Many people assume that an MBA admissions consultant is a service that simply writes your MBA application essay for you. However, this is not true. Many MBA consultants hold MBAs, and many are prior admissions officials from MBA programs. They do not write your essay for you; rather, they help you create an entire application package that will appeal to admissions representatives.

When deciding whether or not to use an admissions consultant, consider this advice from Journey to my MBA:

Misconceptions are rampant regarding essay consultants. First of all, they don’t write your essays. They don’t lay it all out for you. Their purpose is to help you create an application package that does several things. 1) Craft an essay that reflects who you are at the core of all that you stand for which is what MBA Schools want to hear 2) Comment on where you could improve the essay in a way that is far more appealing to the admission boards 3) Make sure you stay on track in answering the question in the best way possible. 4) Serve as a mentor. 5) Help you to think through in a structured way your reasons for getting an MBA.

They’ll even suggust what schools to apply to and tell you which schools may be a stretch for you. They’ll also help you strategize your application appeal by suggesting that you take classes if necessary to improve your chances. Moreover, they’ll help you to reign in your expectations to be optimistic, yet not lose sight of reality in choosing the schools you’ll want to consider applying to based on the reasons why you want an MBA, background and your GPA/GMAT stats.

The price of an admissions consultant can be high — up to 200$ an hour and 600$ for an initial consultation. But the price may be worth it when it lands you a spot in an MBA school. Applying to all of the wrong schools and getting rejected can also be pricey due to high application fees, so the costs may all be relative.