ApplicantLab Admissions Consulting Reviews

What a great product! I think any applicant needs it to succeed in their MBA journey. Like many, I believe conventional admission consultants are rip-offs...pay over $1k to get one or two applications wrapped up when you're often applying to more than four in any given round. ApplicantLab does a masterful job of giving you all the content you need to succeed in one place all at a very reasonable price point. The write-up on individual programs allowed me to tailor applications to show I truly familiarized myself with the program. In addition, that familiarization allowed me to hit the ground running for interview prep, so I could show interviewers that I did my work. Also, Carin's "down to earth" demeanor let me know that I was getting the real scoop on what these programs look for and how they differentiate from peer competitors. I would recommend this product to anybody who needs a little help in their application journey...don't waste your money on conventional admission consultants! This is what you need!

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Great advice at insanely low prices. I used Applicant lab for my business school applications this year. I applied to HBS, Wharton, CBS, Kellogg, Booth, and Ross and received interview offers from CBS, Booth, Kellogg, and Ross with final admits from CBS, Kellogg, and Ross. Applicant Lab proved extremely helpful throughout the process. It is even more useful for internationals like me as paying for expensive consultants in USD is not feasible considering the weak value of my nation's currency. Also, Maria makes the process fun. Caught myself laughing hard at her amusing analogies. Can't recommend enough, go give it a try!

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One of the most glaring issues with Applicant Lab is its founder, Maria. While she may present herself as an expert in the field of admissions, her approach to the product feels more like a marketing tool than a legitimate educational resource. Her focus on selling the product and promoting her personal brand overshadows any real value that the program might offer.

Beyond the lackluster leadership, the content of Applicant Lab leaves much to be desired. The information presented is often shallow and lacks the depth necessary to truly help students succeed in the competitive world of admissions. Furthermore, the program's interface is clunky and difficult to navigate, leaving users frustrated and disengaged.

In the end, it is clear that Applicant Lab is not the solution that students and families need for successful college and graduate school admissions. Its founder's focus on self-promotion and shallow content do little to actually help applicants stand out in the crowded field of candidates. For those serious about achieving their academic goals, it is best to look elsewhere for guidance.

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ApplicantLab subscription was very cost effective strategy for me to apply for EMBA program. It guides you very systematically on what is needed for application snd how to approach each section methodically. I used templates provided specially resume. Maria’s recorded video on youtube about resume writing and setting goal was very helpful to me. That was enough for me to write essays. English is my third langugae hence used Wordtune to restructure essays and that was enough for me to get admitted to Kellogg, Ross, and Duke. I highly recoomrnd ApplicantLab to anybody. I decided to accept offer from Kellogg.

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Almost everything is great - the affordable price point, the structured approach to shape your story, why mba and the school specific advice is amazingly detailed.
Maria and her team have created an amazing product! I would highly recommend applicant lab to anyone serious about their MBA aspirations. Out of the 7 schools (selection of M7 + LBS + Yale) I applied to I was admitted to 5!
I would also recommend the Sanity check and Essay review services with Carin - the best bang for your buck you will get anywhere in the MBA admissions process.
ApplicantLab is robust aend to end product for your MBA admissions needs - dont pay ridiculous amounts for an admissions consultant please!
Thank you to Maria, Carin and team!

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I was skeptical of online admission consulting services because I didn't know how they could customize for my case and was concerned about the amount and details of guidance they could offer (number of schools, school selection, resume, essay, interview, etc.). Literally, I was CLUELESS about MBA applications except for the GMAT. Also, I knew I couldn't afford a traditional consultant who would charge.

*BUT* Maria and Applicant Lab team broke all those barriers and assumptions. With Applicant Lab:

1/ I could select as many schools as I want. Applicant Lab doesn't charge per school but ~$300 for all schools and still offers end-to-end services. (I mean EVERYTHING!).

2/ Maria provides DETAILED guidance customized for each school. She analyzes the essay prompts and compares them with previous versions to figure out AdCom's intention behind the essays. She also provides sample writing to inspire you. You can't go wrong with her advice. I really love the sample essay she wrote for Haas, and always take it as a standard for my essays.

