Congratulations To This Past Year’s Clients!
We
had another successful year and we
would like to congratulate the,
literally, thousands of clients
who gained admission to the eight Ivy League
schools as well as elite non Ivy institutions
such as Stanford and MIT. Our clients worked
very hard and showed great patience and
understanding as we often insisted on making an
additional set of revisions to the essays and
sometimes asked them to go with stories and
themes that may have seemed a bit unorthodox to
the untrained eye. We would also like to
congratulate the many applicants who won
significant scholarships (representing over 50%
of tuition) to their 'stretch' schools.
While we will not conduct an official tally for
another few weeks, it appears very likely that
we will have an admittance success rate similar
to last year’s, 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, college, 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 the service you
receive 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!
If you would like more information about our
services, you can call us at 703.242.5885,
visit our website, or
email us. We will be glad to advise you
through the application process and ensure that
you maximize your admissions chances!
Are You Waitlisted?
Were you waitlisted? If so, don’t forget to keep
the admissions office up-to-date on your recent
achievements and activities. They can’t know
what you’re up to if you don’t tell them.
Moreover, sending in updated information in a
way that respects the fine line between being
persistent and being a pest, sends a message
that you are still actively interested in
attending that law school and will greatly
increase your chances of being successfully
admitted off the waitlist. You might also want
to consider our fixed-fee waitlist assistance
package, through which one of our consultants
will assess your application packet and advise
you on how best to proceed. To get started now,
call us at 703.242.5885 or
email us.
Were You Dinged?
A lot of applicants got disappointing news
recently. If you were one of them, your best
course of action is to take a cold, hard look at
why you were ‘dinged’ by the school you hoped to
attend, and to begin repositioning yourself as a
re-applicant for next fall. The crucial step in
this process is to understand what facets of
your application led to its rejection. Our
consultants can help you do this by reviewing
your applications and giving you a candid
assessment of what would have to be strengthened
or improved to make you a stronger applicant.
They can also tell you whether you have a
realistic chance of gaining entry to the
programs you have targeted. Keep in mind that
re-applicants are judged by a different set of
standards than first-time applicants are. We
offer a special fixed-fee ‘ding’ analysis to
help clients maximize their chances of success
as re-applicants. Call us at 703.242.5885 or
email us to get started right away!
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Columbia
Taking January and ED Applications
Columbia Business School
is now taking applications for its 2006
Accelerated January Program and for early
decision admissions for fall 2006. The
application deadline for both programs is
October 12, for international and US students
alike. Decisions will be made within 8 weeks of
receipt for the January program, and 10 weeks
for the early decision program.
The January program is an excellent option for
students who do not need or want to pursue an
internship as part of their MBA education (in
other words, working professionals who are not
trying to change business career tracks). Other
applicants should stick to traditional 2-year
programs instead. Intern experience is vital to
securing a post-MBA job, and anyone without a
firm place in the industry they want to work in
would be taking a huge risk by foregoing
internships.
Columbia’s
early decision program is binding. Applicants
who are accepted must pay a nonrefundable
deposit and withdraw applications from other
schools. It’s a nice option for applicants whose
top choice is Columbia. Columbia sends out
regular notifications later than other schools
do (because their admissions office has the
January program to deal with), and early
decision lets you know whether you’re in or not
much sooner than you would otherwise. However,
applicants who are considering other schools as
well as Columbia should avoid boxing themselves
in and wait to apply under the regular decision
program. (Columbia’s regular decision deadlines
for the upcoming application season are April
20, 2006 for US applicants and March 1, 2006 for
international applicants.)
Essay questions for both programs are available
at the
businessschooladmission.com page on
Columbia Business School.
MBA Job Market
There’s still more good job news for MBAs, this
time from MIT. The Sloan School’s MBA Career
Development Office reports that job offers to
its graduates are up, with 88 per cent of 2005
grads having offers as of mid-May. That’s 8
points up from the same time last year and 15
points up from two years ago. (“Job
Prospects Brighten for New MBAs,” the Boston
Business Journal, May 13, 2005)
As we mentioned in an earlier newsletter, the
slowdown in hiring of the last couple of years
left companies with personnel gaps that would
eventually have to be filled. Consulting firms
are especially in need of more junior
consultants. This news from the GMAC survey and
from Haas and other business schools may mean
that an overdue rebound in MBA hiring is finally
under way.
