My Background: Mid-20s, white female. Two years investment banking, two years private equity. Graduated from Vanderbilt University with a B.S. in Human & Organizational Development and a 3.94 GPA. 730 GMAT. This was my second time applying—having tried 2+2 applications on my own during undergrad. Always aspiring to HBS, I knew I needed the best guidance possible for my reapplication, and Liza was the first (and only) consultant I called (recommended to me by several private equity colleagues). From our initial conversation, I knew she was the perfect fit. She genuinely wanted to understand who I was, what mattered to me, and how we could showcase my authentic story. Even before I officially signed up with her, she proactively suggested ways to strengthen my profile both inside and outside of work—a testament to her dedication and insight.

I have a particular way of working—I like to start well in advance, slowly chipping away at tasks to avoid ever feeling rushed or overwhelmed. I like putting things down and coming back to them with a fresh perspective, hence the need for significant lead time. Liza embraced this approach, beginning with me early in late March for Round 1 applications. She organized the process so clearly and methodically that I never felt like I was cramming or overburdened, spending just a few hours each week. Her structure kept me calm, focused, and confident throughout. I honestly could not have asked for a more seamless and “relaxed” MBA application process.

When it came to my essays, I initially felt paralyzed by the sheer volume of possibilities after completing my experience inventory. I was overwhelmed and unsure how to craft a cohesive story that tied everything together. Liza expertly guided me through the process, dedicating significant time to understanding my experiences and uncovering deeper layers of my story during our conversations. Her ability to identify themes and connections I hadn’t considered was remarkable, ensuring my application showcased my authentic self in the most compelling way. I was particularly anxious about HBS introducing new essay prompts this year, but Liza’s strategy put me at ease. She had me start with the GSB essays, which created a strong foundation and made transitioning to the HBS topics seamless. Despite widespread uncertainty among consultants about the new questions, Liza’s confidence and effectiveness stood out, enabling me to approach the essays with clarity and focus.

Working with Liza was hands down the best decision I made during this process. Her unwavering support, insightful guidance, and personalized approach were invaluable. More than just a consultant, Liza became a trusted partner and friend in what can often feel like an overwhelming journey. Between essay drafts, we bonded over our shared love of rescue animals and traveling, which made the experience genuinely enjoyable. I couldn’t be more thrilled with the outcome and am beyond excited to attend HBS this fall.

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My experience working with Eric was outstanding. Consistently throughout the application process, he re-oriented my focus on how best to address the admissions committee and application reviewer, nudging me with thoughtful questions designed to showcase my talents and experiences in the best light. For background, I grew up in the Midwest and attended a top 10 U.S. News university (think Duke, Northwestern, UPenn), where I majored in Economics. Upon graduation, I spent two years in investment banking and will have spent two years in private equity by B-school matriculation (fall 2025). I applied with a very strong GPA (4.0) and solid GMAT Focus (685-695). My biggest worry going into the application process was telling my “story” and being able to differentiate myself in a pool of superb candidates—I applied to HBS, Wharton, and Booth.

Eric brought tremendous thoughtfulness and engagement from the get-go, listening carefully to my background and figuring out how best to position myself to admissions. Given I’ve become numb to my own experiences, it’s easy to overlook something that may standout to a third-party. This is where Eric excels. He has you consider things that you may have overlooked, using them to better round you out as a candidate. This shows up time and time again during the essay writing process. Eric reviewed my writing, re-directing it as appropriate and offering recommendations to make it more concise and focused. During interview prep, Eric both supplied comprehensive materials and simulated an environment that mirrored what I experienced with my actual interviewers. Walking away from both my one-on-one and team-based interview, I felt as though both were incredibly additive to my application (rather than a check-the-box)—largely due to the rigorous prep provided by Eric.

Without question, I am blessed to have worked with Eric and credit him with much of the success experienced in the 2024-25 MBA application cycle (admitted to Booth and Wharton with significant scholarship).

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I approached Eric as a reapplicant for the HBS Class of 2027 after an unsuccessful attempt in the previous application cycle for the Class of 2026. As a traditional applicant (MBB background) with solid but average stats (Top LAC undergrad, 3.7 GPA in STEM, 740 GMAT) and a short time frame to reestablish my candidacy, I knew I needed a strategic edge to stand out in a hyper-competitive applicant pool. Eric proved to be that game-changing differentiator.

