Applicant Lab is an exhaustive online tool to prepare for your MBA applications and interviews as it covers all the major and minor aspects of the admission process in a step by step and well structured program. While the service does an outstanding job in assisting a user through each phase of writing recommendation letters, resume, essay, and interview components of the application, it also covers lesser discussed but important components such as how and when to connect with current students and alumni, perspectives of admission committee while evaluating an applicant and how to work things out accordingly, importance and ways to build digital brand, what is leadership and ways to bolster it, etc. It not only guides on what all to do but also suggests on how to do so. The other obvious implications of my review so far is that a user gets started in a right direction and saves plenty of time that would have been spent otherwise on self research, and thus making Applicant Lab worth its cost.

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Before I came across ApplicantLab, I was struggling with my MBA applications -- I found it to be a daunting task to effectively communicate your unique brand to AdComms. In fact, I was on the brink of pulling out of the process altogether.

ApplicantLab provided great structure and led me through the entire process: from brainstorming and branding to essay-specific advice and school-specific interview help! I got interviews from 4/5 schools I applied to and got offers from 3 of them: Sloan, Kellogg, and Haas!

Also, I'm a senior in college and so these were deferred MBA applications. While ApplicantLab's main audience is regular MBA applicants, it works just as well for deferred applications in my opinion.

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When I signed up for ApplicantLab I thought that I was buying material for application to B-schools but what I got was much-much more. The guidance was EXHAUSTIVE to being with - the team had thought through all possible scenarios an applicant could have and illustrated them with examples. For each essay, I had a structure in place even before I wrote the first word, which made writing the essays much easier. I wrote all of the essays for INSEAD, the school where I ultimately got an admit, in just 5 days. This tool is especially helpful if you are applying to multiple schools.

On top of this amazing guidance, Maria and Carin were available for any questions I might have. I could ask them for suggestions on what I could add in an essay given my unique circumstances and they always responded within 24 hours.

Overall I would highly recommend this for B-school application, even if you are taking help from other sources.

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Applicant Lab was exactly what I needed to be successful throughout the MBA application process. It greatly exceeded my expectations and I would recommend it without hesitation.

The module/website led me through the application in a thoughtful way - and helped my gather my thoughts and write my essays efficiently. Applicant Lab changed how I viewed different areas of the application - allowing me get the most out of the short answer fields and my recommenders. I also liked how I was able to go through the modules at my own pace.

Applicant Lab is the best value by far when it comes to MBA admissions consulting. This was an important factor for me and what drew me to Applicant Lab in the first place.

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This was a service that I should have used in my first go, but either / or, it was a really good service that got me one admit from M7, and one from a T15. The feedback that the site provides for each school is so helpful. Its concise and it gives you great pointers on what to write, how to shape your essays so that it fits into what the ad-coms want and what to avoid. PLEASE, take my word, even though the advice is remote, not-specific to you, and not being given by a live consultant, it is better than what a traditional consultant would say, because it is so school-specific and so relevant to the essays.

Its a great resource, and though I didnt use any add-on features, I am sure those must be really great.

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ApplicantLab is the perfect service for people who know they want to apply to school and want to guide themselves through the process.

The modules and website were very well laid-out, and helped me manage the application cycle super easily.

Maria offered more honest, helpful content than many other consultants my friends worked with. Most consultants would employ the Socratic method with their clients - it's helpful, but it doesn't always get you from A to B efficiently. ApplicantLab did do so.

The a la carte services (Sanity Check, Resume Reviews, Essay Reviews) were also great. I used them for my top 2 schools and did not regret it.

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When I started looking into the MBA process, I was astounded by the astronomical high prices of many MBA consultants. There's no way I can afford it - until ApplicantLab (AL) came along!

Disclosure: I got a free access to the AL modules because the content was not captioned for the deaf and hard of hearing, so it was not fully accessible at the beginning. Maria was kind-hearted enough to grant me a free access and then later had the videos captioned within a few days. So if you're deaf or hard of hearing and thinking about an MBA, AL will definitely make its content accessible for you. Instead of a video review of your essays, they'll write in notes/comments in the Word doc.

I mostly worked with Carin to craft my narrative ("sanity check") and essay reviews, and how to shine a positive light on my lived experiences as a deaf person. I couldn't find a deaf student or alumni at my programs of choice (M7 + T10s) to reach out for helpful guidance and information. I had questions like "How did they present themselves well?", "how to show that we offer a lot to the community?" and "how did the employers view students with disabilities?"

However, Carin and Maria were awesome in lending thier experience and perspective as hearing people to make sure I present my unique, nontraditional background and experiences well. They responded quickly to my emails and questions, including their feedback/thoughts on selecting a certain topic my video prompts.

The modules are all top-notch, highly specific, updated, and very informative in all one place - great if you're short on time and need to churn out applications in matter of days. I highly recommend AL for any new MBA applicants at a very affordable price points for its platform and add-on services (which I did pay for).

Results? I got into Wharton, Yale SOM, and Booth for R2.

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ApplicantLab is a great resource for those willing to put in the work independently, with some level of guidance given through instructional videos and comments. As someone who likes to work/study independently (I studied for the GMAT on my own) this service was just what I was looking for!

Maria is super passionate about this project and her students and goes above and beyond in answering any questions. Her videos are very informative and have all the information required for you to write a good essay and put your best foot forward.

ApplicantLab is also very affordable. I had friends who hired private consultants for 5x the price. I highly recommend ApplicantLab.

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I would recommend Applicant Lab without reservation. There are things you can't really change in your application (GPA, school, etc.), but Applicant Lab really helps you make the most of the parts of the application that you can control.

The Lab was a game changer in writing my essays and crafting a compelling story for each school. The self-service model appealed to me (as did the price), especially after some underwhelming consultations with traditional admissions consultants. I probably didn't use all the storyboarding/planning tools to their fullest, but just the advice and videos alone were so helpful. For example, beyond the big ticket items like essays and recommendations, there are a ton of little things in the application forms that I probably would have underutilized without Maria's guidance in the Lab. Early on, I also used the "Sanity Check" service with Carin. Her advice really helped me view the application holistically and identify areas to focus my attention.

If you're serious about MBA applications, you won't find a better value than Applicant Lab.

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I first heard about ApplicantLab during DMAC (Diversity MBA Admissions Conference). Maria did a presentation and I was extremely impressed by 1) how much knowledge she had 2) 2) how she approached the MBA applications process 3) how straight to the point she was, yet also has the ability to be personal and relate to each one of us in some way or another. I took some time to think and even did a few free initial calls with admissions consultants such as Fortuna, but the price was just not up my alley given how much I spent on test tutoring and HBS CORe already and it felt way too "sales-y" to me. Also, there was no guarantee I'd get in so why would I pay upwards of 10K+?!?!?!?!

I decided to go with ApplicantLab and I am SO happy I did. There is a plethora of information on the tool and in particular, I utilized the platform for writing my essays and putting my story together. The platform helped me figure out how to approach my story/questions and really play my strengths, as well as mitigate weaknesses.

Maria is affordable and also the sweetest kindest woman! Go with ApplicantLab and you won't regret it. I even contacted her after I got in and she was so happy for me.

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