GMAT Club

The Red Pen Admissions Consulting Reviews

Established in 2011, The Red Pen provides high-quality MBA consulting to candidates around the world.

 

Team

Our international team of consultants hold MBAs from top international programs such as Columbia, Wharton, INSEAD, Booth, NYU Stern, Cornell and Oxford Saïd. We draw on years of experience helping high-caliber students showcase the best versions of themselves in their applications. We pride ourselves on staying informed on the evolving MBA admissions space and, as members of the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants (AIGAC), hold ourselves to the highest ethical standards when serving clients.

 

Click here to know more about our standalone services

5.0 /5 Average Rating
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47
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Based on 49 reviews
March 31, 2022
shreyas228

Joined: Sep 24, 2021

Posts: 5

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
730 Q50 V38

My experience with The Red Pen

REVIEWER IDENTITY VERIFIED by score report [?]

My experience of working with with TRP (The Red Pen) for my Round 2 applications in the 2021-22 application cycle, was a fantastic one. The one thing that stood out for me about them was the fact that they had a team of experts working with you on different aspects of your application rather than the one person assisting you all your essays, resumes, and LoRs.

In my case, Preeti, the lead consultant was crucial in bringing out the best in me. She made me introspect a lot and was influential in crafting my story which included various different aspects of my life.

Working with Natasha, I can say with full confidence that she is truly a content specialist. She played a massive role in bringing life into my essays as well as resume. As for the LoRs, I worked with Smita and Anju, and they were both incredibly helpful in making me understand what pointers I had to give my recommenders to enable them to write the letter of recommendation.

The other thing I loved about them was the fact that they never discouraged me to applying to any school. They were always supportive and made sure they could do everything they can to get the best out of me.

I'd certainly recommend working with them!

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March 29, 2022
ds1111

Joined: Mar 29, 2022

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Awesome experience, would strongly recommend their services

REVIEWER IDENTITY VERIFIED by score report [?]

I had a great experience working with The Red Pen team for my MBA applications! I was quite confused about what I wanted from the MBA initially, but the team at TRP provided immense guidance and structure to my journey - to the point where I can clearly articulate my goals and career progression. Both Dhiraj and Najeshda have been extremely helpful and thorough with the process. Their meticulous essay edits have forced me to narrow my focus and bring out the best insights from my professional and academic experience.

Refining my career goals and going through multiple rounds of essays was certainly challenging, but TRP really knows what they're doing. Having recently secured offers from 2 top MBA programs, I strongly recommend The Red Pen for anyone looking to start or improve their applications. Thank you again to Dhiraj, Najeshda and Anju for their amazing support during the whole process!

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March 28, 2022
varunsms

Joined: Feb 22, 2016

Posts: 1

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
710 Q47 V40

Highly Recommend for MBA Apps

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A big thank you to the TRP team for helping me secure an admission to my dream B-school.

Safe to say it would not have been possible without them. I had some gaps in my apps which the TRP team thought through with me, bridged and made up for through the essays. The team was also very easy to work with and very approachable - which for me was the most important consideration.

I have worked with and spoken to other consultants in the past and beleieve the depth of experience of the TRP team is unmatched. Would definitely give the whole experience 5 stars !

Happy to speak and connect if you need any specific feedback on my experience as well.

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March 05, 2022
Hiral008

Joined: May 26, 2019

Posts: 1

Kudos: 1

Really good experience

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I signed up with TRP for my applications to business schools. I was paired with Mitrabina Sen. The best part was that she took the time to dive into my personal experiences and made sure my essay was unique. The mock interview preparation with Preeti was very similar to how my actual Interview was, it prepared me extremely well. The assistance given for the letter of recommendations by Anju, resume by Natasha was also to the point and detailed, catered to each individual profile. I did get into my dream school. Preeti has also individually taken out time to look into my application and continues to guide me to date

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March 04, 2022
anon12345667

Joined: Feb 19, 2021

Posts: 2

Kudos: 1

Verified GMAT Classic score:
750 Q50 V41 (Online)

I was a bit late for Round 1 and appeared for my GMAT 7 weeks before my 1st application deadline. Got to know about TRP from one of my seniors (currently in CBS). And I must say the process is so structured that I was able to apply to 5 schools despite being late to the game. Got admits from Kellogg and Ross ($).

The best part is that you have multiple people working on your application with each person's forte being a part of your application. My lead consultant was Ridhi Ghelani, and Natasha Mankikar, Anju Goela, Preeti Wadekar & Nikhilesh Jha also worked with me on my application. This process ensures multiple people have reviewed your application leaving no stones unturned.

While they are structured, it wasn't the case that I had fixed timings that I had to adhere to in order to reach out to them. We had a WhatsApp group with everyone on it and I would get always get prompt replies to my doubts/queries/concerns. They have even received my calls on random hours and supported me throughout my application. I wouldn't recommend others to do so (I felt this was a bit unprofessional from my side) but I am still glad that they were always there for me. They helped me craft a compelling narrative for my application that helped me get 4 interviews (converted 2, waitlisted 1)!

Lastly, I would want to clarify that the above doesn't mean they will write the content of your application for you. This doesn't happen. You'll still have to put in the effort as an applicant. But if you are willing to put in that effort, I and confident TRP will get you into your dream school. Hope this helps!

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January 27, 2022
saumyaseth

Joined: Jun 24, 2018

Posts: 2

Kudos: 3

Thorough and effective!

