Liza Weale Reviews

Background: Late 20s, female, Texas, technical role at oil and gas company, undergraduate business degree from state school (business management & finance double major), 3.7 GPA, GRE: 162Q/159V.

Accepted: Wharton, Chicago Booth, MIT, Yale
Attending: Wharton School (Class of 2025)

I had the privilege of working with Liza at Gatehouse Admissions for two years. Coming from a niche role at an oil and gas company, I knew that I needed exceptional guidance to navigate the competitive admissions process. Liza proved to be the perfect partner in my journey to business school.

Liza played a pivotal role in shaping my personal story. She helped me craft a narrative that described where I came from, the decisions I made along the way, and most importantly, my "why." Liza's guidance in this aspect was invaluable as it helped me present a clear and strong case for my candidacy. Further, Liza took a holistic approach to the application. She ensured that all components of the application (resume, essays, short answers, etc.) were consistent and connected to my “why”.

One of Liza’s specialties was her ability to help me articulate my accomplishments, projects, and performance in a way that was clear and compelling to admissions staff who may have been unfamiliar with the energy industry. Liza took the time to understand my nuanced role and pushed me to dig deeper in my reflections in both professional and personal experiences.

Additionally, Liza provided strategic advice on re-testing for the GMAT & GRE and helped guide me through my decision to delay my applications until the following admissions cycle, ensuring I could present the strongest possible application to the admissions committees. Her thoughtful guidance underscored her dedication to not just meeting but exceeding the expectations of top-tier business school admissions processes.

Further, my experience with Gatehouse Admissions offered access to a variety of resources. I participated in a mock interview with another specialized admissions consultant and engaged with other Gatehouse clients in a simulated Wharton “Team Based Discussion” interview. Throughout the entire process, Liza and the Gatehouse team consistently offered constructive feedback and support.

Liza at Gatehouse Admissions was a vital partner on my journey to business school. I am incredibly grateful for her expertise and guidance, which undoubtedly played a key role in my successful application to business school. If you want to gain admission to the top business schools, you must work with Liza and Gatehouse Admissions!

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Background: Late 20s male, east coast, bulge bracket investment banking followed by private equity, non-ivy, 3.9 GPA, 164V/162Q GRE

Result: Admitted to Harvard Business School R1

Liza came highly recommended to me by a friend who was a former client of Liza’s. Liza was extremely instrumental in my MBA application process. She is incredibly skilled at leading you through the introspective process of essay and application writing (both the professional and personal aspects). Liza goes above and beyond to make sure that you are putting your best foot forward.

Liza is incredibly patient, as getting to the best essay requires several rounds of iteration. She takes a comprehensive approach to your application and takes a genuine interest in her clients. She is truly a partner in the application process and she is there with you every step of the way. Beyond the essays, Liza is also instrumental in helping you prep your recommenders, preparing you for interviews, and even filling out the very lengthy online application portals.

Working with Liza was the best decision I made in preparing for the MBA process – I recommend her and Gatehouse without hesitation.

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Background: Mid-20s Asian male, HYP undergrad, 2-years boutique investment banking, 2-years mid-market private equity.
Result: Admitted Round 1 to HBS and Wharton HCM.
Liza was recommended to me by a friend in PE and who had worked with her in the prior application cycle. Liza played a critical role in my application and interview processes at HBS, GSB, and Wharton. Not only was she incredibly knowledgeable about all things business school (and frankly finance & PE), but she was also thoughtful, motivating, and compassionate during a very challenging 4-5 month stretch where I balanced a demanding job and putting together my entire application.
In my opinion, Liza’s biggest value add and what differentiates her vs. other consultants is her ability to guide you through the introspective part of the application. She invested significant time at the beginning of the process to get to know me personally and professionally. With her support, I was able to weave together the most compelling parts of my story into succinct essays that helped me stand out in the growing applicant pool of PE associates. We iterated back and forth on many versions of my essays until I felt proud of them.
I would absolutely recommend Liza. It’s an investment in yourself if you are serious about applying to business school. Her expertise and thoughtfulness really made the difference for me.

