Great Experience, Unique Essay

I had a great experience working with Alex. From our very first call while I was still deciding which admissions consultant would be the best fit, I felt at ease with Alex due to his honesty and openness about the process. Because I was a college senior, applying to only deferred admissions MBA programs, I chose to go with 1 full-school package, and then hourly services for additional applications.

Upon beginning the first application, Alex provided clarity to an overwhelmingly open-ended process by helping me narrow down my story. He was extremely supportive in helping me explore multiple potential “career visions” until I could find one that was unique, realistic, and exciting for me. I firmly believe that I couldn’t have fully progressed through this initial planning without Alex’s help and honesty.

The other reason that working with Alex was invaluable for me was for his help with my essays. Again, he provided honest feedback, taking the time to help me understand why certain themes in my early drafts sounded forced rather than genuine. He didn’t simply type up some comments and leave me to interpret them – he offered to chat on the phone and make it a live discussion. Ultimately, with his support and reaffirmation that I had picked a unique idea, I decided to write an essay about a highly unconventional topic. I can truly say that I would never have submitted an essay on this topic otherwise.

When I received an interview from the Stanford GSB, Alex continued to provide good advice on how to avoid over-preparing and sounding too scripted. A month later, I finally received the positive news: I will be off to the GSB in two years! I know that the unique essay topic made me stand out – the dean of admissions even wrote a comment referencing the essay in the acceptance letter!

Reflecting back on the process, I would have told myself not to hesitate in working with Alex (I had been debating whether it would be a worthwhile investment or not). Knowing what I do now about b-school applications, I can’t picture help any better than I received from him. Another tip – during the “busy” times (before R1 and R2 deadlines), he firmly sticks to 48-hour turnover times on essays (very reasonable), so you can typically plan ahead based on this.