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After going through a lot of reviews/websites for MBA admissions consulting, I decided to choose TRP given their thorough and a holistic approach to applications.
Right from the start, my consultant pushed me to fine tune my story and portray the best and authentic version of myself to the admissions committee. The whole detail oriented essay process greatly helped in developing a storyline and this solid storyline also helped me immensely in acing my interview. Working on my applications with TRP has been an amazing learning experience in itself. I would strongly suggest you to choose TRP if you are willing to put in effort from your end and are looking for genuine feedback to work on.

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January 05, 2022
karakootildasan

Joined: Oct 15, 2017

Posts: 60

Kudos: 26

Verified GMAT Classic score:
730 Q51 V37

Methodical and Thorough, TRP is fantastic!

REVIEWER IDENTITY VERIFIED by score report [?]

I got in touch with The Red Pen during my Consultants search, having gone through 10+ consultants, TRP managed to make me feel good about my chances while setting the right expectations. Having run through their process which was highly structured, involved multiple reviews and fit well within each timeline realistically, I was increasingly optimistic of my chances.

Since my geography and industry targets were very narrow, TRP made a lot of efforts to pair me up with a consultant who has an MBA from my target schools as well as a post MBA career similar to my target. My lead consultant Ankit and specialist Heather were absolutely terrific throughout the entire process, helping me set the right expectations, encouraging me when I needed it the most. Their quick responses and well-structured thought processes helped me arrive at my final essays within 4 iterations. They were highly flexible to accommodate any requests however late into the process.

I had specific consultants for Resume review and Recommendation crafting. Both Abhishek and Nikhilesh were top notch and helped me craft an impressive resume and guide me through the whole recommendation process.

I have secured admits to Oxford and Cambridge and would recommend The Red Pen for their highly-valued MBA admissions consulting services.

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January 05, 2022
ssr2155

Joined: Jan 05, 2022

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Strongly recommend

REVIEWER IDENTITY VERIFIED by school email address [?]

The Red Pen has a fantastic leadership team. They are as dedicated and committed to the application process as you are. They will push you to deliver exceptional results and support you in every step of the process.

For all queries and application support they have a team of experts working around the clock and are responsive 24/7. You can connect with them on Whatsapp if needed for urgent requirements. Very helpful on story-boarding, essay writing and interview prep. I got admits from HBS and Kellogg. Would strongly recommend!!

People who worked on my application from The Red Pen -
Ridhi Ghelani, Heather Kaikini, Anju Goela, Preeti Wadekar and Kim Dixit.

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This reviewer has not participated on GMAT Club but it is a REAL person and a REAL review. GMAT Club has verified this test-taker's identity through GMAC/Pearson Vue Score Reporting system or .edu email address and confirmed that this reviewer indeed took the GMAT, is unique, and has not submitted multiple reviews.
December 29, 2021
shounakghosh18

Joined: Nov 04, 2013

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Consultant review- Vatsal Srivastava

REVIEWER IDENTITY VERIFIED by school email address [?]

I am Shounak, a graduate from Chicago Booth- Fulltime MBA Class of 2021.

I would highly recommend Vatsal Srivastava as a MBA admissions consultant and coach. Vatsal played a pivotal role in helping me secure a place at Chicago Booth.

A graduate from INSEAD, Vatsal has has helped numerous students get into the top business schools in the world.

I chose to work with him as after our initial conversations, he best understood my goals and gave me strategic guidance as to how to position my profile for the applications. This required a lot of time and effort. Before deep diving into my essays, Vatsal spent almost 2-3 few weeks brainstorming and crafting my stories for each of the essays. Vatsal is a highly skilled writer and editor (he is also a widely published columnist and poet).

My short term goal was to enter the IBD teams at leading banks. Vatsal worked backwards and made all my relevant skill sets come out via compelling storytelling in my essays, and then connected them into long-term goals which were ambitious yet real and achievable.

He also added immense value in improving my CV, pointers for my letter of recommendation and conducted thorough mock interviews.

I would choose Vatsal if I had to do so all over again and recommend him to anybody who's working through through the strenuous times of MBA applications.

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This reviewer has not participated on GMAT Club but it is a REAL person and a REAL review. GMAT Club has verified this test-taker's identity through GMAC/Pearson Vue Score Reporting system or .edu email address and confirmed that this reviewer indeed took the GMAT, is unique, and has not submitted multiple reviews.
January 14, 2022
karank21234

’m Karan, an incoming MBA candidate at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business. I initially applied in R1 for 2021 intake but didn’t make the cut and then applied EA for 2022 intake and was admitted.

I would highly recommend Vatsal as an admission consultant and coach and consider him pivotal in my admission to Fuqua.

In my initial chat with Vatsal, I explained my background and ideated my long term goal post MBA and the short term trajectory by which I wanted to attain that goal. Vatsal liked the path but also put in a few options on how better to tell my story. He was able to guide in a much strategic manner than which I had initially thought about and was able to summarise my story succinctly and effectively.

Even after I didn’t get in the first time, we kept in contact and I chose to work him again because he knew exactly what my story was and even though my goals had differed slightly, was able to help me cohesively covey the differences and advances in my career path and long term goal in the essays in the reapplication essay.

He has attention to detail and is extremely skilled at helping one condense information in a bite size and punchy manner.

I would 100% work with him again and chose him for my apps if i had to and strongly recommend him to anyone looking for a straight up and effective approach when applying for the MBA.

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