I cannot say enough good things about this service. I was almost willing to pay thousands for a consultant as I wanted the highest chance of getting into my schools but opted for ApplicantLab first. I'm glad I did. From the essay-drafting advice to the interview prep, Maria makes it INCREDIBLY easy to draft your essays and brainstorm your narrative. By using ApplicantLab, I was able to finish 8 applications in a single round.

I've been extended 7 interviews out of the 8 schools I applied to and I've been offered full ride scholarships at McCombs, Fuqua, YSOM, and an $80k fellowship at UCLA. I would recommend EVERY MBA applicant start with ApplicantLab.

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I have used two services for my MBA admissions 1) ApplicantLab 2) Blind interview with Maria
1) The Lab – first of all, she has put all her passion and love in this lab, so how can it not be so Awesome as it is!!! Those of you who are going to get started with this research lab will not take more than a few minutes to start realizing the same. This tool is the best thing that has happened for MBA applicants. The beauty of this invention is that it keeps guiding you to keep you on the right track and you get to learn, research, and explore your stories all by yourself. It was fun for me because I found the lab like an experiential learning - it’s not going to spoon-feed you but let you find you the right spoon and the right food for yourself. To get the most value out of this lab, it is best to follow all the steps and do the exercises then and there.
2) Blind interview with Maria – this one helped me most with my interviews. This session will save you if you are already late in the process and have no idea what to do! She gave me more than the time allotted for his call. In over 90 mins, she asked me a set of questions (listened to my answers with absolute attention) and in the end, took each question in detail and told me what needed to be spoken and what not and also how. She evaluated my stories and ideas and put them into the right buckets. She also suggested me to add a few points which I had not thought could be included that way and made the responses more beautiful than ever. After this session, I became extremely confident about my content, and I believe this confidence shaped everything else right for me. The way she puts her efforts, attention, and analysis to better the answers is something I have not found elsewhere. Previously, I was reluctant to put money into a mock interview that can be easily done by friends and peers. But after this session, I realized that the value this session returns is unparalleled and the amount she is charging for this service is much much much less in comparison to what she is delivering for you.
Love you Maria! The world of ‘MBA admissions’ was never easy without this lab!

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I cannot say enough good things about Maria and the ApplicantLab software. The software gives very detailed advice and really helps you navigate what AdComs are “really” looking for in their questions. I did not have a stellar GPA or GMAT but thanks to ApplicantLab and Maria’s reviews of my essays, I was able to leverage my strengths and got full scholarships to Ross and Yale, got interviews at ALL the schools that I applied to (including MIT Sloan) and will have all my school decisions in by April. Maria truly cares about the success of her clients, and I know I could not have done this without her! Especially if you are unfamiliar with the MBA process and need detailed guidance, ApplicantLab is a must!

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I started thinking about MBA programs in January 2019, and while I had a few factors going in my favor (strong GMAT, Ivy undergrad), I also figured it would be an uphill climb. Among the obstacles to overcome: I'm an ORM, on the older side, and struggled during undergrad (~3.0 GPA). With that in mind, I thought I'd be fortunate to end up at a T15. Instead, with Maria and ApplicantLab's help, I'm headed to an M7 this fall.

ApplicantLab does a masterful job of taking you through the whole process, from helping you think about your past and career aspirations, to framing your story, to preparing for interviews. After going through all of Maria's modules, I genuinely felt that I understood myself better and that I was more prepared to talk about my past, present, and future.

Perhaps even more valuable were the details that Maria provided for each school's essays. The amount of work and thought that went into every single essay question is evident as soon as you click into her suggestions and explanations. She did an incredible job not only analyzing directions you might take each question, but backed that up with why she thought adcoms might be asking those questions. For example, on Columbia's "why NY" question, she pointed out that the video associated with that question changed from the R1 2017 version, and analyzed why they might have changed it (and how that affects how you might develop your answer!). There's a TON of content available for each and every question, along with videos that are really fun and easy to go through. I genuinely don't think that my essays could have reached the level of polish that they did without Maria's keen eye.

