Menlo Coaching Reviews

The structured program that Rebecca and her colleagues at Menlo Coaching employ is truly unparalleled. It is comprehensive - from school selection to mock interviews - and intensive - unlimited touchpoints and essay drafts with hours set aside to hear your personal story. Rebecca's ability to connect with her clients and overwhelming interest and dedication in your applications make me grateful to have worked with her, got me several amazing offers, and made me so thankful I chose Rebecca and Menlo.

1. The program uses a project management tool to track the numerous elements of the application. Rebecca kept me on schedule even when I got bogged down at work and was working 80 hour weeks. I don't believe I would have been able to get through the process without this.

2. Rebecca took a genuine interest in hearing my personal story - asking and listening from my childhood to present - and left no stone unturned. She is incredibly approachable and easily got to the core of my story. This made me feel confident that I was "authentically me" in my essays.

3. Rebecca is a talented writer and REALLY pushed me with my essays. She did several iterations for content - pushing me to pull narratives and examples - and then several iterations for word count, syntax, grammar, etc. I learned so much in the process that I've taken with me and applied since.

4. Ultimately, the greatest impact Rebecca & Menlo had is that I have NO regrets or doubts with my applications. I submitted something better than I could have imagined and have great results to show for it - including scholarships (even a full ride + stipend at Top 15 school) that I never anticipated. I prepared with mock interviews and even mock conversations and felt confident that I did my absolute best with every interaction with schools. I know that I submitted the best applications I possibly could. And that is invaluable.

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As a somewhat non-traditional MBA applicant trying to figure out how to navigate the process, I reached out to Menlo Coaching for a consultation and was recommended to join their "Early Bird" program. It could not have been a better fit for me, as I was given plenty of time (nearly a year) to understand more about the MBA in general and truly consider what I was looking for in a program and how to market myself in my applications. Through meeting with Alice and Leslie and speaking about my entire life story for nearly two hours, we were able to distill some salient points, stories, and themes from which to attack essays and shape my overall applicant profile. Further, in this earlier time period I was able to work with Alice to polish my resume and specifically tailor it towards the MBA application, visit all my target schools knowing what to look for and prepared with questions to ask, and even get a head-start on essay writing before the non-"Early Bird" clients started! For anyone still unsure about some (or ALL!) parts of the application process, I couldn't recommend the Early Bird program any more highly.

After thinking about what I was looking for in a program and working with Alice to narrow down my choices, I ended up applying to 7 programs - which might seem like a few too many - so that extra Early Bird time was extremely helpful. I was able to write at least 4 or 5 drafts of every essay without ever feeling truly rushed. Alice and Leslie were both very punctual with their feedback, rarely taking more than 24 hours to respond to my questions or newly edited versions of essays. Being based in the Netherlands, Alice usually responded to me (in California) overnight, which provided for a seamless workflow. Of the 7 programs, I received interviews for 5, and felt extremely prepared thanks to MC's provided flashcards and a 1-on-1 session with a communications coach who works with them. (Love you, Eduardo!) Eventually I walked away from the process with 3 acceptances, one of which offered a full tuition scholarship!

Lastly, working with Alice and the larger MC team was enjoyable and, dare I say, FUN...as fun as applying to MBA programs can be, anyway. Knowing how few clients MC takes on overall made me feel secure in knowing Alice would have the time and energy to devote herself fully to my success throughout the process. She really got to know me and my story, and was able to tailor her feedback to resonate with me. As the process cranked into high gear, we developed an effective working rhythm, and were able to share plenty of anecdotes and laughs along the way. Having Alice in my corner was truly indispensable, and I can't thank her enough.

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I had chatted with 15-20 consultants in the year leading up to business school, and what immediately stood out about Alice was her sense of empathy and respect for my personal story. Alice never tried to fit me into a cookie-cutter template of what a business school application should look like; rather, she carefully listened to my experiences and ensured her advice stayed authentic to who I was.

Alice took a holistic approach to my application. Beyond writing essays, Alice suggested extracurricular activities, additional experiences at work, and ways to deepen my understanding of each school. This gave us much more content to work with when it came time to writing essays and ensured each element of my application worked together to create a cohesive application.

While I worked directly with Alice, I also benefited from the power of the entire Menlo team. I worked closely with Leslie on refining each essay. Leslie provided thoughtful feedback on structure and cadence, giving each essay a passionate voice and rhythm. Throughout the year, Alice and Leslie responded promptly and never hesitated to suggest changes that would strengthen my application, even if it meant more work for the Menlo team. By the time I submitted my application, I knew my personal story inside out and how it fit into what each school was looking for.

