Investing into a MBA consultant can be daunting but I knew in speaking with John for my free 30 minute consultation right away that this was the way to go. He took every part of our initial conversation seriously and truly cared about my future, even had I not worked with him. In being a unique applicant from the Sports Marketing industry with slightly below average academic stats, he knew the best way to create a cohesive story that would excite Columbia.

In not knowing what my career goals were at the start of the process, he helped set me up for success with a number of different assignments to really find something that spoke to me and how I can best position myself for business school. I loved working with him because John is personable, smart, reliable and simply an unbelievable story teller. His insightful additions and edits to my essays were things I never would have thought of. I had to really hone in on my desired job function, company and tie all of that to the school. John was great at doing this and helping me really find my path.

This may be said in all the reviews but there is actually NO chance I could have gotten in without him. It was definitely a process and a lot of work but having a consultant like John alongside made it much more manageable. He teaches you so many things to help differentiate you from the others and it really comes through in the final product and eventually the interview. And it all helped me get into CBS early decision.

I am forever grateful for his help and guidance. It's worth the investment and in the scheme of all the MBA costs you will incur, this is the best one you can make. I could not give John a bigger recommendation.

Read More

As I was researching admissions consultants, I felt overwhelmed so I'm going to try and make this as useful and to the point as possible. Dan is a fantastic consultant. He's professional, organized, knows what he is doing and will go the extra mile to help you craft the best application possible. I was on the fence about hiring a consultant as I thought I would be able to write some pretty decent essays myself. How wrong I was. There were many instances in which Dan helped me re-think my essays. I appreciated his direct style of working and to-the-point feedback. Dan also allowed me to push back on certain areas where I thought his edits didn't fit with my 'voice.' He was supportive in this. If you're someone who is a hard worker and just looking for that extra edge, Dan is your guy. I really can't think of anything critical to say, other than sometimes I felt he was rushed during some of our conference calls. On the other hand I appreciated that in retrospect. Back to his style, I think this is a good thing as well.... He kept me focused on the goal. In the end I learned a ton, created an admissions package I would not have been able to develop on my own and got admitted to my top school of choice. If you'e on the fence, just do it. In the grand scheme of things the cost is a drop in the bucket in the overall investment in the MBA, but will pay off in big ways. I interviewed every major consultancy out there and within about 5 mins of being on the phone I had a gut feeling he was the right consultant for me. I'd suggest you do the same.

Read More

I worked with Katy Lewis on round 2 applications to three different schools (on a package basis). Katy came highly recommended from a friend and I chose her after having initial conversations/ interviews with three other business school consultants.

I know I made the right decision in using Katy, and I believe that she was the difference-maker that helped me get into my target school (off the waitlist, I might add). Speak to anyone who has used Katy – they will universally recommend her (just see the posts below). To keep it simple, Katy has some real differentiators and she added value to my application in very clear, tangible ways:

1. School-specific admissions knowledge: From our first conversation, it was clear that Katy knew what made each school’s admissions department “tick.” Since she already knew the hot button issues for my target schools, she immediately began giving advice about what to emphasize from my background and some ideas to differentiate/ strengthen. What Booth is looking for is vastly different from what Tuck is looking for, and Katy is one step ahead in separately appealing to those schools.

2. Taking essays from solid to great: I imagine that every business school consultant will edit your essays. I’d even guess that every good one will add real value. Where Katy differentiators herself even further is her assistance on the “Why this school?” question in the application. Every school asks and Katy helps craft the essay/ give you ideas so that it sounds like you know the school as well as a current student.

3. Initial Brainstorm: Katy typically sets up an early brainstorm session where you discuss who you are, your background, your interests. More importantly, you talk about your motivations, dreams, fears and focus points. This brainstorm session, as far as I know, is unique to Katy (only someone with her interest in people and personality could pull it off) and helped me figure out what I would write my essays about.

4. Realistic Feedback: From Day 1 – Katy shot me straight about my chances at different schools. Of course, I still applied to all the reach schools on my list (and Katy encouraged me to), but her ability to softly manage expectations/ prepare me for the necessity of overcoming my overrepresented background was helpful. I preferred that to a consultant who was unrealistic and telling me what I wanted to hear.

5. Positive Feedback Approach: At the same time, Katy drives you with positive feedback and reinforcement. Personally, I respond well to positive feedback. Her various iterations of “you are doing a great job” were vital. Look – most people aren’t going to get into every school they apply to and there will be a definite hit to confidence at some point in the process. Katy is a pro at managing that and keeping you moving.

