Prep MBA - Alex

Coming from an overrepresented applicant population (banking->private equity male), I was recommended to shop around for an admissions consultant who fit well with my needs and character to help develop my story. After my first call with Alex, I was impressed by his honest appraisal of his own services as a “boutique” admissions advisor. I appreciated the personalized, high-touch nature of his approach and so eagerly signed up.

During the questionnaire call, I was surprised by the amount of detail with which Alex reviewed my documentation, and found myself opening up to Alex through a very organic, natural conversation. Already, Alex was pulling out “themes” which would shape my application. The brainstorming process is frustrating and Alex will pull no punches – he will tell you when he thinks you are BSing him, the admissions committee, or yourself (all of which, won’t fly during the application process), and Alex will push you to really dig deeper to that next level. He challenged me to be a better writer, told me when he thought I could do better, and when he thought my essays were about ready to go. Coming from private equity with a somewhat mediocre score (a score that, in Alex’s words, “weren’t going to blow anyone away, but one we could go do battle with”), I had set my eyes on the top schools.

All in all, Alex reviewed four of my applications, of which I was accepted to three (HBS, Wharton/Lauder, Columbia). With Alex’s help, and through his process of challenging me to continuously reflect on my career and personal experiences, as well as what I wanted to get out of the MBA program, I put together applications, which no doubt, helped me gain admittance to these top programs. I am more than happy to serve as a reference for Alex