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Product Avanti Prep Hourly Services
Consultant Greg Guglielmo
As a non-traditional background applying in R2, Greg had successfully elevated my profile for top business school, leading to dual admit to GSB and HBS + misc. offers and waitlist (most are M7)
Greg analysed my background and story diligently and provided very useful feedback to elevate my profile. He is also not afraid to be frank about his comment and approaches, which contributed the good chemistry between the both of us.
Greg is always looking to improve my whole profile, including essay, additional essay, interview answers, even in the smallest possible way to ensure there are no rocks left unturned.
although he has a proforma for certain things, he remained very flexible and would patiently listen to my recommendation and incorporate them into the end product (Eg. essay). He is also not afraid to criticize my approach when needed, making him not just a great consultant, but also a tutor.
Overall, I would definitely recommend him to anyone who wants to aim high. But a reminder is that - be ready to put in the work to complement his hard work!
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Product Avanti Prep Hourly Services
Consultant Greg Guglielmo
As an Indian male reapplicant in my 30s, I achieved my dream of getting into a T15 MBA program with a strong scholarship, and I highly recommend Greg for his pivotal role in this achievement.
I am a finance professional with 10+ years of experience across multiple functions in financial services and a GRE score of 331. I had previously faced multiple rejections from T20 schools. My stories likely weren't strong enough or were too technical for the admissions committees, which led to dejection and frustration, especially given the stiff competition as an over-represented applicant.
After hearing good things about Greg from a colleague who got admitted into an M7 school, I decided to reach out to him. From our first meeting, Greg was very accommodating. As a reapplicant with multiple essays from previous applications, he suggested that hourly packages would be more cost-effective for me.
We worked together for around 25 hours on both my application materials and interview preparation. Greg was patient in understanding my story, prompt in his replies, and detailed in his reviews. He helped me make strategic changes to my application, and even during deadlines, his turnaround time was quick. One of Greg's best qualities is his approachability. He was considerate in counting the minutes, often not charging me for small queries and only billing minimal time for brief reviews.
Greg was also a supportive mentor. During our conversations, he motivated me when I felt low on confidence. In our interview preparation sessions, he guided me on intangibles like articulating myself without losing the listener, structuring my thoughts, and communicating effectively through gestures. He helped me adapt my interviewing skills specifically for admissions interviews.
These multiple adjustments made a huge impact! I applied to nine T25 schools with Greg's help and received admits from four, each with strong scholarships. One school even offered me a full ride. I will be attending a T15 program with a strong scholarship this fall. This was a massive improvement from previous cycles, when I was not accepted anywhere. Remarkably, I was a reapplicant to three of these four schools, and despite no significant improvements in my scores or profile, I not only gained admission but also received generous scholarships.
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Product Avanti Prep Hourly Services
Consultant Greg Guglielmo
Background: 31M, military veteran, good GMAT and GPA
I cannot overstate how much Greg enabled my success as an applicant. I think a previous review described him perfectly when it said, “he’s like your friend that really wants you to get into your dream school.”
Greg came strongly recommended by another military veteran who attended HBS. Together, we worked on essays, resume, recommenders, interviews, and navigating the waitlist. Here are some of my highlights.
Essays – Greg’s greatest asset was helping me develop overarching themes that tied together different elements of my life, career, etc. He had me write up five or six short stories that I felt were significant and was able to see the larger themes that tied them together. It led to an “a ha!” moment when I realized my “why” behind the decisions I’ve made throughout my life.
Resume – Another theme of Greg’s is attention to detail, and he lets nothing go unnoticed. He helped me translate my military experience into language that was easy for admissions board members to understand. Instead of just quantifying everything, his technique offers a nice combination of descriptive language that speaks to the applicant’s values and skills while still being quantifiable and easy to read. He analyzed every word, sentence, and even the spacing between lines!
Interviews – My HBS interview went smoothly because 90% of the questions asked by the interviewer were questions that Greg had prepared me for.
Pricing – Greg’s rate is a steal for the value that he offers, and he significantly rounds down on his hourly tracker. He doesn’t charge for routine email queries and even offered free service on a part of my application because he genuinely wanted to see me succeed.
Military vets – Greg has established himself as the go-to consultant for vets applying to top B-schools. Even though he doesn’t come from a military background, his ability to understand my experiences, roles, and skillsets was remarkable. He was able to offer a different point-of-view on almost every element of my application. For example, I thought I was going to lean heavily on my role as a military pilot, but Greg convinced me to highlight my leadership, mentorship, etc. Turns out, he was right!
Outcome – Accepted to HBS!
