{"id":42027,"date":"2026-03-10T10:09:31","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T14:09:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/?p=42027"},"modified":"2026-03-11T09:39:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T13:39:12","slug":"the-mbamission-podcast-how-to-choose-an-mba-admissions-consultant-insights-from-mbamission-experts-ep-93","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/the-mbamission-podcast-how-to-choose-an-mba-admissions-consultant-insights-from-mbamission-experts-ep-93\/","title":{"rendered":"The mbaMission Podcast: How to Choose an MBA Admissions Consultant: Insights from mbaMission Experts | Ep. 93"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"video-wrapper\"><div class=\"embed-container\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Choosing an MBA Admissions Consultant: What Actually Matters | Ep 93\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/tZKrUL-dgz8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Choosing an MBA admissions consultant can be one of the most important decisions you will make in the business school application process. But in an industry where anyone can claim expertise, how can you distinguish consultants who offer truly effective guidance based on a depth of experience from ones who provide merely surface-level advice?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this episode of <i>The mbaMission Podcast<\/i>, Host <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/who-we-are\/team\/harold-simansky\/\">Harold Simansky<\/a> sits down with mbaMission Founder <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/who-we-are\/team\/jeremy-shinewald\/\">Jeremy Shinewald <\/a>and Senior MBA Admissions Consultant <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/who-we-are\/team\/nisha-trivedi\/\">Nisha Trivedi <\/a>to explore what actually makes a great MBA admissions consultant. Drawing on decades of combined experience helping thousands of applicants gain admission to top business schools, these three experts highlight the importance of institutional knowledge, rigorous training, collaboration among consultants, and the ability to guide applicants through every stage of the process\u2014from school selection to storytelling. Together, they explain why applicants need to carefully evaluate a consultant\u2019s experience, approach, and track record before seeking guidance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">New episodes of <i>The mbaMission Podcast<\/i> are released every Tuesday on all major streaming platforms, with full video episodes available on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLtqzkG1bOTo8BgKcRYc2F5DcLjQz0pKD9\">its YouTube channel<\/a>. Sign up for<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/consult\/\"> a free 30-minute consultation <\/a>with Harold, Jeremy, Nisha, or another member of mbaMission\u2019s admissions team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/2pIdwgRMxCCSi0m8T0y1tS?si=d84132cedc794556\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noreferrer noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"493\" height=\"132\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Spotify.webp\" alt=\" class=\"wp-image-41839\" style=\"aspect-ratio:3.7349060996430232;width:162px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Spotify.webp 493w, https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Spotify-300x80.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 493px) 100vw, 493px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/the-mbamission-podcast\/id1748825410\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noreferrer noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"450\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/apple-podcasts-button.jpg\" alt=\" class=\"wp-image-41854\" style=\"width:137px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/apple-podcasts-button.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/apple-podcasts-button-300x100.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 ez-toc-wrap-left counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/the-mbamission-podcast-how-to-choose-an-mba-admissions-consultant-insights-from-mbamission-experts-ep-93\/#who_mba_admissions_consultants_are\" >Who MBA Admissions Consultants Are<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/the-mbamission-podcast-how-to-choose-an-mba-admissions-consultant-insights-from-mbamission-experts-ep-93\/#mbamissions_rigorous_hiring_and_screening_process\" >mbaMission\u2019s Rigorous Hiring and Screening Process<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/the-mbamission-podcast-how-to-choose-an-mba-admissions-consultant-insights-from-mbamission-experts-ep-93\/#consultant_collaboration_institutional_knowledge_and_applicant_resources\" >Consultant Collaboration, Institutional Knowledge, and Applicant Resources<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/the-mbamission-podcast-how-to-choose-an-mba-admissions-consultant-insights-from-mbamission-experts-ep-93\/#how_admissions_consulting_is_more_than_essay_editing\" >How Admissions Consulting Is More Than Essay Editing<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/the-mbamission-podcast-how-to-choose-an-mba-admissions-consultant-insights-from-mbamission-experts-ep-93\/#profile_evaluation_and_school_selection_strategy\" >Profile