GMAT Club

Mark Lellouch Reviews

Company: Admissionado

Mark is a business strategy consultant with a passion for nonprofit work, and the environment.

For the past 15 years, he’s used his consulting skills and management experience to advise nonprofits and environmentally-minded companies in the US, Brazil and Mexico with strategic planning, business evaluation and organization, market analysis, and outreach. After getting his MBA at the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1996, he headed south to Brazil to become the Marketing Director for SPVS, one of the Nature Conservancy’s most successful in-country partners. While Mark is our nonprofit specialist, he has spent his life honing his passion for and expertise in the consulting business. He is also an expert in languages (he grew up in Paris and speaks four languages fluently) as well as in computer science, which was his major at Brown University. Mark’s also a published photographer and an aspiring bossa nova guitarist. He currently lives in Taos, NM.

4.8 /5 Average Rating
Based on 34 reviews
January 05, 2025
applicantks

Joined: Jan 19, 2024

Posts: 13

Kudos: 11

Verified GMAT Focus score:
695 Q87 V83 DI84

Admissionado & Mark made my dream come true

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I got into Wharton, Yale, and Chicago with hundreds of thousands of $$$ in scholarships. International student, no fancy background, no prestigious universities in CV, no consulting or finance experience, no powerful GPA.

And here’s how that happened.

There’s a saying that goes, “Successful people are just those who tried one more time.” I would add—they're also the ones who believe in themselves.

Frankly, I didn’t. I came to Mark when my self-belief was at its lowest point—probably the lowest it had ever been.

Just six months ago, I was rejected by a couple of M7 schools without even an interview. Coming from a very challenging background—growing up in a country that is negatively perceived in the US, attending schools not well-known internationally, a very low undergrad GPA (below 3.0), a career in an unrelated humanities field, no family savings (I'm fully supporting elderly relatives), and zero useful connections—my prospects looked bleak. Add to that being a very young blonde woman with no understanding of the US academic system, and you get the full picture. I’d never even been to the US and had only heard of the Ivy League through movies, perceiving these universities as exclusive domains for “superhumans” with incredible connections and half of Manhattan as their neighbors.

After my initial rejection, I reached out to other consulting firms. The feedback I received only brought me down further. They didn’t want to take me on as a client, telling me I wasn’t "MBA material" and should stick to whatever I was doing instead of dreaming of becoming Google’s CEO.

Mark became my first ray of hope in all this madness.

To begin with, he was KIND. I know you’re probably expecting words like “creative,” “productive,” and “structured.” He’s all that. But most of all, he is KIND.

From our first call, Mark believed in me. It might sound simple, but for me, it was everything. He told me I could do it. He recognized my unique life experience—one filled with overcoming personal hardships yet remaining sensitive and caring about the world’s issues.

Mark analyzed my profile thoroughly, highlighting a plethora of strengths I had overlooked—things I’d done GREAT. He helped me turn every disadvantage into an asset, showcasing achievements I hadn’t realized I possessed.

From there, the process was smooth. Mark was always in touch, offering the most helpful guidance possible. Sometimes, he’d just hop on a call to calm my nerves and address my doubts. Other times, he’d revisit my stories with me a thousand times, polishing them until they were perfect. He would suggest fresh angles I had missed, and often he’d simply remind me that I could do it.

Of course, there were dozens of rewrites, discussions, and debates. But Mark never once pushed me to say anything untrue, to overpolish the picture, or to pretend to be someone I wasn’t.

He never wrote anything on my behalf or made me look like someone I didn’t recognize. Instead, he helped me uncover my strengths and present them in ways that would impress anyone—especially the admissions committees.

Mark held my hand throughout the entire process. He was bold with his advice, meticulous with the details, and deeply curious about my endeavours. He helped me shape my profile to present myself as an experienced business professional.

Through this, I began to see myself in a new light. I realized that I was talented, resilient, hardworking, and successful. Apparently, I was exactly what top MBAs in the world are looking for.

Mark was also instrumental in my interview preparations. Despite his busy schedule, he always found time to support and cheer me on. He ran multiple practice sessions, ensuring I could present myself authentically—warm, funny, engaging, and passionate—rather than memorizing answers and worrying about how to appear most “professional.”

I can’t recommend Mark enough. If you need a FRIEND (who is also an extremely talented expert) to guide you every step of the way through the exhausting MBA application process, Mark is the one.

Thank you, Mark! Thank you, Admissionado team!

You made my dream come true. I hope you help make many more dreams come true.

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December 06, 2024
arianalee825

Joined: Dec 06, 2024

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Thank you Mark!

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I had a wonderful experience working with Mark from Admissionado when applying to MBA programs outside of the US.

What made me first decide to move forward with Mark and Admissionado after speaking to multiple other MBA consulting firms was that even before I signed with Admissionado, I was studying and taking the GRE and Mark would always check in with me to wish me luck and congratulate me on the GRE test. I felt like this thoughtfulness and attention to detail he exhibited even before I paid and started with Admissionado demonstrated to me that Mark had my best interests at heart and was going to be genuine throughout the application process.
I had a lot of anxiety throughout the MBA process and experienced a lot of self-doubt, but Mark was extremely good at being supportive and encouraging while also always pushing me to think outside the box to ensure that I was able to craft the most engaging and compelling story to best pitch myself throughout my application essays.

