Anyone ever use an admissions consultant?

[235]

First time poster here and have a question that I have not seen yet seen opinions on. My questions is, has anyone ever used the services of a medical school admissions consultant. In particular, Judy Colwell (http://www.judycolwell.com/).

I am a non-traditional student (35 years old) with a moderate GPA (3.3) that I expect to strengthen with additional post-bac classes, and no background in the sciences. I am working through the required corsework work in order to write the GMAT and submit applications to schools. I hope to be complete within a few years – I'm right at the begining.

Anyway, do admissions consultants really help? Are they really worth the money? Is there anything that they know that I can't figure out on my own. I know there are plenty of them out there – I am interested in this one only because she is located close to where I live in the Bay Area, CA.

Thanks.

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[Doctor Bagel]

i'm sorry, but my hunch is that those people are a total waste of money. sdn would be as good of a resource, and it's free.

 

[mshheaddoc]

I actually have met Judy and she has a wealth of knowledge serving Stanford in an advisor for pre-meds and on the medical school committee. She is a little expensive but if you feel that you need some help getting it all together and you have the money go for it. I think you could find out the information just the same contacting medical schools you are interested in for a "what are my chances" as well as using SDN as a resource. Many people are willing ot help answer any questions.

 

[benelswick]

Mssheaddoc--Every time i see your avatar I laugh outloud!--thnx

Yeah i've seen her speak at my school. She definitely has the knowledge and skill to coach you through the process. i'd guess that you would get more for your money from her if you need that type of intimate coaching to get your psychology ready for the fight so to speak. she could give the right person what they need to pull together the best aspects of their aplication forward. I think I will do it on my own relying on y'all here for insights. good luck!--ben.

 

[remo]

I have talked with her and she knows what she is doing. As a non-trad I would advise you to use her. You don't have time to waste and while you will get good info on this web site you will also get advice from 20-year-olds that don't really know how things apply to a 35-year-old. For example, if I would have listened to the advice on this web site I would have taken a whole year of general chemistry over again. Judy told me that was completely unnecessary. That one piece of advice alone saved me enough money to pay for her services many times over.

 

[njbmd]

i'm sorry, but my hunch is that those people are a total waste of money. sdn would be as good of a resource, and it's free.

Hi there,
I beg to differ with you. You CAN get advice here but you have no idea of the background of the folks (including me) who post here. You HAVE to take everything here with a grain of salt. If getting advice from SDN works for you then great but I would totally recommend that most non-traditional students invest the money in a professional admissions counselor. Compared to the potential cost of tuition a professional such as Judy Colwell is a bargin. She is also NOT going to take your money if she cannot help you and she is with you all the way through the process. She is a thorough professional (as are others) and can potentially be the best money that you can spend.

You can potentially spend thousands in tuition without getting into medical school or you can invest some dollars up front and have a game plan to maximize your chances.

Judy C is excellent and I know her very well but there are other counseling services out there. People can do a web search and find them. As with any service, buyer beware.

njbmd

 

[Doctor Bagel]

Hi there,
I beg to differ with you. You CAN get advice here but you have no idea of the background of the folks (including me) who post here. You HAVE to take everything here with a grain of salt. If getting advice from SDN works for you then great but I would totally recommend that most non-traditional students invest the money in a professional admissions counselor. Compared to the potential cost of tuition a professional such as Judy Colwell is a bargin. She is also NOT going to take your money if she cannot help you and she is with you all the way through the process. She is a thorough professional (as are others) and can potentially be the best money that you can spend.

You can potentially spend thousands in tuition without getting into medical school or you can invest some dollars up front and have a game plan to maximize your chances.

Judy C is excellent and I know her very well but there are other counseling services out there. People can do a web search and find them. As with any service, buyer beware.

njbmd

That's true, but my strong hunch is that medical school admissions is not rocket science. Sure, it's subjective, which is why you apply lots of places, but the basics are pretty clear even for nontrads. Do well on the mcat, do well in your postbacc courses, research is good, clinical experience is probably necessary. Be able to discuss your life experiences and how they're relevant. Essentially, sell yourself and your application. Sure, you can get bad information on sdn -- the post above talking about the advice to retake gen chem is a perfect example. I just followed my intuition on that one, and it worked.

I'm just scratching me head on what an admissions consultant would tell you that would be worth a fee. My guess is that the hand-holding and reassurance you get from an admissions counselor is the big plus, not the actual advice. Really, has anybody found anything out about the admissions process that's been a huge surprise? If so, what was it?

Also, I guess I'm not of the belief that applying as a non-trad is that much harder than applying as a traditional student. In fact, it can be beneficial because it gives you more material to draw upon in your personal statement, secondary essays and interviews. Some schools might not like nontrads, but some schools love them, so it works out.

My thought is still that you should exhaust all your free resources before paying a consultant. These free resources include sdn, your undergraduate school premed advisors, fellow nontrads, books from the library, etc.

 

[LT2]

another thing to check out (i believe it's somewhere at the AMCAS site) is region advisors. there are some advisors associated with UG institutions that will help non-trads with the application process. i know my advisor does this and she is FANTASTIC (not to mention FREE)!!!!!

 

[remo]

She only charges like $200 to take a look at your situation and come up with a plan. After that you can do the rest on your own or go back and get help from her if you feel you still need it. The cost is negligible compared to tution, books, app fees, etc...

 

[unfrozencaveman]

Yeah, had I been smarter about my applications, I would have saved WELL over $200....

