In a series of articles, first published by Inside Higher Ed, it was recently revealed that Wharton Associate Admissions Director, Judith Hodara and Kenan-Flagler Director of Admissions, Sherry Wallace, were both simultaneously working for their respective MBA admissions committees and sitting on a Board of Advisors for an admissions consulting firm in Japan. Furthermore, in Hodara’s case, she was also running her own admissions consulting firm, focused on undergraduate admissions. Of course, with such relationships in place, questions are being raised about potential conflicts of interests. According to Inside Higher Ed, Hodara attempted to explain that no conflict existed because she recused herself from considering applicants from this firm. However, in doing so, in our opinion, she would have compromised these candidates’ rights to confidentiality.
We, at MBA Mission, can’t be certain of what did or did not transpire with these individuals. Nonetheless, we are certain such relationships should not exist as they violate candidates’ rights to privacy and compromise the level playing field that should exist for all candidates. As a firm, we joined the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants (AIGAC) and MBA Mission founder, Jeremy Shinewald, sits on the board of AIGAC, to ensure the highest level of ethics in the Admissions Consulting world. Jeremy worked with the board to board to craft a unified response on the issue.