David White Reviews

I could not have asked for a better consultant and a smoother application process, all thanks to David! I applied R1 this year and got into HBS, Sloan ($) and Stern (full scholarship). I started working with Menlo Coaching two years ago through the comprehensive Early Bird program but had to defer my plans for a year due to my partner's relocation. David and his team were super understanding and supportive! The things I like most about David:

1) 100% focused on you - even before we started writing essays, David spent hours talking to me about my background and childhood story. After these conversations, I realized there were so many things I had forgotten or thought were unimportant, which ended up being instrumental for my essays later on. I also came into the process not sure what my post-MBA plans should be. David went above and beyond to connect me with his previous clients in different industries. Thanks to these conversations, I was able to talk confidently and genuinely about my post-MBA plans.

2) Expert feedback - writing personal essays has always been my weakest point, and David really worked hard to make sure that my narrative was the strongest, pushing me to think beyond my limits. We had over 5 to 10 iterations for every essay that I wrote, and the end product was so much better than I could ever come up with by myself!

3) Extremely knowledgeable about MBA programs - in the beginning, I used to feel overwhelmed with all the application info available online. With his years of experience in the field, David always cut to the chase and gave me honest feedback. This was extremely helpful when interviews rolled around since I was prepared to talk about the strengths of each school. Also, David had several mock interviews with me, some tailored to each school's style of interviewing, which helped me feel soo much more confident going into each interview!

4) Super organized and responsive - every time I sent a draft over to David, he had his feedback ready in one day or less, and it was pretty extensive feedback, too. I never doubted that I wouldn't be able to reach David in times of need, even during peak periods. Leading up to the R1 deadline, he started having weekly 1:1 sessions with me to make sure that I was making good progress on my drafts, which really helped me not procrastinate and have the easiest and smoothest application process I could ever hope for.

Looking back on my experience with David, I realize that it was so much more than just a consulting service - David brings a humane side to his job that allowed me to be introspective and figure out what exactly I want to do with my life after MBA. I highly recommend anyone who knows they want to do an MBA in the future to reach out to Menlo Coaching and join the Early Bird program, which made it so easy for me to prep for applications on top of my full-time job. Although the price can feel a little steep, you definitely get what you pay for and beyond - I have a friend who was able to negotiate her scholarship to a full ride thanks to David, which more than offset the cost of the service. I also recommend their new in-house GMAT prep course with Chris Kane, which helped me get a 730 in 5 weeks of studying. If you are looking for a consultant on top of his game, David is the one!

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David was instrumental in my successfully receiving an offer to my first-choice top MBA program, and he exceeded my expectations in every sense of the word. My MBA application process was longer than expected, taking place over several years due to a diagnosis of bipolar, which caused me to postpone applications until I received treatment and felt ready to apply. David and the Menlo team were very supportive and understanding about the unexpected pause in the process, and helped me complete very thorough applications to four top schools.

David went above and beyond every step of the way, making sure I had strong career goals and well-written essays, and was very prompt with his feedback; after submitting an essay draft in the evening, I would wake up the next morning to find feedback already in my inbox! I felt very prepared for my interviews based on his input and feedback. I would highly recommend David and the Menlo team to anyone looking for the best in the business.

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I worked with David and the rest of the Menlo Coaching team to apply to all M7 programs in an extremely competitive application cycle. David went above and beyond to challenge and help me clarify my career goals, and communicate them through various essay formats (e.g., video, free form HBS, etc.). We iterated on each essay over 10 times until it was flawless, and all the hard work paid off: I was invited to interview at 5 out of the top 7 programs.

During these iterations, I sometimes made suggestions based on advice from friends or colleagues. Menlo always had the courage to push back on anything they thought wouldn’t work, and to explain why, rather than just rubber stamping anything just to get me out of their hair. We sometimes spent hours discussing seemingly minor details and it was clear they were committed to producing the 100% best work product, as well as making me totally comfortable that every angle had been covered by explaining the reasons behind their suggestions. David also pushed me firmly to maximize my GMAT, which was a part of my success.

These conversations ended up turning up a lot of great material for my application that I never thought would be important, like side hustles that I’d pursued during college (that demonstrated my habit of entrepreneurship), or digging into the details of conversations I had with colleagues to find the “hook” that would capture the reader’s attention.

David and the Menlo team’s support didn’t stop there. Most interviews are won/ lost in preparation – and Menlo conducted numerous mock interviews tailored to the various interview styles (e.g., team-based, behavioral, open-ended conversational, etc.). I even had a one on one session with a professional actor to better develop my communication skills. I ended up getting admitted to HBS (my top choice), along with a few other programs with scholarships. David and the Menlo team were foundational to my success.