3/ Maria saves you tons of time and effort to be spent on school research (school's phylosophies/ academic offerings/ clubs etc.) by consolidating the URLs to each component in one page. Just click the link and you'll get to where you need to be. In case you're too busy to watch the videos, you can also read a summary, which is super helpful).

4/ Bonus points: Her enthusiasm, positivity, and effective communication make it fun to watch the videos, and they inadvertently became a source of stress alleviation for me. I was super stressed out but I knew I could turn to Maria's advice when I needed it.

Even if they charged 10x more, it's still worth it. I am absolutely in love with the Applicant Lab and cannot recommend it enough to my friends who are considering pursuing an MBA. *Trust me! Maria is the consultant of consultants*

All in all, VERY CHEAP PRICE FOR THE BEST ADVICE!!
Sign up NOW, folks!!!!

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Maria has distilled years of experience into this wonderful easy to use product and that an extremely affordable price (think of it as the cost of applying to one additional BSchool).

The content is thought through in detail and pre-emptively answers most of the questions that might come to mind during the process. The best part is even if some question comes up you can reach out to Maria and she always responds. Advice from a top-tier admissions consultant at the cost of a B School application could it get better?

Applicant lab guides you through all components of the application and the part I like best is that you have advice for each essay of top B Schools and also an outline to help you structure your essays in a way that would be most impactful.

I cannot recommend this service enough and even if you are working with another consultant at this price point you can just buy this to sanity check your consultant's advice and even if not that I am sure there will be something new you will learn about the process from Maria.

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When I was in early days of applying to schools, I reached out to a friend at GSB who shared, "if I can give you one piece of advice, it would be to get ApplicantLab". Boy, am I grateful for that advice.

ApplicantLab had answers to all my questions, plus questions I didn't even think to ask. The videos are incredibly detailed and customized to each school (e.g., "these are the traits X school looks for, and here are effective examples of how you could demonstrate Y traits"). The Lab also shared common mistakes among applicants-- many of which I likely would have made had I not watched the videos. The lab is so detailed that it even goes into application forms, thank you notes, etc. To put simply, this is quite literally a one-stop-shop for all the information you need.

Beyond that, Maria brings levity into what otherwise could be a very stressful process. I never thought I would laugh out loud while strategizing about my application story. While this may seem minor, it helped me proactively put together my applications while enjoying the process.

I hired Maria for an HBS mock interview, and I'm pretty sure it made the difference in my admission decision. Not only did she predict most of the questions, she spend hours (!!) helping me think through how to tell complex stories in punchy, easy-to-understand ways. I am so grateful for her willingness to run multiple hours over with me (rather than, say, making me pay for another appointment). It was clear she was committed to helping me put my best foot forward.

Fast forward to today, I was admitted to HBS, Wharton ($$), Booth ($$$$) and Sloan ($). And I have ApplicantLab to thank for these options.

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Review product strengths text: - Very very cheap (as compared with other consultants) - Provides great structure for the application process - Provides a distillation of the "best-of" applicant advice

Review product recommendations text: - Stories module is sometimes confusing (it is unclear at what level a story should be, esp. when one specific story may have multiple parts) and it could be clearer on how to translate these into stories within the essays - More real sample essays, resumes, etc. could be helpful! - UX sometime confusing within the modules (advice is sometimes formatted differently)

Review text: Applicant Lab provides a fabulous service! for the cost of

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ApplicantLab far exceeded my expectations of what I assumed it would offer. I expected to have at least all the general recommendations for applications to be compiled in a single source for ease of reference. However, I found that Maria's in-depth videos, school-specific recommendations, and novel story-based prep system gave me far more insight on deep specifics. If you can think of an obscure dual-degree program, she probably has a well-reasoned 30min video of advice on it. ApplicantLab gave me the "secret sauce" or inside baseball tips that aren't publicly available and make all the difference.

I have and will continue to recommend ApplicantLab to anyone who wants to get consultant-level advice for an incredibly reasonable price.

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