Your Questions, Answered
Everything you need to know about working with Karen - from consultations and timelines to testing, applications, interviews, and what it’s really like to navigate the admissions process together.
Getting Started
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On our initial consultation, I will want to get to know you, and also give you the chance to ask me questions to get to know me and my process. I will be asking questions to understand what led to your interest in applying to graduate school, and I will start to look for the aspects of your profile that may end up being core to your application narrative.
Please arrive to the call open and ready to share as much as you can, as I arrive excited to be your cheerleader and partner, and I am looking to start to uncover all of the many reasons to cheer for you.
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After the initial consultation, you will receive an intro deck with supplemental information. You’ll see our end-to-end process, a timeline showing how we tackle that process over the span of about 6 months, select testimonials from past clients, services offered, and pricing. When you are ready to sign up, please advise which services you have chosen, and you’ll soon receive your invoices and your access to the client platform, which houses the questionnaire you will need to work through in order to start our process.
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Every client receives access to the KHC Platform - a collaborative workspace designed to support every stage of the admissions process. It brings together school-specific resources, strategic guidance, video interview preparation, deadlines, worksheets, and personalized roadmaps in one place, making it easy to stay organized and focused from start to finish. Most importantly, it has tons of content based on the expertise I have developed over the many years that I have been advising and interviewing applicants to top graduate and undergraduate programs.
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It is important that you start this process when you are ready. You can request to fill out a form to hold a spot for you, as availability is limited. Space is not guaranteed, but the form helps to understand each other’s intentions and to keep the lines of communication open. If we need to release your spot, the form enables us to contact you before doing so.
For round 1 MBA applicants, it is recommended to start the process in February or March of the application year, and for round 2 applicants, it is recommended to start by July.
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I have had applicants approach me with a range of assumptions. For instance, I have met a lot of applicants who expect an admissions consultant to judge them or tell them all the reasons why they will not get admitted to their dream school.
I actually approach this process from the opposite perspective. I like to focus on and draw out all of the reasons why you WILL get admitted to your dream school.
I have also met applicants who do not fully understand what the admissions process entails and how my process helps them. Some applicants expect to be on their own throughout the admissions process and simply send me their content to review after it is drafted. This is very far from the truth.
We are in the trenches together, and open and frequent communication is key. We will have calls to kick off each set of materials, so that you have a clear plan before putting pen to paper.
Clients often tell me that the thing they most enjoy about this process is how deeply personal it is. You have access to my expertise 24/7, through live calls, emails, material reviews, and the client platform, and beyond the knowledge and experience I will share, I am also someone who has been through this process myself, and I have deep empathy and an understanding of how stressful it can be.
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Most applicants work on a package basis, meaning we work together on our end-to-end admissions process with as many reviews of materials and live Zoom calls necessary to complete the process.
Packages are priced by the number of schools we work on together.
Hourly blocks also exist for latecomers or self-steerers.
We do not necessarily work together on all of the schools you are applying to. We build a robust school strategy together, and work on the schools together from which you would derive the most benefit, and that would prepare you to apply for other programs thereafter.
Planning Your Application
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It is best to start the admissions process after completing test taking. If testing is not completed, I often recommend focusing your efforts there, as the admissions process is a large undertaking and can distract you from testing. It is critical that you achieve the best test score you possibly can, without letting our process steal your focus.
You can also do some light networking with friends, family, and colleagues who may have gone to the programs you are interested in, to start to understand the student experience. There is no need for networking beyond that, as it is part of our process together.
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If you are not sure, I often recommend taking a diagnostic of both exams. You can send me both scores, and we can assess together which path makes the most sense for you. Schools do not have a preference for one exam over the other, so the goal is simply to give them the highest possible test score that we can. I can recommend the best test prep resources and tutors based on my experience and network.
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Absolutely! You will likely need to take the test multiple times to be sure you hit your best. Occasionally, applicants take the test only once, and they are sure they have reached their maximum. That could look like a score very high above the school averages, or it could be a score that exceeds that applicant’s ten full practice tests. It is very rare to finish testing after one test sitting. Schools love to see persistence and grit, so it is better to keep pushing until you are sure you hit your best, and to show schools that, despite the testing process being grueling, you are someone who stuck with it.
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You should apply when you are ready to be the best applicant you can be, and it is an important decision that we will make together. There is no benefit to applying in one round or the next, aside from higher chances of admission when you have the highest test score you can have, the most thoughtful application narrative, and recommenders who were not in a rush to write.
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I usually recommend applying to about 6 or 7 schools, but this can widely vary by applicant based on profile, programs selected, school criteria, risk appetite, etc.
