Admitted to Harvard, Stanford, Wharton

I suspect many MBA applicants view the admissions consulting business with a fair measure of cynicism. I certainly did. The upfront cost is high, most firms market comparable services at a similar price point, and online reviews are almost uniformly positive. Yet, after my first conversation with Katy Lewis, I immediately realized she would be a valuable partner and advisor. I am now fortunate to also call her a friend.

I write this testimonial as someone who was accepted to Harvard, Stanford, and Wharton in a historically competitive admissions cycle. Even if I did not achieve these incredible outcomes, I would value Katy’s services equally highly. Katy has received dozens of testimonials speaking to her personality, work ethic, dedication, and value for interview preparation. I wholeheartedly agree with these reviews. I now want to highlight some additional facets of Katy’s work that, while less obvious, are perhaps even more important.

Katy’s education and experience seem custom-tailored to her present role. She unites the strategic thinking of a McKinsey consultant with the discerning and critical eye of an attorney. As an HBS alum and former member of the Stanford GSB admission committee, she brings a true depth of understanding to the application process. Moreover, Katy has years of experience working with clients specifically targeting the top three MBA programs in the country. Carefully read the bios of admissions consultants from other firms; buried in a sea of self-congratulatory superlatives you might find one or two relevant substantive experiences. With Katy, every relevant skillset and experience is brought into play. If you are serious about optimizing your chances, why compromise?

Katy demonstrated a sophisticated and enthusiastic understanding of my background and career aspirations. Though we do not share a similar professional background, Katy immediately and intuitively grasped the “narrative arc” uniting my educational and professional experiences. This ability allowed Katy to provide individualized, thoughtful, and nuanced advice specific to my situation. Thus, contrary to prevailing wisdom, Katy advised me to apply in round 2, which proved to be a shrewd (and very beneficial) decision. Any consultant can provide generic advice about the various components of the application (essay, recommenders, employment, etc…) Katy’s value was most evident in those ambiguous situations that ultimately come down to a matter of sound judgment.

Katy was incredibly proactive at all stages of the application process. She volunteered to reach out to my letter writers to provide some insight into the MBA admissions process. As I come from a non-traditional background, my recommenders had never written a letter of recommendation for admission to business school. Understanding the admissions criteria helped my recommenders more effectively communicate their sentiments. Perhaps most importantly, I felt like my own voice, style, and values, and motivations were clearly present in each and every application. At no point did Katy attempt to “package” my unique story into a template.

Returning to my skepticism regarding admissions consultants, I do suspect that in 99% of cases they are ineffectual or downright harmful. Katy Lewis is the other 1%.