I am a white female with 7+ years of professional experience and was only willing to leave my job for very specific programs, so going into the application process I knew this was my last shot. This pressure initially pointed me towards the standard MBA consultant. I physically could not stomach the insane price tags that came with that one-on-one help, but luckily a friend of mine alerted me to ApplicantLab. I can not recommend this platform enough!!! ApplicantLab provided easy to use, step-by-step instructions to help me clearly define why I wanted the MBA. During essay writing, ApplicantLab helped me break down the questions to understand what the schools were asking. The best part though was that in the end, the essays sounded like ME! I got to keep my authentic voice, and didn't feel like I was "cheating" the system, but was also sure that I was presenting myself in a way that showcased my strengths. The platform exceeded my expectations by far!

Read More

To whom it may concern,

Hello! I am writing a review on my experience using Applicant Lab.

- The advice is school-specific and helped me craft my answers to each school differently while still being easy to use.

- Goes through what the ADCOM themselves are thinking when they read your application

- Maria is hilarious! The way she intersperses humour in between the advice is really good and keeps things interesting.

- The Lab gives you in-depth analysis as to what your strengths and your weakness are and how to leverage and explain them respectively.

- It goes through interview prep as well.

- Basically, it is an all-in-one admissions prep! With specific advice for each school.

- On top of this Maria and Carin reply back very fast and their advice is very good and consistent with what's in the lab. This extra support was extremely beneficial to me as it helped me craft my application more specifically!

- For someone like me who's an athlete applying to B-School they really helped frame my stories and brings the best ones to the forefront. I did not see this elsewhere!

Overall I would give it a 10/10, 5 stars, and my full approval! It's affordable and a great resource to get a third person's view on your application to B- School!

Thank you so much Maria and Carin!

Read More

Prior to Applicant Lab, I was really insecure about my GMAT score and was not expecting to get into a top MBA program (or any scholarships).

Working with Carin has exceeded my own expectations: I was recently accepted to a Top MBA program where most of my tuition will be paid for (70%)! I don't think I'd have had the same results without Applicant Lab and here's why:

1) The information on Applicant Lab is incredibly thorough. You will understand what business schools are looking for in a very honest, straightforward/easily digestible way. Every question you have is probably answered somewhere in applicant lab. Resources are accessible 24/7-- super convenient when you're working a full-time job-- all for a few hundred bucks! You do not need to spend 10K on MBA application advice.. (in my opinion)

2) I got constructive advice from *Carin* which REALLY elevated the quality of my application and I felt SUPER confident submitting my application before the deadline. Carin is friendly but honest-- she pointed out ALL the weak parts of my app and suggested ways to improve them. With Carin's help I was also able to leverage my strengths/unique aspects of my story!

Having her guidance really saved me ALOT of time, effort and anxiety while writing my essays. I think my stress levels would've been much much higher without Applicant Lab and Carin's guidance.

Nothing but great things to say about Applicant Lab! Such an amazing resource with GREAT people behind it.

Read More

I signed up for the Applicantlab services, not really sure what to expect. I researched multiple consulting services (the usual complimentary 30 minutes of 1:1 consulting) and prices were out of reach. Applicantlab seemed a safer bet in comparison and I am delighted with my choice. The resources are phenomenal, Maria walks you through each school and, believe me, EVERY POSSIBLE question you might have. The material is updated to include the latest application requirements and the detail level is amazing. The process is beautifully designed to let you efficiently brainstorm for your career vision, the resume, and organize your thoughts to draft your essay in a way that brings out the qualities every specific school looks for.
I also worked with Maria on my essay and interview prep. She's amazing and her advice is strong and honest!
I couldn't have hoped for a better outcome!

Read More

To give some background before I start the review - I come from an overrepresented minority and have admits to 4 top business schools including 3 M7s.

For two (MIT Sloan,Ross) out of the four admits I have, my application was 100% based on the advice I got from Applicant Lab. And while I did work with an external consultant for the other two schools I have been admitted to, I can vouch that Applicant Lab was an invaluable source of guidance for me which I constantly referred to during the application process.

The guidance available at Applicant Lab for top business schools is beyond amazing! The guidance is provided through written prompts and some super engaging videos by Maria. The platform is well structured and helps you do the same with your application.

The insights that the lab provided for all stages of the application, be it on brainstorming goals, drafting your resume, selecting stories for your recommendation and structuring the essays were bang-on. Infact, there was insightful guidance available for short-answer application prompts which are often taken casually but can be tactically leveraged to demonstrate personality and differentiate yourself from a ton of applicants.

Moreover, Carin and Maria are always available to promptly respond to any additional questions that you may have.

I highly recommend Applicant Lab for anyone who is looking to start the strenuous MBA application journey on their own or looking for additional insights if working with a consultant. It's a micro-investment and totally worth it!

Read More

Maria has created a truly wonderful product! I only used ApplicantLab and did not pay for an expensive consultant and I was blown away! I was admitted at all four schools I applied to (HBS, Wharton, Booth, and Kellogg) and I'll be attending HBS starting next fall! The product is extremely easy to use, you can move at your own pace, and all the information is tailored to the specific school you are applying to. Maria's videos are super helpful and the modules that help you reflect on your own experiences are great ways of pulling out stories for your essays and interviews. The interview module really helped me prepare for the most common interview questions and made me feel confident going into my interviews. For only $300, you cannot beat this deal! I would have paid $1,000 for ApplicantLab!