Evaluation and School Selection Strategy<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/the-mbamission-podcast-how-to-choose-an-mba-admissions-consultant-insights-from-mbamission-experts-ep-93\/#track_record_reviews_and_proven_expertise\" >Track Record, Reviews, and Proven Expertise<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/the-mbamission-podcast-how-to-choose-an-mba-admissions-consultant-insights-from-mbamission-experts-ep-93\/#admissions_officers_versus_admissions_consultants\" >Admissions Officers versus Admissions Consultants<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/the-mbamission-podcast-how-to-choose-an-mba-admissions-consultant-insights-from-mbamission-experts-ep-93\/#the_%e2%80%9cchef_versus_food_critic%e2%80%9d_analogy\" >The \u201cChef versus Food Critic\u201d Analogy<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/the-mbamission-podcast-how-to-choose-an-mba-admissions-consultant-insights-from-mbamission-experts-ep-93\/#avoiding_the_formulaic_mba_application\" >Avoiding the Formulaic MBA Application<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/the-mbamission-podcast-how-to-choose-an-mba-admissions-consultant-insights-from-mbamission-experts-ep-93\/#red_flags_when_choosing_a_consultant\" >Red Flags When Choosing a Consultant<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/the-mbamission-podcast-how-to-choose-an-mba-admissions-consultant-insights-from-mbamission-experts-ep-93\/#final_advice_for_mba_applicants\" >Final Advice for MBA Applicants<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"who_mba_admissions_consultants_are\"><\/span>Who MBA Admissions Consultants Are<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Jeremy Shinewald<\/b>: I\u2019m so thrilled to be here with my co-host and friend Harold Simansky and my non-co-host but also friend, our guest, Nisha Trivedi, veteran consultant, longtime member of the team. Certainly one\u2014I would say seriously, at the risk of flattering Nisha\u2014one of those conscientious people, someone who just takes her clients so seriously and her own practice seriously. Anyone who works with Nisha is extremely lucky to be working with her. So thanks for joining us today. We\u2019re here to talk about something that really sticks in my craw as someone who has built a firm in this space, which is the relative differences. We\u2019re going to focus on us. We don\u2019t want to talk too much about others, but I find that there\u2019s a growing industry of overnight consultants who graduate from Wharton and declare themselves to be a Wharton consultant or go on a platform and claim that they\u2019re an expert now because they\u2019re at Harvard or something like that. And it\u2019s just so different. You know, Harold has been a decade in this field, you\u2019re [<i>gestures to Nisha<\/i>] almost a decade. I mean, [<i>gestures to himself<\/i>] 22 years! The institutional knowledge at our firm and across all of our consultants is just so significant.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And it\u2019s like\u2014there are so many examples I\u2019ve given over the years\u2014but it\u2019s like, \u201cI cooked a really good meal. I\u2019m a chef now.\u201d It\u2019s like, \u201cNo, I\u2019m not. I\u2019m not prepared. I did really well. I followed the instructions. I am not prepared to make your family a very important dinner.\u201d There are all sorts of reasons why people get into business school. It doesn\u2019t necessarily make them qualified to be a consultant, even if they got into a <i>top<\/i> school. So I think it\u2019s really, really important to focus on what separates us [mbaMission] in a positive way. I think it\u2019s really, really important to talk about the commitment we\u2019ve all made to this field. So at the highest level, can you just talk about how rigorous not just our hiring process is, but also our most basic<i>screening<\/i> process is?<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1sm-Nisha-blog-button.jpg\" alt=\" style=\"width:371px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"mbamissions_rigorous_hiring_and_screening_process\"><\/span>mbaMission\u2019s Rigorous Hiring and Screening Process<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Nisha Trivedi<\/b>: Yeah, absolutely. So when we are hiring a consultant, the company, as I understand, gets many, many, many resumes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Jeremy Shinewald<\/b>: Kate Richardson, who leads our hiring committee, is inundated with requests all the time from other firms, from students\u2014just inbound, before we\u2019re even doing outbound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Nisha Trivedi<\/b>: Yeah, absolutely. We\u2019re constantly getting resumes and cover letters and expressed interest in working with mbaMission. And so, first of all, there\u2019s just getting through that screening process and being selected for an interview, which in and of itself is incredibly selective. And then I remember going through the interview process, I had to critique essays, I had to do a mock free consultation, the 30-minute meeting that we offer candidates who are applying to business school, with