Greg challenged me to think deeply, and I feel confident that he helped me craft the absolute best possible application. I must highlight one last time that Greg is not only talented at what he does, but he is also a pleasure to work with. He is approachable, patient, honest, and detailed, and the quality and commitment of his work are unmatched.
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Product Avanti Prep Hourly Services
Consultant Greg Guglielmo
With just a 720 GMAT, Greg helped me get an acceptance to HBS and a waitlist at GSB. He's hands down the best admissions consultant / thought partner / writing coach / interview coach I’ve ever worked with. I actually began this process by signing up for a couple of hours with a few well-known firms before diving deeper with Avanti Prep. Working with Greg was one of the best decisions I made during the admissions process. Here are just a few (of the many) reasons why:
Great for non-traditional backgrounds: I studied liberal arts at a non-target public university, had a fairly non-traditional background, and super non-traditional career aspirations. Greg was the only consultant I spoke with who actually "got" my background and helped me craft a really unique and cohesive story out of it. He struck a brilliant balance both supporting my goals, and challenging me to take them to the next level.
Financially favorable: Avanti Prep offers some of the best deals across the consultant landscape. (If you do your own hourly rates benchmarking you'll come to the same conclusion!). I did a 20 hour package, and added an additional 10 hours for interviews. On top of all of that, Greg was extremely generous and gave me a lot of complimentary time.
Personality: I genuinely had fun during this admissions cycle, in no small feat due to Greg's constant humor, warmth, and integrity. He's just an overall incredible person to work with.
Essay expert: Greg has deep expertise in school programs. His essay guidance was thoughtful, direct, unique to each school, and extremely constructive. I often thought of myself as a strong writer, but Greg's suggestions were always on point, mirrored my writing style, and significantly elevated my own voice.
Interview prep: I spent many hours with Greg prepping for HBS, GSB and a few other M7 interviews. He knew the interview style and nuances for each school, which can vary significantly, especially with HBS and GSB. He delivered highly personalized prep sessions and helped me significantly polish many of my answers unique to each school. In fact, many of his interview questions ended up being nearly verbatim to the ones I actually received!
If you're on the fence and you've read up until this point, just take this as a sign to sign up. It’s absolutely worth it.
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Product Avanti Prep Hourly Services
Consultant Greg Guglielmo
- International male from Asia, investment industry
- GMAT score of 720, GRE score of 332
- Three-time reapplicant, 33 years old
- Had bad experiences with two other US consultancies before Avanti Prep
- Completed 31 hours of service with Avanti Prep
- Achieved three top 10 scholarships (50K, 40K, 20K)
After having very poor experiences by the so-called large consultant companies, I was losing
hope on admission consultancy in general. But Greg and Avanti Prep changed that feeling. I
found out about Avanti Prep from its free consultation. Greg went above and beyond the
allocated 30 min (probably spent an entire 1hr) to share with me insights and next steps.
The level of dedication and excellence was completely different than the other consultancies.
We worked on revamping my resume (total improvement even from what the previous
consultancies considered “done”), essays, and interview strategies. I signed up for hourly
services and kept adding because I really enjoyed the level of details, insights, and perspectives
on how the materials are being interpreted by the admission officers as they read them.
The financial commitment to admission consultancies is real – HOWEVER – Avanti Prep’s rates
are much more affordable versus others, I did not feel like I was getting ripped off like I did with
the other companies, you end up receiving even more hours and services than you actually sign
up for, Greg will tell you to save money if he thinks you don’t need advice on a certain area, he
will give you discounted pricing when it’s possible, and most of all the final results are clear.
(I was even on the waitlist for one of the T10 schools with the other consultancy in Round 1
before I worked with Greg on the waitlist strategy, which led to my acceptance with a 20K
scholarship. Greg’s waitlist strategy was so much better and more thorough than the previous
consultant who was very abstract and wishy washy about the approach. Greg later helped me
with the scholarship negotiations, and I was able to increase two out of my three offers.)
I would highly recommend Avanti Prep to anyone, especially if you feel burned by a previous
consultancy. I felt the highest level of commitment and quality in everything that was done. If
this can be a sign, I have taken almost ~9 months to write this, and NOT A SINGLE DAY has
gone by without me thinking what I wanted to say. If anything, this shows how much I respect
Greg and want to keep him as a mentor and a person to look up to even after the contract is
completed. He has taken my perspectives and communication skills to a whole new level.
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Product Avanti Prep Hourly Services
Consultant Greg Guglielmo
Applying to MBA programs was hands down the most stressful part of my transition out of the military. Ultimately that stress led to me apply to a single MBA program in round 2 (Haas) and thanks to Greg’s diligence, support, and coaching, I was accepted.
