MBA App Sanity Check!

Signed for the Sanity Check as part of my application for a very stretch school (one of HSW). Was impressed by how thoughtful and personal the feedback was. It gave clear distinct pointers on what's looking, whether the school was even within reach and some suggestions for improvement/rethinking. I bought a Snark guide for the specific school after, and will definitely be using Snark as part of my applications this year! Thank you, team.

I chose the Sanity Check process with EssaySnark because the price was right, and because I wanted someone with a trained eye for MBA applications, and did not have this readily available in my network.



Overall I was very happy working with EssaySnark. His recommendations and suggestions in the Sanity Check were a great value, and overall accurate. I will be enrolling this fall in 2016 at a top 15 business school, and likely could not have done so without EssaySnark's coaching and expertise!

About to withdraw from the other 4 schools. Thanks for your help! I really believe that you are the best snark out there -- I didn't hire an admissions consultant because I never got the impression that they'd be willing to cut through the bull. Your comments on my Columbia app were absolutely essential. Without them I think there's 0% I would even have been invited.

I've taken a very do-it-yourself approach to my business school apps. When I started the process I listened in on a few information sessions hosted by admissions consultants, and I was really underwhelmed. Their advice was so general (and so easily attainable on schools' websites) that I figured they either: 1) added no value while costing a fortune; or 2) their real value-add came from inappropriate advice/handholding offered one-on-one.



So I went it alone. And after months of researching/drafting essays, with a few days left before my top school's deadline, I felt like I'd put together a pretty compelling package. I felt ready to hit submit. Before I did so, though, I stumbled across an EssaySnark comment on a message board (word to the wise: finding EssaySnark was literally the only helpful thing that came out of following that message board; otherwise I just spent far too much time worrying about whether the timelines other people were seeing matched up with my own). I was impressed by how blunt yet wise EssaySnark seemed, so after poking around the blahg for a half hour I decided to buy a Sanity Check.



This purchase was the best decision I made during my application process. Essay Snark cut through all the bull and gave me a very fair reading of the strengths and weaknesses in my near-final application. I was particularly impressed by her/his ability to point out what they felt was weak in my package (in my case it was unachievable career goals) without telling me what the "right" alternative answer would be. I had some significant course correcting to do when I received Snark's feedback, but it was well worth it: a few months later I received great news from my top choice program.



I highly recommend Sanity Check for any applicants seeking to go it alone!

Just adding to the previous comprehensive reviews:

I found the Sanity Check invaluable as a non-traditional candidate without access to knowledgeable reviewers. It was exactly the service I was looking for - an objective criticism of my applications from someone who knows the process.

Not much unsaid after those two comprehensive reviews, but here are my two cents:



- The profile review was tailored to the school I was applying to. 

Not a general 'good/bad/ugly profile' but 'how does your profile stand across each of the adcom's 4 criteria for admission.' I was wondering if my profile showed enough 'international outlook', if my grades were good enough and it was helpful to have a professional opinion



- Specific, targeted feedback

It's a short review, but trust me, you'll  get your money's worth. Comments both on style ('wow, you sound mean here' when I was going for funny) and content ('perhaps you could talk more about how you've networked with the school's community'). Also ES caught this typo that I swear to God no one else could have.



- No commentary on two job description essays

I did ask ES why she chose not to comment on them, and the gist of it was that she felt she didn't need to. If my goals seemed out of line with my career so far, she'd have pointed it out. By focusing on the 5 main essays, she had more space for feedback I could use. So no complaints here. (and of course she's female! Silly snarks? Automation squirrels? C'mon!)



As I got to the end of the essay writing process, I started sending out my essays to a wider set of reviewers and naturally ended up getting some conflicting feedback. For me the most helpful thing about the Sanity Check was getting feedback I didn't have to second guess. ES is the big cheese of all adcon cheeses, and after following her blahg for over a year, I knew I could and should trust her opinion.



Again, I will say that this is NOT for early drafts. Your essays have to be in reasonably good shape for this review to be helpful. It is absolutely and completely worth it, so in the words of a great writer, 'pony up the ducats'!

I have been a follower of the Snark’s blahg for a while now, all the way back when it was free. Except for the Sanity Check, I have not bought any other services. I’ve crafted my apps based on info on the blahg and a freebie profile provided by the Snark early in the game, plus books I’ve taken out from the public library (check out 65 Successful HBS App Essays – oldie but goodie, and definitely helpful early in the process. Also good, Business School Confidential, for a general idea on what the process will entail).



