When it came to choosing an essay (study-abroad) counselor, I did not spend an excessive amount of time deliberating. I was introduced to Mr. Round of Round One Admissions Consulting by a colleague from my company who had used his services the previous year, and since I felt no particular misgivings, I decided to proceed. If I were to articulate my reasons, they would be as follows:

• I believed it would be more efficient to prepare in English from the outset.
• I felt it was necessary to test whether what I wanted to communicate—both in writing and verbally—would genuinely resonate with a native speaker, and also believed that communicating in English itself would serve as effective practice and learning.
• I understood that he likely possessed a solid track record in this field.
• He takes a hands-on approach and makes necessary revisions (not only checking English, but also handling time-consuming tasks such as adjusting word counts—of course, with the meter running accordingly).
• I felt that using Skype eliminated the need to spend time traveling long distances for counseling sessions, and that this method was modern, convenient, and efficient.