Alice also engaged others on the Menlo team to act as sounding boards for videos and application strategies. This was particularly useful when preparing for the interviews, as it allowed me to grow comfortable with a variety of interview styles. Thanks to Alice, I received an offer from Wharton with a six-figure scholarship.

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Rebecca truly went above and beyond in helping me get into my dream school.

A few of the many things that Rebecca did that stood out to me are:

1) She set a very detailed plan for me to help accommodate my work schedule. I knew I was going to be extremely busy at work during the summer so she helped me get ahead, especially doing my due diligence with all of programs I was interested in. All of the extra effort up front made the work later on a LOT easier.

2) Rebecca had multiple calls (one of which was two hours long) with me to improve her understanding of my personal story. She showed genuine interest and was empathetic. She used that information to help me bring in key moments from my life into my application in a way that didn't make the essays sound like pity stories, something I was concerned about.

3) The application process can be quite stressful. Even after you're done applying, it's easy to become anxious while you wait for interview invites and/or decisions. Rebecca was like a friend and supported me through the emotional ups and downs.

4) Rebecca's feedback on my essays was super helpful. She never compromised on quality, even if it meant that we'd have many rounds of review.

5) Regarding interview prep, Rebecca didn't use a cookie cutter approach towards my preparation. She knew that I'd be a strong interviewer so she focused my preparation around specific areas. The goal wasn't to have sufficient responses. The goal was to have exceptional responses to each and every potential question.

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My time working with Yaron could not have been more enjoyable! I took my GMAT on July 1st with the goal of applying R1 to Harvard, Stanford, and Wharton, and knew I needed to quickly turn my attention to my applications.

I have a relatively overrepresented professional background and was concerned about how I could stand out from the many with identical work experience. I knew I wanted to engage a consultant and knew I needed someone who (1) could dedicate the time to truly understand what makes me ME, (2) keep up with my rapid pace of iterations, and (3) had a diverse client base such that he or she wasn’t giving the exact same, cookie-cutter advice to dozens of other applicants struggling with the same issue. Further, I knew that my working style would require a lot of consultation, discussions, and experimenting with ideas, thus I knew I needed an “all-you-can-eat” model (vs an hourly model).

I did an intro call with Yaron and quickly gained comfort around my couple of key criteria. I was attracted to the fact that he only takes on ~10-15 clients (vs 50+ elsewhere) and that he repeatedly told me we could chat on the phone as much or as little as I wanted. He also emphasized that he not only had worked with a number of people with my same profile, but also many people with very diverse profiles, which gave me confidence he had good context for what I bring to the table as well as a good barometer for how that would look when compared to other candidates.

Once we started working together, I was extremely impressed by Yaron’s commitment to my application push. He spent hours on the phone with my drawing out every detail of my childhood up through my current job, taking detailed notes and spit balling some potential essay topics. Yaron was also willing to speak with my parents for a few hours and used that conversation to fill in some of the detail around my younger years. What I was most impressed by, however, was the pace at which Yaron turned things around – I would send him multiple full essay drafts almost every night before I went to sleep (~between 12am and 3am) and would get back thoughtful comments on each draft the very next morning (even on weekends!). Yaron’s geographic location (Europe) allowed for this dynamic, and it was clear to me that he was reviewing my essays for hours starting from the moment he woke up.

I was incredibly proud of how my applications turned out and I attribute a great deal of my success to Yaron’s hands-on, white-glove approach to the process. I got the sense that he really cared about getting to know me and helping me reach my goals, which made the whole process that much more enjoyable and productive.

I have enthusiastically recommended Yaron and Menlo to all my coworkers and friends and hope my excitement has come through here. With Yaron’s help, I ultimately earned acceptances at Stanford GSB and Wharton (along with a deferral at Harvard that is still pending at time of writing). Thank you again, Yaron!

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I cannot recommend Alice highly enough because her service is mind-blowing and has resulted in a miracle: I would not have been admitted to HBS without Alice and her team, who are top-notch for a number of reasons:
1. I can always count on Alice for highly personalized advice. She was instrumental in highlighting my specific developmental areas so that I could prioritize my time and effort. There are few exercises so you can be assured that your application will be truly unique. As a result, my application stood out although I have an overrepresented background and odds are against me.
2. Alice pushed me to become better. I would not have done some of the most useful preparation without her.
3. Alice always tells the truth. Unlike every other consultant who told me confidently that I could get into a target school, she asked me to wait for one more year before applying, the best advice that I have received.
4. Alice strives for perfection and has incredible work ethic. For instance, without being asked, she made further iterations on my essays. She also works incredibly hard. She did not let her work slip one bit when a significant family member passed away.
5. Alice and her team work seamlessly together, providing prompt responses almost 24-7. I find this particularly helpful given that I live in a different time zone and that some situations require fast turnaround.
6. Alice makes an extra effort to solicit opinions from her team (particularly David). In several occasions, Alice and I decided on the best course of action, drawing upon a diverse set of ideas and suggestions.
7. Most importantly, I find Alice personally invested in my success. Working with her is beyond a professional service; it is not transactional. She goes out of her way to best prepare me. For example, she connected me to students and alumni, helping me to gain insights into schools and practice for interviews.
8. Lastly, Alice and her team are always looking for ways to improve their services. They take feedback seriously and works on initiatives to provide useful resources.

