I did end up working with Eli and TLDR it was a great experience. I'll share my full P&Q review here for your reference:
Quote:
First things first: the result. I only applied to three schools – GSB, HBS, and Wharton. I got an interview at HBS and got into Wharton.
If you would’ve told me that I’d get this result a year back, I would’ve probably laughed. I had absolutely no knowledge about the MBA process when I started the journey. I talked to around 10 MBA consultants, all of whom told me that I am a male software engineer from an over-represented pool, with absolutely no official leadership experience. I stood no chance at HSW and shouldn’t bother wasting my/their time. Nothing against them – probably this is the harsh reality of MBA admissions. Given I was already well settled in my career and was leading a good life, I didn’t want to leave my job for anything less than HSW.
I was about to give up on the idea of an MBA when I got on a call with Eli. This call was completely different from the others. While others were focused on my stats, achievements, and boxes I checked, Eli was interested in my story. In my initial call itself, he forced me to open up and really tell him who I was. We talked for more than an hour and in that hour I told him things about myself that even my closest friends didn’t know. He wasn’t interested in my numbers, he was interested in me. When no one believed in me (not even me), Eli was the only one who thought that the “real me” had a shot.
Eli’s approach is very pragmatic – if you’re looking for someone who sugarcoats things or someone who gives you false hope or someone you can bullshit, he is NOT your guy. He is going to be straightforward and critical. He made me write 12 drafts for small answers in the application form and very bluntly called me out the moment I started slacking.
One of the best aspects of working will Eli was that he was always available. Preparing an MBA application while working full-time was a challenging task. I don’t know how he does it but it feels like the guy is always just a call away. With Eli, I never had to wait hours/days to get even the smallest of doubts/questions answered.
In Eli, you will find a close partner for your applications. He is not only an application consultant but a great mentor – he helped me immensely in navigating my career choices and decisions. He helped me plan my MBA admissions journey even before I hired him. This gave me the confidence to take the jump into this long and daunting journey.
Eli’s organization doesn’t have the fanciest of presence like many other consultants today and may give the first impression of not being at par with them. But in today’s world of glamour and noise, Eli is the real deal. I’m here only because of him. Please go and sign up with him – You’ll make the best decision of your life!!!