I worked with Silpa on my Round 1 applications and she helped me get into HBS and the Wharton/Lauder program! When I initially met with MBA advisers, Silpa stood out to me as incredibly professional, grounded, and thoughtful. When working with her, I found that she is an exceptional thought partner, coach, and adviser.

I was initially daunted by the workload and competitiveness of the process but Silpa helped me break it down into manageable steps. She made working together on the applications genuinely fun, pushing me to dream big about what I could use my MBA to pursue post-grad and giving me the confidence that the career milestones I had achieved already were enough to give me a shot at the business schools I was applying to.

Silpa is not only kind and inspires you to think boldly, but is also fiercely capable. She leverages her years of experience in GSB admissions to help you weave together different aspects of your identity and history. She makes you feel truly seen, remembering details you’ve told her in the past to highlight in your essays, or even just personal life updates you told her about months ago.

Finally, I’ll note that she is incredibly thoughtful in her coaching style. When we practiced for the HBS interview together, she offered me feedback in between questions where I could sharpen my answers, rather than saving all of her feedback for the end. She noted that she found it more helpful to give the feedback in the moment to keep the information fresh. After our preparation, I felt more confident going into my HBS interview and was able to treat it more like a conversation about my interests rather than an interview.

Working on the MBA application takes over much of your life for a year. If you want to land a spot at a top program while also having fun in the process, I highly recommend working with Silpa!

Read More

I worked with Silpa on my Round 1 MBA applications and couldn’t be happier with the results: I received acceptances to Kellogg, Ross, Fuqua, and Anderson, along with over $300K in scholarship offers across these schools.

After initial consultations with multiple consultants from other companies, Silpa stood out immediately with her personable, approachable, and incredibly knowledgeable nature. I was initially concerned about my GRE score being average for most schools, but Silpa put my worries to rest right away by helping me focus on the unique strengths of my profile.

From the moment we started working together, Silpa provided unparalleled support and guidance. She helped me craft a compelling, cohesive story that clearly articulated my vision and set me apart. Her feedback on my essays and applications was detailed, thoughtful, and always delivered well ahead of deadlines, giving me ample time to refine my work.

Silpa's support extended beyond just the applications. Our mock interview sessions were invaluable—she offered constructive feedback that sharpened my responses and boosted my confidence. She even reviewed my recommenders’ drafts to ensure their letters aligned with the broader narrative of my application.

The MBA application process can feel overwhelming, but Silpa and her team made it feel organized and manageable every step of the way. Her professionalism, expertise, and genuine investment in my success were game-changers. I highly recommend working with her if you’re aiming for top-tier results!

Read More

I first heard about Silpa through my cousin, who had a wonderful experience working with her. I can confidently say that all I had heard was true - Silpa is the best consultant that you can choose to work with.

Coming in, the hardest part of the MBA application for me was understanding how to tell my story -- how do I choose what experiences to highlight, find common themes, and articulate my goals in a realistic, yet compelling manner?

Immediately, Silpa's ability to do all of the above was extremely clear. Her diligence to understand (and remember) my story, at such a granular level of detail is what allowed her to effortlessly pull themes and convincing narratives that I could have never seen myself. With a balance of kindness + candor, she provided extremely detailed feedback for each resume, LOR, and essay, pushing me to not settle for anything less than the gold standard through multiple rounds of edits (under tight timelines.) Silpa's ability to call out parts of my experience that I myself forgot at times truly highlighted her investment in helping me put my best foot forward and make sure the entire story was told.

I was ultimately able to gain admission to my top choices (Wharton, MIT Sloan, and Haas), and can confidently say that this would not be possibly without her detailed revisions, knack for storytelling, and words of encouragement.

Throughout the process, I felt that my experience was only half the puzzle. Being able to tell the story is the other half, and Silpa has an unmatched ability to piece that together! Would whole heartedly recommend working with her during your MBA application process.

Read More

Choosing Silpa was one of the best decisions I made and I cannot imagine navigating the MBA application process without her. She truly went above and beyond for me and below are just a few of the many reasons of why she's amazing...