Eric’s dedication and creativity as an advisor were evident from the start. He conducted a meticulous review of my prior application, pinpointed the execution flaws, and developed a fresh strategy that highlighted untapped aspects of my profile. An example of Eric’s many creative contributions was identifying a major extracurricular activity I had begun in college and helping me reframe it into the centerpiece of my narrative. This became the foundation of a cohesive and compelling story that I wove through all my applications.

Eric’s thoroughness and commitment to excellence were unparalleled. During the essay writing process, he challenged every sentence I wrote to ensure it met the highest standards. His brainstorming sessions were invaluable in overcoming storytelling roadblocks, and he was instrumental in refining my resume and devising a robust recommender strategy. When it came to interview prep, Eric was proactive, consistently checking in, and providing fresh insights to enhance my preparation.

In the end, I was admitted to my dream school, HBS, in R1—just nine months after my initial rejection. Eric was the true difference-maker in this journey, and I can’t recommend working with Eric highly enough.

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Eric was great to work with over the past few months and I'd highly recommend him to others that may be considering applying to top MBA programs and are looking for support differentiating themselves in their applications. I come from a finance background and felt that my GPA (3.8+) and GRE (168Q/162V) may be competitive alongside my work experience but was concerned that my "story" may not be as compelling as others applying to top MBA programs (I applied to Booth and Kellogg). Eric's assistance with the essay writing portion of the application was particularly helpful, as he was able to help me outline the key ideas I wanted to focus on, bring out the most important qualities and traits that illustrated the strength of my candidacy, while still maintaining the personal feel of the writing so the reader could get a true sense of who I was. He made my writing much more concise and direct, so it was easier to follow. After submitting the applications, Eric also was very helpful with my interview prep. We walked through many different types of questions I might encounter, so I was extremely well prepared for the interviews. As a result, I thought my interviews were a particularly strong component of my application and I believe the key driver behind the scholarship I was able to receive. With Eric's support and guidance, I was fortunate to be admitted to both Booth and Kellogg with meaningful scholarship!

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Eric is a candid and meticulous consultant. I am an engineer and have been in the industry for around 10 years. My GMAT score (700+) and GPA (range 3.5 - 4.0) were satisfactory, but I had a unique plan distinct from other applicants. Eric empathetically considered my perspective, offering constructive feedback, whether positive or negative. Throughout the application process, he meticulously reviewed every aspect, from essay writing to transcript submission, ensuring thoroughness. His insights included valuable suggestions I hadn't considered, and he maintained punctuality, returning my essays and emails promptly. Eric was consistently reliable for any inquiries, from application strategies to MBA program selection. I applied for two top 5 schools (u.s news ranking) and got into both! It would be impossible for me to land two dream schools without his professional consultation. I wholeheartedly recommend his services!

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Marcus was incredible to work with and an absolutely essential part of my application success.

I graduated from a top 20 undergrad with a 3.1 GPA and earned a 760 GMAT. Work experience in finance and tech. I applied to Booth, Columbia, Sloan, and Wharton.

For each school I was applying to, Marcus provided a comprehensive list of deliverables I would have to complete, which was extremely helpful for me in getting organized.

I cannot say enough about how much Marcus helped me on the essays. He provided detailed feedback on every aspect from topic selection, narrative structure, what examples to use, and even cutting out words to reach word count. He reviewed 5+ drafts for many of the essays, and the final products were night and day from when I started. Being able to bounce ideas and drafts off of Marcus was a lifesaver, especially for the open-ended prompts like Booth’s “Tell us something about who you are.” As the deadlines approached, Marcus went above and beyond in giving me lots of meaningful same-day essay feedback.

Marcus also gave me great prep for interviews by doing a full-length mock interview for each school for which I received an interview. Additionally, Gatehouse has lots of in-house interview prep material that was very helpful.

When I got waitlisted at Booth, Marcus gave me incredibly helpful advice on what I could do to stand out. He reviewed my supplemental materials and video and brought to my attention Booth’s “Shape the Class” endorsement letters, which are sort of an open secret but which I may have missed altogether without him.