This all comes at SUCH a reasonable cost. For anyone who's a self-starter and trusts their own writing and brainstorming process, ApplicantLab is a no-brainer. I couldn't recommend it highly enough!

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I must write and share this story because it will help not only one but everyone in the applicant pool for all the MBA programs out there. A story of ONE for ALL.

I am more than 35 years old – A NO NO for all the consultants (considered too old)
I have 2 undergrad degrees – A NO NO for all the consultants (considered a degree collector)
One GPA is very low, under 2.8 – A NO NO for all the consultants
One GPA is high, above 3.5 – Just OK for all the consultants
High GMAT, above 730 – A plus for all the consultants
Have not worked for a well known company – A NO NO for all the consultants

AND

I just finished my interviews for Columbia, Wharton, and SLOAN.

So how did I do it so far? And how much money I have spent? ApplicantLAB and only $250.

I must thank all the consultants who refused to help me because they considered me as a risky case for their credibility of getting people in to top 10 schools.

I decided to study MBA because I wanted the knowledge and backbone to start my own idea, my own business. I did not know I was considered too old and considered as an outlier! I just knew this is what I want to learn! This is What I want to do with this part of my life!

So I went ahead and studied for GMAT (best resources: Manhattan GMAT and GMAT CLUB – more on GMAT history later and will share with you all my FLASH CARDS) I got a score above 730.

Then I started looking for books on amazon on how to apply for MBA. The first book that came up on Amazon was a book written by one of the famous consultants, who charge more than $350
Per hour. On the first 20 pages, it was written about the consulting company of the author and how it has advantages if I use a consultant for this journey. So after finishing the book, I went to the recommended consultancy website and signed up for a free 30 minutes consultation.
I entered my age, my GPA, and my GMAT score. After one week, when I received no response, I sent another form, still no response! So I called and spoke with the company! I was promised a call back that I never received! I could not understand WHY!

So I bought another book on Amazon from another consultancy company. I contacted them for a 30 minutes free consultation, during which I was told the following:

• You are too old
• Your GPA is too low
• You have not worked for a renowned company like Google or Apple
• You may be only accepted in a part time program or executive MBA and only for schools that are ranked 10-20.

When I told them my dream schools are Sloan, Wharton, and Columbia, I was told, well they are all really stretch schools for you. It will not happen.

So I researched online and went to the most renowned MBA website out there (for privacy reasons I will opt out to name names) and wrote down the top 10 consultants listed on that website. I was so sad and could have not believed what that consultant had told me! Was taking the GMAT and spending all that time a waste? Why am I not a good fit? I am smart, determined, and I know exactly what I want.

The story above repeated itself but even worse. One very famous consultancy company told me that they will make an exception and will take my case only with a freelance consultant who works for them occasionally. They charged me about $400 for the first 2 hours. I called and told my story for 45 minutes during which the consultant was completely quiet and then she/he told me that she/he will contact me after her/his analysis. I already had done so much research that I knew exactly what my weaknesses and strengths are and I had already told all of them during that 45 minutes. After 2 weeks of not hearing from her/him, I contacted the consultant and was told that she/he has been too busy and they will try to send me the analysis in 2-3 business days. 3 weeks of my precious time passed and I received an email that was the duplicate of what I had said in that 45 minutes and at the end saying that I should only target schools that are ranked 10-20 and only the executive programs! When I asked for the rest of my 1 hour and 15 minutes to talk about my resume, I was told that she/he has taken that time to write that analysis and if I want more time I have to buy another 2 hours! :O I was furious because I had lost 3 weeks and had received my own insights as $400 analysis!!!!!! That situation could have not been more like that of being stuck with a horrible lawyer that sends you to the prison at the end! Another consultant told me that he/she will get back to me and never did! He/she refused to even respond to my follow up email.

I had heard about ApplicantLab the year before but I was hesitant because it was only $300! How can it be that all consultants charge $5000 and above for guidance on one school only and this website offers unlimited advice on unlimited schools for $300!

