Value propositions to International applicants
They provide applicants meticulous advice on various aspects of the MBA admission process. They usually have worked with hundreds of applicants all over the world and they have gathered rich experience from whatever they have witnessed over these years. As they have been working in this domain for quite a long time, they have seen what works and what don’t and what works for which type of applicants. Based on all these experience and wisdom, they offer wide range of services from high-level strategy about which schools to apply for to editing your application essays and resume. Hiring an application consultant can be worth it, for some candidates.
Most of the B-school applicants have this internal debate as they apply to top notch programs. The decision about whether to use an MBA Application consultant is tricky: On one hand, they can give you a leg up but they are also expensive and not worth for everybody.
Admissions consultants help MBA applicants identify and convey their selling points. They can show you what your greatest assets are in the admissions process and how to project those qualities to the school. They can also teach you what are the qualities admissions officers look for and tell you how to sell yourself well. Moreover, consultants can also ensure that applicants address issues that might occur to admissions officers, such as questions about career changes or gaps in your profile.
Most often, application consultants evaluate a client's admissions chances, offer suggestions about where to apply, how many applications to submit and coach the client on how to express themselves eloquently in admissions interviews.
How much difference can the support of an admission consultant really make? Just like a jockey can’t change an average horse into a racehorse, similarly, a consultant can’t transform an average MBA applicant into a stellar one. This is not a process where someone else applies for you. They can’t get an applicant admitted to a top notch business school in which he or she doesn’t have the academic credentials to get in. You see, one can put lipstick on a pig, but he can’t sell that beautified pig to anyone else. Market simply won’t value it.
So, in a nutshell, application consultants often can’t change the basic value you have in the marketplace. It’s a tough market and you have to TAKE MASSIVE ACTIONS in order to improve your market value.
It is impossible to get any accurate number. However, various forums such as Poets & Quants or GMATClub have stated that one candidate in three is using an admissions consultant. But I believe that this number is much higher for Asian applicants, especially Indian and Chinese applicants. The reason behind that is very simple. There are thousands of Indian and Chinese students who are applying for global b-schools. Hence, the competition is much intense in these applicant pool and candidates are trying their level best to differentiate themselves from others.
Many MBA applicants struggle with confidence issues and this problem is particularly prevalent among Asian applicants. They are usually nervous about presenting themselves to the school and are worried about whether they are eloquent enough to submit an effective MBA application. A lack of confidence and assertiveness can make it difficult for them to sell themselves well in admissions essays and interviews.
Asian education system is way different from that of US education system. In Asian countries, students don’t need to write application essays while applying for bachelor / under graduate studies as selection of successful students is done purely on the basis of high school passing grades and/or rank in competitive exams.
Hence, this whole concept of application essays and letter of recommendation is new for them. That makes them quite anxious about the whole admission process.
Moreover, most of the Asian under graduate studies focus on memorizing concepts and lessons. The coursework are very heavy but it seldom requires essay writing. In fact writing skills are not emphasized as much as test taking abilities. Once they complete under graduate studies and start working in any companies, they work for REALLY long hours. But there also, their writing skills are not emphasized.
Writing persuasive application essays requires some good amount of introspection and writing ability, traits that are hardly focused during their academic career or professional life.
Numerous Asian applicants approach me after they’ve been rejected last year by B-schools that they love. I have observed that more than 90% of the times, Asian applicants don’t understand what is meant by the word “fit”. They have learnt from their experience back in Asia that if their high school passing grades are excellent and they have scored high percentile score in any competitive exams such as IIT/JEE Entrance in India, Gaokao test in China (National College Entrance Examination), and similar tests in Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and other Asian countries, they will get an admission to elite universities.
Hence, the concept that they have to understand whether any B school is good for them and they are also a good fit to the school is completely foreign to them. All they understand is GMAT score, FT ranking of B-schools and years of experience. Facts that can be easily expressed by numbers. But they fail to grasp the full meaning of the word ‘fit’, something that is abstract and can’t be expressed by numbers.
On top of that, most of the Asian applicants who approach me are aspiring to change industry, change role and change country. Most of them are changing at least two of those, and very often three. That means that the question of fit is really important.
A lot of Asian applicants want to pursue an MBA from top notch school because that is the only thing they have dreamt for since their childhood. The three letter word M-B-A is itself their career dream. This coveted degree itself is a guarantee of their intellectual abilities and safety pass to lead a financially healthy life. They want to buy a good apartment in US, buy a BMW, save enough for their old age, take care of parents and children, invest money in stock market and real estate and travel to Switzerland and Venice. And an MBA degree from top 20 Bschools can guarantee all of that.
Hence, what is the need to understand the difference between Duke Fuqua and Kellogg? As long as both these schools can satisfy their inner needs, they don’t have much incentive to take the pain to understand the differences between these two schools.
Work with someone who understands your industry and your ethnicity well, and can accordingly help you deal with the challenges.
I specialize in helping the Indian IT applicants and other students from various Asian countries as I understand their job profile, economic background, cultural upbringing, social setup, family conditioning, values/belief given by parents, self image, level of confidence, assertiveness, and hunger for growth.
These deep understanding help me to coach Asian applicants properly. More than just helping them to write their application essays, I help them to overcome their negative self talk. I understand how their critical inner voice puts a brake on their thought process. Hence, I help them to identify it and minimise it in order to become more assertive in their essays and interview.
