School Package Reviews

In short, John earns my highest recommendation. He bears a great deal of responsibility for my success.

I worked with John on a 3 school package. I had always thought of myself as a strong writer and strong story teller (and still do!), but John truly took my applications to the NEXT level. In our first meeting where we went over my "tell me about yourself/why business school" narrative, an area where I had previously thought I was rock solid, John opened my eyes to the fact that my story was my a little all over the place. He helped me fine tune the stories about my past so that they were coherent and representative of a strong business school applicant. We continued to work on other essays and resume review; John supported me throughout the process, and we were in constant communication. In the end, I was admitted to 3 M7 schools with significant scholarships at each, and have continued to leverage John's teachings to earn an internship offer at a top tier consulting firm. Truly none of this would have been possible without John!

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I worked with Katy over 2.5 years and have been so grateful for her guidance not only in applying to graduate school but more broadly navigating career next steps and the right timing for grad school. 

I talked to many different firms and consultants before choosing Katy, and highly recommend her for her personalized attention and thoughtful, comprehensive guidance. She was also very helpful not only with my MBA applications but with other master's degree applications, which seems rare.

When we first touched base, I used the hourly option to get coaching from Katy to evaluate my profile and figure out the right next steps for me. She helped me take steps to strengthen my profile and helped me decide to get more work experience before applying to graduate school (which was about my personal interests and career path more than my admissions chances). A year later, I reached back out and we worked on dual degree applications (3 MBA programs, 1 MPP, 1 MSEd). 

Katy was a steady and attentive presence through the brainstorming process and really made me feel supported in figuring out my narrative for my MBA applications. The Complete Start to Finish package was great because I had unlimited access to a partner throughout the process, from improving my candidacy (through an extra course, work experience, and volunteer work) and deciding on essay topics to many rounds of essay review, support on recommendation letters, and interview prep. 

Katy also made an effort to connect me to past clients at my target programs, especially those with similar interests to mine, which was helpful in the essay/interview process as well as in ultimately choosing a program. 

Ultimately, I was admitted to 4/5 programs I applied to (interviewed, waitlisted, then dinged at HBS) and am having an incredible grad school experience. I couldn’t have done it without Katy. 

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In my free consultation with Harshad, it was clear that his candid and honest feedback was a match with my personality. Working with Harshad was a fantastic experience. As an American engineer working in industry, Harshad helped me portray my stories in such a way that brought out my character traits and leadership skills, and in such a way that flowed logically and smoothly. Harshad is extremely organized and professional, always editing faster than promised and responsive to questions no matter the day or time. Harshad even went the extra mile when I was unexpectedly laid off from my job a couple of months before applications were due, by serving as a mentor in the process of finding another job that would tie into my application package nicely. Overall, Harshad is a terrific person and consultant. I would 100% recommend him to anyone looking to apply at a top MBA program.

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I am a private equity associate in NYC. Julie-Anne’s strength is getting the best product out of her pupils. She really encourages introspection and doesn’t let you stop short of your best work. She is very responsive and will take time at a moment’s notice to respond to a call or address a minor question. For these reasons, she is certainly in the top 1% of consultants. She has worked with me as well as a number of prior applicants from my firm and we’ve all gotten into great programs.

In my particular case, we needed to find a way to balance the struggles I’ve faced with not sounding too negative. We needed to find a way to position things positively and tie in evidence from different parts of my life that supports the thesis that I’m learning and growing. Julie-Anne worked tirelessly with me to really understand my story and prioritize what data points best convey who I am.

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Rachel is wonderful and the most helpful consultant you could ask for! She is so thoughtful and communicative. I didn’t have a very clear, straightforward story ahead of applying and she was immensely helpful in distilling all my experiences down to a cohesive story on my application. Whether or not you have an obvious reason to be going to get your MBA, Rachel would be a great person to work with. I feel so lucky to have been able to work with her and I couldn’t recommend her more highly! It all culminated in me getting into all 5 of my top choices, and got a scholarship from my top top choice as well. 10/10 recommend!

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Katy played an instrumental role in helping me shape my application and eventually receive offers from HBS, GSB, and Wharton. From our initial consultation to the final application submission, Katy demonstrated unparalleled commitment, exceptional industry knowledge, and shared plenty of her wisdom.
One of the standout qualities that defined my experience with Katy was her personalized approach. She took the time to delve into my background, life context, college experiences, and unique qualities, ensuring that every aspect of my application was a true reflection of who I am. She helped me find the confidence and clarity in shaping my own story, which is arguably the most important part of the process. Katy is also very knowledgeable about various industries and is extremely open-minded. As someone who grew up in Asia, I had absolutely no problems communicating with Katy, and she grasped my childhood experience and family background very quickly. Communication was seamless and efficient, with Katy providing timely feedback and constructive critiques. She was also clear and upfront about the expected turnaround times and her holiday schedules, making it very easy to work with her. Katy’s dedication extended beyond the scheduled sessions, demonstrating a genuine interest in my success. This level of commitment is rare and truly sets Katy apart in the field. I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to work with such an outstanding professional, and I have no doubt that Katy will continue to guide and inspire many others on their MBA journey.
Would recommend working with Katy – she gets booked up pretty quickly so I would recommend planning earlier.

