Accepted to Columbia Business School!

I knew from the start of the MBA application process that I would really benefit from having an admissions consultant to work through the wrinkles in my application and to have an independent voice to bounce off ideas. However, the search for the right consultant was not easy – not only are there hundreds, if not thousands, out there, but they also come with varying sizes and capabilities.

I was very lucky to be able to find Alex during my search process. Two things stand out for me right away for Alex and Prep MBA: his deep domain expertise stemming from his 16 years of experience doing this, and the ability to work with a top-ranked consultant DIRECTLY. The latter point was especially important to me after I talked to a few other consultancies – you don’t get to choose who you work with for most, if not all, of them, and this is especially true for the larger ones.

Working with Alex did not disappoint me one bit and was exactly what I signed up for initially. I tend to be very STEM-minded in my writing style, so Alex’s creative writing skills really shined through and complemented very well with my writing style. That extra touch was exactly what I needed to make my essays pop!

I also really appreciated Alex’s willingness to go the extra mile to help his clients. Alex patiently guided me through frustrating waitlist processes by finding new school contacts for me to speak to, reviewing my extra video essays and updated materials, and strategically planning for AdCom updates and school interactions. Suffice to say that Alex is willing to invest in his clients’ success and support them through rough patches. With Alex, you have an ally in your court!

As I reflect on my application process, one piece of advice for aspiring MBA applicants is to start the process early. I waited until May to take my GMAT for the first time and did not start the application process until late June. Even though I was “on cycle” for the most part, I still wished that I could have an extra 1-2 months. Just remember that it will always take longer than you think, so make sure to start as early as possible. Good luck!