the admissions consulting industry

($) All schools do a “holistic review.” But…

June 29, 2022 by EssaySnark

So we just spent 1,000 words yesterday telling you that the schools look at everything. And they do. In every chat, webinar, and info session, you’ll hear admissions directors of top MBA programs tell you that they do a “holistic review” of their candidates, that they don’t weight any particular component of the profile, that...

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($) Evaluating MBA admissions consultants: Why “client success rate” is not to be trusted

June 24, 2022 by EssaySnark Leave a Comment

It’s only natural that you’d want to know how many of the MBA admissions consultant’s clients have gotten in. After all, picking the right consultant is a fraught decision: You are putting YOUR DESTINY into their hands. And it’s not a transparent marketplace any way you look at it. We understand why you’d want to […]

Plagiarism (doh!)

June 16, 2022 by EssaySnark Leave a Comment

We tend to write about plagiarism every year or so on this blahg, and we wanted to take another moment just to educate y’all on what it is and why it’s a real problem if it happens with your MBA application. Most people don’t actually try to plagiarize, though occasionally a misguided applicant will literally […]

($) Does it help to go with an MBA admissions consultant who has worked in MBA admissions?

April 29, 2022 by EssaySnark Leave a Comment

Short answer: No. Except in perhaps one very limited case. Long answer: Keep reading. Premium content starts here… ———– ———– Premium content ends. This post is merely to say, evaluate any potential consultant with clear thinking and logic — EssaySnark included. What are their qualifications? What are they claiming to be the advantage […]

Does your MBA admissions consultant need to have an MBA in order to be any good?

April 27, 2022 by EssaySnark Leave a Comment

Well, no — just like an oncologist does not need to have suffered from their own cancer in order to treat the patient’s. But yes, if they’re going to be able to give you true insights on what the experience will be like and how you may, or may not, be prepared, and ready. Though […]

($) The secret to how to get into HBS

April 22, 2022 by EssaySnark - Discusses Harvard 2 Comments

[WARNING: This is a looooong post! May want to jump to the bottom and hit that little Favorite button to save it for later! (Favorite feature available to blahg members)] We’re republishing this from the ‘snarchives to help you eager-beaver BSers who want a leg up on the quintessential of the quintessential-est schools. Because anybody […]

($) What does diversity mean in the context of MBA admissions?

March 23, 2022 by EssaySnark Leave a Comment

Honestly, diversity means so much! In the post-2020 newfound racial awareness in the U.S. following the murder of George Floyd, “diversity” has largely come to mean “racial diversity” and that is indeed one of the traditionally low points of the business school industry. (Note: The MBA ecosystem is most definitely an industry! Even though academia […]

($) Why do schools extend MBA app deadlines?

January 5, 2022 by EssaySnark - Discusses Chicago Booth Leave a Comment

You may have seen that Booth extended its Round 2 deadline from this week, out till Monday. Interesting! Why might schools do this? Premium content starts here… ———– ———– Premium content ends.

($) When a 740 GMAT isn’t really a 740 GMAT

October 28, 2021 by EssaySnark Leave a Comment

Clickbaity title, yes, that’s valid. But there are so many misconceptions out there on GMAT scores. If you’ve got like a 730+, you should be fine, right? Unfortunately that may not always be the case. 🙁 Premium content starts here… ———– ———– Premium content ends. This post is not intended to cause you […]

It’s not ethical for you to have an admissions consultant review your recommendation letters

August 9, 2021 by EssaySnark Leave a Comment

Basically, the title of the post says it all. However, for a little review: 1. You cannot write your own recommendations. (But you can help your recommenders come up with ideas for what they will write about.) 2. You also cannot have an admissions consultant help write or edit your recommendations. You cannot ferry drafts […]