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Choosing to work with Menlo coaching was the best choice I made and getting accepted to both my top choices with scholarships proves it!
When you work with Menlo you get the impression that you are their only customer and top priority. Even though Leslie and I are in different time zones, I never even noticed. Weekends, early mornings, evenings, it felt as though she was available 24/7 and responses were almost instantaneous.
They guide you through the process from A to Z with a systematic approach and without the stress and panic. Their knowledge, expertise and commitment to your success are unmatched. From helping you choose schools, narrow down your career goals, writing essays, video interviews, in person interviews and scholarship applications, there isn't anything they can't do. Choosing to apply 3 weeks before the deadline didn’t matter. Leslie kept me calm and ensured that everything was done on time, but more importantly, that I provided an output that I can be proud to submit.
Even though I worked mostly with Leslie, from day 1 both Leslie and David took the time to get to know me and my goals and provide valuable insight and guidance. I felt like I had an entire team devoted to me to ensure that I can shine throughout the entire application process.
Their expertise and large network not only helped provide guidance on choosing my second school (which I chose to attend), they also put me in contact with others that work in related fields to my career goals, providing clarity on my career choices and allowing me to build my network right from the start!
The application process is stressful, tricky and there are so many moving parts. If you want to ensure your success, choose to work with the Menlo team!

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Rebecca helped me get into my no.1 choice. She was professional, patient and compassionate. She genuinely cares about her client and is a great pleasure to work with. I really appreciate Rebecca's guidance and support that made my application process more manageable and less stressful. I would highly recommend her to anyone looking for top notch MBA coaching.

Rebecca gave very thoughtful comments and asked good questions that lead me find new angles and connect the dots. She also gave excellent advices on writing styles. I made multiple iterations of my essays and each time her response time was exceptional, sometimes even at nights and during weekends. Her dedication was a life saver especially when deadlines were approaching.

One time, Rebecca came out of her way to schedule an extra meeting with me to share her personal experience with prioritizing an important deadline, and convinced me to make a trade-off between work and application preparation when it became absolutely necessary. I'm really glad that I followed her advice because it would not have worked the other way around given my extensive work hours.

In addition, Menlo's platform and processes are also exceptional. I found Basecamp to be very intuitive and user-friendly. Alice and Rebecca held a joint call to brainstorm creative ideas for a video essay, and Alice and David helped to give second opinions when needed. Overall I feel extremely supported and well prepared for the essays and interviews.

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I cannot stress enough how grateful I am for Rebecca and Menlo Coaching. I am going to my dream school, Wharton, with scholarship money, and I could not have done it without her. When I first started thinking about business school, I never thought I would get the results I did. Out of the 6 schools I applied to, I got in five, with a full scholarship at Booth, another full scholarship, one partial scholarship, and I was waitlisted at the other school.

After working with her on my applications, I also have a much better understanding of myself, my story and my goals. When I first started thinking about applying, I talked to a few applications consultants before settling on Rebecca and Menlo. I have a non-traditional work background, and while many consultants told me that weakened my chances to get in the schools I wanted to, Rebecca immediately saw it as a strength. From our first intro call, I knew I wanted her and the whole Menlo team on my side. I was blown away by Rebecca’s level of engagement with my application from the start. Unlike other consultants I spoke to when I first talked to Menlo, I never felt like it was a sales pitch. Instead, I felt a genuine willingness to listen to me, gather insight on my story, and offer candid feedback on my career goals, my candidacy, and the process.

From selecting schools and networking with current students and alumni to helping me craft my story and reviewing my essays, prepping me for interviews and finally helping me negotiate scholarship money, Rebecca was by my side every step of the application process. She leaves nothing to chance, she was incredibly thorough and on top of everything that was going on with my applications. She encouraged me to visit and network heavily with the schools (which turned out to be a huge game changer) and set up calls before my visits or coffee chats to discuss strategies and how to make the most out of them. Even though I went with the 3 schools package and applied to 3 other schools on my own, Rebecca knew what was going on with all of my applications, and helped me choose which schools made the most sense to have her more involved from start to finish. For the other 3, Rebecca still offered invaluable advice on networking, bounced off some ideas for essays and application strategies, and helped with the interview prep when the time came. In short, I felt extremely supported, whether it was a school I was “officially” working on with her or not. In addition, I really loved that my recommenders were able to work with her. One of my recommenders had never written a letter of recommendation before and he told me that he really enjoyed her guidance. It also ensured that while I didn’t have access to the content of my letters, Rebecca was on top of it, making sure my application was well rounded and truly the best possible.

