Med school admissions consulting services

[Shredder]

Worth it? How much would you pay? If money wasn't a factor, how effective do you think they are? Any recommendations, if anyone has used them?

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[AStudent]

That's what SDN is for....

Worth it? How much would you pay? If money wasn't a factor, how effective do you think they are? Any recommendations, if anyone has used them?

 

[Shredder]

That's what SDN is for....

Oh, so people on SDN are MDs and have served on adcoms? How would they know insider information, everyone has to guess here, and the few exceptions wouldn't be willing to work with you personally for months on end. Come on man, you're dreaming if you think SDN can substitute for a personal consultant, at least put some thought into your post

 

[AStudent]

Then I think you answered your own question *****. If you feel the need to blow the money, be my guest, but 99% of us haven't and turned out just fine.

Oh, so people on SDN are MDs and have served on adcoms? How would they know insider information, everyone has to guess here, and the few exceptions wouldn't be willing to work with you personally for months on end. Come on man, you're dreaming if you think SDN can substitute for a personal consultant, at least put some thought into your post

 

[Kazema]

I don't know of anyone who's used any of these services on SDN. Or at least, I don't know anyone who's used these services and talked about them on SDN.

 

[Code Brown]

They're great if you have some sort of deficiency in your application that you need help with (i.e. bad GPA, low MCAT, no reserach, felony, disciplinary action from your school, no volunteering/community service, etc.) or if you are really trying for a specific school, can't write worth ****, or have money to burn.

 

[Shredder]

Then I think you answered your own question *****. If you feel the need to blow the money, be my guest, but 99% of us haven't and turned out just fine.

just fine ha ha, like the ones who have stellar credentials and supreme confidence going into the process and end up having everything crash down on them? and they have no clue why it happened too? dont tell me this situation is uncommon. and the ones with sorry stats who get into great schools, leaving everyone else wondering? do you think there is a lottery system going on behind close doors with the adcoms? everyone convinces themselves that things turn out "just fine", and thats how the psychology works--denial, anger, rationalization, depression, and acceptance

 

[DrMom]

I wouldn't waste money on these consultants. The information/assistance you need is readily available at little or no cost.

 

[Shredder]

They're great if you have some sort of deficiency in your application that you need help with (i.e. bad GPA, low MCAT, no reserach, felony, disciplinary action from your school, no volunteering/community service, etc.) or if you are really trying for a specific school, can't write worth ****, or have money to burn.

money to burn, so youre saying perhaps 1000 (1% of med school debt) isnt worth the opportunity to converse on a regular basis with someone who has served on an adcom at a top school for years and can evaulate you personally as a candidate instead of spewing out generic information (good grades, good mcat, volunteer, research) like websites and school premed advisors? everyone has some sort of relative deficiency

 

[Shredder]

I wouldn't waste money on these consultants. The information/assistance you need is readily available at little or no cost.

thanks for the input, drmom. ill think about it, but information and assistance still tends to be generic due to the fact that it has to address many aspiring premeds. ill put it in terms of tennis; players have coaches who know their attitudes and playing styles. its tough to go from one coach to another seeking advice on how to win.

 

[MWillie]

Dood, you're annoying. Clearly you're not here to ask questions.

 

[VFrank]

It sounds to me like you made your decision before you even asked us. You obviously want to take advantage of these services or you wouldn't be so defensive when people tell you they don't think it's worth it. I think this is a example of the phrase "advice is something you ask for when you already know the answer."

If you decide to make use of these services (which you obviously want to) maybe you could let us know how they helped you since a lot of people on this forum don't have that experience.

 

[PhotoMD]

money to burn, so youre saying perhaps 1000 (1% of med school debt) isnt worth the opportunity to converse on a regular basis with someone who has served on an adcom at a top school for years and can evaulate you personally as a candidate instead of spewing out generic information (good grades, good mcat, volunteer, research) like websites and school premed advisors? everyone has some sort of relative deficiency

If you want one get one. No consultant can save you if you aren't qualified.