somebody listening in, I think a mock interview. And really, there were at least a few rounds of this. I talked to a few members of the staff to get a sense of their day-to-day experiences, and they asked me questions about parts of my previous work experience, even outside of admissions consulting, that would be applicable to this role. And in the end, I believe it\u2019s like a 1% to 2% acceptance rate for consulting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Jeremy Shinewald<\/b>: One of the things I love about our process, first of all, is that I\u2019m not even involved in it. It\u2019s pure run, which is great. At the very end, I get to meet someone at the very end of that process. But one thing that I love about it is everyone has to agree every step of the way. So you can\u2019t get through our recruiting process unless every person who\u2019s part of that process\u2014the four to five consultants who are doing the evaluation\u2014all agree that you\u2019re our quality before you can get that offer. And we\u2019ve had amazing people, like, we\u2019ve had so many admissions officers apply and just haven\u2019t had the skills that we\u2019re looking for, haven\u2019t had the demeanor we\u2019re looking for, haven\u2019t had the writing skills. So we\u2019re testing for everything. It\u2019s so rigorous. It is not, \u201cHey, join our platform. If you can get five clients, we\u2019re happy.\u201d It\u2019s \u201cHey, this is a calling for you. We want you to be committed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"consultant_collaboration_institutional_knowledge_and_applicant_resources\"><\/span>Consultant Collaboration, Institutional Knowledge, and Applicant Resources<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Harold Simansky<\/b>: Jeremy, let me just pause here. It also speaks to the infrastructure that we have as a firm. And what I mean by that is all of us are going to be interviewed by I forgot how many people\u2014many, many people interviewed me, and I spent time with many people. But when I was finally hired, suddenly, I had a network of people I can just start bouncing ideas off of. And it\u2019s not just can you become a consultant overnight, an mbaMission admissions consultant overnight? The reality is do you have an infrastructure around you? And if you\u2019ve just become it overnight, it\u2019s like the answer is no, you don\u2019t, you simply do not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Jeremy Shinewald<\/b>: At mbaMission, we have <a href=\"https:\/\/ontrack.mbamission.com\/\">onTrack [by mbaMission]<\/a>, for example, which is a free resource. Well, you can sign up for a free version of it. You can upgrade to a paid version. We have put our collective wisdom into creating resources. This is a huge curriculum that supports our clients that you can use as a self-study curriculum. We have our own <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/guides\/insiders-guides\/\">Insider\u2019s Guides<\/a>. We have our own <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/guides\/career-guides\/\">Career Guides.<\/a> I mean, I can go on and on. There are so many resources free or paid on our website that you can access. You just don\u2019t have those things as a, \u201cHey, today, I\u2019m a consultant!\u201d You don\u2019t have resume templates; you don\u2019t have all the things that allow us to help people. You don\u2019t have reference points for their colleagues.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/guides\/insiders-guides\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/free-guides-button-small.png\" alt=\" style=\"width:275px;height:auto\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Harold Simansky<\/b>: I mean that\u2019s the thing. The funny thing to me is Nisha is my colleague. When I have a question or an issue, I send her an essay to take a look at. I ask her questions, because at the end of the day, this is a profession that benefits from experience\u2014not just your own experience, but the experience of the people you rely on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Jeremy Shinewald<\/b>: I have a client right now who I\u2019m working with. I love the guy. He\u2019s such a great, great applicant. I\u2019m too biased now. I need to step away from him in the interviews because I just love what he does. I asked another consultant on our team, I asked a few, and two people stepped up to give him a mock interview. You can\u2019t do that if you\u2019re like, \u201cToday I\u2019m a consultant.\u201d You don\u2019t have the colleagues to call on to do the great work.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Just in general, also, before you\u2019re actually an official consultant at mbaMission, you do a self-study program that\u2019s very vast. We don\u2019t hire you until you\u2019ve completed a self-study program. There\u2019s a capstone process where you have to prove yourself. Like, it\u2019s rigorous. There\u2019s mentorship before you become a consultant. There\u2019s mentorship, there is reading, there are exercises before we can even say you meet the level that we need. I feel like everyone is obsessed with [the TV show] <i>The Bear<\/i>\u2014I don\u2019t know, placing spoons or something like that. Maybe we\u2019re not quite<i> that <\/i>level, but you have to do a lot of work before we\u2019ll even consider you to be part of our team. I remember years ago\u2014this is so funny, I haven\u2019t thought about this\u2014years ago, someone called us and said, \u201cI really would like to join your firm, but I\u2019ve got another firm out there that\u2019s willing to hire me now, and they don\u2019t have all these requirements.