6. Organization and Calendar: I decided to apply to business schools at a very late point in the year and needed to cram to get the GMAT and applications done (while working in finance). Katy’s process schedule/ calendar adherence to it was extremely helpful for me.

Read More

When I was first looking for an MBA consultant all I was asking myself was “Who will get me into a top 10 MBA program?” Having gone through the process successfully, I now know that this wasn’t the right question to ask. Writing successful MBA applications is about understanding who you truly are and connecting the dots in your life meaningfully to tell your story in a compelling and authentic way. The key to unlock the full potential of this insight, to me, was Angela.

I initially connected with Angela because her post-MBA career path was similar to what I was looking to pursue so I thought we would be a good match. Within a few minutes of our first conversation I knew she was the right consultant for me – blunt, honest, fair, fun and easy to talk to; the kind of person who keeps you positive and relaxed as you explore the tough and fundamental questions in your life that are crucial to answer to build a strong MBA application.

After the initial assessment we decided it would be best to defer my application by a year and give me time to grow professionally. To maximize my additional time, I started to work with Angela as my career coach. What started off as a laundry list of things I enjoy, tasks I hate, successes, failures, attributes and values, turned into a deep insight into my purpose and motivations in life. Angela helped me to seek and create opportunities at work that I would thrive in, which in turn made me feel more confident, raised my profile with senior managers and eventually landed me a promotion.

As we transitioned into essay writing for my applications, we were in a good shape: We knew where I was in life, why I was there, where I wanted to be and how the MBA fit into this equation. What fascinated me about Angela at this stage was her ability to take random anecdotes from my life and draw very meaningful and accurate insights of my character. Because Angela had done such an incredible job to help me find and use my inner voice and realize what I really wanted in a career and why, most essay and interview questions became very easy to answer. Even then, her care for getting the best out of me constantly pushed me to do an even better job.

I interviewed with LBS, IESE, Booth and Kellogg, got admitted to all four schools and held a scholarship from two. Ironically, Angela was the one to suggest applying to these four schools. It was on her insistence that particularly one of them would be truly right for me that I explored these options, and I could not be any happier or more grateful for the outcome. In hindsight, I can see why Angela was pushing for these schools over my initial choices.

I am walking away from my experience with Angela with not only a spot at an elite MBA program that is right for me, but also more confidence in my abilities and a deeper level of self-awareness that will be invaluable going into the MBA and beyond. I was looking for an MBA consultant to get me into a top program – little did I know that with Angela I was going to find a mentor, an inspirer, a cheerleader, and most importantly, a friend who I truly enjoyed sharing this very unique journey with. For that and more I will forever be indebted.

Read More

My experience with Kate was great. She did an amazing job of helping to bring out all of my key attributes through the different areas of my application. She was able to recognize key qualities in my story that I otherwise would not have deemed important to include. Furthermore, she identified pieces of my application that could be replaced with an accomplishment not yet stated when they were already mentioned elsewhere. This really helped me to maximize the limited space.

When it comes to my resume, she has made an impact well beyond that of a grad school application. The majority of my listed accomplishments did not initially show the level of success or the impact that they made. She really challenged me to rework the content in way that made my resume much more meaningful. My biggest struggle was having the ability to communicate in a succinct way to stay within the word or character limits. Kate was able to take long, detailed paragraphs and help me turn them into clear and concise points that showed action to outcome. This will be a lasting benefit on both my resume and my ability to communicate more effectively.

Lastly, she convinced me to add a personal touch to my resume. I now realize this is an important aspect, especially for schools that place a high value on community involvement and collaboration.

I couldn’t have done it without her!

Read More

I wouldn't have been accepted to business school without Katy's advice and perspective. I only applied to two schools (HBS and Stanford) in the 2nd round, as a re-applicant and was accepted by HBS (interview at GSB). Katy understood and explained how I ought to polish my application (no major career changes in the yr).

Katy's brainstorming pre-work and interview advice were particularly helpful. Her pre-work exercise formed the basis of my essays. Her interview practice (the guides along with her voice-over) were invaluable perspective for what to expect, how to frame the conversation and how to best position my experiences.

Big thanks to Katy - would highly recommend to any of my friends/ family.

Read More

As most MBA applicants quickly realize, the application process requires a ton of soul searching. Angela’s greatest strength was her ability to guide me through that process. She was able to quickly understand all the twists and turns in my career and what each decision revealed about my underlying values (and how those values have evolved over time). Independent of the outcome of the application process, I found that the process of deep self-reflection was extremely helpful and rewarding.

