MBAPrepSchool Admissions Consulting Reviews

If you are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work with Chris Aitken during your MBA application process, I unequivocally and wholeheartedly recommend you do so. Working with Chris was one of the most transformational experiences I've gone through thus far in my life. Not only did our time together end in my eventual acceptance to my dream school, Stanford, but also I've emerged the other end more confident, more directed in my career, and better equipped to take full advantage of the opportunities that will be available to me when I matriculate this fall.

I reached out to Chris in February as a hopeful Round 1 applicant. At that point, I had yet to take the GMAT and was only a few years out of college. I was also well aware that, as someone with no GMAT score to benchmark from, vaguely defined career goals, limited work experience, and relatively lackluster post-college extracurricular activities, my dream of attending Stanford rightfully seemed preposterous. And that is exactly what many other consultants told me.

But not Chris. While he was always realistic about my chances and never gave me false hope, when I told him I believed I could achieve this, at no point did he doubt or discourage me. Even come July when I started questioning my candidacy, Chris supported me not with lofty words, but with practical, insightful advice that helped me grow and gain the confidence I needed to continue forward.

Chris is the kind of consultant who truly cares about the individuals he works with. Yes, he has all the qualities that may seem obvious to look for -- he never worries about the amount of time you spend working together, turns around strategic guidance and essay suggestions inconceivably fast, and truly knows how to help you craft your best application while remaining true to your unique voice and story. But Chris is so much more than just a consultant. He is a true friend who continues to give me guidance long after my Stanford deposit has been submitted. He sends me articles that he thinks I will find interesting, invites me to lunch when I'm in town, and continues to give his insightful perspective into my career choices. He is truly invested in the outcome of my life, and not just my applications. I feel fortunate to have him in my corner.

For those of you just beginning the MBA application process, I am jealous of the transformational journey you have ahead. I sincerely believe that Chris Aitken and the MBA Prep School team are the best possible people to take that journey with. They not only helped me reach my MBA goals, but also helped me unlock my true potential. I am forever grateful for their support and cannot recommend them enough.

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After an initial tough round applying to an MBA, I am grateful to have had Esther and Faisal as my advisors the second time around. Esther has been invaluable in helping me find my voice within my applications and be a better storyteller within my interviews. All the while Faisal consistently encouraged and supported me throughout process as he meticulously polished every aspect of my application. I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience and have gained invaluable skills that I will continue to use throughout my career. I am happy to say I will be attending one of my top choices this fall!

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Nothing but good vibes and kudos for Chris Aitken. I applied to 4 schools, was accepted into 2, and ultimately selected MIT Sloan because of the school’s strength in tech and entrepreneurship. A year ago, the mere thought of getting accepted into a “Top 5” was a pipe dream and yet here I am. Chris was absolutely instrumental in my application process – no doubt I wouldn’t have had such success without his coaching.

I was referred to Chris through my work colleague who had been worked with him and was accepted into a couple of top business schools the previous year. Before enlisting with Team Chris, I held a few introductory calls with other b-school consultants. From my initial calls, it was evident that Chris had just the right amount of realism and idealism. I felt that this approach really fit me. I never liked hearing that I could “do anything” but also didn’t appreciate people who saw me as anything less.

I started working with Chris in August 2014 and since I intended on applying Round 1, I was already fairly late to the process. For folks with busy work schedules, hiring Chris is a must. The cost of a great consultant / coach such as Chris more than outweighs the amount of time saved trying to figure everything out on your own. Although I was late to the process, Chris created a work plan for me and led me through the vast online resources at MBA Prep. We did a ton of brainstorming and planning upfront, which paid off big time down the road. Chris challenged me to think critically about my story and helped me put my best foot forward for each application. Although I have a fairly traditional background (banking/PE), he helped me discover many “hidden gems” that I didn’t even know existed. Throughout the entire process, Chris was very engaged, hands-on, and detail-oriented. Chris genuinely cared to see through my success.

The application process is brutal and time-consuming but with the right coaching and advice, it can be strangely insightful. In many ways, the process acts as a professional “life check.” Looking back, I would say the numerous hours of conversations I’ve had with Chris helped me truly understand what I wanted to do with my career. I consider Chris to be a good friend and life coach. I’ve been fortunate to work with him and would absolutely recommend his coaching.