\u201d And I was like, \u201cSo you want to join the firm that is <i>less<\/i> strenuous so you can get to work now and deliver less than your best?\u201d Like, great, go work for that firm. So I\u2019m glad that person didn\u2019t sign up with us. I get carried away with this because I\u2019m pretty passionate about it. But let\u2019s talk about the intensity of the work that we do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"how_admissions_consulting_is_more_than_essay_editing\"><\/span>How Admissions Consulting Is More Than Essay Editing<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Harold Simansky<\/b>: I think our work really covers everything. Frequently, particularly for folks who are just trying to do it [consulting] on the shoestring or overnight, they think that it\u2019s just about essays. And at the end of the day, so much work has to happen <i>before<\/i> the essays. I frequently tell my clients that writing the essays is the easy part if you\u2019ve done everything else well. And again, you sort of have to know something, and experience really shows this to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Jeremy Shinewald<\/b>: If you\u2019re going to assess the profile of a candidate, it\u2019s like \u201cSo I just started yesterday, and I\u2019m ready to go.\u201d Or \u201cI\u2019m Nisha, I\u2019ve done thousands of free consultations, I\u2019ve worked with hundreds of clients. I know what the ins and outs of your profile are.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Nisha Trivedi<\/b>: Absolutely. Because that\u2019s the thing, exactly what Harold said. A lot of times people think, \u201cOh, I need an admissions consultant because I need help with my essays and my resume and a mock interview later on.\u201d Sure, we work on that, but it\u2019s so much <i>more<\/i> than that, right? When I first meet a candidate, I help them assess their profile. What are their strengths? What are some watch-out points? And based on their goals and some other preferences, what is a good list of target schools? And there have been times where a candidate has told me, \u201cI hadn\u2019t thought about those schools. Let me look into it.\u201d They end up applying, and sometimes they end up going there. And it\u2019s because of that institutional knowledge that my colleagues and I have built up that we\u2019re able to see certain patterns or make judgment calls in terms of a person\u2019s profile or what direction they should go in. And so again, it\u2019s very, very holistic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"profile_evaluation_and_school_selection_strategy\"><\/span>Profile Evaluation and School Selection Strategy<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Jeremy Shinewald<\/b>: Assessing your profile or guiding school selection is something you just need the reps to do it properly. And then on top of that, the whole point of hiring a consultant is that we understand nuance, right? There isn\u2019t some sort of easily understood path to getting there. \u201cI was just laid off. What do I do?\u201d [Or] \u201cMy recommender is being difficult. I\u2019m not sure he\u2019s going to make his deadline.\u201d I mean, it goes on and on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Harold Simansky<\/b>: So frequently, it\u2019s not just about what the client should end up writing about. Frequently, it\u2019s also what the client should end up <i>not<\/i> writing about.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Nisha Trivedi<\/b>: Exactly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Harold Simansky<\/b>: And that is really reflected in the experience we have. We\u2019ve seen other people like them. We\u2019ve actually had the opportunity to talk to other colleagues. Honestly, we do a lot of <a href=\"https:\/\/shop.mbamission.com\/products\/ding-review-reapplicant-strategy?srsltid=AfmBOordgegfKsiI96uKp9V6jZ1UkXWT3GMI0_Pb6lmtq7cVpUscALsa\">ding reviews<\/a> as a firm. We do a lot of ding reviews, and sometimes, I\u2019ll look at a ding review, look at their application, look at everything, and I think to myself, you know what? The consultant just went wrong. The applicant did a great job. They did everything they were supposed to do, but the nuance was missing there. And frequently, I hate to say it, but sometimes, the reason for that\u2014there\u2019s no escaping it\u2014is they simply got wrong information [from the consultant] because the seasoning wasn\u2019t there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Jeremy Shinewald<\/b>: Right. There\u2019s an amateur consultant out there who\u2019s just taking a few clients to pay off their ski trip or something like that. And it just doesn\u2019t work. Is there any industry out there\u2014I\u2019m trying to think of\u2014where a lack of experience is rewarded? You wouldn\u2019t want the part-time doctor, the part-time attorney. Like \u201cI\u2019ve got to go to court. I\u2019m going to go find someone who takes one client every two years.