Angela was also incredibly helpful with the tactical steps required to complete the application. From guiding me on how to write a business school resume to sharing how what I was writing might come across to an admissions officer, it was extremely comforting knowing that I had an expert on my side. Ultimately, I couldn’t be more pleased with the result, as I got into my top two choices that I applied to.

Thank you Angela!

Read More

Jessica was incredibly fast, responsive, and detail oriented. She was patient to work me through more drafts than normal to get to clean and concise stories for my resume and essays. She was also dedicated to creating the best outcome, even if it meant starting an essay over with a new story.

The process was less stressful than it would have been alone, but unfortunately I was not accepted by any of the R1 schools we felt comfortable about, so I had to apply to more than I was planning to in R2. I don't hold Jessica responsible for selection, but perhaps we could have done better there or landed on better stories to include in those essays. The additional applications did add to the stress, but I was very happy about the acceptances I received in R2.

Read More

I was a non-traditional applicant with a liberal arts major from an Ivy and work experience in startups. I'm a female Asian-American. The weaknesses I knew I had to overcome were a sub-3.5 GPA, lack of quantitative background, and scattered work history due to the nature of the startup world.

As I searched for a consultant, the first mistake I made in the application process was seeking a consultant with a high "success rate." After all, my ultimate goal wasn't to write a bunch of essays; it was to be admitted to my dream school! When I spoke to Jessica, she made me realize that the firms that boast about their numbers push applicants towards safety schools in the interest of keeping their numbers high. She politely explained that her own success rate included having countless clients who felt as though they were her only client, glowing testimonials, and half of her business from referrals. The fact that her own incentives were in line with mine, not against them, was a refreshing break from other consultants - many of which told me straight up that I had no chance at my dream schools, so I shouldn't even try.

When I asked Jessica about my weaknesses, she was nothing but positive. Unlike other consultants, who continued to harp on the fact that it would be difficult to overcome the GPA and work history, Jessica instead focused on my upward trend in grades and how fascinating the work I did in each of my jobs was. She encouraged me to apply to my dream schools. I could feel her genuine excitement upon hearing my story. This is what sold me.

Our first brainstorming session was unforgettable. I'd prepared a 22-page document full of answers to questions about my upbringing, work history, and personal values - not just my numbers and resume points. Jessica read every single page in order to touch upon the most poignant details about my life in our conversation. She eventually drew so much "content" out of me (that I didn't even know I had!) that we were able to come up with an outline for a very personal story.

This story ended up forming the foundation of our relationship. For three months, I'd lock myself in my room to finish a draft, send them to Jessica, anxiously wait for her response, open her document full of thoughtful and honest edits that matched my own effort, and repeat. I was shocked by how far every draft progressed. In just 6 drafts, my essay went from scattered to polished. I'm confident I couldn't find another person that puts as much care into her review as Jessica does, especially considering how personal the story was to me.

In the end, I used the final essay as my main introduction for 5 out of 6 applications to Top 10 schools. I secured 3 interviews, was accepted to all 3 with Jessica's help (2 with scholarship), and I'm now at Wharton - a dream!

Before I had secured any interviews, I told Jessica that no matter the outcome, she had helped me be more introspective about myself than ever before. The story she helped me write helped me come to terms with something I hadn't had the courage to face. If you work with Jessica, you'll be getting so much more than an acceptance letter to business school.

Read More

One of the reasons I was considering an MBA degree was that I knew I had a few fields or functions that I was interested in but I wasn't sure which was the best fit for my passion and strengths. I met Angela through an Forte Foundation event and during which she said "MBA was one of the best chance for you to do what you love to do." This really resonated with me. Angela's view on passion stuck with me and I reached out to her.

The process started with an value assessment and it asked you lots of deep probing questions about your value and experiences that requires you to think back through your life and truly reflect. It took me quite some time and efforts but it was really rewarding. This is not a light touch process. One of the values of working with Angela is that if I didn't work with her, I probably wouldn't go through the self reflection process by myself. At the end, I put in dedicated time and efforts into this process and the partnership with Angela was a big motivation. I am really happy I did as I have the end product, value inventory, which has really helped me to identify and understand my value and passion.

Another very meaningful benefit of working with Angela is her unique and thoughtful perspectives backed with her impressive and extensive academic and professional experiences. After reading through the value inventory, Angela put together two pages of her observation and thoughts on what she finds my strengths, uniqueness and what I could reach with my career. The observation and what role I can aspire to be that she came up herself independently was very insightful and inspiring. Angela's credited opinion really gave me more confidence professionally in pursuing my aspiring career goal.

If you are someone who values self-awareness, finding your true value and passion in your career, you should definitely consider working with Angela! You will find a very passionate, insightful and experienced mentor and partner.

Read More