Background:
Demographics: White, Male
GMAT: Below Middle 80% Range
GRE: 159V/162Q
GPA: 3.4
Undergrad: Mechanical Engineering, Service Academy
Prior Experience: Aviation, 8 Years
Connecting with Avanti Prep:
I was referred to Greg by a military peer at the very beginning of my application journey. At the time, I was still struggling with my GMAT scores. Greg gave me two free consultations to plan my application timeline from start to finish. During this time, he also encouraged me to switch to the GRE which I believe was a pivotal step in my future acceptance. As someone who felt (and was statistically) below average, Greg’s expertise in building a roadmap felt like a lifeline for a journey I wouldn’t have been able to complete alone.
Services:
When I transitioned my efforts from test taking to applications, I had one and a half months prior to the round 2 deadline and I was defeated – I felt that I had no story to tell and nothing that differentiated me from other military applicants. Greg is an absolute expert in his craft and his brilliance showed through with our first story and goal development session. After helping me identify an overall goal and my unique experiences that coincided with that goal from a very in-depth personal assessment, we formed the blueprint for my application. We then systematically tackled each aspect of my application.
Greg is a phenomenal storyteller and has all the skills to edit and a build a “perfect” application, but what makes his services special is his attention to detail and ability to push you past “good”. Every detail of my application was thoroughly analyzed, and reviewed multiple times with the intent to be more specific so that every story, message, or word served a purpose in communicating who I was as an individual, and how my individuality will bolster the community of the school to which I was applying. This is what makes Greg special and this skill applied to my essays, my resume, my interview answers, and even extracurricular parts of the application that could have easily gone unnoticed.
Takeaway:
I got into Haas not only because of Greg’s technical skills, but really because Greg is a great person who was uniquely suited to help me see parts of myself that I couldn’t see. He gave me the confidence I needed to complete the journey, and that journey ended with a fantastic result thanks to his excellent services and pseudo-role as life coach, teacher, and encourager.
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Product Avanti Prep Hourly Services
Consultant Greg Guglielmo
TLDR- If you want a consultant whom you can trust, who holds a mirror to who you are as a candidate and help you build on your strengths, look no further than Greg! My application journey was a long and difficult one and it became easier since I started working with Greg. I initially came to Greg for helping me get off the waitlist for one school but quickly found myself working with him for other parts of my application as well. Greg will consistently go to great lengths to get things right and have a candid dialogue to keep you motivated throughout the application process. I wholeheartedly recommend Greg as an MBA consultant!
My background:
For the most part, my (29, F) stats are average: 720 GMAT, 8.5 GPA from T20 undergrad university in India. When I started the application process, I knew that it was not my stats but my story and vision that I would have to lean on to differentiate myself. Also, I did have work experience in the US that could have helped me stand out.
Of the 4 schools I applied to in R1 (working with another consultant), I was waitlisted at Haas and Booth and rejected at others. Unclear how to manage the waitlist process, I combed through several videos on Youtube and found Greg's video on waitlist strategy to be most thorough. Shortly after, I reached out to Greg for his hourly services to help me get off the waitlist. I applied to HBS in Round 2 where I leveraged Greg's services for the HBS Interview prep and post-interview reflection.
Outcomes:
Through Greg's support, I was able to get off the waitlist for both Booth and Haas with $$ scholarship. While I ultimately couldn't get off the HBS waitlist as the class was full by R2, I was extremely grateful to have Greg's counsel through this process. Managing the waitlist process for several schools felt like a very taxing and ambiguous process. Working with Greg helped me break this down into tactical steps and overall made it very manageable.
What worked well:
I. Diving deep in my story- I beleive what helped me get off the waitlists was Greg's support with my introspection followed by effectively articulating what truly made me unique as a candidate to the schools. For example, in the Booth waitlist video, Greg helped me comb through Booth's website/articles to identify a theme that would be unique and most importantly, true to my story. In the HBS post-interview reflection, because of Greg's guidance, I took a more holistic view into my application to reiterate my strengths vs. the more tactical route I had in mind. This ability of Greg to help a candidate build a deep understanding of themselves and tailor it to specific MBA programs is what helped me stand out in a crowded waitlist field.
II. Building a waitlist strategy- We started with poking holes to parts of my application that may have been perceived as weakness by the adcom. During this part, I felt Greg provided feedback in an honest yet candid way. Working backwards to R2 decision dates, we mapped how many updates I can share with each school and the topics each waitlist update would address. Greg recommended that I take GRE (as I had maxed my GMAT attempts for the year) and prep course like Math for Management to establish my quantitative readiness.
