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Current Status
Congratulations to our many admitted applicants!
They worked very hard and, with the encouragement
and challenges from their consultants, were able
to really analyze their school selections, think
hard to uncover the best possible essay topics to
communicate their unique stories and themes,
produce the best possible applications, and
deliver their finest interview performances. I am
very proud to say that we have helped applicants
gain admission into all of the Ivy League schools
again this year as well as many fine, non Ivy
League universities and colleges. I would also
like to congratulate the many applicants who won
significant scholarships (over 50% of tuition) to
their 'stretch' schools.
While we will not conduct an official tally for
another few weeks, it appears very certain that we
are going to once again have similar success rates
to last year when over 80% of our 3 application
clients and over 95% of our 5 or more application
clients received admission offers to at least one
of their top-choice schools!
Special 'Head Start' Offer
As a professional services firm, we do not believe
in running lots of 'specials' at
AdmissionsConsultants. However, we do have a
current special that we believe will be incredibly
valuable to those of you planning to apply to
business school, law school, or medical school
this coming year. We invite you to sign up for a
one-hour 'pre admissions' consultation. These
consultations are custom-tailored to each unique
individual and contain, in addition to
brutally-honest and candid assessments of your
chances at various schools, valuable positioning
tips you will not find in any books or group
seminars. Your candidacy is different from
everyone else's and the advice you receive should
be different as well.
So, why exactly is this a special offer? Because
we will allow you to deduct the price of this pre
admissions consultation from a multiple
application package should you decide to retain
our services for a fixed-fee multiple application
package. These packages are comprehensive and
include unlimited telephone support and unlimited
essay revisions as well as comprehensive help that
covers letters of reference, resumes/cvs,
application completion, and interview preparation.
We leave no stones unturned and this comprehensive
approach, combined with our unique qualifications
as former admissions committee members who made
accept/reject/waitlist decisions, has produced an
astounding 95% success rate.
We only require a minimum one hour retainer fee
because we are so confident that you will be happy
with our services and you will voluntarily return
to us for additional help with your applications.
With this offer, in addition to getting our
signature, comprehensive service for your
applications, you will also have several months to
implement a detailed action plan to optimize your
positioning and further increase your chances of
gaining admission to your top-choice schools.
Essentially, you will get a free initial
consultation if you retain us for a fixed-fee
multiple application package and the extra months
to implement your positioning will further boost
your admissions chances!
Let's face it. We know that your service will only
be as good as the consultant with whom you work.
Our consultants earn far more than their
counterparts elsewhere and our prices are very
competitive because we choose to spend our money
on top-notch consultants whose work generates
word-of-mouth support instead of advertising. If
you take advantage of this special offer, you will
be helping yourself and, when you are successful
at gaining admission to your top-choice schools,
you will be helping us as well!
Back to top
Business
School Admission Calendar
Many admissions offers have already been made and,
as we correctly predicted earlier, the waitlists
are being turned to earlier than in past years.
There are still some good European schools that
have several openings available for the Fall 2004
entering class and we have already began
conducting pre admissions consultations with many
Fall 2005 applicants. We can begin helping you now
and the earlier we start, the more positioning
advice we can give you before the fall
applications are due. Best of all, our head start
special offer makes this available to you now at
the same price it will be in the fall when it will
be too late to implement this head start
positioning advice.
Have You Seriously Considered the European
Business Schools?
It is not that uncommon for us to recommend one or
more of the top European business schools to our
clients based on their natural fits, background
qualifications, and future career goals. We would
never try to imply that the European b-schools are
best suited for every applicant (no more so than
their American counterparts), but it probably
won’t hurt you to “think outside the box” given
the implications your business education will have
on your future career and the fact that it is much
easier to gain admission to a top European MBA
program this late in the spring when many US
business schools are no longer accepting
applications.
