Alice van Harten Reviews

I talked with many consultants, and it seemed I was talking with the same person. The questions were superficial, and everyone told me how great my chances were. Alice, on the other hand, is at a much high level, from the first email loosely explaining my ideas, she already pointed out many important flaws in my reasoning and gave me invaluable tips. That was even before the first interview, and on that instant, I knew she was the one. I would not even dare to consider anyone else but Alice.

I had a very tight schedule, only one month to prepare my entire application from scratch, and, even in such short notice, she managed to give a lot of attention to every single detail of my application. She is caring, knowledgeable, a top expert on her field.
But above all, she is one of the nicest persons I ever had the pleasure to work with. You may think this is not relevant, and you are wrong. You need to open up, find and tell your qualities but also your weakness, find the happy and sad histories in your life. And this is so much easier when the person in front of you make you laugh and feel comfortable. If I had the opportunity I would surely want her as my BFF.

She will work with you in all the aspects of your application, essays interviews, techniques to relax and even propose a session with Eduardo on how to articulate your speech and your voice. She will make you think and talk until she extracts qualities, skills, and histories from you that you would never think were relevant, and she will show you they are a gold mine.
She will definitely tell you no BS, she is very candid and logic about your objectives and your chances.

She got the best application out of me, I got admitted to IMD, one of the most selective schools in the world.
And once the application was submitted she kept in touch and is still giving me guidance.

Alice is a fantastic professional, you will never find better. Stop wasting your time looking for someone else.

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I worked with Alice on a successful re-application to Harvard Business School. I was initially not sure whether she was real because her reviews were so universally positive, but my initial consultation with her put me at ease. Of all the consultants I talked to, she was the best mix of realistic (she told me that I was a very strong candidate but in general the odds were not good) and insightful (she pointed out the main weaknesses in my previous application).

Alice is really good at coaching through essays, and was relentless about ensuring that I kept things clear, simple, and in my own voice. I was often tempted to write things in an over-complicated way, and she always held me to a higher standard. She was also helpful with explaining the recommendation process to a first-time recommender, who ended up writing me a very strong letter. Alice was also really crucial strategizing through recommender choices and role change choices at work as a couple of things were changing nearing the application deadline.

I think I would have made a lot of the same mistakes I made the first time had I not worked with Alice, and was impressed by the level of dedication, high standards, and personal warmth that she brought to our time working together. Her partner David is also a great resource and helped at a few points in the process as well, so it was great to get both brains of the fabulous Menlo team.

I would highly recommend, and already have to many in my personal network. Unfortunately, when they've reached out to Menlo Coaching, Alice & David were already at capacity, which speaks volumes about 1) the fact that they only work with a limited number of clients per round and 2) how incredibly high-quality and in-demand they are as consultants.

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I'm so happy I found Alice through a friend's referral. From the start we clicked and I could tell she really cared about finding the best MBA fit for me (she helped me narrow down the list of schools I was applying to based on personal/family needs). Then while writing the essays, she always followed up, helped me think through my story, and paid attention to the smallest details so that I came across as dynamic and not just a typical "finance person." I knew when I submitted each application that it was as perfect as possible - and I ended up getting admitted to Wharton, MIT, and Booth with an 80k scholarship!

She is also a great resource to practice interviewing with (we prepped for about five hours total) and is as invested in the process as you are. I think this is because she doesn't overwhelm her schedule with clients - so once she is fully booked, she doesn't accept more clients in order to ensure quality time with the set that she has. That was really helpful, especially when I was finishing essays last minute.

I look forward to staying in touch with her even after I start school, since her guidance and advice has been so valuable. Thank you Alice!!

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Bottom line up front: If you want to present your best self in your applications, you want Menlo on your team. Alice is the best in the business, and she will help you to extract every bit of what you offer as a candidate and present it in your applications.
I found Menlo Consulting on P&Q while reading reviews for admissions consultants. Alice’s excellent reviews stood out to me, and once I learned that Alice and David only accepted a limited number of clients each year and could, therefore, provide the individually tailored service for which I was looking, I decided to contact them. I could not have been happier with my choice.
As a transitioning Army veteran, I was concerned about being able to tie the lessons I had learned during my military service directly to my future goals in the private sector, so I was pleased to learn that both Alice and David had private sector experience in my areas of interest- consulting and tech. I was also acutely aware of a number of challenges my candidacy faced for entry into a top program. I was an older MBA applicant >30, and both my GPA and my GMAT were below the average scores of nearly every top 20 school. I understood that I was fighting an uphill battle and that most of my school choices were “reach” schools for me.
During our initial call, Alice identified a few strategies that she thought would strengthen my candidacy, provided me with candid feedback about my school selections, and helped me to understand why it was best for me to wait until R2 when I could present the strongest application to schools. We decided that once I had completed some of the strategies we discussed that we would start the application process together. After I worked through the tasks, I got back on the phone with Alice. I was extremely impressed by her process as she sought to understand who I was, and how best to describe my story to an admissions committee. I felt by the end of the call that Alice understood who I was and what made tick. As I started to work through essays and applications, Alice pushed me. She never wrote any essays for me. Instead, her notes compelled me to reflect deeper on my stories, their lessons, and what I wanted out of my future education. I wrote and rewrote. Each time I submitted a draft, I had a response from Alice either the same day or the next day. Honestly, even though I knew she had a full plate, her responsiveness made me feel as if I were her only client. After we nailed down the essays, and I submitted, Alice and David helped prepare me for interviews. The interview prep could be probing, but by the time school interview invites started rolling in, I felt prepared, confident, and calm.
When the call came in from Kellogg, my whole extended family was gathered, and we got to celebrate that moment together- it’s a moment I will never forget. I was proud of all that I had accomplished, but I knew that I had Alice and Menlo to thank for helping me overcome the many hurdles facing my candidacy, craft the best story possible, and gain acceptance to an M7 school. If you are on the fence about hiring an admissions consultant, invest in yourself and do it- I’m glad I did. Thank you, Alice and Menlo!