III. Detailed and thoughtful feedback- There were several times Greg went above and beyond in reviewing my waitlist material. Be it an email that I sent to adcom or my waitlist video for Booth, Greg was willing to review every single part of my waitlist communication to ensure I was giving it my best. What I also noted in the written feedback provided by Greg was that he gave ample context on why he was asking me to reconsider how I had framed a sentence in my waitlist updates. This context was crucial as it became easier to come to consensus and I had a clear view on Greg's recommendation.
IV. Empathy- The MBA admission process can make you as a candidate feel very vulnerable. You need people on your side who are rooting for you and are in your corner, even your MBA admission consultant. With Greg, I felt that he was truly committed to help me get to the school of my choice. Almost every session that I booked with him ran over time ( at least 15-20 mins) and yet, Greg was flexible and stayed true to the discussion we were having. I had booked Greg's hourly services and he could have easily charged me for the overtime, but he chose not to.
Other context:
I had worked with another consultant for the schools that I ended up being waitlisted/rejected. My experience with this other consultant was less than positive (delayed responses, limited feedback and poor interview and waitlist support). Given this, I was keen on finding a consultant who could be transparent, was thoughtful in their feedback and most importantly, cared for my success. Greg was all of this and much more. You won't regret working with Greg as your admission consultant.
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Product Avanti Prep Hourly Services
Consultant Greg Guglielmo
Greg is an incredibly compassionate, patient, and gifted mentor. If you’re reading this, you’re likely feeling the stress and anxiety of the graduate school application process. Having Greg on my team was not only tactically helpful but provided a sense of security and support on an emotional level. Not only is Greg brilliant, but he’s incredibly patient and empathetic. He’s a consultant, mentor, and coach who deeply cares about his clients and works hard to ensure they’re set up for success.
Summary:
- Female (US)
- Undergraduate: Top 3 public university
- Career Background: 5 years in education; 9 years in multinational software company
- Admitted to dream program at a top-tier Ivy League graduate school
Unlike most of Avanti Prep’s clients, I was not seeking admission to an MBA program, but a unique social science master’s program at a top-tier Ivy league institution. Given it was the only program I was applying to, I was committed to doing everything I could to put my best foot forward. A close friend who worked with Greg strongly recommended I connect with him, and it was the best advice he could have given me. Greg took the time to learn about the program and what my needs were, specifically around my resume and application essays.
This was the first time I had sought and received professional support with my resume, and it was eye opening. We spent time discussing my various roles, and ultimately chose to approach it line-by-line, with Greg asking many clarifying questions along the way. He helped me synthesize my strengths and experiences, pushed me to dig deeper and identify compelling data points to strengthen my bullets, and encouraged me to add my community work and interests at the end, which I had never included before and gave it a more personal touch. We all know, formatting a resume is no easy feat, and Greg worked his magic to make sure I could fit everything cleanly on one page.
Most of our time together was spent on essays. Greg patiently listened as I shared my background and brainstorming, before helping me narrow my focus to tell the most compelling story I could. Our discussions were invaluable, from setting up the essay structure to developing my story and providing supporting evidence to strengthen my points. He challenged me to get specific and succinct, which was not always easy as I tend to get wordy in my writing.
Through this process, Greg helped me dig deep and get clear, not only on the essays and resume, but on what I want to do in the short and long term. He inspired me to dream big and I will be forever grateful for this. Needless to say, I highly recommend working with Greg and his team!
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Product Avanti Prep Hourly Services
Consultant Greg Guglielmo
I was a reapplicant for most T-25 schools in the latest admission cycle, and my performance went from:
Last Year: 21 Apps --> 3 Interviews --> 3 Waitlists --> 0 Admits, This Year: 21 Apps --> 13 Interviews --> 9 Admits (and 4 rejects after waitlist post interview) (total of $350,000+ in scholarships)
The major difference was in my entire "why MBA" story, connecting it with my previous work experience and describing ambitious yet plausible post-MBA career goals.
My resume was totally revamped, along with the key pointers shared with my recommenders as an exhaustive list of instances highlighting some of my key strengths.
And the targeted list of suggestions shared by him to show my love and connect with the school that I was applying to.
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Product Avanti Prep Hourly Services
Consultant Greg Guglielmo
Military veteran - headed to HBS after an extremely successful R1 MBA admissions cycle - Accepted at Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, and Yale.
Greg's ability to help synthesize my career into a resume was very helpful. His school specific application advice was spot-on. I especially appreciated his willingness (and the willingness of prior admits connected to Greg) to connect me to others in career fields I was interested in pursuing. These conversations helped me immensely chart a career path post MBA that was easy to put on paper and talk about to admissions personnel during interviews.
I recommend Greg constantly to others. To me, Greg was a teacher and a mentor - more than just a consultant. I look forward to staying connected to him in the future.
Hi, can we connect on DM