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ApplicationAdvantage is a global educational advisory offering MBA and Graduate admissions consulting services, related research reports and subscriber-based digital content. ApplicationAdvantage, founded by a Columbia University graduate, global professional (Europe, Americas and Asia) and international scholarship winner, delivers customized high-impact solutions that assist professionals in gaining acceptance to world-class management programs.
| Our Evolution :: 1994 to Present |
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| 2009 |
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ApplicationAdvantage.com launches first in a series of admissions strategy books.
ApplicationAdvantage.com launches second in the series of strategy books.
ApplicationAdvantage.com launches third in the series of strategy books. |
| 2008 |
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ApplicationAdvantage.com launches its rebranded web presence.
ExecutiveBranders.com is unveiled as the career management counterpart to ApplicationAdvantage.com |
| 2007 |
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ApplicationAdvantage.com is repositioned as the admissions consulting arm of WGH.
ExecutiveBranders.com is launched as the career site for clients who are seeking Mr. Hutchinson's exclusive personal branding services.
World Group Holdings becomes the Education and Career advisory parent company to the admissions consulting as well as personal and career branding arms. |
| 2007 |
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ApplicationAdvantage.com launches expansion project, putting a multi-year plan into effect for new services. |
| 2006 |
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ApplicationAdvantage.com becomes a European and Asian partner of the World MBA Tour. |
| 2005 |
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ApplicationAdvantage.com in Europe becomes a European partner of the World MBA Tour. |
| 2004 |
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ApplicationAdvantage begins receiving personal branding requests in addition to university admissions advice requests. |
| 2003 |
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ApplicationAdvantage.com establishes a European presence. |
| 2002 |
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ApplicationAdvantage.com establishes a US presence. |
| 2001 |
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Walter Hutchinson is retained by Japanese executives and MBA hopefuls. He internationalizes admissions advice and structure it specifically for the Japanese market.
Walter Hutchinson establishes ApplicationAdvantage.com in his Japanese apartment. |
| 1999 |
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Walter Hutchinson wins Japanese Government Monbusho Scholarship to research mature equity markets and emerging fixed income markets. |
| 1998 |
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Walter Hutchinson receives sponsorship from the University of Tokyo for international finance and law. |
| 1997 |
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Walter Hutchinson begins providing job-positioning advice to banking contacts and undergraduate seniors. |
| 1996 |
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Walter Hutchinson begins receiving ad hoc requests from investment banking colleagues and network contacts for advice on MBA and college admissions, based on former admissions work at Columbia University and Milton Academy. |
| 1994 |
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Walter Hutchinson departs Columbia University with BA and Masters degrees. |
An Early Start
During the early 1990s, admissions consulting began to grow in fits and starts in the United States. However, there was no organized industry except for a handful of resources that were known only by word-of-mouth. With the explosive growth of the internet, it became apparent that scatter-shot approaches were not sustainable, reliable and eventually not practical at all. Given how job and education markets were changing globally, one person in particular took note and decided that this fluid dynamic was in fact the signal of a major opportunity from both the standpoint of establishing an enterprise and providing a quality of guided career and admissions advice, that was unparalleled and without precedent.
Founder Walter Hutchinson had been a student of the dynamics involved in career-positioning, even while he attended Milton Academy in Massachusetts, an elite private school traditionally known as a "feeder" providing an admissions on-ramp to Ivy League universities. He built on that knowledge as a contributor to Milton's global admissions efforts for several years, and followed up on that experience by making a similar contribution at several divisions of Columbia University.
Global Growth - From New York to Tokyo
Mr. Hutchinson, created ApplicationAdvantage.com in direct response to ad hoc requests for admissions advice that had followed him from Columbia to Merrill Lynch & Co., requests that steadily grew after he arrived in Tokyo on a Japanese government scholarship grant. Ironically, it was exposure to international variants of admissions consulting demand that made it clear how badly such a service format was needed in the United States and other countries. Not surprisingly, the United States shortly thereafter experienced the explosion of a cottage industry devoted to this field.
An Original Then, An Original Now
Instead of joining the herd, Mr. Hutchinson focused on creating quality services led based on unique insider knowledge and experience, rather than following the replicated essay-churning business model tried by companies that jumped into the consulting business overnight and just as quickly exited it.
ApplicationAdvantage.com was here for the long term, and it began before the phrase "admissions consulting" had been coined. We therefore relished our role as a unique game-changer for our clients, making creativity our currency to serve and put each client first, instead of using a profit-driven template approach that served only its own end.
