GMAT Club

John Miles Reviews

Company: Admissionado

John is a music lover at heart (and has attended over 400 concerts), threw 80s parties in NYC in the early 2000s, and at 18 years old, held up a sign and sang a song with Sting. He also does an impression of Franck Eggelhoffer, from the film, “Father of the Bride.”

As an associative thinker, John has parlayed his ability to think of 10 ideas at once into connecting disparate things, whether people, words, or businesses. You say Portland? He will likely link Fred Armisen, Nike, and Johnny Marr (of The Smiths) together. He is a “double Dukie,” which, in Blue Devil parlance, means he attended Duke for both undergrad and MBA. He was an English major, prefers writing custom poems over gifting traditional cards, and spoke to his fellow MBA classmates at graduation about how the personal activities and interests dwelling at the bottom of your resume can actually make you a more engaging professional.

He founded and runs a company that creates stories which position businesses and individuals for growth. After college, John spent 8 years at Goldman Sachs, helping to start and grow the insurance asset management business. After Fuqua, he advised early-stage companies, developing product and investment stories and sourcing business development partnerships for them, and in 2013, he was the Co-Founder of a cross-sector venture development company, Art & Science Collaborative. Based in Los Angeles at the time, he eventually helped lead the build-out of the world’s first commercial dance brand at Millennium Dance Media. He also trained for 8 months to try to qualify for the 2012 IRONMAN World Championships, but…wait for it…he didn’t qualify. Sigh.

He partners with his clients from a point of empathy, having spent much time as a pre-med student in hospitals and as a volunteer with a local ambulance. The embed we see reporting from the front lines with military teams is the analogous model John follows when guiding - with you, side-by-side through the entire journey, helping you craft, and make sense of, your own value and stories.

4.9 /5 Average Rating
Based on 43 reviews
December 23, 2019
SSG21

Joined: Aug 12, 2017

Posts: 19

Kudos: 3

Verified GMAT Classic score:
710 Q47 V40

Eternally grateful!

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Working with John DC Miles from Admissionado was the best decision I made w.r.t. to MBA admissions. He not only was extremely insightful, but was honest and directional in his approach. The first cut of my essays, admittedly, were crap and the comments which John, and not to forget my behind-the-scene-editor, provided were directional and solution driven - which certainly is important because anyone can shun you down for a bad piece of writing, but the ability to guide you in the right direction, suited to your unique story, the ability to identify and surface the best points, the ability to highlight it subtly but aptly is what everything John possessed. He did wonders to my application, of an "over-represented" Indian pool, lower than average GMAT score (710), with a non-fancy or non-over-the-top story line by doing all these and having immense faith in my application (which mind you is more important than one can ever imagine).

I would also thank Claudia, for linking me to the right consultant and offering the best offers.

For the Indian applicant pool, I strongly recommend these guys, they truly are "awesome" as they state. These guys also suggest ways in which we can maximize from the interactions, like they share the huge pool of resources for all schools, help you make a list of schools you should apply to, help you shortlist schools you should work with them on, help you prep for interviews....I can go on endlessly about them which simply shows my admiration and gratitude for John and Admissionado!

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December 23, 2019
arughani20

Joined: Dec 20, 2019

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
710 Q48 V40

Top-Notch Consultant Above the Rest

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John and the team are rock star essay reviewers, mock interviewers, and general advice-givers. The folks at Admissionado are by no means magicians, but they will guide you step-by-step through the application process to help you put your best foot forward. The multiple iterations of essay drafts are hard work but well worth it. John will take the weakest potential aspect of your application, whether it be essays or interview skills, and do whatever he can to make it a strong suit. I'm confident that John's consulting services played a huge role in my admission to UT McCombs and would recommend him to anyone applying to b-school!

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December 23, 2019
Lakshay Sharma

Joined: Oct 24, 2017

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
750 Q50 V41

Thank you, John!

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Before John was recommended to me, I had interviewed two other consultants who also came highly regarded. I hadn’t been impressed with either and when I spoke with John I knew instantly it was a fit. I told him my concerns: I needed someone who would respond in a timely manner and who would help me craft my story. John set clear expectations from the get-go about turnaround time and he instilled confidence in me that I had a good story to share.

John helped me research schools and programs, which would best suit my career goals and interests. Beyond that, John helped me brainstorm ideas for essays and gave me editorial help. John surpassed all expectations when it came to that. I always felt he was honest and if he didn’t feel like the story made sense or the essay wasn’t quite there he was very candid. The entire process was collaborative and with John a lot less daunting.

