Best Consultant - admitted to HBS!

I could not have asked for a better consultant and a smoother application process, all thanks to David! I applied R1 this year and got into HBS, Sloan ($) and Stern (full scholarship). I started working with Menlo Coaching two years ago through the comprehensive Early Bird program but had to defer my plans for a year due to my partner's relocation. David and his team were super understanding and supportive! The things I like most about David:

1) 100% focused on you - even before we started writing essays, David spent hours talking to me about my background and childhood story. After these conversations, I realized there were so many things I had forgotten or thought were unimportant, which ended up being instrumental for my essays later on. I also came into the process not sure what my post-MBA plans should be. David went above and beyond to connect me with his previous clients in different industries. Thanks to these conversations, I was able to talk confidently and genuinely about my post-MBA plans.

2) Expert feedback - writing personal essays has always been my weakest point, and David really worked hard to make sure that my narrative was the strongest, pushing me to think beyond my limits. We had over 5 to 10 iterations for every essay that I wrote, and the end product was so much better than I could ever come up with by myself!

3) Extremely knowledgeable about MBA programs - in the beginning, I used to feel overwhelmed with all the application info available online. With his years of experience in the field, David always cut to the chase and gave me honest feedback. This was extremely helpful when interviews rolled around since I was prepared to talk about the strengths of each school. Also, David had several mock interviews with me, some tailored to each school's style of interviewing, which helped me feel soo much more confident going into each interview!

4) Super organized and responsive - every time I sent a draft over to David, he had his feedback ready in one day or less, and it was pretty extensive feedback, too. I never doubted that I wouldn't be able to reach David in times of need, even during peak periods. Leading up to the R1 deadline, he started having weekly 1:1 sessions with me to make sure that I was making good progress on my drafts, which really helped me not procrastinate and have the easiest and smoothest application process I could ever hope for.

Looking back on my experience with David, I realize that it was so much more than just a consulting service - David brings a humane side to his job that allowed me to be introspective and figure out what exactly I want to do with my life after MBA. I highly recommend anyone who knows they want to do an MBA in the future to reach out to Menlo Coaching and join the Early Bird program, which made it so easy for me to prep for applications on top of my full-time job. Although the price can feel a little steep, you definitely get what you pay for and beyond - I have a friend who was able to negotiate her scholarship to a full ride thanks to David, which more than offset the cost of the service. I also recommend their new in-house GMAT prep course with Chris Kane, which helped me get a 730 in 5 weeks of studying. If you are looking for a consultant on top of his game, David is the one!