Rachel was instrumental in getting me through a tough Round 3 Application Process. Due to late notice of receiving sponsorship (mid-January), I only had a few months to complete school research, GRE/GMAT prep and tests, essays, resume update, and recommender prep. Her method of understanding your unique background in order to help you shape your application and story is unbeatable. The MBA application process is hard, and it 100% helps to have an unbiased and unfiltered reader give you their feedback and help you iterate on your applications. I was ultimately admitted to Ross and Kellogg, and Rachel without a doubt helped me refine my first draft applications.

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Background: Caucasian male, 5 years experience (2 years IB, 3 years PE), 3.8 GPA at T50 undergrad, 760 GMAT
Results: Admitted to HBS, Wharton, and Columbia

April was an invaluable guide and a true partner during my business school application process. April pushed me to be introspective in ways I hadn’t thought possible, extracting a level of self-reflection I hadn’t practiced since I applied to college a decade earlier. One of the most valuable exercises we completed together was early in the process when we took everything from my formative relationships developed in my early childhood to workplace achievements in my current role and distilled them into meaningful life lessons. This was instrumental in helping me organize my thoughts so I could more effectively apply my personal experiences to each school’s application.

I got started on my applications later than I would have liked for R1 submissions, but April took what could have been a highly stressful situation and turned it into an expertly strategized game plan. What set her apart from other consultants was her ability to create a structured schedule to hold me accountable on meeting deadlines. On each Sunday, April would send me an email outlining my deadlines and goals for the week ahead. Of course, there were times when work got busy and required flexibility in the schedule, but it was nothing April hadn’t seen before having worked with other IB/PE clients and was always able to push me to make up for lost time. There was ultimately never any doubt of getting all my applications in before the R1 deadlines. For people who benefit from a structured schedule and to-do list, April is the perfect consultant.

Finally, as a firm of professionals with expertise across all the top business schools, I had a strong network at Gatehouse to tap into for each of my applications and April was always happy to leverage her colleagues for a second opinion on a nuanced question. I honestly couldn’t have asked for better partners in April and the Gatehouse team.

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My time working with Hollis lasted a full year, and it was an overwhelmingly positive experience. Hollis is organized, thoughtful and patient. Some essays took me over 6 months to complete and with each iteration Hollis remained optimistic and encouraging. I've been admitted to one of my top programs (Northwestern Kellogg) and have Hollis to thank for her guidance through the process. I especially appreciate how she was willing and able to answer every question that came to mind (and there were a lot of them). In the rare event Hollis did not have an immediate answer, she would consult her colleagues, and the added perspective was always appreciated.

Additionally, as a more "alternative" applicant working in the music industry with no proper banking or finance experience, Hollis helped me craft a compelling story that emphasized my creative strengths while identifying more quantitative components in my story as well. She really helped me thread the needle as an MBA applicant with a creative background.

I'd highly recommend working with Hollis.

Undergrad: Vanderbilt
Major: Music, Media & Enterprise
Post-school industry: Music Business

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I’ve planned to get an MBA since I graduated from undergrad in 2015. With good grades/extracurriculars at an Ivy, 740 GMAT score, and 5 years of total WE across banking & VC (some spent internationally), I felt confident in my candidacy and the applications I prepared for the 2020 admissions cycle. PS – additional background: straight white male, 29 years old.

What I didn’t realize until I was outright rejected from H/S/W in 2020 [no consultation help] and then again by Wharton/CBS in 2022 [used a 3rd party essay revision service], was that a “good” application is not enough. The application has to be exceptional, meaning all aspects of who you are and what you have done shine through in the clearest, most compelling light.

In 2023, I decided to go all out, in what I decided would be my last attempt at applying to FT MBA programs. With Rachel [end-to-end application consultant], not only did I get interviews at every school I applied (Wharton included), I was accepted with scholarship to CBS, Yale, NYU, Tuck, and Darden!!

I echo all comments in other reviews that touch on Rachel’s work style, particularly her earnestness, patience, and reliability. And of course, her expert knowledge of what makes for a good app. Rachel draws the most out of you at both a high-level (key stories and concepts to draw from) and low-level (editing for concision and clarity).

