Ad. Consultants' Ethics

jelt · Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2008 11:05 am Post subject: Ad. Consultants' Ethics

Hi Amy,

As an admission consultant and an alumni of Wharton, what is your view of the ethics surrounding the industry/ profession?

I ask because Judith Hodara, a member of the adcom staff at Wharton, has been implicated in a journalistic expose on the questionable practices of Japanese Admission Consultants AGOS. (See original article here http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/01/30/agos)

Judith, when interviewed for the article, had this to say:

"On the question of conflict of interest, Hodara said that there was no problem because she will be advising AGOS, and not counseling individual AGOS clients. However, she said AGOS would provide her with a list of its clients applying to Wharton so she could recuse herself from considering their applications. The arrangement was vetted by Penn lawyers and her supervisor, Hodara said.

“I am an incredibly ethical individual and I made sure none of this would be a conflict,” she said."

Today, barely two days after her confident denial of wrong-doing, her profile has been removed from the list of individuals on AGOS' board.

Apart from AGOS, a quick search on google for "judith hodara consultant" yields a link to Judith's own consultancy for college students. Although this service is for college students, Judith sells herself as follows:

"Judith's insights about the college process extend beyond the first four years of undergraduate education. Recognizing that college choice has influences in later educational and professional choices, her educational advice incorporates her definitive understanding of long term educational and professional goals."

This suggests that she may provide MBA consultancy services too. Today, the Judith's website has also been taken offline. Fortunately, curious folks can still view its original contents because Google has cached them.

Wharton has been incredibly silent about the entire episode. Clarifications sought on its own forum, s2s, have gone unanswered. The website modifications have also occurred without any explanation.

What is your take on the matter? Your compatriot Sandy (www.hbsguru.com), on bweek forums, is leading a crusade against the purported hypocrisy of schools (and particularly Wharton) that rail against admissions consultants. However his is the only voice in the industry that I've heard so far on this, so it might be good to hear from you where you draw the ethical lines, and whether you think Judith has acted entirely within limits.

Amy · Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2008 3:23 pm Post subject:

Hi Jelt,

I don't have any personal knowledge of this specific incident. I certainly see where there could be a potential conflict if someone who is actually making admissions decisions is also advising applicants on the side. However, I do not know what the extent of her involvement was.

Regarding ethics of the entire industry, I can tell you that there are some ethical companies, and some that are not so ethical. I can personally tell you that Stacy Blackman Consulting has a strong ethical code and in fact, Stacy Blackman serves on the Board of AIGAC (http://www.aigac.org/default.htm) which is committed to upholding the highest ethical standards in the industry.

In my own personal work with clients I can tell you that my role is like a catalyst to help my clients tell the story they are already living. Our function is often as a coach and advisor - the best applications are personal, unique and compelling, and the applicant's individual voice is incredibly important. That is my own approach, though because this is a service business everyone is different.

Good luck!

Amy

Stuart Kovinsky · Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2008 3:34 pm Post subject:

Hi Jelt,

as a Kaplan admissions consultant, I can tell you that we're very careful about how involved we get in the essay writing process.

B-schools are adamant that they want the essay to be written by the applicant. It's vital that the applicant's voice be the one that comes through in the final version. While proofreading and editing are certainly acceptable, and a good consultant will help the applicant choose the subject matter of the essays from the applicant's own brainstorming pre-work, the final product MUST clearly reflect the applicant's own style.

There are individuals who will offer to write personal statements on an applicant's behalf. Ethical issues aside (and having someone write your essay for you is a clear violation of the B-schools' trust), B-schools are very good at recognizing when the essay doesn't match the person.

parore26 · Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2008 4:31 am Post subject:

I like how she claims she is an "incredibly ethical person." Not to take the piss on her or other ad consultants. I'm probably going to use Stacy Blackman myself, but here is a G.B. Shaw story that makes me laugh every time and may have some relevance to the story.

He [G.B. Shaw] was at a party once and he told this woman that everyone would agree to do anything for money, if the price was high enough. `Surely not, she said.' `Oh yes,' he said. `Well, I wouldn't,' she said. `Oh yes you would,' he said. `For instance,' he said, `would you sleep with me for... for a million pounds?' `Well,' she said, `maybe for a million I would, yes.' `Would you do it for ten shillings?' said Bernard Shaw. `Certainly not!' said the woman `What do you take me for? A prostitute?' `We've established that already,' said Bernard Shaw. `We're just trying to fix your price now!' "

PG · Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 5:36 pm Post subject: It is a mistake...

I worked closely with Judith while I was a student MBA Admissions Officer during my 2 years at Wharton. Every discussion about candidate decisions has potential areas of grey, and never once did I see Judith falter, or relax on her Integrity and commitment to doing what was Right.

I agree that it pays to be vigilant about potential situations that may unfairly disadvantage people, but I don't have a doubt -- after knowing and working Judith as closely and for as long as I did -- that she is entirely blamefree and totally trustworthy. For years, she has been an admissions icon for the Wharton MBA program - and for good reason.

I am admittedly distressed to see this in the news, and wish that other people who know Judith personally would step up in her defence.

-PG

parore26 · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 5:09 am Post subject:

PG I agree with your points. This is not to slander Judith or anyone in that line of business. But Judith acted as an admissions committee member and an "independent" admissions consultant - can't you see the conflict of interest here.
It astounds me that a smart woman such as Judith even considered to be part of this dual role. I wish her the best of luck in whatever she chooses to do but she (and anyone else in this similar situation) cannot do both.

cjiang16 · Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 4:15 pm Post subject:

Good luck