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Background: Early 30s, white male, Ivy League undergrad, Professional sports with family business background

Attending Harvard Business School in 2022.

Liza came highly recommended to me and her knowledge and ability to understand my story was almost immediate. I was coming from a “non-traditional” background after 9 years of professional sports and I was not equipped to go through the application process alone.

Liza guided me every step of the way, and was honest, motivating and collaborative. Her deadlines kept me on schedule and she truly life-coached me throughout the entire process. She challenged me to be more descriptive and show who I really was while also being concise and to the point. Liza’s honest feedback and great edits improved all my essays tremendously.

I was starting a new job, taking multiple GRE tests, and applying to business school amid a pandemic. Life was beyond stressful, but Liza’s optimism, preparation and communication left such a clear road map for me during some of the most uncertain times. I could not be more thankful to have met such a genuine, kind, and smart leader in my life when I needed it most.

You will not meet a more passionate, detailed, and charismatic individual. It was an absolute pleasure getting to work with Liza from start to finish. It was a daunting process, but Liza’s guidance and consummate professionalism was exemplary in every sense of the word.

If you have the privilege to work with Liza…DO IT!

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Background: 26, Female. 2 years investment banking. 2 years at a PE firm. Liberal arts major from Ivy League.

Results: Admitted to HBS (attending), Wharton, Booth (with $), and Kellogg

It’s no secret that preparing five business school applications is a daunting process, especially while juggling a demanding job and other extracurriculars. I had heard about Liza from several colleagues who had successful application processes the year prior. My decision to work with Liza was one of the best I have ever made. Liza was an amazing cheerleader, sounding board, motivator, and friend to me throughout my process.

From the very start of my work with her, Liza took the time to dive in and get to know me. Through her review of my personal reflection (a lengthy document she has you prepare to kick off your work together), Liza helped me to extract the elements of my story that would lend themselves to compelling business school essays. Over the course of several months, through draft after draft, Liza consistently challenged me to push my writing further until I had final drafts of which I am extremely proud.

Equally important, Liza kept me organized. Between standardized test preparations, gathering materials for recommenders, drafting around a dozen essay responses, and preparing for interviews, I certainly had my work cut out for me and not much time to complete it. Through weekly priority lists, timely essay draft reviews, and frequent check-ins by phone, Liza ensured that my five sets of applications were completed seamlessly and far before my application deadlines.

Because of Liza, I have the opportunity to attend the business school of my dreams. I cannot recommend Liza enough!

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After four years in big four strategy consulting I decided to pursue an MBA. I was fortunate to achieve a 760 GMAT, but my profile didn't really have a wow factor or anything to separate me from other candidates. I'd attended a second tier Canadian undergrad, where my GPA was good but not great and I hadn't achieved anything spectacular in terms of extracurriculars. Luckily I decided to work with Liza Weale!

We started our journey together almost a year ahead of deadlines, and so she was able to offer me great advice to strengthen my profile while I had time to spare. She did an absolutely incredible job helping me craft my brand and essay stories. She really dove into my history and expertly drew out the most impactful elements from my life. Liza knew just how to put the pieces together in a compelling way for the school and I really felt that she was invested in my success.

She went beyond simple advice and feedback, and her encouragement did wonders for my confidence. Finally when I was able to interview at my dream school Columbia, Liza's interview feedback was absolutely vital to my preparation. I was able to receive an offer of admission with a significant scholarship.

I'm so grateful to Liza for being instrumental in achieving my dream outcome, and I would wholeheartedly recommend her to those starting their own MBA journey.

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Background: 25 year old Asian male in NYC. 2 years investment banking, 3 years private equity. Engineering major from Ivy League
GMAT: 760. GPA: 3.95
Results: Accepted to HBS and GSB. Attending HBS

Liza is an amazing consultant and an even more amazing human being. She came with raving reviews from co-workers who were successful with the application process in the past, and I have been recommending her to every friend who is thinking about applying.

(1) Liza worked tirelessly to make sure I put my best foot forward and told a consistent story across essays, short answers, and recommendation letters. (2) She kept me organized and in control of the application process. (3) She was and still is truly invested in me. I cannot recommend Liza enough, she is simply the best.

