GMAT Club

Scott Edinburgh Reviews

Company: Personal MBA Coach

A Wharton MBA graduate with a BS from MIT, Scott Edinburgh has been an MBA admissions consultant and career advisor since he founded Boston based Personal MBA Coach in 2008. Through his boutique admissions consulting and tutoring company, he and his team have helped hundreds of applicants around the world get into top MBA, EMBA, part-time MBA and graduate programs as well as advance their careers with a 96% success rate. Last year our clients earned over $6.5M in scholarships. Prior to founding Personal MBA Coach, Scott began his career at Deloitte and worked across consulting, financial services and strategy & corporate development roles. Currently Scott also serves on the Board of Directors for AIGAC, the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants and he is a speaker at events around the world on MBA application strategies.

5.0 /5 Average Rating
Based on 176 reviews
December 16, 2017
maddyhan

Joined: Dec 17, 2016

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

A company that truly cares about your dream!

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I initially reached out to Personal MBA Coach for a consultation, as I am from a non traditional background (casino industry) and not sure if I will have a chance for top B-schools. After speaking with Scott from Personal MBA Coach, I was convinced that I could actually be an ideal candidate. Based on my initial conversation with Scott from Personal MBA Coach, I knew he is very experienced in the MBA admissions consulting and really knows what candidate each school is looking for. He is also honest about the weaknesses in my application for improvement. I immediately decided to work with Personal MBA Coach. Throughout the application process, I have worked with Scott from Personal MBA Coach on brainstorming ideas to reflect my true self and weave a holistic story for each school I applied for. As I was only interested in applying to smaller MBA programs, I would not put together targeted essays without Scott's expertise and guidance. Most importantly, not only Scott is extremely knowledgeable in this field, he deeply cares about your development with heart and soul and wants to do whatever he can to help you get into your dream school. It has been a fantastic experience of working with Scott and he made my application process very enjoyable. I would not get into Haas and Tuck with scholarships if I did not work with Scott from Personal MBA Coach. I highly recommend anyone who wants to get to your dream school to talk to Personal MBA Coach and you will be surprised by the personalized services and the amount of attention you will receive from Personal MBA Coach. I am truly grateful for my choice of working with Personal MBA Coach!

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December 15, 2017
Jannicke

Joined: Dec 15, 2017

Posts: 1

Kudos: 0

Key to my getting in to Bschool!

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When I decided to apply to Bschool, I knew that I needed some extra support. After some research, I found Personal MBA Coach and had a chat with Scott. He was friendly, genuinely interested, and understood where I was coming from and my needs.

Scott was so helpful and open from the beginning and constantly challenged me. He critiqued my essays and references with great detail and endless patience. I have an unconventional background and was very unfamiliar with this kind of process; Scott helped me to pull out the right elements of my background and experience and convey it in the ''Bschool way''.
I had a low GMAT score for the schools I applied to and there's no way I would've gotten into LBS without Personal MBA Coach's continuous support, flexibility, advice and patience. I even got a scholarship from one of the schools I applied to! It was great to work with Scott - fun, interesting, and a great learning experience.
Thank you Scott!

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October 17, 2017
mbastudent123456789

Joined: Jul 26, 2016

Posts: 1

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
740 Q49 V41

Personal MBA Coach -- My Review

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I highly suggest you schedule a short consultation with Scott before pulling the trigger with any MBA consultant. Before deciding on Scott, I spoke with a couple bigger names, and what helped make my decision was Scott's honesty, passion, and direct relationship with the applicant. Unlike some bigger names, Scott worked with me on almost every part of the process, from brainstorming schools to thinking of essay stories to even writing the blurbs in the application. He has a true interest in seeing his "students" succeed. Granted I started the process very early, so I had a lot of attention and was able to turn many drafts of my materials -- Scott helped transform my essays from very surface level writings to much deeper stories that resonate with any reader. All in all, I was admitted to my top M7 choice. It was a pleasure working with him -- I definitely recommend at least speaking with him.

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September 16, 2017
whartonmba123

Joined: Sep 16, 2017

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
760 Q49 V44

Great service!

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Personal MBA Coach did a great job and I could not have asked for better. Considered the big MBA consulting shops but chose Personal MBA Coach because it's his full time job to do this and he and the team have been doing it for almost a decade now and I simply felt more comfortable with them. Scott and Personal MBA Coach are very honest in the feedback and solutions focused but I valued that highly because others sugar coated feedback or suggested I not apply to certain schools. Scott was always available for helpful advice through the application process, interview process and even McKinsey Energing Scholars applications after. He is reponsive usually within 24 hours which is important considering I decided to apply for round 2 in mid November. In the end I got into Wharton and had six figure scholarship to go to another M7. If he hadn't advised me to do this or not that I wouldn't have gotten in. Word of advice for those going into this but consultants seem like a lot of money but you get what you put into it. Scott had to encourage me to work harder on my essays and I'm glad he did because if I hadn't put in the effort in some of these early rounds the material would not have come off as authentic.

