This is the first review I am writing for anyone ever. That should tell you something about how much I value what Paul did for me. I got through one of HSW.
I applied with a bunch of my other friends who used many different consultants including Sandy, Stacy Blackman etc. So I have a pretty good understanding of the benchmark and I can firmly say that Paul goes out of his way to make sure that you not just get into ‘a’ but ‘the’ B-school. Here are the things I loved about him:
I highly recommend Amerasia, especially Paul. Last year, I decided very late in the game (basically <2 months before R2 deadlines) to apply to business school, and was introduced to Amerasia by a friend who also had a good experience with them.
Even though he had a number of clients and I had a very tight timeline, Paul still took me on and helped out every step of the way, from selecting schools, to editing essays, and prepping for interviews. Prior to working with Paul, I spoke to a number of other consultants, and found that the majority of them used scare tactics. They insisted that that I needed an “expert” to help put together my application, that there was no way I was going to make it alone.
Paul not only understands the nuances of each school’s application, but also knows how to work with you and your background to help you craft essays and responses that really hit the mark. To do this, he spends a lot of time getting to know you. I felt that our conversations went way beyond what other consultants would have offered. And in the end, these conversations and the relationship we built were key to honing in on my post-MBA goals, brainstorming on essay responses, and preparing for interviews. Also, in the beginning I did have some doubts about my candidacy (was I really “business school” material?). I actually gained more confidence in my candidacy through the process of working with Paul – something I didn’t expect and something that definitely made a difference when it came to interview time.
Whether you are like me and really needed help from the very beginning (full service), or are just looking for someone to provide (extremely valuable) feedback on your essays, Paul is the guy to call. It was well worth the cost and I was thrilled with the experience (and obviously, the results!).
I was impressed by Amerasia, specifically, Paul, since the first call.
I talked with some big brand consultancy but they have been very pushy to get my business or telling me I am not a competitive candidate. But Paul didn't throw any sales pitch to me during the call. Instead, he was very down-to-earth and analyzed my profile and given a couple of key points that I should work on. The call went on for an hour, all great information, and all free.