"Best" Admissions Consulting Companies - 2021 intake Season

Review for Fortuna Admissions.

After a terrible experience with a local consultant resulting in getting rejections from multiple MBA programs, I started researching an admissions consulting firm which could keep up with the high standards that top universities expect.
I approached two companies. The first one claiming to be the most prominent in the industry, they avoided even the free consultation that they advertise and they just sent me some emails, an approach I did not like at all so I did not pursue with them. The second company was Fortuna. I had a thorough conversation with Matt, and eventually I decided to apply to INSEAD with Fortuna.

The consultant I was appointed was Melissa Joelson. Melissa played a huge role in my eventual acceptance to INSEAD. First of all, we had many 1 on 1 zoom conversations throughout the process which I believe were much better and efficient than a mere exchange of emails and allowed for better communication, bonding etc.

Second, she made sure that every achievement that I had made throughout my life was well portrayed. There were several times that I would mention an action/achievement that I thought was unimportant, but she would insist on including it and explained what positive impact it could have on my application.

In addition, she made sure every paragraph, sentence and word was properly crafted and up to the high standard that the Adcom is waiting to see. If you decide to work with her be prepared to revise each and every part of the application multiple times before reaching the desirable result. She will also make sure that everything is on point well before the deadline. We submitted the application in less than a month, a request I had made when we started our cooperation.

Overall, Melissa made sure that we presented the best version of myself to the Adcom. The worst thing a candidate could do is not have a personal “id” in their essays, a faceless piece of writing that will just pile up to thousands of rejections. Melissa made sure that through the essays I showed INSEAD who I am and what is special about me so that INSEAD considered and accepted me.

Melissa was also truly committed to our cause, during and after the application process, providing me with her opinion regarding any questions that troubled me. It was the only application that I submitted and was 100% confident that I would secure a spot. I just knew that there was not a single reason why I should be denied, as everything was so well thought out and written beautifully and professionally.

Review for mbaMission.

I came to mbaMission as a reapplicant. I had been struggling with grad school applications for months and was really in a tough spot. Deadlines were approaching, and I was overwhelmed with the process. Given my circumstances at that time, I made the mistake of working with a consultant based on their low rates. The outcome? Rejected by all schools, and a year gone in a flash. I took my time to process everything and reflect. I realized that I took the process lightly. I admit it: my confidence in my 780 GMAT score and 338 GRE score made me overlook the importance of other aspects of my profile. I underestimated the MBA application process. I decided to give this another shot. This time, I took my time to vet the consultancy firms. I started attending webinars and setting up intro calls. I was looking for a consultant who believed in me at a time when my self-esteem was low. After speaking to a few major consultancy firms, I met Jessica. I first saw Jessica at a webinar. What immediately drew me to her and impressed me was how attentive and personal she is with everyone. I could tell from the start that she knew her stuff. I set up an intro call with her where we went through my professional goals, academics, and even personal traumas that led me to be where I am today. She sincerely wanted to understand the story of my life. What makes Jessica unique is that she asked questions that helped me find answers to what’s most important to me and my application. Why do I need an MBA? Why now? Why this specific school? What motivates me? What are my short and long-term goals? Jessica showed me pathways I didn't even know existed and introduced me to programs that fit me better than my initial choices of programs. She was extremely patient with me throughout my application process, tirelessly editing and providing feedback on my essays. She is attuned to detail and a true caretaker of her students. She was always reachable when I had any questions. She was extremely knowledgeable and went into great detail about everything. I cannot say enough good things about Jessica. I've never met someone so passionate about consulting as she was. The best thing about working with Jessica is the personal development journey. The "personal clarity" I gained on this journey has helped me know myself better, which in turn has helped me have a clearer vision of what I want to achieve in life. With her mentorship and guidance while navigating the whole admissions process, I got admitted into two Ivy League schools and multiple M7 schools. Not only did I get picked by those schools due to her mentorship, I also received full-ride scholarships. Facing an already difficult decision, she helped me achieve my goal of getting into my number one choice!

Review for Stratus Admissions Counseling.

I still keep pinching myself, y'know. To ensure I am not stuck in an 'inception-esque' trance.

But I know it's real. My destiny was sealed the day the admission letter read 'Congratulations' with a celebratory confetti background wallpaper.

Mins later, I sent an email to Susan telling her that we had done it. We had converted to our first US business school. The journey hadn't been easy, especially for an ORM (over-represented minority). So, let's dive right in.

