CLIENT RESULTS AND TESTIMONIALS
My client results and testimonials for 2008-2012 admission can be found on this page.CLICK HERE FOR 2012 (new!)
CLICK HERE FOR 2011
CLICK HERE FOR 2010
CLICK HERE FOR 2009
CLICK HERE FOR 2008
I am happy to discuss my results for Fall 2002 through Fall 2007, but as this was prior to the time that I established my own consulting business, I will not post them here. References from clients from all previous years can be found at LinkedIn.
My MBA clients (both first-time applicants and reapplicants) are regularly accepted to HBS, Stanford, Wharton, Columbia, Chicago, Haas, Tuck, Kellogg, UCLA, INSEAD, LBS, IMD, and other top schools.
My LL.M. clients have obtained admission to Harvard, Columbia, Chicago, Cornell, NYU, Michigan, University of Pennsylvania, UC Berkeley, Northwestern, Duke, University of Virginia, and Georgetown Law Schools.
My graduate school clients have been admitted to a great variety of Ph.D. and Masters programs including Public Policy (Harvard Kennedy School of Government), International Relations (Columbia, Fletcher & Georgetown), Finance (London Business School, London School of Economics), Economics (University of Chicago), Engineering (Stanford), Computer Science (Stanford), and Environmental Studies (Yale).
I have provided essay and interview consulting to recipients of the Fulbright Scholarship and the Chevening Scholarship. Both are the premier scholarships of the US and UK respectively and only a handful of applicants make it through the process. Additionally, a number of my clients have received scholarships after admission from their schools.
Finally, some of my initially self-sponsored Japanese clients received company sponsorship after their acceptance to prestigious programs.
2012 Client Results and Testimonials
MBA & OTHER GRADUATE PROGRAMS COMPREHENSIVE SERVICE RESULTS AND TESTIMONINALS BY APPLICANT
UPDATED 12/24/2011.(MBA UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED)
| ACCEPTED TO | TESTIMONIAL |
| Chicago Booth & Tuck | Adam Markus was essential to my successful first round applications to Booth and Tuck, my top 2 schools. I interviewed several admissions consultants from a number of the larger agencies, but I felt a much stronger connection during my initial (and lengthy!) consultation with Adam. I'm glad I went with him. Adam has a wealth of experience and really seeks to know you personally. He cares about his clients and is willing to go out of his way to help you succeed. I found his feedback on my career and application/essay positioning to be invaluable: Adam wasn't afraid to tell me when something I wrote was crap, but his default (and by far mist common) setting was to help create and support my brainstorming process. The result was a strong set of applications that truly represented me and that I was proud to submit. Additionally, as an American candidate, I found his location in Japan to be of substantial benefit: I would work on my apps until late at night, submit a draft to him for review, and often have his comments back first thing in the morning. Adam knows the schools, he knows the adcoms, and he will know you intimately by the time you hit submit. He's more than fair in billing. He's personable and fun to talk to. Review his blog, all of that detail blends seamlessly into his consulting. I will definitely recommend him to all of my friends and family considering business school in the future. |
| Chicago Booth | |
| Chicago Booth | |
| CBS (J-Term) | Adam was a great resource - he provided me with timely and meaningful feedback and constantly pushed me to sharpen my writing and come up with good stories about my experience and skills. His style of interview preparation was very effective. Thank you, Adam, for helping me get to where I needed to be. |
| CBS (J-Term) & LBS | |
| CBS & HBS | |
| CBS | I
decided to hire a consultant because the only things I knew about the
MBA application process is that it is quite comprehensive and not easy.
I was happy with my GMAT score, but I do not feel that I am a strong
writer so I needed help on each of the three CBS essays. I had my
initial free consultation with Adam during the summer of 2011 and trust
me, working with Adam is an excellent choice. As I do not know that many people who have applied to Business School, it was great to discuss the process with someone who was experienced, creative and objective. I have a hard time “selling myself” and he got to know me and really help me to craft my story. Adam also helped me improve my resume and he practiced potential interview questions with me two nights before my CBS interview. I really don't believe that I would have gotten into Columbia without his insight during these past few months. Additionally, Adam was very responsive when I had a quick question or needed to talk to him on the phone (always getting back to me within 24 hours) and he is also fair in his billing. Plus, he is a genuinely nice guy who cares about you. I feel very fortunate to have worked with Adam. If you need help with any part of the Business School application process, do not hesitate to book your free consultation with Adam because his services throughout the MBA application process are invaluable! |
| CBS | Adam's
help was instrumental in enabling me to successfully navigate the MBA
application process. Right from our first conversation to the day I
submitted my applications, Adam helped me in constantly improving my
essays and better portraying my story. Adam's systematic approach was apparent in the way he evaluated my essays and assisted me in emphasising the key parts of my application. His wealth of experience made his input invaluable. What impressed me most was the promptness with which Adam replied to my mails (in the frenzied, panic-driven state I found myself in during the application process, Adam's fast and reliable feedback was a huge help) and the patience and meticulousness with which he went over successive drafts of my essays, each time suggesting changes that helped me sell myself even better. My practice interviews with Adam gave me a lot of confidence. As I later discovered, they were more similar to my actual MBA interviews than I had ever thought possible. Adam was also kind enough to refer me to a colleague of his so that I could get a broader range of feedback. The process really helped me to perfect my content and to best convey my strengths and skills in an interview setting. Furthermore, Adam's blog seemed to always be replete with information and resources that answered all of my questions regarding the application process. In summation, I would like to say that Adam's feedback, his experience, and his unique ability to accurately assess the highs and lows in my application helped me to gain admission to Columbia Business School’s MBA Program. Working with Adam was a most pleasant experience. I cannot praise his services highly enough, and would definitely recommend him to anyone contemplating Business School. |
| CBS | |
| Georgetown LL.M. | |
| HBS | Working
with Adam was the best decision I made in 2011: I was admitted to HBS
thanks to him. Adam’s approach to prepare a candidate is
pragmatic to the bone: he cuts to the chase when necessary. I
remember my initial consultation before we decided to work together; I
had drafted a career goal that was quite far-fetched. Adam told me at
once: “You don’t want to write that in your essay: it would be trying
to climb a wall with your hands tied behind your back.” Let’s put it
this way: it is both tough and fun working with Adam and it is
rewarding! Now let’s review all the advantages preparing your application with Adam * Adam knows what sells in an application. Thanks to his experience, he is able to relentlessly challenge what’s in your application and to structure it in such a way that it will catch the eye of an Admissions’ Committee * Adam is professional. His feedbacks were always timely and thorough. He is flexible and adapts to your constraints. As a consultant myself, I know how hard this can be. Adam always makes the appropriate efforts for his client * Adam has excellent interpersonal skills. It is easy to brainstorm with him and I always felt free to talk to him about anything. It is like discussing with your old pal and your shrink at the same time! During a consultation, we would often chat about other subjects not necessarily related to the application – this time was free of charge. This would unleash our creativity when we went back to the essays * Adam has a great network of advisors to help you prepare for your interview. Adam introduced me to two other coaches, which provided me with alternative perspectives and complementary advice to improve myself Adam made the whole application process much more accessible and less dramatic. Above all, I built confidence through our collaboration. For that, I definitely believe that Adam is an EXCELLENT coach! |
| INSEAD & Wharton | Adam is an amazing coach and provided highly objective and sound advice to guide me successfully through the long-drawn applications process. He made himself fully available at crunch time - whether with essays as submission deadlines were approaching, or an interview prep session late at night right before the interview. He was also very rigorous in his review of my applications and that made all the difference - 3 interviews and 2 offers to date from the 3 schools I applied to! It was great working with Adam and I unreservedly commend him to anyone serious on gaining admission into a top MBA program. |
| INSEAD | I was admitted to INSEAD in the 1st round 2012 all thanks to Adam. From my experience, I believe Adam's is one of the best admission consultants in Japan for big 4 reasons. I definitely recommend MBA applicants to ask Adam for help. Great Quality and Cost effective Adam's consulting is one of the best quality admission service, however the price is reasonable and he charges the exact time he worked with/for the client. I sometimes asked him to review the documents remotely, at that time, he just charged mere 30 minutes and sent me full of feedback comments. So cost effective. Strategic Approach One of his great consulting methods is his solid and pragmatic strategy to build up great essays. He has established very unique and effective essay strategy for each type of essay question and school preference. Therefore, the client can easily focus on the exact point he must take care. Of course, sometimes his strategy is tough to follow, because it is for the TOP schools in the world. It's definitely worth trying to. Direct and Meaningful Feedback If you are the one who desperately needs essay for TOP schools, Adam's straightforward feedback is what you should have. Of course for most Japanese people, his direct style is sometimes annoying. However, this is a good exercise for you to be familiarized with western discussion style. Don't be afraid, put yourself into direct and eye-opening discussion bravely. Valuable Network While thinking of essay contents, network of Adam's former clients is great source to find out the hands-on understanding of the school life, curriculum, fit, and the model for career goals. While preparing for interview, Adam's coworkers, including Steve and Vince can support the client willingly. Once you became Adam's client, you can definitely utilize those great resources. |
| INSEAD | |
| INSEAD | |
| INSEAD | |
| Kellogg, Stanford & Wharton | |
| Kellogg & Wharton | |
| Wharton | |
2011 Client Results and Testimonials
MBA & OTHER GRADUATE PROGRAMS COMPREHENSIVE SERVICE RESULTS AND TESTIMONINALS BY APPLICANT
(MBA UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED)| ACCEPTED TO | TESTIMONIAL (Note: Results for clients who provide testimonials are placed before the results for those who did not) |
| Cambridge Judge, Cornell Johnson, IMD, INSEAD, Michigan Ross (2Y, not GMBA) and Oxford Said | |
| Chicago Booth | After
reading various guides to getting into business school (Montauk, MBA
Game Plan, 88 Tips, etc.), I thought I would be set with putting my
application together on my own, and yet I still wanted to make sure
that I didn't accidentally blow it, so I decided to ask for some
assistance. After reading Adam's blog and comparing his thoughts to
those of some of his competitors, I was persuaded to turn to Adam
because I thought that he had most useful information in his articles.
I am really glad that I did so. As useful as the aforementioned guides are, they cannot prepare you like Adam can. He has an understanding of each top business school's program that goes beyond what a guide can capture. Adam always responded promptly to my questions and inquiries, even during the 48 hours before deadlines when I knew he was getting bombarded with questions.His feedback was easy to understand, direct, and personal. While always friendly, Adam is not afraid to be frank to ensure that you get the point, which is essential to a successful application. If I had to go through the entire process again, I would not hesitate to contact Adam again. |
| Chicago Booth and Stanford GSB (also second reader on Kellogg) | (Client prepareed both English and Chinese testimonials) ENGLISH The entire application process is a long journey. You need to find yourself some help, from someone who has LOTS of experience. And Adam is undoubtedly the best person out there. I am saying this not only because I worked with him but also because I had worked with a few other consultants. The result? 1/4 vs 2/2. Out of the 4 schools I applied w/ other consultants, only one admitted me (even this one Adam helped me with a final read through). And the two schools that Adam helped me with, I got into both, one of which is H/S/W. Looking back, I feel that he knows how to present me without writing it for me. Many consultants on the market would sometimes totally rewrite the essays. That might save your time but adcom knows fake essays. One lesson I learned from my failed applications is that I didn't present myself. It is so obvious if I compare the essays Adam helped with and others. Some supposed "famous" consultant told me what the adcom would like to listen from a framework that he thinks everyone should follow. But Adam started with me, instead of molding the applicants profile to someone totally irrelevant. Adam has a lot of experience working with international applicants. I don't just mean people living outside of US but also someone like myself, having studied and worked in US for a while. Yet my undergrad from Asia would put me in a different situation than most domestic applicants. Some stories that other consultants dismissed as mediocre in fact became a key ingredient in getting me into my dream school because it is me. Adam actually respects his clients. If you are serious about applying for an mba like I am, you would have done some research on various consultants, either an agency or an individual. Some are notoriously harsh (which may be a good thing to some) and mean. And trust me, I worked with 1-2 of them. I am not saying they do not give constructive inputs but do consider the huge downside: 1) if you cannot bear their cruel "constructive" feedbacks, you probably cannot work with them effectively 2) if you decide to "backdown" and be collaborative, the working model will become single-direction. On the other extreme is someone who is very nice and effective in polishing the wordings. And you definitely do not want or need them. Sure it is useful to make your essay easy to read, but it is 10X more important to get the unique story across, a story about myself. Adam is always fun to work with while also ensuring that I am on schedule. I am so glad that I found him at the beginning of Dec. I pretty much gave up on my H/S/W dream after two R1 dings. He analyzed my R1 essays and encouraged me to shoot for H/S/W again. Without him, I would never gotten into my true dream school. What about cost? I spent less working w/ Adam than other consults per school. We got a lot done w/ his hourly service. I also got a good amount of $$ from the other top school (one of M7 other than HSW) I applied to. Almost every consultant has his/her own secret "guidelines" and usually one has to pay to see those. I have been there, and believe me a lot of those are sub-par compared to what Adam posted on his blog for free! Take it from someone who has tried several consultants either independent or from an agency, you cannot go wrong w/ Adam and I say this wholeheartedly. CHINESE 关 于申请mba国内应该有不少做留学服务的，我人在美国，所以找国内的不方便。从我个人认为，Adam非常客观。俺自己毕业于国内top 2本科，高gpa/gmat，然后在北美学习工作多年。但是R1申请全军覆没，那时候以为只要硬件好，就没问题。也找其他的consultant帮忙，写 出来的东西不贴切，语言倒是润色得不错。结果就是其他consultant帮忙的4所只有1所进了，而Adam帮忙的2所都有offer，其中一个是 HSW。 Adam从整体把握我个人的特点。有些其他人说成太普通素材，Adam可以看出如果合理有效的运用到整个申请材料中。有些 consultant说某些学校喜欢听某种故事，所以会建议你把你的素材按照某个”模子“编一编。从我的经验来看，这个都是错误的思路。而Adam则是从 我出发，挖掘我的闪光之处，这一点很重要。每个人都不一样，而这个正是adcom在寻找的diversity。 Adam有很多跟国际申请 人合作的经验。所以，不想许多在北美的consultant，他知道国际申请人时常有语言方便的不足，但是他也知道adcom并不是看中辞藻，而是其中的 实在内容。另外他本人在这个领域已经年头的经验，包括在其他大留学咨询公司（有美国和日本）任职的经验。 和Adam工作是比较放松的。有些consultant是出了名的不给面子，说话很mean。自尊心强的人，估计受不了。Adam会通过skype和客户联系，我觉得这个比不少consultant的不让打电话的政策好多了。 Adam按小时收费，但是他工作起来很有效率。最重要的，我还拿到奖学金！ Adam的博客上有很多很宝贵的经验，资料都免费给大家看。从这一点你就应该看得出来质量的区别。 我是从自己的切身经验出发，强烈推荐Adam的服务！ |
| Chicago Booth, Columbia Business School (Early Decision), and UC Berkeley Haas | Adam
Markus is a rare find. His breathed of experience combined with
his professionalism, empathy, and creativity helped to present my story
in a confident way. The quality of service that Adam provides is