Admissions consultant Bonnie Sofarelli states, “In
your search for an MBA, consider programs outside
of the United States as well. Top tier schools in
countries such as Spain, France and the UK bring
together bright and motivated people from around
the world. Good programs build classroom dynamics
based upon students' cultural differences with a
good mix of industries represented. The advantage
is one develops a more objective understanding of
global markets and interpersonal communication,
along with an appreciation for diversity. In the
end, earning an MBA abroad can lead to more
effective management skills and broaden your
career opportunities worldwide." Bonnie is the
former Associate Director of Admissions at IESE in
Spain and her husband was a b-school student in
IESE during her tenure.
MBA Job Market
The job market continues to improve for business
school students. Company presentations are up at
business schools across the board as of this
writing. While the number of company presentations
may not correlate directly with the number of
campus interviews conducted and job offers
extended, this is a good early indicator
nonetheless.
The good news is even better for aspiring strategy
consultants. Our discussions with our colleagues
and former clients in the consulting industry have
led us to believe consulting recruitment could
increase by 100% at the top 15-18 business
schools. In addition to a long overdue rebound in
the industry, the recent lack of hirings has left
many firms with a shortage of junior consultants.
Let the good times continue to roll!
New
US News Rankings
US News & Word Report
released its newest rankings at the beginning of
this month. We encourage you to take the US News
rankings -- and all rankings for that matter --
with a grain of salt and not to choose one school
over another solely because it is ranked a point
or two higher at one particular moment.
The Business Schools Strike Back
Perhaps more important than the release of these
rankings is growing hesitation by top b-schools
such as Harvard and Wharton to continue fully
participating in these rankings. Specifically, the
schools are citing privacy concerns for the
restrictions on giving contact information for
current students and alumni to the multiple media
outlets that conduct ranking surveys. Unlike other
efforts that have sputtered such as the previous
moves by undergraduate institutions to ‘fight
back’ against the ranking surveys and the effort
Harvard Business School made in the mid to late 90s to
stop accepting GMAT scores, we believe this one
may just have enough support by the other top 10
schools to make a material impact on the MBA
rankings over the next few years.
To clarify though, no school of which we are aware
has announced it will cease all participation in
these ranking surveys. Consequently, we expect
them to continue providing basic information such
as GMAT scores and yield percentages. Larger
ranking organizations such as BusinessWeek and US
News will likely have the resources to work around
these new obstacles. It remains unclear how much
this more limited b-school participation may harm
the less well-funded rankings surveys.
And, in the interest of being ‘fair and balanced’…
It should be noted that the rankings surveys are
not sitting quietly on their hands. BusinessWeek
is arguing that in this time of increased demand
on accountability, the b-schools should not
attempt to curb the information necessary to help
applicants make the best possible decisions about
their MBA investments.
Were you dinged at your top-choice schools this
past year?
We can help determine the most probable reasons
for your ding. We can also tell you if, and how,
we can improve your chances as a re-applicant this
coming fall. Finally, we will provide you with a
personalized and detailed action plan to ensure
you are optimally positioned for next fall's
applications and we will also advise you on which
schools you should be targeting.
Back to top
We provide professional assistance to all high
school students and our college admissions news is
organized by high school class.
High School Seniors:
By the time you are reading this newsletter, you
should hopefully be reviewing your acceptance
offers and enjoying the last few weeks of your
high school career. Most of these schools have May
1 response deadlines to their offers. With any
luck, you already know exactly which school you
plan to attend. If you are still undecided, we
strongly encourage you to schedule visits to the
schools. Even with high-tech websites loaded with
video images, the best way to decide which school
is best for you remains to physically visit the
campuses and interact with students and faculty in
person.
High School Juniors:
Register for the next SAT and/or ACT exam date and begin – if you haven’t
already – thinking seriously about the college
selection process. You also have a little bit of
time left to work on your positioning for this
coming fall’s applications. Don’t hesitate to
contact us directly if you would like to schedule
a pre admissions consultation with one of our
highly-qualified consultants.