Liza spends a lot of time up front to make sure she truly knows who you are – personally, professionally, academically, etc. The first document you write is a lengthy “inventory” to reflect on your experiences. This not only helps Liza get to know you, but also helps both of you pick out themes/stories to go into your essays. After aligning on these themes/stories, you start writing.

Writing is not my forte – I studied engineering for a reason! Liza gave thoughtful comments on my essay drafts and pushed me on areas to expand/pare back on. I think we did 3 overhauls of my GSB essay. She made sure everything was in tip-top shape.

Even my recommenders loved Liza. She has a memo template that helps your recommenders surface qualities and stories to write about. They can also run recommendation letters through Liza. This all ensures a quality end product.

I work a demanding job and knew balancing the application process with work would be challenging. Liza kept me honest – she warned me when I was straying “off-plan” on my GMAT, essay, etc. which made the final week’s pre-submission feel controlled. Without Liza, I may have missed the deadline!

Liza is truly invested in her applicants. She constantly checks in on how you’re doing and helps connect you with her network to learn more about the schools / help you make an informed decision.

If you want to work with the best of the best, go with Liza!

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Background: 26-year-old white/Asian male, marketing and strategic comms at homebuilding company, English major at liberal arts college, 3.67 GPA, 750 GMAT

Results: Accepted to Booth, Kellogg ($), Tuck ($), Darden

In many ways, I’m what you would call an unconventional candidate. I did not study business or economics in college, I do not work at a well-known company, and I am not coming from a common pre-MBA industry. With this kind of profile, it’s easy to feel like you don’t belong at a top business school. And in fact, the first consultant I spoke with urged me to reconsider my initial list of schools.

But not Liza. From our very first call together, Liza made me feel confident that my story could be uniquely compelling — provided that put I forth my best possible application. Luckily, that’s exactly what Liza will make sure that you do.

It’s really no exaggeration to say that I could sing Liza’s praises for days. Here are just a few things to highlight about my experience working with her:

• Before you get started with any part of your actual application, Liza will really take the time to learn who you are and tirelessly work with you to construct your overall narrative.

• Liza is a true pleasure to speak to and work with. Talking with her over the phone about my essays and over Zoom when prepping for interviews was always the highlight of my week.

• As others have said, Liza is incredibly supportive, positive, and empathetic. However, this doesn’t stop her from being able to provide sharp and constructive criticism when necessary. She will always be real with you.

• Liza is a masterful editor and will not let a single sentence that it isn’t up to par go untouched. I was consistently impressed by her comments and feedback each time I got one of my drafts back.

• Liza does an excellent job of breaking down each component of the application process — resume, essays, recommendation letters, interviews, etc. — and putting you on a schedule to complete each piece of the puzzle with as little stress as possible.

• Liza is very, very reliable. She sets clear guidelines on when she’ll be able to turn around any items of your application and ruthlessly sticks to them. She’ll also gladly answer any smaller questions you have along the way.

• She will go out of her way to put you in touch with her contacts at various programs. Thanks to Liza, I was able to speak to five current students at my target schools, which helped greatly with my essays and interviews.

• Liza is truly invested in your success. Even now, as I decide which school to attend, Liza has been as helpful as ever, acting as a sounding board and assisting me with scholarship negotiations.

The MBA application process is complex and daunting. But thanks to Liza, I always felt I was on track and was ultimately admitted to schools I’m thrilled about. I can say with total confidence that the best choice I made during this long journey was choosing Liza Weale as my consultant.

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Background: 28-year old; URM male in NYC; Economics and Psychology double major from Ivy
Professional: IB + Corp Dev
Stats: GPA: 3.70; GMAT: 750

Working with Liza was absolutely a game changer for my interview. I was a re-applicant for HBS and was interviewed in round 1 and waitlisted a few years ago. When I received a round 1 interview invite this time around, I knew I needed to prep differently so I would excel. I had not previously worked with Gatehouse but was drawn to their bespoke HBS interview package. Although I was originally looking for someone who had experience in HBS admissions, after directly hearing from Liza about her extensive experience doing HBS mock interviews and quite frankly, feeling her genuine enthusiasm to help me, I was excited to move forward with her.
 