\u201d [Or] \u201cI\u2019ve got to go to court. It\u2019s making me anxious. I\u2019m going to go find someone who\u2019s on a platform who\u2019s relatively inexpensive, and I\u2019m going to have this person represent me.\u201d Or \u201cI\u2019m going to go find an expert who has a lot of seasoning and nuance, and that person is going to do a great job.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"track_record_reviews_and_proven_expertise\"><\/span>Track Record, Reviews, and Proven Expertise<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Harold Simansky<\/b>: I hate to necessarily put it this way, but go to <i>Poets&amp;Quants<\/i>, go to GMAT Club. I think at the end of the day, sort of the proof is in the pudding. Nisha, I believe at this point, you have <a href=\"https:\/\/poetsandquants.com\/consultant\/nisha-trivedi\/\">over 100 five-star reviews.<\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Jeremy Shinewald<\/b>: That\u2019s more than several firms. Seriously. More than most firms that are listed there, actually, because most firms are small, what I call \u201czombie\u201d firms, that if they get a client, great. And the majority of the firms listed there have a very small number of reviews. They don\u2019t have the kind of enduring success.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Harold Simansky<\/b>: No, that\u2019s right. Experience matters. As with everything, experience matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Nisha Trivedi<\/b>: It does. I feel like I built up almost this Rolodex\u2014to use a very vintage word\u2014of experience, of having seen certain types of client profiles. And that\u2019s what gives me the confidence to advise those I work with in terms of their application elements. And of course, as you mentioned earlier, Harold, we\u2019re a group of full-time consultants. So, sometimes, if I feel like I need another opinion, I\u2019ve bounced ideas off of you or one of our other colleagues, and that just gives me all the more conviction in the advice that I\u2019m giving to my clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"admissions_officers_versus_admissions_consultants\"><\/span>Admissions Officers versus Admissions Consultants<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Jeremy Shinewald<\/b>: Another format that we\u2019ve sort of shied away from is the \u201cwe\u2019re admissions officers\u201d type of format. And we have several people on our team who have been admissions officers. It\u2019s not necessarily a bad thing, but I can\u2019t tell you how many admissions officers have <i>not<\/i> made it at our firm, have not made it through that screening or pre-training period and mentorship period. It\u2019s because it\u2019s a totally different skill. Helping someone be creative is not necessarily inherent. There are some admissions officers who can do it, but it\u2019s not the same as having a creative side where you\u2019re an extremely strong writer, you have a very high EQ. The ability to evaluate applicants is great for an admissions officer. It\u2019s just not terribly helpful as an admissions consultant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"the_%e2%80%9cchef_versus_food_critic%e2%80%9d_analogy\"><\/span>The \u201cChef versus Food Critic\u201d Analogy<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Harold Simansky<\/b>: Listen, I\u2019m going to get to the punchline that invariably all of us get to: Would you rather have Steven Spielberg making your movie, or do you want to have the top movie critic for the <i>New York Times<\/i> making your movie? And it\u2019s sort of obvious at that point. The reality is that you want the person who knows how to <i>create <\/i>the great product, not the person who knows how to <i>critique<\/i> the great product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Nisha Trivedi<\/b>: Exactly. And it\u2019s also, we actually have a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/do-i-need-an-mba-application-consultant-with-an-admissions-background\/\">blog post<\/a> about this, what\u2019s the difference between a food critic\u2014so kind of like what you just said, a food <i>critic<\/i>\u2014and a chef, right? It\u2019s one thing to critique an application, to recognize a good application, but to work with somebody on actually constructing the elements, that\u2019s what we do as admissions consultants. And that is a different skill set from being an admissions officer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Jeremy Shinewald<\/b>: And as I said before, what\u2019s the difference between a chef and someone who just pulled off a really good meal? Just because you got into a program, there are so many different ways [to do that].&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Harold Simansky<\/b>: That\u2019s absolutely true. Or your <i>brother<\/i> got into a good program.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Jeremy Shinewald<\/b>: Yeah. Or \u201cMy boss went to Harvard in 2001. And he\u2019s going to read my essays.\u201d Okay, that\u2019s fine.