Mark always stuck to the 72 hour turnaround time and was very good at ensuring all of my questions and notes were addressed. During the interview preparation process, he was good at throwing curveball questions to make sure that I felt fully prepared going into my interviews.

In the end, I was successful in all of the schools that we submitted applications for!

I truly could not have gone through this MBA application process without Mark and the rest of the Admissionado team and will be forever grateful to everything he did for me. I cannot recommend working with Mark enough!

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October 06, 2023
toxaz

Joined: Oct 06, 2023

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Incredibly Smooth and Insightful

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Mark and the Admissionado team were a real pleasure to work with. From the beginning, when it feels like a scramble to achieve a full application, the step by step process was laid out thoroughly and it became easy to visualize the end goal, with each step having a concrete goal and understanding of why it was necessary. They stood by their promise to respond each time within a 72 hour window, and really pushed back on me when it was determined that something was 'not enough', while still helping to guide the thought process without being prescriptive. In turn, my own confidence grew with each step. They really take the time to get to know you as well as the schools you are applying for in order to help maximize your potential in the application. No small details or questions were left unanswered, which was greatly appreciated.

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May 13, 2023
derick217

Joined: Mar 14, 2021

Posts: 23

Kudos: 7

Self-reported Score:
730 Q48 V41

Awesome Support by Mark and the Admissionado Team

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I started working with Mark 2 years out of college and into my job. For someone with a low WE, it was definitely not an easy task to uncover all the leadership stories that can bolster ones application, but Mark was always there to provide the much needed inspiration.

My entire life went upside down shortly after starting working with Mark. I relocated back to my home country to support my company's expansion there, but I was hit with the unfortunate news of my father getting cancer and eventually passing away, which forced me to postpone my MBA plans. Throughout this time, Mark and the Admissionado team was supportive and understanding, helping me put my application on hold temporarily until I feel ready to apply again.

A year later, I became ready again to tackle my MBA applications. But my perspective of life and my career has changed... The stories I wanted to tell changed as well. Mark and the team was patient throughout this rediscovery process and worked with me patiently to hash out my new stories. It was a painful process to go back to the drawing board but I was fortunate to had an awesome team to back me up.

I eventually applied to 5 schools with Admissionado, and leveraged the same materials to applied to 1 other school on my own, and got in Columbia, Booth, and Kellogg. I will be attending Columbia this upcoming fall.

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March 27, 2022
Indiboi

Joined: Mar 27, 2022

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

End-to-end application help in the 11th hour

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My story is a little unusual in that I had first engaged AA back in 2016. Life happened and I couldn't make the MBA application deadlines that year. 6 years passed and then finally in early 2022 - 14 days before the R2 deadline at Wharton EMBA - I decided to submit my application. After 6 years w/o any contact, I reached out to the AA team seeking help with my application and it took them only 24 hours to agree to honor/render the full service under my arrangement from 6 years ago. They not only squeezed me in but fast tracked the entire process to accommodate my circumstance. Incredible business ethics!

Mark is the highest quality professional out there in this area. I closely worked with him to pull together all key aspects of my application - resume, essays, LORs, and interview prep. His advice and pointers were crisp and completely revamped my application. He was responsive, was not shy in calling out weak areas in my writing, or poor presentation. He knows how to take raw application content and transform its presentation to make the highest impact possible on AdCom. My application went down the wire and Mark and team were there with me in the trenches till the very end. I do not think I would have been able to make the deadline, had it not been for Mark's guidance.

I was admitted into Wharton's EMBA class off 2024 earlier this month. Here are highlights of my profile

-M&A at a tech company in SF
-10+ years of WE
-EA score - 153
-Undergrad and Grad at a State University in the Midwest
-High GPA
-CPA and CFA

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March 22, 2022
Lianne12345

Joined: Nov 14, 2015

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Thank you, Mark and Admissionado Team!

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I applied to 7 top International Relations schools in the U.S. and Europe. With Mark’s help, I was admitted to 6 of them (incl. Columbia SIPA, Johns Hopkins SAIS and Georgetown SFS) with very sizable scholarships and waitlisted by Yale.

From our first free consultation, I appreciated Mark’s honesty. I came from a non-traditional background, trying to switch careers to international development after spending 10 years in finance. This was challenging, as I already have two masters’ degrees in Finance and all my international development experience was pro-bono. Mark never tried to give me unrealistic expectations; instead, he emphasized how he could help and support me as I worked to achieve my goal. The whole process felt more than just an essay editing service but more like having a real mentor working alongside me through this challenging journey.

Notably, because of my lack of full-time experience in my prospective field, Mark encouraged me to emphasize my transferable skills. Recognizing my capability to research information thoroughly, he encouraged me to read white paper research about my chosen field to enhance my understanding of my subject matter. This work was translated into my essays: I was able to articulate very clear, specific career goals and demonstrate knowledge of the field I'm hoping to enter. This was key to getting me into my dream programs.

