Best MBA Admissions Coach I Could've Asked For

Over the past 8 months, I worked with Karen through every step of the MBA application process and was admitted to 3 of my dream schools within the M7 – something I didn’t think was possible from the outset. While I have a well-rounded background, her attention to detail and care allowed me to paint an authentic picture of what makes me unique, identify synergies and consistent themes throughout various aspects of my life, and maximize every ounce of potential of my application.

From strategizing my story and school choices, crafting a business-school-specific resume, tactically selecting and preparing my recommenders, brainstorming and refining my essays, reviewing application detail, to providing mock interviews with actionable feedback, Karen stands out for offering top-notch coaching across every aspect of the process, not just one step like essays or interviews. Furthermore, by being involved in every phase, she became deeply familiar with my strengths, which helped her provide valuable brainstorming support when I got stuck on open-ended essays or needed talking points for interviews (some of which had very distinct styles).

As someone who has worked in the admissions industry for years and pursued an MBA herself, Karen has a deep understanding of MBA life and the nuances of various schools. She offered great suggestions for clubs, academic programs, and traditions, which enabled me to demonstrate genuine interest in each program. She also helped me create a realistic application plan, including Round 1 and 2 options, and created a project management plan that allowed me to work efficiently on applications sequentially. As a result, I submitted all my applications 3 weeks before the deadlines. Lastly, her versatility is exceptional as she can cater to applicants with diverse backgrounds, both in and outside the traditional business world, as reflected by the consistent success of her clients.

One of Karen’s key skills is story-telling – both at a macro level, shaping the overarching narrative and essay flow, and at a micro level, improving word choice and making language more concise to fit within word limits. She also applied this skill to my resume and application forms as well, two valuable pieces of real estate that many applicants overlook. That being said, I will caution that Karen is a coach, not your personal writer, and to maximize your results, you’ll need to put in the effort. However, she will be there every step of the way.

To that point, I can’t overstate her level of professionalism. Her written feedback, particularly for my essays (which I iterated on countless times), was always prompt and clear. She was also readily available for calls and made scheduling easy, even accommodating unusual time slots when I urgently needed to connect. While I took her availability for granted at the time, I later realized, after talking to my business school classmates, that her consistent and thoughtful responsiveness is a rare quality among coaches.

Finally, one piece of advice I’d give to applicants searching for a coach is to choose someone you feel comfortable working with, as there will be moments of vulnerability during this deeply self-reflective process. Karen stood out to me as approachable yet incredibly sharp. Looking back, I see how much self-confidence I gained with her help as I reflected on my life story, motivations, values, and vision for the future. This process also helped me recognize qualities that might not traditionally come to mind when describing a strong business professional but are highly valued by schools (e.g., being an event planner and promoter). This was not only invaluable for my application but also for maximizing my MBA experience. While I considered a few other well-qualified admissions coaches, I ultimately chose Karen because it was clear she was genuinely invested in my success, balancing encouragement with a realistic perspective.

You’ll quickly find that during every school’s info sessions they encourage applicants to be “authentic.” While I often glossed over that, looking back on my success, I was only able to over-achieve in the process because of Karen’s coaching, who indirectly gave me the self-confidence to truthfully tell my own story, yet the expertise to tell it in a thoughtful and impactful way. I could not be more grateful for the experience working with her.