I had no choice but to use ApplicantLab! And I am believer that everything happens for a reason! I am so HAPPY that all the top 10 ranked consultants refused my case because then I would have not used ApplicantLab and I would have not been where I am today! I also realized that I do not need the noise that I am too old, or I am not fancy enough! I wanted only my noise on my applications and that was this is what I want to do and this is where I want to study and I am going to do my best to get it! That is the only noise you need

Before these consultants, I did not even know that you could be considered too old for learning!

ApplicantLab helped me with all the following,

• Helped to realize what schools are truly my dream schools! I have added and deleted schools from my list because of ApplicantLab! Because of ApplicantLab I learned
o How to research schools.
o How to contact students of each school. How to approach them! What is the politest way to contact them! What to expect! what to ask and how to ask!
o How to learn more about the community, culture, and learning experience of each school.
• Helped me realize why I really want an MBA. True Selfawareness
• Maria, the founder of applicantlab, has provided, extremely detailed and thorough research on each school and has provided very detailed instruction videos on each school. There are details from how to contact students, research schools, to how to craft your essays and build your stories and there is even details on how to fill out the forms of each school and you know that each school’s form is different from the other! But she has even those covered in videos and writing!!!!
• Maria has even constant and immediate updates on each school’s academic change from curriculum to application requirements.
• There is a MAY WE HELP YOU form at the bottom of each page, that you can fill out and receive an immediate response from Maria or Carin on ANY QUESTION OR CONCERN YOU MAY HAVE AT NO CHARGE! There is no “it took me 30 minutes to answer this question of yours and you owe me 100 dollars!” in ApplicantLab. Pure and Genuine HELP!!! IF I were Maria I would charge users! Every time I sent a question about my resume or application or story or essay, I got an answer in less than 24 hours!
• There is detailed help on how to do your interviews from the over the internet ones to the one on ones
• There is also Sanity check, resume, essay editing help which I highly recommend to sign up for as they are very much affordable and extremely valuable and I wish I took more advantage of them! The last-minute sanity check that I did, was just completely path changing as Carin saw stories in my essays that I thought are not important but were! And pointed out stories that are not as important and I thought they were.


Do not let the noise of consultants (=lawyers) deter you from the path you want to go and community you want to be part of! Do not spend thousands of dollars and let someone else tell you what schools or programs you should go to.

Sign up with ApplicantLab, and find yourself, find your voice, and better understand the schools that you want to go to and NEVER EVER GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAM NO MATTER HOW OLD YOU ARE OR WHAT GPA YOU HAVE.

I have reached out to more than the 10 top consultants and I have done thorough research and examination on this path. My advice is coming from my journey and my heart!
None of those consultant would have ever dreamed that I would get interview invitations from Columbia, Wharton, and Sloan.

In the movie “pursuit of happiness”, the father tells his son that “don’t ever let anyone tell you that you cannot do something because it only means that they cannot do it”

So don’t let any consultant tell you that you cannot go to a certain program because it only means that they cannot do it!


Best of luck all of you


positivelyMBA
MBAblueredwhite

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As a nontraditional business school applicant with public policy experience and no GMAT score (I only took the GRE), I initially thought I didn't have much of a chance at getting accepted to top MBA programs. I balked at the prices of most private admissions consultants, but fortunately one of them referred me to ApplicantLab.

ApplicantLab was a godsend: it taught me how to describe my story and experience in a way that would appeal to business schools, and eventually helped me land interviews and acceptances to some of the top programs in the country, including Sloan and HBS! I also bought a few hours of review time (as well as interview prep) from Maria herself, and her advice and guidance was absolutely indispensable. Her unparalleled insight into the business school admissions process helped me identify and fix a number of weaknesses in my application, and I would not have have found a way to translate my policy experience into a business-oriented career vision without her expertise.

Considering the affordability of ApplicantLab versus other private consultants, the value you receive is off the charts. Whether you consider yourself a standard applicant with a business/consulting background or someone like me who comes from an entirely different world— it's a no brainer! I cannot recommend ApplicantLab and Maria highly enough.