On a personal level, Marcus has an effective style that balances support with tough feedback. He did not hesitate to (wisely) tell me I needed to entirely scrap some essay drafts, but also gave me confidence boosts through our interview prep. I was initially a tiny bit hesitant about the time zones with Marcus being in Sweden, but it actually worked great because he could review stuff while I was asleep, and he was flexible in finding time for calls. His background in entrepreneurship also helped me frame my own entrepreneurial goals in my application.

I ended up getting interviews at Booth, Columbia, and Wharton. I got accepted at Columbia, with a $50k merit scholarship, as well as Booth. I ultimately chose Booth for fit reasons.

There is no way I would have gotten accepted at two M7 schools (one with scholarship) without Marcus’s support. I cannot recommend him highly enough.

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I had an amazing experience working with Rachel throughout the MBA application process, and I could not recommend her, or Gatehouse Admissions, enough.

For context on my background, I am a white female with a 3.8 GPA from a top liberal arts undergraduate college, 750 GMAT, and 4 years work experience in Private Equity. I was accepted to HBS and waitlisted at GSB.

I was introduced to Gatehouse by a friend and colleague who had amazing things to say about the team. I was matched with Rachel Nelson and was immediately sold after our introductory call – even in our first call Rachel understood my background, provided thoughtful advice on ways to boost my resume ahead of applications (e.g., additional extra-curriculars), and shared perspectives on the application processes across the schools I was considering (even ones I was officially hiring her for).

Our first step of the process was to fill out an "Experience Inventory" which was a very thorough (10+ pg) word document detailing my background from childhood, through academics, extra curriculars, work experience, and personal/professional goals. This was an amazing exercise both for Rachel to get caught up to speed on my background, and for me to clearly outline all of my experiences and identify common threads which could help craft a powerful story in my essays. During our next session Rachel came with a list of themes she'd noticed and potential areas for me to focus on in my essays – her brainstorming style was perfect in providing helpful suggestions, while always keeping me in the driver's seat of creation and the direction my essays would take. In the essay drafting stages her reviews are incredibly thorough and she was always transparent with timing commitments which made it easy to work together. She was a perfectionist in the best way possible, making sure we were using the word count to its fullest and never losing sight of how my essays, resume, and short answers all wove together into a comprehensive application.

Her interview prep thoughtfully started with "general interview" preparation and then offered advice and materials targeted to specific schools - this structure demonstrating her expertise and experience working with the different school's admissions styles. Her feedback was pointed and specific, which gave me very focused areas to work on.

Rachel was an amazing thought partner throughout the entire process, and overall, just a great person – I could not recommend her enough!

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TLDR: Working with Liza was one of the best decisions I've ever made, and I recommend anyone seriously considering top MBA programs to reach out and see if she's available! With her help, I'm really excited to be heading to Wharton in the fall!

My background: Mid-20s, Asian American Male - applied to a select small group of schools from a traditional MBB consulting / Private Equity investing background. Test scores and GPA are in line with the medians of the top schools, but are not outstanding by any measure. I had applied once a few years ago to one school only, with the assistance of an admissions consultant who wasn't too helpful - so I was a bit skeptical this time around. However, from the moment I first had a consultation with Liza, I knew that she was on top of her game and treated each of her candidates not just as a paycheck, but a friend she works closely with from day one as a true thought partner.

From when you start working with her, she is meticulously detailed and organized, something that I found tremendously valuable while balancing a full time job with applications. Through working with Liza, I found that no question was too silly, no essay or short answer too poorly written, no idea too random. She is willing always to explore different angles and problem solve with you as you approach an application - something I found really comforting to have throughout. Liza excels in helping you throughout the process - from the macro brainstorming around essays, all the way down to catching the most minute grammatical errors in a short-answer response.

She is a talented editor and partner to brainstorm with as you're approaching the large essays for each school - but she is also there to help provide suggestions on how you architect your whole application - from connecting the essays, to recommendations, to short answers and interviews - to make the whole package come together. Furthermore, she is so dedicated to your cause and success - if you were to equate applying to business school with going through an exhausting, 12-round boxing match, Liza would be your trainer in the corner at all times there to chat in between rounds - giving you tips, prepping you, helping you up when you get knocked down, and always there to be your biggest cheerleader. Even now, as I'm in the summer prepping for business school, Liza continues to be a thought partner on navigating another school's waitlist I'm still on!