1. She's the expert for MBA applications. She's clearly experienced and knows even the most subtle differences between top M7 programs. Her advice is thoughtful and she deeply considers your unique situation against different program circumstances.
2. She won't settle. She will push you to continue to refine and iterate on your essays until they're excellent. Even when you think you're finished and it's as good as it could be, Silpa will challenge and motivate you to do even better. She has a way of pulling out personal details and insights to make your essays that much more impactful.
3. She's able to tie together life events and help you see a path that you didn't even realize yourself. This was especially helpful for essay writing because her tips are personal. She knows where you're coming from and where you're going, so the feedback is very meaningful and productive.
4. She diligent and responsive. Since I was a Round 2 applicant, our deadlines overlapped with the holiday season. I expected a natural delay in feedback but Silpa, realizing the urgency, was ever active and present.
5. She's calming and reassuring. To be honest, I was discouraged many times throughout my the application process with self-doubts as I'm an average candidate in a competitive year. However, Silpa continued to be a positive reinforcing presence to get me through the finish line.

Read More

Silpa is unequivocally the finest consultant you will ever collaborate with. Choosing to work with her will undoubtedly be one of the best decisions you make. Despite facing tight deadlines, she tirelessly commits herself to ensuring every task is completed impeccably. I engaged her expertise for five applications within a month's span, and she delivered flawlessly. Silpa invests 100% of her energy into every aspect of your application, guaranteeing the highest quality outcome. She provides candid feedback when necessary and attentively listens to your input. With her assistance, I secured admission to three out of five top 10 schools I applied to—results that exceeded my expectations. Silpa ensures your voice resonates distinctly in your application while refining it to a polished standard. Trust me, the experience of working with her is unparalleled, and I have already enthusiastically recommended her to my friends.

Read More

I am an Indian male with a tech background, and I’m a dual admit to Stanford and Harvard. To start off, I am 100% confident that this feat would not have been even remotely possible had it not been for Silpa. If there’s one takeaway before you read further, let it be this: ‘Silpa is the best coach, mentor, advisor in this world, and you’ll be lucky to have her. ’ I say this as someone who’s met with multiple counselors and advisors both in India and the US in the past. Silpa is ideal.

Silpa is the most passionate, proactive, and highly-proficient mentor and advisor. She loves what she does, and is truly, truly dedicated to bringing out the best in you. And that’s what truly matters. I’ve had umpteen phone calls with Silpa, be it 5-minute ones, 10-minute ones, or 30-minute ones, or 60-minute ones. In every call, I have come back with a new perspective and fresh thinking, thanks to Silpa.

Next, Silpa is the most-rigorous counselor (read ‘person’) I have met. I say this because I’ve been embarrassed, at times, by how much better she knows my application and anecdotes than I do. Know that once you have submitted these “raw material” Fortuna documents (which are great too!), Silpa will process them, mull over them, and apply her accurate filter to them. (One piece of advice: Don’t second-guess what she says!)

Silpa was very kind to have had another set of calls with me, going into the deep end of each anecdote. She collaborated with me and together, we narrowed down the 25+ anecdotes to the top 5 or 6. This is hard! Finding the signal from the noise is akin to finding a needle in the haystack. Dare I say, you can still find the signal; you won’t be able to find the needle. Unless, of course, you have Silpa with you.

I’m so grateful that Silpa took so much interest in my story, helped me bring out the best, and then channeled it into the appropriate way possible, for this incredible outcome. I won’t talk about my GMAT scores or GPA here, but suffice to say that the LOR’s, essays, and the interview made it for me. In other words, Silpa’s presence made it for me. And coupled with Fortuna’s supportive ecosystem, Matt Symonds and Judith’s advice, Silpa’s initiative-taking nature, and her magic, one was able to accomplish this, as an Indian male.

What’s even more fascinating about Silpa is that she would understand you, as a human, and not merely as an applicant. Early on, after our initial call, Silpa understood me as someone who’s a “high-touch applicant”, and she was 100% right. Not only did I want more attention, I actually needed it. Add to that a mix of brainstorming e-meets, strategy sessions, “quick calls” (which were quite long), and more. You now have a recipe which would consume the entire bandwidth – physical, emotional, and temporal – of your counselor. But that’s not what happened for Silpa. Along with me, she had many other applicant-mentees, and yet, she managed the turnarounds (and more), so seamlessly. But here’s the thing: She needn’t have delivered the “high-touch”, and she needn’t have gone above and beyond.

But she did.

