I just wanted to chime into the discussion and mention the consultant I used, which I don't think anyone has discussed yet. Like many of you, I took many companies up on the free initial consultation - I think I spoke with consultants from MBAmission and Admit Advantage. I was referred to Tyler Cormney (http://tylercormney.com/) by a colleague, and I eventually chose to work with him.

I started the process pretty early - I took the GMAT in May and started working with Tyler soon after. We spent probably the first 2 months working on my story, goals, personality/leadership strengths and weaknesses, etc. - basically, all the building blocks. With that ironed out early on, essay writing became significantly easier, and I firmly believe that is where I got the most value from Tyler. He really took the time to get to know me as a person, and that helped him mold my story.

In terms of essay editing, I found him to be very helpful and prompt as well - I write a lot of lengthy (and difficult to understand) sentences, so he really helped there, as well as making sure that the entire thing made sense as a whole. I did a mock interview with him too, and he did lots of research beforehand to make sure that he asked questions that the school's admissions officers typically ask.

Anyhow, if any of you have questions about Tyler, I'd be happy to answer them - I got into my top choice school with a scholarship, so the results definitely show.

For those interested in hiring a consultant, I would strongly recommend Tyler Cormney of MBA Prep School. He was punctual, honest, concise, and realistic. We spent a few months working together on applications to two Top 10 MBA Programs, and I was admitted to both programs.

I had several free ‘assessment’ calls with different consultants. I think the biggest difference that Tyler brought to the table was his crafted approach – I had the feeling on all the other initial calls that many other consultants and larger firms had a more ‘cookie-cutter’ approach. Tyler really took the time to get to know me personally and different strengths I could leverage in my application. He was very accessible throughout the process. There was a lot of prep work on my end, but as long as you put in the time and effort, Tyler will too and you will reap the benefits.

Tyler has his MBA from a top program as well as a degree in creative writing – I believe the latter helped me significantly in my essays so that they stood out from the crowd. He does not write them for you, but he provided me with great feedback – specifically, I was having trouble identifying points of differences that Adcoms would find valuable, as well as coming up with a career ‘story’ that made sense given my interests and prior work experience. Tyler was able to help me pick my best experiences and craft them into meaningful stories. He also assisted with different ways of making points so that I was able to stay within the essay length guidelines. We spent hours and hours on them and I was very happy with the result. There is NO way I would have gotten to the same final product without Tyler’s guidance.

It was a bit tough for me to digest the fee at first, but in retrospect I think the value that Tyler provided was well worth the investment. To me the biggest value-add was the essay editing. We also spent a lot of time on assessing my strengths, picking target schools, and interview and resume prep. To those applicants who are finding it difficult to come with a concrete “story” that makes sense, or who are struggling with essay writing or having issued with self-reflection, I would encourage you to try MBA Prep School.

Additionally, MBA Prep School has a comprehensive online forum with seminars and tools for everything related to MBA applications – from selecting target schools to nailing the interview, and everything in between. I believe access to this online resource can also be purchased separately from the traditional hourly or comprehensive consultant fee. This would be useful if you are a particularly strong writer or have some really concrete stories already in mind – otherwise, I would go with the comprehensive package. As I said before, it’s my opinion the biggest value-add was the essay prep and editing.

Overall, it was a great experience. My outcome was very positive as I went 2/2 on acceptances. Though even if I went 0/2, I still would have been pleased with my applications as I felt with Tyler’s help I did absolutely everything in my power to make them as strong as possible.

I’d be happy to give more feedback or advice if necessary, so feel free to PM me if you want more info.

I was admitted into my dream school thanks to Tyler Cormney and MBAPrepSchool, read below for details! It’s a thorough / long review, but I hope it’s helpful to anyone doing research. PM me with any questions.

Background
The MBA application process is excruciating and stressful, especially for re-applicants who are waitlisted and ultimately rejected.

During last year’s application process, I initially thought that both my application and essays were strong. After all, I had been invited to interview at my dream school and a couple of very close friends had also thought my essays were compelling. However, the eventual rejection signaled that I needed to go back to square one and objectively re-evaluate my application if I were serious about re-applying.

