Definitely worth it in the end.

I started working with Susan in late October. Word of advice - start much much..much earlier! I knew I was cutting it very close so I wanted a consultant that was frank (in a nice way) and would keep me ticking away. I got this with Susan.

Susan was upfront about the amount of work that i'd have to put in to make sure I developed strong applications in a short space of time. We got started on exchanging information about myself and picking potential schools. More honest conversations ensued about my chances at each school and my fit with the schools. In the end I chose 3 - one in the top 2, another in the top 7 and and the other in the top 10-ish. The hard work started with the brainstorming session. The questionnaire, the long phonecall and Susan's probing questions really do make you dig deep. Once we had all my experiences pinned down, I begun outlining my essay responses, getting feedback from Susan and more back and forths. Susan's feedback was always clear and straight to the point and she was always happy to jump on a call if there were any sticky points.

In the end, there's no substitute to the upfront time spent fleshing out one's story and outlining your essay answers. In essay draft 5, 6 or more, you'll appreciate the effort you put in upfront and can always go back to the source. Another word of advice, applications aren't a walk in the park. A couple of times in the process, I felt myself losing momentum/motivation and Susan was very quick to pick up on this and keep me going. She was a great support in helping me get my applications in and in helping me prepare for all the 3 interviews. In the end, I got offers from all 3 schools.

I would definitely recommend Susan. She'll make you dig deep and work hard but it'll be worth it in the end.