unparalleled. Here are a few reasons how Adam helped me: - realistic without the cynicism (his underlying belief that it IS possible to win against the odds) - directness with humor (his ability to point out subpar work without tearing down my confidence) - objective viewpoint (his ability to compare accomplishments and draw out the best one to highlight your experience) - fast turnaround and flexible work schedule (skype + email FTW) - universal transparency in his comments, recommendations, and billing methods I applied to six top ten schools in R1 and was accepted into three of them and waitlisted at one. It would not have been possible without Adam's guidance and insight. The hardest part after the applications and interviews was to travel to all these schools and actually select one that best fits me. My only advice is to email him early for a free consultation because he won't take more work than he is able to for each round! |
| Chicago Booth and Yale SOM | |
| Chicago Booth EMBA | The professionalism with which Adam Markus approaches the whole job is commendable and quite something that I have not come across that often even in some established corporations. If he commits a time, he will certainly revert by then and he is quite cautious to ensure that he uses your time wisely so that you are not overcharged. But the value that he brings to your application is immeasurable. It’s just the difference between success and failure. He will also evaluate your potential ideas and ensure that you pick topics that are worthy enough to be elaborated as essays. I do not have any hesitation in saying that but for him, I would not have been able to put across a strong application as much as I had wished. His work ethics, his knowledge of admission process and his timeliness and approachability are creditable. I consider myself really lucky to have gone with him finally although I did evaluate various other options on the net. My comments about him may sound like an eulogy but he deserves every bit of it. He has been there. Done That…You are completely in safe hands if you choose to go with him and you can be rest assured that he will help you put your best foot forward |
| Columbia Business School (Early Decision) | |
| Columbia Business School (Regular Decision) and London Business School | I
had my initial consultation with Adam back in September 2010 prior to
starting my Round 1 essays. Since then, I applied to a total of five of
the very top business schools during round 1 and 2, and got into two of
them and waitlisted with one. You may wonder why I didn’t
go 5 on 5 with the help of an expert admissions consultant, but
consider this – without Adam, I would’ve been 0 on 5. Full stop. I could keep going, but I'm just going to mention the top two reasons why you should consider working with Adam. 1) I’m sure Adam is a busy guy with lots of applicants to care for, but he CARES about YOU! You’ll see that the moment you start working with him. He cares! Adam is a consultant who “does his homework”. (if you’ve been following his blog, you should know this already) He is committed to your success. He’ll share his insight, experience, wealth of knowledge, editing skills, and his network of peer professionals and former clients to help you out anyway he can. The benefit of his help isn’t just limited to editing your essays. There is much more. 2) It does not matter where you live in the world. Do not let Adam’s faraway location in Tokyo hinder you from considering his services. Why? Because Adam never sleeps (at least that is my firm belief), and he is readily available to provide timely support whenever you need it most. His turnaround time on your work is super fast, without ever compromising the quality of feedback. He is that efficient. And because he is so efficient, your money will go further with Adam than it will with most other consultants. I am convinced of this. As an applicant, you should: Be competitive, mature, willingto work hard, receptive, and most importantly, have a sense of humour throughout this process. There is no perfect MBA applicant and that axiom most certainly applies to me. I'm sure you will benefit from Adam's help. He won’t waste your money. |
| Columbia Business School EMBA | It was great experience working with Adam with reference to my Columbia EMBA apps. Adam was very quick to understand my candidacy and provide constructive inputs. What I really appreciate about Adam is his commitment and someone whom you can depend on especially if you are struggling to meet school deadlines. Adam's admission consulting experience, his ability to review my application from adcom's perspective and his sincere efforts to make my candidacy strong and unique were important factors that helped me to get into Columbia. Finally I must appreciate Adam's flexibility within his schedule and quick responses to all my queries. I will definitely recommend Adam for MBA admission consulting. |
| Columbia University Law School LL.M. | (ONLY LL.M. Client for Fall 2011. Applied only to Columbia). I was ecstatic about my recent admission to the Columbia LLM program, especially since this came after previous failed attempts to gain admission. The key difference between my success in finally gaining admission and my previous failed attempts can be attributed solely to one reason; I had Adam as my Graduate Admissions Consultant during the most recent admissions process leading up to my admission to the program. Adam’s help and guidance during the admissions process was invaluable. Under his tutelage, I came to see why my previous applications had been unsuccessful and which parts of my application required improvement. I was especially impressed by the fact that Adam took time to understand my situation and my goals, and subsequently used that information to help me structure and tailor my approach to the admissions process. He guided and encouraged me to think more deeply about my goals, motivations and life experiences as well as how graduate studies would fit into my future plans and by doing so, led me on a journey of self-discovery in the process. Throughout the admissions process, Adam was always friendly, honest, responsive and professional. More importantly, he was always focused on helping me to achieve my goal of getting admitted. His critiques on my essay were always spot-on and brutally honest, which not only helped me to pull out my own unique story, but also helped to effectively communicate who I am. He was also flexible with timing in light of my hectic work schedule and was very responsive; always responding to any queries I had in a timely manner. Adam’s insights, deep knowledge and keen understanding of the admissions process were also extremely helpful and caused me to consider a myriad of points and factors I had not previously considered. Thanks to Adam’s advice, I was able to revise my resume and essay to more effectively communicate my goals, motivations and experiences to the admissions committee. There is so much more I could add, but I shall end by saying that Adam was both instrumental and a critical factor in helping me finally realize my long cherished dream of being admitted to the Columbia LLM Program, for which I cannot thank him enough. I highly recommend him to any potential applicants thinking of applying for graduate studies. |
| Columbia University Master of Science in Real Estate Development (MSRED) | Adam’s service was excellent in three points below. 1. Right Decision He gave me advice based on cool-headed judgments. He has never made a compromise. I thought over and over about my essays and interview scripts to meet his direction. Finally, I wrote convincing essays, and memorized clear stories to speak in interviews. 2. Quick Response He always responded me quickly. Even in the busiest season, he let me know when he will finish his work, and actually finished the work by the time limit. It was very helpful for me to go on application process on schedule. 3. Broad Coverage He can give advice to not only MBA applicants but also other graduate school applicants. I applied for both MBA and MSRED, so he provided me comprehensive service covering both programs. |
| Columbia University SIPA | |
| Cornell Johnson, Darden, Dartmouth Tuck, Texas McCombs, Michigan Ross | Adam’s
service is the best there is, bar none! He is in the admissions
consulting business to win for his clients. I cannot say enough
about his commitment to his clients’ application process and his
genuine concern for achieving admission to their desired MBA
program. With his help, I was admitted to two top-10 and three
top 15 programs. There are four distinct characteristics that I believe
separate Adam from other admissions consultants. 1. Professionalism & Integrity: I honestly felt like Adam’s only client. Although I know he had many clients, I never once had an issue getting document revisions, interview practice, strategy advice, basically anything I needed. Document turn around was ALWAYS done within 24 hours regardless of what was going on. He ALWAYS made time for anything I needed short notice and provided valuable insight. When my initial set of essay topics did not leverage my strengths – he told me why I could do better, gave me some ideas and topics to brainstorm about, asked questions that helped draw the best aspects of my application/background in the open, and then helped set realistic goals for achieving the best product. Adam always stressed maintaining the authentic voice in my essays and held me to the highest standard. Adam knows through extensive research how to frame a client’s application for success and guided me through that process, from beginning to end. 2. Outstanding coaching: As a non-traditional applicant (military officer), Adam knew exactly how to leverage my strengths and overcome my weaknesses. He helped translate my resume from military acronyms and jargon into something that any ADCOM could understand and helped my leadership experience really standout on my essays. What was most impressive though is that before we put pen to paper, Adam spent over an hour of his own time asking questions, learning my background/job, hearing my personal experiences, and asking in-depth questions about every aspect of my service. I know from experience that other admissions consultants did NOT do that. Adam genuinely wanted to understand my background to provide the best advice on my application strategy. His holistic approach to framing every piece of my application into a cohesive, concise story was invaluable. Adam always explained his approach, made sure I understood, and always did so without being condescending. He challenged me to get the best essay material (even after many revisions), the most extensive interview prep through him and his partners, and he did not let me settle in anyway – he literally coached me to the best application possible. 3. Value: Adam’s rates are the best value of any admissions consultant for the service he provides, hands down. He does NOT nickel and dime you with time, revisions, or other charges. He was great about staying focused on our goals during our skype sessions and not going off on tangents that cost valuable time/money like other consultants I’ve worked with. Spending money for an admissions consultant is a big decision, but with Adam it was the best money I ever spent – rest assured he values your business and works hard for it. 4. Peace of mind: I knew after our initial consultation that Adam was the right fit for me. Picking an admissions consultant is such a big decision, but the more I worked with Adam, the more I realized how fortunate I was to be getting such sound advice. I never once second-guessed his guidance and revisions, and the results speak for themselves. I had some serious obstacles to over come in my package (low GMAT/low GPA) and with Adam’s help I was able to not only overcome them, but also minimize them in a number of different ways. After submitting applications, I knew the results would be good because of Adam’s work ethic, integrity, and knowledge were unsurpassed. I cannot give enough positive feedback about his services – I knew I had the best in the business on my team and I am really fortunate to have worked with him. |
| Darden | |
| Dartmouth Tuck, Duke, Kelley Indiana, Simon Rochester, and Tepper CMU | |
| Duke, MIT, and Texas McCombs | 今回のMBA受験を通じて、Adamからは非常に的確でクオリティーの高いアドバイス、サポートを受けることが出来ました。彼のお陰で今回のMBA受験を成功させることが出来たと言っても過言ではありません。 特 に、海外経験の無い日本人受験生にとって、ネイティブのアドミッションに訴えかけるようなエッセイを作成することは本当に骨の折れる作業となります。正直 のところ、私も最初の頃はどのように取り組めば良いのか途方にくれる毎日でした。その中で、信用できるカウンセラーが、常に進むべき道へとガイドをしてく れるかどうかはMBA受験を成功に収める上で大きな鍵となります。Adamはそのカウンセリングを通じて、常に率直な意見を私にぶつけてきてくれました。 また、それに対して私が納得いかないことがあると、どこまでも議論に付き合ってくれました。こういったAdamのクライアントに対する誠実な姿勢を目の当 たりにして、私はAdamというカウンセラーを信じることが出来たのだと思います。そして、Adamからストレートにダメ出しされたり、褒められたりしな がら、いつの間にか私の中でも、良いエッセイとはどういうものか、という判断軸が形成されて行きました。この判断軸はエッセイ作成、インタビュー対策はも ちろん、留学後でも役に立つものではないかと思っています。 また、MBAを受験される多くの方が業務で多忙な生活の中、時間を惜しんで出 願準備をすることになるかと思います。その中で、カウンセラーからタイムリーなレスポンスが得られるのかどうか、フレキシブルに対応してもられるのかどう か、という点はかなり大きなポイントとなります。Adamはこの点についても、非常に満足の行くサービスを提供してくれました。Deadlineギリギリ のところで、どうしても一度完成させたエッセイの内容を大幅に変えたい、という意向を伝えたところ、深夜にも関わらず長時間を割いて修正作業に付き合って くれました（噂では、こういったフレキシブルな対応は勿論、一度doneしたエッセイの修正自体を取り扱ってくれないカウンセラーも居ると聞いたことがあ ります）。このように、終始クライアントのスケジュールに柔軟に対応してくれる点も、私がAdamを強く推薦する大きな理由の一つとなります。 MBA受験を志す方、高い目標を持って、それを何としても成し遂げようと考えている方は是非Adamと一度会ってみることをお薦めいたします。 |
| HBS, Kellogg, University of Washington Foster, and Wharton | (Client wrote both Japanese and English versions) アダムにカウンセリングを依頼したのが私の合格の鍵です。アダムなしにこの結果は成し遂げられなかったと思います。 １．プロフェッショナル 私 が最も感謝しているのは私自身の「経験」に別の角度から光をあて魅力的な「エピソード」になると気付かせてくれた事です。好奇心を持って話しに耳を傾け、 その時何を思いどうしてそう行動したか等丁寧に聞き出してくれました。回を重ねる毎にエピソードがアダムの中でも蓄積されていき最後は加速度的にエッセー を仕上げました。ビジネススクールではどのような人材が求められ活躍しているか、即ちアドミッションがどのような人を求めているか知り尽くした経験豊かな カウンセラーだからこそ一貫して信頼できました。多国籍、他業種に亘る幅広いクライアントと働いた経験に根差す広い視点からのアドバイスによって気付かさ れる自分の強みや人との違いも多くありました。型にはまった回答でなく、自信を持って出せる自分だけのストーリーを完成させました。 インタビュー練習に到達した頃には、この質問にはあのエピソードがいいだろう、と即座にお手本回答を喋ってみせてくれ、"I know about you enough!"と言われた時には思わず笑ってしまいました。 ２．タイムリー、迅速 レスポンスが早く的確だったのは何よりも心強かったです。アポイントを取るのにも当日の変更も柔軟に対応してくれ仕事と両立する上で助かりました。 締切直前まで追い込みをかけている時もいつも迅速に対応してくれました。いつ寝ているのだろうと心配してしまう程ですが、徹底したプロ意識と一緒になって考えてくれる真剣さを実感しました。 ３．人間性 私がアダムにカウンセラーをお願いしようと思ったのは無料のInitial consultationの際に率直に話してくれたからです。的確に状況が把握できたため常に自分の立ち位置がわかり安心して目の前にある課題に集中して取り組めました。 同 時に、これは私にとって非常に大事だったのですが、アダムは楽天家です。長い受験準備期間中落ち込んでいる時には論理的に根拠を並べた上で最後に、大丈夫 だと必ず励ましてくれました。また機知に富んでいて話していて面白く、ユーモアに富んでいます。話している端々に出てくるジョークにはいつも笑わされ良い 息抜きです。 アダムの目的は明確です、「クライアントを合格させること」。でもカウンセリングを通して私が得たものはそれ以上でした。本当に感謝しています。 これを読んでいる新アプリカントの皆様も良い結果を手にされることを祈っております! ----------------------------- Having Adam as my counselor was my key to admits. I could not have achieved my results without him. 1. Professionalism His advice spotlighting my "experiences" turned them into "episodes" changing my viewpoint, which was invaluable for me. With interest, he carefully asked what I felt and why I acted that way in certain circumstances. The more I discussed with him, the more stories he stored about me, which gave a boost in finishing up my essays. As an experienced counselor, Adam has a good understanding on what kind of people thrive at business schools and what admission officers are looking for, which enabled me to thoroughly trust his advice. Having clients that vary in nationalities and backgrounds, he advised differentiating my strengths and personalities from a broad view point. The outcome was no stereotypical essay and I was confident about my one-and-only story. By the time of interview practice, Adam, without referring anything, could suggest which episode would fit better for certain questions and speak out an example answer so I could practice. I laughed and nodded when he said "I know about you enough!". 2. Prompt and Timely His quick and accurate responses throughout the preparation period was always assuring and kept me stress-free. When making appointments, he had flexibility and was relaxed about changes which was helpful in adjusting with work. Up to the last minute of the deadline he was speedy in responding. It even made me wonder when he sleeps, and I realized his professionalism and commitment to clients in his attitude. 3. Personality I decided to appoint Adam because I liked his straightforwardness and honesty at the free Initial Consultation session. Accurately understanding my position enabled me to concentrate on the task in front of me without worrying on other things. At the same time, his optimistic character saved me when I was nervous. After laying out reasons, he always said “You’ll be fine” in a relaxed tone reassuring me. Adam is resourceful and is a good conversationalist. Laughing over his humorous jokes brings a refreshing moment. Adam’s goal is always clear and simple, “Getting the client admitted”. But what I gained through working with him was more than merely that. Once again I thank Adam for all his support. I hope all applicants reading this testimonial will be able to gain successful results in the future! |
| IESE | |
| IESE | |
| INDIANA UNIVERSITY KELLEY | |
| INSEAD (Winter 2011) | It
has been an amazing experience working with Adam on my MBA application
and interviews. I approached him with a few unsuccessful applications
behind me. Adam helped me to figure out the exact parts of my
application which needed improvement. He understands clearly what each
school is looking for in its applicants and he helped me to transform
my essays into those which were leaner, crispier and, most importantly,
showcased my unique self. I was amazed at how quickly he responded to
my questions – even to the most trivial ones. In fact, once during his
vacation, I got an ‘out-of-office’ reply from him but that was
immediately followed by a one-liner from his iPhone solving my
immediate problem easing my qualms. Thus, in addition to his excellent
knowledge, his accessibility and advice are a great psychological help.
