Hire a professional admissions consultant?

[Summit_Bid]

Have any of you ever tried hiring an admissions consultant? I see websites such as Kaplan offering services for someone (apparently someone who used to be a senior admissions officer) who can asses your past admissions rejections, analyze your current admissions dossier,edit and give feed back on your SOP, help you find match schools, assist you maximizing your chances of getting off the waitlist into an admit position and a whole lot more.

They are usually expensive ($150/hr. is average). Most seem to cater to those applying to undergrad but a few offer services for master's and Ph.D. admissions.

I've applied to a few Ph.D. programs two years in a row and have yet to be accepted despite what I and others I trust feel is a fairly strong application. I'm considering doing this consultant thing but wonder if it's a rip off. Despite advice on past applications from professors, other Ph.D students and administrators I know who work in university settings similar to admissions, I get a lot of conflicting advice and feel I should now try an admissions consultant.

[noojens]

It depends on your financial situation, I suppose. I bet if you hired a consultant who'd served on admissions committees in your specific field, they could make some very valuable contributions to your application portfolio.

Personally, though, I'd start by posting my stats and story here. We may be amateurs, but this community does have a lot of collective knowledge and experience.

Best of luck.

[snap]

It depends on your financial situation, I suppose. I bet if you hired a consultant who'd served on admissions committees in your specific field, they could make some very valuable contributions to your application portfolio.

Personally, though, I'd start by posting my stats and story here. We may be amateurs, but this community does have a lot of collective knowledge and experience.

Best of luck.

A bunch of minds together is better than a single mind.

[Summit_Bid]

I've posted my stats before and it doesn't seem to help. Everyone says the #1 same thing about my stats: my GRE scores are killing me. I'm taking 4 classes (!) and studying on my own this summer with hopes of raising the scores. Professors in my field, other university employees etc. all say my scores aren't that important for admission but rather for determining scholarships etc. They say the SOP is key. I know what I need to work on but I'm wondering if a consultant will not only help me maximize my weaknesses and turn them into strengths but tap into some other potential that I have yet to show in my application. In addition, while I probably won't have a problem getting into smaller, less competitive Ph.D. programs (although there really aren't that many in my field), the 3 (yeah, I know, only three, I'm limiting myself) schools I have been applying to are the hardest ones to get into (150 apply, 3 get admitted). I'm not in a rush to do the Ph.D., however, that's why I've only been applying to these schools, but if I don't get in this year, next year I'll try the smaller schools too. Yes, I'm very narrow-minded in this already narrow field of mine. I know. I love challenges though!

But again, the question is, has anyone ever worked with one of these consulants? I'm curious to know if you found it helpful and what your experience was like. It's hard to judge these things on-line. Sometimes I wonder the validity of these companies. I have a prejudice that they are really taking advantage of the fears of those applying. A personal recommendation to one of these companies would be best in my opinion.

[frankdux]

the 3 (yeah, I know, only three, I'm limiting myself) schools I have been applying to are the hardest ones to get into (150 apply, 3 get admitted).

This is the absolute classic mistake - only applying to the 2 or 3 (or sometimes even just 1) schools that you really want to go to most of all. It's an even bigger mistake in this current economic climate, which is resulting in an increased number of grad school applications and a decreased amount of funding schools have to offer. Simply put, there are even more people applying for even less spots. Also, the odds are NEVER going to be in your favor by only applying to 3 top programs, even if you have a 4.0 with honors and stellar GRE scores.

I made the exact same mistake last year. I applied to just the 2 schools that i wanted to go to most of all. Results: 1 immediate rejection, 1 waitlist that was an eventual rejection. So during this year's application phase I looked back and I realized just how dumb that was. Consequently, I broadened my horizons and decided to apply to at least 10 schools. Results: I got 8 rejections, 1 unfunded acceptance, and 1 fully funded acceptance to an awesome school that i happily accepted. It wasn't one of my first 2 schools that i applied to, but it's still an outstanding program at a Tier 1 school that offers research in my area of interest, and it comes with full funding. I can't complain about that.

You seriously need to take the odds into account when applying. Yes, there are exceptions. Yes, there have been people on this board that have only applied to 1 or 2 schools and gotten fully funded offers. And yes, there are also people on this board who have applied to 8+ schools and got straight across the board rejections. The important thing to remember is that if you've put together a solid app, each additional school you apply to increases your chances of getting in somewhere. Whereas applying to only 2 or 3 schools is like playing russian roulette with your future no matter how fantastic your app is.

[Summit_Bid]

I definitely understand what you're sayingabout applying to more schools to increase my chances but I think everyone is missing my point. All together there are only about 7 schools in the world that offer a Ph.D. in what I want to do and our of these 7 schools only 3-4 of them I'd really want to go to for a variety of valid reasons. All 7 of these schools offer tuition remition and full stipend but other than my top 3-4 there is no way I would go to some of these schools even if admitted for various reasons. At least I feel that way at this point.

See, my theory is that if these are my "dream schools" I'm going to try as hard as I can to get in. I don't get it when people say they have a dream school, apply to it, don't get in a immediately go somewhere else. If it's your dream, waiting it out another year or so will surely increase your chances. I got my master's at 23 and now I'm 25. Again I'm in no rush for the Ph.D. because I feel so young so applying and not getting in doesn't really bother me too much now.