If you want to give yourself the best shot of getting into your dream school, do not wait for your 3rd try to work with Rachel like I did, do it on your 1st. And start working with her soon, because MBA applications are a hefty burden that requires brain, time, and emotional expenditure that’s best spread out over a 3+ month time horizon. The peace of mind, results, and stakes make working with Rachel one of the best investments you’ll ever make.

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Background: ORM Male, 7 years of experience

GMAT: 710

Results: Accepted to Fuqua, Ross, UNC, and Stern

April is someone who I thoroughly enjoyed working with throughout the application cycle. I started working with April in July and wanted to submit my applications to most schools for Round 1 in September. Originally, I was anxious about the amount of time, but April reassured me that I would be able to submit a polished application. She kept me accountable throughout the process but made sure to reprioritize items when I had other important commitments. In addition to being organized, she was always timely with her deliverables and responsive to all my questions.

I come from an accounting background and thought my work experience / accomplishments to be mundane. April was instrumental in helping me see the true impacts of my accomplishments and what skills and traits I would bring to business school. I felt like April did two things that were the most helpful in me standing out from the pool of applicants. First, she challenged me to be very specific and thorough in my essays. In my beginning drafts, my responses to the essay prompts were broad and made it appear that I had not put much thought into my ideas. April helped me craft full-fleshed ideas on what I would bring to an MBA cohort and how I would make a difference during my time on campus. Second, she pushed me to write succinctly about my accomplishments and the impact that each one had by thinking about the “so what?” of each bullet point. The original drafts of my resume were sorely missing the impact of my accomplishments and were filled with industry jargon that made them hard to understand. By the end of the process, it unrecognizable from previous drafts.

In the end, I was accepted to almost all the schools that I applied to and received full scholarships from two. April’s knowledge of the application process and how to bring an applicant’s story to the forefront was extraordinary. Originally, I had hesitations about working with a consultant, but working with April made it very clear to me and others around me the value that an amazing consultant, such as April, can add to an application.

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Background: late 20s female, ~5 YOE in STEM field, sub-700 GMAT & below average GPA for schools I was applying to.

Results: Admitted to HBS (attending) and Wharton

I worked with Laura primarily for interview prep for my top two schools and preparing an additional application for a later round in the event that I was not admitted. The preparation Laura gave me going into my interviews made all the difference! The mock interview we conducted for HBS in particular was a highlight -- she took the time to review my application in detail and asked a lot of questions in a short time period, just like the real HBS interview. I was also able to participate in a mock Wharton group interview that her colleagues were hosting. These experiences in particular made me feel incredibly prepared and I was able to go into each interview with confidence. Despite my lower stats, I was able to receive an offer of admission from both of my dream programs!

Laura was great to work with! Thanks to her advice, encouragement, and quick feedback throughout the busy process, I was able to go into each next step (including juggling interviews with additional application prep) with ease and confidence. I highly recommend working with Laura; I had a great experience!

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Background: Caucasian Male, 7 years general finance experience, liberal arts undergrad, GRE: 324. Results: Accepted to 2/2 schools (Columbia and Stern). April was an excellent partner throughout the business school application process and she was truly invested in my success. I felt like April put the same effort into advising me through my application process as she would for her own MBA applications, making me genuinely trust her as a partner. I came to April with a narrow list of schools I wanted to attend. She was completely supportive, and based on my list helped identify other schools I might want to consider. At times when I was exhausted from work, studying for the GRE, and writing essays, April helped me prioritize which tasks to focus on and was there to continue to push me forward.

I'm confident that April's knowledge and high standards helped get my application materials to the next level. From our very first meeting, April helped me recognize the strengths in my experiences and develop a cohesive and interesting story. April provided unparalleled guidance and the tools to success, ranging from essay idea formation to interview preparation. We had multiple brainstorming sessions, and we went through multiple versions of certain essays before agreeing on the strongest topic for that essay. Admittedly, I can be stubborn about criticism of my writing; but April was not afraid to provide direct feedback (in the best way). April knew when to challenge my ideas and ask me to dig deeper or take something to the next level. She was not willing to settle for anything less than what she knew to be my full potential. She was honest with me when she felt something wasn't right and made helpful suggestions to guide me in the right direction. Ultimately, her counsel was crucial in my successful outcome.