Sara Hernández, a college admissions consultant
and former Assistant Director of Admissions at
Cornell
University, states, "It is alright if you
do not do as well as you would like on the spring
exams. Taking them in the spring allows you to get
a sense of your strengths and weaknesses. That
way, you can use your time wisely in preparing to
retake the exams in the early fall. Keep in mind
that college admissions committees typically
consider your highest subscores from the exams to
obtain your highest possible composite score."
Sophomores, Freshmen, and Eighth Graders:
You are strongly encouraged to register for the
most competitive curriculum for which you are
prepared. Now is also the time to begin working on
the summer enrichment program applications and
position your future college candidacies with
extracurricular activities that can provide the
‘wow’ factor necessary to successfully
differentiate you from the many other applicants
to the top colleges who will also have high grades
and test scores.
High School Rankings
There was a ranking of top national high schools
in the April 2, 2004
Wall Street
Journal. While we advise you to take
these -- and all rankings for that matter -- with
a grain of salt, the WSJ writer does explicitly
acknowledge some imperfections with the rankings
model.
Questions regarding
high school selection for middle school students
and high school transfers do come up from time to
time and our college admissions experts (all of
whom have made accept/reject/waitlist decisions for
selective college admissions committees) are
available to help you.
Were you dinged at your top-choice schools this
past year?
Sadly, we have had many parents call us asking for
advice on where their kids went wrong in the
application process and why they were rejected at
every selective school to which they applied when
their average GPAs and test scores were above the
schools’ medians. The ding analyses we have
performed have uncovered different reasons
although they do tend to focus around the
applicants’ stories and themes as most of the
times, these applicants are indeed competitive for
the tier schools they targeted unsuccessfully. In
these ding analyses we also help these new clients
determine if they should accept an offer to a less
prestigious school and apply to a better school
with an improved application as a transfer or if
they should take a year off (to do something
productive of course such as a mission) and then
apply again this coming fall as freshmen.
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Fall Applicant Considerations
Admissions consultant and former Associate
Director of Admission at Penn Law Renee Post
states, "Too often applicants believe they must
retake the LSAT because they are 1-2 points off
the median for their target school rather than
view this test as just one piece of the whole
application. While the LSAT is an important part
of the admissions process, applicants often
overlook the value of a well-prepared application
including the personal statement, letters of
recommendation and resume. It is the entire
application that will make or break a candidacy
and an accept/reject/waitlist decision is rarely
based on one factor."
LSAT Tip
LSAT expert Bara Sapir advises, “To maximize your
performance on the critical reasoning section of
the LSAT, you will need to accept the logic
presented in the short paragraphs as gospel truth
and read both the question stem and the argument
with absolute precision. Because the LSAT is
supposed to simulate real world skills, they
measure your ability to absorb facts and
arguments, and then apply them with strict
accuracy and precision. It is especially useful to
identify the assumptions that lay behind the
argument and then ask yourself, what is this
question really asking? Some questions require you
to draw an inference and arrive at a logical
conclusion based upon the facts and reasoning
presented. The more sensitive you become to
nuances of language and logic form, the easier it
will be for you to master the critical reasoning
sections.”
Encouraging News Regarding Career Placement
We have not yet seen any official numbers for the
Class of 2004, but individuals to whom we have
spoken indicate they believe the improving economy
will benefit the current third-year students in
terms of both numbers of job offers and starting
salaries.
New
US News Rankings
US News & Word Report
released its newest rankings at the beginning of
this month. We encourage you to take the US News
rankings -- and all rankings for that matter --
with a grain of salt and not to choose one school
over another solely because it is ranked a point
or two higher at one particular moment.
Take Advantage of Our Special 'Head Start' Offer!
