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Alex Leventhal Reviews

Company: Prep MBA

Alex Leventhal has been an MBA Admissions consultant since 2005. As one of the most experienced professionals in the industry, he has helped hundreds of applicants achieve their goal of acceptance into a highly-ranked MBA program.

He has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Poets & Quants and other top publications. Alex has been named one of the industry’s Top 10 Consultants by Poets & Quants in both years they have compiled their annual global rankings.

In addition to his private coaching, Alex has authored a career guide for MBA applicants, and regularly lectures on interviewing and the MBA application process at the Harvard Club of Southern California.

Prior to his work as an Admissions Consultant, Alex worked as a management consultant and held various VP of Marketing positions working for companies such as Johnson & Johnson and Siebel Systems. Alex has worked in both the United States and Europe, and currently enjoys working with clients from Boston to Brussels to Beijing.

Alex holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School and a B.A. in Philosophy from Haverford College. Alex grew up in New York City and attended the highly selective Horace Mann School.

5.0 /5 Average Rating
Based on 124 reviews
March 29, 2023
bkboard

Joined: Mar 29, 2023

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
740 Q47 V46 (Online)

Accepted to Stanford GSB

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I was recommended to PrepMBA by a close friend who was admitted to the GSB after working with Alex last year. My long story short: after deciding to work with Alex this year, I was also offered admission to the GSB. There are numerous other applicants that can attest to this – Alex helps drive real results at highly competitive programs. This isn’t magic or luck; Alex has a tremendous breadth of experience, insightfulness, and authentic engagement with the stories & success of his clients. He pushed me to retake the GMAT, provoked new ideas about storytelling around my career, and challenged some big assumptions in my essay – all of which greatly improved application. Then, come the interview, Alex worked with me generously to uplevel & make my answers punch harder.

Working with Alex isn’t a magic wand, but if you’re willing to put in the work, he is a wonderful sounding board, coach, and asset in the application journey. I’d recommend him highly to other aspiring applicants.

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February 16, 2023
mba10501

Joined: Feb 16, 2023

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Worth the Investment!!!

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Alex was highly recommended to me by a close friend who was accepted into his #1 school the year before me. I was at first hesitant to reach out, but given that I was coming from an over-represented demographic and had a below average GMAT, I felt that it was necessary to at least explore the option. In my first conversation with Alex, he instilled much-needed structure and organization into my application process that would force me to dig deep for the compelling and unique attributes that ultimately allowed me to stand out from the crowd, and to get accepted into two of my top choice schools with significant scholarship!!! Alex is an extremely talented storyteller and helped me to transform my application into a captivating story that the admissions committees were excited to read. I truly cannot thank him enough for his dedication and would strongly recommend Alex to any future MBA applicant!

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December 24, 2022
shubhamkumar14

Joined: Sep 21, 2016

Posts: 4

Kudos: 8

Verified GMAT Classic score:
740 Q49 V42

Accepted to Wharton!!

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The application process for top B-schools was a complete black box to me when I decided to apply. The application process seemed overwhelming, and the road seemed too steep! I initially consulted several admissions consulting firms and independent consultants to understand better what it takes to get into a top business school. My friend, who worked closely with Alex on her applications and managed to crack multiple top MBA programs, recommended Alex's PrepMBA while I was still attempting to understand how to approach my applications. As soon as Alex handled the introduction call, it stood out that he was not a sales intermediary. He was very passionate about his service and helped me think through the critical issues. After the first call, things seemed more achievable as he had broken down the entire process into specific small objectives, which was very comforting for me. Many companies suggest you can get into the top schools without carefully assessing your profile. Alex was quite honest about my chances at a range of schools and was very involved in helping me select the right one's basis my aspirations and profile. I found it particularly inspiring and exciting that the Prep MBA is his business, and he does not employ junior consultants!! A Harvard MBA, very articulate and funny and will always be openly honest with you - which, I can say confidently, is the most critical thing you'd need from your consultant in this lengthy, challenging journey. He told me my lower-than-average GMAT may be an issue and suggested a range of schools to target. Even then, he always encouraged me to target my dream schools and worked extremely hard to help me gain admission to those schools, despite my below-average GMAT score.

I had a wonderful experience working with Alex Leventhal. His service was very personal, and he helped me craft my personal story, which was not templatised to any school but was VERY ME! I wound up getting into my first choice, Wharton!! It was not something I could have imagined happening before working with Alex. It was such a surreal experience reading the admit letter, and I immediately texted him regarding the same. The time we spent thinking through my career plans and how they connected the dots with my previous experiences was a huge reason I got in. I was unsure what I wanted to do, and Alex helped me think through some of the options that made sense and encouraged me to research more to really nail the explanation of what I wanted to do. Alex also provided multiple samples of successful essays from past clients, which were incredibly helpful for structure, flow, and word limits.

I would recommend Alex Leventhal in a heartbeat. Besides being a great storyteller, his creativity, clarity of thought, specific knowledge of schools, and sense of essay structure really stood out for me. He was always able to come up with a different angle or way of looking at my experiences. Word limits in this process can be challenging when you get to writing, but with Alex, word limits never are an issue as he would always have the prioritization in place on what to retain to tell a great story!

