"Best" Admissions Consulting Companies - 2023 intake Season

Review for Admit Expert.

With my unique background and experience, I was determined that an MBA admissions consultant would be a valuable asset to my application process. Admit Expert presented me with a selection of lead consultants, each with experience at various schools and distinguished careers. After in-depth conversations with a few consultants, I chose Nishanth due to his genuine desire to see me succeed and his commitment to excellence.

Nishanth's approach involved a comprehensive understanding of my past achievements and future goals. This, combined with the insights from alumni mentors at my target schools, ensured a highly tailored application strategy. Importantly, the consultants provided continuous feedback to guide my essay writing, ensuring my voice and perspective remained authentic. The mock interviews were instrumental in refining my communication skills and preparing me for the real interviews.

Ultimately, I am thrilled with the outcome of my application process, it was worth every penny.

Review for ApplicantLab.

After checking out a few reviews, I tried ApplicantLab and it was the best decision. After multiple GMAT attempts and being stuck at a lower than average score for my target schools and coming from an ORM, I wanted to strengthen the other aspects of my application and ApplicantLab did exactly that!!

Applicant Lab portal provides all the resources we need and allows us to create our own narrative using those resources!! It allowed me to keep my originality intact whilst adhering to what schools are looking for.

Apart from the 1-year Lab subscription, I also took a Sanity Check since I wanted expert advice on whether my essays are conveying what I intend to convey. Carin did my sanity checks and I cannot recommend her enough!! She has been absolutely clear in her communication and critical when she needed to be. I felt that Carin wanted me to succeed and the kind of criticism she gave was absolutely needed for me to present my best self in front of the admissions teams across business schools.

Speaking about Applicant Lab, Maria has done a great job in distilling all the advice in bite-sized pieces that don’t overwhelm you. My advice would be to sign up well in advance so that you can follow through with all the advice at the intended pace. But you can also jump through modules as I did.

Out of the 4 schools I applied to (2 M7 and 2 T15), I got interview calls from 2 schools (1 M7 and 1 T15) and then got waitlisted at both schools. I reached out to Maria for advice at that time and several other times in my application journey. Maria always responds back quickly with all the necessary info and a ton of positive attitude. She has a great sense of humor which comes through in her messages also. I got off the waitlist at both the schools and will be headed to what has been my dream school all along, Chicago Booth!!

To conclude, Applicant Lab is a DIY tool with all kinds of resources at your disposal. Those resources are more than sufficient for the application, trust me!! (Resources for Resume/Essays/Video essays/Recommendation letters/Scholarships/Waitlist etc). But it is upto us to make the best use of it.

Thank you Applicant Lab!! Thank you Maria and Carin!!

Review for Admission Concierge.

Working with her was an absolute game-changer in my MBA admissions journey. Her expertise, dedication, and unwavering support were instrumental in securing my admission into Kellogg, and I can't thank her enough.

From the moment I reached out to Loubna, I knew I was in good hands. Her deep understanding of the MBA admissions process, especially at top-tier institutions, was evident right from our initial consultation. She took the time to truly understand my strengths, weaknesses, and aspirations, crafting a personalized strategy tailored to maximize my chances of success.

Throughout the entire process, Loubna was there every step of the way, providing invaluable guidance and feedback on every aspect of my application. Whether it was refining my resume, perfecting my essays, or preparing for interviews, her insights were spot-on and immensely helpful. She pushed me to present the best possible version of myself, challenging me to dig deeper and showcase my unique story and achievements in a compelling manner.

What truly sets Loubna apart is her genuine passion for helping her clients succeed. She invested not just in my application, but in me as an individual, offering encouragement, support, and reassurance during moments of doubt or uncertainty.

Review for Prep MBA.

I was introduced to Alex by my dad, who does undergraduate admissions consulting. I did look at one of the larger firms, but was turned off by reviews from students who stated that they had trouble getting their advisor on the phone. With Alex, all calls and e-mails were returned within 48 hours.

