2 for 2!

I went through the entire application process solo my first time around and ended up with zero admits. If nothing else, Admissionado provided someone who was in my shoes before, who could provide advice and speak about the process from experience.

But we're not paying over two grand for just that. Most of you are considering dropping some serious coin for this service and it's important to know exactly what you're in for.

My consultant, Julie (who, although they seem to list everybody associated with their company on their consultant profile page, wasn’t listed leading up to, during, or after working with her) was great. She stayed on top of things and made sure I stuck to my deadlines in a way that made me feel like she was really concerned about my success. She made me think hard about my goals, my responses, and my story. Her feedback made me even more confident in myself. Her enthusiasm about my story made me even more excited to tell it.

My first contact with Admissionado was a profile evaluation and Julie gave me an "action plan" which, honestly, was the least valuable part of my investment. It restated much of which I already knew and had already planned on including in my essays. The recommended schools that came from the profile evaluation all seemed to be extremely safe options. I didn't feel this was really worth the money I paid for it. But through our call more than the action plan itself, Julie's enthusiasm was apparent. I felt like she would be able to help me sort through the clutter and create a better vision for myself. From there, I paid for a ding analysis to get some further insight. The ding analysis was, in my eyes, spot on. Julie took my essays, explained what they were looking for and detailed where I could have done a better job. This was worth every penny.

This whole process is on you, though. You can pay all you want for a consultant but if you don’t want to change your approach you’re not going to get anywhere. Admissionado is just one component of your application process. They’re not going to write your essays for you (nor should you want them to) but they are going to make you think about how you’re portraying yourself and push you in a new direction if you’re being too narrowly-focused, they are going to be able to answer just about any questions you may have, and they are going to help you write about the strongest parts of your profile. You will see a noticeable change between the first and final draft.

The junior deluxe package itself was valuable to me. I liked Julie being an email away (and REALLY fast/helpful at getting back to me). I NEVER had to send them a reminder email, though they may have had to send me one or two when I was slacking! I was really happy, not only with the progress I made but also with the introspection that came with the process. As I learned what parts of my essays were redundant, I was forced to examine my goals and my story and career possibilities. I went from having one specific goal to being excited about the many possibilities available to me, and I think that this approach made me an even stronger candidate.

Anyway, let’s get to the specifics. I paid for a profile evaluation, a ding analysis, and a Junior Deluxe packages for three schools and I received a significant discount due to a promotion they had going on at the time. I only used two of the three schools (please be sure to only pay for the schools you intend on using, I was talked into a third school but never ended up using it and was out that extra money, which pretty much meant I paid full price for two schools- so much for that promo!). I was accepted to both schools (neither school was a safety school). Aside from our initial call, all contact was through email which was always quick and thorough. I can’t stress enough about how helpful Julie was throughout the process. It was valuable for me to have someone who could give me input on the process, how to make the most of a visit, and all of the other one-offs that come up during the application/interview process.

I’m beyond happy I chose Admissionado. Their pricing is competitive but not bank-breaking. The only negative that came out of the entire process was that I paid for that extra school but didn’t end up needing it. I guess that’s a good place to be, though.