Prep MBA Admissions Consulting Reviews

I would not have gotten in my first choice MBA without his help!
Alex was able to help me brainstorm ideas, revise my essays many times until they are perfect, and finally deliver an outstanding MBA application. The MBA application process can be very stressful. Alex has patiently helped me identifying my target schools, deciding an ideal score for the standardized tests, identifying the right people for recommendation letters, brainstorming & revising essays, communicating with the Admissions Team, and finally submitting the application. Alex has been very transparent and supportive at every step.

What makes him stand out is his dedication to his craft, responsiveness, interpersonal skills, and honesty. Highly recommend him!

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I picked Alex as my consultant after talking to a few others because of his personal approach—other companies would have had me work with junior consultants.

I found Alex’s service to be helpful in all aspects of the admissions process, but especially the essays. His approach to writing the essays helped elucidate this tricky part of the admissions process. He was not satisfied until I crafted the strongest personal story I could, even though it took almost a dozen iterations of ideas. If your essay is not as good as it can possibly be, he will be direct in telling you so and recommending what you can do to improve it.

He has a fast response time and spends as much time as is necessary to perfect the application. For one school, I was working right up until the deadline and he still was able to provide feedback on my essays the day of.

Alex’s no-nonsense approach greatly improved my admissions prospects and I would recommend him without hesitation. I’ve found that he genuinely cares about and invests in the success of his clients.

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I was completely satisfied with the service Alex provided during my MBA admissions process. Alex had several helpful tips and brought up ideas that I would have never found otherwise. At first I was not sure if I should bother with an admissions consultant, but I believe that without his assistance I would not have gotten in to the schools I wanted. Alex also gave a personal touch I highly appreciated, and took the time to get to know me to give personalized advice and service. Alex regularly checked in with me to see how things were going, even though I was only an hourly client. Great guy and highly recommend.

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I had called around a couple of consulting firms and worked with another consultant prior to working with Alex. The difference is night and day! First of all, Alex is the owner and sole consultant for Prep MBA – if you sign up with Prep MBA, you are guaranteed to work with Alex, a Harvard MBA grad. Second, Alex will give you direct and honest answers. After our initial conversation, he quickly identified some critical issues about my profile (work gaps, GPA, age, etc.) and how to address each of the problems from the point of view of the admin team. Third, Alex’s creativity and sense of essay structure are beyond impressive; I was always amazed at how we were able to turn a 1000-word draft into an articulate 500 words essay. Finally, I am extremely impressed by his knowledge of various details of the MBA schools and he was able to identify a group of school that fits my career aspirations.

After the initial conversation and assessment with Alex, I decided to rethink my application strategy completely, even though I had previously worked with another consultant. I only had a month to complete my application prior to final deadlines, and Alex was able to accommodate such a rushed schedule. With his help, I was able to get into Tepper and McDonough, both with scholarships. Looking back, I believe that his advice on how to tailor my essay to the admission committee was the main reason I was accepted. The devil is in the detail, and Alex was very meticulous – he really helped me with the tones of my essays and worked with me to find the right words to express my goals concisely. Additionally, Alex was able to provide me with different samples that fit with my career aspirations. These samples were extremely useful when I was trying to find the right flow and structure for my essay drafts.

I highly recommend Alex Leventhal and Prep MBA. If you are honest with him and follow his advice, know that he will provide you with the clearest path to your dream school!

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I am so glad I chose to work with Alex this year during my application process to HBS. I applied as a current medical student only to HBS for a dual MD/MBA. I had introductory calls with a number of consultants but ultimately chose Alex because he was personable, approachable, knowledgeable about HBS, and demonstrated a clear interest in me and my story from the introduction call onward.

Throughout the application cycle, he was a calming presence and helped me navigate the application process while quelling my anxiety. Whenever we embarked on a portion of the application, Alex always gave me space to brainstorm, soul search, and draft, before he provided feedback. This helped us get to know each other better, and also ensured that my vision and story guided my application. At the same time, when I was stuck with tons of ideas and no clear direction for my personal statement, he helped me come up with a creative essay approach that I am extremely proud of. I genuinely believe that this is the first personal statement I have written that truly gets across who I am as a person, and I have Alex to thank for that.

As a dual-degree applicant, I had to write an additional essay explaining my interest in the program. Alex was happy to dedicate time to helping me brainstorm, draft, and perfect that essay, despite it not being part of the typical application. I really felt like Alex was rooting for me, and had a vested interest in getting me into my dream business school. He was unafraid to give me direct feedback when I needed it, and ensured that I put my best foot forward in my application and interview. I would work with Alex again in a heartbeat!

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I was a re-applicant this year. Last year I had worked with Alex on an hourly basis, a couple of weeks before my applications were due. Alex was super helpful to go out of his way to help me put forward the best application possible. Last year - I got an interview call from Booth but could not convert it.

