Dawna Clarke, director of admissions at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, recently launched a new video series called “Ask Dawna,” in which she answers a range of questions posed by prospective applicants about the admissions process. One such video pertains specifically to Tuck’s position on the use of education advisors as part of the application process.
“Tuck’s position is generally very positive,” Clarke says, noting that Tuck has historically even hosted an annual conference for educational advisors intended to better familiarize advisors from around the world with Tuck’s program.
Clarke went on to say that she thinks there are appropriate and inappropriate uses for educational advisors. Provided applicants use them wisely and appropriately, these advisors can provide an important service.
“I think education advisors can be a wonderful resource for applicants who need a sounding board on getting advice on what programs might be a good fit for them and for helping you do some self-reflection on what factors may be important to you, what you might want to maximize in the admissions process in terms of your experience and background,” she said. Good educational advisors ask deep, penetrating questions that help applicants assemble the most thorough application possible and prepare for the interview process, she continued.
Under no circumstances, though, should applicants turn to educational advisors to write their application essays, Clarke says. This would be an inappropriate use of their services, she stresses.
The Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants (AIGAC), which Clear Admit’s Graham Richmond helped found, was developed to define and promote the highest professional and ethical standards among graduate admissions consultants. One of AIGAC’s primary principles, which all AIGAC members pledge to uphold, states that members insist that clients write their own essays.
Read the full article: Tuck School of Business Dean of Admissions Praises Educational Advisors’ Role in MBA Application Process