In short, a strategic essay review makes sure that the story makes sense; the editing makes sure the story is correctly written.
In an Strategic Essay Review, your consultant will first skim your resume (to get a sense of your background + to put ourselves in the shoes of the admissions officer), and will then read your essays in-depth to see if:
Your overall “story” makes sense: are the pieces flowing together? Are there any gaps in logic, or any “huh??” moments that the admissions officer won’t understand?
Are you describing your leadership experiences in the strongest way possible?
What concerns might an AdCom member have when reading your essays?
What should there be more of? Less of? (often times the things an applicant thinks are important actually aren’t...and vice-versa)
What you get: a recorded video providing you with strategic feedback and advice.
YES, as part of this, we might suggest alternate ways of wording things, or we might cut out or move around sections if needed. If we have time, we usually make some wording / editing suggestions as well, but the focus is on the strength of the content.
In an Essay Polish, an editor goes through your essays line by line focused on grammar, spelling, and wording (is it clear? can it be said more succinctly?) to help make sure your essays are crisp and to help you cut wordcount if needed.
What you get: a redline version of your essays with tracked changes and maybe a few notes of where something needs to be added/modified to clarify something that the editor couldn't understand.
The editors will not necessarily tell you if, e.g. your “Why MBA?” reason is strong, or if that club you mentioned makes sense, or if that leadership story accidentally makes you look arrogant.