This review wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t share a personal anecdote. I was re-applying for admissions this year, and I was feeling a bit hesitant to go ahead, since I didn't know how to best portray the change in my story through the essays. During one of our calls, not only did John help me understand the gaps in my applications from my previous attempt, he also provided an in-depth perspective on how to best highlight my progress since the last year. Whenever I was feeling a bit low regarding my chances, John instilled confidence in me and he was my personal cheerleader through the entire process.

I cannot recommend John enough for his creativity, his brilliance in crafting stories, and his ability to serve as a personal coach throughout the entire process in areas one might not expect! Do not even hesitate when choosing an adviser. I can guarantee you all expectations will be exceeded with John!

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April 28, 2019
angelbenitezmd

Joined: Mar 07, 2019

Posts: 2

Kudos: 0

Excellent Service

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I was looking to get on online MBA programs. Worked along with John DC Miles who was best qualified to help me with online grad schools. He did a very well comprehensive analysis of my application and came out with a strategy and helped me identify my strengths to guide me during each step of the application process. He helped me on each element of my application to polish it to stand out. I ended up being accepted at my top 2 schools. Now that I finished the application process, I don't think that I would have come with an excellent application without his help. I definitely recommend their service.

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April 16, 2019
thomash

Joined: Apr 16, 2019

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Just What You Need

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I contacted Admissionado during my senior year at the University of Southern California and was advised to call John, who was best qualified to help me with European grad schools.

With a 3.1 GPA, a couple of summer internships and no experience with the GRE nor the GMAT, I no idea of where to start. But John helped me identify my strengths and guided me during each step of the application, from my resume to the GRE.

John is smart, honest and makes himself available for his clients. He will follow your intuition, but you can safely trust his. Overall, John is a tremendous consultant who gave each element of my application a well-needed polish to stand out from the crowd. And it sure worked.

I applied to six schools and got into every single one of them (HEC, IE Madrid, Hult, Bocconi, ESCP and ESSEC). I am now heading to HEC Paris (one of the best schools in the world) for my masters and John as well as the rest of Admissionado helped make it possible.

Don't think about it twice!

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January 20, 2019
bigdreams2018

Joined: Jun 26, 2018

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Thank you, Admissionado

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I discovered Admissionado through ApplicantLab and for me, it was love at first sight. I scrawled through all the content on the website and read all the reviews on GMAT Club. I signed up to have John as my consultant and after my initial call with him, I went ahead to pay for the Junior Deluxe. John is as humane as anyone can get. He kept believing in me even when I found it hard to do. He shared his own MBA journey with me which made me more at peace and he would get personal because he needed to explain an anecdote.

In the last application season, I applied to seven schools and I was subsequently rejected from all. I worked on two schools with Admissionado this season and I'm proud to say I was admitted into both schools. I received a partial scholarship from my first choice school and I can't be more than grateful.

Another point to add was the personalized service that Claudia (Admissionado's Operations Director) and Andriana gave me. Thank you so much, Admissionado!

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August 08, 2018
nutellaumbrella

Joined: Aug 05, 2017

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Cannot Recommend Admissionado Enough

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Working with Admissionado was the best decision I made throughout my application process.

For some background, I had applied to several schools during first round last year, managed to get an interview at one, but was ultimately rejected from all.

When I was applying, it seemed like every other applicant, current student, or alumnus I encountered had friends and/or family that had gone through the same process and were able to provide guidance on programs, advice on applications, and proofread essays. This was not the case for me. I contemplated getting a consultant at that time, but decided against it, as I was worried that it would make my application inauthentic. I went to every event I could to try to educate myself, but it’s one thing hearing “you need to know your story” and then actually knowing how to craft and relay your story. I struggled with this and had to face the fact that I needed help during my applications and, again, after my rejections.

I decided not to give up and to try again - this time with the help of a consultant. I contacted several companies for initial consultations and spent two weeks speaking with different representatives before finding Admissionado. After speaking with John DC Miles, I felt like I immediately clicked with company and that John really understood what I was looking for and needed. It was the first consultant conversation I had where I felt like I was being listened to and that the consultant took a personal approach - no pressure for anything at all, just a natural conversation. I decided I wanted to continue working with him.

