Excellent Process, Excellent Outcome

When I began evaluating consultants, I was looking for someone with a similar background to mine. On paper, Harshad and I could not be more different. Angela assured me that he is extremely talented, but I still had my doubts about whether or not he would be the right fit for me. Boy was I wrong.

Based on my credentials, I was an underdog in the b-school admissions process. I had a number of prospective consultants break the news that I was a long shot for top-tier schools and they encouraged me to lower my expectations. Not Harshad. From the get-go, it was clear he was in my corner. Instead of trying to convince me to settle for lesser schools, he immediately focused on what I could do to best position myself to be accepted into my top choice programs. This attitude was the primary reason I chose Harshad and it was quite possibly the smartest move I made in the entire process.

Harshad’s approach really worked for me during the essay-writing process. He dug deep into my background, my motivations, and my career aspirations and made sure my essays were a reflection of who I truly am. He was masterful in pointing out my strengths for me and also in encouraging me to think about how my weaknesses could be addressed through an MBA--this self-reflection made for great essays. I was also impressed by how economical he could be with word count--all of the content was my own but he was able to really help me eliminate fluff and say what I really meant to say. Another thing I really appreciated about Harshad was his follow-through. If he said he would get you revisions on a draft by Wednesday AM, I could count on it being in my inbox when I woke up Wednesday morning. He was reliable and always made himself available for me throughout the process.

Harshad pushed me really hard, but I appreciated all of his feedback. I knew that he was challenging me to be better because he genuinely cared about my success as an applicant. Harshad was the first person I emailed when I got my GMAT score, the first person I notified when I received invitations to interview, and the first person I pinged when I got off the phone with Admissions Officers letting me know I was in. He was more invested in my success than some of my closest friends. Applying to B-school is an arduous and humbling process; there were many times I questioned my worth along the way. Harshad was always there to pick me back up when I was knocked to the mat.

I have serious doubts about whether or not I would have succeeded in this process without Harshad. In fact, I’m almost positive I wouldn’t have gotten into my top schools. With Harshad’s help, I got into my dream schools, Wharton and Columbia, but had other excellent options like UVA Darden and NYU Stern as well. I was waitlisted at Kellogg but I’m pretty sure that’s because I opted not to have Harshad help me with that one in an effort to save money :)

I can’t recommend Harshad highly enough. I direct anyone I know who is about to embark on this process to him.