Admissions Consultant

[750orBust]

Stacy,

My question is a little off of the beaten path for the forum, however it is still in your field. I have been teaching GMAT review for the past year, and somewhere down the road I would like to become an admissions consultant. I noticed that your background is in finance and marketing, with a cross-over into admissions. I am beginning to research the opportunity and gather background information, but is there anything that I should look for? What can do I to position myself to pursue this opportunity as a first career out of grad school (following some admissions work), or return to this field after re-entering finance following completion of my MBA studies? Thanks Stacy...any insight that you can provide would be most appreciated.

[Stacy Blackman]

You did not mention what type of admissions consulting you are interested in. Assuming it is MBA admissions, I believe the essentials are:
- MBA from top school, so that you have gone through the experience personally
- admissions experience, so that you understand how applicants are evaluated
- marketing expertise - this process is all about marketing individuals to target schools
- strong writing skills
- interpersonal skills - you need to love the work, care about your clients and be able to interact and communicate effectively with them

[750orBust]

Stacy,

Thanks for the reply. Yes, I am looking at traditional MBA admissions. As far as schools, I am looking at Michigan, Stanford and Duke, which I think should put me in a decent position regarding MBA experience. I think my next hurdle will be actually moving into an admissions role after completing my studies. To your other points about marketing and interpersonal skills, leading GMAT classes and dealing w/ the students should help me with the interpersonal, and I will need to gain some marketing experience.

How did you go about securing your positions w/ the admissions committees, and were these before or after your work in marketing?