I feel strongly that Alex is uncommon as an advisor. He is sincere, hardworking, super bright, and often made me feel like I was his only client.

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December 20, 2022
bschoolfan

Joined: Dec 20, 2022

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Got into BOTH of my top choices!

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When I started the MBA admissions journey, I reached out to a number of admissions consulting organizations, including many of the ones you have likely heard of. Once I talked to
Alex, I was immediately sold. Even in our initial consultation, Alex provided incredibly detailed advice, a refreshingly honest assessment of my chances at the schools I was interested in, and an overview of the MBA admissions landscape. He did not sugarcoat his opinions about my profile, and in fact suggested tangible ways to compensate for what could be perceived as
shortcomings in my profile (i.e., younger-than-average applicant, mediocre test scores). This was a breath of fresh air.

After I began working with Alex, I was blown away. He has a phenomenal ability to pick out interesting trends and characteristics in profiles and identified strengths I would have normally have ignored. I am sure that without Alex’ support, I would not have had nearly as much clarity and confidence in my career goals. In every conversation and email, Alex went above and beyond to provide well-reasoned feedback. I should also note that Alex took the time to be an incredibly supportive advisor, entertaining even my trivial queries and reassuring me during times of stress and anxiety.

When I received invitations to interview, Alex held one-on-one mock interviews with me; this practice and his input made me feel much more confident going into the real thing.

As bonus points, given Alex’ successful track record over his
16 years in the consulting business, he comes armed with extensive knowledge on what admissions officers are seeking
and what has worked/hasn’t worked in the past. He also is very well-informed on changes in application processes, criteria, etc.

In the end, I was accepted to BOTH of my top choice schools. Without a doubt, this would not have been the case without Alex being in my corner. I highly recommend Alex for any applicant seeking a personalized, productive admissions advising collaboration. You won’t regret it!!!

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November 10, 2022
c93liu

Joined: Aug 30, 2020

Posts: 21

Kudos: 88

Verified GMAT Classic score:
770 Q51 V42 (Online)

Accepted to Columbia Business School!

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I knew from the start of the MBA application process that I would really benefit from having an admissions consultant to work through the wrinkles in my application and to have an independent voice to bounce off ideas. However, the search for the right consultant was not easy – not only are there hundreds, if not thousands, out there, but they also come with varying sizes and capabilities.

I was very lucky to be able to find Alex during my search process. Two things stand out for me right away for Alex and Prep MBA: his deep domain expertise stemming from his 16 years of experience doing this, and the ability to work with a top-ranked consultant DIRECTLY. The latter point was especially important to me after I talked to a few other consultancies – you don’t get to choose who you work with for most, if not all, of them, and this is especially true for the larger ones.

Working with Alex did not disappoint me one bit and was exactly what I signed up for initially. I tend to be very STEM-minded in my writing style, so Alex’s creative writing skills really shined through and complemented very well with my writing style. That extra touch was exactly what I needed to make my essays pop!

I also really appreciated Alex’s willingness to go the extra mile to help his clients. Alex patiently guided me through frustrating waitlist processes by finding new school contacts for me to speak to, reviewing my extra video essays and updated materials, and strategically planning for AdCom updates and school interactions. Suffice to say that Alex is willing to invest in his clients’ success and support them through rough patches. With Alex, you have an ally in your court!

As I reflect on my application process, one piece of advice for aspiring MBA applicants is to start the process early. I waited until May to take my GMAT for the first time and did not start the application process until late June. Even though I was “on cycle” for the most part, I still wished that I could have an extra 1-2 months. Just remember that it will always take longer than you think, so make sure to start as early as possible. Good luck!

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August 07, 2022
EMBACandidate22

Joined: Aug 07, 2022

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Accepted to Multiple EMBA Programs!

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Title: Accepted to Multiple EMBA Programs!

I initially called a number of admissions consulting firms, and immediately Alex’s service stood out in that he handled the intro call, and not a sales intermediary. He spent 45 minutes with me in the initial consultation even though he said that he would spend 20 minutes. I could tell he was passionate about his service and helping me think through my critical issues. Many companies suggest you can get into the top schools without spending careful time assessing your profile. Alex was quite honest and up front about my chances of admission, given the application hurdles I faced such as coming from a non-traditional job, and suggested a range of schools to target. Prep MBA is his business, and he does not have a team of junior consultants. He is a Harvard MBA, very articulate and funny, and will not BS you.

Working with Alex Leventhal proved to be the winning move. His service was very personal, and he was almost always able to accommodate my schedule and last-minute queries. I wound up winning multiple admissions offers and scholarship funds, too. The time we spent thinking through my career plans, and how they connected the dots with my previous experiences was probably a huge reason why I got in. I was not really sure what I wanted to do, and I was going to write about a career direction that was not really supported or well explained. Alex also provided multiple samples of successful essays from past clients, and these were incredibly helpful for structure, flow and word limits.

I would recommend Alex Leventhal in a heartbeat. The two things about him that most stand out are his creativity and his sense of essay structure and logic. He was always able to come up with a different angle or way of looking at my experiences, and I was always amazed that we got the essays down to the tight word limits. He is sincere, hardworking, super bright and often made me feel like I was his only client.