Today, the company that Walter Hutchinson started in 2001, has maintained its roots and values, motivated by the desire to see other people succeed, rather than only making a profit. This is one reason why WGH, ApplicationAdvantage.com and sister companies have remained independent, and thus, are not placed in conflicts of interest, moral lapses or services declines that plague a number of firms that are in this field.
We took the high road with a longer term focus, and our clients have rewarded us with a degree of trust which cannot simply be replicated or copied - an achievement of which we are most proud. WGH group companies, through our university admissions and career branding arms, are in a unique position for growth based on the high value we bring to individuals and companies seeking stable, innovative advisory solutions that are enduring, effective and responsive to their changing requirements.
Translation: our clients get accepted to the world's most competitive education and career opportunities...and we give them ample reason to keep coming back.
Admissions Leadership
Walter is a Columbia University graduate who has 20-plus years accumulated experience with admissions to top-ranked schools, as well as to some of the world’s most competitive conferences, scholarships and fellowships. His cross-border admissions background includes periodic residence on 3 continents and visits to more than 35 countries. Furthermore, he has repeatedly helped applicants around the world gain admission to top schools including Harvard, London Business School, Stanford, INSEAD, and of course Columbia.
Walter holds both bachelors and masters degrees from Columbia University.
Cross-Cultural LeadershipWalter is a global specialist with a long track record of helping not only native English-speakers but also non-Westerners and non-native English speaking professionals transition to American, European and Asian MBA, Graduate and College programs. As a former delegate and selection committee member of international conferences in Asia, North America and Europe, Walter has also assisted professionals at the United Nations, the Japan Development Bank and various NGOs in gaining admission to world-class graduate schools.
Sector Impact
Walter has assisted professionals as well as executive team members of finance, consumer products companies, manufacturing groups and national associations to brand themselves for advancement or industry transition. Employees of Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies, as well as those from small and medium-sized enterprises around the world, have benefited from his counsel.
Industry DiversityWalter's experience includes international law firms, accounting groups, manufacturing, marketing, global investment banks and governmental agencies.
While on Wall Street, he advised colleagues as well as peers and counterparts at neighboring finance and accounting firms on MBA and Graduate admissions strategy - capitalizing on prior experience working for Columbia University's Graduate School of Business. They were, at the time, part of companies including American Express, Merrill Lynch, Travelers (Now Citigroup), Ernst & Young and Goldman Sachs.
In Asia, early clients came from companies including Toyota, Nissan, Nomura Securities, Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi, Docomo and the Japan Development Bank.
He also advised legal professionals on Graduate admissions strategy at firms such as White & Case (Asia and Europe), Skadden Arps, Meagher & Flom (New York - US) and Mori, Hamada and Matsumoto (Tokyo), Japan's oldest and most renowned law firm.
20 Top Reasons We Are Your Personal Advantage
Most Other Admissions Consultancies
No single advisor possessing as broad a range of admissions consulting experience. Most likely, up to three junior or senior consultants have to be assigned in order to offer a similar scope of expertise.
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1. The ApplicationAdvantage Difference:
Working One-on-One, Directly with Walter Hutchinson, which in practical terms means ready access to an exhaustive range of strategic advice, resources and the benefit of very personalized support. Moreover, you deal directly with the holder of a personal track record for single-handedly getting several hundred people into top schools around the world over the past two decades.
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Local operation with a primarily local focus
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2. Global Footprints/Global Presence:
Vast experience in Europe, Asia and North America. At "home" constantly moving between the 3 regions, helping to guarantee that ApplicationAdvantage has no equal in terms of its trademark strength in channeling crucial advice to our clients worldwide, keeping them all ahead of the curve.
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American or Non-American Consultants with primarily US-based experience.
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3. Global Advising & Multi-Cultural Perspective-Driven Strategies:
Based on many years of experience living and working with Globally-Branded companies in the US, Europe and Asia. A major multi-cultural advantage which enables us to uncover strategies that sharpen and boost your profile in ways that less-experienced consultants typically do not.
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| Developed countries as the primary focus |
4. More than 40 Nationalities on Our Admissions Profiling Radar:
Applicants representing Under-developed, Developed and Developing nations all gain a tremendous edge from our global experience and approaches.
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| Favoring clients who are native English-Speakers |
5. Clout for Non-native English Speakers of Many Countries:
Extensive experience with native AND non-native English-Speakers from Asia to Europe and points in between.
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| Consultant(s) having a couple years of direct admissions office experience |
6. Multi-Dimensional, Enduring Admissions Experience :
8 years of direct admissions office experience and a further 14 years of ad hoc advice to candidates from all over the world. Our strategies have been helping clients succeed before there was such a thing as an admissions consulting industry.