Were You ‘Dinged’ at Your Top-Choice Schools
This Year?
Those of you who got disappointing news from
their chosen schools have several courses of
action to choose from. One is to look at other
MBA programs. European business schools have
later deadlines than U.S. schools do, and
several good programs are still taking
applications. There are also some well-regarded
U.S. programs that are still taking applications
on a space-available basis (Purdue’s Krannert
School of Management has a final deadline of May
1, and the University of Rochester’s Simon
Graduate School of Business Administration has a
June 1 round IV deadline). Other schools, such
as Columbia University’s School of Business,
have fall deadlines for MBA study beginning in
January. These options are certainly worth
consideration by anyone who is sincerely
interested in what these programs have to offer.
For many applicants, however, the better course
of action is to take a cold, hard look at why
you were ‘dinged’ by the school you hoped to
attend, and to begin repositioning yourself as a
reapplicant for next fall. The crucial step in
this process is to understand what facets of
your application led to its being declined. Our
consultants can help you do this by reviewing
your applications and giving you a candid
assessment of what would have to be strengthened
or improved to make you a stronger applicant.
They can also tell you whether you have a
realistic chance of gaining entry to the
programs you have targeted. Keep in mind that
reapplicants are judged by a different set of
standards than first-time applicants are – and
that in most cases you only have one, final
chance to win admittance as a reapplicant. We
offer a special fixed-fee ‘ding’ analysis to
help clients maximize their chances of success
as b-school reapplicants. Call us today at
703.242.-5885 or
email us to find out more.
June and July – High Time to Take the GMAT
Business school admissions consultant Angie
Monster advises b-school applicants that “the
months of June and July are perfect months to
focus on preparing for, and then taking, this
test! You will feel so good to have the GMAT out
of the way, well in advance of beginning your
applications. You will want the extra time and
energy during the late summer and fall to write
the essays for each school you’re applying to.
Additionally, knowing your GMAT score helps in
answering the big question: ‘Which b-schools
should I shoot for?’ In working with clients to
answer this question, I always want to take the
GMAT score into consideration - so having your
GMAT completed is a huge help.”
In addition, Angie notes, “if you take the test
this summer and are still unhappy with your
result, you will have more time to re-take it
again in the fall.”
Angie has an MBA from Cornell where she was
awarded a Park Leadership Fellowship. She served
as a member of the Johnson Admissions Group as
well as the selection committee for the Park
Leadership Fellowship.
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College Admission News
We provide professional assistance to all high
school students. Our college admissions news is
organized by high school class.
High School Seniors (Class of 2005):
By the time you are reading this newsletter, you
should hopefully have already responded to your
acceptance offers, celebrated your graduation,
and be enjoying your last summer before heading
off to the college of your choice.
But if you are (for whatever reason) still
unsure about your fall plans, you’re in more
luck than you would have been in previous years.
The National Association for College Admission
Counseling has set up an on-line database of US
colleges and universities that have fall 2005
freshman and transfer spaces remaining.
The survey, available at
www.nacac.com, will be updated
throughout the summer.
Of course, only a limited (and shrinking) number
of colleges and universities still have fall
2005 seats open - but there are probably more
options than you might think. These may not be
your dream schools (although it includes some
surprising names) - but a year or so at a local
college might be exactly what you need to
improve your grades, expand your extracurricular
activities, and otherwise prepare yourself to
apply to transfer to a more desired location.
Remaining freshman slots are likely to go fast,
though, so research your options, make your
decisions, and act now.
High School Juniors (Class of 2006):
Register for the next
SAT and/or
ACT exam date and begin – if you haven’t
already – thinking seriously about the college
selection process. This spring and summer are
also a good time to continue positioning
yourself for this coming fall’s applications.
