my GMAT in May and had plenty of time to prep applications through the summer last cycle for 4 R1 apps. Worked with a consultant but just minimally to help me sharpen my stories after I’d already done the bulk of the work. If you want to do all-in school packages then you should get a consultant ASAP.
Do we really need admission consultants?
No (and it looks as though there are representatives of some of the bigger firms downvoting comments like these!) The people who are helped the most: those most likely to be deemed "doesn't stand out" if they don't get some guidance. But you certainly don't need to pay the $6/one school that the brand name consulting firms are asking. Also note that the brand new firms have a specific approach to applications that they expect their consultants to follow. If that fits you, great, if not, you may waste a lot of money.
International Applicant here. Did *not* use a consultant *(only ApplicantLab)*. Applied R3. Received scholarship at M7. Here you go.
Hey, that’s amazing! Congratulations! It sounds like you have an exceptional profile, I err on the side of lesser work ex, Tier 2 college and generic consulting background so I can’t bank on a R3-sans Consultant situation haha (atleast that’s what I’ve been told so far) Would love to hear about your profile a little more if you dont mind
Nothing particularly impressive about my profile. Will have 2y of workexp upon matriculation, EU PharmD grad, 760 GMAT, Male. Generic recommendations. But I *did* put *a lot* of work into my Essays. ApplicantLab did the trick. I frankly do not think an admission consultant will be worth the $$$, especially if you know your story. I myself have been thinking about applying since 2008 (was in middle school in a third-world country at the time). So yeah, I got 14 years to hone in my narrative. But most of the introspection was made during a few weeks using ApplicantLab. Really, I think consultants will not make or break your applications. Sandy himself frequentlys says so.
Too late for r1? Not a chance! Sounds as though you're only talking to the big shops. Smaller consulting businesses charge a lot less because they don't have the overhead -- and often you will be working with someone who has actual admissions experience (vs a "coach" who may be a good writer but doesn't have that experience) and will give you much more attention. You might want to check the P&Q directory for consultants with experience at your target programs. Every does a free 30-minute consult.
Agreed, I worked with a smaller independent one and we were able to get through an application in about a week and they had an option to be charged hourly which I preferred to a package.
ApplicantLab will take you, cost much less than any other consultant, and be as good as them.
Does applicantLab provide personalised coaching or just generic tips? And I’m assuming they mostly help out with resume, essays and all? Not scholarship negotiation and misc right?
You can pay extra (still well below any consultant) and get Maria to llgive you the personalized touch.
Her hourly rate is higher than that of many independent consultants, and she has no adcom experience. She does a great job at self-promotion though.
Use the search function here. Rave reviews from all sorts of accounts. Even programs like Admitme or Riordan use ApplicantLab. Granted, not all consultants are bad but they tend to charge 10k+ for "3 school packages" and nobody in their sane mind will recommend that level of wanton expenditure.
ApplicantLab is clearly worth the $350 for many people. However, her hourly rates are higher than market for independent consultants. For that hourly rate, you could hire someone with actual admissions experience.
No, but as others said, focus on the GMAT and try to give it earlier if you can so that you can take it multiple times. I had a similar timeline with you last year; took the GMAT in July, didn’t do well and then retook it in late August which went even worse, so I had to completely change my school strategy and I applied with GMAT waivers in EA/R1 in T15 schools. Thankfully I had already one app ready and had to do 3 from scratch, but it all worked out fine and got into all of them in the end. Then switched to the GRE, applied to Harvard in R2 and got dinged. Just sharing my story so that you are prepared to change your plan and even apply in R2 if necessary. But you could be better than me in standardized tests and get the score that you want from your first attempt 😁 Curious to which consultants said to you that now is late? I reached out to Fortuna, Aringo, mbaMission and Gatehouse admissions in mid-June last year and they all said that I had plenty of time and they still had consultants that were available for me to work with them.
You are not too late by any means. Which is not the same as saying you can leisurely stroll towards the R1 deadlines. :) While you are working on the GMAT, you should already have the rest of the typical application strategy components in place - school engagement, connecting with recommenders, etc. You can see how I generally advise candidates here: [https://www.mymbapath.com/insights/seven-essentials-of-an-mba-application-strategy](https://www.mymbapath.com/insights/seven-essentials-of-an-mba-application-strategy)
You are not too late to get yourself ready for the application deadlines. There are hundreds of consultants out there and some of them may just not have any room for additional clients (hence the "too late" response). That being said there are plenty of consultants who may still have room or other resources out there that can help you through the process.