ARLee Consulting Admissions Consulting Reviews

Alex was an absolute dream to work with. I applied to 7 programs, all top 10, and was accepted to 5 of them, waitlisted at 1, and interviewed but rejected at 1.

I'm so glad that I found him while Google searching for a service that I felt would suit my needs and though I was hesitant at first, I can say that this is one of the best decisions I made.

Two years ago, I had applied for 2+2 programs as a senior in college and used Veritas Prep as my service - there are tons of good reviews, really competent consultants, and I figured I couldn't go wrong. This is so far from the truth... I did not have any support during my application process, it was a cold back and forth of essay revisions with no help in synthesizing my story or what my story could be, even my resume hardly changed in look or feel from an undergraduate student's resume to a business school applicant's resume. Obviously, though I was a strong applicant at the time, I got no interview requests and I'm honestly not surprised. My consultant got me final edits for my essay the day my application was due 3 hours before the deadline. Talk about unprofessional!

Fast forward two years, as I began the hunt again, I was determined to find the best fit for myself and was wary of the larger consulting machines. I stumbled across Alex, and my first call with him was long and very personal. He took an active interest in getting to know me and my story and even came up with potential ways to position myself as an applicant. Stories that I never thought to dredge up again from my past became a focus of my application and I am very happy they did because they reflect my true inner personality.

Alex went above and beyond the call of duty; he was always available to answer silly questions or inquiries, gave thoughtful opinions, and even worked on essays that he didn't know were coming his way!

Alex is a great consultant if you want honest opinions and thoughtful revisions. He won't simply go through and rewrite your essay for you, but he will help guide you in the right direction. He has continued to remain in touch with me far past application deadlines and acceptances, and this personal touch is heartwarming and makes it clear that we are more than just a business for him.

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I owe Alex a big thanks for being accepted at my target school (INSEAD). I cannot express by words how much Alex was helpful during my application process and frankly speaking I could not have made it without his help.

I struggled enormously with my academics, sat multiple times for GMAT and GRE, and fought hard to reach ‘average’ of my class. I failed. From academics’ point of view, I did not make it. I even delayed my application by one year because I was so desperately not able to cross GMAT/GRE threshold that I felt ashamed to apply with my scores.

That is when I met Alex (thanks to GMATClub) and after just one consultation my mind towards the whole application process changed. He could have easily thrown me into the bin as others ‘lower academics’ guys sometimes experience, but he did very opposite.

Alex was a tutor, consultant and guide in one person, helping me to address pillars upon which admission process on INSEAD is based on (Academic capacity, Leadership potential, Ability to contribute, and International motivation) while shadowing my weaknesses with strengths.

His service went much beyond what I expected at the beginning. He was always there for me when needed, answering to my questions promptly and providing insights reaching beyond MBA application (We consulted multiple times how it is at INSEAD, how recruiting works on campus, how to do campus exchange and so on...)

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Alex helped me with my application for INSEAD and HEC Paris. I got admitted by both.

He paid a lot of attention to my personal experience to help me get the best out of my past. I'm not a high GMATer nor a stellar applicant with an IB background. But he knows what I should present in my essays.

The application process was exhausting and time-consuming. Alex was with me all the way. His response is super quick. It's easy for us to write un-necessary stories in the essays or derive from the right direction. He can identify those pain-points and give good advice.

At last, Alex is a friend to me now.

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I was applying to 4 top business schools which 2 of them accepted me and I believe ARLee Consulting played a very important role in helping me getting the admission to such great business schools.

With the comprehensive package, I could consult with ARLee Consulting almost every day. The team was very helpful in reviewing and suggesting changes for all the materials. Alex himself helped me to express my true self in the essay so my motivations and ambitions are clear to the admission team.

I believe ARLee Consulting's offerings are the best for the buck that one can find out here. I extremely recommend ARLee Consulting if one needs help with the applications to his/her dream business school

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I found Alex on the GMAT Club around two weeks after I began to write my documents for the INSEAD application. He contacted me after I posted my profile for an evaluation on the forum. We exchanged a few emails, had a phone call and finally, I decided to hire him for a two school comprehensive end to end package.
Our first task was to reorganise my CV. From this point, I knew I made the right choice of hiring him. I went from a standard work application CV to a perfectly organised and synthetic summary of my life. From this point, I followed all his direction for the next months.

