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Shaifali Aggarwal Reviews

Company: Ivy Groupe

Shaifali Aggarwal is the Founder/CEO of Ivy Groupe, a boutique MBA admissions consulting firm. She received her MBA from Harvard Business School (HBS) and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Princeton University. At HBS, Shaifali served as VP Admissions of the Women’s Student Association; in this role, she collaborated directly with the HBS Admissions Office as a liaison between current and prospective/admitted students. Through this experience, she had the unique opportunity to gain insight into the qualities that top-tier MBA programs look for in candidates. Shaifali’s rich and multi-faceted career across industries and functions makes her extremely well suited to understand the varied backgrounds of her clients. Before making the transition to education management, Shaifali spent most of her career as a finance professional on Wall Street, where she worked in the investment banking and asset management industries at leading companies such as JPMorgan and Neuberger Berman. She also has experience working in the educational non-profit sector and as an entrepreneur, founding an online media company. Shaifali has since formally spent over a decade successfully coaching hundreds of diverse applicants and re-applicants to top-tier MBA programs (many of whom received scholarship awards), including those applying to deferred MBA, part-time MBA, and executive MBA programs. Because of her deep knowledge of the MBA application process and collaborative working style, Shaifali has been recognized as a top MBA Admissions Consultant by both Business Insider and Poets & Quants (ranked #1 in client satisfaction by Poets & Quants in 2020, consistently earning a net promoter/client satisfaction score of 10 across all of her client reviews). Moreover, Shaifali has been quoted as an expert in U.S. News, Business Insider, and Fortune, and has been a contributor to Forbes, Entrepreneur, The Economist, and The Muse. Shaifali is a member of the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants (AIGAC).

5.0 /5 Average Rating
Based on 61 reviews
January 24, 2019
sshin718

Joined: Dec 25, 2018

Posts: 0

Kudos: 5

Verified GMAT Classic score:
770 Q50 V44

Highly Recommend Shaifali!

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I highly recommend Shaifali because, based on my experience, there are three things that stood out as her clear strengths. First and foremost, beyond the one dimensional proof-reading that my friends could provide, her advice was simultaneously both thoughtful and thought-invoking and challenged me to dig deeper into the core of my argument. Having that second pair of eyes to poke at my ideas motivated me to strengthen and polish my writing. Second, being able to bounce ideas off her also served as a source of mental support for me. Lastly, I enjoyed working with Shaifali especially because of her to-the-point and (always) responsive attitude. She is a straight shooter with no frills but great substance.

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January 03, 2019
Christine1111

Joined: Jan 03, 2019

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
700 Q47 V39

Truly fantastic admissions consultant!

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Shaifali was extraordinarily helpful throughout the entire MBA application process, and I would without question recommend her consulting services. From Day 1, she was helpful in advising on what schools to think about and what those schools look for in applicants. She helped develop my narrative and identify key strengths to include in my essays. Shaifali was very supportive by walking me through different ideas for my essays and ways of positioning myself. She had incredibly quick turnaround times for written pieces and was available to speak with me at any point throughout the process no matter what question I had. Shaifali's genuine support, her ability to help identify key themes in my narrative and bring those out, and her knowledge of the very comprehensive and, at times, daunting process of applying to B-school, were completely invaluable to me and enabled me to gain acceptance at one of my top schools. Furthermore, her understanding of different nuances in various school's applications was very helpful. I am extremely grateful for all of Shaifali's help throughout the process and definitely recommend her consulting services to anyone thinking about business school.

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December 31, 2018
AT201

Joined: Dec 31, 2018

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
710 Q47 V41

Helping me tell my story

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I used Shaifali's hourly services to help mainly for the essay and interview portion of my MBA applications. I applied to four schools and while I had already identified what I wanted to say in my applications, I had a difficult time conveying this through the essay portion of my application. I spoke with several admissions consultants and decided to work with Shaifali for several reasons. Firstly, the hourly services allowed me to focus on the help I needed. Secondly, of all the consultants, she was most able to help me figure out actionable steps to get me out of my rut and sell my story to schools. Lastly, she was extremely responsive and always willing to get on the phone or respond via email, based off of my schedule. What I found most helpful was the insights she gave me about each of the individual schools and the realistic feedback that she gave me, advice that was invaluable throughout the process and I believed helped me get into two schools and an interview with a third.