To start, I decided to reach out to friends who did not know me as well as my previous reviewers; I thought they would be more objective because their feedback would not be clouded by intimate knowledge of my background and story. Their feedback helped me realize my essays were not as strong as I had previously thought.

Despite the rejection, I remained enthusiastic about reapplying. The first time I applied, I was skeptical of the value provided by admissions consultants. I thought my undergraduate record, work experience, extracurriculars, and writing skills were adequate / strong. With an open mind, however, I started doing research on admissions consultants to see if I could benefit from their guidance.

Given that using an admissions consultant is a significant investment, I was extremely diligent with my research process. I contacted all the consultants reviewed on GC and eventually spoke on the phone with six of them. On each call, we covered a list of 15+ questions that I had. I also set up follow-up conversations with the front-runners with more questions. Eventually, I narrowed down my list to MBAPrepSchool / Tyler Cormney, MBA Mission, and SBC. As someone without finances to spare, I was still hesitant but there were two deciding factors:

1. An emphatic endorsement for Tyler by a mentor who I had worked with
2. Tyler’s answer to, “why are you in admissions consulting?”

Process
I give Tyler and MBAPrepSchool my highest possible recommendation. Tyler was instrumental in pushing me to present an application that captured who I am.

The biggest advantage of working with Tyler is the personalized approach. He took the time to get to know me and understand my story. I felt he was invested in the outcome of the process as much as I was. The “care” factor is what I valued highly as a client.

In many ways, working with a consultant involved more work and hours than the first time I applied. The tools, tutorials, and (countless) videos on MBAPrepSchool helped me thoroughly understand my own story, strengths, weaknesses, and future goals. Yes, this was useful even as a re-applicant. While doing all this work, Tyler remained alongside, providing feedback as necessary. All my prep work also helped Tyler understand my story better. Initially, the amount of prep work required was actually perplexing because I already had a previous application and a set of essays. But I came to appreciate and understand the value of taking one step back, doing all of the MBAPrepSchool work, and trusting the process to take me two steps forward. All the prep work also opened my eyes to schools I had not previously considered.

Having followed the MBAPrepSchool curriculum, I had full awareness of the content pieces and stories to use for my resume and essays. Also, I was able to differentiate the qualities that were more important to one school vs. another, which helped me pick the appropriate stories for each set of essays.

Tyler’s feedback and the MBAPrepSchool videos were key in helping me understand how to position my stories in a memorable way. Sometimes, I thought my initial drafts were close to being “masterpieces” (just like last year, of course), but Tyler brought me back to reality and continuously pushed me to write better. In the end, I was confident in the essays and the application I prepared.

To top it off, MBAPrepSchool has video tutorials on acing your interview. In addition, Tyler’s mock interview and advice made me feel completely prepared to tackle this last step of the application process.

Another of Tyler’s strengths is his personality. He is sincere, honest, and encouraging. That combination and balance is hard to find, but much needed in someone who you’ll look to for advice through months of hard work.

Result
I was admitted into my top choice (think H/S/W). Unlike last year, I actually felt the application I presented was the best I could regardless of the results. Before decisions even came out, I told one of my friends that I would have no regrets about my applications this year or my investment, I knew I had done my absolute best – that feeling of knowing I did everything within grasp is thanks to Tyler. If you are considering working with a consultant, Tyler is the absolute best in the business – 5 out of 5 stars.

Working with Tyler was an amazing experience. I had applied to Business Schools on my own a couple of years before and the difference between working on my own and working with Tyler was night and day. Tyler helped me stay organized, inspired and motivated me and really helped me find those things about me that made me stand out and how to express them (in less than 1,000 words!).

Derrick Bolton said in an interview, when asked about his thoughts on admissions consultants, "'How can someone who doesn't know you help you be a more authentic version of yourself?' Some people probably can, if they're asking the right questions. There's a fine line. " Tyler walked that line perfectly, not helping me with ideas on what to write, but actually coaching me to discover what I should write about on my own. He took the time to get to know me, even read my previous application and gave me feedback, and actually helped me understand myself better and inspired me to write something truly authentic.

