Clear Admit has just been featured in a podcast about the use of MBA admissions consultants at the top schools. This report tackles the subject from the viewpoint of a current MBA student, an admissions officer and an admissions consultant. You can download it for free and listen to it on your computer or iPod/MP3 player.

Click here to download the podcast and listen now! (http://www.mbapodcaster.com/process.asp?id=3&il=2)
(right-click, then select 'save target as' to save the podcast to you desktop - or just left-click to listen online)

Podcast on MBA Admissions Consulting
Guests
-Graham Richmond (Co-founder, Clear Admit)
-Judith Silverman (Senior Associate Director of Admissions, Wharton)
-a current Columbia MBA student who utilized an admissions consultant
[Reporter Janet Nankano (of NPR fame) leads the discussion.]

Key Takeaways
-Graham Richmond outlines Clear Admit's role in the MBA admissions community, linking the firm's services to the sort of counseling that is par for the course in the medical, law school or even college admissions process (where universities and high schools provide pre-med/pre-law or college guidance counseling to their students to help them through the process). Richmond also stresses how crucial it is for applicants to identify their unique strengths and tell their stories in their own voice, and to do so consistently across all components of the application (essays, interviews, data forms, etc).

-Wharton's Judith Silverman reports that the school is aware that admissions consultants are out there and does not penalize students who avail themselves of these kinds of services. At the same time, Ms. Silverman points out how important it is for applicants to present a consistent and sincere message across the essays, interview and application forms - warning that some applicants who submit polished essays but flop in the interview (or submit poorly crafted data forms, recommendations that don't add up, etc) might do harm to their candidacy. Silverman also encourages applicants to use the Wharton discussion forums and other resources that the school provides to guide applicants through the process.

-The Columbia student who used an admissions consultant points out that he knew he had the basic components of a competitive candidacy, but that he lacked an insider understanding of the application process. He also knew he could answer the questions the schools were asking - but he found his admissions consultant's advice to be critical when it came to grasping the latitude that one has in responding to essay questions and crafting an effective overall strategy.

Link to the MBA Podcaster site (http://www.mbapodcaster.com/process.asp?id=4&il=2) and podcast summary.