In September 2021, I decided to finally shake off the dust of procrastination regarding my MBA plans. But, still reeling under the 'let-me down' eyes of self-doubt, I knew I needed guidance on the admissions process. After some secondary research online, I came across the website of Stratus Consulting and its senior director - Susan Cera.

Susan and I spoke for the first time end of September. It was a 30 mins consultation call wherein we discussed my profile. The discussion was highly directive. It was humbling to hear about my strengths and my blind spots. Susan did not mince her words, which helped me steer clear of any delusions I was carrying.

We decided to work together for the next 1-2 months, building my personalized MBA blueprint. This had three critical parts, each feeding into the other:-
a) Part 1: Gather data points by reflecting on past experiences across professional and personal settings
b) Part 2: Identify Attributes by leveraging the data points gathered
c) Part 3: Build Story by identifying stories that allude to those specific attributes

Post this exercise. We built out the second part of the strategy:-
a) Why MBA? And Why Now?
b) Post MBA goals? Short-term and Long-term

Further to this exercise, we refined my resume, driving specificity through the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) framework.

Finally, we bucketed my target schools across three areas, i.e., Likely/Reach/Stretch. At this point, it is essential to mention that given my debilitating test anxiety, we decided to only look at schools with a GMAT waiver.

As part of the following steps, we worked selectively on a few essays, wherein Susan reviewed my story, constantly pushing me to direct my thoughts using the STAR format. Her #1 guidance to me was that 'specificity drives credibility,' and those golden words have been etched into my brain since then.

Our journey led us to convert to a top 20 B-School and get waitlisted at a top 15. I honestly did not expect to cut, but Susan – as my guardian angel – was there to reassure me in every way. She was more than a consultant, a sounding board that allowed me to vent my frustrations and insecurities without turning a page of judgment. I am forever indebted to her contribution, allowing this ORM a fighting chance at the top 20 MBA programs in the US.

Review for Gurufi.

Brian was excellent! I think this is a targeted service where you have already done your research and brainstorming to make your own write-up/first cut of your essay, but need a helping hand after that. Excellent editing at a more than reasonable price. Brian really helped me get my personal stories polished, there was room to ask questions / additional review after reflecting suggestions from Brian. The turnaround time was superb, delivered before the timeline as promised. I wanted some guidance from a good, fresh set of eyes, and Gurufi did exactly that.

The review process helped me get admitted to my dream school! Thanks Brian!!

Review for Square One Prep.

Thanks to Kathryn, Annie, Horatiu, and the rest of the SquareOnePrep team, I breezed through the application process for business school. Their all-inclusive approach to helping me construct my career story helped me concentrate on what was important to me and enabled me to show my best self to business school admissions committees.

What is the rationale behind SOP?

I spoke with a few MBA consultants from various companies. As far as I'm concerned, I don't want to work with someone who either overestimated or underestimated my abilities. My first conversation with Kathryn from SOP was positive, but she also pointed me what I needed to improve upon based on the results of my application. Her words of wisdom were a great boost to my self-esteem and practical in nature.

The four key components of their services are Resume, LOR, Career Narrative and Essays.

Resume: Many hours of phone calls with Annie, my academic adviser, were spent developing my résumé, and she pointed out many aspects of my academic and professional achievements that I had overlooked. In the end, the resume that was created using SOP was quite thorough and compelling in its content.

LOR: Even though I had previously applied to a master's programme and submitted a professional letter of recommendation, this LOR prepared with SOP for MBA was very striking and had a number of personal & professional tales. The SOP presented my supervisor with a wealth of information to consider when making their recommendation.

Carrier Narrative: The nicest part about SOP is that they take 3-4 separate sessions to set short-term and long-term objectives. This encouraged individuals to look at various career objectives, companies, and the impact they had on society, and eventually a clear path post MBA short and long term goal was established.

Essays: Each of my meetings with my adviser was helpful and supplied me with a wealth of useful information, which helped me write more effective essays.

Overall, I'm glad I selected SOP for MBA consulting, and I know it would have been exceedingly tough for me to be in the place I am now if it hadn't been for their help. Thank you SOP, and thank you Kathryn!

Review for Experts' Global.

I am writing this review based on my experience alone - and I acknowledge that different people might have had different experiences with this same team. I have also discussed these issues directly with the Experts' Global (EG) Team multiple times - and they admitted to their faults and told me that they would address these concerns for future applicants. Whether or not they have improved in these areas - I do not know, but I sure hope so.