He helped me take my ideas to the next level through his creative critique, motivated me, and kept me from getting discouraged even after dozens of rewrites on certain essays. No matter what my pace was, Tyler stayed with me and kept me polishing and rewriting until my essays and my application were perfect.

The result was astounding. I got into all the schools I applied to and will be attending Stanford, my dream school. Friends and family who read my application felt it really stood out; after reading my essays, my friends' uncle even said he really would like to meet me. I could have never done it without Tyler, and I highly recommend him to anyone embarking on the daunting business school application process.

Tyler's efforts were tremendous. He was extremely reliable, professional, dependable, and hardworking. I always received a thorough response from him within 24 hours of notification and knew that I could always count on his coaching advice. Not only was he patient with my hectic schedule, but he also provided insightful guidance throughout the stressful MBA application process. I didn’t realize all the prep work that went into an application, let alone the checklists from the B-schools. He helped me reach my maximum potential (on paper) by teaching me how to shape my ideas into a clear and concise message. My writing skills improved by working on the essays with him! I can’t speak on behalf of other consulting services, but I think another thing that distinguishes Tyler is the access his clients have to MBA Prep School (mbaprepschool.com). The tools from MBA Prep School were extremely useful and valuable because they helped me manage all documents, exercises, charts, videos, essays and project plans in a central location. Trust me – the application process gets a bit crazy and having this tool can save you hours searching through endless documents! Bottom line, Tyler was an awesome coach!

Receiving an acceptance letter from a top-tier business school is especially challenging given the hyper-competitive applicant pool.

When I decided to apply to MBA programs, I wasn’t exactly sure where to start. After searching for help on my MBA applications, I was referred to Tyler Cormney by a friend who was a student at a top 5 business school and former client of Tyler’s. I am very glad that I chose to enlist Tyler’s help, and I am confident that I would not have received an acceptance letter from a top 5 MBA program without his guidance.

When I began working with Tyler, I wanted to dive right into applying to as many as schools as possible. Fortunately, Tyler helped me consider my list of prospective applications more prudently. He made certain that he and I both understood exactly what qualities I was searching for in an MBA education and helped me focus my application efforts on an optimal list of target schools. His in-depth knowledge of the admissions process at the top business schools and his years of experience advising MBA applicants allowed him to steer me towards the schools where I had the highest probability of being accepted.

Having recently completed the MBA application process, I know that a successful application is dependent on a candidate’s ability to present a compelling portfolio of educational highlights, career aspirations, and personal attributes. Through several weeks of introspective self-assessment exercises and focused discussions with Tyler, I was able to truly understand my strengths and weaknesses as an MBA applicant and fully grasp how my career history contributed to my post-MBA goals. After we had discovered the core elements of my own story, Tyler helped me to present myself as an exceptional MBA candidate throughout my essays and tailor my applications to each individual school. With an intimate knowledge of the MBA admissions process and a solid understanding of my potential contribution to business schools, he advised me to emphasize certain aspects of my candidacy that he knew would be appreciated by admissions committees. It was during this step of the process that his experience truly shined through. Although I may have possessed a strong academic and professional background, I know I lacked the self-awareness necessary to present an application capable of earning me a seat at a top 5 business school. With the help of Tyler’s advice and perspective, I was able to confidently apply to top MBA programs.

I would highly recommend Tyler to any of my friends who are about to undertake the MBA application process. He served as a valuable resource throughout several months of application preparation, and without his help, I would not have obtained a seat in a top 5 MBA program. If you are about to apply to business school, reach out to http://tylercormney.com .

--Top 5 MBA School, Class of 2014

I was referred to Tyler Cormney (http://tylercormney.com) by a friend of mine who used his services and was admitted to Wharton. My first bit of advice - START EARLY! I started working with Tyler in April 2012 with the plan of applying to four schools in Round 1, and didn't realize how much work there would be! Yet it was all worth it - every exercise I completed and video I watched on the MBA Prep School website was integral to helping me craft my "story."

