You’re about to apply to business school, and there’s a laundry list of things to do—study and take that stressful GMAT, put together an impressive resume, write those introspective essays, and on and on it goes. With admissions—especially at the top schools—more rigorous than ever, you wonder how you could present yourself in the best way possible. MBA consultants inundate applicants with promises of improving your chances of getting into choice schools. Some claim success rates higher than 90%. You could easily pay $5,000 to get advice on applying to four to five schools. But spend the cash, and you’ve got yourself a personal admissions strategic planner. It’s no wonder why many are opting for that extra help. But why do applicants like to keep the hush-hush policy on using consultants?

“No one really talks about it. I don’t think anybody’s ashamed of it. But I think the consensus is once you’re in, it doesn’t really matter any more.” This first-year business student wanted to remain anonymous. He used an admissions consultant, and he credits the consultant to getting into his first choice school. But it wasn’t only this client that wanted to keep his name secret. I got several emails from people who used a consultant, were willing to share their experience, but didn’t want to use their name. There’s been some controversy over getting that extra help, and it’s a likely reason why clients sway the spotlight. Graham Richmond is co-founder of “Clear Admit,” an MBA admissions consulting service. He says much of the debate originates from services that don’t just give helpful advice—like those that will write an essay for you. Richmond says reputable consultancies don’t corrupt the admissions process and, instead, perfect it. “We view ourselves as guidance counselors and coaches, much in the same way when you’re in high school, you go to your high school college guidance counselor and you find out about different schools that might fit you. And then, you talk to that person throughout the entire admissions process. And, similarly, if you’re in college, and you’re looking at law school or medical school, there’s actually a faculty member that’s assigned to be the pre-med advisor or the pre-law advisor. And the truth is that most people who are applying to business school are out there in the work force; they’re kind of isolated, and unless they have colleagues who are applying, they don’t really have someone to talk to about this process. So, that’s really the objective—to just provide them with feedback, help sort of walk them through this process, and give them informed feedback on how it works.”

Most legitimate MBA consultants will provide a range of services from career planning, scheduling, selecting suitable schools, and helping you draw out your most persuasive qualities. Clear Admit’s Graham Richmond says whether you’re a star candidate or an average one, you can play up your best qualities. “The main thing is to make sure that every candidate understands what the attributes are that they bring to the table and how they are unique. Because no matter how many buckets you want to try to put people into, for example, this person’s a consultant or a banker—everyone’s unique. So, the main task is to help them understand what it is about their background. We do a lot of brainstorming sessions with them, and get them to do a lot of thinking about what all the activities are that they’ve participated in, and what the various roles are that they’ve held at work. So, there isn’t really a formula so much as just making sure that they’re putting their best foot forward in this process, and that they’re really thinking about the answers to the questions that the school’s asking, and going out and improving their candidacy, if possible. So, someone might be an average candidate because they’ve had a poor performance on the GMAT exam, or they may have done poorly in school. So, there are certain things we might ask them to do to sort of remedy those weaknesses—like maybe retaking the test, or taking some night courses to show that they can do well in school. There are any number of things someone could do to bolster their candidacy, including asking to be put on a special project at work to gain more leadership experience.”

A business school student who used a consultant says he did pretty well on the GMAT—not excellent—and got good grades in undergrad. But he thought he didn’t have the background and experience that most MBA candidates have, and that’s why he chose to use a consultant. “I’m a writer coming from the advertising industry—not really the traditional makeup of a typical MBA applicant. I really had no background in finance or anything like that. And at the school that I was applying to, that’s a lot of what they look for it seems. I knew that I had to sort of nail a couple of different things in order to even really stand a chance at some of the schools I was applying to. And I didn’t really think I could do that by myself—not really having been through the process before. So, I knew I needed all the help I could get to make sure I accentuated my positives and sort of told the right story. It’s definitely an art—more of an art lesson than science. And I think the idea is, as my consultant helped me appreciate, they ask you a question; but you have certain latitude within that question to sort of tell the story you want to tell. And I think at first glance without his help, I might not have realized that. I might have just considered it as a straight question and answer process. But my consultant really helped me kind of stretch my answer as far as I could take it, and still sort of reveal important things about myself in so doing.”

So, you’ve covered all your bases, you’ve opted to use that consultant; you think your application will make admitting officers say you’re perfect for a school. Well, that’s what you’re aiming for, right? Judith Silverman is Senior Associate Director of Admissions at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She offers this advice: Don’t strive to be that perfect candidate. “We do not have a check box for any particular piece of information that an applicant will share with us during the course of the application. There is no formula, as you know, for admission. There is no perfect application for admission. There is only the ability to tell one story; to share experiences, and understandings, and introspections with the admissions committee. And for us, what really makes an applicant come alive is the willingness to open up, to share that kind of information with us. But there is no perfect formula, and there is no right answer.”

Silverman says she knows there are consultancies that provide ethical support to students; often, helping students identify their strengths and weaknesses. And the Wharton School doesn’t approve or disapprove the use of consultants. “We certainly recognize that individuals are going to choose to use the services of admissions consultants. We weed so many applications a year that we’re pretty good at figuring out what students have chosen to do so.” You heard right. Wharton’s Judith Silverman says admissions officers can tell if you’ve used a consultant. “There will be a certain sheen that comes on when a consultant has been used. We really recognize that students are taking the time to express to us who they are as individuals. And there’s going to be a certain amount of self-introspection and self-awareness that comes through in the application. We believe very, very clearly that when a student goes through that process on their own, there’s a certain tone that the application will take. When the application has been worked on with a consulting group, there’s certainly another tone that emerges. We also recognize when a student is inconsistent in what they provide us. If the essays appear to have a different kind of approach than the rest of the application, that’s a real signal to us that the applicant has done one part of it by themselves and, perhaps, has used a consultant to help on the other parts of the application.”

And although Judith Silverman wouldn’t say she disapproves of admissions consultants, she does direct applicants to use Wharton’s admissions counseling services. “In understanding who a student is, we don’t downgrade because they’ve used a consultant and, therefore, they’re inadmissible. But we certainly take into very clear consideration how the applicant has managed the process. So, is there a box that we check and say, ‘Oh, well, used a consultant, therefore, inadmissible?’ No, there isn’t. But, certainly, the ways in which someone chooses to express themselves in the body of the application is very much a judgment and a management issue, and very much a part of our application process. We, at Wharton, feel that we do an excellent job of educating the individual. We have a very, very transparent application process. Although we know there are very many consultants out there that are assisting students, we recognize that there are those that are more ethical than others in the manner in which they interact with students. But at Wharton, we really feel that we do a great job of having students become prepared for this process. So, as far as time and effort expended, we’d much rather have students use Wharton as their time and effort, doing the due diligence to then, produce a strong application.”

Should you choose to use a consultant, admissions officers probably like to see applicants reflecting the candidate in the truest form, even if it means showing a bit or coarseness. But if a polished application gives you a better chance at your choice school, will you take it? This first-year business school student says, well, he got in. “I’d recommend a consultant for somebody who feels that they have experience and they have the numbers and stuff. People will recognize that they need a little extra help sort of crafting the right story. But I would also recommend that the person looking for a consultant be clear in what it is that they’re looking for.”

For more information, advice, and to register for your weekly MBA Podcast, visit mbapodcaster.com. Thanks for listening, and stay tuned next time when we tackle the dreaded GMAT.

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