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I began working with Menlo Coaching during my spring semester of my senior year of college after I completed the GMAT twice during the fall semester of my senior year (receiving a 710 at first and then increasing it to a 730). As a senior in college I was applying for deferred MBA programs. I spoke with a few groups but Menlo Coaching seemed to offer the most tailored approach, with proven results, and additional services like an acting coach for interview prep. I got to work with David for my application. He was extremely focused on my application and prompt with his feedback, and was very kind even when the stresses of the application process and school got the best of me during some meetings. I had assistance with every step of the process, overseen by David but also assisted by various others who were experts at different parts of the application such as long essays, group interview, scenario based interview, etc.. I applied to Columbia, Wharton, MIT Sloan, and HBS through Menlo, receiving niche feedback for each school. I was offered interviews for all 4 schools, and was accepted into Columbia, Wharton, and MIT Sloan, obviously in thanks to Menlo Coaching.

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I reached out to David and his team as I was preparing for my business school interviews. Given that I was a deferred / "2+2" applicant, I was pretty unsure of what adcoms would be looking for. I had 5 interviews total. Though I had a below average GPA, was an ORM, and came from an over represented professional background (banking), I was ultimately accepted to Wharton, Sloan, Booth, and CBS. I am waiting to hear back from Kellogg.

David and Obinna were integral in helping me ace my interviews. I had 3 interviews one consecutive days, and after having what I thought was a terrible Wharton interview (which was also my top choice school), I was incredibly discouraged. However, David and Obinna's support after I debrief them on the interview allowed me to focus and ace my following 2 interviews that week.

The Menlo team took an extremely meticulous and personalized approach, and they went as far as hiring a speech/acting coach to help me be 1000% ready for my interviews, both in content and presentation. Sloan asked for an additional essay after I was invited for an interview, and though I did not purchase essay editing services, David offered to go over/edit my essay for me. His willingness to help and extremely fast responses (he usually got back to me within 12 hours, and always within 24 hours) are testaments to the investment and care that he puts into each of his clients.

I plan on reapplying in 4 years to HBS and GSB, and I will certainly be purchasing the comprehensive package (early birds package). David and I also reviewed my applications post acceptance decisions to identify strengths and weakness so that I'll be most prepared for future applications, and the advice he gave me was extremely pointed and thoughtful.

I have no doubt that the Menlo team was integral in helping me gain acceptance to 4 of the M7 schools!!!!!

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I worked with David exclusively in R2. David is extremely knowledgable about MBA application from school selection to scholarship negotiation. I was successfully admitted to two M7 schools with scholarship.

I strongly recommend to work with David, because he doesn't use a cookie cutter approach for everybody, instead, he helped me craft a unique and compelling story. I come from a very untradtiional background with low GPA and average GMAT. He still managed to help me create a very strong application.

David is very resourceful. He has sent students to almost every top MBA school in the world and kept in touch with most of them (this tells how satisfied we are wth his services!). I had a last minute school-specific question when I was working on an application, he reached out to one of his students at that school and answered my questions.

If you come from an untradtionanl background or have less impressive stats, David will discover your most unique story/strength and help you create a strong application package.

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tl:dr I was accepted at 3 T20 FTMBA programs (with money at 2), waitlisted at 2, and will be attending my dream school in the fall.

In my search for an admissions consultant, it was important to me that the reviews I read through were genuine and authentic. Though there isn’t a secret sauce to identifying these, key characteristics immediately jumped out for David’s reviews: long, detailed reviews that couldn’t have been completed in a minute; the human side of David that every single person raved about; and, reviewers specifically talking about the enjoyment of the process (and NOT, just the prestige of the admit results). But in actually working with David, I realized a few other things.

1. Full service nature - Because David and his team are with you from the moment you begin working with them until your last scholarship negotiation, you can take comfort in the fact that he is just as invested in seeing you succeed as much as you want to. And because he’s with you every step of your application journey, you can rest assured that there will be few, if any, stones unturned that will ensure who you are as an applicant is fully displayed to its potential. Because of Menlo’s expertise and resources, I was never having to second guess the comments and feedback that I received. And any qualms you can take off of your mind during this process are so vital and important.

2. Timely and thorough feedback - Because there are so many different parts to a successfully admitted application (and interview process), having to complete all of the tasks could seem overwhelming. But knowing that I didn’t have to wait many days for turnaround really put me at ease as I continued to work through. And when there were assignments I was apprehensive about doing or didn’t quite know how to approach, I simply sought out advice from David, and he’d respond in a very simple to understand way that made the task at hand far less daunting.