 

[fullefect1]

money to burn, so youre saying perhaps 1000 (1% of med school debt) isnt worth the opportunity to converse on a regular basis with someone who has served on an adcom at a top school for years and can evaulate you personally as a candidate instead of spewing out generic information (good grades, good mcat, volunteer, research) like websites and school premed advisors? everyone has some sort of relative deficiency

What consultant services offer someone who has bee on a adcom who served on a top school? I am not saying that I know if they are or not, but I just don't see why someone who was at a level would turn to a consultant job. Well maybe I am wrong.

Is there anyone out there who does know of someone who has been an adcom for years that really does offer te service? Or is this all just speculation?

 

[Ross434]

Hah, sometimes i think hiring a secretary would be more useful, with this freakin enormous organizational challenge of forms and letters and mail and aaaahhh.

 

[fullefect1]

Alright maybe I was wrong. I did a quick search and found this ..." You work with a consultant experienced in your area of interest. All of our consultants have admissions committee experience in the area of their practice. Interested in medical school? All of our med school consultants are medical doctors (MDs). "
http://www.admissionsconsultants.com/credentials.asp

Not to say that they are from top schools, but I still don't see why in the world they would be doing this job. Maybe this web site is lying.. haha

 

[Shredder]

http://www.admissionsconsultants.com/credentials.asp

Not to say that they are from top schools, but I still don't see why in the world they would be doing this job. Maybe this web site is lying.. haha

That's the same place I ran into recently and am considering. I also read there:

"Among our many medical school admissions consultants are an M.D. from UC Irvine, an M.D. from SUNY Downstate Medical Center College of Medicine, an M.D. from University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, an M.D. from Johns Hopkins, and a consultant with a joint M.D/Ph.D degree."

That sounds solid to me. It's a nice web site and apparently a well-run business, they probably aren't lying. Consultants in all professions make a lot of money and do lots of good because they know how things work and disclose this information to others for a premium. So they can only treat patients, instead of helping aspiring premeds fulfill their dreams because that's not what doctors do? And who said consulting is a full time commitment? Maybe it makes them happy, but their time and expertise is still worth compensation.

>>No consultant can save you if you aren't qualified.
And who judges qualified, you, me, SDN? Adcoms do, and no one really knows what they're thinking except insiders. You could pick up anyone from the street, fulfill the mandatory requirements, and whip them into an accepted applicant if you put the right spin on them and their background. It's all about selling yourself, whether there is substance or not. The preconceived notion of qualified is the cookie cutter premed who is just like all the others. This situation is analogous to people like Britney Spears, who isn't qualified in the traditional sense with her poor voice but still achieved superstardom through the proper training.

>>It sounds to me like you made your decision before you even asked us.
I'm clearly partial to the idea, but I'm always willing to acknowledge good counterpoints, none of which have been made, thus making me falsely appear dead set on this plan of action. Don't fuss about me "trolling" or stirring things up either; why can't we have an educated, objective, and enlightening debate here and there. It's your choice to post after all, so if you have nothing to contribute then just go away, mwillie etc.

 

[FloridaMadame]

I really think you have to be very careful that whoever you go to REALLY knows what they are talking about and has REALLY had some experience (and that they weren't thrown off an ADCOM and are doing this now to boost their own ego--and yes, I do know for a fact one particular Dr. that was thrown off an ADCOM and is doing this kind of work.)
Now, for my cautionary tale: I went for one meeting to a consult group that told me me that with my grades and GPA (3.8 and 32 on 1st MCAT, 38 on 2nd try) with plenty of quality EC's and research, that I can't be overly confident and should consider Ross. They really pissed me off and I never went back. And BTW, their assessment of me was totally wrong as I am now sitting on multiple acceptances to highly competitive schools. (Don't worry, I've withdrawn from those I am definitely not going to). So again, my advice: know who you are meeting with and take what they say with a grain of salt.And in defense of all the SDNers: I have learned more from them over the last year than I have from anywhere else. Thanks guys!!!!!!

