I have been a silent member on this board for a while but wanted to share my positive experience with Amerasia to benefit others. If required, I can verify my identity with the moderators.
Background:
Technology (Engineering/non-IT) background, over-represented (Indian/Male), 5+ years of work experience with a technology firm in the US (in product development).
I used a top-named admissions consulting company the previous year with a lackluster experience and decided to give it another shot with Amerasia based on the positive reviews on this forum. As a re-application, I felt that I needed more help at honing in on my story and bringing out the essential aspects (which is where I missed the mark the first time around).
Initial Consultation:
After submitting my initial inquiry, Adam Hoff contacted me promptly and was happy to pair me up with one of their consultants - Alex, who has experience in branding and marketing - something that Adam explained might help me propel my application. While I had wanted to work with Adam or Paul, I was not decided if I wanted to do school packages or just work on a hourly basis or a combination of the two and because of this, Adam could not sign me up to work with him or Paul (as they usually work heavily with package clients).
Shortly after, I had an hour long conversation with Alex, who had gone through my profile in advance (important for me, as I feel other consultants usually review your profile when they are on the phone with you), gave me suggestions for my application and did not try to push me to sign up with him. Moreover, the conversation was not rushed and Alex was open to a follow up call even before I decided to proceed with Amerasia. After having done several initial consultations with many top named admissions consultants, this was the easiest conversation I have had. I suggest other candidates consider how easy it is to speak with a consultant (since you will be working with him/her for the next few months, and make sure to gauge if they will have time for you, can work well with you and will listen/help you through your concerns).
Application Help:
Since I knew most of the schools I wanted to apply to, the process was easier to start off with, but I did seek advise from Alex later on in the process on some additional schools, and he was able to give me a good insight into them.
Before starting on the essays, I filled up some questionnaires that were targeted at answering most of the MBA essay/interview questions, following which, I brainstormed with Alex to get my stories straight. This was a crucial step for me as this is where I believed I needed the most help. This step took a couple of phone conversations and continued evolving as the process continued. Most notably through this step was that Alex gave me his cell number and told me to text/call him whenever I had any question.
The method I followed to answer my essay questions was to type a few essay drafts, and then jump on the phone and discuss what to change/update with Alex. We set up a weekly call as that gave me time to complete a couple of drafts (and if the essays to review reduced, I would prepone the call). I loved the flexibility and ease of getting in touch with Alex. He would answer my emails/texts almost instantaneously and the ability to discuss the changes for the drafts over the phone made it easier to reduce any miscommunication and avoid any follow-up delays.
Interview Help:
I just did one mock interview. Alex gave me a list of questions and I did my own research to find other posted questions. This was a fairly normal process. Alex did give me misc. interview tips such as posture, what to do when nervous etc. which I found beneficial.
Results:
I got an interview call from 7 of the 8 schools I applied to (4 in top 10 and 4 in top 20) and was offered admission at 5 of those 8.
Final Thoughts:
My decision to use an admissions consultant was a personal one. However, I do believe I found a fit working with Alex and Amerasia. Yes, I was a little bummed that I could not work with Adam or Paul (especially since most of the glowing reviews for Amerasia highlight their names), however with my situation (mix of package/hourly), this was understandable.
The process of working with Alex, for me was more of one friend helping another rather than a business contract. I would like to emphasize the importance of fit and hence the initial consultation. If anyone has any specific questions, I can answer them through PM.
Background:
Technology (Engineering/non-IT) background, over-represented (Indian/Male), 5+ years of work experience with a technology firm in the US (in product development).
I used a top-named admissions consulting company the previous year with a lackluster experience and decided to give it another shot with Amerasia based on the positive reviews on this forum. As a re-application, I felt that I needed more help at honing in on my story and bringing out the essential aspects (which is where I missed the mark the first time around).
Initial Consultation:
After submitting my initial inquiry, Adam Hoff contacted me promptly and was happy to pair me up with one of their consultants - Alex, who has experience in branding and marketing - something that Adam explained might help me propel my application. While I had wanted to work with Adam or Paul, I was not decided if I wanted to do school packages or just work on a hourly basis or a combination of the two and because of this, Adam could not sign me up to work with him or Paul (as they usually work heavily with package clients).
Shortly after, I had an hour long conversation with Alex, who had gone through my profile in advance (important for me, as I feel other consultants usually review your profile when they are on the phone with you), gave me suggestions for my application and did not try to push me to sign up with him. Moreover, the conversation was not rushed and Alex was open to a follow up call even before I decided to proceed with Amerasia. After having done several initial consultations with many top named admissions consultants, this was the easiest conversation I have had. I suggest other candidates consider how easy it is to speak with a consultant (since you will be working with him/her for the next few months, and make sure to gauge if they will have time for you, can work well with you and will listen/help you through your concerns).
Application Help:
Since I knew most of the schools I wanted to apply to, the process was easier to start off with, but I did seek advise from Alex later on in the process on some additional schools, and he was able to give me a good insight into them.
Before starting on the essays, I filled up some questionnaires that were targeted at answering most of the MBA essay/interview questions, following which, I brainstormed with Alex to get my stories straight. This was a crucial step for me as this is where I believed I needed the most help. This step took a couple of phone conversations and continued evolving as the process continued. Most notably through this step was that Alex gave me his cell number and told me to text/call him whenever I had any question.
The method I followed to answer my essay questions was to type a few essay drafts, and then jump on the phone and discuss what to change/update with Alex. We set up a weekly call as that gave me time to complete a couple of drafts (and if the essays to review reduced, I would prepone the call). I loved the flexibility and ease of getting in touch with Alex. He would answer my emails/texts almost instantaneously and the ability to discuss the changes for the drafts over the phone made it easier to reduce any miscommunication and avoid any follow-up delays.
Interview Help:
I just did one mock interview. Alex gave me a list of questions and I did my own research to find other posted questions. This was a fairly normal process. Alex did give me misc. interview tips such as posture, what to do when nervous etc. which I found beneficial.
Results:
I got an interview call from 7 of the 8 schools I applied to (4 in top 10 and 4 in top 20) and was offered admission at 5 of those 8.
Final Thoughts:
My decision to use an admissions consultant was a personal one. However, I do believe I found a fit working with Alex and Amerasia. Yes, I was a little bummed that I could not work with Adam or Paul (especially since most of the glowing reviews for Amerasia highlight their names), however with my situation (mix of package/hourly), this was understandable.
The process of working with Alex, for me was more of one friend helping another rather than a business contract. I would like to emphasize the importance of fit and hence the initial consultation. If anyone has any specific questions, I can answer them through PM.