If you are looking for an admissions consultant, there is nobody better than Kelsey! I spoke to a couple of consultants at the bigger firms who all were very skeptical about my candidacy for MBA programs due to my very non-traditional background (practicing dentist) and didn’t feel like they had really listened or cared to get to know me. Kelsey was a completely positive breath of fresh air. Ten minutes into our call I was much more optimistic about my MBA prospects and immediately felt I could trust her. Kelsey really takes the time to dig deep and figure out your “why.” I learned so much about myself through working with her. Her help and guidance with essays was absolutely invaluable. She gave feedback through multiple drafts and helped transform them into strong, powerful and effective essays, while also keeping my story authentic. Kelsey goes above and beyond every step of the way and working with her was absolutely the best decision I made during the admissions process :)

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Kelsey was an integral part of my MBA application process and a key factor in the success I saw getting into my top schools. Having known very few people who have gotten an MBA and feeling very overwhelmed at the application steps, I met with Kelsey at the recommendation of my former coworker. In just our first consultation call, she started by listening to my business school goals and career aspirations, and by the end, had constructed a personalized game plan for my application process.
I can't recommend Kelsey enough. Applying to schools and putting yourself at the risk of rejection brought much anxiety, yet she made me feel confident. When I hit submit on my applications, I knew I had created a cohesive vision of myself and proved myself a competitive candidate. Whether it was meticulous essay and resume editing, detailed mock interviews, or simply words of encouragement after what felt like a million GRE attempts, Kelsey was the advocate I needed throughout this process. Not to mention, her method works - with her help and encouragement, I was granted admission to my top schools, CBS and Stern, and look forward to attending in the Fall.

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The strengths listed capture it all. I regret wasting my time with anyone but Kelsey. It was so easy and motivating to work with her. She really sought to get to know me to help bring the best to my applications. She built up a level of trust through her patience and genuine interest in my stories (those that made it into the app and didn't). I recommend her to anyone I know who mentions thinking about an MBA at all.

I worked with Kelsey on six different applications which required many different essays. She trusted my vision when I had one and gave good steers when I felt lost in the drafting process.

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As a candidate with a <3.0 GPA and below average test scores, Kelsey is a true miracle worker that helped me get accepted to 2 M7s (including my #1 choice program) and 2 T15s, with scholarships amounting up to a full ride!

From working on my resume, drafting my essays, to preparing for interviews, Kelsey gave me the necessary tools and feedback to fully reflect on my professional journey and communicate it in an effective way. Her valuable insight as a former admissions officer and ability to provide prompt feedback ultimately allowed me to put my best foot forward when submitting my applications and going through interviews.

Her rates are extremely fair and I’ve continuously recommended Kelsey to my friends throughout the application process. Whenever I had a new version of my resume/essays or had a question about anything related to the application process, I could trust that Kelsey would provide effective feedback right away. She also made sure I stayed on track with each part of the process, which is above and beyond what I would have expected from a coach!

I knew it was going to be an uphill battle getting into MBA programs with my stats but Kelsey truly gave me the confidence and structure needed to succeed in every part of the process. I still can’t believe all of the acceptances I got and can’t wait to start my MBA this fall! :)

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Results: M7 with $, t-15 with $$$$, CBS with $$$

Stats:

3.4 from state school, 2.mid law school GPA, domestic candidate, 99% GMAT (please don't let this fool you; anyone who's paying attention can see that it's not all about the hard stats)

Background:

I had doubts regarding my candidacy. Looking through Linkedin, I found <10 people from my undergrad institution who went on to attend the top MBA programs. My resume was not adorned with mentions of blue chip companies and I had done a lot of job hopping in the government and non-profit sectors. I had also spoken with other consultants prior to contacting Kelsey and they all recommended that I aim for programs in the t-20 range, referencing my low GPA as a limiting factor to my candidacy.

Even though I had a lot of self-doubt, I also believed in myself and felt that I could reach a bit higher. I wanted additional opinions and stumbled upon Kelsey. After sending her an email with my story, she promptly responded. She told me that she felt that I had a compelling story and that I could absolutely achieve my goal of admission into a top program (I'd also like to note that I hadn't yet taken the GMAT, so her response was more focused on my story and career progression with a hypothetical test score range in mind). Her advice actually made me tear up--here was someone who believed in me when I didn't even fully believe in myself. I knew that I wanted to work with her immediately.

Review:

-Kelsey has worked as an Adcom at a top program in the past, so she understands exactly what they are looking for. Additionally, she is able to translate her thoughts on an app into actionable advice.
-Kelsey is very responsive to emails. This process can be very anxiety-inducing, and so it's important to have someone who can promptly address even the most minor of concerns.
-Kelsey is a great listener and very empathetic. These points just made her a very easy person to work with.
-Her rates are very reasonable. I never felt like I was being nickeled and dimed, and she bills by the minute if you choose to go hourly, so you can be sure that you're getting full value.

Overall, I would analogize the MBA admissions process to building a puzzle without a box. You have all of the pieces you need, but you don't have the final image to reference in putting them together. Kelsey is the box. She will help you to arrange all of your seemingly disparate experiences into a cohesive picture.

Even the strongest of candidates can benefit from working with Kelsey. We all rely on others every day for guidance in areas where we are not experts, so why not rely on someone for help with a process that could change the course of your life? If I had to do it all over again, I would work with Kelsey every time.

