When I took the GMAT in 2012, I wasn’t really into the nitty-gritty of B-school application and I simply sent my score (760) to the Top 5 US MBA programs I had heard about. However, my interactions with the B-school community of applicants and admits over the next 4 years began to give me a clearer picture of the competition and by the time I finally decided to take the plunge in 2015, I knew the odds were stacked against me.

I am an Indian Male with an engineering degree from a Tier 3 university in India and all my work experience within my family business (revenues > $3m annually). I didn’t even have proper clients or supervisors at my business which made selecting recommenders much more challenging than it usually is. Although, I had some strong entrepreneurial experience in Africa and had volunteered for child rights protection for almost 5 years, I began to think the US Top 10 was beyond me. I conducted informational interviews with several admissions consultants (extremely skeptical of their value addition) and had one EXTREMELY FAMOUS consultant tell me why I would be competitive only at sub 20 schools. (read Kelley, Emory etc.)

Enter Admissionado and more importantly Mark Lellouch, who came in with a reputation for non- traditional candidates. The first things that struck me about Mark were his optimism and attention to detail. While filling out one of those drab info forms, I took the liberty of sending him links to some of my leisure writings (not that these were asked for) and he came back to me with genuine appreciation. My first chat with him was conversational yet reflective, as we talked not only about my work, but also my business and family. This represented a genuine attempt on his part to understand where I came from, my strengths and weaknesses and by the time I got off the phone, I knew if I wanted to work with someone, it was him.

After agreeing to work towards my DREAM school, I began sending in drafts for my essays and resume. Within 48 hours, I would get back documents filled with red and two short, but very important words – Nicely Done. Looking back today, I feel that the MBA application process is quite draining and these small “pats on the back” go a long way towards sustaining the motivation required to develop strong applications. His feedback always forced me to “get to the point” in the “simplest way possible” while maintaining my unique identity as an applicant. Working with him was almost like one of those career assessment exercises as I began noticing how he identified leadership stories I had discarded and gave life to a resume that had boring written all over it. He even took the time to answer some really silly questions – the kind one asks when obsessing over applications a bit too much.

Apart from the school we worked towards, Mark’s guidance helped me shape applications for 5 other schools as well. By April 2016, I had been admitted to 2 Top 15 schools and a Top 20 school with a Full Ride. However, I was waitlisted at my dream school.

Once again, Mark and I got to work developing a waitlist strategy that included a detailed update letter and a new letter of recommendation. After spending 6 months on the waitlist, I was finally admitted to my dream school. And as always, Mark’s reply to this long-awaited news read – NICELY DONE!

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While in the process of applying to the top B schools in US, I reviewed and held calls with many MBA admissions consultants, globally. One of them happened to be Admissionado. The first thing I noticed was their professional yet engaging style of communication – Claudia Aliperta, the Director of Operations, sent me a warm welcome email and introduced me to Leslie Curry, who sent up a free 30-minute consultation call to review my resume, ask about my strategy (if any) for choosing and applying to B schools and also a few basic questions about my background. Leslie was so very helpful, bright and thoughtful in that 30 minutes that I was sold! I had spoken with consultants from 6 agencies in my home country and US but none of them were as polite yet sharp in catching onto opportunities of improvement in a candidate. I signed on for the Deluxe 3-school package and insisted on having Leslie as my adviser.
Leslie is an MBA graduate from Darden but she holds a wealth of knowledge and resources about all the top B schools in US. When we first started working together, my application list was broad and unstructured. I didn’t have any logical reasons for even applying to some of them! Leslie took the effort to understand my strengths (through a very self-reflective and insightful questionnaire) and developed a matrix to help me rank the schools. This was indeed very helpful. Once I had my top 3 schools, we set to work on my resume. Leslie helped me bullet-point my achievements and even bring up points I had forgotten, by regularly asking me about my past work and volunteering activities. She didn’t exactly grill, but dove in to each story of mine so that she could better understand me and qualities I could express. Once we got my resume refined, I began writing the essays. I didn’t want my essays written for me and Admissionado ensures that you do the meat of the work while they guide you in polishing up what you want to convey, which is exactly what I was looking for. I had crazy ideas on why XX School and why I was a perfect fit for YY program, but Leslie broke it down, helped me structure it and even build on it. All the ideas were mine, but she would review them and even pull in a second pair of professional eyes (for a well-rounded perspective) and we would work on them in a timely manner until I was satisfied.
Once I got interview calls, we setup 2 mock interviews over video conference, to help me get an idea of the standard questions asked and how to best be prepared for them. It was great practice and Leslie shared a bunch of questions that I should expect and with her constructive feedback, I drafted my best answers and also, my best style for delivering them.
We hit all three schools and I am extremely proud to say that I am now attending the school that was my top choice. Leslie and I’ve been in touch thereafter even because I know this process helped me gain a friend and a well-wisher, not just a professional adviser. She was my coach and cheerleader at the same time. So for that, Admissionado gets a top rating from me, and I’d recommend it to all my friends and anyone looking for a little bit of help in their B school applications. It’s worth every $! Definitely ask for Leslie if you want someone who is as passionate about your journey as you and a true expert in this field.