 

[Shredder]

thanks madame, i appreciate your refreshing post and advice therein. if only more could follow the example.

 

[FMGP8P]

Hey Shredder

Do you work for one of these consulting companies. I detect a sales pitch in your post. Just curious.

 

[virilep]

thanks madame, i appreciate your refreshing post and advice therein. if only more could follow the example.

dude, you're like the kid that IMed me.... if people are offering advice to u, don't criticize them. chill out. the consulting services are, in my opinion, for people that aren't totally aware of all the factors that go into the application. the percentage of people that get in and use the service i bet is less than 1%. if u feel like you're not aware of all the aspects, u can use the service, but SDN is a great site to learn about all of that and ur pre-health advisor. but dude, more important than that advice... be respectful.

 

[Shredder]

virilep--you are right. still, the tone and insinuations in some of the posts got to me (im a sales rep now?). i should let more things go; sorry to anyone i have antagonized, i just wanted sincere advice and not snide(or not) comments.

 

[Code Brown]

money to burn, so youre saying perhaps 1000 (1% of med school debt) isnt worth the opportunity to converse on a regular basis with someone who has served on an adcom at a top school for years and can evaulate you personally as a candidate instead of spewing out generic information (good grades, good mcat, volunteer, research) like websites and school premed advisors? everyone has some sort of relative deficiency

$1000? If this is what it's costing you, then it's probably not worth it. Looking at it from a business perspective, I would image something worth doing is gonna run you at least $2500-3000. You get what you pay for, and I can't imagine the resources being very good or you getting very good one-on-one service for only $1000. Btw, since I was the prez of the pre-health club at our campus, I had many offers to have companies like this come down and give free informational seminars (followed by the sales pitch of course) of how to get into medical school. The ones that appeared to be half decent always ran at least $2000 but were usually around $2500.

One thing that you want to do is to ask them for contact information from past clients who got in. Then contact them and see if it was worth it. Mind you, you will have some bias of course, but it will be a bit better than just taking their word on it.

Look at them as "help-me-get-into-med-school" tutors. They are no different than having a tutor for Physics or O-chem.

 

[McDizzy]

I am a surgeon who has served on both medical school admissions boards and medical school interview committees. I feel that medical school admissions consulting services can be very helpful in polishing up applications. Even the best candidates present a picture of themselves with help.

 

[45408]

money to burn, so youre saying perhaps 1000 (1% of med school debt) isnt worth the opportunity to converse on a regular basis with someone who has served on an adcom at a top school for years and can evaulate you personally as a candidate instead of spewing out generic information (good grades, good mcat, volunteer, research) like websites and school premed advisors? everyone has some sort of relative deficiency

or you could just set up a free appointment with an admission director like the one at MCW is willing to do.

 

[virilep]

I am a surgeon who has served on both medical school admissions boards and medical school interview committees. I feel that medical school admissions consulting services can be very helpful in polishing up applications. Even the best candidates present a picture of themselves with help.

interesting...one of the first posters that claims to be on the other side... hmmm....

 

[krelian]

... yet another reason why people with lots of $ to spend have an advantage over the regular applicant.

if you have cash to burn, do it. heck, parents nowadays are even willing to pay several thousands just to get their children an admission counselor to help them with college applications. if they can spend that much on lousy college appls, then med school appls are definitely worth a few thousands... right?

 

[opinionkitten]

im a sales rep now?

dude if youre not what you are saying stinks of ad copy. perhaps you should stop reading consultant sites because you write like one. this whole thread sounds like marketing to me, with the surgeon a few posts ago chiming in like a plant at a snake oil pitch. youve gotten your answer, not a lot of people do these consultants here, so move along and stop trying to sell them to us

 

[AnotherDork]

The crux of the problem is that on SDN, you have the ability to take several peoples' conventional wisdom and sort of average it out (while filtering out the "noise," i.e. *****s) to get the best pieces of advice. However, using a consultant, you have one (or a few) person who has better experience and insight.

So it's like, do you go with a lot of people with decent advice, or a few people with better advice?

That being said, SDN is free