On the initial call, I explained that my application was going to be a mixed bag. I had dropped out of college after freshman year, waited 4 years to go back, and then took more than 4 years to graduate after returning. I had a GPA that was okay, but not great, and my job titles weren't going to impress anyone. On the other hand, I had a pretty good personal story, one really solid extra-curricular, and I could usually interview and test well after some prep. I also explained to him that I have ADHD and might need some support with keeping myself on track, and asked if he had worked with clients with learning disabilities before.

He stated that he had worked with similar clients before, and the he believed he could help me. He also talked me through some things I wasn't aware of (such as that my age would start to be an issue if I waited until the following year to apply, as he might have otherwise recommended).

Alex recommended a GMAT tutor who took me from a 590 on my first practice test to a 750 on the real thing. Alex helped me develop a list of schools to apply to that would represent a good mix of reach and realistic options. He helped me evaluate my potential fit for schools I was interested in, and helped me see where I was overlooking some schools that I ended up liking once I graduated. He worked diligently with me through multiple drafts of each essay, working to ensure that I was presenting a strong case for my admission while retaining my own voice in the essays. He also made sure my resume was properly formatted for B-school and worked with me on interview techniques. He kept me on track with deadlines throughout the process. Most critically, he gave me good tips about how to connect with students at each of the schools I was targeting.

In the end, I got solid scholarship offers at multiple T15 schools, made the waitlist at 2 more, and, most importantly, I got a full tuition offer at Stern (NYU), which had been my #1 choice from the beginning of the admissions process!

Review for Embark MBA.

Kelsey was recommended to me by a student and friend who got admitted to NYU. From the moment I started working with her until all my applications were submitted, she was incredibly responsive and caring while maintaining a high level of professionalism.

I truly enjoyed working with Kelsey. She helped me to reflect more deeply on my journey and to showcase my unique characteristics to the schools I applied to. Without her guidance, I would not have been able to present myself as effectively. Her support was instrumental in my successful admissions to two Top 10 schools with scholarships during a particularly challenging application round!

Additionally, she didn't count the hours spent helping me, often providing guidance beyond regular work hours. She was very accessible, making it easy to chat with her at any time.

I highly recommend Kelsey to anyone looking for a thoughtful, professional, and effective admissions consultant.

Review for MBA and Beyond.

I reached out to MBA & Beyond quite late in December, seeking guidance on my application strategy for top business schools: INSEAD, HEC Paris, and IESE. I was pleasantly surprised by the team's immediate involvement from the day I was onboarded. I was assigned a specific consultant, an application buddy, and given access to the MBA & Beyond Portal.

1) Consultant- I'm grateful for the opportunity to work with Andy Fischtrom as my consultant. From the very beginning, Andy showed genuine interest in getting to know me as an applicant and offered his honest feedback. For each iteration of my application, Andy took the time to reason with me and play the devil's advocate, challenging my anecdotes and helping me refine my approach.

He suggested strategic ways to align my application with each school's timelines. By the time we finalized my application, I felt fully prepared to discuss every aspect of my life with clarity and logic, which made it easier to be honest and transparent during my interviews. Andy emphasized the importance of being true to myself, which greatly increased my comfort and confidence throughout this journey.

Andy wore many hats during our sessions, sometimes acting as an admissions committee member and other times as an alumnus. This diverse perspective made my application stand out, resulting in interview invites from all three schools to which I applied. Andy took time to review my CV and ensured that I had all the backups before I could submit them to the schools. Thanks to our detailed brainstorming sessions, I navigated my interviews with ease, turning them into engaging conversations.

Ultimately, I secured admissions from both HEC Paris and INSEAD, with IESE offering me an application waiver for the next admission round. Working with Andy was a positive experience not only for the applications but also for learning some wisdom from this wise man.

2) Application Buddy: Kanishka, my application buddy, was an invaluable asset. She was like an alarm clock, ensuring I stayed on track and offering immediate assistance whenever needed. She also facilitated in offering a third-person perspective once I finished my essays. It was an absolute delight to work with her!

3) Portal: The Mirror was very user-friendly and designed with the applicant's challenges in mind. It provided structured pathways and assigned plans with deadlines, helping me maintain my momentum. It was extremely helpful for both Andy and me, as it asked deep questions to extract maximum information, helping Andy understand my personality better. The portal also included samples and guidelines, offering a clear idea of the ideal structure.