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Hi,
I would like to share here my story.
GPA 3.9 out of 5
TOEFL 109
GMAT 710
masters in economic cybernetics and PhD in economics (Russia)
I have prepared my essays and applications using the ApplicationLab and have an interview training with Maria.
First and most important about the applicantlab:
it helps you identify how to present your story in a better way, what to highlight and what is not at all important.
Secondly,
it helps to identify the examples you should give in your essays - which are valuable to the admissions.
thirdly,
it shows what each school is looking for in their students (it saves a lot of time for the applicant, you have all the information at hand)
Finally, it is a great value for money. Other consultants charge by hour and it takes much more budget to allocate.
Regarding the interview: Maria was great asking the most severe questions and giving great feedback. After this trial real interview was really easy, because Maria covered almost all the questions I was asked.
So, I got admitted to Stanford, MIT and Chicago. And HBS executive program.
Thank you, ApplicantLab. It is our common success!

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Just like so many others, I am a long time (1.5 years) lurker.
First, some background to put my story in context.
I, like so many others here, had always wanted to do an MBA. However, my exposure to international options was limited. I never appeared for CAT/ XAT or any other Indian competitive exam either.
I felt comfortably settled in my job with early promotions and decent hikes as milestones.
Fast forward to April 2017, my husband calls me in office and says – the visa application results came through. I am flying off probably by June.
Umm..
Okaaayyy.. what now? I love my job!
The voice at the back of my head said – this is your chance!! What could be better timing, it has fallen in your lap like a gift, now Go and Get IT! Now is when you can realize your dream of an MBA and become golden.
My husband and I had always discussed what will we do when he moves to US – the plan was always for me to go for an MBA. But all of these talks were on the dining table, I had never studied for it or taken any serious action.
Until I just had to.
While helping him pack and move, I enrolled in a local GMAT coaching centre, with a dream to go to H/W/S.. lol. Excuse my lofty aspirations, I was naïve and ignorant.
I studied at the GMAT coaching centre, while also researching about the process and the requirements.
My office – however mundane you might imagine it to be considering that I am an IT analytics consultant - is very demanding. I have to put in 60+ hour work weeks at intervals – not regularly though.
Fast forward to me juggling office and GMAT – I appeared for the exam 1.5 months into my initial introduction to it.
640.
To be fair – I had scored only 640 on GMATPrep1 and 680 on GMATPrep2 right the day before exam (both on same day one day right before the real GMAT – I know, stupid).
However, I was greedy and hoping that I would miraculously score a 730. I kept reading stories of people who only got 600s on GMATPreps and scored 720+ on the real exam and prayed and hoped that something like this would happen to me too.
I was not one of them.
I was, however, determined. I cried in the cab on my way back home. I mourned and cried and pitied myself for exactly 1.5 days and got back into the game.
Purchased GMATClub tests for quant. Studied verbal by doing and redoing the official GMAT guide.
28 days later – appeared for the exam again.
Received a 710.
I was not happy. I was not sad. I broke the 700 mark. My husband was ecstatic. But I, having read so many debriefs, knew that it was not enough (and they said 720 is the new 700, so no trophies there).
I did not go to an IIT. Did not work for a fantastic glamorous firm. My undergrad college is not even among the top 100 (dare I say 200) in the country.
I did not have amazing extra-curriculars.
I, however, had a lifelong dream of finally becoming golden with that silver bullet of an MBA.
I decided to go ahead and apply with my dismal 710 score. I worked with 2 consultancies, applied to 5 with the first one, and 3 with the other one. I was invited for interview by 3 schools. One of them was Kellogg (doesn’t it interview everyone anyway), Tepper (they had a Women’s weekend – I received the invite 3 days after hitting submit on my application - did they get time to read my application?), and ISB. I was also waitlisted without interviews by 2 schools.
None of the offers were converted.
I was adamant to break through the top 20 schools. I had read about how hard it is for an IT Indian, but really had no idea how cut-throat the competition in-doing was.
When the last decision came through in March-end 2018, I was in a very dark place. To say that it was rock-bottom is an understatement, I could not sleep and could not eat. I took the rejection very badly.
Which in itself shows how ‘un-ready’ for business school I really was.
Tip – you can practice getting rejected while you’re at it to fare better in this process. I, for example, started asking for random upgrades in flights and hotels. I was almost always rejected (almost – because I wasn’t once). And it helped rewire my brain to take rejections as part of my daily life. They may say yes, or they may say no – but really, you’re not doing that bad right now either.
A new opportunity to travel to international client location came through to me at that time. Since I was looking for a change, anything to break through the night, I said yes straightaway.
After the initial sting of rejection subsided, I started to reflect on my applications and interviews. First things first, the goal – I had said MBB on my applications. For someone like me, with 710, no golden undergrad, no prior management consulting experience, it was downright stupid. The 2 consultants that I had worked with did not find that goal unrealistic at all.
