The News from the Schools column in this month’s edition of <i>The Economist</i> includes a profile of the Clear Admit School Guides. Realizing that “few applicants have time to compile statistics and information in depth on each of the schools they are considering,” the piece offers a summary of the kinds of information included in the School Guides and points out the benefit of including detailed information in application essays.
Here’s the full profile:
Admissions consulting firms occupy a controversial niche in business education. Some business schools believe the firms, which offer guidance to prospective students, prevent admissions officers from forming an honest and candid view of applicants. The consultants retort that their main task is to educate their clients on the features of business schools, with the aim of finding the institutions that best suit their clients’ aspirations.
Clear Admit, an admissions consulting firm based in Philadelphia, has taken a step to bolster that claim. The firm has begun offering research reports that provide information on a school’s academic programmes, student demographics, campus life, job placement and admissions, among many other things. Most of the data in the reports are supplied by the schools – one reason why admissions officers claim consultants are unnecessary. But few applicants have time to compile statistics and information in depth on each of the schools they are considering.
Guides for five schools – Chicago, Columbia, Harvard, Tuck and Wharton – are already available, and more are planned. Graham Richmond, Clear Admit’s co-founder, says sales have been brisk and increase substantially as admissions deadlines approach, as candidates look for detailed information to spruce up their applications.
For more information on the School Guides, read the profile on the Economist site or visit the Clear Admit Publications website.
