Menlo Coaching Admissions Consulting Reviews

Working with Rebecca was a life changing experience – I truly couldn’t have done this application process without her. Menlo has the MBA process down to a science: from the initial consulting call to the project management of application tasks to prepping for the interview; I felt supported every step of the way. Rebecca is the incredible consultant that I had the privilege of working with; she brought the right balance of positivity and feedback to each call we had. Rebecca has a gift of being able to work with each candidate and pull out their unique story and the details that come with it. She pushed me to explore stories about myself that I never previously gave a second thought, and she worked with me to expand and provide details to form a great narrative. In low moments, Rebecca never lost her confidence in my candidacy. She never failed to give me the support I needed, even when I didn’t ask for it explicitly. Rebecca was my biggest cheerleader! She celebrated each of my acceptances to b-school, and even provided tips on how to weigh out schools and scholarship advice. My partner, who is in medical school, envied my close collaboration with Rebecca and the Menlo team, and often commented how he wished Menlo offered services for medical school admissions and residency applications. I couldn’t have asked for a better consultant to help me with this process and would recommend Rebecca to anyone looking to boost their application!

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Working with Rebecca was the best decisions I made during my MBA application journey! As a nontraditional applicant with a less than stellar GPA, I needed a lot of help crafting my story and creating a narrative that would appeal to the adcoms. Reflecting on the process, I truly believe that the Rebecca and the Menlo team was a primary factor in my 5 acceptances and over $400K in total scholarship awards.

Rebecca helped me as early in the process as selecting schools, planning campus visits, and arranging networking calls that allowed me to collect content for my essays and interviews. She was always quick to reply and patient with answering my many questions and anxieties throughout the process. Rebecca also went through each of my applications with a fine tooth comb, making even the smallest edits that she thought could strengthen them further. The interview prep was thorough and instrumental in boosting my confidence long before I was ever in front of an interviewer. Rebecca truly approaches the application process with a personal touch and sense of empathy that is difficult to find amongst MBA consultant.

Thanks to Rebecca, I am thrilled to end my Round 1 applications with 5 acceptances and have committed to a program that was one of my top choices and the best fit for me. I cannot recommend working with Rebecca and the Menlo team more!!

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Six months before the R1 deadlines, I started the application journey grappling with self-doubts. Coming from an over-represented ethnic and career background with limited extracurricular involvement due to a demanding job, I received discouraging feedback from many MBA consultants who tried to paint a bleak picture, until I met Rebecca. With her gentle and caring attitude, she listened to my goals (which were HSW), acknowledged them and gave me very objective advice on how we can try to achieve them together, without overpromising or downplaying the likelihood of success. Finally, it felt like I’ve found a companion who will stride through this journey with me.
During the process, I really liked the structured step-by-step approach, which made each stage a lot easier to achieve. I deeply appreciate Rebecca’s insights in helping me discover more about myself and past experiences, and how those experiences shaped me as a person. She made me realize that there are causes I truly care about and that I’ve done a lot more than I thought. Rebecca is a talented writer, however she tailors her approach for different applicants and under different circumstances. She made sure that the voice coming across my essays was authentic, giving me enough freedom yet critical guidance to draft cohesive and powerful pieces. At the end of the application process, I even built confidence in writing which has always been a painful activity for me being a non-native English speaker. On the other hand, when it is time sensitive (for example when I had to submit my post-interview reflection for HBS in 24hrs), she did not mind working on the weekends and gave me top-notch editing advice.
This process can be daunting, but I’m grateful to have chosen to work with Rebecca, who has helped me establish confidence, paved the path to my dream school and enabled me to mature as a person along the way. If you are looking for a first-class consultant, a friend and a counsellor, Rebecca is the one. Hope your application journey is as fruitful as mine.

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Kellogg was my “far-fetched” fantasy, because I’m a male engineer with a below-average GPA and GMAT/GRE in an overrepresented pool. I still remember how shocked I was when my Kellogg acceptance came, and I credit all my success to Rebecca. Working with her is one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life. She steers and advises on every single detail that’s related to my application, and she is extremely responsive on every big or small question I have – a way of working that’s not common in the industry.