Our prep started with her providing HBS specific interview materials as well as three tutorial interview videos which were all very helpful. The following week, we had our mock interview that tracked the cadence of the real thing followed by a post-interview analysis and a deeper dive on my profile to explore areas, such as my desired career transition to VC - Liza thought I would likely get questioned on this (and she was right). Liza was gracious enough to not only go through all of my latest application materials before our session, but also take a look at my materials from the first time I applied and was waitlisted. As a reapplicant Liza helped me to think through communicating how my story and goals had evolved since last time. Prepping with Liza helped to give me the confidence in my interview to walk through my story and become comfortable with the deeper probing of responses that is typical of an HBS interview. Although the questions from my mock and the real thing were not exactly the same, the topic areas we focused on were! Furthermore, Liza’s transferable and versatile approach helped me answer the unexpected questions typical of an HBS interview.
 
I was fortunate enough to be admitted to and will be attending HBS in the fall. I truly believe the difference maker this second time around was Liza. Although I only worked with her on the HBS mock-interview package, she had an understanding of my story as if we had worked together on the whole application process, which is a testament to how heavily she invests herself into her clients. If I had to summarize Liza’s approach in a few words, they would be thorough, thoughtful and encouraging. For those who want to maximize their chances of “crushing” the HBS interview (which can be quite tricky), even if you think you are familiar with the format, I would highly recommend Liza for her expertise and support!

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Background: 27-year-old, white female in NYC; English major at top non-Ivy undergrad; 5 years of work experience upon matriculation (1 at marketing agency, 4 at digital research firm); 3.96 GPA, 760 GMAT

Results: Admitted to HBS (attending, class of 2024), Booth (with $$$), Kellogg (with $$$), and Tuck (with $$$)

I first discovered Liza Weale through this very page. Now, one year and several M7 acceptances later, I’m thrilled to be returning here to contribute my own small piece to this ever-growing library of exceptional 5-star reviews for Liza, every word of which she lives up to on a daily basis.

Let me walk you through my experience working with Liza:

After reading these reviews and watching Liza’s admissions videos on YouTube, I decided to reach out for a consultation. I had started my search for consultants early—in January for Round 1 deadlines—so that I would have ample time to “shop around” with many free consultations. However, after meeting with Liza, I knew that wouldn’t be necessary. Anyone who meets Liza will immediately sense that she is incredibly intelligent, kind, and empathetic; that she has her pulse on the MBA admissions world; and that she is a pleasure to work with. I eagerly signed on as a full-service client the next day, and then began convincing my partner to do the same (which, luckily for him, he did).

From day one, Liza had a concrete, phased plan for my applications and kept me progressing according to a detailed timeline. She assessed my strengths and weaknesses as an applicant, and suggested ways to highlight and re-frame them, respectively. She helped me craft an application where every component complemented each another and, together, told a cohesive and compelling story that admissions wouldn’t be able to ignore. Importantly, she kept an eye out for all things cringe: from essay topics to intro sentences to resume bullet points, she saved me by making sure I didn’t turn in anything that could be interpreted as annoying or disingenuous or cliched.

Liza improved the content of my applications 100-fold, but she was also a boon to my mental health during the long process. Every day, she was there for me as a trusted, reliable resource. She answered the frantic questions I emailed her way, and always helped me keep things in perspective. Whether it was my unhealthy fixation on the GMAT or my freak out after my less-than-smooth Kellogg video essay performance, Liza helped quell my insecurities and worries and stay focused on what mattered: the path ahead.

From the start, I had thought about my admissions journey as a team effort, comprised of supportive friends and family, fellow peers, recommenders, mock interviewers, and a consultant. To have the best chances for success, I needed to form the strongest team possible. I believed that meant working with Liza and Gatehouse Admissions. And I was certainly right about that. Thanks to Liza’s unparalleled expertise and unwavering support—and her company’s many resources— I was admitted to my top choice program. Together, we made it happen. Liza changed the direction of my life, and I’m forever grateful to her for that.

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