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I worked with Susan throughout the application process secure an acceptance from UVA Darden. I did multiple initial free consultations with different MBA consultants, but Susan immediately stood out as superior. I had concerns regarding work experience, standardized test scores, and narrowing top choices, but Susan quickly identified my strengths and most compelling stories to enhance my candidacy.

While other MBA consultants highlighted deficiencies in my application, Susan recognized opportunities to distinguish myself and guided me in crafting an application tailored to the specific school. Susan was flexible, professional, honest, and had excellent insight into the unique components of each program. 10/10 I would recommend!!!

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Heidi took the time to truly get to know me and help shape my application to stand out amongst my peers within the finance industry. She truly brought out parts of my past (professional and personal) that I never would have thought to include. It felt like she knew me better than lifelong friends and that I wasn't just a number to her. She was also realistic about setting expectations for the schools I was applying to and my chances. Ultimately, she helped me get into three M7 programs, including receiving a scholarship, which I would have never imagined given the overrepresentation of my profile. I gained comfort in selecting Heidi in hearing the ideas she already had for me and my application during our 15 minute intro call.

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I would recommend working with Katy to anyone looking to take the MBA application process as seriously as she does. Katy is equal parts thoughtful, motivational, and experienced in the approach she brings as an application partner. The aspects of the process that are most challenging are where Katy shines as an essential resource and guide – co-creating the story that underpins your application, clarifying the dozens of micro-decisions you make throughout the process, and fine-tuning every piece of application content you compose.

Katy’s strategic approach is pronounced, as she spends time not only to deeply understand the experiences you have undertaken, but also to facilitate deeper explorations of the thematic motivations behind those past choices – a level of insight critical to effectively distill your candidacy. Beyond the strategic, Katy’s tactical advice is an enormous morale booster. Questions like “Is this the right recommender to choose?”, “How much should I discuss college experiences?”, and “How does this essay structure work for this school?” are ones that many applicants must answer blindly for themselves; Katy’s confident and informed perspective on any question, however big or small, confers much-valued security in the product that you eventually submit.

Katy was always readily available to chat when needed – whether it was an unanticipated change at work, uncertainties that would be challenging to resolve offline, or prepping and debriefing an interview. Her turnaround time for content could be slower at times; however, the feedback was always worth the wait, and I had all my application content very comfortably finalized before the deadlines.

All in all, I would make the decision to work with Katy again, and again. That I do not have to is a testament to the success that she enabled for me. My acceptances to Harvard Business School and Wharton were not assured, and it is with strong conviction that I ascribe major parts of my successful applications to Katy. Most importantly, she was an invaluable source of confidence and moral support throughout a process that has many stressful moments; without her empowerment, I would not have been able to give this process my all.

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Thanks to Katy, I received admission at Wharton Lauder, Chicago Booth, Yale SOM, MIT Sloan, Dartmouth Tuck, and UVA Darden, and also received financial aid from most of those institutions!

Those are the results, but what stands out to me is the experience of working with Katy through this whole process. She has a remarkable career in the grad school consulting world and beyond. Thus, her instincts on where to apply, which schools may be a good fit, and how to go about this process are top-notch. When it came time to construct a narrative, I gave Katy a LOT of material to work with, and yet she expertly picked out the themes that she thought were most important and formative in my life and career, and helped me craft a sharper vision of the future I hoped to pursue. My goals are somewhat unconventional, and yet Katy encouraged me to pursue them.

As we started to write essays, she patiently edited each draft, no matter the scale of the changes I was making. What stood out to me here was her honest feedback, which I am beyond grateful for. Each time, she pushed me to be better, asking me to dig deeper and re-imagine essays when needed, even if I was up against a deadline. This meant that I could trust that Katy's feedback was always truthful, and that when she said an essay was good, I could believe her! The essays I finally submitted were truly the best work I could have submitted.

When it came to interview prep, she sent me materials for every school I was interviewing at, no matter whether I was working with her on the school or not. Her prep for me was incredibly accurate, and made sure I was ready to talk about my goals and my past eloquently.

This process, of applying to grad school, is not easy, but I am grateful that every time I asked Katy if we could chat through an issue I was having, she was ready to chat, and give me as much time as I needed.

Katy has become a friend and mentor, and I cannot recommend working with her highly enough.

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