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Where do I even begin? Let's start here: I'm going to HBS in the fall and Tyler Cormney played an integral role in making that dream happen. He is professional, personable and, as they might say in Boston, wicked smaht. It's possible my experiences with Boston thus far have been limited to my HBS interview and watching Good Will Hunting, but I digress.

Tyler is uniquely qualified within the admissions consulting world because he has both a Harvard MBA and a Master's in Professional Writing from USC. This means he has the business acumen to understand your experience and recognize which parts of your background are truly differentiating factors, and the writing chops to craft your story and make your essays really sing.

I was initially torn on whether or not to even hire an admissions consultant for my application process. The service seemed to be overpriced, and many of the consultants I screened before Tyler did nothing to convince me otherwise. Once I got on the phone with Tyler, my opinion changed completely. Based only on a small handful of biographical questions, Tyler was able to connect several seemingly disparate parts of my background and tie them all together into a coherent and powerful story. This type of brilliance became commonplace over the six months Tyler and I worked together.

Tyler is also remarkably patient and calm - two qualities that come in especially handy when dealing with nervous business school applicants. After submitting the applications for my top two schools, I was completely buried at work and had to put the rest of my applications on hold. I eventually found myself in the unenviable position of needing to put together an entire application, from scratch, in less than two weeks. When I got back in touch with Tyler, he told me not to worry and sent me a few ideas he had been working on while I had been away. I spent the next several days trying to execute on the themes we had discussed, but just couldn't get the application materials where we wanted them. At this point, we had less than a week before the deadline. It would have been so, so easy for Tyler to either a) throw up his hands and say the materials were good enough, or b) push that application back to round 2. Instead, he buckled down with me, shortened his turnaround times for new drafts, and helped me polish the materials all the way up until the application deadline. I was accepted to this top 5 program as well.

I honestly can't recommend Tyler Cormney enough. He is the best investment I have ever made, and I consider him a good friend.

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I was referred to Tyler Cormney from a friend, and am grateful for his recommendation. I could not have selected a better admissions consultant on my own. Tyler combines a structured framework and invaluable insights throughout the entire process. Most importantly, Tyler helped me to build a personal brand, one that I could articulate both on paper and in my interviews.

Through Tyler, I developed skills that not only allowed me to get in to a top-10 business school, but abilities that I can rely on when interviewing for the competitive internships and full-time positions that I will seek as a part of my program.

Tyler Cormney is well worth your investment, one that will likely pay off immediately. I received multiple merit scholarships, and gained admission to my first choice school.

Don't wait to hire Tyler, I was one of his last clients to sign up and would certainly have regretted missing the opportunity to work with him. I plan to personally refer him to any applicants I know in the future.

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Over the past year, Tyler has been more than just a MBA consultant. He has been a friend, mentor, and life coach and I absolutely could not have navigated the daunting application process without his help. Tyler has a unique approach that pushes applicants to discover their strengths and areas of improvement and he was absolutely instrumental every step of the way. From building my brand, to developing my career goals, to ultimately crafting my application story, Tyler never stopped pushing me to reach beyond my limits.

For busy professionals, hiring Tyler is a no-brainer. I could always count on him to turn around drafts quickly and thoroughly and he was extremely accommodating around my crazy work schedule.

I highly recommend Tyler. He is the reason I was accepted into Harvard Business School and awarded a full merit scholarship at Chicago Booth and I can honestly say I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for his help and guidance. Do yourself a favor and make the investment today.

- HBS Class of 2017

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Business school was the best decision I made in my life, and I know I could not have gone through the application process without Faisal Khan and Esther Choy. Not only did they teach me about the schools I was applying to, but they taught be a great deal about myself and how to portray myself in the best light. I learned how to tell the right stories in the right way, and this "story-telling" was integral to not only the admissions process, but also to the rest of my life." After school, I will be working as a management consultant, and I know I will use the skills I learned from Esther and Faisal, as well as the MBA degree that they helped me achieve. I highly recommend working with them. Oh, and they're awesome people too!

