The MBA Admissions Studio: FAQ

I can get essay editing on the Web for 99c per 1,000 pages from sweetalkediting.com. Why should I come to you?

There are many cheap editing services around. Some are clear charlatans, but others are okay. What they don�t have, and what you almost certainly need if you are on this site, is an editor who understands what works in MBA admissions. Getting text correct is not so hard. What�s hard is understanding your value profile and communicating it to MBA admissions officers through the set questions, and getting the essays to dovetail with your file, references, and interview. A text-editor cannot take you there.

Okay, I get it that I need a specialized admissions consulting-editing service. Still, why are you different from other admissions consulting or essay editing firms?

We focus only on the MBA. We�re specialists. If you want to go to law school or med school, etc., we send you to consultants better than ourselves. But for top-tier MBA admissions, this is the place. We all have admissions experience at the most selective business schools and are either MBAs or professional editors with a background and training in the MBA process. For more on what�s different between us and the rest, see "Why We're Different".

You make a big deal of profiling and profile building. What is it and why do I need it?

The Greek Oracle at Delphi said �know thyself� and that�s the single key to admissions. If you know who you are and where you�re going, and why it requires an MBA, you�re already halfway to getting in. Our profiling tool is a quick and effective way to achieve this basic self-insight. We assess your strengths, weaknesses, achievements, preferences, goals, motivations, etc., which becomes the basis of your essay and interview content. If you don�t do adequate individual personal profiling, you�ll end up sounding like a generic candidate. Ding.

You don�t say you have particular experience with any one school. Why not?

Actually we do have insider experience with a number of the top schools. But, first, our admissions strategy is strongly to focus on the candidate not the school. In our experience candidates get bent out of shape by trying to second-guess �what Stanford needs� or �what�s hot at Kellogg,� etc., and often neglect to say who they really are and where their own strengths lie. In fact all schools are looking for a mix of strong candidates of all types and backgrounds (to achieve class balance). Therefore their requirements are so similar as to be identical for all practical purposes. If you get your profile right you can get in anywhere.

Second, we know, and you should know, that claims to insider school knowledge is mostly marketing hot air. Currents move quickly in MBA admissions, so any consultant's claim to past admissions committee experience is of very little consequence. All to say that the attempt to �inside-track� a particular school is redundant, futile, and possibly harmful to the candidate.

How do I know if I should be an Essay Makeover client or an Hourly or Per School option A, B, C etc., client? Do you advise me?

Generally, all options (at the same price point) lead you to the same place and there is no difference in value you get. Some people are more comfortable with a per-essay system they can control; some are more comfortable knowing �what they�re in for� in total.

Having said that, the Essay Makeover options (without profiling) do help clients move through the essay-writing process more quickly and cheaply. This is suitable when the candidate has done their own profiling, that is, knows their value points and has their own clear idea of the strategic base of their application. We can help you know if you know this � if you have a ready essay or essay set, we�ll look at it. If it�s a solid start you can build on, we�ll suggest going straight to Essay Makeover. If it�s not, we�ll suggest profiling and moving on from there. Profiling is included in some packages.

School package Option A is an Essay Makeover option, but priced per school not per essay. Packages B, C, and D, are more "deep dive", for those who are ready to build (or rebuild) their admissions strategy, profile, essays, interviews, references, file etc., into one coherent, competitive picture from the ground up. It takes longer, but it is more intensive and returns commensurately higher benefits to you.

Okay, assuming I sign up for the Essay Makeover. What then?

You submit your essays or essay set. These will be reviewed initially for content and structure. We don�t do a full interview but we do ask you to send as much background about yourself � r�sum�, etc., so we can do a better job.

In reviewing an essay we first ask questions such as: Do you answer the question? Does the essay communicate a value point? Does it have an argument (for your value) which follows a logical structure? Do the introduction and conclusion work? Have you shared a distinctive memorable attribute? Does the story you chose work in its context? Have you been specific enough and given examples? If you submit various essays for one school, we check that they complement but don�t overlap each other.

Your essays will be returned with extensive content, profile, and structure/flow comments and advice, as necessary. This is Round 1.

Then you�ll take them, rework them, and submit them again. Round 2 assumes the content is now more-or-less right, and so looks more closely at the text, focusing more on language, expression, and style. Have you briefly and clearly said what you need to say, using clear expression and good writing technique? Are all errors of style and grammar cleaned up? etc. If your essay is in good shape we�ll finish it up there and then with a grammar check and copyediting.