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Words cannot describe the incredible guidance, expertise, and effort Kelsey provided during my MBA application journey. I was a military applicant, and early on in my application process I tried using some military-centric MBA consulting services. However, I was not satisfied with their sense of urgency and expertise, particularly because I was still extremely busy at work and needed an adviser who was willing to grind to help me meet application deadlines. However, another vet told me about Kelsey and after a quick intro call my application process did a complete 180. Her knowledge as a former M7 adcom was truly unmatched and she worked all hours of the day (literally sometimes at 0100) turning edits on my essays, resume, doing interview prep, and answering all my admissions questions. Further, she helped me tailor my essays so they were truly personalized and unique. In the end, I was admitted to an M7 and my dream business school, and I couldn’t have done it without Kelsey. Please don’t waste your time and money with these big brand and overpriced consulting services; use Kelsey.

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If you're reading this, you can stop searching for your MBA consultant. Kelsey is the one you need. I started my application journey with a big-name consulting company, but after finding Kelsey, it was clear she was the better choice. Her approach is simply superior. She takes the time to really get to know you, understands what drives you, and then blends that with her deep knowledge of what admissions committees look for. The result is a powerful and unique application adcoms will drool over.

But here's what sets Kelsey apart: the personal care and attention she pours into your application. Hit a writer's block on a complicated essay question? She's a call away. Feeling nervous before an interview? She's got your back. Even during those late-night, last-minute application grind sessions, she's there. You won't find this kind of one-on-one focus at the larger firms.

If you’re still not sure, let me put it this way: I was a real Hail Mary applicant—low GPA, young age, not a single big-name brand on my resume—and yet, Kelsey got me into Columbia. If you want an application that will truly stand out, don't make my mistake by paying five times more at a big consulting firm (and then not even use their services). Kelsey is the one you want.

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Kelsey was instrumental during my MBA prep process and a core reason why I was able to get into HBS! At the onset, I did not think I had a chance at a top 5 school, and Kelsey explained very clearly that yes, it is extremely hard to get into these top schools. But through her advice, hard work, interview preparation, and all the other tactical prep items, Kelsey was able set me up for the best possible shot at getting into a top MBA, and I ended up at HBS! I think what makes Kelsey different than other consultants is she is very personalized and it does not feel like an MBA prep factory. She takes the time to learn your story so she can help craft the best essays possible. She Knows the process inside & out, and really acts as your guide throughout the difficult year of applying. I could not recommend Kelsey enough for the MBA journey

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The time before I found Kelsey, I was frustrated. I was just declined by one dream school and waitlisted by another dream school, both of which I have tons of connections and hopes for. At that moment, I was anxious and didn’t know what to do. I read all those MBA-related forums day and night and found out EmbarkMBA wrote Ask Me Anything on Reddit every year. One night, I read every reply from Kelsey and was like, “WOW, this lady really knows all the magics of MBA applications.

Then Kelsey helped me with her ADCOM Review. She was a former M7 admission member, and she provided like 7~10 pages of comments with all my materials, essay, LOR, resume, extracurricular activities, you name it. She helped me find the weakness part of my application and totally changed my application philosophy. I was super careful about each word I chose and each extracurricular activity I input, turning my essay way too formal and “miserable” and my application extremely professional and cold. To be a top candidate, I need to be more than a good student. And Kelsey built my confidence and told me I AM. I realized, wow, I could write so many things besides student government or my outstanding performance at work. Let me cite one reply from Kelsey for the impressive story and activity, “Roller derby skaters, pole dancers, stained glass art-makers, wine sommeliers - there was a wide range of ECs I was pretty surprised & impressed by!

Another misunderstanding I had before I knew Kelsey was the nationality and ORM. I realized ORM is not even a “drawback” when I apply for top MBAs. All those successful ORM candidates are unique. I must show my personality and not worry about “Asian compares with Asian things".

Kelsey set up a very clear and professional plan for the waitlist strategy. And super fair about the cost and time she worked on my essay. She replied to emails super quickly and would tell me what was valuable for my application and what steps were not worth it for me to save time. I was thinking about using the $600 waitlist package, and Kelsey was extremely helpful and fair, saying that you could do hourly first for your case. She was not kidding when she mentioned 90% of my clients fall within the hourly-service bucket. Because Kelsey is super responsible and loves to help candidates, help us away from the “fog” and uncertainty. Sometimes I was thinking back to this crazy and exhausting one-year application cycle and wish I could connect with Kelsey earlier

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Coming from the military, I knew I needed an outsider's perspective on my application, and I'm so glad I found Kelsey!

I didn't have a resume so that was the first place we started. Kelsey gave me perspective on how things would read to a civilian and we were able to put together a good product.

The essays were next. I'd do the initial drafts and she'd turn around and send those back to me with corrections. We did this several times until we had our final products. I want to emphasize here that there was no "72 hour turnaround" or anything like that. I got responses to all my emails within minutes, and longer corrections came back the same day.

She also helped with interview prep before my interview.

Having served on an admissions committee, she knows how things sound from the other side of the table, and she's able to steer you one way or another to ensure you're putting together the strongest application possible.

I also want to bring up that despite my GPA being well under the median, not once did she try to talk me out of applying to HSW. I feel like that's something a lot of admissions consultants do. They'll tell you you're not competitive and get you to apply to lower ranked schools so that they can ensure a successful outcome. In this case, my dreams were my dreams and Kelsey was 100% on board with that right from the start.

Lastly, there were several times when I had questions about things. She was always just an email or phone call away. Another friend I referred her to got into HSW as well.

I would highly recommend Kelsey to anyone applying to the top schools! She goes above and beyond at every step, and you just won't get that personalized experience working with a bigger name admissions consultant.

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