This year I worked with Alex on a comprehensive package for 1 school and worked on an hourly basis for a couple of other schools. I applied to 4 M7 schools and got an interview invite from 3 of them and offers from 2 (Kellogg and Booth).

Inputs from Alex were helpful to streamline my thoughts during the ideation phase - which eventually went a long way to put together a holistic package. He was very straight forward with his comments and would always call out the weaknesses/BS in my essays. He would also come up with ways to work on the weak aspects of the application. As an Indian applicant - coming from an over-represented pool of applicants - I benefited immensely while working with Alex as he would always strive to bring out the soft-skill aspects of my application.

Finally, I benefited immensely from the mock interviews with Alex. He helped me become more aware of my body language and also helped me to tweak my stories so that they were easier to connect with. I would wholeheartedly recommend Alex to all the applicants who are aspiring to get into M7. It’s worth every penny!

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As a non-traditional applicant without a business background, I was initially unsure about the value of an admissions consultant. After reaching out to multiple firms and speaking with multiple advisors, I started to get the feeling that these firms were intent on processing me through their system. They felt impersonal and uninvested in me as a person.
Finally, after reading through a GMAT club review, I reached out to Alex. Speaking with Alex was the absolute opposite experience in every way. On the very first call, he took time to get to know as much about me as possible in a very natural and human way. Without judgment, he was realistic about my chances and what my target schools should be. It was easy to see from the start that Alex would be as invested as I was in the outcome of my application process.
Working with Alex will make your entire application process easier, and I especially recommend him if you are a non-traditional applicant. He outlines a roadmap from the very beginning of each step in the process. I had a sort of vague idea about what I wanted to get out of my education, and he helped me to refine my vision and communicate it in clear and certain terms. He was very responsive to emails and calls, and was available to talk through the ambiguities of the process regularly.
My most prominent memory during the process was when I looked back at an essay I had recently submitted. I remember reading the essay and thinking, ‘This person sounds so interesting and amazing, I can’t believe it is about me!’. I was surprised not because the essay was untrue, but because of how wonderful it sounded. Alex was able to take the stories and qualities that I had communicated to him, and he refined them into better, more exciting versions. He helped me to craft a narrative around myself that I am certain I could not have done alone.
If you are reading this and are still on the fence about hiring a consultant, take this as your sign to call Alex. It’s a free call, and I promise you, it’s worth it.

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I heard about Alex through my friend’s referral and decided to work with him after the first skype meeting. Back then, I still knew very little about the MBA application process, had no idea where to start from, and meanwhile had to deal with an already challenging full-time job with long working hours. Being highly experienced, knowledgeable, thoughtful and patient, Alex really helped me navigate the whole journey with more ease and confidence. The result speaks a ton - I applied to as many as seven schools in the second round (was surprised that I actually made it!) and got admitted to four of them!

What I find most valuable about working with Alex is that, he never tried to use a formula when helping me craft my application, but always offered me tailored advice based on my own experiences. He guided me to think from different perspectives, dig deeper in my stories and connect the dots in the most natural way. Instead of following a rigid timeline, he made sure that we were spending sufficient amount of time to think through and put together the best story, and I really appreciate this flexibility which comes from his experience.

I benefitted a lot from the mock interview sessions as well. Alex was super sharp at identifying my issues and focused on improving my delivery through practicing on the spot. This worked really well, and I could see my confidence and efficiency of delivery building up massively after a few mock sessions, and reaching a peak during my actual interviews.

It’s been a pleasant experience working with Alex and I would definitely recommend him from the bottom of my heart. He always emphasised to me that this journey can be tiring, but with a lot of fun as well – and looking back, I can’t agree with him more!

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Strongly recommend Alex to anyone looking for an MBA consultant! Really glad I went with him from a friend referral. He is simply amazing, knowing what he is doing. I am very happy with my results, exceeding my expectations. I applied to a few schools in R1, but did not go well. Alex kept encouraging me and told me to stay positive, and my R2 applications turned out great: got into Haas and Kellogg both with sizable scholarships, and also my top choice, Wharton!
Throughout the process, Alex was really helpful in crafting my story and finding the themes/unique aspects from my experience. He is candid and sharp, great storyteller with grasp of each school’s essays. He is great to work with, very efficient – quick turnaround and high quality. I tend to procrastinate sometimes, but Alex always helped me meet the deadlines. I also benefitted much from mock interviews with Alex, both individual and the group interview for Wharton. He gave very personalized feedback that made me much more comfortable going into the interviews.

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What an easy recommendation, I had a great experience…Alex helped me get into both HBS and the GSB; working with him was a pleasure. In a market where most of his competitors are volume shops or bounce you between a team of junior consultants, Alex is high-touch and high EQ. I’ve personally recommended Alex to close to a dozen peers who, in turn, have each done the same. He really drove me to dig deep on my essays and properly represent my background and values. His insights really helped my passion transcend the written format and shine. Thanks Alex!

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