We will discuss your school strategy together and develop a list that best suits your needs. I have had applicants apply to 14 schools, and others apply to only one, yet these are rare outliers for very specific reasons.
For most applicants, however, there is a set of about 6 or 7 schools that would get them where they want to go, and that they would be genuinely excited to attend, and that also makes me optimistic for a positive result.
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I will likely ask you questions on our initial consultation to understand your general interests and the impact you see yourself having, but I do not expect you to have all of the answers yet, as this is something we work through together gradually over the course of our work together, in many forms.
Career goals can often evolve and sometimes even change as we work together, as you explore your motivations and better understand the pathways available to you after the MBA.
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This is an important step of our process, so you do not need to do much before we start our work. You can certainly connect with friends and family in our network, conversations for which you may not need much preparation. However, I would rather you engage with admissions committees or cold emailing students and alumni once we have started our work together and worked through our school engagement workstream together to ensure you are prepared for engagement and follow-up.
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I recommend starting the admissions process at least six months before deadlines, and sometimes more is helpful depending on your bandwidth. The process can also comfortably be completed when we start four or five months out from deadlines, for applicants who have sufficient bandwidth. We will discuss together the right timeline for you based on your needs.
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Past clients have reported that they have dedicated 5-15 hours weekly to the admissions process. This can vary depending on the date they started, e.g., someone starting four months in advance will likely fall on the higher end of the range.
Schools, Admissions & Scholarships
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The vast majority of my clients apply to top MBA programs in the US. In recent years, 58% of my MBA applicants who applied to H/S/W (Harvard, Stanford, Wharton) were admitted to at least one of those programs, and 84% of my clients who applied to M7 programs were admitted to at least one of those programs. 88% of clients attend a top 10 school. There are many variables at play here.
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For most schools, the scholarship process is built into the application process, and applicants are considered automatically for scholarships. Scholarship decisions are released with admission decisions or soon after.
It is important to note that Harvard Business School and Stanford GSB do not offer merit-based scholarships.
There are a few schools that have separate applications for specific fellowship programs, which we can work on together.
Scholarships are another reason why it is important to maximize your test score and retake exams until you are sure you have reached your highest.
Over the past two cycles, clients have reported over $2M in cumulative scholarships, not including need-based aid. Clients have received $170K to Northwestern Kellogg, $100K to Columbia Business School, $90K to Wharton, $90K to MIT Sloan, and full rides to schools including Chicago Booth and NYU Stern.
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The good news here is that schools follow a holistic admissions process. Someone with a higher GPA is not necessarily more likely to be admitted than someone with a lower GPA, particularly if the person with the lower GPA has a higher test score, stronger work experience and leadership, and a clearer and more compelling purpose. We will work together to develop a strategy for how to compensate for a lower GPA or test score. This can often include retaking exams, doing supplemental coursework, and sharing additional essays with schools.
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MBA deferred enrollment applicants are a lot of fun to work with, and at the same time, often present different challenges than traditional applicants. We need to prove to the schools not only why the deferred enrollment track is attractive to you, but why they should want to let you in on the early track rather than waiting to see how your candidacy looks 3-4 years down the line. We also need to demonstrate maturity, leadership skills, and business impact far beyond your peer group of college students.
Deferred enrollment deadlines often fall around early to mid-April. Testing should be completed before December so that we can start the admissions process by January.
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Yes! Admissions processes have minor variances, but the core stays the same—how do we best tell your story, show what makes you uniquely you, share your values and actions, and present to the schools all of the reasons why they should want you in their program?
I have worked with master’s, PhD, medical school, law school, and undergraduate applicants spanning a range of subjects, from robotics to film to psychology.
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For top MBA programs, class profiles report an average of around 5 years of work experience. However, the range is wide. Many applicants are successful with 3 years of work experience, and I have also had successful applicants with over 10 years of work experience.
We will consider your profile together and discuss your career trajectory, business impact, and leadership experience. If we believe these are aligned with your peer group, then you are likely in the right application year. If you have opportunities to grow in these areas with another year or two in your role, I may suggest waiting to apply to business school. This is also highly dependent on your needs, as some applicants have reasons why they must apply in the current year, and if your timing is fixed, we will build a suitable school strategy around that.
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I have seen reapplicants do very well in the process, and schools do not hold it against someone when they apply for a second time. In fact, I find that reapplicants are often the most prepared for the admissions process, as they have had plenty of time for reflection and research.
It is important for reapplicants to have some sort of change in their profile, e.g., a higher test score, more leadership experience at work, or a more refined career story.