Understanding my profile, Rebecca proactively suggested extracurricular activities aligned with my true interests, making me a more interesting applicant in the eyes of the adcom. When it came to crafting my story, Rebecca dedicated numerous hours solely to listening and understanding my life experiences. She then suggested stories tailored for prompts from different schools. Despite numerous essay revisions, Rebecca consistently provided quick and helpful feedback.

What surprised me the most about Rebecca is her attention to detail. She not only advised on major components like resumes and essays but also on minor details like my outfit and conversation during campus visits, the background and chair setting for interviews, the content in my application forms, and even my email communication with the adcom. While each detail alone may not be a deal-breaker, their cumulative impact carries significant weight. Following Rebecca's tips, I believe these details were critical factors that helped me stand out in such a competitive round.

Another aspect that sets Rebecca apart is her dedication to engaging and guiding my recommenders in writing strong Letters of Recommendation – not a typical service in the industry. Since my recommenders had never written an LoR for an MBA application, let alone a strong one, Rebecca's help was invaluable in ensuring they understood the level of recommendation needed.

Even after securing my admissions, Rebecca continued to provide advice on scholarship requests and waitlist strategies, proactively laying down a decision strategy in the end. Reflecting on my journey, I feel incredibly happy and lucky to have worked with Rebecca. To me, she is truly a magician who has changed my life for the better.

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Working with Rebecca should be a no-brainer decision.

I was initially very nervous starting this process as I was coming from an overrepresented applicant pool, but throughout the admission cycle Rebecca was always in my corner. I could always go to her with any question and she would promptly answer. She also helped me stay very organized throughout the application process, making sure that I completed every part of my application with a lot of time to spare for reviews. She always kept the bar for all my essays really high but was also always there with me when I needed to dig deep to craft compelling stories. Rebecca is a super woman who will be your biggest supporter while providing you with the tools to succeed on your applicant journey.

Thank you so much Rebecca, couldn't have done this without you.

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I first decided I wanted an MBA ~14 months before the R1 cycle. I had a low GPA, low involvement in extracurriculars, below average GMAT, mediocre work experience and came from a very competitive demographic, but wanted to go to a top 10 business school. I had initial consults with various top MBA consultants and was told that a Top 10 program was not possible with my stats and/or to come back closer to the cycle.

My initial interaction with Rebecca from Menlo Coaching was very different. She took time to get to know my story, my career goals, and my background before working with me to research and create a school list. She told me what we would need to accomplish over the next 12 months that could help us get more aggressive with that list - and more importantly the process and structure that we would take on.

Over the next 12 months, I followed Rebecca's processes and advice to get my GMAT up, work on my extracurriculars, interact with schools/students, and even switch teams on the career front. Rebecca's strong writing background helped me carve a narrative from our career and personal story sessions together, a portion of the applications I was most worried about as I had nothing special in my personal story.

I ended up applying to 6 schools - all in the Top 10 - and getting into an M7, and I attribute this success to Rebecca. I couldn't recommend working with her highly enough. She truly cares as a coach and has always advised me on what is best for me, MBA or otherwise. Even after the decision, she continues to help me navigate waitlists and negotiate scholarships. The entire process of working with her not only left me with an MBA admit at a dream school, but also deeper clarity on why I was pursuing one and where I want to be longer term.

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Working with Rebecca is a no-regret decision!

I spoke to many counsellors beforehand, but Rebecca stood out due to her comprehensive knowledge on B-Schools and her warm and friendly attitude. She has been both a mentor and friend throughout the application process. Rebecca ensured that each step of the process was approached in a structured manner and completed before time. She helped me make difficult decisions and even scheduled a 2-hour personal call to craft my personal story. From selecting schools to refining my resume, crafting my essays, and ultimately submitting my applications, Rebecca's guidance was indispensable. And the results speak volumes - I received admits from 5/5 schools (HBS, Stanford GSB, Wharton, Kellogg, MIT Sloan)!!

Thank you Rebecca for believing in me. I could not have done this without you!

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Reflecting on my successful application to HBS (Class of '26) - I am under no illusions that it would not have in any way been possible without Leslie. Leslie completely raises the standard for what it means to submit a great B-School application. She does this with (1) care, (2) dedication and (3) as a trusted advisor.