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I used the Admissionado Discovery Package.
I’m the Indian/IT Engineer/Female and I don’t hold a great GMAT score. Thanks to Admissionado, I made it to University of San Diego, University of Illinois at Chicago and Bentley University. Although the firm specializes in top 15 schools, I knew I have a very common profile and a low GMAT score. Furthermore, I wasn’t ready to re-take the GMAT, so I knew I needed a really good service that would help me put forward my best profile.
In the Discovery Package, I got two calls with my consultant and two extremely helpful files. One file covered the details on my strengths, weaknesses that I needed to cover in the Optional Essay and the common essay formats. The second file was the school short list. These files were EXTREMELY helpful as I knew exactly, what would work for and against me and I could address the same in my applications. Since I knew what would work against me, I could highlight those in the Optional Essay and was prepared for any query on the same during the interview. Also the files helped me frame GREAT essays. During the calls, I could clear out all my queries based on the data provided in the files.
The thing I liked about my consultant is that she has a good idea on which Program fits your profile best. She also went a step further and told me how I could improve my profile and which other schools I could target. Lastly, she was extremely prompt in getting back to me. When I submitted my applications, I knew my GMAT was low, but I was confident that I had put together a strong application.
I don’t think I could’ve made it to the schools without Admissionados help.
They helped me and I’m sure they can help anyone! I highly recommend Admissionado!

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I started my connection with Admissionado with a ding-analysis service about one month ago, when I just got a waiting list decision from my target school. I became so frustrated and started to cast doubt on myself. I cannot accept this is all I can get after 8 months of stressful preparation, so I decided to give it a last try. I heard about Admissionado from Jon, who is the founder of this organization. I have to admit, at first I had reservations, since I barely knew it and all the staffs are so far away from me that I can only contact them via email or phone. However, after I finished my first call with my consultant, Julie, I knew I made a right decision to turn to Admissionado for help. There are several things I would like to emphasize:
1) Firm but non-aggressive attitude: when I conducted the ding-analysis, I was extremely down emotionally and thinking whether to accept a 3-tier offer. It was at this very moment, Julie gave me a very firm opinion, after scanning my materials, that I can do better than that, and if I can't make it this year, I should reapply. Her affirmation totally raised me up, and her firm attitude, based on her professionalism, distinguishes Admissionado from those irresponsible organizations whose staffs could just present some ambiguous and non-constructive words. But she is not aggressive at all, please don't mistake here. In fact, our conversation is really chatty and she has always been supportive during all the process.
2) Always on time: although the physical distance between us is remote, it feels as if they are just around me, since I never need to worry if they will reply me. Especially in my last submission, the deadline was approaching and there was really not too much time left for me. Julie gave me unconditional support by helping revising my essay as soon as possible, though she only needs to reply me within 24 hours according to the contract.
3) Detailed, support and in-depth critique: I really appreciate those useful comments in my essays. I am surprisingly impressed by the depth and breadth the remarks have brought to my essay. I have to say, before the revision, I didn't have a clear thought about some foundamental points. These detailed, support and in-depth critique not only help me make a stronger essay, but also reshape my thoughts.
4) Faithfulness: because of my limited budget, I got most of my service in the hourly way. And Julie was remarkably considerate and tried to help make full use of it.