3. # of clients/1:1 relationship - Because David doesn’t continue to take on client after client after client just for the money grab, the attentiveness that is shown to you really shines through (as exemplified in the two prior points). It goes further than that though. There was a calmness within me whenever I interacted with David, knowing that he wasn’t taking in more clients than he could handle, thus, having less time for me, thus making me stress out even more about the application process. None of that. That to me, is one of the most important differentiators when you’re looking for an admissions consultant.

One regret that I have? Not working with David sooner. Having done so probably would have helped my long-term health in not having had to stress as much as I had beforehand.

Stop your search, and just schedule that initial consultation. Trust me.

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David and his team at Menlo Coaching were instrumental in helping me get into Wharton & CBS despite the limited preparation time (started in Q3 without a first attempt at GMAT). David quickly demystified the entire process and highlighted what really mattered to the adcom team at the different schools. This allowed me to focus my time and energy on the aspects that maximized my chance of admission. What I really appreciated are:

1)100% focused on you: Starting from the initial chat, David had a genuine interest in my background and helped me identify the qualities that differentiate me from other applicants. He made sure that every part of my application was highly relevant and presented an angle of me that altogether contributed to the strongest possible application that I could have.

2) Never settle for less: There were times when I felt that I presented a well drafted essay, but David came back with more questions, probing deeper and deeper for my story. It was definitely a good introspective process. I could see how my drafts got more powerful and yet authentic each time.

3)Timeliness: I really appreciate the quick turnaround and knew that I could always rely on David.

Knowing my career goals, David has also connected me with a few people in the industry that I am interested in.

David is a remarkable MBA coach and I strongly recommend Menlo Coaching to anyone who is navigating the MBA application process.

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The last 12 months were a whirlwind: getting promoted, application essays, interviewing at ALL dual MS/MBA programs I applied to, navigating waitlists, and securing (deferred) enrollment at a top choice. David simultaneously was the subject matter expert, coach, project manager, and supporter that ensured I got the best possible outcome from my applications. David and the Menlo Coaching team were absolutely worth the price for me, with the biggest value from:

Time saved and well-spent; knowing the limited amount of time I could spend in a given week on applications was absolutely focused on the most impactful improvements. In the middle of working on applications, a family illness caused me to have to take 4x unplanned roundtrips across the country. Additionally, I was working toward a promotion at my job and didn’t have much time to spare. David and the team’s working arrangement with clients saved me; I was able to work on my essays ~1-2 hours a day and return the next day with the clear to-do list of edits or rewrites. Being able to sit down after a long day of work and have clear action items was a huge time and stress saver. Looking back, I’m incredibly grateful I was able to fulfill my family obligations, secure the promotion, and successfully apply to graduate programs; David enabled that to happen and that was more than worth the price (and objectively, Menlo’s fee was covered and more by the raise I got with the promo).

100% peace of mind that I submitted the strongest application I could: I applied to dual degree programs at the three most selective U.S. business schools. David’s expertise, particularly with my background as a software engineer, was well utilized as he was able to identify parts of my application that needed to be clarified or repositioned, depending on whether that section was to be read by an MBA adcom or the MS adcom. I was initially wary of consultants, as it was incredibly important that the essays were 100% my own; I ended up thrilled that with David, I got constructive, clear and prompt feedback on my essays but given the space to rewrite and fix in my own voice. I knew I had a decent profile with a few rough edges, but would benefit greatly from hands-on essay guidance and the result was excellent essays that I was proud of.

Guidance and coaching: throughout the process, David provided encouragement and context around the different nuances of admission. This was particularly valuable in this admissions season, as COVID-19 caused schools to rapidly adapt and change; David’s calm voice, advice, and network provided clarity as I navigated the waitlists and deferral options.

I absolutely recommend David and the team – they were a huge part of my success and sanity over the last year, and the results are undeniable.

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I was accepted to Wharton, Stern (with full scholarship), and Ross (with $$). David helped make my MBA admission dreams come true!

Looking back to when I was first researching MBA consultants, I was hesitant about the price, but I KNOW now that David and Menlo Coaching were worth every penny. He exceeded my expectations as an MBA coach. Not only did he provide the services that I expected (with recommendations, essays, interviewing, etc.), but he helped me beyond what I was paying for. David helped me develop a very sensitive, personal story (that I have only shared with a handful of people including David) into essays that I am still proud of and gave me guidance with multiple, unexpected issues that came up at my job, including one that I was concerned would affect my MBA candidacy. He gave me the advice I needed to handle these problems at work and still produce the best applications with great results!

I believe in David and Menlo’s work and have been referring David to my friends and co-workers who are thinking about going to business school. One of my best friends is currently working with him now.

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