Most of the Asian folks do a good job of describing themselves and what they’re looking for, but they forget to draw that dotted line to why Wharton should care or why Berkeley should care.
From my extensive experience of working with schools, I know what top B-schools are looking for. I help the applicant to explain why they are a good fit to the school and vice versa. I always remind them that they need a Wharton narrative and a different narrative for Kellogg. You just can’t tell the same story to every school.
That’s my biggest value add as an application consultant.
A lot of Asian applicants just want to do an MBA just for the sake of it. That’s not an enough justification to go to Wharton or Kellogg or any other school.
I help applicants to understand their needs better. The more you understand yourself, the better you will define your career goals and why you need an MBA. Moreover, you will be able to answer the question “why this school” with much more clarity. Hence, know thyself. And I will help you to do that.
I discourage applicants from grandiose exaggeration of achievements as they might be busted during the interview. Admission officers can smell fakery from ten miles.
I was an Indian IT Male applicant when I applied to US B-schools. Prior to that, I used to work as a technology consultant in United States. My love for consulting and passion for B-school made me choose admission consulting as a career option.
Every year, I help hundreds of Indian IT applicants to apply to top schools in US. I also help scores of applicants from China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Singapore, and Dubai to apply to top schools in US, Canada and EU. I also help few American, Canadian, British, and French nationals each year for MBA and EMBA applications.
Click here to review my video testimonial! Not all clients give video testimonials as many Indian and Asian applicants are camera shy, or unwilling to disclose their profiles.
Book one token service. Work with me on one application essay. And then take your decision.
I don’t know how to measure it. Few questions in my mind stopped me from properly calculating my success rate. They are:
In case any applicant has good answer to these questions, please contact me. I will calculate my success ratio and let you know.
My own formula for success rate: Applicants who took end to end service i.e. school selection + multi school package + interview prep. 67.7% have been successful in the last 15 years. Remember, I work predominantly with Indian and Asian applicants, the toughest demographics in the admission process.
Am I worth the fees I charge for my service?
If you consider your potential earnings upon graduation from an average B-school vs. versus a great B-school, my fees will cost you a fraction of the additional lifetime earnings.
$700 / INR 45000
School Package
$150 / INR 9000
Essay Editing(each)
$150 / INR 9000
Resume Editing
$150 / INR 9000
LOR Edit(each)
Today I got accepted into INSEAD for 2011 batch. Thanks to Sandip for his guidance during the admission process. BTW ..…I scored 650 on GMAT and wasn’t expecting even an interview call. I guess that’s history now.
James Moore, INSEAD
Your essay reviews were insightful and meaningful, but the extra interview preparation might have been decisive to get admitted to ISB. Excellent work, Thanks!
Rajesh Saxena, ISB
I couldn’t have come even closer to writing application essays like the one’s you have. Thanks a million for showcasing my uniqueness in the essays. You made my Harvard dream a reality!
Lisa Subramanium, Harvard
Thanks Sandip for all the help you provided. The essays are absolutely superb. Getting you as my mentor made a key difference. I will recommend your service to my friends in future.
Chen Li, Stanford
Thanks for making me think about every essay from the bottom up and giving me honest feedback. I wish I had taken your service last year. Through our brainstorming and those detailed evaluations, I was able to make a totally new set of essays.
Huan Wu, Harvard Business School
Thanks a bunch for showing me the way! I was confused with what to write in the essays and how to express my thinking. Your feedback on essays, interview and recos were really in-depth and well-thought. Cheers!
Jinghua Ma, Columbia
Sandip helped me to get into Wharton! His understanding of the school, strategic planning on my essays and editing were all superb, not to mention his dedication and passion in achieving the very best. I would not have achieved this without his help.
Richard Yang, Wharton
Sandip made a huge contribution to my chances with Stanford through his charismatic writing style, in-depth questions and extensive background knowledge of the schools. Quite a few of the factors that can help one to get admission are out of applicant’s control. Using his help was in my control and I believe that was the single most important decision I made in getting in.
Rajat Dutta, Stanford
The brainstorming sessions were really eye opening. It really helped me to focus on the few schools. I wrote and rewrote the INSEAD essays with your guidance and the final set of essays were masterpieces!
Dennis Parker, INSEAD
Sandip was fantastic to work with. He was incredibly responsive, and challenged me to deepen my thoughts about who I was and why I wanted an MBA degree. He met all of my expectations of what an MBA admissions consultant should offer. Thanks very much for the support, and I look forward to making the most of my MBA experience!
Stanley Wu, London Business School
Thanks a million! You made my dream come true. I was confused with the way to differentiate myself from the crowd. Discussing with you made it really simple. Thanks Again!
Suraj Dasika, Harvard
Without your midas touch, my Harvard dream would have remained only a dream. Brainstorming on the essay helped me to understand what HBS looks from candidates. The mock interview prep was pivotal in cracking the final interview. Many Thanks!
Jian Ma, Harvard Business School
With you, I could have never made to it. My essays were really influential and thought provoking. The personal touch in the essays to project my uniqueness really made all the difference.
Donghai Wang, London Business School
I wish I had taken your service last year. Your analysis on my weaknesses was thorough and I was able to cover some of those areas for this year’s ISB application. The essays were very well written. Thanks for all the help!
Bindra Ahuja, ISB