My experience is that I got accepted to the school and program I wanted with the extensive help of a good consulting firm and a great personal consultant. English is not my mother-tongue and I could not have done the essays without their help. It's hard to understand just how instrumental they can be without working with one of them. And the more 'diminished' your chances are by your competitive category, the more outstanding you need to be. If you feel you can do this on your own, more power to you.
The kind of people you mention here (Rhodes Scholar)would probably not have a low GMAT. And consultants are not likely to get these 'remarkable' people as clients - they tend to be sponsored by an organization. Consultants are there for anyone who feels they need help in putting together a really good application, no matter what their background.LastChanceMBA wrote:First, this person who got in with a 580 is obviously a very special case, and I'm sure he/she has a remarkable resume and personal story. So unless you accomplished something truly remarkable (Rhodes scholar, saved a village, escaped a war torn country, NFL player, founded a startup worth $10 million+, etc.) don't expect to get into HBS with a 590. Study hard, and try your best to raise it to at least 680+.
Second, be very skeptical of Aringo or any other consulting firm when they brag about clients with low GMAT scores who got into top b-schools. Now I'm not accusing them of lying. However, unless you know the exact background and experience of the candidate in question, you're not getting any useful information that is relevant to YOU. After all let's be honest. A white/Asian guy in banking is not getting in with a 580 or some other subpar score. The ugly truth is that admission
consultants actually can't help you that much with getting into top schools.