I was comfortable knowing that April and the Gatehouse team were always giving me sound advice. April is an absolute professional and an expert in this field, and I wholeheartedly trusted her guidance. She had all the answers to my questions as I worked through the application process, and occasionally she would bring in another Gatehouse expert for a second opinion, making me feel like she truly had my best interests at heart. Gatehouse is a great company, and I cannot recommend April enough as the right consultant there. She will absolutely ensure your full potential is reached.

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Background: Asian/white male, worked for new HF/PE/VC fund for four years (straight out of college), 3.9 GPA at Harvard/Yale/Princeton undergrad, 770 GMAT. Result: Admitted to HBS.

While I was initially skeptical of the value of working with a consultant, I am so glad I ended up working with Gatehouse and Rachel specifically. Rachel got to know my story, work experience, and extracurricular involvement in detail and we worked together to create a cohesive application that resulted in receiving interviews at both HBS and GSB (and an acceptance to HBS). Throughout the process, there were numerous times when I sent essay drafts I thought were pretty decent but once I got Rachel's feedback, I realized that they actually needed a bunch of work. Rachel's suggestions were immensely helpful, and pointed out things that I never would have even thought to consider. While some of these changes were tactical (e.g., fitting into word counts), many of them were also in the spirit of conveying a better overall story / narrative, which she was able to do because she put in a lot of work in getting to know me upfront. While the bulk of our work together was on the core essays, Rachel was helpful every step of the way of the application process, including incremental written materials (e.g., HBS Further Consideration Update) and the interview process.

If you're considering working with a consultant, I would wholeheartedly recommend Rachel and the Gatehouse team!

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When I began the MBA application process, I was a bit overwhelmed and unsure of my target schools. Since I had not taken the GMAT and had untraditional work experience, I also did not know what was realistic. After connecting with Gatehouse through a friend, I had fit chats with different consultants and began working with Rachel in early spring for R1 applications the coming fall.

From Day 1, Rachel was highly attentive, inquisitive, and authentic. I quickly knew I liked her forthright and thoughtful approach. She had an answer for all my questions and provided a plan of attack right away with clear guidance on how best to allocate my hours throughout the process.

I graduated from a top state school where I majored in finance (3.53 GPA), and I worked in roles at tech start-ups thereafter. Rachel had a transparent perspective on school selection and patiently pushed me to find the best school fit for me while keeping the process grounded in reality. After scoring a 730, I clearly knew what school I wanted to attend, a decision that was made easy by Rachel’s research suggestions and insightful questions early in the process.

When we began essay work, it became evident to me that Rachel had been making a strong, genuine effort to understand me as a person across all facets throughout the prior months. Rather than simply providing instructions, she (patiently) used an arsenal of thought-provoking questions that extracted information and guided me to craft my best essays. Similarly, Rachel was a wonderful interview prep partner. She had a firm understanding of what schools were looking for and a special ability to convey the finer details of the process. To hit on a few other things: Rachel always kept me on-track and on-schedule, she’s a fantastic communicator, and possesses a great sense of humor which is much needed at times.

Most importantly, I just enjoyed working with Rachel because she’s a great person. In the end, I was accepted at every school I applied to, including my dream school, Tuck. I cannot say enough good things!

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Background: Late 20s male, east coast, bulge bracket investment banking followed by private equity, non-ivy, 3.9 GPA, 164V/162Q GRE

Result: Admitted to Harvard Business School R1

Liza came highly recommended to me by a friend who was a former client of Liza’s. Liza was extremely instrumental in my MBA application process. She is incredibly skilled at leading you through the introspective process of essay and application writing (both the professional and personal aspects). Liza goes above and beyond to make sure that you are putting your best foot forward.

Liza is incredibly patient, as getting to the best essay requires several rounds of iteration. She takes a comprehensive approach to your application and takes a genuine interest in her clients. She is truly a partner in the application process and she is there with you every step of the way. Beyond the essays, Liza is also instrumental in helping you prep your recommenders, preparing you for interviews, and even filling out the very lengthy online application portals.

Working with Liza was the best decision I made in preparing for the MBA process – I recommend her and Gatehouse without hesitation.

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