For interviews, as he rightly says on his website, we over-prepared. In
the mock interview sessions, he examined both content and delivery in
detail keeping in mind the school’s philosophy. We discussed about
various alternative scenarios in the interviews and ways to deal with
them which fortified my preparation. Adam is highly networked not only
within the MBA community but also outside it. In fact, even after I was
admitted, he introduced me to a large network of professionals in my
region to assist my post-MBA goals. Finally, Adam is a great person and
we talked about several wide-ranged topics (some of which generated
great ideas for essays). I am very grateful to Adam that I was able to
achieve my dream and would highly recommend him to anyone who is
determined to secure a place in an MBA school of his/her choice. |
| INSEAD (Fall 2011) and Oxford Said | Adam has guided me through the entire application process from creating the admission strategy, including an honest feedback on my goals vs. selected schools, to defining my unique selling points and turning them into a successful application and admission. He has a thorough knowledge about each school and is able to tell you what the specific Adcom is looking for. We have worked not only on the individual essay stories but also on the phrasing and overall delivery. Adam has transformed my essays from descriptive into analytical and selling. Again, the interview preparations were school specific. We over prepared and the only surprise at the interviews was that they were easy. He has also provided me with useful contacts at schools to learn more about them. Adam's approach is friendly,customized, open, honest and uncompromising ! It all makes the work with him not only pleasant but also efficient. |
| INSEAD (Winter 2011) | I
began the admissions process on the later end and was truly struggling
to define my strengths and formulate my story. Adam acted as the
perfect sounding board for my ideas and used his expertise to help me
draw out the highlights in my experience that would best express my
personality and goals. I could not have put together such a cohesive
and well-crafted storyline without Adam. Adam was always willing to go the extra mile whether it was to edit an essay last minute or gave me a very realistic interview simulation. He really cares about his clients and although he has multiple clients at the same time, he always makes me feel that I am on the top of his priority list. Adam had helped me improved my interview skills and helped me developed a strategy in a short time frame. Adam not only customized my two very different interviews, he also clearly identified the areas I should work on in just one meeting. Most importantly, Adam's advice is personal and he is always reachable. I benefit a lot from the 1 on 1 contact, unlike some admission consultant services that are too commercially oriented. I remember calling him the night before my big interview day and he calmed me down. |
| INSEAD (Winter 2011) | |
| INSEAD (Winter 2011) | |
| Kellogg and Michigan Ross (2Y, not GMBA) | 私
は政府系のユニークバックグラウンドで、試験スコアも飛びぬけて優位ではなかったので、最も効果的に差別化できるのはエッセイだと思っていました。ですの
でアドバイザを誰にするかはＭＢＡ受験戦略上、非常に重要なポイントでした。最終的に第一志望校に合格できた勝因は、アダムをアドバイザにできたことに尽
きると思っています。 ●アダムをお薦めする理由①分析が的確 これはアドバイザとしての最も重要な価値ですが、アダムをお薦めす る一番の理由でもあります。アダムは始めの段階で私のアプリカントとしての強み・弱み、志望校の適切性、何をどういう優先順位で今後取り組むべきか等の戦 略などについて非常に明確かつ的を得た分析・アドバイスを提示してくれました。その後エッセイを書き進める中でも、どのような側面にスポットライトを当て てどういうストーリー展開にすればよいかを的確に提案してくれましたが、それはアダムが私のバックグラウンドを深く理解してくれていたことと、それぞれの 学校ごとにどのようなアピールの仕方が適切かを綿密に分析しているからだと思います。英語に慣れていない私はなかなか意味が理解できずに何度も似たような 質問をすることがありましたが、アダムは常に建設的に関わってくれました。 ②モチベーターとして効果的 長い受験生活、落 ち込んだり、疲れてダレたりする時が必ず出てきます。 そういう時に、自分に良い緊張感を与えてくれて、やる気を取り戻させてくれる人が味方にいるのはとても心強く重要です。 アダムは冷静沈着で、自然体でリラックスした人で、純ドメな私でもとても話やすかったです。そして後々よくわかったことですが、彼はクライアントを、その 人が調子が良い時もそうでない時も変わらず、大きい優しい心で見守って応援できる、素晴らしい人です。愛情を持って厳しいことを言ってくれます。一番助け られたのは、インタビューの準備途中で私がバーンアウトしてしまった時でした。やる気が出ず集中力も低下し、そのままでは合格できるものもできなくなって しまうような状況だったのですが、アダムが真剣に私の悩みや心配に耳を傾けアドバイスしてくれたおかげで立ち直り、無事インタビューを成功させることがで きました。 ③料金チャージのルールが明確 私は私費留学で準備資金も限られていたので、料金チャージのルールが明確で最 終的にどの程度の費用が発生するのか見通しがつくかどうかというのは重要でした。アダムは最初にチャージするもの、しないものの区別を明確に説明してく れ、不要な気がかりを解消してくれました。実際にサービスを受けている途中でも、毎回きちんと報告をあげてくれるので、チャージについて不安に感じたこと は全くなく、安心して取り組むことができました。 ④効率的で高い水準のアウトプット アダムは非常に効率的です。正直、これほど短時間で添削等をやってもらえると思っていなかったので、彼の能力の高さに驚きましたし、ありがたかったです。アダムのプロフェッショナリズムに感動しました。 ⑤メールでの細かい質問等への対応が誠実 準 備スケジュールがギリギリだった私は、夜遅くに細かい質問を五月雨式にメールで聞き返事を待つという切羽詰った場面が時々ありました。アダムはいつも嫌な 顔一つせず迅速に対応してくれました。このような対応がしてもらえなければ乗り切ることができなかったと思います。本当に本当にありがたかったです。クラ イアントを抱えすぎていれば対応できなくなるものでしょうが、アダムはこうしたクライアントのニーズをよく理解したうえで、非常に的確に業務量を管理し効 率的に対応しているのだと思います。 長くなりましたが、アダムはこれから留学される皆さんに胸を張って推薦できるアドバイザです！ ぜひアダムと一緒にがんばってください！！ |
| London Business School | My success of being admitted by LBS was not able to be achieved without
Adam. I was lucky that I met him through the introduction and
recommendation from my senior colleague who also worked with him. The
followings are what I can guarantee to future clients for Adam’s
consulting service: 1. Professional and no compromise Adam is always serious. He really gave me advices for the purpose to win the strict admission process. Even when I thought the contents of essays are enough, he never compromise when he thinks they are not satisfactory based on his precious knowledge. As he wishes the good result for his client more than anybody (even possibly client himself!), he always provided me sincere and candid advices, which lead to my success. The most difficult thing during my preparation for application was having sign-off in essays from Adam rather than obtaining the high score in GMAT! 2. Quick response Time is money. As Adam’s responses were extremely prompt, it was easier for me to carry out the work in a timely manner. His speed to review and revise the essay is unbelievably fast, and I had answers back from him usually within a day. That approach should be quite helpful when applicants need to do the preparation and daily work at the same time. 3. Deep knowledge over schools based on profound experience MBA applicants should consider deeply about their stories by themselves in writing essays. However, you still need some guidance to tell the great story which could impress admission officers in competitive schools. Adam supported me to extract those stories by providing me some ideas. Based on his profound experience working with many successful applicants, he also taught me the different characteristics of schools and what they are generally looking for. It was essential step to complete the attractive essays. Adam’s emphasis on the creation of clear career goal was also convincing because it is the only way to make answers to questions such as “Why you want MBA ?” and “Why you want to go to XYZ school” more clear. Besides, when I made any clarifications, Adam was so kind to provide me with information including general ones related to MBA. It was free of charge and I truly believe his service not directly related to essays was also quite beneficial to prepare the application form at your ease. 4. Quite efficient and reasonable working hour As Adam’s work is extremely fast and accurate, there is no time wasted for calculating the service time. He was even generous to cut the fractional working time. The MBA applicants might be worried about how much time is calculated until the applications are completed, but I can guarantee that you should not worry about it when working with Adam. No consultants can do the job more efficient than Adam. |
| London Business School | Over
the course of my entire MBA application process, I was very happy with
the job performed by Adam and I strongly recommend working with him to
anyone seeking support for his/ her MBA application. In my personal case, the greatest support was required for the essays. I had done first draft on my own without any consultation and I believed I already had drafted good texts. By working with Adam I realized that the same topics I thought of could be written in a much more interesting way. He was crucial in helping me transforming static descriptive texts into compelling, more exciting stories. He gave me invaluable advice on avoiding redundancies between the different essays and using strategically each section of the application to convey all the information I wanted. I appreciated the fact that he was always challenging me until he was truly convinced I had reached the best I could really do. He was always responsive and I had written feedbacks always within the agreed deadline. He was also flexible and available for skype conversations even during the week end. I always had the feeling that the fees charged were a good investment based on the quantity and quality of work that he delivered. |
| London Business School Masters in Finance | |
| Michigan Ross (2Y, not GMBA) and UCLA Anderson | The
MBA application process was most definitely a strenuous ordeal for me
to undertake. Most applicants will likely be investing a significant
amount of time to prepare their application(s), whether it be studying
for the GMAT, researching schools, talking to students/alumni, and
visiting campus, all while working fulltime. I was no exception to this
situation. Working with Adam allowed me to achieve the desired results. Some of Adam’s noteworthy qualities that helped me through the application process were as follows. 1. Lightning fast responses I first met Adam while I was still in Japan but I relocated to the United States soon after my initial consultation with him. Though I initially had concerns around our 17 hour time difference, it soon became evident that Adam really puts in the effort to respond to any questions that a client has as soon as possible. I was constantly impressed at how fast he would get back to me 24/7. He would even send me a quick message while on vacation! 2. Ability to identify the right stories Framing an effective story that you want to convey to admission officers was a challenging task for me. When I first started thinking about essay topics, I really had no clear direction on how I should market myself. I was very impressed at Adam’s ability to extract my selling points through his consultation services. With his help I was able to better understand my key selling points and was able to generate comprehensive yet succinct essays. 3. Relentless drive for quality Adam will make sure that your essay meets the necessary quality bar. Even during crunch time, he will provide you with valuable feedback to further improve the quality of your essay. I especially appreciated the editing services that Adam provided to constantly improve my candidacy. That said, you own due diligence is also warranted to ensure that your submission is free of careless errors. I highly recommend future clients to take action on all advice that Adam provides. For example, I made the mistake of not visiting schools that I was applying to, despite Adam urging me to make time for campus visits. In hindsight, this might have affected the outcomes for a few of my applications. At the end of the day, working with Adam has been a great pleasure. I am genuinely excited about my next 2 years at a top MBA program. Best of luck to all future applicants! |
| MIT | The
MBA application process is daunting and no matter how much one has been
forewarned about this it is still more testing when it actually begins.
In Adam I found the perfect teacher to guide me through these
challenging times. I had received several positive reviews about him
from people I had talked to (even those who did not go to him for
advice had expressed that they should have). Indeed, he is the only
admissions consultant I know who takes special care in ensuring that
you are not wasting the time you have with him for unnecessary details
that you could figure out yourself. Additionally, with Skype and email
(extremely prompt) the communication logistics are no hassle at all.