Cons:
1. Extremely sub-par resources and essays
I was planning on writing my own essays anyway and was looking to EG for basic guidance. I was shocked when I went through their drafts and resources. They were horrible. If the essay prompt was "When is Christmas?" EG's response was "Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell" There was no correlation between their resources and the question being asked. There were tons of grammatical errors that even a 7th grader could spot. Worse, when I pointed these out to them, they did not even seem to realize that there was something wrong.

Moreover, they ask you to spend several days and they make you fill out lengthy questionnaires. They keep asking you for regular updates regarding your profile. But none of these are incorporated into your final story or final essays. What's the point in collecting all of that data if it is not going to be used? They simply share a generic cut, copy, paste draft.

2. No support at all - You are left on your own
When you start out, they share a detailed calendar/tracker sheet with milestones. It will look organized and good but do not fall for the trap. The EG team ticked off a few checkboxes like resume review, and (horrible) essay drafts and then completely disappeared. It was almost as if they didn't exist. I was left to fend for myself during the most crucial part of the application process. If you're looking for an admission consultant for support at every step, then this might not be the place.

When I pointed this out, they resorted to a blame game and instead of addressing my concerns, they just kept asking me why I did not approach them. I was busy, knee-deep in the work that I expected their help with. And though I raised concerns with the essay drafts thrice, their responses made it clear that they could not have cared less. Moreover, all the follow-ups and milestones that were mentioned in the initial sheet - most of them were not met and the team did not care about it either. (during the submissions time)

3. Problems with communication
There were numerous instances of terrible communication. Person 1 would call me and we would decide to do a particular thing or proceed in a certain way. Next time this topic comes up, this person would have absolutely no idea about what we were even talking about - and would give a completely opposite reply than what they gave the first time.

Pros:
The only pro for me was the Interview preparation.

I am sharing this review here on GMAT Club so it motivates the candidates to do their research and not fall for false promises by consultants like Experts Global. I felt trapped after making all the payments and there was nothing I could do. I have already shared my feedback with the EG team through emails and calls and I can only hope that things have improved now. Please do your research before proceeding. When I shared these points, their response for most of them was - "This usually doesn't happen, we don't know how it happened in your case". But it was already too late for me. And I cannot say how many others faced similar issues.

Another takeaway - do your own research on the schools you want to apply to. Do not blindly believe what they will tell you as they would want you to apply mostly to safe schools to boost the success rates. Do your research and discuss it with your consultant (if any).

tl;dr The conclusion is - Experts' Global did me more harm than good. Signing up with them resulted in an utter loss of precious time that I could otherwise have invested in more important aspects of my application. Through their resources and drafts, they also gave me a very wrong idea of what is expected. I had to learn on my own and prepare my applications accordingly. So, not only were they not putting me on the right path, but they were actively forcing me to walk on the wrong path. One that would have resulted in failure.

Review for Fortuna Admissions.

The application process is gruelling to say the least, as most of us here know, and through that process, you want Julie on your side. She is excellent at her job and knows how you can tell your story best. I wrote my applications while going through a lot of upheaval in my personal life, and was glad to have Julie guide me. She kept me on my toes, following up where she felt I was slacking. Most importantly, she tells it like it is, and does not mince her words or give you false hope. She promises to help you put forth the absolute best application, and she delivers precisely that. She took the time to get to know me and my story and went out of her way to put my fears at ease when I was riddled with doubts. I finally ended up at one of the best programs in the world, which I was too scared to hope for, but Julie helped make it a reality.

Review for Personal MBA Coach.

I have used Scott's mock interview service, that was just a FANTASTIC Experience!

They know what the core values of my target school is, they know what the interviewer want, they know how to fit each candidate into each schools.

They arrange the interview real quick and give me useful comments so that I can review, practice and improve again!

I enjoy the process a lot and they are very helpful. They do even better than my expectation.

Thanks a lot, Scott, and Jacqueline, you guys are the best!

I would definitely recommend Scott's and Jackie's services to the other MBA or EMBA candidate, without a second of thought.

Review for MBAPrepSchool.

I worked with Faisal for my applications to b-schools last year after I was referred to him by a friend of mine. I was in the process of finalizing a consultant and was meeting with admissions consulting firms left, right, and center.