Now is the time to begin thinking about which
school will best help you meet your educational
and career goals and how best to position your
application. You can sign up today for a highly
customized 'pre admissions' consultation, and we
will allow you to deduct the price of this
one-hour consultation from a multiple application
package should you decide to retain our services
for a Silver, Gold, Platinum, or Diamond
application package. We only require a minimum one
hour retainer fee because we are that confident
that you will be happy with our services and you
will voluntarily return to us for additional help
with your applications. With this offer, in
addition to getting our signature, comprehensive
service for your applications, you will also have
several months to implement a detailed action plan
to optimize your positioning and further increase
your chances of gaining admission to your
top-choice law schools.
Back to top
Medical
School Admission Calendar
The medical school applications for the 2003-2004
application season have already been submitted.
Right now, we are mostly conducting 'pre
admissions consultations' for those applicants
seeking a head start on their positioning for
future medical school applications.
2005 Applicant Considerations
“I am often asked about the MCAT and when an
applicant should sit for this test. The MCAT
offers the admissions committees a way of
comparing you to all premedical applicants across
the country, so doing well on it can either
validate a very high GPA or help out an applicant
with a borderline GPA. Nationally, according to
the Association of American Medical Colleges,
matriculants to medical school usually have an
MCAT between 29 and 30 with a fairly even
distribution across the Biological, Physical, and
Verbal sections of the test. What is as important
as doing well on the MCAT is the actual timing of
the MCAT. The MCAT should be taken when the
applicant has completed or has nearly completed
all the premedical courses. Between the April and
August administrations, the April test offers the
applicant the most advantages for several reasons.
First the scores from the April administration get
to the medical school admissions committees by
June when the AMCAS opens. Considering that
admissions committees have a rolling admissions
policy (as qualified applicants come through, they
are accepted to the incoming class) and have only
a handful of available interview spots, completing
your application as early as possible means you
have just increased your chances of being accepted
-- there are more interview spots to give out and
more seats still open in the class. Secondly
getting those scores back in June means you now
have about two and a half months to prepare for
the August MCAT if required,” states medical
school admissions consultant Dr. Tim Wu. Tim
served on the Downstate College of Medicine
Admissions Committee, a position through which he
gained insight into various admissions models,
exposure to admitting formulae, and the psychology
of the medical school admissions process.
New
US News Rankings
US News & Word Report
released its newest rankings at the beginning of
this month. Once again this year, the rankings are
broken down by primary care and research. We
encourage you to take the US News rankings -- and
all rankings for that matter -- with a grain of
salt and not to choose one school over another
solely because it is ranked a point or two higher
at one particular moment.
Back to top
AdmissionsConsultants is a full-service admissions
consultancy that maximizes the admissions chances
of its clients. Our consultants have admissions
committee experience, meaning they have made
accept/reject/waitlist decisions and, therefore,
truly have expert knowledge of the application
process. It is this admissions committee
experience that enables us to know exactly what
differentiates successful from unsuccessful
applicants including: strategies, essays/personal
statements, letters of reference, resumes/cvs/activity
statements, applications, and admissions
interviews. We understand that admissions
committees care about more than just typo-free
essays and that is why we offer comprehensive
services.
We recently assisted a former undergraduate
admissions officer with some graduate school
applications. She chose us because she recognized
she would benefit from the expert advice of
someone with the appropriate admissions committee
experience. We can provide this same expert level
of service to you.
If you would like more information about our
services, you can visit our website at
www.admissionsconsultants.com, email us at
info@admissionsconsultants.com, or call us at
703.242.5885. We will be glad to advise you
through the application process and ensure that
you maximize your admissions chances!
Back to top
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for admissions-related topics. It is also
vigilantly moderated so you can enjoy
intellectually-stimulating debate without being
harassed by flamers and spammers. Stop by, ask a
question, and make some new friends. Visit us at
www.admissionsboards.com.
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Copyright
Copyright 2004
AdmissionsConsultants, Inc.
All rights reserved. While we ask that you not
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