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August 09, 2017
nycmba12

Joined: Aug 08, 2017

Posts: 1

Kudos: 1

Verified GMAT Classic score:
740 Q50 V40

Great MBA Admissions Consultant - A+

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After speaking with numerous consulting services about my background and specific plans to pursue a top-tier MBA, I hired Scott from Personal MBA Coach. I had a short timeline to submit four applications and knew very little about the application process. From the beginning, Scott appeared (and was) genuinely interested in my situation and made a point to gather every detail. By the end of our time working together, I felt Scott knew everything about me.

As stated in some of the other reviews, Scott is clear and to the point. I didn’t need someone to boost my ego and praise my accomplishments. I needed someone who could comprehend my background, goals, etc. and guide me in telling an effective story. That was exactly what Scott did throughout the process!

Scott continually pushed me to think about how I (my essays) would look to the admission committees. This was very helpful in writing essays that effectively displayed my strengths and specific motivations to attend the different schools. After submitting all of my applications, I was depleted, but I felt that I had submitted my best possible essays and left nothing on the table.

Scott also coached me through the interview processes and performed mock interviews over the phone. This guidance was very helpful and gave me the confidence I needed to ace the interviews.

In the end, I was admitted to one of my top three schools (M7). I dedicated myself to those applications and feel worthy of admission, but credit much of my success to Scott. Without his knowledge of the process and ability to push me for more details and polished stories that were directly applicable to each school, there is no way that I could have crafted my story in such an effective way. Thank you, Scott!

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July 28, 2017
gmat1122

Joined: May 04, 2016

Posts: 8

Kudos: 5

Verified GMAT Classic score:
790 Q50 V51

Great Experience - Highly Recommend

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I spoke with numerous large consulting firms and ended up choosing Personal MBA Coach because he was very clearly focused on this industry (rather than doing it on the side) and didn't sugar coat his feedback. Scott isn't in the business of telling you how great you are in order to make you like him - he'll be totally blunt and straightforward with you. In the end, this is something that I felt was extremely valuable for my application because it forced me to really look at what I was bringing to the table and go into the entire process more prepared than I would have otherwise. On top of that, he's always very responsive and I always felt like I was receiving above and beyond help.

I got into my top school (M7) with a full scholarship and I credit much of my success to Scott's guidance throughout the entire process. I highly recommend his services.

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July 25, 2017
Junaid38

Joined: Jan 19, 2011

Posts: 1

Kudos: 0

While shortlisting the schools, I realized that my essays need to be crafted in an outstanding manner. My standardised test score was not in a high percentile, so I have to write a killer essays. I did my research about available admission consultants, and talked to them over the phone and emails, but no one was as convincing as Scott was. He is very enthusiastic, friendly, and intelligent. Furthermore, he is always reachable to give feedback and critique your application. With his help and guidance, I was admitted to UCLA- Anderson School of Management- Interestingly, this was the first school I applied, and I got an admit. I highly recommend MBA/MSBA aspirants to go for Personal MBA Coach.

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May 29, 2017
llillus

Joined: Sep 21, 2013

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Quality service from someone who cares about your success

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I have a bit of an unconventional background, so I knew from the beginning that I wanted to work with someone who is dedicated and who really looks into my background to help me put my best foot forward. After some initial research and scoping calls with a shortlist of admissions consultants, it was a no-brainer to decide to work with Scott, because he really listened to what I had in mind and challenged me where appropriate. He was patient, friendly, yet super straightforward and critical. It was really pleasant working with Scott; I followed on with additional interview prep services. Got into Yale and MIT Sloan.

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May 22, 2017
beachface

Joined: May 22, 2017

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
720 Q47 V42

Worth Every Penny

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Beyond being a master storyteller and project manager that knows exactly what it takes to get his clients into a top mba program, Scott is a genuinely good human being that wants what’s best for each of his clients. He spends the extra time getting to know you, and even more importantly he forces you to develop a deeper understanding of who you are and what you actually want. 
 
I am the epitome of an unconventional candidate, and Scott fully embraced my less travelled path to bschool by continually encouraging me to only incorporate material and apply to schools that were true to my personality. Scott worked his tail off for me and had my back every step of the way. Simply put, he couldn’t have done anything more, and he did so with a personal touch that I wouldn’t have gotten elsewhere. There’s no way I could have crossed the finish line in the fashion in which I did without Scott. So, if you want to click submit on your final app and send out your final interview thank you note without any regrets, then lock Scott down now before he inevitably books up.

Scott not only got me into a top 25 program that’s the perfect fit for me, but he also helped position me to receive a substantial merit scholarship as well.

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April 19, 2017
superman4591

Joined: May 19, 2016

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Great experience with Scott

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I worked with Scott this past year on both my Round 1 and Round 2 applications for business school. Scott and I met early on in the process and he helped me frame my story for why I wanted to go to business school and what I would contribute. Throughout the process, Scott helped me construct my broader pitch, refine my essays, and prepare for interviews.

I found Scott to be valuable across all three of these dimensions. His ability to offer constructive, candid feedback is a great asset and not something you will get at all admissions services. In particular, I would recommend Scott's ability to coach through interviews. His practice interviews prepared me very well for the actual ones, with the questions often being virtually identical. He was even able to help me practice group interviews in a way that facilitated improvement.

Overall, I would wholeheartedly recommend Scott. Working with him took a lot of stress out of the process and certainly improved my chances in what is often an uncertain admissions process.

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