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August 07, 2022
AspirantMBA2023

Joined: Aug 07, 2022

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Helps bring out your best stories!

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I had worked with Alex for my MBA admissions process and decided to re-engage him a year later for my school's scholarship applications process. Alex remembered pretty much everything about me. One of his superpowers is being able to get at what the selection committee might really be looking for from a question. He’s incredibly detail oriented and helped me come up with answers to questions (with stories from my past) that I myself might not have come up with. Alex specifically brought out vulnerable elements that were extremely personal, to shape powerful stories that made a significant difference. I was fortunate to get a full tuition scholarship. He brings deep insights, asks probing questions about you and forms hypotheses that guide you in the right direction. He has great empathy and spends the time to understand your context and background. You will be doing yourself a big favour by engaging Alex.

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July 24, 2022
AliHall93

Joined: Jul 24, 2022

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
760 Q49 V44 (Online)

Highly recommend!

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I would strongly recommend Alex to any prospective applicants considering applying to the top schools. Before proceeding with Alex I spoke to a number of other admissions consulting services and what struck me was Alex’s honesty and how he was immediately able to identify the weaknesses in my profile – but also suggest how to address them.

I had a muddled idea of how to put together my application, didn’t have clear career goals and came from a nonstandard pre-MBA job. Alex explained the importance of a clear, compelling story in an application and we spent hours poring over all areas of my experience before even addressing an application question. He was able to organise my background, education, professional experience and extracurricular activities together to formulate a strong, coherent argument.

I am confident I would not have received offers were it not for Alex’s help – he was always available over the phone and offered speedy, thorough suggestions and feedback each time I sent through drafts or had any questions – my writing can be a little verbose so his help editing essays was very helpful! On top of this, the interview preparation and practice was immeasurably useful in having the confidence and being ready to give articulate and concise responses to questions.

Alex’s honesty, diligence and his personal approach are exceptional and he would be an invaluable resource to anyone approaching the application process.

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April 10, 2022
krotkrot

Joined: Apr 10, 2022

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Accepted to Wharton

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I worked with Alex on three schools and was accepted to Wharton with a merit scholarship. Starting off in the application process, I knew I wanted to work with a consultant; after getting on initial calls with a couple experts, Alex stood out by being direct about the advantages and disadvantages of my profile. I knew I would be getting his unfiltered, tactical advice from 15+ years of experience and was confident that he had a vested interest in my success.

Alex was a huge value add when it came to my career purpose. I was originally prepared to write about a direction that was not as clear and supported, but he edited my goals into a coherent vision that made it abundantly clear why I wanted to go to business school. I feel strongly that this was a crucial piece to my acceptance, tying together my application materials, and it is so cogently laid out I would go so far as to say it has become a real life roadmap for pursuing my long term goal!

Alex was also critical in my interview preparation. During our practice, he adeptly identified my weaknesses in both content and presentation. From his experience with the process, Alex identified my natural strengths and key tactics that would allow me to capitalize on these assets, and his feedback on how to present myself including minute details like hand placement was a massive differentiator in a remote setting.

Alex is a vastly experienced consultant and talented counsellor who can get to the heart of any applicant’s story. Alex will not hold your hand and do all the work for you, but he provides the extra, personal boost you need in an ultra-competitive and sometimes murky MBA application environment.

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April 07, 2022
salmander256

Joined: Dec 29, 2017

Posts: 0

Kudos: 5

Accepted into Wharton!

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As an international applicant with a non-traditional background, I had very little knowledge of the MBA process especially with regard to the top US schools I was applying for; nor did I have many friends who had gone through the process before. I therefore set up several complimentary calls with consultants, ranging from the big-name firms to the more bespoke outfits where you’d be working with the founder of that firm directly. My key criteria were that the consultant could empathise with and contextualize my background and help bring out the best stories from my experiences, while being brutally honest with feedback. After my introductory call with Alex, I knew he fit the bill 110%. He spent a considerable amount of time during that first call understanding my life, my motivations for pursuing an MBA and where adcoms might perceive my weaknesses e.g. my lower-than-average GMAT and quant skills. I also really liked that he was intimately familiar with the healthcare space having had years of experience in the field, and even helped introduce me to one of his ex-clients before I committed to a school package, which was a really nice gesture.

Alex did not disappoint on those expectations. I decided to work with him over the course of 4 months on a comprehensive 3-school package for Harvard, Stanford and Wharton (2 of which I got interviews for, 1 waitlist). He worked tirelessly with me on brainstorming, fine-tuning my stories and just being a soundboard, taking my essays in creative directions that I feel many other consultants might find it hard-pressed to. He allayed many of my concerns throughout the process and was always on standby to help where needed, especially when it came towards interview preparation.

I can say without reservation that without Alex’s mentorship, brutal candor and sincerity, I would not have got that dream acceptance letter to Wharton. More than that, I am really grateful for his conviction in my success applying to these schools from day one. He is a model consultant and I could not recommend him enough to anyone going through this process.

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