Admissions Consulting

How does an admissions consultant help? 

Luck is that point in time and that moment of coincidence, when hard work meets opportunity ....Anonymous

​With a little help, we can be more aware of what to work hard on and where to find the opportunity so that we make our luck rather than depend on coincidence ... JAG Educate 

We all have had our moments in time at some point or the other and surely have felt unlucky at other times. It was not that we had not worked hard; nor was it that the opportunity was not there. Sometimes we resort to saying that it was perhaps just that our stars were not aligned in the 'right' way that day. Well, stars are magnanimous and won't blame you back, but it is important that we know what went wrong and what went right with things we did at one time or the other so that we can, to some extent, control the outcome of our efforts. That is where a consultant comes in. A consultant, with his insights from observing many candidates succeeding or failing over the years, can guide you through a phase in your life that could make or break your career.  

Do I really need a consultant? 

​Well, not everyone needs a consultant; but then again, not everyone needs a doctor.  

Most of the time people get sick from flu, they take paracetamols or analgesics or even antibiotics without checking with a doctor. Sometimes they get better, sometimes they get worse. You take your chances because you have experienced such flu before and what the doctor had prescribed last time. If you get sicker, then of course you resort to visiting a doctor. In case the sickness is not something you have had before, then you would most likely visit a doctor.  

In education, a chance lost is usually a year lost. That is a lot for many to put at stake. Sometimes you do not even know about the multitude of opportunities available and choose to take the best of the limited options you are aware of. None of it is life-threatening, but the consequences of that decision are something that will linger with you for a large part of your life. So why take a chance with your education when you won't take a chance with your health if the outcomes could be long-lasting.  

Do I really need a great consultant? 

Well, not everyone looks for a great consultant; but then again, not everyone goes to a good doctor.  

Let's say you hurt your knee-cap and need surgery. Would you go to the best surgeon you can afford or risk limping for the rest of your life and go to a quack? So again, why take a chance with your education when you won't take a chance with your health if the outcomes could be long-lasting.  

How does my application for admission matter when I am a batch topper? 

If you are a batch topper, great; but are you also a batch topper with a National Maths Olympiad gold medal which the batch topper of the other school in your city is? That should give you a hint. There are batch toppers from every institute, so possibly hundreds of batch toppers in every city. Most students applying to prestigious institutes are brilliant academically, so admission council looks for other areas that make a student shine over the rest. Premier institutes look to create diversity in their batches and so choose students who can contribute to the learning of the class in different areas from their personal experiences and interest areas. Some brilliant students may well get rejected if the admission council doesn't see a cultural fit between the student and the core values of the institute.  

How does my application for admission matter when I am an average student? 

Not everyone can be a batch topper, fortunately good institutes understand that. That is one reason why they conduct their own entrance or scholastic test to see who would be a good candidate in terms of the aptitude needed to grasp the course content there. If you have been an average student academically, you could still shine in the entrance test and highlight your areas of strength that could more than make up for your academics. Remember, premier institutes look to create diversity in their batches. A strong application demonstrating cultural fitment of the student with the institute's way of life can propel an otherwise academically average student into the big league of top institutes.  

How long does it take to make a strong application? 

There is no thumb rule to approach an application and each student needs to be profiled for their strengths and weaknesses to assess the time that will be needed. Students are usually advised to start working on their essays and  SOPs at least three months before the submission deadlines. For some students it may take as little as a couple of weeks.  

Where can I know more? 

You could look up university websites to research what they seek in your profile. You could connect with us for more information and guidance on global education admissions consulting and Global MBA.