The first thing that worked with Faisal was his brutal honesty about my chances. I was a male IT engineer from a non-IIT background applying with a GRE score of 325 (To most, these parameters are as close to a death knell as they can get) and Faisal was extremely candid about the fact. What I absolutely loved about him was that he did not shoot me down exclusively based on my score (like a majority of consultants did) or painted a very rosy picture of my applications (like a lot of others did). Faisal devised a plan for us to develop the application and focus on retaking the GRE in parallel.

Faisal works in an extremely comprehensive manner to craft the applications. Before getting started we worked on an extensive document to flush out all of my important life stories. The questions in the document brought out stories that I almost forgot existed. We then honed in on developing a compelling narrative across applications and together we drafted compelling essays (essays that I’m proud of).

I ended up with a T20 admit with a ~$45k scholarship. I can’t recommend Faisal enough. Post admit, Faisal has continued to mentor me and advise me on a host of things. I barely noticed when he stopped being the consultant and become a treasured mentor who had my best interests in mind.

Review for Fortuna Admissions.

Bill just helped me a lot in the application.
I am a young professionals on Finance and Real Estate, who is not on Executive level (Just manager grade). Every consultant that I have call with, told me that, nah, you should go to Duke/Insead or some other schools. You got no chance to get into Chicago Booth, blah bla bla.
But Bill gave me confidence, he is the ONLY consultant that affirmed my potential and thinks that I can be admitted to Booth.
Not only that, he gave me constructive advice. You can schedule any time for call from him, and he will help you shape your story, make your personality stand out, tell you how to be fit into Booth and give your prompt feedback.
He was the Associate Dean of Booth, so basically he knows everything that Booth wants.
There’s too much to say about Bill, I admire and thank him so much.
If it’s not him, I could not be admitted to Chicago Booth Executive MBA with my profile (GPA<3.2, age only 31, and managerial grade only).
If your dream school is Booth, just don't hesitate.
Bill Kooser is the BEST choice, and that's not even close.

Review for myEssayReview.

I got in touch with Poonam early summer of 2021 when I was getting my application ready for NYU Stern. She was quick to respond and had initial conversation regarding my profile and advised I should not apply in R1 as my GMAT score was low as well as I needed more time to prepare application. That was the best decision ever. I re-took GMAT and got my dream score. After that, Poonam, with 15 days left before deadline, helped me compile 2 school application's. She went through my essays word by word, spent hours refining them and asked me questions which helped me even during the interview process. I will highly recommend using myEssayReview's services especially for people who are working full time and have very limited time to apply for MBA programs.

Review for Fortuna Admissions.

I was first introduced to Karen by Jenifer Raver from the Fortuna Admissions team given my preferences of applying to LBS & IESE and in the first 5 minutes of the call, I knew I wanted to work with Karen. I could tell that she was genuinely interested in my story, my career ambitions, my long-term goals and believed in my potential to make it all come true. (I had spoken to multiple coaches before from other companies; hence I was sure). We kicked off the process and through every conversation involving self-reflection, CV preparation, essay drafts - Karen unlocked aspects of my personality I never knew existed. I declared on Day 1 that I work better with clear timelines and defined expectations, and she let me set my own deadlines (which had to be acceptable of course). Karen was always super prompt on reviewing any material I sent across, her feedback – very organized, relevant and thoughtful. She makes you want to ask yourself “Why is this relevant?” “How did you impact the lives of others with this action?” and so on….and that’s precisely what business schools want – to understand who you truly are!
Sadly, I didn’t get through the first time I applied in 2021, it was a very competitive cycle and I’m sure I probably didn’t make the cut by a very small margin. But I was set on going to LBS and I promised myself that I would reapply. Even though she was not contractually obligated to, Karen offered to help out with my reapplication strategy. She helped me reflect on what went wrong, introspect about what needs to change, structure how I could improve my profile over the next year and also review my submission material again the next year. I came back much stronger, clearer and way more confident than last time, and I got through!
Karen has never missed my calls (When I got the admit email, she was out on a run and she answered!). We cried together in the ding debrief last year. We laughed and celebrated together on the admit this time (and cried some more, happy tears this time). We connected emotionally – and that’s rare. All my friends and family know her by ‘Karen Didi’, because that’s what I refer to her as (Didi = moniker for ‘Big Sister’ in Hindi - someone you have profound respect for).
It was a long hard journey towards achieving my dream of going to LBS, but working with Karen has been such a pleasure. I was stupid to think I could reapply to LBS the very next year, but her confidence in my capabilities helped shape my resilience. Whatever miracle of a career I build from the LBS MBA, I owe it to her. Thank you very very much Karen!