Leslie CARES

1. My background as a MBB consultant with limited additional experience puts me in a category of applicant where it was difficult to differentiate myself. But Leslie cared to fully understand and help co-create a compelling story, using her experience (and 100s of successful applications) to pitch it to the HBS adcoms. In total we must have gone through >30 revisions of the key essay. And at every stage I felt like Leslie would go over and beyond for me, and would not settle for anything less than perfect.

2. Leslie's style of working, through iteration and discussion, meant at no point did the process feel overwhelming, and we together got to the very essence of why I was applying to business school, and specifically HBS. She ensured I did not settle for a story that was convincing but didn't feel like it was me. It was a process of learning and discovery. The end product was both something that was convincing, in the right style/tone for B-school and that I could tell showed what was unique about me to the adcom.

Leslie is DEDICATED

3. Leslie has many clients but I always felt like I was her first priority (and I know her other clients would have felt the same). For example, I was going on holiday for a few weeks and wanted this to be an intense period where we got through lots of iterations. Leslie worked around this and I would send her materials in the evening, which she would review overnight for me to work on again in the morning.

4. Leslie works with an entire team at Menlo coaching - together it felt like there was an entire group of people rooting for me who had my back. For example, when I re-took the GMAT Leslie set me up for 1-on-1 time with a GMAT expert, I mock interviewed with other people in the organisation, and the co-founder of Menlo, Alice, helped lead on the parts of the application where she was better suited (discuss and brainstorming career goals and CV), given she also came from Consulting. Leslie and her team were entirely dedicated to me. At no point did it feel transactional, it felt like a momumental team effort.

Leslie (and Menlo) are trusted advisors

5. Leslie (and Menlo) told me the truth, even if it wasn't necessarily something I wanted to hear. Early on in the process, it looked like given various promotions/the time frame that it would make sense for me to wait a year to apply to HBS. Clearly, this was not in Menlo's interest (they would have delayed one of their clients by a year without filling my spot), but they gave this advice anyway because based on my situation it was the right advice. In the end (after a discussion, and a greatly improved GMAT score) I applied in the 2023 R1, but I was extremely happy knowing that Menlo were always prepared to tell me the truth, rather than what I wanted to hear. My success was their only KPI, and they truly had my best interests at heart throughout the entire process.

6. They advised me to re-take GMAT, and improve from a 740 to a 770. They knew I didn't want to do this (who wants to re-take GMAT!) but they had a hunch I could do even better and they knew we would have enough time to get through the other parts of the application. I completely trusted Leslie and her team.

In sum, the service at Menlo is not cheap, but if you want to work with the best and give yourself the greatest possible change of getting into the b-school of your dreams then I highly recommend you to work with Menlo - and Leslie specifically. She is a fantastic advisor, and a great, friendly, optimistic person who was a delight to work with over 9+ months. She will push you to be the best possible version of yourself, and will make sure the ride is as stress-free and enjoyable at the same time.

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I am an international male MBA applicant from Canada. I did not come from generational wealth, and was working a job that provides me a good, not great, income. The Menlo Coaching price tag was daunting, but I whole-heartedly recommend Menlo's service. They put in the work and become your champion. They value the money and time that their clients put in, and expect a lot from you.

I found Alice to be more than just an MBA Admissions coach, but a guide and mentor. She pushed me to be a better professional, and live up to my potential. She helped me recognize my own weaknesses, and provided steps on how to make improvements in my professional life.

I was a part of the Early Bird package with Alice, and worked wtih her for ~1.5 years. Alice helped skyrocket my profile during this time, to make me a much more compelling candidate.

Alice has also assembled a team of experts to help with different parts of the application. For example, I worked with no fewer than 5 experts on her team, like Leslie who specifically helped uncover and shape my story for the personal essays, and Maya who helped with resume reviews. I appreciated having a suite of different skillsets and viewpoints at my disposal, with Alice remaining the singular main point of contact that oversaw my candidacy in its entirety. It felt like a very smooth process, and I was always in good hands.

In the end, I was accepted into 3 schools, with scholarships at two schools:
1. Dartmouth Tuck, $40K in scholarships.
2. Northwestern Kellogg, $25K in scholarships
3. MIT Sloan

I am 100% confident that I would not have achieved this stellar outcome without the expert knowledge and support that Menlo Coaching provided. Thank you Alice!

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I had the pleasure of working with Leslie on my R1 apps (Class of 2025) to HBS, Stanford, Wharton. I’ve had a few months to reflect on my Harvard and Wharton acceptances and sincerely believe that this would not have been possible without Leslie as my coach!