Don't even waste your time wondering whether you will get this level of
counseling with any admissions consulting firm out there! Adam has years of experience and up-to-date knowledge about all the business schools. How? He is in touch with several MBA students (throughout business school and after) and admissions committee members - folks who actually read your essays. The advice I received from him in the initial informational interview helped me narrow down my school selections. Note, he is very well-versed with many top international business schools as well. I had a huge problem with selecting the right stories for my essays. Things which sounded good in my head didn’t come across so well on paper. Adam was excellent at judging the merit of any life experience as business school essay material. You can see clearly from his blog how well he has captured the essence of every school's essay questions. Moreover, an even bigger problem for me was fitting my story in the required word count. After several revisions, staring at my essay, I found it impossible to believe that there was any more material that could be cut out without losing the substance of my story. Yet, Adam did just that. He is par excellence at editing. Of course, the interview process is a whole new hurdle. Adam was strict and probing in the mock interviews that he took for me. Behavioral interviews require specific type of practice and Adam was right on target when he prepared for certain behavioral questions that I would never have practiced on my own. His feedback was ruthlessly honest - something I really appreciated on the actual interview day when I walked in calm and walked out pleasantly surprised. To sum it up, Adam's highly professional, personal and honest touch to admissions counseling was key in making this process successful for me. Thank you Adam. |
| New York University Stern | |
| Oxford Said | |
| Stanford GSB | |
| Stanford GSB | |
| Tepper CMU | 私は、3rdラウンドでiBTが100未満であり、かつBusinessとは畑違いの官庁の公務員、という非常に Challengingな状況でCMUとRossの二校に出願しましたが、CMUからは合格をいただき、またRossか らはWait-listの連絡を受けました。弱いバックグラウンドであるにもかかわらず、このような結果が出 せたのは、ひとえにAdamの助力によるものです。彼なしでは、3rdラウンドは全滅していた可能性さ えあります。 プロフェッショナル １．エッセークオリティー Adamのブログを見れば分かりますが、各トップスクールに対する情報量とそれに対する分析は素晴ら しいものでありますが、それを惜しみなく公開しており、カウンセリングではそれぞれのCliantに対し てさらに付加価値のあるアドバイスをしてくれます。また、Adamは、トップスクールのポリシーをと てもよく理解しており、そのためにどのようなエッセーを作成すればよいか、どの程度までブラッシ ュアップすればよいかについて極めて鋭い指摘をしてくれます。 例えば私が印象的だったのは、某スクールのAnything Elseのエッセーについて、「ここは書きたいこ とがあれば書くのというのではなくて、このスクールのポリシーからしてこういう内容を書かなけれ ばならないのだ。君ならこの経験について書けばよいのではないか？」と指摘したことです。最終的 に彼が自信を持ってOKサインを出したエッセーには、大学の求める様々な要因がきめ細やかに盛り込 まれており、よほどの事情がない限り、エッセーを理由に落とされることはないと断言できます。 実際、私の周りでも数多くの受験生がRossを受験し、Interviewに呼ばれるまでもなくDingになります が、私はiBT100未満という点数にもかかわらず、Essay提出後間もなくInterviewに呼ばれ、最終的に Waitに入ることができました。 ２．処理能力・柔軟性 Adamは仕事が早く、こちらのオーダーに対して迅速で的確なレスポンスをしてくれます。 こちらのレスポンスが不十分であれば、適切になるまで何度も同じ部分を掘り下げ、どうしても困難 であれば直接話すことで解決を図ります。そしてそのためであれば、Skypeであろうと直接面談であろ うと、いかなる手段を使ってでも解決しようとします。 例えば、特に印象的だったのは、私が特に仕事が忙しくていつ面談できるかわからない旨を話した 時、「それなら職場のそばのカフェで話そう。忙しくても少しなら時間取れるだろう。私が行くから 場所を教えろ。」とまで言ってくれたことです。Cliantのために、ここまで柔軟に対応してくれるカウ ンセラーはなかなかいません。 ３．バックグラウンドと大学合格の相場観 彼は合格について極めて優れた相場観を持っており、各クライアントのバックグラウンドや点数等の 情報を総合的に判断して、不可能なものは不可能、難しいものは難しいとはっきり言います。 例えば、私はAdamを利用する前に2ndでSloanを受験し結果Dingでしたが、どうしても行きたい学校 だったので、来年も受験を検討しているがどう思うか相談したところ、「GMATの点数は充分だが公務 員のバックグラウンドでSloanはそもそも難しい」、とはっきり言われてしまいました。しかしその一 方で、CMUとRossは絶対大丈夫だが、Rossに合格したければiBTで100をとれ、とも言われました。 iBTは各セクションがそろえば100に達するスロット状態だったためずっとTOEFLを受け続けていたも のの、震災発生直後から仕事が爆発したため、最終的には諦めざるを得ず、結局RossはWait止まりで した。CMUは100に到達せずとも合格を出している実績があったため、問題なくスムーズに合格をも らうことができました。 プロフェッショナルの観点から色々と書きましたが、他の方が述べていらっしゃる通り、人間性も素 晴らしいものがあります。エッセーは厳しく、コメントは辛口ですが、それはどうしてもCliantを希望 する学校へ行かせたいという強い想いの裏返しです。カウンセラーを検討されているMBA candidateの 皆様は、まず一度Adamの無料カウンセリングを受けてみることをお勧めします。 |
2010 Client Results and Testimonials
Overall, for the 2010 admissions season, I had a record number of admits at Columbia (5), IMD (2), INSEAD (3), MIT (6), and Stanford (2) Please note that "2010 MBA Comprehensive Service Select School Results" does not includes my interview only clients (Most notably, the six who were admitted to HBS).| 2010 MBA Comprehensive Service Select School Results | Total Number of Clients Admitted |
| Cambridge | 2 |
| Columbia | 5 |
| Chicago Booth | 4 |
| Duke | 3 |
| IE | 2 |
| IESE | 3 |
| IMD | 2 |
| INSEAD | 3 |
| Kellogg | 2 |
| LBS | 2 |
| Michigan (2Y, not GMBA) | 2 |
| MIT | 6 |
| Oxford | 2 |
| Stanford GSB | 2 |
| Tuck | 2 |
| UC Berkeley Haas | 1 |
| UCLA | 1 |
| Wharton | 2 |
| Stanford Sloan, MIT Sloan Masters, Cornell, HEC, & ISB | 1 each |
2010 MBA Interview-Only Clients
Highlights only: My interview-only clients have been admitted to HBS (6), IE, LBS, NYU, Kellogg, Oxford (3), and Wharton (3).2010 MBA COMPREHENSIVE SERVICE RESULTS AND TESTIMONINALS BY APPLICANT
| ACCEPTED TO | TESTIMONIAL (Note: Results for clients who provide testimonials are placed before the results for those who did not) |
| Berkeley Haas, Duke, Tuck, and Yale | Adam was fantastic. Being very knowledgeable about the application process generally and my target programs specifically, Adam helped me craft an effective and efficient application strategy that I consider to be a success. He worked with me to drastically improve my overall application message and he was able to refine the details of my essays as well. Always focused on helping me meet my goals, Adam provided realistic feedback and grounding when I needed it. Adam’s critiques enabled me to highlight my core message in a way that resulted in my being admitted to five schools. He offers true customer service and value and positioned me to attend a top-10 program. |
| Cambridge Judge | |
| Cambridge Judge | |
| Carnegie Mellon Tepper, Chicago Booth and Kelley Indiana | MBA
の受験プロセスは極めてストレスフルであること、そして何より、エッセイにおいては自分が今まで考えてもいなかったようなことについてアドミッションに訴
えかけるようなエッセイを書かなければならないことから、言い尽くされてはいますが有能、かつ信頼できるカウンセラーを見つけることが重要です。その点
で、私はアダムを以下の3つの理由から強くお勧めします。 1. 出願者自身も考えていなかった強みを引き出してくれる エッ セイの作成プロセスでは、何をコンテンツとすべきかについてクライアントのブレストをベースにカウンセラーとディスカッションをします。その際に、アダム は、私が持ってきたネタが興味深いものでなかったりすると、すかさずダメ出しをします。その上で、私が過去にしてきた経験で面白いものはなかったか、一 見、つまらなさそうに見える経験でも面白く書けるものはないのかについて真剣に考えてくれ、結果的に私が思いもよらなかったおもしろいネタを提供してくれ ます。このようなことができるのも、彼がクライアントのことを常に親身に考えていること、またジョーク好きの彼が極めて多角的に物事を見ていることによる と思います。 2. 学校についての情報量が極めて豊富である ブログを読めばお分かりのよう に、アダムは学校について有している情報量が極めて充実しています。学校の特徴、そしてアドミッション・オフィスの好みも踏まえて、エッセイに何を書くべ きかについて有益なアドバイスをしてくれます。ここは推測ですが、彼はプロのカウンセラーとして学校の研究を常に怠ることなく、学校の説明会、MBA Fairなどのイベントに積極的に参加して、常に学校について最新の情報を入手するようにしているようです（ベテランになればなるほどこのような努力を怠 るカウンセラーの方もいるかもしれませんが、アダムは違います。）。 また、彼のこれまでのカウンセラーとしての長い経験から、MBAの留学生およびアラムナイに幅広いネットワークを持っているため、そのような人達に話を聞きたいという場合には紹介もしてもらえます。 3. 仕事の仕方がプロフェッショナルである 上 の項目でも少し触れましたが、彼はプロフェッショナルです。そして、この点は極めて重要です。こちらから送ったエッセイや質問に対しては、必ず24時間以 内の返信をしてくれます。出願が迫り忙しくなってきて少しの待ち時間でも惜しくなってくるときに、迅速に返信してくれる彼のスタイルにはとても助けられま す。 カウンセラーを誰にするか迷われている方、まずはアダムに話を聞いてみてはいかがでしょうか。 |
| Chicago Booth and MIT | I
found Adam through internet; I decided to ask for his help to review my
first essay at the moment I saw the abundant information he had on the
blog. Adam literally shocked me by reverting straightforward and
to-the-point feedbacks that filled the word file. As I proceeded to
finish the essays for the rest of the schools, Adam continued to give
great feedbacks and suggestions, which largely enhanced my packages and
candidacy. I particularly appreciated the fast turnaround, which
significantly shortened the essay revision time and process. The mock
interviews were really helpful in that Adam created harder mock
interviews, which enabled me to handle the real situation much more
comfortably. During this long application process, Adam has not only
served as an application consultant, but also as a mentor for me. I am
really excited now that all the hard works has finally paid off and am looking forward to start my new life in Boston! |
| Chicago Booth | Adam
provides flexable service to suit applicants' needs, which I found is
very useful when I started my application in a tight time schedule Adam is very experienced in the application consulting business, he knows what top schools want to see and he helps the applicans to see and show their merits in the same way. Adam is very professional, he gets back to applicans fast yet with detailed strategic suggestions. |
| Chicago Booth | |
| Columbia Business School (J-Term) | (client applied only to CBS) I found Adam through the web. Immediately, I found the advice in his website very helpful. This encouraged me to contact him. I initially wanted to know what had been the weak points in my earlier applications that I had prepared without advice (I had been rejected by two top programs). We started by scheduling a Skype videoconference. Adam thoroughly analyzed my earlier applications and provided me with important tips. I found Adam’s advice key as: 1. Adam knows how admissions officers think. He taught me that it takes more than a great story to get in. Admission officers look for the right fit, demographics, how likely you are to get a job after the MBA, how well you will fit in an internship. He advised me to eliminate all the informal talk (that could be misinterpreted) that I had included in my earlier essays. 2. Adam thinks strategically. All his years in admissions consultancy combined with his Political Science background and interests allowed him to pinpoint my strengths and make the most out of them. As a result of his advice, my essays were more focused in answering the questions while better highlighting my strengths. 3. Adam’s advice is personal. You benefit from the 1 on 1 contact, unlike some admission consultant services that are too commercially oriented (with tons of consultants) and in which you don’t really know who is giving you advice. 4. Adam’s advice does not raise unethical dilemmas. Adam allowed me to better shape my essays using my real life experiences. I did not have to lie about my background to be accepted; but rather, I was more effective at communicating my experiences and goals. I applied Adam’s advice and was able to get in to the only program I applied to: Columbia Business School Full Time MBA! If you are really committed to getting in a Top school, I recommend that you look for advice, and Adam can definitely give it to you! |
| Columbia Business School (J-Term) | I
found Adam’s blog by chance as I was starting my business school
process. His content clearly differentiates him from all the
other MBA admissions blogs out there and I was eager to set up a
preliminary chat with him. Adam is truly a coach. He’s a strategic advisor that you’re glad to have on your side – he chooses his clients based on fit and he takes an incredibly pragmatic approach to the process. He’s candid, to the point, objective, and strategic. Being a natural skeptic, at first I felt compelled to defend my stances. After going through my arguments and realizing that they were not as strong as I thought they were, I realized that that he was not only knowledgeable but strategic and he quickly gained my trust. On the personal side, Adam is honest and completely professional – during calls when we veered off course and started going in tangents about random current events (he’s a pleasure to hold a conversation with), he – without prompting – took those minutes off our “work hours.” Adam is also flexible and unfazed by craziness. When I decided to not apply to a school I’d been working on after visiting the campus, he was glad that I valued fit as much as I did. When I decided mid-course to go with a Columbia j-term, he was unfazed and there when I had one weekend to pull it together for the deadline. There’s much more I can say, but, simply, Adam is the epitome of a great coach. He knows when to push and how to do so in a manner that draws out the best, most driven, most thoughtful, and most unique version of you. And that’s what Ad Coms are looking for. |
| Columbia Business School (J-Term) | |
| Columbia Business School (ED) | |
| Columbia Business School (ED) | |
| Cornell Johnson | |