Review for August Academy.

When I started applying for MBA programs as an entrepreneur and someone at the age of 29, I was insecure about my MBA dreams. I researched extensively for the professional admissions consultant, including MCB, MBA and Beyond etc., and I am glad I worked with Karthik from August Academy. He is highly professional and will go the extra mile to help. One thing I realized was that he saw my success as his own and was always there to help me get the best go my profile. With his help and deep understanding of what colleges are looking for in my profile and truly personalizing my story with MBA programs, I was admitted to four of the five colleges I applied to him. I got more than 50% scholarship in the three colleges (SIMON, Gtech, and EMORY) while getting admitted to Cornell. I was waitlisted and rejected from Columbia. I am genuinely grateful to have worked with Karthik and would highly recommend him to anyone in the blink of an eyelid.

Review for Square One Prep.

Square One Prep’s team of Kathryn, Mary, Christina, and Horatiu has been extremely helpful in my b-school application journey. I was a re-applicant, and my journey this year was very different from my last attempt. A stellar GMAT score and a strong profile aren't enough to get into a top business school. My first call with Kathryn was enough for me to stop my hunt for consultants, and I decided to work under her guidance.

With the help of Kathryn and Mary, I was able to fine-tune my work and gain admission with a whopping $80K scholarship to one of the top US schools. The team has made a lot of effort to get to know my story and profile. Putting heads together helped craft quality essays. Horatiu helped me structure the career narrative, which further assisted me in facing the interviews with more confidence.

The SOP team has done a fantastic job of streamlining the application and interview process, which makes it easier to stay focused. The whole process is designed to bring the best out of you and make you cognizant of your abilities and incompetence. Mary and Kathryn have played a very important role in keeping me focused, and yes, when necessary, I have received criticism. I am extremely thankful for the guidance I received.

Review for Accepted.

When I started applying for MBA programs as an entrepreneur and someone at the age of 29, I was insecure about my MBA dreams. I researched extensively for the professional admissions consultant, including MCB, MBA and Beyond etc., and I am glad I worked with Karthik from August Academy. He is highly professional and will go the extra mile to help. One thing I realized was that he saw my success as his own and was always there to help me get the best go my profile. With his help and deep understanding of what colleges are looking for in my profile and truly personalizing my story with MBA programs, I was admitted to four of the five colleges I applied to him. I got more than 50% scholarship in the three colleges (SIMON, Gtech, and EMORY) while getting admitted to Cornell. I was waitlisted and rejected from Columbia. I am genuinely grateful to have worked with Karthik and would highly recommend him to anyone in the blink of an eyelid.

Review for mbaMission.

Out of the 5 school I worked on with Gavriella, I received interview invites from 4 and will now go and attend HBS!
I got multiple offers and scholarships. (Applied to 6 M7 schools(Worked on 2 schools myself) and LBS)

My guide and mentor- The Guru who made it happen. As traditional Indian saying goes, Guru guides you to your destiny, so bow to the Guru even before you bow before God and she is the mentor who made it happen for me. Unsure of my candidacy, she instilled confidence in me and pushed me to introspect until I found why I believe in certain things or choose to behave a certain way. The MBA journey is far longer than the two-year program and while a good GMAT Score feels like a big milestone, it is just the beginning. Your growth begins with applications- as you introspect and find the underlying why you grow and she ensured I knew each why. She highlighted to me how things that seem monotonous or mundane to me, were actually not that common and how I could convey that effectively to the schools to get the interview invites. She made the journey so smooth and easy-paced that I did not feel the anxiety until the HBS Interview invite came and I processed how real this all was. Preparing for the interview, I appreciated my application and felt this sense of immense gratitude towards Gavi that is hard to put into words. I am so glad I chose MBAMission and that Jessica connected Gavi and I. Besides the 5 schools I chose to work on with Gavi, she helped me put together my application for two more schools, highlighting how the essays could be along the structure of school A or B.

Review for The Red Pen.

Vatsal worked with me using a customized strategy, taking into account my industry and prior experience, which ultimately enabled me to create well rounded essays for my INSEAD application. He has a thorough understanding of the INSEAD application procedure and guided me through several revisions to ensure main points were captured. He connected me with other INSEADers, which greatly aided me in the interview process. I was adequately ready for both my in-person and video interviews. His knowledge in a variety of businesses helped me give my application a mature image. Without a doubt, I would suggest his services to other applicants seeking admission to INSEAD.