Read More

I was very skeptical at first because the idea of an on-demand service felt strange to me, but the Lab was the best investment I could have made. This is a self-guided system with tips and multiple videos by Maria. The videos are super helpful and, to me, served as a guide to help me write my application. She walks us in detail through all steps of the process, giving tips that were pivotal to my application, especially for the essays, resume and interview. In my case, I followed all advices from the ApplicantLab to craft my application and hired a consultant in my country to help me edit it and practice for interviews.

Read More

ApplicantLab was incredibly helpful for me.

Toward the end of the admissions process, I was totally stuck on my essays, and pretty close to giving up on my apps. I knew I needed guidance by the price tags of the traditional MBA consultants was discouraging, so I gave ApplicantLab a shot. I figured there was nothing to lose given it was a tiny fraction of the price.

I am so glad I did because the product was incredibly helpful. The interface is easy to use and really helps you organize your thinking. The school specific guidance was so useful for progressing my essays - and Maria's videos are all very engagement, information and at times hilarious. In addition, Maria was very prompt in responding to additional questions I sent throughout the process.

I recently was admitted to LBS and Booth and genuinely don't think I would have without ApplicantLab. Thank you Maria! I can't recommend ApplicantLab enough.

Read More

Maria is a critical part of my MBA application process. As a senior in college and someone from a normal family, I could not afford those overpriced consulting services online, and that was why I initially chose the Applicant Lab.

Honestly, this turned out to be one of the best investments I made during my application. As a matter of fact, I've tried some of those "free 30min consultations" at other places and none of those shed any new insights on what I have already known. The Applicant Lab, however, was so much more substantial. Like every other DIY process, how much you get out of it depends on how much you dedicate yourself to it. I took full advantage of all the resources in the lab (and there were A LOT) and learned so many insider tricks about the entire MBA application and how to present the best version of myself while still being honest. Frankly, I feel I'm a half consultant now after using the lab - I know so much about MBA app now after using the lab.

The DIY tool made me extremely confident about the lab so I went on to book the sanity check, and then the essay and interview session with Maria, which were even more helpful! She really is one of the best persons in this field.

I rarely write reviews but I felt that I had to this time, because I truly appreciate the help I got and everything Maria was doing with the Applicant Lab. As a college student with no income yet, I'd have been completely on my own without the lab, but again, with the lab, I don't think I need those expensive consultants anymore. Maria, I said it to you privately before but again thanks so much! And for future applicants, I highly recommend trying out the Lab. There is a free trial version with your GmatClub account and you will know what I mean after giving it a shot.

Read More

BRIEF INTRODUCTION:
- A recent T15 admit
- Still in the throes of MBA admissions
- No way a prolific writer (non-native English speaker)

MY EXPERIENCE WITH APPLICANTLAB:
- It is my single source of reliable information and advice (yes, no other consultant/ resource - just the DIY tool/the Lab)
- Helped me power through the essays in fraction of time that I would have taken otherwise (ofcourse there was a learning curve for me in the first iteration, but then it was bullet fast and far fewer iterations)
- Kept me focused on the most important aspects of the answer to all questions in the app (short-answer or essays)
- Helped manage the writer's block as well with breaking down an essay question into further mini-questions
- Extensive help with interviews as well - similar to identifying and presenting most impactful stories for essay questions
- All of the above at the price of a single MBA app!

WHY DO I THINK I COULD GET THE ABOVE LISTED BENEFITS:
- Because Maria has made painstaking efforts to get the most relevant advice from the adcom of each school (there were on-campus events that the top admissions consultants attended at B-schools pre-COVID); not to forget she has been at it for 15+ years
- The Lab presents topics in a very structured step-by-step foolproof approach - there is excruciating redundancy as the important advice is clearly marked in color and repeated across sections where necessary so the user does not need to recall or flip through links
- As an example, the essays module guides you through the steps of identifying the right stories, to writing rough drafts, to final drafts. The final drafts section contains all of the previous advice as well - so due to paucity of time (read as: I am a bad procrastinator; you too will!), I just jumped to this section and wrote almost finalized essays in first go for my easier apps
- Ofcourse the advice is for each of the top schools you'd want to apply to - and very detailed, granular instructions per question in the app (read as: cannot be made more detailed IMO)

WHO IS THIS SUITABLE FOR:
- Everyone; there are broadly two types of applicants -
- Self-Starters: these folks would proactively find time to spend with the DIY tool and work through the instructions and make effort to sense-check (heck, the Lab even gives sense-check advice!)
- Require-support: these folks can hire a 3rd-party consultant to hold them accountable and keep them on track besides giving admissions advice; but then if the self-starters were getting reliable advice from the Lab as a single source then why not use this as a sense-check/ insurance on the service you have bought that is worth '000s of dollars ?!?!

CONSIDERATIONS WHILE PURCHASING:
- Ofcourse the ROI is going to be in '000s of percentage points - however you calculate it; truly unparalleled as it is up to you to scale it with submitting as many apps as you possibly can
- Honestly, try to find time with the tool - the more you are spending time consistently on a daily basis working through the advice (if even for an hour per day), you will make phenomenal progress and will feel confident about your essays and the overall app
- If you want a 1:1 interaction with a consultant, I'd think better to take a-la-carte packages from ApplicantLab (with Maria herself) for consistency of advice and avoid getting contradicting opinions - gotta trust the process!

Read More