Think about taking summer classes or getting
involved in extracurricular activities that
could round out your undergraduate record and
fill any gaps in your profile. 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’s all right if
you didn’t do as well as you would like on the
spring exams. By taking them (the SAT or ACT) in
the spring, you got a good sense of your
strengths and weaknesses. Now 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:
We strongly encourage you to register for the
most competitive curriculum for which you are
prepared. Now is also the time to begin looking
at summer enrichment programs. You can better
position your future college candidacies by
engaging in extracurricular activities that
provide the ‘wow’ factor to your profile. The
‘wow’ factor will come in handy when you apply
to colleges. It can be the thing that
successfully differentiates you from the many
other applicants to top colleges who will also
have high grades and test scores.
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Law School Admission News
New Law School Ranking System Debuts
Law
Aspiring law students have a new set of rankings
to refer to. University of Texas law professor
Brian Leiter has launched the ‘Educational
Quality Rankings of US Law Schools.’ Factors
considered include faculty quality, quality of
teaching facilities, and Supreme Court clerkship
placement. We’re happy to see Prof. Leiter
undertake this, as we’ve long believed the
conventional rankings put too much emphasis on
data that’s easy to measure and too little (if
any) emphasis on what really matters to
students.
Considerations for Fall Applicants
This is a time of year when many prospective law
students are considering whether or not they
should re-take the LSAT. Admissions consultant
and former Associate Director of Admission at
Penn Law Renee Post suggests it may not be worth
the bother. “Too often applicants believe they
must retake the LSAT, because they are 1 or 2
points off the median for their target school,
rather than view this test as just one piece of
the whole application,” she says. “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.
An accept/reject/waitlist decision is rarely
based on one factor.”
LSAT Tip
Law school applicants who have not yet taken the
LSAT should consider this advice from LSAT
expert Bara Sapir: “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.”
Are You Waitlisted?
If
you’ve been waitlisted to law school, don’t
forget to keep the admissions office up-to-date
on your achievements and activities. They can’t
know what you’re up to if you don’t tell them.
Moreover, sending in updated information sends a
message that you are still actively interested
in attending that law school. Showing continuing
interest in the school is a good way to make
your name stand out on the waitlist. Be sure not
to cross the fine line between being persistent
and being a pest though. If you want
professional assistance with your waitlist, call
us at 703.242.5885. We help many waitlisted
applicants each year and most law schools
anticipate continuing to pull applicants from
their waitlists for at least a few more weeks.
Take Advantage of Our Special ‘Head Start’
Offer!
Having made that point - now is the time to
begin thinking about which law school will best
help you meet your educational and career goals,
and how you can best position your application
to gain admittance to that school. We can help
you do that. 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.
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Medical School Admission News
2006 AMCAS Applications Being Accepted
The American Medical College Application Service
(AMCAS) is taking 2006 applications. Anyone
interested in entering medical school in fall
2007 should go to their web site and register
now. Even if you aren’t ready to
assemble your applications, it’s a good idea to
familiarize yourself with what exactly you’ll be
asked for. But keep in mind that, at many
schools, the sooner you apply, the better your
chances are of being accepted - assuming, of
course, your application is not only complete
but well-prepared.
How do you know when your application is ready
for you to click the ‘submit’ button? We can
help. Our consultants will discuss your
background and goals and review all aspects of
your submission package to help you optimize
your chances of gaining acceptance at your
preferred schools. Call us at 703.242.5885 for
more information.
2006 Applicant Considerations (MCAT Scores)
If you took the MCAT in April, you should
receive your scores by the middle of this month
– about the time you’re reading this newsletter.
We hope your results are what you were hoping
for, and will position you to apply to your
preferred schools.
As medical school admissions consultants note,
MCAT scores should influence not only the list
of schools you decide to apply to, but also the
content of your essays and your choice of letter
of recommendation writers. Even if you did well
on the MCATs, your essays and recommendations
are what will help an admissions committee
appreciate you as an individual, distinct from
all the other applicants with similar test
scores.
Are you unsure of how to proceed from here? We
can help.
Call us at 703.242.5885,
email us, or
visit our website to find out more about our
services. An initial one-hour consultation with
one of our consultants will help you understand
your situation and lay out a plan that will
maximize your admissions chances!
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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.
Last year, we 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 offer this
same expert level of service to you.
If you would like more information about our
services, you can call us at 703.242.5885,
email us, or
visit our website. We will be glad to advise
you through the application process and ensure
that you maximize your admissions chances!
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For
Immediate Release: 