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In round 2 of last season, I applied to several top full-time programs with limited success, being waitlisted and eventually accepted at one top 10 program but not my top choice. In 2018, I re-applied and was admitted to my top choice Booth. I improved my GMAT score; however, working with Alice and Menlo Coaching drove my success. I don’t think I’d be in my fortunate situation without their help. There are several benefits working with Alice and the Menlo team, which I’d distill into two major buckets. First, they help peel back the layers of your life story and help craft a unique and compelling story. When it comes to packaging your story into essays, they guide you with achieving the perfect balance of building a narrative and the necessary details while adhering to the prompt’s constraints. Second, they coach you with how to best position yourself to adcoms throughout the admissions process, including avoiding pitfalls that can be repellant (many of which I unconsciously did my first attempt). The preparation makes you very confident. Beyond the valuable support and coaching, working with Alice and team was a truly pleasurable experience in every aspect. They are empathetic, responsive, thoughtful and invested in your success. Also, and while I didn’t need it to be sold, it’s hard to have more impressive credentials than Alice and her team (all went to M7 schools, Alice is a GSB grad who received offers from each MBB firm and received a scholarship for her PhD – she knows how to navigate the process) Without getting too in the weeds, Menlo’s business model also is the best economically. I applied to multiple schools and would have paid 2x if I went down the route of the fixed cost model other organizations offer. If I were to go through the process again, I wouldn’t do anything differently. I couldn’t have stronger praise for Alice and the Menlo team.

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Like many others, I spent quite a bit of time researching various consultants and deliberated on who to pick once I had narrowed the list down. I chose Alice because I found her to be both knowledgable and committed to my success. Right from the free consultation, Alice focused on identifying the gaps in my profile and how to weave a successful story. Most importantly, she did this in a professional yet thoughtful way where I always felt comfortable and in control of the process. What truly set her apart for me was her ability to understand who I am and what makes me unique. When submitting my application, I was confident that I was submitting a strong and truthful narrative about myself that was not at all obvious to me when I first started the process. While I had the suspicion that other consultants approached my application as business transaction or tried to sell my achievements back to me for their service, Alice always listened first and answered honestly. She replied very promptly (often after work hours) and often went the extra mile. Pick Alice as she will advise you with integrity and provide sound guidance. The application requires hard work and dedication but Alice (and David) will match what you put in. Having now been accepted to 4 of the 5 global top 10 schools that I applied to, I am confident Menlo Coaching can get you wherever you want to go.

Note - I had reached out to Alice directly when looking for a consultant as she was referred to me by an acquaintance. However, during the admissions process, I also worked with David and am entirely confident you would be in good hands with any of their consultants.

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I had the pleasure of working with Alice for my deferred MBA applications.

From the very start, Alice was extremely realistic and candid about my chances at the schools I was targeting, which I appreciated. Before working on the essays and the bulk of the application, I liked how Alice spent time strategizing our approach, getting me to put thoughts on paper, and really getting to know me (beyond just my resume / activities / profile). I would look forward to my calls with her, and within a few weeks I felt like I was conversing with someone I would consider more than just a coach or mentor. Her guidance is what allowed me to come up with a story that captured the essence of who I am, and her warm personality made the (long) process of figuring that out enjoyable.

Alice and her team work on EACH and EVERY aspect of the application, whether that be selecting recommenders, proofreading the final application, or preparing you for the interview. It was very easy to bounce ideas off her and get her advice for somewhat unrelated stuff as well; e.g. she helped me out with some of my job-related stuff, because she cared about me beyond my applications.

Everything worked out splendidly in the end, and I got an acceptance from Booth! This definitely would not have been possible without Alice. I cannot recommend Alice and Menlo Coaching highly enough!

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