Second - my essays weren’t really that honest either – they were doused in what I thought I should say, and what I thought would make me look like a winner in front of the adcom – aka – no sincerity (came through even to me during those re-reads). Nothing from the 2 consultants on THAT either.
I decided to discuss what I thought with one of the more ‘intimate’ consultancies of the two – I said that I thought that my goal was probably too ambitious/ unrealistic for someone without a golden pedigree.
The response came – “we are happy to work with you this time (no feedback on the goals statement) – however, having said that, you were punching above your weight in the last cycle, and looks like you are trying to do the same this time too. The schools you are targeting are all……jksdnjsvjheg” – translated to me as – ‘you have no shot, apply to lower colleges kiddo’.
It felt like a punch.
When I went into that first application cycle, I was delusional, sure. However, I had realised how difficult it really is during the process. The reason I paid so much money to these consultants was for them to help me realize this dream – I already know its hard. But can you help me?? Or if you cannot, can you be honest during or before the process, and not after-the-fact?
If there is just one thing that you consider while choosing to work with a consultant, it is –
• They should believe in you.
Now to all you brilliant people, it might sound too romantic and perhaps even stupid. But for me, the belief is the only secret ingredient. The consultant should be a person who holds nothing back and gives you all the advice that they think will help you. Regardless of your undergrad, or your work ex, or your GMAT score.
I think the consultant who works with any applicant should not know about these details at all. One person can do the identification of the schools they think are right for you based on your profile, but the one who helps with your application should know nothing; except you as a person and your essay story. (business advice for you all boutique consultants).
Anyway – as I settled into the new international location, I started studying again for GMAT.
Appeared for the test a month later. 710 again (Q48 V40). Felt like a loser.
But decided to go ahead with applications again, to work harder on them, and apply to ‘lower’ ranked schools.
I did not want to pay thousands of dollars to any consultant.
But I still wanted to make sure I don’t miss the mark by 100000 kilometres. I had read reviews of ApplicantLab, and decided to go for the trial version of the application.
It blew my mind.
And considering that the cost was almost only as much as 1 school’s application fee for UNLIMITED applications, I decided to go for it straightaway.
Maria is brilliant. If you just go through with the tool and see the amount of hard work that she has done – for EVERY school’s application form – you will understand and marvel at her brilliance.
In one of her advice videos (in some relevant context) she says – ‘these schools are good, but they are not HOGWARTS’. I disagree – hers has definitely contributed in making her a magician - and ApplicantLab is pure magic.
What distinguishes ApplicantLab in my opinion –
• Price - I mean, seriously?
• Quality of advice is just plain spectacular – here’s the thing –
o the tool does not know if you scored a 780 or 650. It does not know if you are Minister of Foreign Affairs or a software engineer.
o the tool does not – cannot – hold back. The advice remains the same for a 780 and a 650 person.
o The tool gives you advice EVEN FOR THE other APPLICATION COMPONENTS – which, IMHO, tend to make or break your chances. So fine, you did brilliant with your essays using that 780-score advice from the ‘consultant’. What about the rest of the 12 pages you need to fill on the form? The adcom goes through all of it while making their decision, not just your essays.
o Maria is brilliant.
• Step-by-step process –
o You get started, and you build upon your strengths and weaknesses.
o You have everything documented, from what you can leverage to where can you show improvement, and how.
• Interview advice –
o Does not charge extra for it.
o And it is just plain brilliant (you know, Maria).
• Turnaround time –
o Ok, so you may think that working with a ‘real’ person gives you more intimate/ quicker/ personalized advice. But in my case atleast, the ‘consultants’ had a turnaround time of 3-4 working days. ApplicantLab has a small box at the right-hand side corner of her tool – you just type in your question, and ladies and gentlemen, I kid you not, Maria or someone from her team, HAS ALWAYS responded within 1.5 days (working or not).
o And the advice is pure gold.
I can go on and on, but I am already close to 2000 words and I should really get back to work.
As parting words - I have cracked into 3 of the top 10-20 schools with big sums of scholarships, ISB, a top 10 school without scholarship, and have 4 top-15 waitlists. Two schools have rejected me – which was my wrong-doing – I rushed the application for one of them and recorded the essay for another in ‘not-a-right-state’ of mind.
And, I am a reapplicant to all of the above schools.
The above is just my perspective, and my journey.
There will be many bumps on your road, and you will meet many people who will tell you that your dream is unrealistic. For all that its worth, it might be – but it might also not be – and it is our duty to do justice to ourselves, and try just one more time.
The night is dark and full of terrors – but hear this, young men and women, the earth is yours and the fullness thereof. Be kind but be fierce.