Tyler and I would chat once a week to discuss my stories, my concerns, and anything else that was on my mind related to applying. He was extremely supportive, yet always made sure that I was realistic in my outlook.

I think Tyler's greatest strength was making me feel like I was his only client. His uncanny ability to remember specific details about my career goals and my stories blew me away.

Ultimately, I was accepted to a Top 10 program, and will be matriculating there in the fall!

My experience with Tyler was incredible. Beyond just helping me gain an admit to my dream school, Tyler's instruction and guidance led to a great deal of self-discovery in terms of my strengths as well as my real career aspirations. Tyler was absolutely critical in helping me draw out notable experiences in an otherwise unremarkable background. Tyler saw essay potential in my experiences that I would have probably never uncovered by myself.

Not only is Tyler a great admissions consultant, he is also a really great guy who took time out of his busy schedule for a few unscheduled pep talks that went beyond the application process. I give Tyler and MBA Prep School the highest possible recommendation and all of my expectations were exceeded with their service. Thank you Tyler!

I initially found about Tyler and Chris when I was going through some forums and found their advice to be unique and then signed up for an information interview to understand and go through my profile. This is the call when I was introduced to the online service which was very new. My conversation on phone had given me a confidence that this would be a worthwhile service specially from an international students point of view since it is difficult for international students to afford a full application service from an international consultant. This is where the MBAPrepSchool's online tutorials helped me a lot.

This is the first recommendation that I am writing for any service and honestly can tell you that the book and the online tutorials that have been created by Tyler and Chris are really really useful. As an applicant what we need is a step by step methodology to create an application. This is only possible with one on one coaching. However MBAPrepSchool's online tutorials completely fill this gap. Not only you get a step by step direction but also understand what any business school look for in candidates. By any I mean any.

The international MBA application journey is a whole year journey if you want to get into a top school. It is highly important to get involved in developing your profile as well as doing a proper business school search. End of the day you will invest a lot of money whichever business school you choose. And before choosing any school you need to choose your goals. What do you want to do after MBA? The best help apart from everything that I got out of this service - understanding and designing my goals (which I understand that no other online service is teaching currently) and how to make a better resume. The goals part is very crucial and I can give my two cents that all HBS, Stanford people will be using the similar goals (the way it is taught in this service) to apply.

The other very helpful part of this service were- the weekly/monthly group calls where I could clear my doubts and the forum questionnaires which both Chris and Tyler used to answer very promptly. I can attest that Chris and Tyler were instrumental in improving my understanding of the process and that has helped me to gain admission to a top business school in US.
Thanks Chris and Tyler.

Best
iAqua4

I was introduced to Tyler Cormney through two friends who had had recent success with their MBA admissions process. Prior to signing on with Tyler I didn't understand the cost-benefit relationship of his services and didn't think I needed that sort of help. I was dead wrong. Tyler's comprehensive admissions program enables candidates to discover their strengths and areas of improvements and helps guide them through the process.

Tyler’s efforts were tremendous. He was extremely reliable, professional, dependable, and hardworking. I always received a thorough response from him within 24 hours of notification (usually within 4-5 hours) and knew that I could always count on his coaching advice. Not only was he patient with my hectic schedule, but he also provided insightful guidance throughout the stressful MBA application process.

I found the online exercises through the MBA Prep School particularly helpful in discovering my career path and it translated into so many creative ideas that I was able to leverage in my applications. In addition, the tools from MBA Prep School were extremely useful and valuable because they helped me manage all documents, exercises, charts, videos, essays and project plans in a central location.

Tyler is a true professional and very good at what he does. He fully understands the admissions process and is a exceptional motivator. He provides excellent feedback, particularly during my mock interview, which I found extremely helpful. I highly recommend Tyler as he is one of the main reasons I'll be attending a top 10 business school this fall.

-Stern Class of 2015