Mark was open to accepting different opinions. Initially, he suggested keeping minimal of my personal anecdotes in my essays to leave more space for career goals and “why this school.” But given my non-traditional background, I felt strongly that the anecdotes were essential to demonstrate my motivations and commitment of why I’m switching into international development. Mark did eventually agree with me after knowing my rationale.

Mark had a comprehensive grasp of the English language and an elegant turn of phrase. Whether replying to emails or editing my essays, his writing read beautifully. He was extremely patient. I regularly sent long emails to him, posing multiple questions. Without fail, he answered all of them in insightful ways and gave me tailored advice on how to proceed with my work. Mark also has a speedy turnaround time, almost always returning things to me before the three-day deadline, even during the extremely busy Christmas times.

In addition to his extensive help with my essays, he transformed my resume into the next level. It remains the best professional resume I have. The two interview prep sessions with Mark were extremely helpful. His interview advice was very tailored to me and my application. He accurately predicted many of the questions I was asked. And as we worked on answers, he told me not just how to answer them but how to form answers that would leave an impact on the interviewers. Mark was also generous with his time, the two sessions were supposed to be one hour each, but we spoke for almost three hours.

Mark was a great mentor and cheerleader throughout my stressful application process. While always professional, he made a tremendous effort to get to know and understand me and my perspectives so that he could help me to the best of his ability.

I would recommend working with Mark to anyone who’s looking for professional level advice and mentorship on graduate program applications.

Claudia and Rose from the operations team also did a fantastic job pairing me up with Mark. Their lovely spirits really made the admin side of things so much smoother and more fun!

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January 20, 2022
zh2wang

Joined: Jan 20, 2022

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
740 Q50 V41

A Great Pleasure to Work with Mark

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Mark helped me to prepare my application package to the Wharton school. And his help was instrumental in helping me getting accepted.

Mark was very attentive, listened carefully about my background, experience, and really tried to understand me. Based on my information, he helped me to carefully created a profile that would highlight my strength. He is very thoughtful and patient throughout the entire process. I would highly recommend working with Mark.

In addition, I really appreciate his help and he was always there whenever I had questions or any rush requests. Mark is also very knowledgeable about the program, helped me to understand what the program is looking for and position myself correctly.

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January 06, 2022
adeng

Joined: Jul 27, 2013

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
760 Q50 V44 (Online)

Thank you Admissionado!

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I entered the MBA application process with a vague idea of what to do, but with Admissionado and Mark Lellouch's help, I walked out of the process with an admission to one of my top choices (Haas) and a hefty scholarship!

From day 1, Mark was encouraging, honest, and direct, giving me the feedback I needed to hear instead of just agreeing with me as some of my friends might. He briefed me on each of the schools I was applying to, helping me understand what each focused on, and helping me organize my thoughts to target each school. In every communication, he was polite, responsive, and always provided a point of view that gave me something to think through. As a consultant myself (albeit not an admissions consultant), Mark is everything that I try to be with my own clients!

As an added bonus, the resume that Mark helped me refine not only helped me with my MBA admission, but also was a key driver in landing me 3 big tech and consulting job offers as well! All in all, I would highly recommend Admissionado and I can't imagine completing the application process without their support.

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December 19, 2021
InvGuy

Joined: Jul 28, 2019

Posts: 17

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
690 Q49 V34

Thank you Admissionado and Mark

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My big thanks go to the Admissionado team and Mark personally. If I knew all this in advance, I would be more prepared. My only regret is that I didn’t apply to more schools. I'm sure I would have made it to the top 10 for sure. I applied to 3 schools, received invitations for interviews from all schools, and in 2 schools I got on the waiting list (one of the schools is in the top 5). I was admitted to the top 20 school with a scholarship. If my GMAT were 720+ , I would have been accepted to the top 5.

I was very happy to work with this company Admissionado. I have heard before that they are the best in their field and now I am convinced by my own experience. I definitely advise working with Mark personally.

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September 22, 2021
Laveshan

Joined: Aug 16, 2020

Posts: 5

Kudos: 6

Mark Lellouch - 5 Star!!

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I took the Junior Deluxe package + MBA Resume service. I got into my target school, and I am convinced that without Mark’s help my application would have been declined.

My background and career path are non-traditional, and I have had little exposure to international MBA graduates. I knew that with enough time and research I could probably get by without a consultant, but balancing work + post-grad diploma + GMAT prep was already too much to handle at the time and because there was so much at stake I decided to shell out for a consultant. In hindsight, it was one of the best decisions I could have made.

Mark is pleasant to deal with but can be brutally honest when he needs to get you out of your comfort zone. We went over my MBA resume and essays multiple times. I would say that the stories and content come from the applicant and are like a collection of pictures and Mark helps you create a montage of these unique stories representing what the adcom are looking for in an MBA applicant.

I highly recommend Mark to applicants who do not have a good idea of how to market themselves to an adcom.

I was immediately reminded of why I decided to hire a consultant after Mark’s first review of my resume.

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6 Older and Non-Verified Reviews for Mark Lellouch
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