| Darden, Kellogg, Michgan Ross, and Tuck | I have applied in the previous year to 3 b-schools working with another editor and didn't get into any of them. When I started my re-application, I began wondering around the web looking for some advice and essay questions analysis. Adam's blog was clearly standing out with its in-depth detailed discussion of every question of every b-school, with a history of previous years questions, so that one could understand the tendency of the schools and really get into the heads of their adcom officers. I decided to try working with Adam, although frankly I was very skeptical about working with a distant editor whom I didn't know personally. Moreover, although Adam's advices on his blog seemed very concise, smart and logical, I was a little bit confused by the fact that Adam didn't do MBA himself - I thought how could a person without MBA experience know the MBA admission process good enough? Well all my fears drifted away after a couple of our first interactions. Adam gave excellent points regarding my previous year application, pointing on exactly my weaknesses and brining up issues that I wouldn't otherwise think about, but which where really important. For example, the issue of proving to adcom that you will be able to find a job immediately after graduation - such reasoning might play an important role in their decision, because it changes their success statistics. Adam focused more on the content and strategy of the essays, rather than on wording (here I suppose one whose English isn't perfect has to decide whether to leave the language as it is - to make it look more authentic, or to use a corrector for more laconic and smooth language). What I really liked about his advices is that they where straight to the point, without all the "I liked it very much, but here I think you should play with it more" - nothing like this. If he thinks something is wrong, he will just say "This paragraph is nonsense. Throw it away. Instead, write about X, Y and Z". And such comments where always a bulls-eye hit! At some point, after a few iterations if Adam wrote me something like "that's an excellent essay, go ahead with it" - I felt like he didn't do his job! His "devastating" comments are the most useful thing that will help you with your application. On the other hand, of course, getting an "excellent essay" remark from Adam demanded hard work, but felt like being already accepted - and proved to be absolutely right! Moreover, Adam always gave me the feeling that I'm his only client. His response time was in fact much quicker than the response time of my previous editor, who lived in my city! Adam was ALWAYS available and he ALWAYS remembered what I wrote in which essay - that was really great. Again, I compare this to my previous editor - "Emmm... so what was your long-term goal again? And remind me to which schools you apply?". Adam's personal attitude was very very important and helpful. I absolutely recommend Adam to anyone who wants to be accepted to a top MBA program!! |
| Duke and UCLA | |
| Duke and Texas | |
| Emory and MIT Sloan | Adam
Markus氏に出願カウンセリング全般（インタビュー対策含む）を依頼しました。私は自信を持ってAdamをお薦めしたいと思います。彼の良さは、セッ
ションの回数を重ねるごとにより強く感じるようになりました。まず、徹底的にダメ出しをしてくれます。私がエッセーのネタを考えても、イマイチな話題のと
きは率直に「つまらない」と言ってくれます。その後、少し直しても「まぁまぁだが、ベストなストーリーではない」と言われ、更にブラッシュアップしたり別
の話題を思いついた後でようやく「面白い話になった」と言ってもらえることが多かったです。このようにダメ出しを受ける中で、自分の考えも整理されます
し、ストーリーの面白さも確実に高まりました。彼のダメ出しが無かったら、自信作を作り上げることはできなかったと確信しています。次に、クライアントの
アイディアを完全に潰したり、カウンセラーが決めたストーリーを無理やり押しつけるのではなく、彼は徹底したブレインストーミングの中でクライアントの
持っている素材を引き出し、その素材を磨いて（ダメ出しをして）良いストーリーを作り上げるスタイルでカウンセリングを進めていきます。カウンセラーの中
には、自分たちが作った話をクライアントに押しつけることも多いですが、Adamは一切そのようなことはありませんでした。出来上がったエッセーを読み返
してみると、自分らしさがうまく表現出来ていて、違和感のないものが仕上がりました。必ずや、皆さんの人柄が滲み出るようなエッセーの作成を手助けしてく
れるでしょう。また、何よりも素晴らしいのは、卓越したプロ意識です。納期をしっかり守ります。言い訳して納期を延ばすようなことは一切しません。この点
で、自分が多忙な時期もストレスを感じずにエッセーの準備を進めることができました。さらに、どうしても急ぎでミーティングをしたい場合には、深夜であっ
てもSkypeで対応してくれます（私自身、仕事が多忙で帰宅が遅くなりがちな中、インタビュー前に深夜に相談することができ、大きな心の支えになりまし
た）。そして、Adamは基本的に辛口ですが、インタビュー前日やGMATスコアに伸び悩んだ頃に私が不安そうな様子をしていると、しっかりと激励してく
れました。辛口にすべきところとクライアントを励ますべきところを分かったうえでアドバイスしてくれます。合格までは常に不安が付き纏いますが、「プロ意
識が高く、クライアントのことを良く理解しようとするカウンセラー」と共に歩んでいけば、必ずや良い成果が出るはずです。皆さんを合格に導くカウンセラー
として、Adam Markus氏をお薦めしす。 |
| HEC and IE | I
am delighted to gain admission to the MBA program at HEC Paris with a
merit scholarship of 13000 Euros. This would not have been possible
without Adam's expert coaching and guidance. Adam's approach to
admissions consulting is unique. Adam's approach is to place applicant
first and admissions next. During the admissions process, Adam took the
time to understand my profile, my job function, my aims and what I
wanted to achieve through an MBA and helped me come up with a killer
resume and a convincing message to convey to the admissions committee
through my application. Adam's style made me reflect on myself and my
life experiences and helped me build an accurate self portrait of
myself in the essays. Through out the admissions process, Adam was committed and passionate about my success. His critiques of my essay drafts based on his tremendous knowledge of the MBA admissions process were the key to my winning essays. Crafting a winning MBA application takes time and multiple drafts and Adam's insights proved valuable in this process. Adam's scheduling is very flexible. He would usually return my essays with his comments in less than 24 hours. Whenever I felt that I had hit a dead end with an essay and needed to bounce ideas of him, scheduling a Skype session with him was hassle free. Adam's sense of humor and easy going attitude made working with him a pleasure especially while having to deal with the stress of the MBA admissions. With the MBA admissions process getting more and more competitive, it was Adam's encyclopedic knowledge of the admissions game that helped me differentiate myself from the crowd of MBA applicants. His mock interviews gave me the confidence to ace the admissions interviews. Adam is a highly ethical admissions consultant. Candidates write their own essays, the thoughts and thinking is their own. He will work with you irrespective of the number of hours you need, the strength of your profile or your chances of admission to any particular school. Leaders have to rely on knowledgeable experts for advice and counsel before making key decisions. Anyone taking the important decision to invest the time, money and effort to get an MBA from a top ranking school must look to take advantage of Adam's expert knowledge and counsel. |
| IE, IESE and IMD | 私
のMBA受験を通して、アダムの果たした役割は欠かすことのできないものでした。まず、私の場合は業務の都合上、MBA受験に掛けられる時間は非常に限ら
れており、またScore
Makeに非常に苦しんでいたことから、エッセーとインタビューが果たす役割は非常に大きかったと言う状況があります。その中でアダムは想像を超える
Professionalな仕事をしてくれました。私のIMD合格はアダムなくしてはなかったので、私は下記理由からアダムを強く推薦します。 1. 強いProfessionalismを持っていること ア ダムは常に誠実であり、自分のProfessionalismに反することは決してない。自分が納得した時間のみをChargeする、納得するまで議論す る、Clientの希望にとことん付き合うこと、CounselorとClientと言う Businessの付き合いであると同時に人間対人間と言う繋がりを尊重すること。 2. Clientの意見を尊重した上で迅速に最良の成果物を出すこと 1 つのエッセーを書くにあたり、彼は先ずClientと骨子を議論して、それを具体論に落とし込む時、Clientにとことん考えさせる。その後、彼は迅速 にBrush Upを重ねながら、納得できない文脈もそれを生かそうとClientとの議論を重ねながら、最良の成果物に仕上げる。どのエッセーも納得いく内容であり、 私と言う商品に最大限のValueを加えて貰えたものと考えている。 3. Humorous且つCynicalであること 如何にプレッシャーがあり、疲れていた時もアダムのHumorと時に見せるCynicalな突っ込みが非常に大きな役割を果たしてくれた。Counselorと会うことが常に楽しみであったことがMBA受験に自信を持たせてくれた。 もしCounselorでお悩みであれば、アダムに私の連絡先を聞いて頂ければ、アダムのサービスについてであれば、どんな質問にもお答えできるかと思います。 |
| IE and IESE | What
counseling could be called true admission counseling, if God has not
guided Adam to be the greatest in his profession? There would have been
no triumph in my MBA admission experience without his commitment. Think
of your mentor, friend or family who have supported and guided you in
the hardest time. Like them, he will passionately devote all his wisdom
and work closely with you to get result, and if you are willing to
collaborate and work hard, I guarantee that you and Adam will make a
great team to fight the competitive MBA admission process of top
schools. Three things that you should know about Adam: 1. Adam is the Shakespeare of MBA essay writing. You will be amazed by his eloquence in speech and writing. He understands what kind of stories will reach the hearts of toughest admission and he will help you to create the elevator pitch that you will need for great MBA essays. With regard to Adam's interview training, he will be your Hitchcock directing your stories to be delivered in the most effective manner to the interviewers. 2. Adam is the Freud for your self-discovery. Like Michelangelo has carved David from hard rocks, he will intensely listen to your stories and help you to crave your true identity and competence. Who am I? What motivates me? What are my strength and weakness? What do I really want to do in my career? Why MBA?, I strived to answer these questions and Adam's proactive and interactive counseling style helped me to generate effective answers. The process will take time and patience, but he will not give up until you find the Authentic You. 3. Adam is Mr. Flexible. Adam is very flexible because he will always adjust to your schedule. You will struggle until the moment you push the submit button of application form and Adam will be always there for you until the last minutes before deadline. Moreover, he will quickly respond to your request, at least in 24 hours, even in the busiest time of the season. That's why I had no stress working with him because everything went swimmingly. Some counselors takes days and week to just respond because they have too many clients. Adam is not like that. He knows his capacity and takes only limited clients so that he can confidently provide the best quality service anytime. Last point. Many people think that essay writing or interviews training can always be done later, usually after score making for GMAT or TOEFL and start only when the deadline is coming nearer. By the time they start, I have seen many competent business persons who realize that the process takes more efforts than they have anticipated. Working alone just takes thrice the time and torment, and only mediocre quality and result can be accomplished. Experienced counselor will always help and I highly recommend Adam for your process. Remember, just like appointing trustworthy business partner such as lawyers from early stage of business negotiation is essential for getting things done, you should start and act early as possible when conflict is limited. If you haven't made up your mind, Now is the time. Don't wait. Believe me, it doesn't get easier. |
| IESE | |
| IMD | |
| INSEAD | Adam is a great advisor /counsellor – he is THE person to go to for someone looking for expert advice on their MBA applications. I made the mistake of contacting him late in the process (had already applied to a couple of schools), and thus couldn’t be accommodated immediately. This itself, demonstrates Adam’s professionalism as he only works with a limited candidates to ensure he has the bandwidth required. He agreed to help me one of my target-schools as it had a later deadline and I am extremely grateful to him for his help. He has pretty good insight into the entire process, is familiar with the unique attributes of each school and knows how to think like the admissions committee. He gave me very good constructive feedback (at a very reasonable rate), which I believe made all the difference to my application. Adam also helped me with my interview prep and his ‘mock interview’ was very realistic – he gave me a fair idea of what to expect and how to sell my story. Even though we only communicated over email or skype, I never got the feeling that I couldn’t reach him whenever I needed to. All in all, his experience, attention to detail and personal and prompt service definitely put him in a different league when it comes to admission consultants. |
| INSEAD | アダムのお蔭で良い結果を出すことができ、とても感謝しています。私の経験からアダムを推薦できる理由は以下の通りです。 －エッセイの添削から簡単な相談まで、返事がとても早い ＭＢＡ受験の準備をゼロから始めたのが秋以降とかなり余裕のないスケジュールでしたが、素早い添削、返信に大変助けられました。 －的確な助言 豊富な経験に基づき、エッセイからインタビューまで的確な助言をいただきました。特に純日本的な環境からアピールする場合、何がアドミッションに評価さ れ、何が理解されないかは難しい点でしたが、アダムは日本の文化やシステム、アドミッションのシステム両方をよく分かっているので、何をアピールすべきか 適切な指導をいただきました。学校選びでの助言も大変役に立ちました。 －誠実な人柄 アダムは基本的にクライアントの意志を十分に尊重し、何かを押し付けたりすることはありません。その上で率直な意見と、ここぞという時に励ましをくれます。 －時間や場所に縛られず、フレキシブル 都合のよい時間に自宅でカウンセリングを受けられて便利でした。忙しい方、地方や海外に住んでいる方には特にこの点でお勧めです。 －信頼できるネットワーク 私の住んでいる場所ではアダムとは対面でのインタビュー対策が難しく、かつ私がインタビューを苦手としていたため、同じ地域にいる別のカウンセラーを紹介いただきました。大変効果的でした。 アダムはそれぞれのクライアントが持つ個別の状況に合わせて、熱心な指導をしてくれます。また、エッセイの分析はアダムのblogで誰でも読めますので、一度目を通してみると参考になると思います。 |
| INSEAD | |
| ISB | |
| Kellogg | |
| London Business School and Wharton | |
| London Business School | 私はアプリカントとして幾つかの問題を抱えていました。Adamの提供するサービスは、その問題をクリアできるものだったことを伝えたいと思います。 1. 私はリアプリカントだった 初 回と再出願で同じアプリケーションを提出しても合格するはずはありません。タイミングやラウンドを変えた方がいいのか？アプリケーションのどこを変更しな ければならないのか？アプリケーション以外にどのように学校へのコミットメントを示すのか？テストスコアを更に上げるために何をしたらいいのか？といった 様々な観点から、総合的に戦略をアドバイスしてくれました。これは経験の豊富なカウンセラーでなければ難しいことだと思います。さらに、私の職業、経歴、 年齢、テストスコアなどから、出願の優先順位や学校選択などにも直接的で鋭いアドバイスを提供してくれます。 ２．私の受験対策費用は限られていた リ アプリカントでなくとも対策費用も大きな懸念材料となります。Adamに関して言うと、「必要なサービスの分だけチャージする」という非常に柔軟なサービ スを提供するため、「ＸＸ校のエッセイ課題#３だけを見てもらいたい」といったリクエストにも答えてくれます。そのため、時間が掛からないリクエストであ れば、例えば15分しかチャージされない、ということも度々ありえるわけです。結果的に無駄な時間がない密度の濃いサービスを受けることができます。(実 際に、当初自分で想定していたカウンセリング予算を大幅に下回ることができました) ３．私は地方に滞在していた 住 居は東京なのですが、出願までのほぼ半年以上の間、仕事の関係で地方のホテル住まいとなってしまいました。とてもFace-to-Faceのセッションを 行えるような状況ではありません。しかし、AdamはSkypeでの遠隔地間カウンセリングを早くから実施しており、スムーズなカウンセリングが可能で す。ホテルに戻って夜の11時となっていても、事前にAdamとメールで予定が調整できていれば、そこからでもSkypeでカウンセリングを受けることが できます。実際に多くのアプリカントがAdamとSkypeでのみのカウンセリングを行っているようです。さらに言うと、On Campus Interviewで海外にいる時でも、アドミッションとの面接の直前に練習することも可能でした。時間・場所を問わないカウンセリングスタイルは、非常 に心強いものです。(一度も実物のAdamを見ることなくカウンセリングを受けることも可能でしょう) カウンセラーや予備校は数多く あるけれども、私と同じような問題を抱えているアプリカントはAdam無料のカウンセリングを受けてみても損はありません。私はAdamとSkypeで初 回カウンセリングを受けたときに幾つかの不安が払拭され、彼にカウンセリングを依頼したのです。 |
