Cannot Recommend Liza Weale Enough!

I applied to HBS and GSB round 1 (for matriculation fall 2018) and was incredibly excited to be admitted to both schools. While I was a competitive candidate (Ivy undergrad, 760+ GMAT, upper middle market private equity), I could not have achieved such an awesome outcome on my own; I owe Liza big time for continuously pushing me throughout my journey and for helping position my applications for success.

I was connected with Liza through a friend and former co-worker who had worked with her the previous year, and I was warned in advance that while Liza was awesome and welcoming, she would not hesitate to push me and tell hard truths if necessary. One of the very first things Liza suggested (even before I formally decided to hire her) was that I retake the GMAT, even though I already had been sitting on a score I was excited about for 3 years with no intention of re-taking the test. Liza could easily have told me what I wanted to hear in hopes of getting me to sign up, but I was remarkably impressed by her honestly when it came to my candidacy, and I became very excited to work with her on my applications.

I recognized immediately how thoughtful Liza was, and she spent an incredible amount of time getting to know me and my personal story through the brainstorming process. She was genuinely interested in (and seemed to enjoy) learning more about me, and this allowed her to make thoughtful suggestions on how to weave my story and personal anecdotes into my applications and essays. She constantly pushed me to dig deeper and reflect more; when she didn't like parts of my work, she did not hesitate to tell me, but most importantly she did so in a constructive way and never failed to be both my support and motivation. I never would have pushed myself as hard as she pushed me, and ultimately I could not be happier with both the work I submitted and with the ultimate results.

Liza's work did not stop with my essays - she was incredibly helpful in selecting and prepping my recommenders, preparing for my interviews, and even helping me think through my school decision after I was admitted. Liza was always one of my biggest supporters, and I cannot recommend her highly enough!