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October 23, 2018
hawk7094

Joined: Sep 04, 2018

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
770 Q50 V45

Ensuring You Put Your Best Foot Forward

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Shaifali’s approach to evaluating each applicant’s candidacy helped me differentiate myself from a pool of countless other profiles with similar backgrounds, experiences, and statistics. Her comprehensive package explores every aspect of your life to-date, working to craft a story that is unique to you. For me, the “no stone left unturned” methodology identified the underlying themes that motivated me and turned me into who I am today, and helped me convey this story of development concisely across all my essays. Specifically, Shaifali helped me every step of the way, from constructing my application identity and strategy to school selection and identification of my recommenders. She was a phenomenal resource for my recommenders, providing direct feedback to help them strengthen their anecdotes in their letters of recommendation. Shaifali and I iterated numerous times on my resume and each essay for each school; her feedback was always timely and incredibly precise. After feedback from her Advisory Board on my application, I was confident that my applications were as strong as they could possibly be. I was invited to interview at my top choices. Shaifali helped me prep for my interviews, providing guidance on questions to expect as well as best practices for answering tricky behavioral questions. Ultimately, I was admitted to my top choice and I am very excited to be entering next fall. In the strongest possible terms, I recommend working with Shaifali. Her process and advice made all the difference in my application journey and I could not be happier with the end result!

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September 29, 2018
mba2k19

Joined: Jan 14, 2017

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

The best admissions consultant out there!

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My time with Shaifali was hands down the best academic support I have ever received. She went far beyond reviewing baseball stats and into understanding who I was as a person, my vision for a career, and how I could contribute to each business school.

As a consultant myself, my schedule was always slammed, so Shaifali really went the extra mile to plan out milestones that would be reasonable given my workload. She was incredibly patient in my frequent need to edit essays but also took the time to let me execute the changes in between my crazy schedule so I could take full ownership of the finished product.

By far the most useful part of my time with Shaifali was the interview prep. I was a bit shaky to start, but she was incredibly encouraging as she regularly worked with me to present myself in the best light to my interviewer. I walked out of my interview with Stanford GSB proud (and with an acceptance a month later!).

Thanks to Shaifali for a wonderful experience and helping me reach this incredible accomplishment.

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September 28, 2018
ikebk

Joined: Jan 09, 2017

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
720 Q48 V40

Absolutely worth it!

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I'd like to thank Shaifali for the fantastic guidance and support she provided in my b-school application journey. Applying from West Africa, I needed an adviser who understood the context from which I was applying. In our first conversation, I gave her a summary of my life journey. She immediately developed 5 strong themes around which I would build my application story to highlight my unique background and experiences. I was very impressed with the vision she had for the application. I knew then that Shaifali was the perfect fit.

She was very responsive to my emails and made time to skype chat even with little lead time. Her feedback was also actionable. After reading her emails or having a conversation, I was clear on next steps. I also appreciated how straight-forward her feedback was, not mincing words. Shaifali was very professional throughout the process and light-hearted when she needed to be.

Having worked together, I had total confidence that I had given the b-schools a full picture of me. We worked on 3 school applications together - I got accepted into 2 (including my top choice) and was waitlisted by 1. She was instrumental in my success.

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July 08, 2018
axiom

Joined: Jun 02, 2017

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Shaifali is a phenomenal consultant!

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Shaifali is a phenomenal consultant and resource when it comes to the admissions process. She has a keen eye for detail and keeps the big picture in mind when helping craft your application.

I'd highly recommend scheduling a kick-off call with her - going through the strategy phase of the process with Shaifali was extremely valuable. She listens to your story and brainstorms strategies to position your application effectively in a way that is unique to you, and it is especially helpful if you're from an overrepresented group like I was (Indian-engineering).

