To follow my blog post yesterday on the Three Things To Look For In An MBA Admissions Consultant, I’d like to share why you should take advantage of the Free 30-Minute Initial Consultation most MBA Admissions Consultants offer as a way of introduction to their services.
There are two primary reasons why you should “interview” MBA Admissions Consultants before you commit your MBA application preparation. First, you’re going to spend a lot of time with your MBA Admissions Consultant. You want to be certain that you have a good “fit” with your consultant. There’s no way to do that other than to spend time together, and the free initial consultation is the perfect tool for that.
Second, you are investing money and time for the expertise that you expect to receive from your consultant. It’s important for you to know that your consultant can provide you with what you want, and what you need.
While I can’t speak for other MBA Admissions Consultants (because I haven’t scheduled an initial consultation with them – joking, joking!), I can tell you what happens with the MBA Admissions Coach during my initial consultation.
First, we’ll schedule a time to talk that meets your schedule. I find that most of my MBA application clients prefer to talk in the evenings or the weekends because that’s when they are not at work. For that reason, I keep my schedule available during those times for meetings with both prospective and engaged clients.
Second, I’ll ask for your resume in advance so I can prepare for our discussion. If you complete my consultation request form, you’ll also answer questions about your target schools, your GMAT, and any areas of concern you have about your MBA applications.
When we begin our time together during the free initial consultation, we’ll talk about you, your background and your short and long term goals. This will give me an idea of the type of candidate you are and the kinds of MBA programs that will be a good fit for you.
Next, we’ll talk about questions you have about the MBA admissions process and working with an MBA Admissions Consultant. Common questions I see during this part of the conversation are those about one’s chances for admissions, how do MBA Admissions Committees evaluate candidates, does a candidate need to retake the GMAT, and my reactions to any problem areas an applicant may have. During this part of the discussion, I’m happy to take on a number of questions and share my honest and direct insights with you.
By this point, we’ll be coming close to the end of our 30 minutes together. While we’re on the phone, I’ll discuss the specific areas where I can help improve your application. Afterwards, I’ll follow up with an email proposal of my consulting services.
Before you commit to work with an MBA Admissions Consultant, you should ask yourself, “Will the time and money I spend with this consultant add value to my MBA application process?” You should be able to easily answer that question after your free initial consultation. If the answer is not a resounding “Yes!” then keep looking for the right MBA Admissions Consultant for you.