Although I know I'll increase my chances of an acceptance by applying to more schools, at this point I'm interested in this little experiment of mine which is to max out my chances of an acceptance at one of these top schools. As mentioned in my previous post, if I don't make it into one of these top schools this year, next year, my fourth year, I'll try and apply to all the schools if I feel that the time has come and I really need to just get the Ph.D now because of course I know that my chances will be increase by simply applying to more schools.

But, anyways the whole point of this thread is to get feedback on experience working with an admin consultantant. Anyone out there ever work with one, know a reputable place etc? I'm curious to know your experiences.

[noojens]

I think it's pretty clear at this point that we have not.

Although the tone of your posts gives me an inkling of why you haven't been accepted.

[socialcomm]

As someone who is also only applying to a handful of schools because of life situations, I understand where you're coming from there.

As for the consultant -- I've heard that the more Kaplan/Princeton review individuals are often too broad to be very helpful, but I like the idea of hiring someone from within your area to see how they might help you.

Good luck!

[frankdux]

I don't get it when people say they have a dream school, apply to it, don't get in a immediately go somewhere else.

because other great schools are always out there, you're not getting any younger, and your original reasons for believing university A to be your dream school may become less sensible when you're staring at a rejection letter from school A and a fully funded offer from school B.

If it's your dream, waiting it out another year or so will surely increase your chances.

only if you can find something truly worth your time during that inbetween year, and also that your dream program considers relevant as well. your application isn't automatically better just because you're a second-timer. you have to have something to show for yourself for that gap year. if you're doing the exact same job that you did the last time you applied, then what would possibly make you a better candidate the second time around?

Also, I would hope the real dream is to be able to have the career you really want to have as a result of your education. Isn't that why you'd go to school anyways? I would hope your grad degree is just a stepping stone towards your real goal.

[Michelley262003]

I don't know if you would care to hear my 2 cents.

I would NOT hire an admissions assistant. Those type of services are designed to exploit those who are anxious, worried and insecure about their credentials. They are EXPLOITIVE and will prey upon you and your willingness to fork over a lot of money. Anything they can offer is stuff you already know and have pointed out. So your GRE scores suck. Probably not a big deal as long as you have a GPA that's descent. If not, maybe you should consider taking some extra classes in your discipline. I don't know what that discipline maybe, but I'm sure you can find courses that could boost a possibly subpar GPA. Or a job in which you can home in on the skills you would need for the PhD program.(Which could be really good with recs.) You could work on your personal statement and really hit them hard with an awesome, well written response that outlines exactly why you want a PhD.

I don't know if that all helps. I guess if you haven't gotten in this time around, you could work on a number of things to make your application strong.

And I saw that you mentioned you had only applied to a few schools. I applied to 10. I got into 5. Many of the schools I applied to were the best in the country in my discipline. I ended up getting into a really good school that I am extremely happy with. Although it wasn't my first choice, I am glad that I am going there and am excited about the adventure that lies ahead.

I wish you the best of luck.

[Dr._Robotnik's_Shadow]

I also mostly agree with the above poster. I think generally they are rip-offs as well. I was lucky enough to easily afford a consultant however when applying to undergrad. The person I worked with was very vague and did for the most part tell me stuff I already knew. She did tell me a few key things I think really helped but I'm not sure if it was really worth the price. I got into all the schools I wanted but I'm pretty sure I could've done it with out her.

I applied to grad school and also could not get in two years in a row. My first two years I did aps on my own. The third year, like you, I was tempted to get a consultant but couldn't afford it. I was told for my field (cinema studies) the most important thing is the statement of purpose so instead of getting a full on consultant to go over everything, I got one that specialized in reviewing SOPs. The service was cheaper. I got in after doing this. I don't think it was my work experience during that time off that helped me get it. Maybe it was but I thought it was my SOP that got me in.

While I feel like the person who review the SOP was ok and the admin consultant mediocre one thing I really did like was the feeling I had after working with them, I felt like I had left no stone unturned and had done the best job I could. After I turned in my ap I wasn't like "Oh, I should've done this on my cv and I should've written that in my SOP". I was confident. In a way that was worth the price.

Keep applying and do your own thing. You know yourself better than anyone. Never give up on your dreams.

[purplepepper]

To answer your question, I tried a first hour $150 deal, because I was anxious and I really needed to talk to someone with an objective opinion early on in the season about my apps. What the above two posters said are absolutely true. They are too vague to be helpful. Actually the advice that I got from that first hour was kinda bad. I incorporated their ideas into my SOP, got feedback from one of my profs who ripped it apart. And I'm glad they did.

Consulting is a business, right? If they told you everything you need to know in 1 hour, they wouldn't make much money. I got the feeling that they start vague and have you answer vague questions in the beginning, in order to get you to keep coming back to refine your focus. My advice is: The SOP is one of the most important aspects, no matter what field your are in. I understand not wanting to bug people to read it a million times, so ask your friends to read early drafts. Ask anyone who will read it. Get a ton of feedback and rewrite it again and again. Once you feel like you are kind of on track, ask as many profs, as many professionals as you can. Ask every facebook friend. Just get as much feedback as you can, rewrite as much as you can.

I didn't try a service that did SOP stuff only..I know of them though. A cheap and popular one is essayedge.com If you are really in need of some feedback, you could ask them to do an early reading of your SOP. It could work for some people.

[sankd]

Wow, now I know a good way to make easy money off of people. Sweet.