| Manchester Business School | |
| Michigan Ross | 私はMBA受験における総合カウンセラーとしてAdam Markusを強く推薦いたします。以下、私の受験バックグラウンド。恐らく私は今期のAdamのClientsの中でも最もリスキーな受験を展開した一人かと思います。 1 全校（Michigan, Kellogg, Darden, Georgetown）、3rdラウンドで受験 2 TOEFLの出願時スコアは100点未満（出願して約2ヵ月後に更新） 3 もちろん純ドメで、英語でのコミュニケーション能力は著しく低い 上記のような状況からお分かりの通り、私の受験生としての競争力は極めて低く、Top School合格のためには、エッセイ・インタビュー・キャンパスビジットなどで、大きく挽回をする必要がありました。 そ んな私を裏で操り、逐一連絡を取りながら的確な戦略をアドバイスしてくれたのがAdamでした。一見したらInterviewにさえ呼ばれないだろうとい う状況でしたが、Adamのアドバイスを下に必死に作ったエッセイ、迷いに迷ったが最後はAdamに背中を押してもらって敢行したキャンパスビジットでの アピール等々により、全校からInterview招致をいただき、最終的にMichigan Rossから合格を頂くことが出来ました。 私がAdamをお勧めする理由は以下のとおり。 1 高い戦略構築力 と にかく、Adamの力を存分に発揮するためには、自分が少しでも良いと思ったエピソードは全てぶつけること。英語でのコミュニケーションに難がある自分に とって、これは非常に負荷の高い作業でしたが、学校ごと、受験生の能力ごとにどうアピールするのが最も効果的かを分かりやすく提示してくれます。またアド バイス自体も極めて客観的、かつ真っ当なものなので安心してAdmissionsにアピールできます。 2 迅速なレスポンス 受験当初は「それのどこがいいのだろう」と思っておりましたが、いざ出願直前、締め切り間近の状況になった際には本当に救われました。 3 高いコミュニケーション能力 こちら側が慣れない英語で何とか表現した内容に対して、驚くほど簡潔かつ効果的にまとめてくれます。そのままエッセイやインタビューで使える形にしてもらえます。 |
| Michigan Ross | |
| MIT | If
you seriously want to get into a top business school, consider Adam’s
admission consulting service. He is a fantastic person, personally and
professionally. I have worked with other consultants but nobody could
beat Adam’s knowledge and dedication. I would not have been accepted to
my top choice of school had I not work with Adam throughout the
process. Adam sets himself apart from other consultants because of several reasons. a) Dedicated to his client’s success Since the beginning, Adam has shown his dedication to ensure I get into the school that I wanted. His objective was to ensure that you be admitted to your top choice of school rather than trying to maximize the billable hours. Occasionally, we chatted about non-admission related topic for 10-15 minutes. Unlike many other consultants, Adam didn’t charge those hours. He charged only the time spent to discuss admission related topic. He is fair and highly professional. He’s not driven by money, but rather by his client’s success. b) Wealth of knowledge and experience – since 2001 Adam has been helping people get in to the top business schools around the world since 2001. Imagine how much knowledge he accumulated throughout the process. Adam knows what type of candidate is usually accepted by school x. Thus, he knows how to strategically position you in the application. c) Highly ethical Never expect Adam to do your entire application. He doesn’t write your essays. He is a highly ethical admission consultant and I highly respect him. Rather than writing your essays, Adam looks at your profile, extracts as much information about you as possible, and helps you decide the best strategy to position yourself through essays. Adam also only helps with content revision, thus preserving your writing style. d) Flexible Adam was very responsive throughout the process. I remember I sent my essay for review and he got back to me within an hour. Isn’t that amazing? Most of the time, Adam is always available to chat and he never misses an appointment. I worked with a consultant who was terrible with time. I’m glad I found Adam. He was very dedicated to my success and it felt like I was his VIP client. e) Great personality Adam is a very likable person. He has a good sense of humor and great to work with. He knows what he’s talking about and yet he doesn’t have any attitude. In short, he’s a great consultant. I guarantee you that you’ll love working with him. f) Strong network Adam maintains a strong network in the industry, such as with MBA admission directors and MBA alumni. For example, when I practiced for my interview, Adam helped solicit advice from an alumnus who happened to be interviewed by the same person. It was very helpful to have this insight directly from someone who already met the interviewer in person. g) Direct and honest I respect a person who is honest and can give me a straight answer when I ask a question. When I gave him my school choices, he immediately told me what my weakness was and what that meant to my chances of getting admitted. I remember he said that with my GMAT score at the time, I would have a slim chance of getting admitted into my top choice of school. He advised me to retake the GMAT and I followed his advice. I guess he was right: I got into my top choice of school. h) International knowledge Adam has been successful helping not only US applicants, but also international applicants. With his many years of experience, it seems that Adam maintains his own “best practices” to position an international applicant in the MBA application. You should know that not all consultants have this kind of expertise. Positioning an international applicant is different from a US applicant. I don’t recommend using admission-consulting firms that employ many consultants, because each consultant provides a different level of service and many of them treat this as a part-time job to make some cash on the side. Obviously their websites talk about great things about their service, but the truth is that it comes down to the very person you are working with. If you are lucky, you may be matched with a good consultant. Otherwise, you’ll end up wasting your money with a mediocre consultant. If you pay for Adam’s consulting service, you know for sure that you will be working with someone who already helped hundreds of people getting in to the top programs. And this is his full-time job. Why take a risk going with a bigger consulting firm while you don’t know whom you will be matched with? The bottom line is: If you seriously want to get into the top MBA program, consider hiring Adam to assist you with your admission strategy because Adam is the BEST admission consultant out there. |
| MIT | I
got into MIT Sloan with a help of Adam revising my resume and preparing
me for the interview. I really liked his resume service because
he was able to not only point out things that were ambiguous, confusing
and grammatically wrong, but also make recommendations as to how they
should read. He also helped me on the layout so that I could
right more in less space--one thing everybody should think of when
applying to MIT Sloan. Adam's interview preparation was great help thanks to his accumulated experience, client-first attitude and no-bull-shit approach. Adam simply knew what he was doing. He could really get into 'Sloan-adcom mode' and create the atmosphere of real battle. From my case at least, I have confirmed that the content, format and feel of mock sessions with Adam do resemble those of real interview. He also puts client first. When Adam and I just got started talking about interview preparation, I was expecting for myself a crazy flight schedules--20,000 miles in a week! My physical and metal condition got all messed up not to mention my time zone. I had to make a few sudden changes to our appointments, but he was always accommodating--very important (You have enough of stress just from the interviews of your dream schools. You need no more of it what so ever). Finally, I would argue that Adam's service--be that essay, interview, resume or school selection--works because he would never sugar-coat what you write, say, or think. He'll tell you right away that "Sorry, I don't like it. Let's do it again." Besides, how would you know if you really are doing good when someone always says you are doing good? In short, Adam's expertise, dedication and transparency helped me get into MIT Sloan, my dream school. |
| MIT | Adam
is a tremendous resource for anyone applying to business school. Adam's
blog is an oasis of helpful information and techniques presented in a
direct and concise fashion. After coming back many times to read his
insights, I decided to try his free consultation and ended up working
with him throughout my whole application process. Adam is very professional, knowledgeable, and flexible too. But there are two strengths that distinguished him: 1. Adam is honest, sometimes brutally honest. If your essay sucks, he'll let you know. He'll also guide you on the way to recovery (see number 2). Adam's honest and informed assessments of each part of an application as well as the total package were critical in creating a strong application. 2. Adam has an uncanny ability to zero in on the best story. He'll get to know you pretty well and pretty quickly. Then he will read your essays and tell you that this story needs to be about your ability to change and that story about resolving conflicts. Sometimes he will hear a comment you make in passing and he will probe it half a dozen times and finally find a story that makes for a great essay and interview material. I definitely recommend Adam's services to anyone applying to a top mba program. Thank you Adam! |
| MIT | |
| MIT Sloan Masters and Oxford | ＭＢＡ受験を成功させるには膨大な時間と労力を要します。 ＭＢＡ受験におけるＴＯＥＦＬ・ＧＭＡＴ・出願戦略・エッセー・推薦状等の各要素はどれも非常に重要ですが、 ＴＯＥＦＬ・ＧＭＡＴのスコア以外の部分では、如何に良いカウンセラーに巡り会えるかに かかっていると言っても過言ではありません。 私がＭＢＡ受験を成功させることができたのは、一重にＡｄａｍのおかげです。 私自身が、Ａｄａｍがカウンセラーとして卓越していると考える理由は以下の通りです。 １．ＭＢＡ受験プロセスにおける抱負な経験と知識 ＡｄａｍがＭＢＡ受験プロセスに如何に精通しているかは、このブログのコンテンツを見れば明らかです。 このブログには、ＭＢＡ受験における基礎知識が惜しげもなく網羅されていますので、ＭＢＡ受験を考える際にはまずこのブログ内容に目を通すことをおススメします。 また、このブログを開設し、ウェブを通じて世界中にＭＢＡ受験情報を発信しはじめた結果、 今やＡｄａｍのＣｌｉｅｎｔは日本のみならず、世界中に存在します。 （Ａｄａｍは、クリス・アンダーソン著「フリー」を体現しているといえます。） 日本にいる他のＭＢＡカウンセラーのように、日本人受験生のみ相手にしていると、世の中の情勢と共に変化するＭＢＡ受験のトレンドを見誤る可能性もありそうなものですが、世界中のＣｌｉｅｎｔを相手にするＡｄａｍはその変化の機微に最も敏感に察知できています。 また最新のＭＢＡ受験情勢のみならず、2001年からカウンセリングを行ってきたＡｄａｍは ＭＢＡ Ａｄｍｉｓｓｉｏｎｓや他のＭＢＡカウンセラーとも幅広く繋がっており、ＭＢＡ受験プロセスを深く理解しています。 ２．カウンセリング手法 Ａｄａｍのカウンセリング手法は一言でいえば、コーチングです。 添削者、まして代筆者ではありません。 Ｃｌｉｅｎｔの話をじっくり聞き、議論を通じてＣｌｉｅｎｔの本質的な部分を引き出そうとします。 表面的な内容であれば、容赦なくダメ出しし、より本質と向き合うよう仕向けます。 自分自身と真剣に向き合い、より自分らしいエッセーに仕上げることができます。 逆にいえば、エッセーを添削してもらうことをカウンセラーに求めるのでれば、Ａｄａｍ流は適しません。 ３．各Ｃｌｉｅｎｔに応じた受験戦略 エッセーに取り掛かる前に重要なのは、出願戦略です。 Ｃｌｉｅｎｔ各々のＴＯＥＦＬ・ＧＭＡＴの点数、キャリア志向に応じてどのＭＢＡ ＰｒｏｇｒａｍがＦｉｔするか、 一人一人にテーラーメイドした効果的な受験戦略をアドバイスしてくれます。 私の場合、進学予定のＯｘｆｏｒｄ ＭＢＡはＡｄａｍからアドバイスをもらうまで、受験すら考えていませんでした。 ＭＩＴ Ｓｌｏａｎ ＦｅｌｌｏｗｓとＯｘｆｏｒｄ ＭＢＡの2校に1ｓｔ ＲｏｕｎｄでＡｐｐｌｙし、両校から合格をもらった後、 最終的にＯｘｆｏｒｄＭＢＡへの進学を決めたのは、ＡｄａｍからＯｘｆｏｒｄを薦められた後、 学校研究とエッセーで自分自身の深堀りした結果、Ｏｘｆｏｒｄが自分にとってのＢｅｓｔ Ｆｉｔだと確信することができた為です。 ４．親身な対応 上述の通り、Ａｄａｍはカウンセラーとして非常に優秀であることに加え、単なるカウンセラー・生徒のドライな関係ではなく、自分の友人に対してのように親身に対応してくれます。 私は、今回受験する数年前に一度ＭＢＡ受験を考え、その際にもＡｄａｍにカウンセリングしてもらいました。 その後、海外駐在で一時中断せねばならなかったものの、Ａｄａｍとはその後も定期的に連絡を取り合い、お互いの状況をアップデートしてきた為、駐在先からの受験だったにもかかわらず、安心してＡｄａｍにカウンセリングをお願いすることができました。 また、今回2校から合格したことを報告すると、「昔の忘れ物をようやく取り戻すことができた」と自分のことのように喜んでくれました。 カウンセリングセッションでも、友人のように直接関係の無いようなことを談笑することもありますが、 Ａｄａｍは当然そうした時間はセッション時間にはカウントしません。 ＭＢＡ受験が終わった今、私はＡｄａｍという友人を得ることができました。 Ａｄａｍはこのように受験終了後には本当の友人になるほど親身に向き合ってくれます。 |
| Oxford | |
| Richard Ivey School of Business | |
| Stanford GSB | MBA
出願にあたっては、膨大な量の情報を集め、分析すると共に、出願先ごとに戦略を立てながら準備をしなければなりません。また、他の出願者との差別化を図る
為、「自分の強み」について分析する必要に迫られる場面も多いです。そのような困難な出願プロセスを乗り切る際に、プロフェッショナルとして情報分析や戦
略立案の手助けをしてくれ、そして自分を客観視する機会を与えてくれたのがAdamでした。彼なしには、自分が行きたいと思う大学を探し当てることも、そ
の大学に合格することも不可能だったと思います。 もしMBA出願に関して不安や疑問があるならば、是非Adamのカウンセリングを受けることをお勧めします。彼のカウンセラーとしての強みは、以下の三点に集約されると思います。 1.カウンセラーとしての豊富な経験と圧倒的な情報量 世 界の数多あるMBAの中から、どのプログラムに出願するべきか、ということは、出願プロセスの中で最も重要なステップでありながら、処理すべき情報量が膨 大であることから、一人で行うには限界があります。Adamは長い経験と、豊富な知識を使って、試験成績、職歴、年齢、志望動機などのデータから、「狙う べき大学」を絞り込む手助けをしてくれます。無料カウンセリングの時から「君はGSB向きだ！」と励ましてくれた彼がいなければ、きっと敷居が高いGSB に出願することもできなかったと思います（そして結果的に彼は正しかったのです）。 また、狙うべき大学が定まった後、どのような戦略でそ の大学への出願に取り組むべきか、迷った時に常に相談できるパートナーとして、常に情報を与えてくれます。例えば、MBAのエッセイの課題はとても曖昧で 答えにくいものが多いですが、彼と戦略を考える中で、「Applicantのどの面について知ろうとしている質問なのか」ということが明確になり、より効 果的なエッセイを書くことができました。また、インタビューにおいても、大学ごとの傾向と対策を的確に指導してくれ、結果として余裕を持ってインタビュー に挑むことができました。 2.スピードとフレキシビリティ 仕事をしながら出願作業を行っている、自由になる時間が 少ないので「夜遅くだけど相談したい」と思うことが多く起こります。Adamはどんなに夜遅くでも約束をすればSkypeで相談に乗ってくれますし、時間 が合えば実際に会って相談に乗ってくれます。また、いつ寝ているのか不安になる程、どんな時間帯でも返事が非常にスピーディーです。彼のスピードが本当に ありがたいと思ったのは、出願書類の締め切り前で、何回と書き直しをする私に辛抱強く付き合い、すぐにエッセイの感想やコメントを送り返してくれました。 彼のスピードがなければ、納得いくまでエッセイを直すことはできなかったと思います。 3.コミュニケーション能力 自 分を客観視し、自分の中のどのポイントを特にアピールするべきか決めるのは、一人では困難な作業です。全く面識がなかった彼との議論の中で、その作業を可 能にしたのは、彼のコミュニケーション能力の高さでした。彼は人の話を良く聞き、それを的確な言葉で表現するプロです。エッセイに取り入れるべきエピソー ドを探して、彼は私に多くの質問を投げかけ、私のまとまりのない答えを辛抱強く聞き、私のエピソードを的確な言葉で表現する手伝いをしてくれました。その 繰り返しの中で、「他のApplicantと比べた自分の強みとは何か」を真剣に考えさせられ、今まで自分の強みだと思ってきたことは実は他の多くの人に とっても強みであり、逆に今まで自分が気づいていなかったことが差別化を図る上では重要であることがわかってきました。そして、その強みを、日本人である 私から、英語圏の人にもわかるように発信する術と、表現力を教えてもらいました。人を理解し、自分の気持ちを的確に表現する、彼の高いコミュニケーション 能力がなければ、私という人間を効果的に表現することは出来なかったと思います。 インター ネットを通してカウンセラーを探すことに不安を覚えるかもしれませんが、もし彼について現時点で少しでも興味があるならば、是非一度彼の無料カウンセリン グを受けてみるべきだと思います。一時間という短い時間ですが、今まで気づかなかったとても有意義なアドバイスを受けられると共に、彼のカウンセラーとし ての高い能力を実感できると思います。 |
| Stanford GSB | |
| Stanford Sloan Masters | |
| Tuck | |
| University of Washington | |
| Wharton (Lauder) | When
I was applying to undergraduate schools, I realized the significant
effort that I had invested to achieve high GPAs, SATs, and the like.