John and Claudia were encouraging and supportive from day one. While I was initially worried that using a consultant was disingenuous, the opposite happened with Admissionado - I really feel that John helped bring out the best in me and my application, which made it as authentic as possible.

John and I developed an action plan that fleshed out my short and long term goals and nailed down my value proposition so that my story was solidified and, best of all, "me." We also discussed what the specific program I was applying to was looking for, and how we could tailor my approach to hit all the marks, but still show my personality. This was invaluable to me, as I had struggled with representing myself and my experiences in my previous round of applications, especially in my essays. Rest assured, Admissionado does not write essays for the applicants. What they do is provide stellar feedback, guidance, and support so that (after multiple revisions and copious, honest edits) the final product shines and is 100% you.

I chose the Junior Deluxe package and added resume support and interview preparation. I learned from my prior experience that interviewing was a weakness of mine and that I needed to be able to talk about my goals without stumbling. I think I was actually more nervous for my mock interview with John than my actual interviews! I'm happy to say my subsequent interviews went fabulously as a result.

I am now going to my dream school (with a scholarship!) and I could not be happier my decision to work with Admissionado. I realized that I owed it to myself to give myself the best shot, and that I needed outside help to do that. I couldn’t have asked for a better team than the one at Admissionado. Because of them, I was able to put my best self forward. I cannot thank them enough and cannot recommend them and John more.

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February 01, 2018
robertncrampton

Joined: Jan 18, 2018

Posts: 0

Kudos: 3

Verified GMAT Classic score:
730 Q49 V40

Admissionado - John DC Miles

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John and I worked together on 9 schools and I was able to get into one of my top choices (Tuck). We worked together on the pre-application planning (mapping out short-term and long-term goals), essay review, letter of recommendation help, and interview prep. He's not only very good at helping you put together a coherent story for your application but he's also great to work with. He's more than happy to hop on a call or discuss something over email even if it's going beyond the help they're supposed to provide. If you're applying to schools, I would certainly recommend Admissionado and John.

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November 05, 2017
MBA082020

Joined: Nov 05, 2017

Posts: 0

Kudos: 5

Admissionado is the best!!

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I made the decision to work with Admissionado based on very positive reviews from colleagues who had worked with them in past years through their own MBA admissions process, and am very glad that I had them as a resource during the stressful process of applying to schools. I worked with John DC Miles, who was able to help me piece my application story together - a critical piece to my success as an applicant to both Fuqua and Tuck. During my initial phone call with John, he spent over an hour on the phone with me, listening to me discuss my work experience and all of the seemingly minute aspects of who I am and what I have accomplished. He then put it together into a comprehensive action plan, which I was able to use throughout my essay writing and even interview preparation process. In addition to a comprehensive action plan, John and the Admissionado team also provided valuable essay advice, in addition to interview prep, which allowed me to go into my Fuqua interview with confidence. Although my GRE score wasn't particularly notable, John was both honest and encouraging as I voiced my stresses and concerns to him about my candidacy; he helped me, through many impromptu phone check-ins and email exchanges, to articulate and believe in the best aspects of myself, giving me confidence to know that I was presenting the best version of myself to the AdComm. I have been accepted early action to Duke University's Fuqua School of Business, and can't thank John and the Admissionado team enough for being a part of my success!

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April 26, 2017
SSapplicant

Joined: Oct 17, 2014

Posts: 8

Kudos: 0

Self-reported Score:
720 Q50 V38

Admissionado Junior Deluxe : Excellent service

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I liked Admissionado right from my first call for profile evaluation. My consultant was able to highlight strength and weakness in my resume and subsequently suggest focus areas for the application. Second step was the brainstorming session, in which he encouraged me to think about everything I have accomplished since my undergraduate education, hence ensuring I do not overlook any significant resume point. Next, the team helped me create a comprehensive summary document and order my resume points in order of their impact. The summary document proved very helpful while writing the essays.
During the essay editing phase, I observed that even though it is mentioned on their website that they will edit the essays 4 times only, my consultant and essay reviewing team were committed to help me achieve the best draft, no matter how many questions/edits I needed. Secondly, they adhered to their committed 72-hour timeline and in fact almost always responded much faster (within 24-48 hours). Their attitude was always positive and encouraging, which went a long way to ensure I enjoyed the whole process.
In conclusion, from my personal experience I found their brainstorming session extremely insightful and essay editing process well-structured and personal. Therefore, I would recommend prospective applicants to strongly consider Admissionado for MBA application process.

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