Shaifali's insights were crucial to help distinguish my application from the rest of the pool, especially since I had less than stellar GMAT scores and graduated from a school that wasn't well known, even in India. She's fully invested in the process, and works her magic, iteratively chiseling away at refining the application (the resume, essay, and even the data-fields) for as many iterations as you like. The result - I was able to represent myself in a compelling way in my applications and I received interview invitations from HBS, Wharton, Kellogg, and Haas.

She also helps craft a compelling narrative when practicing for the interview component of the application. She provides feedback on each question that's asked during mock sessions and provides suggestions for improvement. Like the iterations on the essays, she helps you run through several interview "styles" - from simulating extremely stressful-poker-faced-interactions to ones in which the interviewer is much more candid and engaging. When I went into the actual interviews, I took a deep breath, and let the training kick-in, knowing that I'd been through a much more stressful mock interview.

I'm enrolling at Wharton this Fall. I'm immensely grateful to Shaifali, for helping me land a place in the class of 2020 - I'd very highly recommend her services - and hopefully, you'll also receive a call from admissions, congratulating you on your acceptance! :)

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January 25, 2018
j123

Joined: Jan 25, 2018

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Amazing!

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I worked with Shaifali on 3 MBA applications for Round 1 for almost half a year, and I have to say that she has been SUCH an indispensable asset for me. I initially tried to complete all applications myself and "cut corners" (eg. only enroll in essay-editing services with another company), but looking back, Shaifali's comprehensive consulting services was the best investment I've made in this process. Right away, she patiently worked with me on my "story" and helped me package my bizarre employment history into a compelling story that made sense. Shaifali is a magician with this kind of work, and I have to say that this is one of the greatest value-add to my overall applications. After this, we worked through dozens of drafts of my essays, where Shaifali continuously pushed me to elaborate more on my impact and helped me to fill in the holes I couldn't see myself. She also has an incredible work ethic and quick turnaround times, which makes working with her a flawless process. This all paid off as I was offered interviews to all 3 schools I had applied to, as well as a scholarship to the school I will be attending. And needless to say, Shaifali also helped me prepare for my interviews. We worked on each interview question one by one, and she persisted in helping me overcome my nerves and become a confident interviewer.

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January 16, 2018
agost

Joined: Dec 22, 2017

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
680 Q40 V42

Shaifali got me into my dream school!

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Shaifali was my guardian angel throughout my business school application process. I started working with Shaifali in July 2017 and from our very first phone call, I felt completely supported and understood. Shaifali listened to my career goals and she created a strategy to overcome my weaknesses (low quant score on GMAT) to get into a top school. With Shaifali's step-by-step guidance, I was able to dig further into each school's program and my own MBA goals to build competitive applications for Round 1 deadlines. Shaifali also made herself completely available to me and was quick to turnaround edits for all of my essays. Shaifali and her Board of Advisors meticulously combed through every sentence of my essays to ensure that they were free of errors and clear in meaning. Shaifali also prepped me for all of my interviews so I would know how to prepare for questions and feel confident talking to interviewers. Shaifali took a stressful situation and broke it down into milestones that, with her unwavering support, seemed less daunting. In the end, I received acceptances from Stanford GSB, Wharton, Northwestern Kellogg, and UC Berkeley Haas. I could not be more grateful for all of Shaifali's help. Teaming up with her for my applications was the best investment I ever made and is already changing my life. I highly recommend Shaifali's services to anyone who is applying for business school.

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September 26, 2017
ro66

Joined: Jul 02, 2014

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Made it to my dream school with the help of Shaifali!

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I worked with Shaifali on three business school applications and was admitted to my dream school, HBS. Shaifali added tremendous value when it came to helping me craft my storyboard, edit my resume, and tighten my essays. I was most nervous about the essays and short responses, as expressing myself through writing does not always come naturally to me. Through multiple iterations, Shaifali helped me tell my story in a way that was authentic and competitive. I also appreciated how she worked closely with my recommenders to provide 3rd-party feedback. I trust Shaifali’s expertise in admissions consulting and if I were to apply again, I would absolutely choose to work with her.

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