But I only thought of a school's app as a "necessary evil" - just one
of those things that needed to get crossed off... Only after the dings
came in did I realize that I could have succeeded through more work. Fast forward a decade later - I had progressed in my education/profession and now it was time for grad school. I wanted to find a more balanced approach to tackling the application process - and that's how/why I found Adam. Adam's strengths are very clear: -> Informative Blog: Even before I met him, I was impressed by the content on his blog. In his posts, he sincerely recommended that people find "fit" with their schools and not worry excessively about hard statistics, etc. In addition, his essay/goal analyses were right on the money and really helped me produce solid work in my applications. -> Professional Coach: Adam knows the admissions process inside and out based on his years of professional experience and passion for helping his clients. That made life *much* easier as I worked my way through selecting schools, crafting my resume, writing my essays, and preparing for interviews. Adam gave me excellent feedback/advice along the way and didn't back down from pushing me to churn out more rewrites/drafts until we both felt my work was solid. Moreover, Adam exemplifies what ethical coaching is all about because he kept guiding me to achieve more solely based on my own capacity, experience, and work (e.g. he is not an essay editor!). -> Flexible: As his own brand, Adam controls the way he does business. He's flexible to meet on Skype for just five minutes, talk face to face at a cafe (if you're in Tokyo), or even just work things out over email. Also, he's extremely good with with last minute schedule changes and if I had to cancel appointments he was quick to suggest alternative meeting times. -> Friendly: Above all else, Adam is a friendly, good-natured, and easygoing Californian. Sharing my life-shaping experiences with Adam was easy because of his approachable nature. With a challenging year of GMATs, apps, and work it was always great to hear Adam crack a joke or give me an uplifting comment. I'm very honored to have had a chance to meet and work with Adam and will keep in touch with him in the future. Bottom Line: I'd highly recommend Adam to anyone who is ready to work hard and commit themselves to pursue their MBA dreams. Thank you so much, Adam! |
2009 Client Results and Testimonials
Overall Comments on the season: The results below indicate counseling done with clients throughout 2008 and into 2009 (and some January 2010) admission. I worked with significantly more clients this year and reached full capacity for Fall 2009 Round 2 applications.For 2009, I have divided my results into the following tables: MBA Comprehensive Service, MBA Interview-Only, LL.M., and Graduate School.
2009 MBA Comprehensive Service Clients
Highlights:5 admitted to Wharton
5 admitted to UCLA
5 admitted to Oxford
4 admitted to Chicago Booth
4 admitted to Kellogg
3 admitted to LBS
3 admitted to Cambridge
2 admitted to HBS (one for Fall 2009, one for 2+2)
2 admitted to Columbia
2 admitted to Duke
2 admitted to Texas McCombs
2 admitted to USC
2 admitted to IE
2 admitted to INSEAD
2 admitted to IESE
1 (different clients) admitted to Berkeley Cornell, IMD,ISB, Indiana, MIT, Stanford, Tuck and Yale
Note: More testimonials and results will be posted soon.
| ACCEPTED TO | TESTIMONIAL (Note: Results for clients who provide testimonials are placed before the results for those who did not) |
2009 MBA Interview-Only Clients
Highlights
only: My
interview-only clients have been admitted to Kellogg (4), Chicago (3),
HBS (2), Wharton (2), UCLA, Cornell, MIT Sloan, Tuck, Duke,
IESE and Emory.
2009 LL.M. Clients
I worked with three LL.M. applicants for Fall 2009 admission.| ADMIITTED | TESTIMONIAL (Note: Not all clients choose to submit testimonials) |
| Harvard Law School, University of Chicago Law School, New York University Law School, and Columbia Law School | (CLIENT IS FROM UZBEKISTAN) Having good credentials is not enough for admission. Majority of applicants for the best schools have the same. The important factor is to put your application materials in such an order that it would shine among hundreds, thousands of them. In such cases very small details such as organization of your resume, proper order of the content of your essay, right selection of future interests play crucial role. What Adam Markus does is to help you understand what kind of students the adcoms would like to have. He walks with you through the intricacies and nuances of the application process for improving your admission chances. Every applicant wishes to have a consultant who would guide him them through application process. Here he is. |
| Fulbright and Harvard Law School | |
| Columbia Law School and Georgetown Law Center |
2009 Graduate School Clients
| ADMIITTED | TESTIMONIAL (Note: Not all clients choose to submit testimonials) |
| London Business School Masters in Finance (also admitted to Chicago MBA) | See testimonial above. |
| Masters: Columbia University (SIPA), Johns Hopkins University (SAIS), Tufts University Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (MALD), Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service | |
| MSc at the Oxford Internet Institute, Cambridge University MPhil in Modern Society and Global Transformations, and MSc in Communication at LSE. |
2008 Client Results and Testimonials
Overall Comments on the season: As I started my own service in September 2007 after working as counselor for another company from 2001-2007, I had no first round clients for 2008 admission. I worked with a small grouo of clients who produced outstanding results.NOTE: Unless otherwise indicated all clients utilized my comprehensive service (resume, essay, recommendation, and interview counseling).
| ADMIITTED | TESTIMONIAL (Note: Not all clients choose to submit testimonials) |
| MBA: Stanford GSB | (CLIENT PREPARED JAPANESE VERSION. I HAD THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION PREPARED) 私 がStanford GSBに合格することができたのは、Adamの優れたカウンセリングのおかげだと思う。遅く準備を始め、TOEFLのスコアも良くない私にとって、GSB など夢のまた夢であり、出願して合格を勝ち取るというのは現実味がなかった。しかし、Adamに励まされ、彼とのカウンセリングを日々目標にすることで、 短期間で最高の結果を生み出すことができた。以下、私が考えるAdamの強みを列挙してみたい。 1. 豊富な知識、学校分析を基にした、的確なアドバイス Adam の豊富な経験、知識に基づくアドバイスは非常に的確である。彼は個人カウンセラーであるが、大手予備校で長年カウンセラーとして勤めた経験があり、実績 /know-howは申し分ない。その上、彼は各ビジネススクールの説明会に頻繁に顔を出し、情報のアップデートを欠かさない。このような日々の努力が彼 の的確なアドバイスに結びついているのだと思う。 一例を挙げると、私は当初、偶然ある程度のGMATの点数が出たことから、まったく準備ができて いないにも関わらず一部の学校に1st roundでの出願を模索していた。彼は私の英語力が足りないことを指摘し、仮にインタビューがきたとしても、インタビューの準備をしなければならないか ら時間が足りない、と言って私を諭した。結果的に、2nd roundのインタビュー対策だけで２月、３月をほとんど費やすこととなったことを考えると、仮に1stで出願して奇跡的にインタビューに呼ばれたとして も、それを2ndの他のアプリケーション作業と平行して準備することは不可能だっただろう（ちなみに、英語力の乏しい私にとってインタビューは最大の関門 であるにもかかわらず、危機感の薄い私は２月に何度もAdamから「You must practice hard」と繰り返しアドバイス（叱咤？）されていたが、これも私の弱点を深く認識した上でのコメントであった。）。 学校分析についても、彼は私 の希望やバックグラウンド（職業、年齢、キャリアビジョン等）を考慮して、最適な学校を紹介してくれた。そもそも彼がいなければGSBも受けていなかった かもしれない。一般的な合格率を見れば敬遠してもっと安全な選択肢をとっていたかもしれないが、彼は合格の可能性を見抜いていた。昨年参加したGSBの学 校説明会の後、Adamから送られてきたメールには、「While very hard to get into, I think you do fit the school very well.」と書かれていたが、今から振り返ると、実に的確なメッセージだったと思う。 2. 幅広いネットワーク 個人カウンセラーということで、最大の不安は周りの状況が分からない、学校の情報が入ってこないという不安かもしれない。しかし、この不安はAdamには 及ばない。前述のように彼は大手予備校で長くカウンセラーをした経験があり、カウンセラー同士の幅広いネットワークを有している。どこそこの学校のインタ ビューインビテーションが始まった等の情報はすぐに入ってくるし、必要であれば他のカウンセラーからセカンドオピニオンをもらうこともできる。実際彼は、 私のインタビューの特訓のために、彼の直接的な利益にはならないにもかかわらず複数のカウンセラーを紹介してくれた。また、彼の元クライアントは様々な学 校に散らばっているので、自分の志望校の在校生やアラムナイを紹介してもらうこともでき、私自信も彼から紹介をしてもらった在校生やアラムナイに大変お世 話になった。 このように、Adamは非常に豊富なネットワークを有しており、それはクライアントに大変心強いサポートを提供してくれるものである。 3. フレキシブル また、Adamは非常にフレキシブルである。私はMBA受験を決意したのが昨年の５、６月頃と遅く、エッセイを書き始め最初にAdamのカウンセリングを 受けたのが９月下旬だったので、受験は時間との戦いだった。仕事も忙しく、予定をたてづらい状況だった。その点、Adamはカウンセリングの日時、場所等 が非常にフレキシブルで、急な予定変更も常識的な範囲内であれば応じてくれ、また予定していた時間をオーバーしてカウンセリングを続けることも可能である （もちろん延長分の料金は支払う必要はあるが。）。カウンセリング手段も、対面、メール、スカイプ等々、こちらの都合に合わせて様々な方法で行うことがで きる。MBA受験生は概して忙しい人が多いので、柔軟・迅速にカウンセリングを受けることができるかどうかは重要なポイントだと思う。 4. コストが安い そのカウンセリングの質の高さにもかかわらず、個人カウンセラーということもありAdamのカウンセリング料金は他の予備校、カウンセラーと比較して良心 的である。彼はクライアントを志望校に送り出すことに至上の喜びを感じており、クライアントを最大限にサポートすることを常に意識している。個人的にそれ ほど予算が多いわけではなかったので、料金をあまり気にせずカウンセリングを受けられるのは助かったし、実際エッセイの質にも影響したと思う。 5. Good Guy 何より、彼はGood Guyである。いつもニコニコして激励をしてくれ、仕事を言い訳にアプリケーション作業が遅れがちな私を合格に導いてくれた。私も、Adamの言うことな ら間違いないと、信頼してカウンセリングを受けることができた。MBA受験という自分を見つめ直す機会に、このような信頼できる相手とアプリケーションプ ロセスを共にできたことに、大変感謝しているし、皆さんにも、一度メールで彼とコンタクトをとって、彼の人柄に触れてfitを確かめて欲しい。 ENGLISH TRANSLATION: I believe the reason why my admission was accepted by Stanford GSB is because of Adam’s excellent counseling. Applying and being admitted by GSB was a very fantastic idea because I started my preparation later than other candidates and my TOEFL score was not good. However, I was encouraged by Adam and I could make the best result in such short time. I would like to list his strength as below: 1) Accurate advice based on extensive knowledge and school analysis Adam’s advice based on his extensive experience and knowledge is very accurate. He is a freelance counselor now but he has long experience at a big prep school as a counselor, so his track record and know-how is proven. Not only that, he often attends at many business school orientations to update information. I think the constant effort he makes results in his accurate advice. For example of his advice, in the beginning, I was looking for a way to apply some schools at 1st round without preparation because luckily I had sufficient GMAT score. He pointed out I did not have enough English skill and admonished me do not apply at that time because I did not have enough preparation time for interview. As a result, I had to spend most of February and March for interview preparation, I guess it was impossible to prepare for the interview during preparing other application for the 2nd round even I was invited for the interview (incidentally, the interview process was the biggest problem because of my poor English ability, I still was not aware enough, then. In February, Adam continuously told me “You must practice” because he recognized my weak point. On school analysis, he recommended the best school for me based on my preference and my background (age, career vision and so on.) If I did not meet Adam, I might not have applied GSB to begin with. I could pass this option to just looking at the average passing rate to be safe, but Adam could see my possibility to pass the school. After attending the GSB admission orientation, he sent me an email said “While very hard to get into, I think you do fit the school very well.” After all, I think it was very accurate message. 2) Wide Network You may be not comfortable considering him a freelance counselor because you assume he cannot understand all other candidates’ situation and cannot get updated school information. However, you need to not worry about them for Adam. As I wrote in the last paragraph, he has very wide network with other counselors from his long experience. He can get information like when the interview invitation started by which schools and if you need, you can get the second opinion from other counselors through him. He actually introduced me some counselors for my interview preparation. Addition to that, his former clients are in various schools and he can introduce the target schools’ students and alumni. I am also the one that he introduced to them and they were very supportive to me. Like this, he has very wide and rich network and it supports very strong mental support to his clients. 3) Flexible Adam is also very flexible. The time I made a decision to take MBA exam in either May or June in the last year and started and it was very late. I started to take Adam’s counseling in the end of last September for my essay writing. Admission process was a struggle against time. I was busy with my work so it was difficult to make schedule. However Adam was very flexible with the time schedule and meeting place, he responded the changes if it is considerable and he was able to continue the counseling after original scheduled time. His counseling was given through meeting, email, skype and so on, and I could choose the way upon my request. Since the MBA candidates are very busy people, it is critical that you can take counseling flexible and quickly. 4) Cost performance Even his counseling quality is so high, because he is a freelance counselor, his counseling charge is reasonable compared to other preparation schools. He finds supreme joy to send his clients to their first choice schools and focus on support them as much as possible. It was helpful that I did not have to be worry about the counseling bill and I believe it effected the quality of my essay. 5) Good Guy Most of all, he is a good guy. He always encouraged me with smile and lead me to the goal even my process was often delayed than schedule because of my work. I could take his counseling with big trust because I know he is right. I am quite thankful to share the application process which is another chance to review myself with him. I also recommend you to contact him via email to arrange a meeting so you can know him in person. |