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"avoiding_the_formulaic_mba_application\"><\/span>Avoiding the Formulaic MBA Application<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Harold Simansky<\/b>: And again, just to be clear here, the issue with that is they\u2019re trying to take you and make you sound like somebody else. And I think that that\u2019s the biggest problem with inexperienced consultants, this notion of there\u2019s only one formula, there\u2019s only one type of person who gets into these programs, and I\u2019m going to make you look like<i> that<\/i> as opposed to figuring out what <i>you<\/i> look like and what about you is going to be most important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Nisha Trivedi<\/b>: Exactly. And so that\u2019s the thing. I get to know my clients deeply so that I can make sure <i>their<\/i> voice, not mine, not anyone else\u2019s, comes through in their application elements, and it\u2019s really recognizing the unique strengths that they bring to the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"red_flags_when_choosing_a_consultant\"><\/span>Red Flags When Choosing a Consultant<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Jeremy Shinewald<\/b>: Anyone who says to you, \u201cI\u2019m going to help you discover your personal brand\u201d or \u201cI went there, I know the way, I understand how to do it,\u201d run for the hills. It is so much more nuanced and complicated. It requires judgment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Harold Simansky<\/b>: I personally see it every day. And what I mean by that is I look at essays that were written by some of Nisha\u2019s clients, and the beautiful thing about them, and I don\u2019t want to embarrass Nisha, is one essay does not seem to be like another essay. This idea that Nisha takes the time, and all of us do, to get to know that person and how that person communicates most effectively that\u2019s right for them, that is not right for somebody else. And a commercial here for Nisha. If you want to, by all means, sign up for a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/consult\/\">free 30-minute consultation<\/a> with Nisha. She\u2019ll help you think through some of those things. Sign up for a 30-minute conversation with me or with Jeremy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"final_advice_for_mba_applicants\"><\/span>Final Advice for MBA Applicants<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Jeremy Shinewald<\/b>: Because we all know what we\u2019re doing. And we\u2019re ready to help you from the moment you\u2019re on that free consultation call. And we always say this is your first half an hour of paid time, only it\u2019s free. The point is we\u2019re not holding anything back. You\u2019re going to experience what it\u2019s like to talk to an expert like Nisha when you call for that free consultation. I don\u2019t want to belabor the point. I think we\u2019ve made our point. I think this has been really great. I hope that every applicant will watch this one and will sort of do the homework necessary to find the right consultant for them. Because, admittedly, we\u2019re in an unregulated industry, and people can just pop up and say, \u201cOkay, I\u2019m a consultant,\u201d and it\u2019s super important to actually know what you\u2019re getting and to really, really do that homework. So, thanks for having this discussion with me, guys. Thanks for being here, Nisha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Harold Simansky<\/b>: Thank you, Jeremy. Thanks for coming on to my podcast tonight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Jeremy Shinewald<\/b>: I always love being on your podcast, Harold. We\u2019ll see you next time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Choosing an MBA admissions consultant can be one of the most important decisions you will make in the business school application process. But in an industry where anyone can claim expertise, how can you distinguish consultants who offer truly effective guidance based on a depth of experience from ones who provide merely surface-level advice?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[643],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42027","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mbamission-podcast"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to Choose an MBA Admissions Consultant<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"mbaMission experts explain how to choose the right MBA admissions consultant, what experience matters, and how strong guidance can shape your application strategy.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/the-mbamission-podcast-how-to-choose-an-mba-admissions-consultant-insights-from-mbamission-experts-ep-93\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Choose an MBA Admissions Consultant\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"mbaMission experts explain how to choose the right MBA admissions consultant, what experience matters, and how strong guidance can shape your application strategy.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/the-mbamission-podcast-how-to-choose-an-mba-admissions-consultant-insights-from-mbamission-experts-ep-93\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"mbaMission - 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