7 things to consider when hiring an independent admissions consultant

You always hear crazy examples of how someone started a new nonprofit on their way to attending HBS. But what if you're not a crazy standout story - can you still get in? Oren Margolis is the founder of Pinetree & Palm Consulting, which he started after spending 6 years working in admissions at NYU and NYU Stern. In this episode, Oren shares his disdain for a lot of modern MBA admissions advice that focuses on these exceptional applicants, and instead shares his advice for getting into top MBA programs as a "normal" person. Achievable's GRE prep course uses AI-powered adaptive learning to target your weak areas and boost your score - visit https://achievable.me/exams/gre/overview/?utm_source=podcast to try it for free.

Inference questions are one of the trickiest question types on the GRE Verbal section. In this episode, Seth Capron, partner at TestCrackers with thousands of students tutored, tells you what an inference question is, shares his tried and true strategies for conquering inference questions, and walks you through multiple examples. Achievable's GRE prep course uses AI-powered adaptive learning to target your weak areas and boost your score - visit https://achievable.me/exams/gre/overview/?utm_source=podcast to try it for free. TestCrackers is a renowned GRE & GMAT prep firm based in San Francisco - visit https://www.testcrackers.org/ 

Different graduate programs have very different expectations when it comes to submitting test scores. Scott Clyburn, founder and director of North Avenue Education, has been a professional educator since 2005 and has advised thousands of students on their college and graduate school applications. In this episode, Scott walks you through the expectations of Masters, MBA, and PhD programs with regards to test scores and which ones you should (and should not) skip sending scores to. Achievable's GRE prep course uses AI-powered adaptive learning to target your weak areas and boost your score - visit https://achievable.me/exams/gre/overview/?utm_source=podcast to try it for free.

Getting into and then attending US MBA programs as an international student comes with its own set of challenges - as if business school wasn't hard enough! Karthik Rajeswaran is the owner of MBALink, the premier MBA consultancy in Singapore. In this episode, Karthik walks you through the international student MBA experience, including how to get into top US MBA programs, how to handle the logistics of moving to a new city for school, and more. Achievable's GRE prep course uses AI-powered adaptive learning to target your weak areas and boost your score - visit https://achievable.me/exams/gre/overview/?utm_source=podcast to try it for free.

From test-optional to AI, MBA admissions changed a lot in the last year. Hillary Schubach is the founder of Shine MBA Admissions Consulting, and has helped hundreds of clients get into their dream MBA programs. In this episode, Hillary shares her top MBA admissions trends for 2024, including AI, the SCOTUS ruling on affirmative action, retreat of test-optional policies, the move to video interviews, and more. Plus, how to navigate all of these changes. Achievable's GRE prep course uses AI-powered adaptive learning to target your weak areas and boost your score - visit https://achievable.me/exams/gre/overview/?utm_source=podcast to try it for free.

US graduate schools are the pinnacle of our education system, and more first generation college student or underrepresented minorities are joining them. But not without challenges. Dr. Justin Grimes is the founder of Apply To Graduate School and author of a book by the same name. In this episode, Dr. Justin Grimes shares his own personal journey to graduate school, the special considerations that first generation college students and underrepresented minorities have to make when applying to graduate schools, and how we can all do better to make graduate schools more welcoming to these groups.  Achievable's GRE prep course uses AI-powered adaptive learning to target your weak areas and boost your score - visit https://achievable.me/exams/gre/overview/?utm_source=podcast to try it for free.

Your resume for MBA admissions should be different from a job resume, but how? Candy Lee LaBalle is the founder of LaBalle Admissions, and has been working in MBA admissions consulting for 16 years. In this episode, Candy shares her tips for crafting a resume that speaks to what MBA admissions officers want to see and puts your application on the strongest footing possible. Achievable GRE uses AI-powered adaptive learning to target your weak areas and boost your score - visit https://achievable.me/exams/gre/overview/#s=podcast to try it for free.

Graduate school interviews intimidate many people, especially because they can make the difference between whether you're accepted or rejected. Dr. Don Martin has been a Dean of Admissions at Columbia, University of Chicago Booth, and Northwestern, and is the author of the book Grad School Road Map - and he's overseen the admission of tens of thousands of students. In this episode, Dr. Martin gives his detailed advice for graduate school interviews from the other side of the table. Achievable is a modern test prep platform for the GRE exam - visit https://achievable.me to try our course for free.

Round 1 admissions results for the class of 2026 are in, and we have an inside scoop on who got accepted top the top MBA programs and why. Petia Whitmore is the founder of MyMBAPath, which she started after the was the Dean of Admissions at Babson College and managing director of TheMBATour. In this episode, Petia shares what she learned from this year's Round 1 admissions results for Harvard and Stanford MBA applicants, and how that should inform your own application. Achievable is a modern test prep platform for the GRE exam - visit https://achievable.me to try our course for free.

The GRE Analyze an Issue essay is tricky, but we've cracked the code for getting a top score. Scott Clyburn, founder and director of North Avenue Education, has been a professional educator since 2005 and has advised thousands of students on their college and graduate school applications. In this episode, Scott walks you through creating a top-scoring GRE essay with tactics and strategies that improve your score floor and your score ceiling. Achievable is a modern test prep platform for the GRE exam - visit https://achievable.me to try our course for free.