I think beyond everything else - what makes Liza stand out is the fact that she balances being an adept, experienced consultant on the tactical portions of the application with being a tremendously empathetic, thoughtful friend that goes through the ups and downs with you when you're applying. More likely than not - you're going to get a rejection from at least 1 school. I'm sure many consultants are good at celebrating their clients' successes when they get into school - but I believe Liza is singular in her ability to be there when you actually face rejection - and need to pick yourself up for your other interviews and applications. No consultant will be a magician that can sprinkle pixie dust that will grant you admission into all your schools - but Liza is as close as you can get - she'll take your experiences, your stories, your personality - and help you package it in a way that you don't believe is possible. It's not cheap - but then again - neither is business school! If you're thinking seriously about an MBA - I think it's a small price to pay to get you to a place you're happy at!

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I would not have had the success that I did with my MBA applications, had I not worked with Gatehouse Admissions and namely, Rachel Nelson. As an Indian-American male who graduated from Vanderbilt University with a 3.55 GPA as an undergraduate Chemical Engineer with a 770 GMAT score, I believed that I had a chance to get into an M7 Full-Time MBA Program, but I had some concerns. I’m not a strong writer, I knew I needed help managing the concurrent admissions deadlines, and I came from a non-traditional industry (I work in pharmaceuticals manufacturing). When I did introductory calls with many consultant firms, they all spent the time “selling” me on how much they would help me, while Gatehouse Admissions (where I met with Hollis Kline) went ahead and showed me. The intro call itself felt like a working session, and after hiring Gatehouse I was paired with Rachel Nelson. She is timely, honest, encouraging, and darn good at what she does! She turned my “pharma jargon” into translatable achievements while helping me identify and develop the themes of my essays. Her reviews are incredibly thorough, and she sent me back her reviews early multiple times, allowing me to have extra time to ensure my applications were strong. Her interview prep is targeted and effective, but also not too repetitive. When my work wasn’t good enough, she told me so in a manner that helped me improve. I found that the stronger writing skills I developed through her showed in my job too! If she felt that I could do even better, she pushed me for another draft, and I know that this “final push” led to me receiving admission at HBS, Tuck, Kellogg, and Booth, while also currently being waitlisted at Sloan despite applying it in the highly competitive Round 2. When I was waitlisted at Booth and HBS, Rachel actively helped me get off them by reviewing additional recommender letters and application updates. I truly believe that pairing with Gatehouse Admissions and Rachel Nelson was the “edge” that allowed me to experience such a successful application process in the incoming MBA Class of 2026’s competitive landscape!

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I am thrilled to recommend April Stewart of Gatehouse Admissions, whose expertise and dedication were instrumental in my successful business school application journey. For context, I am a white male with an HYP undergraduate degree, an undergraduate GPA of 3.81, and a GRE score of 334. Thanks to April’s exceptional guidance, I received offers from Wharton, Columbia, and Stern, each accompanied by significant merit-based aid.

April's approach to project planning was meticulous. From our initial consultation, she laid out a comprehensive timeline for each component of the application process. This level of organization ensured that every task was completed well ahead of deadlines, allowing ample time for revision and refinement. Her ability to break down the daunting application process into manageable steps made the entire experience far less overwhelming.

One of April’s standout qualities is her attention to detail, particularly when it comes to essay editing. She meticulously reviewed each draft, providing thorough and insightful feedback that significantly elevated the quality of my writing. Her edits were not just about correcting grammar; they focused on enhancing the coherence and flow of ideas. Over multiple drafts, April helped me develop a narrative that was compelling and cohesive, ensuring that my essays reflected my unique strengths.

Moreover, April’s skill at ideating on a story that would resonate with business schools was remarkable. She invested considerable time in understanding my background, experiences, and aspirations. Together, we brainstormed and crafted a narrative that was not only appealing to the admissions committees but also inspiring to me. April’s ability to draw out and refine the most impactful aspects of my journey was a testament to her deep knowledge of what top business schools seek in applicants.

Working with April was a terrific experience. Her strategic insights, combined with her support and encouragement, played a pivotal role in my acceptances. I wholeheartedly recommend her and the Gatehouse team to anyone seeking a highly skilled and dedicated business school application consultant.

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