Wednesday, September 26, 2018

All You Need To Hire A Graduate School Admissions Consultant

By Michelle Ward


No matter how beautiful the degree transcripts are, there is always a need for an edge. Or one may just do it out of the desire to advance their education. There are many reasons to go further than the undergrad. It can also be very frustrating and soul-crushing to get rejection letter after rejection letter. A safe bet is talking to a graduate school admissions consultant. He or she will give information and answer questions.

Those interviews are quite tricky. Go in feeling great. Walk out feeling as if it was conquered. Only to get a rejection in the mail later. This professional will be on hand to help one ace the interview. Knock the essay out of the park. And, check every little box there is correct. There are many books on how to do it right. Those are great. But, the books also do not have a line into the unique situation one might be in. They do not put into consideration personal actors. So the advice, while great, is very general.

When one visits a doctor, they are asked to present all their symptoms. Even the ones they think are irrelevant. The same applies to the coach. Let them know about the strengths. Let him or she know what one perceives as their weakness. Talk about possible threats. Maybe even present ideas on how one can improve for a better chance of acceptance.

The decision to go back to school is a big one. It may require that one cut back on the hours of work and family. This decision will surely affect the financial situation. What is the degree of precarity? How prepared is one, mentally, to be back in class? To put in hours of hard study? Remember that it might be harder this time with a full time demanding job. This self-evaluation will help one reaffirm their belief in the plan. By extension, their motivation and enthusiasm for it.

Once the possible personal hindrances have been noted, one may come up with ways to ensure these factors do not come in the way of success. Then it is time to think about the practical aspects of the decision. Like the best program. The curriculum that best suits the needs. The financial aids available.

Never judge a coach by how much they judge or how fancy their offices are. Low prices are not an assurance of wasted effort. High-rise office is not guaranteed of the best possible service. Talking to former clients might not provide assurance either but it will get one closer to certainty than the former two. Find feedback and testimonials. Consider the caliber of clients this coach serves. This should give a pretty good idea of capability.

Then look at the fees. How much is this person charging? What is the cost value analysis? Are the services worth that much money? Is it possible to get a cheaper professional? Is the cheaper professional just as good or better? Typically, money should be no object when looking for services but in this case, it matters. Not as a measure of capability but as a burden to the prospective student.

How available is this professional? Will they stay for the whole process? How present will they be when things do not feel right? What is the specialty of this professional? It is important to get someone who has the time to walk through the process with the client.




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