I have just finished my last interview for this year's application last night. Though I have not got my offer yet, I got to say, I can see clearly my development during this process on a much larger scale, and I will highly recommend my friends who intend to apply for MBA to use Admissionado's service.

Zheng

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Securing an admission in a top 20 MBA school is never an easy job. Its even worse with a GPA of 3.11 and a GMAT of 710 while being an Indian born male. My consultant Leslie was very honest about my situation and odds when I spoke with her. My very first interaction with Leslie was enough for me to make my decision to go with Admissionado. Out of at least 7-8 conversations I had with as many admission consulting companies prior to choosing Leslie at Admissionado, the passion and involvement that Leslie displayed in my pursuit was unparalleled. She was a great guide, mentor and would absolutely leave no stone unturned when it came to extracting highpoints from my career and life. She helped me take those ideas and craft them into great essays. Leslie was also monumental in helping me finalize my colleges and prioritize how I should distribute my resources while applying to these programs. These helped me not keep any of the elements of the admission process such as informational interviews, thank you emails etc on the back burner. The quality of comments provided after each revision was very high and the communication was extremely prompt. I am writing this note after the end of my first year at B-school waiting to start my summer internship in 4 weeks as a management consultant. Which is what I said I wanted to do in summer, in my essays. Looking back at the admission process, there is only one thing I would change - start working with Leslie and Admissionado earlier, so I could get more money from my college by applying in round 1!!

Very important after thought: Leslie also helped me successfully negotiate an increase in scholarship after admission when I retook the GMAT exam and scored 730. Result: 50% tuition scholarship.

All in all. You are in good hands with Leslie. Start the process early with Admissionado and be honest and patient with your consultant with all the million questions they will have for you in the interest of bringing the best story out for the essays. It won't be an easy process. But like all awesome things in life, getting into a top 20 Business school is not easy and you want the best people with holistic guidance on your side when you are competing with stellar applicants from all around the world.

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I was referred by a close friend to contact Admissionado for MBA application consulting, now I definitely own him a big meal for it!

The process starts with a relaxed chit-chat over the phone about my backgrounds and goals, it was enjoyable and we talked like friends casually, yet all the key topics are mentioned throughout the call with ease.

The biggest issue for me to work out this application on my own might be -- I have several different aspects that I wish to mention and could easily get lost when deciding on the priorities, that's exactly where my consultant Uyen becomes extremely helpful. She is an expert in choosing the key bets, giving advice to either elaborate or condense, and inspire you to connect all the dots for a complete essay.

Personally I had some health issue during the preparation process, and sometimes I'm late in response or reverting a second version after a long while. However my consultant are always there to support, replying my emails within 3 working days or less. This sense of support makes the experience rewarding and personal indeed.

Highly recommended! You won't regret it.

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With my goal of attending a top-10/M7 school, I knew an admissions consultant was a must (a huge amount of M7 admits work with a consultant in some way). I did consultations with 4-5 firms and Admissionado clearly stood out. Their culture of energy and enthusiasm was unlike any company I encountered and they really won me over with their client first attitude and I felt I could get high quality work at a reasonable price.

I was applying to 6 schools- 4 M7 schools and 2 other top 10s. I planned to use the Jr Deluxe for my top twp M7s and apply that work we did across my other applications. After meeting with 3 different consultants, I settled with Mandy- she had a great and infectious positivity, and her story really resonated with my personal history.

In working with her for 2 essays, lets just say she shredded me to pieces (in a good way). She really helped me connect the dots and each of my essays would come back with tons of reviews and great insights. She was prompt and worked within my timeline.

Long story short, using the work I did with Mandy, I landed interviews at 5 of the 6 schools and was admitted to 3 programs, ultimately attending an M7 program that used the same essay I had worked on with Mandy.

Mandy, Lauren and team were there through the process going above and beyond to provide advice and helpful insights during the months of stress, waitlists, and interviews.

Highly recommend Admissionado!

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After trying to start the MBA application by my own, I got stuck in the eternal questions of "Describe yourself 10 years ago/now/in 10 years", "Greatest achievements/failures" etc. I talked to some of my MBA friends and found out that a lot of them were working with consultants to properly pack their stories.

