hmgp22 wrote:Anyone care to share some opinions on choosing the right counseling service? There are hundreds of these counseling services and many of them seem to appear the same.

A few suggestions:

1. Look for experience as a consultant and track record.
2. Talk to the consultant in addition to doing online research. You want fit.

For more, please see Things to Consider when Choosing an MBA Admissions Consultant

Best,
Linda Abraham

Hi hmgp22,
Great question.
I don't think there is any great or bad consultant - it is good or bad experience for you and this includes value add and cost. It depends on case by case. As an example, if I have 760 and great acads and want to study in top 30 schools in US (Funding is more important than rank), what I am looking for in the consultant is totally different from a GMAT score of 650 and aiming to get into an Asian school focusing on operations.
Then there is the cost factor and how much it would cost you (time and money wise to engage a consultant).
Talk to as many as you can and ask as many tough questions. Answers to those questions will give you a great indication. e.g. how do I show my leadership experience if I have worked as a technical analyst all my life, which teaching method works best for you and why?
Please get in touch with me ([email protected]) if you have further questions or doubts to clarify.
Thanks,
Indradeep