This is a review for the Sanity Check. What you will get for your $:



1. A “basic profile” review – from the response I got, this review is based on your profile answers on the Snark Center, your resume and your transcripts. Great response, with details on what makes you a viable candidate e.g. academics, strength of essay, readiness. Please note, as the BSer before me mentioned, you will not be getting detailed feedback on what’s on your resume or the way you present your resume.



2. Critiques on all essays submitted – This is where the Sanity Check is most valuable. The Snark highlighted the good and the not so good in the essays. The level of detail in the feedback will help you make necessary adjustments. I had comments on content (good), structure (good), language (STOP TRYING SO HARD) and style for all essays submitted.



3. Turnaround time – as promised, I received the review within 48 hours.



The Sanity Check is NOT for outlines, drafts or second drafts. Submit the polished product, i.e. the stuff you’re sick of looking at and you’ve had nightmares over. Basically, for me, the Sanity Check is the thing that finally convinces you that, hey, clicking that “submit” button is not such a terrible idea. I would recommend the Sanity Check to BSer’s with at least a week or so left in their schedule to submit the app so they have time to edit.

Again, this is for BSers who knows they have decent stuff on their hands but need some acknowledgment that they’re not delusional. This may also be useful for nontraditional candidates without access to people who have been through the process. For these people, I recommend the Sanity Check. I also recommend Essay Snark as a great general resource for all things b-school. You guys who are not paying for the blahg, come on, it’s $4.95 a month, and you probably only need to subscribe for 3 months - you get insight on the application process, you get info on specific schools, reality checks on how b-school isn’t the be-all end-all and a tutorial on snarkiness. At the very least, follow EssaySnark on Twitter - your apps will be stronger and your future MBA self will thank you for it.

To give you a background, I have been a big fan of EssaySnark and following his (or her? I'll use him) posts dutifully for the past year or so (for the record, I am reapplying to a few schools this year + new ones). I would have loved to work with EssaySnark full time, but between applying to 5-7 schools and managing some other payments, I find myself in a precarious financial situation. Hence, when the $50 Sanity Check showed up, I grabbed it immediately as ANY feedback from the Snark is bound to be helpful ... and I have just been proven right.



What I expected and got/didn't get from the Sanity Check



- Overview of my candidature at a school vis a vis 1) general applicant pool, and 2) international applicant pool, with EssaySnark's insight based on profiles people send to him : Very well articulated in the feedback received



- Overview of the positives and negatives of my own profile - eg: extra currics, GMAT score, career differentiaion etc. : Very well articulated in the feedback received



- Overview on if my essays made sense, and if my writing style/grammar/content was up to the mark : Well articulated in the feedback received



- Overview on the quality of my Resume, similar to my essays as described above : Missing in the feedback received



- Feedback on improving my essays : Very well articulated in the feedback received



- A 'bottom line' comment on feasibility of receiving an interview : Provided



As you would see, the sanity check delivers on almost everything I expected it to be. For $50, you get a morale boost (or morale dampner, I got the former) when the Snark tells you if your essays are good enough. You also get a perspective of another reader, who is a reputable person (eg: in my case, except for the snark, the other person who read my app said all essays were very good, versus the snark who pointed some holes in 1 and some feedback for the other 2).



My feedback to the Snark is to only add a piece on resume quality (the written resume and NOT the professional background).



Nice Touch: As mentioned, I have been in touch with EssaySnark for a while. He was kind enough to remember, and point out the name of the school I applied to last year, where he reviewed my essay for free on the blog (good ol days , sigh! ) and gave me kudos for improving my candidacy there. This is NOT part of what he was expected to deliver, but did.



Please Note: the feedback will NOT detail specifically what the gaps are (eg: when you wrote xxx in your essay, it doesn't connect to your conclusion of yyy) but will tell you there are gaps (eg: The essay is good, but not great. There are grammar mistakes). So your expectations should be measured accordingly. It's a 2 page feedback I received, which is as detailed as I could expect for this kind of service and left me satisfied.





Parting Not: Per me, this service is for those who are ready with everything for a school (near final drafts, resume primmed up etc.) and are smart enough to immediately identify what they need to fix and more importantly, if what they have to fix is fixable. The REAL value add of this service is that it can allow you to save $250 (or $265) if your app is not strong enough per the Snark, who is credible enough to pass that judgment.



Cheers!