I searched the internet & GMATclub for the list of consultants and found plenty of them. What immediately caught my attention at Admissionado is their website and the general flow of becoming their client. I submitted my request through the website and received immediate reply.

The service of Admissionado is just great, they were fast to reply to any question I had and they were always to the point.

I worked with Yaron and what I liked about him is that he actually was making me work on myself. My first essays were a disaster, since I had not written any essays for at least 10 years after graduation from university. Yaron was asking questions and helped me rethink my previous experience to pack it in some stories to present to the admission board.
I also had an interview practice with him, and failed during the practice attempts. However, during the admission day everything went right and in the predictable manner.

I got admitted to my dream school and was happy to work with Admissionado.

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I'm a 32YO male, I'm transitioning out of the Navy as a 10-year aviator, and I was honestly kind of terrified about the transition. I'm now at the end of my application process and I will be attending Booth in the Fall. This was my #1 choice and I couldn't have done it without the Admissionado team.

Bottom Line: once you have decided that an admissions consultant is critical to your success in the application process, Admissionado will be your best friend and your professional guiding light. The stress level comes down by orders of magnitude with these guys on your side.

I will echo what other reviews have previously stated: you need to know whether or not a consultant is a critical component to your application process. Don't hire a consultant because you have a fear of missing out. Don't hire a consultant because you assume that's what everyone else is doing. Do your due diligence, interview at least five companies (like most successful applicants do), and find the right group that will meet your specific needs. And set your expectations appropriately for the advertised timelines because the company is very open and honest about exactly what they can provide for you (and oftentimes they go way above and beyond that level of support). My specific needs, as an example, were as follows:
1. Find a shop that can help me translate successes in a military career into words that resonate with a civilian institution used to looking at non-mil candidates.
2. Find a specific consultant that is willing to be honest with me right off the bat and gives specifics regarding how he/she will shape my profile.
3. Hire the shop that demonstrates that they truly want and respect my patronage.

With these needs in mind, I interviewed 6 firms. Admissionado broke out from the pack when it came to #2 and #3 above, and they have been authentic and consistent ever since I hired them. The initial interview with Shawn, my counselor, provided tangible suggestions for tailoring my application packages. He followed up after our interview to see if I had any additional questions or concerns (as did Claudia and Lauren, which was a great touch). This team has a legitimate desire to see you succeed. And since receiving my acceptance I have kept in touch with all three and they have offered friendly advice for transitioning to a new city. This group is as good as it gets.

Their bevy of products to support the process are very useful as well. These products cover everything from essay edits to crafting a resume, and I will probably put them to good use beyond just this application marathon. I will also keep every version of the essay edits because I found the whole experience refreshing and it fine-tuned my ability to deliver a good message. You may think you're decent at writing ... and you may even be above average (believe me, I thought I was too, I got a 46 on the Verbal section of the GMAT) ... but they will make you better. Bet on it.

Feel free to PM me if anyone would like more information about how I went about choosing which Admissionado products I wanted and the timeline I put together for myself in order to put those services to good use.

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First off, let me say that I was initially skeptical about admissions consulting. But my friend swore by Admissionado, comparing them to the specialists that help NFL hopefuls prepare for the draft combine. After going through this experience, I am confident that I would not even have gotten the opportunities without the help of my Admissionado coach, Mark.

My undergraduate GPA of 3.2 was subpar and my GMAT of 710 was average, so being admitted to a top school was going to be a reach for me. With Mark's help, I was admitted to Duke (with scholarship) in the 1st round, waitlisted from Columbia (early decision, still pending), and invited to interview with NYU/Michigan (results pending). I definitely would not be in this position without Admissionado's services, especially the waitlist at Columbia.

Don't get me wrong, it will not be easy. Don't expect to put down $3k and have them do all the work. Mark challenged to find my authentic story and suggested edits on ways to make the essays flow together. I had MBA friends who helped with some of my other school essays and it didn't turn out even a tenth of the quality (mainly because they didn't have dedicated time). Mark was always quick to respond and offer guidance.

I wholeheartedly recommend Admissionado's junior deluxe package. Working with Mark got me an invite to the 2 schools we worked on. I was able to use this as a start to other school essays and received invites to interview from them.

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