It took time, much revision, but in the end, we made it. Thanks to Alex I succeeded to join the only school I wanted: INSEAD with a GMAT 660 being a white European male. And it was only possible because all the rest of my application was millimetrically perfect thanks to his advice and guidance.

I recommend to hire Alex if you are in the following cases :
-If you have difficulty to be synthetic and straight to the point in your essay
-If you have a profile that is atypic for your target school
-If you are ready to listen and learn from his comments

I would not recommend hiring Alex if you are in the following cases:
-You want somebody to correct your essays, and you are not ready to listen to criticism
-You want somebody that will write your essay for you (He will never do that)

Alex helped me during all my application process and it is thanks to him that I succeeded. He was more than a consultant and went far beyond what I expected from him.

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I found Alex on the GMAT Club after being Ding by my target school INSEAD without even an interview. I was so disappointed that I asked for a Ding analysis to 2 admissions consultants. The first one pointed out all the flaws in my application and made me understand that with my profile, it was like a joke to believe that I even stood a chance for a business school like INSEAD or even an MBA at all. To be honest, he discouraged me a little bit about my MBA plans. Then, Alex proposed me to perform another ding analysis. Same thing, he pointed out flaws in my application, but conversely to the other consultant , he took time to understand my profile and my goals and encouraged me to apply for an MBA. He told me that my profile had so much potential and that with a proper application, I would get admitted to other European business schools like LBS, HEC or IESE without even much efforts, with the right guidance of an Admission Consultant. I decided to take the bet and started a new application to HEC Paris, doing all over again my essays, CVs, goals articulation from the beginning with Alex’s help.
After just few weeks and my application completed, I saw the big difference between the admission file I had submitted to INSEAD which earned me a deserved “Ding” and the one I made with Alex. It was like it was two different people applying. Even though I was highly satisfied with the new application I was able to make in this short amount of time, I felt frustrated from my INSEAD’s ding. So, I decided to re-apply to INSEAD in the following intake, knowing that it is one of the world’s less reapplicant friendly school. During this process, I too received the assistance of Alex who provided me his support by mail, phone and on WhatsApp whenever I needed him.
At the end, I was accepted by HEC with a 50% scholarship and guess what, by INSEAD with a scholarship too!!!!
Without Alex, I don’t know if I would have had been able to go that far. He is someone who can understand your needs, your profile and help you during the whole application process. On top of that, to me it is was a pleasure to work with someone so enthusiastic.
If like me, you have nobody to guide you through an MBA application process, or if you want to maximize your chance of being accepted to a top MBA program, I strongly recommend you get help from a coach like Alex!

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ARLee Consulting was recommended to me by my college senior who consulted Alex and made it into INSEAD. After having the first conversation with Alex it was the obvious choice to go ahead for INSEAD application with him. His approach was very personalized, friendly and honest. His advise was always logical and correct. In fact, his judgement of the quality of the essays, resume and interview preparation is quite refined and accurate. Even though the whole MBA application process is a stressful phase for an applicant, I never felt so because Alex not only managed every task so perfectly but also motivated me to stay positive and stress free. His complete support till the end of the process and even beyond is highly commendable. I am really thankful to Alex for supporting me endlessly to get into INSEAD and making it a memorable journey!