Sometimes, if your essay is really good and clean it takes only one review. Normally it takes 2-3 reviews to get it right.

Assuming I sign up for profile building, or a per-school package. What happens then?

The full service admissions consulting is designed to get all parts of your file, interview, references, essays, as good as they can be, and working in harmony. We invariably start by asking for as much background information as possible to be sent via e-mail. We'll send you our profiling worksheet and set up a time to talk on the phone � where we get to know you and ask you questions about your personality, background, goals, motivations, community service, successes, failures, etc. Thinking like Adcom, we�re more interested in the human interest and stories of your life than the bald facts and events.

When we have the basics then we will sift through them together, deciding which parts of you to promote to create a valuable, compelling candidate. Then we will discuss how to �map� this profile onto the essays you face (and get it into the references and interview.) We don�t leave you to write until we have defined what goes in each essay, and set up a structure and outline for each one. This will give you clear guidance as you write.

After that, the process resembles the Essay Makeover, except there is no limit on number of edits. We take your essay through various edits and rewrites until it is complete. This is all done via email, with occasional brief phone calls, where necessary.

The more extensive package options - C and D - have more services built in (but these can also be added to a less extensive package).

What�s "Essay Content Mapping"? That�s not a term I�m familiar with.

If you follow our system you don�t start by answering the essay questions. You start by deciding what you should tell Adcom. You arrive at your application message before you look at the questions. Mapping is the process of �painting� your message onto the essay questions so that (a) the questions are answered and (b) your message is transmitted.

So we can do all this even if I�m in Geneva and you�re in New York?

Absolutely. We�re in the US and the UK. But whether we�re working for someone in Trenton NJ, or Osaka, Japan, we actually work the same way � via phone, email, and/or internet chat. There�s no difference, except that, if calling from abroad is expensive, we�ll keep that to a minimum or we'll call you.

So what does this all cost?

The MBA Studio offers various flexible options: an hourly fee, essay makeover, per school package options, and a completely a-la-carte menu. See the services and prices page. With us you always know exactly what you are paying for and you have full control over it.

We don�t expect you do plunk down a lot of money without experiencing the benefits of the process. Therefore we encourage you to take advantage of our free essay edit, or just one hour of consulting, so you can get an idea of the value-add. Only disreputable providers try to sucker you into a big upfront payment based on sweet words. We don�t hard-sell you and we don�t expect you to pay for more than one service at a time. (Obviously significant discounts apply when you ready to make a bigger commitment to the process.)

What if I want to try you out, and purchase more of your services later?

The whole philosophy of The MBA Admissions Studio is you have the power to choose. You can do whatever you want, and play it as your time and budget demands.

How long does it take?

Essay makeovers take 48 hours (24 hours by appointment). A full profiling and consulting package typically takes one to three weeks. It really depends on how fast you get your work back to us. We don�t hold onto it for more than 48 hours on average.

How does Adcom view admission consulting, interview prep, and essay editing? Is it �legal�?

Adcom are totally fine with it as long as you don�t get anyone to write the essays for you. Think of it this way: almost everyone gets coached in the Gmat, whether through guidebooks or Gmat prep classes or online. So the candidate's final Gmat score does not represent the candidate�s raw ability. Admissions consulting, interview prep, and essay prep go by the same rules. It�s all about what you can achieve after consulting and coaching � just like in the real business world. Adcom likes applicants who understanding their strengths/weaknesses and are able to express themselves clearly. They don't want someone else to fake that for you, but if you do it yourself via coaching, that's fine. What gives them a headache is the obviously talented individual who submits a weak application.

Do you sell sample essays? If not, why not?

We do not traffic in sample essays. Samples can be good, if used in the right way (as a learning tool.) So we are happy to send you for free good samples of excellent and shoddy essays. But we do not suggest you use these essay as any sort of �model�. Firstly there�s the possibility that Adcom will directly recognize the essay, and therefore your plagiarism. But even if they don�t, the language will be different and the essay will likely not fit in with the rest of your application, which will raise a red flag.

Second, unless you are an immensely centered individual, you will be influenced and sucked in to mimicking the model essay that worked for someone else � which by definition won�t work for you. Our advice is: have a look at some examples, understand the principles of success, then put others� work away and concentrate on telling your own story and communicating your own value.

What's the best way to reach you?

The MBA Studio has presence in various locations in the North America, the UK, and around the world. Please email us and well find the best way to connect you.

© The MBA Admissions Studio. No part of this site may be replicated in any form without written permission.