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Summary: Hire MBA Prep School and Tyler Cormney for personalized professional execution and a significant ROI.

Detail: I came across MBA Prep School and Tyler Cormney after reading Tyler's (and MBA Prep School co-founder Chris Aitken's) book "How to Apply for an MBA." In the least, I recommend buying the book and following the process. However, I also strongly suggest purchasing the services of MBA Prep School. Once you read the book, you will have a strong process/framework in mind, but by purchasing the services, you are able to focus purely on execution. Also, having Tyler's / MBA Prep School's personalized feedback on your hard work is crucial in taking your application to the next level.

On an individual level, Tyler is an extremely great coach. He puts in a ton of hours in order to stay on the customized schedules of his clients and to help them achieve perfect execution. His approach is direct and honest. He will help you sit down, self-reflect, and peel back the onion on your life and career experiences, and then help you highlight the most pertinent ones. That's the key to a good application. Most importantly, everything is always genuinely you; he just helps you make your application top-tier.

I strongly recommend MBA Prep School and I strongly recommend working with Tyler Cormney.

Results: I got into three of the four schools to which I applied. Two of those are ranked in the top 12. I received invitations to interview at all four. In addition to that, I earned significant scholarships (including one full-ride) at my schools. Paying a few thousand dollars to get over 15x back in scholarship is what Tyler and MBA Prep School can help you achieve, not just getting admitted.

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After working with Lorraine at MBA Prep on my Harvard and Stanford applications this past fall, I was admitted to both schools round one, and I truly believe that success stemmed from my work with Lorraine. I have to admit, I was very skeptical about the concept of a consultant at the beginning of the business school process, but looking back, working with Lorraine was incredibly helpful and absolutely worth the time and investment. I come from a traditional background (consulting/finance), but received mixed messages from my introductory calls with a few different consulting firms about my chances to get into one of my top two schools. I ended up choosing Lorraine because from the very beginning, she was intelligent about the application process and the various business schools, she always asked the right questions, she was honest about the good and the bad, and she was invested not only in my application process but also in me as person.

During our time together, Lorraine was incredibly helpful throughout the planning/brainstorming, writing, and interview prep phases of the application process. Lorraine was very hands on and very engaged from her consultant seat, and that stems from the fact that she was genuinely interested in helping me position myself in the best way possible for success. I found Lorraine to be incredibly flexible and forgiving of unpredictable work schedules, and she was willing to work with shorter deadlines if it would help my application. Lorraine was also very patient—she was a great listener and always willing to put my needs first throughout this time consuming process, and I found this to help alleviate stress. Lorraine was also very knowledgeable on a wide range of topics thanks to her diverse career experience. This was one of the more helpful aspects of working with Lorraine—she helped tease out and think through exactly what I wanted to pursue career wise in life and more importantly, why. Lorraine was also willing to go above and beyond traditional consultant services—I would constantly get emails from Lorraine with articles on leaders in my career field of interest, industry studies that were relevant to my career goals, or blog posts about the schools I was applying to.

I felt like I had a fair critic, friend, and mentor with me along the way for every step of the application process, and I could not recommend Lorraine any more highly.

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I found MBA Prep School to be an excellent resource and thought it was well worth the monthly fee. I stumbled on the website/service through a series of positive reviews about their one on one consulting service and decided to give it a try. Although I would have liked to take advantage of individual consulting, I found using the videos to be the next best thing. They were completely practical, to the point, and they told me exactly how to approach the process so that I could generate the best application that represents me. I was really impressed by how well they de-constructed the process and explained what schools are really looking for in an actionable format - they cut through the “we want to get to know you” statements that ad coms put out and explained what they really are looking for. The examples that are given in the videos are extremely useful because they made the concepts concrete and demonstrated what a really, really good example would sound like in terms of tone and level of sophistication. Every example was so impressive and it challenged me to come up with the best possible way to present my own story.

I also made use of the various templates and example documents as models. The template resume was extremely useful. I wound up using exactly that format and just plugged my information into it. It really helped as I was trying to boil down a 7-page CV into a one page MBA resume.

In the end I was accepted to my fist choice business school (Wharton). It was 100% worth the monthly fee (and I subscribed for 3 months).

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