| MBA: HBS (3rd Round), LBS, SIMON (Client also turned down interviews at Texas and Cornell) | |
| MBA: University of Chicago and Dartmouth Tuck | (CLIENT WROTE BOTH JAPANESE AND ENGLISH VERSIONS) アダム・マーカスは多様なタイプのMBA志願者との経験とそれに培われた専門知識を持つエッセイ/インタビュー・カウンセラーです。 エッ セイ、レジュメの作成は非常に個人的なプロセスであり、内面的に成熟し、現実的で卒直なフィードバックを提供出来るメンターの存在があなたの internal journeyに必要です。アダムはその点でエキスパートだと思います。彼は私がエッセイで表現し、アピールすべき資質について対話を重ねて引き出し、私 がそれについて感じている漠然とした考えを先入観に左右されない鋭い洞察力を以って正確に言葉で表現する手助けをしてくれました。文学や法律にあかるい彼 は私が言葉での表現の壁に行き当たった時に最も的確な表現のヒントを提供してくれました。アダムは代筆（ゴースト・ライティング）をしたり、彼の考えを押 し付けたりせずにface to face（メールでのやり取りを含む）の徹底的な議論を通して私が自分自身を見つめ直すよう辛抱強く導き、AdComに私の価値を効果的に伝えるためのポ イントを明確にする手助けをしてくれました。 アダムは夫々のMBAスクールの価値観を知り尽くしているというカウンセラーとしての強みを 持っています。彼は常にMBA校の最新の動向を把握しており、戦略的なアプローチを練る為に頻繁にAdComとコミュニケーションをとっていますが、それ に加えて彼の専門知識と豊富な経験のお陰で効果的にインタビューヘの準備が出来ました。加えて、私はアダムを高いプロとしての責任感・倫理観に於いて推薦 します。アダムは常にアプリカントのために彼自身の時間を確保し、質問には遅くても翌日迄に返事をしてくれました。彼は万全の準備、レヴューを行い的確な 評価を行ってくれるため、常にエッセイの内容、または自分自身について新しい発見がありました。 段階がひとプロセス進んだ後に、エッセイ /インタビューの練習のために週に一度ミーティングを行いました。 日本時間夜にはSkypeでコンタクトが頻繁に取れました。セッションは主にCafé Miyamaで行いましたが、ここは貸会議室もあり、ちょっとした商談などに利用されるということで、ワイヤレス環境、静かさ、便利さに於いて十分な環境 でした。自宅で学校についての情報をインターネットまたは彼のブログから得たあと、ターゲット校の分析を私のプロファイルとのfitという面から行いまし た。彼は各校についての私の可能性に対して率直なコメントを述べ、私は十分納得の行く選択をすることが出来ました。結果としてはChicago GSB、Dartmouth Tuckに合格という納得の行くものが出せました。彼はエッセイ/インタビューの準備プロセスをスポーツに例えます。アプリケーションの作成には作戦、 ハードワーク、エネルギー、精神力、反復練習全てが必須ですが、良きペースメーカーであり、最も信頼できるコーチを選んでこそ貫徹出来たのかも知れないと 思います。何より助かったのは彼がハイセンスなユーモアの持ち主であり、つらいプロセスを楽しいものにしてくれた事です。自信を持って彼を推薦します！ Adam Markus has guided me through the application process with his expertise backed by his practical work experience with diverse types of MBA applicants in the past. Creating essay and resume is quite a personal process and it is crucial that you find a person who can offer you insightful and realistic perspective and navigate you through your internal journey, with candid feedback - and this is how Adam can help you. He has unbiased insight about people which really helped me to uncover what I needed to bring out about myself and verbalize precisely the way I felt about it. His articulation helped me so much to express myself in a best way I had difficult time verbalizing. It does not mean he writes for you or put words into your mouth, but he guides you over a thorough discussion. He helped me to write points clearly to communicate my value effectively to AdCom. Adam knows what is add-value or not to each MBA school. His expertise and rich experience, as well as his frequent research on AdCom/school greatly helped for us to strategically approach essay/interview. I can also recommend you Adam for his punctuality and high work ethic. Adam made himself available frequently and always got back to me by next day, at latest. He did come back with full preparation and every time there was a new discovery on my side about my essay or myself. I met him once a week to discuss essay or to practice interview once the phase moved on to next step. He was available in the night (Japan time) over Skype. We mostly did the session at Café Miyama where business meetings are often held, and I liked this style. I would do school research myself or read his blog, and we discussed our analysis on the target schools. He gave me honest comments about my candidacy to each school, and I could make right choices. I got into Chicago and TUCK, and I am very happy with the result. I will be attending Chicago. He describes essay/interview prep process as a sport – with repetitive practice, strategy, hard work, energy, toughness all required, and I think that I tagged with the best coach. Also, he has good sense of humor, which is very important to get over with the entire essay experience! |
| MBA: IMD, INSEAD, Cambridge Judge, and Oxford Said | (Client was admitted to all schools he applied to. Client wrote both Japanese and English versions of his testimonial) アダム・マーカス氏を優れたエッセー／インタビュー・カウンセラーとして推薦します。 私の先輩（USスクールの現役MBA学生）がアダムにコンタクトするよう進めてくれたのが、そもそものきっかけでした。初回の無料カウンセリング・セッションを受けた時点で、私はすぐさまアダムにカウンセラーをお願いしました。 私がGMAT及びTOEFLの勉強を始めたのは比較的遅く2007年9月でしたが、彼は辛抱強く私の話を聴き、状況を理解してくれました。また、その後の長い長い受験プロセスを通じて、明るく（時には厳しく！！）支えてくれました。 彼は良きカウンセラーとして必要な様々な才能を備えていると思いますが、その中でも彼のエッセーの設問を分析する力、そしてエッセーの中身についての適切なアドバイスが一番の強みだと思います。 彼のカウンセリングは非常にシンプルですが、強力です。彼は顧客の考えを深めさせながら、中身を考えさせ、エッセーを書き直し、ブラッシュアップするよう促します。決して彼の考え方や書き方を強制することはありません。 従っ て、顧客は自ら進んで動く必要があり、かつ辛抱強く何度も考え・書き直すことが求められます。忙しいビジネスパーソンにとって決して容易ではありません が、これによって自分のエッセーに高い説得力と現実感が加わったと思います。これらの要素は単に文法的な正しさといったことより、はるかに重要な（エッ セーにおける）要素だと思います。また彼のインタビューのセッションも実践的で役に立ちました。 アダムのカウンセリングを通じて、単なるMBA入学のための準備ではなく、自分の過去、未来をより深く考えるチャンスにめぐり合えることと思います。 I strongly recommend Adam Markus as the capable essay/ interview counselor. One of my seniors (an MBA student in U.S.) first suggested me to contact with Adam. When I started the first free counseling session with Adam, I immediately decided to ask Adam to work as my counselor. Although I started my prep for GMAT and TOELF relatively late, in September 2007, he carefully listened to me and understood the situation. Also he cheerfully (sometimes strictly!!) supported me over the long lasting process of application. Without his great contribution, I could not receive the offers from the schools that I applied to. Though I firmly believe that he has a lot of required talents as the good counselor, his strong analysis of essay questions and accurate guidance on essay contents are his best strengths. His counseling style is very simple but strong. He lets clients consider, re-write and brush up essays by facilitating clients’ thinking. He does not force his mind-set or writing style. Therefore a client needs to be very proactive and patient to consider and re-write essays repeatedly. Although this is not easy process for busy business persons, it added high persuasiveness and reality to essays. I believe those elements in essays are very important rather than mere grammatical correctness. I need to note that his interview training was very practical and helpful too. Not as a mere preparation for MBA admissions, I suppose you can obtain good chances to reflect on your past and future through his counseling. |
| MBA: LBS and NYU Stern | (Client is a native English speaker) Adam is both a knowledgeable consultant as well as an individual with great integrity. His feedback and suggestions on essays was invaluable to my admission to top business schools. While many consultants pay attention to stylistic details of essays, Adam is very content-driven, which gives his clients a significant advantage. Highly recommended. |
| MBA: Duke Fuqua | (Client wrote both Japanese and English versions) Adam MarkusをMBA出願コンサルタントとして推薦します。私自身、MBA出願にあたり、学校選定からレジュメ/出願エッセイ作成、インタビュートレーニングに至るまで彼のサービスを利用し、満足のいく結果を得ることができました。 特 に彼のエッセイカウンセリングは秀逸です。エッセイに盛り込む題材の選定では、自分の資質を効果的に表現できるエピソードを職務経験や課外活動から掘り起 こすための気付きやアイディアを得ることが出来ました。その中でも印象深いのが｢大学時代に行った、女子高の音楽部でのコーチ経験｣です。自分では出願 エッセイとして適切とは思いも寄らないテーマでさえ、彼の助言を元にリーダーシップ/チームワークを端的に語るエピソードに仕上げることが出来ました。 また、Adamは長年の経験から各校の審査基準/傾向を熟知しており、エピソードのエッセイ課題への落とし込み・エッセイの仕上げ段階で は学校ごとにエピソードの使い分け・文章構成や表現方法の工夫まで、きめの細かい指摘を受けました。彼のフィードバックは非常に率直であり、｢ダメなもの はダメ！｣とエッセイ原稿やアイディアの良し悪しもその場で明確に伝えられますが、批判に終始せずその対応策もセットで提示されることもあり、不愉快に感 じたことはありません。日本文化への理解や時折のユーモアも交えつつ、終始和やかな雰囲気でカウンセリングを受けることが出来ました。 彼 のサービス品質の高さはインタビュートレーニングにも当てはまります。学校ごとの面接時の着眼点・形式(面接官がAdmission or Alumni、Reviewed(=面接官は予め出願書類を熟知) or Blind(=面接官はレジュメのみ参照))の違いを踏まえた本番さながらの練習を積むことが出来ました。また、回答内容の構成、アピールポイントの効果 的な表現方法から口癖・しぐさまで、インタビュー時のデリバリーを高めるためのアドバイスを受けました。私は元々日本語のものでさえ面接に苦手意識を持っ ていましたが、彼とのトレーニングと自己練習を繰り返すことで、インタビューでのデリバリーに自信を持てるようになりました。MBA出願を終えた今、この トレーニングの成果はMBA後の就職活動でも活かせるものと確信しています。 MBA出願は多大な苦労を伴うプロセスですが、Adamは経験豊富なプロのカウンセラーとして、また良き戦友として出願者をサポートし、成功に導いてくれることを請け合います。 If somebody would consider applying for top-notch MBA programs, I would confidently recommend Adam Markus as an admission counselor. I utilized his counseling services for whole my MBA application from school selection, resume writing, essay counseling to interview training. And I’ve obtained a successful result thanks to his help. His essay counseling was excellent. He was so creative and inquisitive that he helped me find my episodes out of my professional and personal experiences to tell my abilities and achievements effectively in my essays. One of the most impressive stories was about my coaching experience for a girl’s high school music club. Although firstly I had thought it would be just a trivial topic, according to his advice I could make it a significant episode to tell my leadership. Adam is familiar with different admission criteria and tendencies of each business school based on his long experiences. I received his detail feedback on my essays to write in different styles for different schools about selection of topics, essay structure and expression. His feedback was so honest and direct that he mentioned “NG” for my no-good essay drafts and ideas. However, he did not only deny what I prepared but also he always provided me with solution, such as alternative idea and new perspective. So I didn’t feel frustrated or unprofessional against his counseling. Rather I enjoyed working with him in a friendly atmosphere. His interview training was also high quality one. I took mock interviews, which were prepared well according to each school’s admission criteria, style (reviewed or blind), interviewee (alumni or admission), and past interview reports. I also received advices to improve my delivery, such as my answer’s structure, effectiveness of presentation, and habit of saying. Actually, I recognized my weakness on interviews even in my first language Japanese. Now, as the result of his training and my practices, I’m sure I’ve improved my interview delivery so that it must also be applicable to my post-MBA recruiting activities. I assure that Adam help an MBA applicant for the entire process of strenuous MBA application as a professional counselor, a mentor and an encouraging supporter. |
| MBA: HEC (Client also turned down an interview at INSEAD) | 私がＩNSEADのインタビュー（辞退）まで進むことができ、最終的にHEC-Parisへの入学を決断することが出来たのはAdamの熱心なご指導があったからだと思っています。 受験校選出やGMATのスコアメイキングで苦戦していた中、幅広いネットワークの中からAlumniやGMATの教師を紹介してくださり、 また、豊富な経験や情報に基づき適切なアドバイスをして下さいました。 エッセイ作成時においても、ただ英文添削をするだけでなく、アドミッションの視点からより効果的なエッセイを作成するため、 対面もしくは電話で決して自分の意見は押し付けないものの、より完成度の高いエッセイを作り上げるために幾度もエッセイのテーマや考察の深さにつき指摘をしてくれました。 だからこそ、Adamが "good!"と言ってくれた時には本当に安心することが出来ました。 Adamとの話し合いを通してこそ、本来の自分をしっかりとエッセイの中で表現することができたと信じています。 何より、Adamのユーモアのセンスに溢れ、信頼できる人柄がMBA受験生活においては心の支えでした。 私は心からAdamに感謝しており、MBAを志している方にはぜひ一度Adamとのカウンセリングをされることをお薦めしたいと思います。 |
| MBA: University of Michigan Global MBA (GMBA) | アダム・マーカス氏、推薦状 アダム・マーカス氏はMBA受験のプロセスに関して、優れたカウンセラーである。 ま ずなにより、MBA受験のプロセスについて熟知している感がある。私は学校選び、エッセー作成、インタビュー対策をお願いしたが、各プロセスにおいて的確 な助言をしていただけた。特にエッセー、インタビューに関しては、それぞれの質問の意図や解釈、またそれに回答するにあたっての戦略、方向づけを、大変明 快に理解させていただいたと思う。 また、彼は対話のプロであろうと思う。彼のアドバイスは、単純に「ああ書いたら良い、こう言ったら良い」という具体的な場合もあるが、それだけではなく、対話の中で「なるほど自分の考えはこうであったか！」という言葉をひきだしてもらえたように思う。 ミ シガンGMBAのクラスメートに話を聞く限り、合格者のTOEFL、GMATの点数は、過去にないほど高い印象を受けているが、私の点数はまれに見る低さ であった。それにも関らず合格できたのは、アダム・マーカス氏のカウンセリングのおかげによるところが非常に大きかったと確信している。また、カウンセリ ングプロセスを通して感じ、考えたことは、今後のキャリアプラン形成に大いに役立つものであった。今後の氏の活躍を信じて止まない。 |
| MBA: INSEAD | |
| MBA: USC IBEAR | |
| MBA: Duke Fuqua and UCLA | |
| Columbia University (SIPA), UC Berkeley MPP, Johns Hopkins University MA in International Relations (SAIS), MIT MS in Technology and Policy Program, Duke University MPP, University of Michigan MPP | |
| Columbia University (SIPA) and Tufts University Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (MALD) | |
| MBA INTERVIEW-ONLY CLIENT: HBS | |
| MBA INTERVIEW-ONLY CLIENT: MIT Sloan 2-year MBA | |
| MBA INTERVIEW-ONLY CLIENT: UC Berkeley Haas | |
| MBA INTERVIEW-ONLY CLIENT: INSEAD | |
| MBA INTERVIEW-ONLY CLIENT: Manchester Business School | |
| Ph.D. essays, resume, and writing sample only: University of California, San Diego’s Ph.D. Program in Art History, Theory & Criticism |