Working Together
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The process is designed to flex to the needs of the applicant. We work together via a mix of written and verbal communication. Clients have a link to my calendar so they can schedule time for strategic conversations whenever they would like.
We work not only on your application materials, including building your resume, strategizing your essays, and doing detailed preparation for application videos and interviews, but everything around that. This includes, for instance, defining your core values, planning your career path, developing a specific argument for why an MBA is the right fit for you, working through how to connect with admissions committee members, discussing how to navigate a tough conversation to ask your boss to write your recommendation, detailed preparation for live video components of applications, and much more.
Supporting all of this is the KHC Platform - a collaborative workspace designed to support every stage of the admissions process including school-specific resources, strategic guidance, video interview preparation, deadlines, worksheets, and personalized roadmaps in one place. This is your exclusive access to tons of content based on the expertise I have developed over the many years that I have been advising and interviewing applicants to top graduate and undergraduate programs. -
My laptop has its own passport and timezone. I work from wherever I am, I like to be as available as possible to my clients, and usually work 6-7 days a week. Clients often ask me if I take vacations, or have hobbies, or sleep, and the honest answers are that I don’t need a vacation from doing what I love, and I do have a few hobbies (a long run is a great time to think about a client’s core theme for essays), and I do sleep sometimes, but probably not enough during peak application times.
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The materials are always yours. My role is to guide you on decision-making before you start drafting, and give you feedback on your materials. It is always your choice to implement, or disagree with, my feedback. I do not write essays for applicants, nor do I draft recommendations for recommenders.
It likely goes without saying, but the best way to remove authenticity from your materials is to try to draft them with AI, and I ask clients not to do so to protect the quality of our work together. It is obvious when materials have been drafted with AI, and it creates much more work for us to try to remove AI from your voice, rather than for you to put in the upfront work to draft your story.
I do not expect you to have a PhD in creative writing, but I do expect you to openly and honestly reflect and share your thoughts with me. I will help you refine from there.
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Sometimes, applicants expect that we will sit back and wait. Sorry to disappoint you, but we still have a lot of work to do!
There are live video components for some schools that must be completed soon after submitting applications. We develop written responses and then practice answers live.
We also begin general interview preparation early, and later layer in school-specific content once you have received the interview invitation. We have worked on your story in written form in applications, and after you submit applications, we pick up parts of your story that would be compelling in live form for interviews. We draft potential answers and practice together through mock interviews.
Some schools also have additional exercises for interviewees, so we work on those together, too.
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This is a common concern, but do not panic. We will choose recommenders who are in the best position to advocate for you. Sometimes we choose leaders in other functions at the company, skip-level managers, colleagues who are more senior to you, clients, or even leaders from an extracurricular if you work closely enough with them. Most schools just want to see the best possible recommendation and are not concerned with whether you report to that person directly. Some schools ask you to explain in a few sentences if you do not have your direct manager write a recommendation. It is quite common to fill this out, and we simply explain why we chose the recommenders we chose instead of your manager. If your manager has recently left the firm, they are often still a great candidate to write the recommendation, as the school does not care about their current role, but rather the time they worked with you.
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I am fortunate to have an incredible network of past clients at top MBA programs, including Harvard Business School, Stanford GSB, Wharton, Columbia Business School, MIT Sloan, Chicago Booth, Northwestern Kellogg, Dartmouth Tuck, Berkeley Haas, Yale SOM, INSEAD, London Business School, and many more. Engaging with students and alumni is an important part of the application process. I like for my clients to pursue conversations with students and alumni with whom they have interests in common, and if I think of a student or alum in my network who would be a good fit, I am happy to make that connection.
I also have a long-standing tradition of introducing clients who will be attending school together at the end of our process. Many have become good friends, and some have even become roommates!
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I LOVE seeing the world through the eyes of my clients, and this includes working with applicants from all over the world, from Botswana to Kazakhstan, Mexico to Egypt, Pakistan to El Salvador, Saudi Arabia to Panama. I have had lunch with a client in Hong Kong, coffee in Dubai, breakfast in Israel, and dinner in London. It personally enriches me to have the opportunity to learn about pharma in Lebanon, consumer industries in Greece, real estate in Bolivia, and retail in Sweden, and I am so grateful to have the chance to work with and develop relationships with so many talented, ambitious, curious, and open business leaders from all around the world.
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The process is not over until it’s truly over. We work together on a detailed waitlist strategy. This includes assessing profile gaps, determining how to fill those gaps, and continually communicating with admissions committees as you work to demonstrate the evolution of your candidacy.