We want
you to be able to make an informed decision; whether it is about working with us
or about applying to a specific graduate school. Below are frequently asked questions
from our clients as well as our responses. Though this list is fairly
comprehensive, please do not hesitate to call us at +1 703.242.5885 or
email us regarding
any other questions you may have.
What differentiates
your company from other admissions consulting firms?
Every one of our consultants has a minimum of 3 years full-time admissions committee
experience at a position of no less than Assistant Director of Admission. Collectively,
we have made
tens of thousands of accept/reject/waitlist decisions at these
graduate
schools. In addition to requiring that all of our consultants have this minimum
of 3 years of
full-time admissions committee experience, we require consultants to undergo
additional training with us when they join our Firm. We know what admissions committees
really want to see in an application. That means we can counsel you on
how to best develop your admissions story,
how to select the most appropriate topics for your essays and personal statements,
how to mitigate a low GPA and/or GRE score, and how to submit the best possible recommendations.
You wouldn't call your hair dresser if your child gets sick in
the middle of the night and you wouldn't use your dentist to complete your tax
returns. Why would you consult someone who doesn't have graduate school admissions
committee experience on your applications?
Our consultants are far more than glorified proof readers. They offer
comprehensive services to ensure that your admission chances are
maximized. Grammatically-correct essays by themselves will not
gain you admission to the top grad school programs – and anyone thinking of
submitting professionally prepared statements will be well served to
know that admissions officers are quite skilled at sniffing out ghostwritten
personal statements.
Will I receive an honest assessment of my top-choice
admission prospects?
Absolutely. AdmissionsConsultants values integrity in the client
relationship. We can never guarantee admittance to any school. However, we can
maximize your chances with your preferred schools by helping you prepare
applications, personal statements, and interview responses that do justice to
your unique strengths as a graduate school applicant. We cannot stress enough the
importance of setting realistic expectations for your top-choice schools.
We appreciate the financial investment you are about to make as
you pursue graduate school. Our aim is to make the process easier and less stressful
for you. That said, we offer two payment plans for our consulting services: Hourly Rate: Our
graduate school school
admissions services bill at an hourly rate of $150. A minimum consultation of
one hour is required. Moreover, you pay only for the services (hours) you
desire. Fixed Fee Rate: Our fixed-fee rate applies to a fixed-fee package
on three, five, seven, or ten applications. What does this mean for you?
Depending upon which package you choose, you will receive
comprehensive counseling including unlimited essay revisions and support
throughout the application season at affordable rates. Additionally, your initial one-hour consultation fee is applied
to the fixed-fee rate. For more information, please visit on our
fee structure page.
With AdmissionsConsultants, what you see is what you get. There
are no hidden costs. It is just one of the many reasons over 95% of our
clients return for additional consulting services.
Will
you write essays and personal statements for me?
A key step in the admissions process is when admissions
committees determine whether, and how, your character reflects the
school's values. Essays are a critical component in this
evaluation. Essays therefore need to illustrate your unique personality,
your admissions objectives, and your writing style. For that reason, no
one but you can write your essays.
We are happy, however, to give you guidance on how to draw
out your strengths in your essays. We will also edit for grammar, punctuation,
and sentence structure. Essay assistance services are included in the
application fee.
Beware of anyone who offers to write your essays for
you. The move is likely to backfire. "If [this] school feels any part of the application is not
the student's own work, they are immediately disqualified," stated
Robert Alig, the former director of admissions and financial aid at the Wharton School of Business. His statement is just as applicable to
other graduate school programs as
it is to business schools.
Keep in mind, too, that submitting someone
else's writing or even a canned outline would deprive you of an important chance to tell the
admissions committee who you are. What can set you apart from thousands
of other applicants is the content and quality of your essays AND the degree to
which they reflect and highlight your nature – not that of some stranger.
We want to give you your best chance at success. We do this by matching you
with a consultant with a minimum of 3 years full-time graduate school
admissions committee experience at a position of no less than
Assistant Director of Admission. When more than one consultant has hours available, we will be glad to
give you your choice of consultants. Call us at +1 703.242.5885 to find
out who currently has availability.
Please note that we do not oversubscribe our consultants. We ask
our consultants to commit to replying to all client queries within 72 hours of
receipt. Once our consultants have accepted the maximum number of clients with
whom they can work and still honor that deadline, we stop accepting new
clients.
You will receive one-on-one attention from your assigned
consultant. This arrangement garners an accurate and thorough understanding of
your needs, objectives, personality and strong points. Moreover, our consultants
collaborate and brainstorm with each other, so that no detail of your
application process is overlooked.
Do I have to work with
a consultant who lives near me?
No. As a virtual company, we are set up
to provide seamless consulting services by taking
advantage of all modern communication mediums. We are
proud to serve a diverse clientele of applicants hailing
from North America, Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia and
Latin America. Our client base knows no bounds
Before AdmissionsConsultants was formed, David Petersam, the
company's founder, successfully guided several friends and acquaintances through
the turbulent admissions process that guards the nation's elite business
schools. After witnessing how successfully his admissions strategies worked for
these individuals – and being told by these same applicants that he should
start an admissions consultancy – AdmissionsConsultants was formed. Soon
thereafter, we expanded into graduate school admission consulting using the same
successful formula of hiring the most highly qualified consultants. Since our
inception in 1996, we have helped thousands of applicants
gain admission into their top-choice grad schools.
If you still have
any unanswered questions about AdmissionsConsultants, please do not hesitate to
call (+1 703.242.5885) or
email us.
We strive to provide a personalized response to all inquiries within 24 hours
including weekends and holidays.