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I am currently an Oil & gas professional. My spouse and I applied for INSEAD for the MBA J20 and received admissions in R1. We both hired Alex Ruiz Lee to help with our application process and that truly made a difference to our attempts. Coming from the competitive Indian pool of applicants, we were disappointed with our below average GMAT scores (for Indian applicants) and wanted to make up for our probability of success by writing an extra-ordinary application. INSEAD was our top priority school and wanted to hire some consultant who has a thorough knowledge of INSEAD and its application process. We met Alex on the GMAT club forum and after few initial conversations with him, we were convinced that he can help us submit an excellent application. Couple of things about him that really helped us with our application were -1. He is very honest. 2. He has a very good understanding of what a good application should look like. And 3. He is very prompt on his reviews.
Anyone who applied to INSEAD would know the lengthy application and how it pushes one to introspect deeply. For every essay, Alex would explain us what INSEAD is looking for and listen to our professional experience patiently and comment on which points would make an impact on the application. After submitting an initial draft, he would review and provide his feedback. Most of the times, the essays went through multiple revisions. When he felt the essay wasn’t strong enough, he would explain why our initial story may not be a good fit and encourage us to come up with better examples. He would always present his point of view and has never been pushy, giving us the freedom to reflect on his comments and take the decision ourselves. Also, we were in different time zones and we never encountered any issues because of this. He would make himself available any time we had questions. Moreover, both of us applying at the same time wasn’t easy and increased our anxiety at times. Alex would be our sounding board and his calm demeanor helped us navigate through the various hurdles in the process. Once we were selected for the interviews, he guided us through tips and mock interviews and scholarship essays. And even after receiving our final admits, he helped us with all the practical information required for settling down in Fonty.
Overall, it had been a pleasant experience working with him and we both would highly recommend Alex to all aspiring MBA applicants.

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With the deadline for INSEAD applications looming and a hectic schedule at work, I knew I needed assistance in making sure I put my best foot forward. I have also made some interesting choices in my career, so telling my story was always going to be challenging. What I had in mind was someone to read over my essays and provide feedback - what works and what doesn't. I sent a few cold emails and Alex was the first to respond. I had read the testimonials online, so thought it was worth a try.

Alex's services far exceeded my expectations. He invests a lot of energy to understand your story and pick vulnerabilities. He is critical and yes, the feedback keeps on coming but I think that is the beauty of the flat fee model he offers. His experience as a HR professional also shines through. The whole experience of working with Alex felt more like a partnership in trying to get to the best product in time for the looming deadline.

One of my biggest concerns in hiring a consultant was ending up with a generic application. But Alex is more like a coach who prompts you by asking questions and things to think about when writing your responses. The final product sounds very much like me. It does mean it is a bit more work through. So if you are looking for someone to just write the application for you, then maybe he is not the one.

Highly recommend!

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I met Alex via GMAT club when he responded to my profile evaluation post early this year. I like the way he has provided a detailed feedback on my profile highlighting my strengths and my areas on improvement rather than providing a generic feedback. He also guided me in finalizing the schools which are best suited for my aspirations.

As we all know, for a strong B-school application, having a balanced mix of professional and personal achievements is really important. Alex has deep insight into what qualities B-Schools are looking in their students and how your professional and personal experience can be put together to make a strong application. Like they say you should never hide anything from your doctor or lawyer if you really want them to help you, I must say that apply same rule while working with Alex.

Alex is not a kind of consultant who will complete the application on your behalf or provide you with a pre-cooked content, rather he will work with you in understanding your story by asking relevant questions, and by encouraging you to find the answers for yourself. Also, he will never settle for any vague storyline/answers for his questions, which to be honest sometimes seems demanding but keep in mind that in the end, he is only trying to bring the best out of you and it will allow you to present yourself in the better way throughout the selection process.

My admission to one of the top B-school in Europe is an example of this. It is because of Alex’s thorough approach and persistence of not giving up on me till I come up with answers up to his expectations, I was able to put forward a strong application and there was hardly any question in the interview for which I felt unprepared.

Despite the time zone difference, Alex has always been available to answers all the questions (believe me, I always had tons of them 😊) and concerns about various aspects of the school, admission process and my application. At times, when I felt demotivated or overwhelmed with the GMAT and entire admission process of different schools, Alex always stood by me and provided me with much-needed support and motivation to move forward.

With my experience, I would definitely recommend Alex to anyone who is looking to apply for B-School. If you are looking for a knowledgeable, professional and supportive MBA consultant, who can help you in achieving your dream of getting into a B-school, look no further, Alex is your MAN😊

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