HBS has been a dream of mine ever since I was in college, and I had applied twice (unsuccessfully) before for the 2+2 programme. Given my slightly tricky re-applicant history and the fact that I was in a hypercompetitive applicant bucket (Indian Male), I knew that I had to go with the best consultant for my third, and likely final, time applying to HBS. I could list countless examples that showcase why you should pick Menlo and Leslie for you MBA journey but the 4 most important factors for you to consider are:

1. A Partner in your MBA journey and not an instructor

• I started the MBA application journey in Feb ’22 and over the course of 6-7 months, I felt Leslie was an invaluable partner in the journey. I always felt like Leslie was rooting for me and that our successes were intertwined.

• Not once did I feel like I was simply paying for a service where I was spoon-fed and told what to do. Leslie always wanted to showcase my voice, authenticity, and tone in all components of the application, and this meant I always had to have an active role in driving the story forward. This was an important consideration for me because I wanted to come across as genuine and considered, and also wanted my voice to come through in the essays.

• Leslie, and the rest of the Menlo team, has been doing this for several years with 100s of applicants. This allowed Leslie to share unique data-driven perspectives and expertise whenever I asked questions about the application process, what is right/wrong, what the admissions committee is looking for, etc.

2. Unlimited support and their number 1 priority

• Leslie was always available for me whenever I needed her. I know she had other client too but anytime I had a question I knew I could reach out to Leslie and I’d be able to get on a call within a day or get an e-mail response a few hours later. Whether it was a holiday or a weekend, I could always get Leslie’s input if I needed to!

• Leslie was also based in a different time zone (West Coast) than me (UK), which was a cause for concern for me at the beginning but ended up being one key reason why our partnership worked so well. I could send my drafts in EOD UK time and have Leslie’s feedback, changes, and comments back in my inbox the next morning because Leslie was 8 hours behind me.

• Although you are assigned 1 Menlo coach, throughout the application process, I always felt like I had an entire team behind me. For instance, Alice, Menlo’s Founder, jumped in to review essay drafts that were in their final stages and also helped shape my career goals statement. I also had several conversations with Alice 1:1 that involved strategizing and brainstorming about how I could gain an edge despite being in a competitive bucket. During the mock interview stage, I was interviewed by Alice and Leslie, each structuring their mock HBS interviews in a way that mitigated different gaps. Finally, for the Wharton TBD, I was able to do a mock interview with David, the co-founder of Menlo, and other Menlo clients.

• Over several months, I always felt like I was Menlo’s #1 priority despite them having several other clients who were all applying to similar schools. I know several of my friends used other Admissions Consultants and only had their ‘coach’ to lean on.

3. Hand holding if you are in a busy job

• I work in a job with long hours (MBB) and I wanted to work with a consultant that offered a bit more hand holding along the journey than others. Upon speaking to several former Menlo clients I was told that Leslie/Menlo will ensure you stay on track by gently nudging you and checking-in with you regularly to ensure you aren’t falling behind.

• In fact, I finished all my applications with a few days to spare, and Leslie was a big reason for that! Furthermore, when I had particularly busy weeks at work, Leslie suggested I make progress on other parts of the application that weren’t as time/effort intensive and to come back to my essays when things cooled down at work.

4. Leslie will do what’s right for you, not what’s easy for Menlo

• Firstly, there were times when I had a strong point of view about how my essays should end or what to include/exclude from the story. On the few occasions where Leslie categorically disagreed with me, she was not afraid to say so and explain why, whilst also leveraging her experience in the past with other applicants. Although it would’ve been easier for Leslie/Menlo to keep me happier by agreeing with me, they were not scared to tell me when they disagreed with me, which ultimately led to a better essay.

• Secondly, I went through 20+ iterations of my HBS essay with Leslie until we both felt it was perfect. Although it was difficult to constantly make changes and build upon previous drafts, the fact that Leslie kept pushing me to refine my stories and content further allowed me to pull out key details that allowed me to showcase who I am as a person and applicant more effectively. Given draft 10 may not have been significantly different that draft 20, I know it would’ve been easier for Leslie to not request additional builds but she pushed me and added work on to her own plate until she knew the essays were acceptable.

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