The Menlo approach to the application process is incredibly effective. Their in-depth, hands-on and holistic approach has amazed me. While the application process seems daunting, they break it down into smaller modules and make it manageable. There are videos explaining each part of the process, accompanied by assignments that hold you accountable and on track to deliver while forcing you to think really hard about your goals. And this is all before the essay writing! On our kickoff call, Rebecca and I spent a couple of hours on the phone diving deep into my story. She patiently listened, offered her perspective on some of the challenges I’ve faced and was able to extract key themes and defining moments from my life, that not only helped shaped my essays but also helped me develop a deeper understanding of myself. It felt more like a therapy session than brainstorming for essays. In the end, every essay reflected who I am, and Rebecca was able to get the best version out of me. I was also very impressed with her responsiveness; every edit usually took less than 24hs to turn around.

One of my favorite things about working with Menlo is that you get to work with a whole team of professionals. And they are truly the best in the game, not just as professionals, but also genuinely great people. David jumped in at different stages of the process and offered me invaluable career advice and introduced me to people in the industry, and later helped me choose which school to attend and negotiate scholarship money. I now feel a lot more confident in my MBA plan (and beyond). Alice also helped me with a particularly challenging personal essay. When it was time to prep for the interviews, I was able to work with a communications coach who helped me with public speaking, techniques to relax, articulate my speech and voice (and it was also a fun experience).

On a personal level, working with Rebecca helped take a lot of anxiety out of the process. Rebecca really goes above and beyond for her clients, and I could tell she cared and was genuinely rooting for me. Working with her felt like a partnership, and I trust her completely. One time, when deadlines were approaching (and since I applied in Round 2, so were the holidays) and I was feeling extremely anxious and unsure about the application, Rebecca went out of her way to schedule a call to talk me through it. I always felt like I was her only client, even though she had many others because that’s how dedicated and responsive she was. She is also the kind of person that you just really want to be friends with.

Working with Rebecca and the Menlo team was easily the best decision I’ve made, and I can’t recommend them enough. As stressful as it was, I actually enjoyed the application process and look back at it fondly, as strange as it might sound, and that is all because of Rebecca. Her and Menlo were fundamental in making my dream school a reality and helped me grow professionally and personally. With Menlo, you get what you give. So, if you are truly committed to your application, willing to work insanely hard and make sacrifices, then so are they, they will reciprocate the commitment and hard work and the results will follow!

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Yaron is exactly the kind of trusted advisor I hope to be in my own future investment banking career, and that is no exaggeration. He begins by developing a deep understanding of you, the individual applicant, borne out of genuine curiosity, an enthusiastic desire to see the best in people, and the insight and tact to help identify and refine your flaws. From there, his approach is utterly original, completely customized, and has no hint of a template, box-checking, or trying to fit you into a standard “package.” Yaron’s input into my application was far, far more than technical finessing; he acted more as psychologist/coach/confidante, looking insightfully behind everything I said to identify my real motivations, drivers, values, and what matters to me most deeply on a personal level—before then harnessing and honing that into an application, and finally clarifying its expression to fit within word limits and show as best as possible. Yaron’s ultra-high-touch approach also manifested in another important way. I did a lot of things in an unusual, mercurial fashion: applied without a recommendation from my current employer, wrote the shortest essays first, had a tendency to tear up drafts and start over completely, and—based on the aforementioned self-discovery I experienced working with Yaron and refining my story—decided on Christmas Eve to apply to 3 more schools, including one with a January 3 deadline. Throughout it all, Yaron was thoroughly strategic and perceptive, hyper-responsive and accommodating, and a true thought partner in a process that was as educational and rewarding as it was stressful. He not only clarified my story, both in style and content—he also guided me on school selection, the GMAT, and a whole range of other subjects. What a guy, what a process, and what amazing results. I ended up with offers at four schools, each one offering something compelling and each one “better” than any other school on at least one metric that mattered to me (location-personal, location-professional, culture, placement). Deciding among them was extremely tough, and here again Yaron came through with sage counsel and a highly sincere, unwavering commitment to my best interests. My ultimate destination? The incredible Chicago Booth—that January 3 deadline school I decided to apply to on Christmas Eve, the one Yaron refined my essay for on New Years Day. Oh, and fully funded. Thank you, Yaron.

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