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Full Disclosure: I am a first gen college student, first gen grad student. This entire process was something I had no prior resources to leverage.

The first step when thinking about grad school is getting a sense where you stand. First instinct is to check school sites, and at most you can see GMAT/GPA/Work experience. After asking students I enrolled, I learned that that doesn’t pain the whole picture. I knew my GPA, my work experience, and was in the process of studying for my GMAT. I was afraid of going into the application process without all the facts.

It was a tough pill to swallow when I did research and saw that most resources were several thousand dollars to get that “secret insight”. I was fortunate enough to hear about Applicant Lab during my time in the Riordan MBA Fellows Program. I spent an entire afternoon inputting my background, and the feedback really transformed my entire trajectory. It grounded me with proven information as to where I stood, what things I could do to improve my application, and help me frame a game plan. I had planned to apply to school the following year, but with the insight provided to me by ApplicantLab, I felt confident to do so that very year, and I was blessed to be accepted into several top 10/15 schools.

The greatest resource that Applicantlab is the customized, and simple to use portal that provides meaningful feedback for a fraction the cost. Missing math in undergrad, low community service, etc any issues that you may face, Applicant lab has the answer. Logistically, it also helps keep everything together. Once you have many drafts of essays and deadlines going, having a portal to circle back to and stay on track of things makes a world of a difference.

Control your own path, with the help of the Applicantlab tour guide. Don’t let your dreams hinder on not being able to afford thousands of dollars for someone else’s advice.

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Hi all,
I am usually not the person who takes time to review services; however, I couldn’t stop myself from sharing my amazing experience with ApplicantLab and Maria.
I have a competitive GPA and GMAT score in addition to strong international and diverse work experience. I didn’t think I needed help with my MBA applications and applied to my first choice MBA program on my own. I was rejected in the first round. It caused me frustration and disappointment. I didn’t know what I did wrong and started looking for advice. After researching about several MBA admission consulting services, I decided to go with ApplicantLab to help prepare my application for my other choices. In the first few minutes of using ApplicantLab, I knew exactly why I didn’t get in before.
I had no idea how to frame my stories or what the schools are actually looking for until I went through modules in ApplicantLab. The instructions are very detailed and thorough. Maria has done tremendous research for each school and what you need to showcase to strengthen your profile for the admission committee. There was no way for me to know these details without the help of ApplicantLab. You cannot find these things on google.
I am a MBA student at University of Cambridge, Judge Business School now and I give a huge credit of me getting into this school to Maria and ApplicantLab. I wouldn’t have gotten in without using ApplicantLab. It is absolutely the best investment (and it is relatively very inexpensive) you can make towards your MBA. So, if you are struggling with your MBA applications, ApplicantLab is one-stop solution.

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