 

[MoosePilot]

That's true, but my strong hunch is that medical school admissions is not rocket science. Sure, it's subjective, which is why you apply lots of places, but the basics are pretty clear even for nontrads. Do well on the mcat, do well in your postbacc courses, research is good, clinical experience is probably necessary. Be able to discuss your life experiences and how they're relevant. Essentially, sell yourself and your application. Sure, you can get bad information on sdn -- the post above talking about the advice to retake gen chem is a perfect example. I just followed my intuition on that one, and it worked.

I'm just scratching me head on what an admissions consultant would tell you that would be worth a fee. My guess is that the hand-holding and reassurance you get from an admissions counselor is the big plus, not the actual advice. Really, has anybody found anything out about the admissions process that's been a huge surprise? If so, what was it?

Also, I guess I'm not of the belief that applying as a non-trad is that much harder than applying as a traditional student. In fact, it can be beneficial because it gives you more material to draw upon in your personal statement, secondary essays and interviews. Some schools might not like nontrads, but some schools love them, so it works out.

My thought is still that you should exhaust all your free resources before paying a consultant. These free resources include sdn, your undergraduate school premed advisors, fellow nontrads, books from the library, etc.

The main thing I would have learned is that I didn't need to apply to schools I never heard of. Pointless.

 

[MeowMix]

I paid $300 to an admissions consultant, felt like crap after talking to them, and did not get any valuable advice that I had not heard elsewhere. I did a lot of research and thought this person would be a good resource. I had thought they would be more insightful and give more personal advice, would have a clearer perspective on the non-traditional applicant with an unusual background, and have more specific feedback for my situation instead of general feedback that any premed would get. In retrospect, they were not the right advisor for me, and I actually got better feedback from the premed advisor at the school where I did my prereqs.

I did extremely well in the application process, which I would never have expected after talking to the professional advisor.

However, I am sure there are better choices in professional advisors, and I still think this is a good option for non-trad students in general. Buyer beware.

 

[eccles1214]

another thing to check out (i believe it's somewhere at the AMCAS site) is region advisors. there are some advisors associated with UG institutions that will help non-trads with the application process. i know my advisor does this and she is FANTASTIC (not to mention FREE)!!!!!

Can you tell me more about regional advisors? Where on the AAMC website?

 

[LT2]

Can you tell me more about regional advisors? Where on the AAMC website?

you can check out this website, it's for the national association of advisors for the health professions. if you click on the "finding an advisor" link on the left hand side of the page, you'll find a q&a with a list of advisors by school/location. good luck! if you don't find help here, let me know and i'll ask my advisor if there are other places to try...

http://www.naahp.org/

 

[235]

you can check out this website, it's for the national association of advisors for the health professions. if you click on the "finding an advisor" link on the left hand side of the page, you'll find a q&a with a list of advisors by school/location. good luck! if you don't find help here, let me know and i'll ask my advisor if there are other places to try...

http://www.naahp.org/

This is a great source. Thanks!

 

[QofQuimica]

I've posted this a zillion times, but I recommend that you call your state school and make an appointment to meet with the admissions director there. I did this last year before applying this year, and it was a huge help. They know the ins and outs of their med school committee and what you'll need to be a competitive applicant in general, and best of all, they're FREE. I was even able to get help with writing my PS and figuring out who to ask for LORs.

 

[Senor Fish]

I've posted this a zillion times, but I recommend that you call your state school and make an appointment to meet with the admissions director there. I did this last year before applying this year, and it was a huge help. They know the ins and outs of their med school committee and what you'll need to be a competitive applicant in general, and best of all, they're FREE. I was even able to get help with writing my PS and figuring out who to ask for LORs.

I would agree. At the very least, check out your admissions advisor at your school first. Maybe they're great. If not, then you can decide the next step. Our advisor at Colorado is very good.

 

[Orthodoc40]

First time poster here and have a question that I have not seen yet seen opinions on. My questions is, has anyone ever used the services of a medical school admissions consultant. In particular, Judy Colwell (http://www.judycolwell.com/).

I am a non-traditional student (35 years old) with a moderate GPA (3.3) that I expect to strengthen with additional post-bac classes, and no background in the sciences. I am working through the required corsework work in order to write the GMAT and submit applications to schools. I hope to be complete within a few years – I'm right at the begining.

Anyway, do admissions consultants really help? Are they really worth the money? Is there anything that they know that I can't figure out on my own. I know there are plenty of them out there – I am interested in this one only because she is located close to where I live in the Bay Area, CA.

Thanks.

I'm a non-trad too and hired one of these closer to my area. Very expensive, but far more accurate & intelligent advising than I have seen on any forum here. Especially when starting off & developing your plan.

 

[Toofscum]

I used Judy Colwell a few times--can't remember exactly how many times--maybe spoke with her 3 or 4 times. For me it was very helpful, especially in terms of which schools to apply to. I felt that as a non-trad with an eclectic background, it was very helpful. If anyone wants to PM me about this I'd be happy to elaborate.

Thanks!

 

[ridethecliche]

I paid $300 to an admissions consultant, felt like crap after talking to them, and did not get any valuable advice that I had not heard elsewhere. I did a lot of research and thought this person would be a good resource. I had thought they would be more insightful and give more personal advice, would have a clearer perspective on the non-traditional applicant with an unusual background, and have more specific feedback for my situation instead of general feedback that any premed would get. In retrospect, they were not the right advisor for me, and I actually got better feedback from the premed advisor at the school where I did my prereqs.

I did extremely well in the application process, which I would never have expected after talking to the professional advisor.

However, I am sure there are better choices in professional advisors, and I still think this is a good option for non-trad students in general. Buyer beware.

That's because it's a scam for those freaking out.

I have extensive experience as well, If anyone wants more info PM me and I will give you web site.

That's not sketchy at all.