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Sometimes claiming admissions experience based on: 1) an academic degree, 2) editorial background, 3) former admissions work, or 4) limited first-hand experience or experience "by association" (that is, not having graduated from a top school at all or worked at one).
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7. A Distinguished 360 Degree Ivy-League Background:
ApplicationAdvantage's founder graduated with both a bachelors and masters degree from an Ivy League university AND accumulated years of admissions experience working with local and international applicants at multinational companies while still in school.
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| Often limited experience with scholarships and fellowships |
8. Advising On AND Winning Global Funding Opportunities:
Aside from direct advisory experience, ApplicationAdvantage's founder has been either a finalist or winner of the Rotary Foundation Scholarship, the Rhodes Scholarship and the Japanese Government Monbusho Scholarship, to name a few. ApplicationAdvantage therefore has an unusually deep first-hand experience with high-level and ground-level strategies, raising your chances for winning coveted graduate funding opportunities.
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| Admissions experience at 1 school |
9. Competitive Profiling for Selection at Multiple Educational Programs:
Experience at 3 divisions of Ivy League universities and elite feeder schools for the most competitive colleges.
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Consultancy is often predisposed toward the types of profiles they expect to see from applicants who have "grown up" with the American or related experience.
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10. Advantage for Applicants having International Backgrounds; not just those from one country:
Reinventing or transforming an applicant's profile based on factors that make the profile stronger, whether or not it includes Western experience.
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Approach based on helping an applicant package the profile they have already established, and using this approach to help grow client lists as much as possible.
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11. A Business Model that Serves the Applicant First, whether Improving a Pre-Existing Profile or Creating a Powerful New One:
Maintaining control over quality by working with only a select number of clients for premium consulting packages and our exclusive programme.
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| Easier to work with clients whose value and chances for admission can be determined based on templates. |
12. Marketing You on Your Terms:
Vast expertise in helping clients from every walk of life to express their personal values and accumulated experience to admissions committees, as a unique blend of highly desirable elements that complement a top program.
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| Consulting process is usually linear, based on a pre-determined process for delivering service to the client |
13. Getting You the Results You Want, By Going Where You Need To Go:
Our process is flexible and multi-drectional, allowing for the important "eureka" moments that can define a resume, essay or interview or entire application. Moreover, when we discover ways to strengthen your strategy, we will test and implement ideas whether at the start or near the end of our service cycle.
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| Narrower and more-rigid timelines for service |
14. Support and Progress Always Guided by Your Priorities:
Flexibility depending on the package selected. We are typically available to assist you even after the service term has technically ended. We alway feel morally invested as much in your continued success as you do in our expertise.
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| Editorial writing experience |
15. Seven Dimensions of Our Global Strategic Advantage:
1) Editiorial writing COMBINED WITH strategic experience stemming from 2) past engagement with Global Fortune 100 corporations. Intuitive and practical understanding of 3) workflow, 4) political and 5) promotional dynamics within both 6) large companies and 7) SMEs.
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| Limited industry experience |
16. Strategic Value based on Six Umbrella Industries and Regions:
Multiple industries encompassed by finance, consulting, marketing, manufacturing, law and government spanning the US, Asia and Europe.
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| The "let us get their experience to be more American" approach |
17. An Empowering System that Works for You Everytime:
Through years of experience learning, teaching, researching and building linkages with future leaders, we have mastered and pioneered techniques and tools that position you as a "person of great interest" for admissions committees of the world's most-competitive programs, not just programs from one country or programs dominated by one demographic group.
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| Usually only working with clients who have a certain set of numbers or experiences. |
18. Nurturing a Diversity of Strengths in a Diverse Range of Client Profiles:
We use our experience to help EVERY client demonstrate how they would contribute depth to their target program. We do not employ cut-offs, because EVERY client has something to offer. Profile positioning and definition come first with us, rather than some arbitrary collection of numbers that neither lead to automatic acceptance nor rejection.
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| Passing clients on to other people. |
19. You are always working with An Expert who Exemplifies the ApplicationAdvantage Difference:
Absolutely no delegation of your file to anyone else. When you sign up to work with our founder, for example, that is exactly who you will be interacting with exclusively. The scope will vary depending on the service level you select. You always know who you are working with, and that person, by mutual consent, is your advisor.
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Serving a business model and investor plan designed to cram as many people in as possible, in order to meet projected targets and realize the highest profit possible.
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20. A Model for Excellence that Has No Moral Conflicts:
We are a privately-held group controlled 100% by Walter Hutchinson, thereby guaranteeing that our standards are NEVER compromised. Because we are privately-held, we can and do set limits on the number of commitments we undertake. As our mantra goes, "No Shortcuts. "No Compromises".
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