And that’s what’s the next thing about Silpa. She pays major attention to minor details, to the point that you may get exhausted; she won’t. She is always so specific, precise, and enthusiastic. And that’s an important quality throughout this journey. You need a guide, a friend, a mentor. For me, Silpa was this trifecta. I was able to build such an incredible rapport, foster this deep trust, and forge a meaningful relationship, thanks to her. ‘Silpa is a pleasure to work with’ would be an understatement.

Silpa also loves perfection. Ultimately, the draft is ready to go if her gut tells her it is. And this is great for you, because that gives you the opportunity to see Silpa’s magic unfold. Before your eyes. For instance, in my case, Silpa said that some essays were not ready and wanted to take “another look” at them (which often involved many comments and many edits). All of this helped because it brought out the best of the best.

Silpa’s interview prep, her insights from the interview about you, and her advice in general are unparalleled. They are all so wise. I’m grateful I got to prepare for one interview with Silpa (and another with Heidi from Fortuna). I learned so much about how best to answer questions, how best to manage subtle situations, and more, thanks to Silpa’s astute observations and incisive feedback.

At the ultimate stage, Fortuna is the best career and MBA coach there is. And Silpa is the best career advisor, MBA mentor, creative brainstormer, rigorous individual, and most-dedicated coach there is. If there is one person who was the Rock of Gibraltar during this process for me, it was Silpa.

Overall, it’s Silpa because of whom I was able to put forth the best application there is, despite all odds. Truly, truly grateful to Silpa.

Read More

Working with Silpa was worth every $$ and then some more. I screened 5 different consultants and chose Silpa for a couple of reasons - (a) she was direct and supportive but to the point, without any sugarcoating - which is very suited to folks from Asian descent, (b) prior experience as a GSB reader and (c) recommended by a past GSB admit who worked with her.

The results speak for themselves - I was admitted to all 4 schools I worked with Silpa on - GSB(!!), Wharton, MIT and Kellogg. Also tweaked the same materials to apply to Columbia on my own and got in too!

Silpa was immensely accomodative with tight deadlines, especially during the two weeks before the deadlines. She took the time to understand my unique strengths, aspirations, and challenges, crafting a strategy that highlighted the best version of myself on paper, especially as a reapplicant to 3 of the 4 schools.

Her attention to detail and commitment to perfection ensured that every aspect of my application reflected my authentic self - making sure it were my words on the paper (so dont expect spoonfeeding!) but was an excellent editor and guide.

To anyone embarking on the challenging path of pursuing an MBA, I wholeheartedly recommend Silpa 100%.

Read More

Silpa was an amazing consultant for me. She helped me get into some top programs and was willing to go above and beyond in helping me. I really appreciated all her help and would definitely recommend her to others! If it wasn't for her help and strategy, I probably wouldn't have gotten some of the MBA offers that I received. She was very kind and supportive along the way. Initially I was skeptical of whether or not I should spend money on this service but it was well worth it. Navigating business school apps is tricky and it always helps to have a consultant.

Read More

When I began the MBA application process, I spoke with 8 different advisors. Ultimately, I felt Silpa was the best choice for my consultant & I am happy I chose her. She has the full package – an impressive background, is articulate and goal-oriented, and has a calming, encouraging personality. I’m fortunate to have worked with her for almost a year between Round 1 & 2.

She took an overwhelming process with many parts (career vision, LOR, essays, etc.) and made it easy for me to go step-by-step until I finished 3 applications. She kept me on schedule and provided meaningful advice on how to showcase myself in the best possible light. Because of her help, I’ll be starting at Wharton this summer! I would definitely recommend her as a consultant.

Read More

I worked with Silpa for 4 months and used her services for Round 2 MBA applications to Stanford GSB and Chicago Booth; her advice, guidance, and knowledge were fundamental to my admittance to both schools. I encourage anyone, particularly applicants with average test scores and/or a non-traditional MBA applicant profile, to employ her expertise early and enthusiastically!

Silpa’s superpower is her ability to help clients maximize the impact of their stories whilst ensuring those clients remain true to their experiences and values. Furthermore, her deep knowledge of the application process is incredibly reassuring and ensures applicants produce quality essays and short answers that demonstrate the attributes and virtues that top business schools are looking for.

In addition to her professional proficiency, Silpa’s kind and supportive demeanor make her not only a pleasure to work with but also a welcome ally during the arduous MBA application process.

Thanks, Silpa!

Read More