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Product Gatehouse Admissions Consulting
Consultant Alex Salton
As someone who previously found self-reflection and personal essays extremely difficult during the undergraduate admissions process, I gained a ton of valuable insights and guidance from Alex while working with him on my MBA admissions. I was accepted to 3 out of the 4 schools that Alex supported me on for R2 - Booth, Kellogg, and Haas - with $150K in total merit scholarship across the schools.
Alex was especially helpful in the following:
1. Helping ideate and connect past experiences into cohesive essays: From the day I started my applications to the day I submitted them, Alex listened to my thoughts, experiences, and perspective and recommended ways that I could powerfully tell my story. As someone who (successfully) went through this process himself and as an English major, Alex has a gift for storytelling and essay revising that would benefit anyone who works with him.
2. Establishing clear cadence and timelines: Starting my MBA applications, I initially found it overwhelming to workplan and hold myself accountable because the entire process seemed so vast and nebulous at the time. Alex took into account my busy work schedule, personal commitments, and school deadlines to craft a working cadence and interim deadlines that ensured I was always on track.
3. Going above and beyond during times of greatest need: I was rejected to my R1 schools and hadn’t put too much thought into R2 before receiving these rejections. This meant I had ~1 month before R2 deadlines. Needless to say, I was stressed, overwhelmed, and discouraged. When I reached out to Alex after these R1 results, he got on a call right away to gameplan R2 apps and to provide emotional support when I needed it most. For the schools with the earliest deadlines, Alex even provided revisions ahead of our agreed schedule to make sure we had ample time before these applications were due. This is just one of many ways that Alex has given 110% during our time together.
Background: I graduated from a top 25 US undergrad university with a 3.8 GPA. ~2 yrs. of work experience in MBB consulting. 740 GMAT.
Result: Accepted to Chicago Booth, Northwestern Kellogg, Berkeley Haas, with ~$150K in total merit scholarship across schools.
Product Gatehouse Admissions Consulting
Consultant Alex Salton
Alex was incredibly helpful in keeping me calm and focused through a chaotic process. For reasons outside of my control, I applied in Round 3 and was under significant time pressure to complete my applications. Alex was instrumental in helping me create a plan that allowed time for me to still find my voice which proved more difficult than expected. Through countless drafts, Alex was there with sound advice and probing questions that helped me really dig deep and write essays that fully encapsulated who I am and what motivated me.
Background: I have a B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University (UG GPA: 3.7, Grad GPA: 3.9) and have worked for 6 years in the automotive industry on advanced technical projects. I was selected for MBA sponsorship by my company, took the GMAT and scored 760 (Q50, V42).
As somebody who had never considered applying to business school before this year, I found Alex’s help to be priceless when it came to understanding each step in the process. Obviously, the essay help was crucial, but there are so many other aspects to the process that I completely underestimated. With Alex’s help, I went through 7 drafts of my resume. His attention to detail helped me to maximize the use of space and adequately convey the impact that I have had in my career and activities. He also was incredibly helpful in thinking through who to ask and how to coordinate my letters of recommendation. After submitting my applications, Alex conducted multiple mock interviews with me that really honed my storytelling abilities. His focused feedback gave me the tools to standout in my interviews. And lastly, an often-underappreciated piece of the process is the emotional toll it can take. The arduous process can really wear you down, but Alex really encouraged me every step along the way and kept me motivated when I was tired. I am truly grateful for all the assistance that Alex provided and don’t know where I would be without him. I’d recommend him to anybody applying to business school.
Result: I applied to 4 full-time MBA programs in Round 3/4 (Stanford GSB, Wharton, Kellogg, Ross) and was accepted to all including full scholarships at Kellogg and Ross. I chose Stanford GSB because of my sponsorship.