Personal MBA Coach Admissions Consulting Reviews

I worked with Scott this past year on both my Round 1 and Round 2 applications for business school. Scott and I met early on in the process and he helped me frame my story for why I wanted to go to business school and what I would contribute. Throughout the process, Scott helped me construct my broader pitch, refine my essays, and prepare for interviews.

I found Scott to be valuable across all three of these dimensions. His ability to offer constructive, candid feedback is a great asset and not something you will get at all admissions services. In particular, I would recommend Scott's ability to coach through interviews. His practice interviews prepared me very well for the actual ones, with the questions often being virtually identical. He was even able to help me practice group interviews in a way that facilitated improvement.

Overall, I would wholeheartedly recommend Scott. Working with him took a lot of stress out of the process and certainly improved my chances in what is often an uncertain admissions process.

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I searched around on the internet for weeks and used introductory consultations from more than 5 different admissions consulting services prior to selecting Scott of Personal MBA Coach to assist me on an hourly basis with my applications. My only regret was that I chose to use Scott for just a couple of hours for each of my applications rather than purchasing more extensive packages for each school.

In addition to Scott's impressive background as an MIT and Wharton graduate and his extensive track record of success in assisting MBA applicants to get accepted to their target schools, there are a few aspects of Scott's Personal MBA Coach services that I believe really separate him from most MBA consulting services:

1. Rather than provide me with cookie cutter advice and examples, Scott made a true effort to get to know me on a personal level first. Once he really knew me, he then helped me decide which of my features and accomplishments would be the best to focus on in essays and applications.

2. Scott works around the clock and made every effort to work with me whenever was best for my schedule. This flexibility ranged from calls at 7 and 8 in the morning prior to work to help me develop my essay strategies to 10 pm on a Friday to conduct a mock interview for my interview the following week. Despite his busy schedule, Scott did a great job of meeting whenever was best for me and typically found time within just 24 hours of my request. This was invaluable when applying to multiple schools within tight deadlines.

3. Scott's advice was always honest and intended to help me create the best applications possible rather than to increase the number of hours I would require him (and in turn his own pay). Scott never pressured me to use him/pay him more and simply explained what he could do in the time that I purchased from him and what he thought was the most efficient use of his time. He worked super efficiently in the time I purchased from him.

Overall, I was extremely satisfied with the service that Scott of Personal MBA Coach provided me and am very excited to attend Darden in the fall because of Scott.

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Scott, the founder of Personal MBA Coach, was an amazing coach throughout every step of the application process. We began working together far in advance of the round 1 application deadlines, with gradual ramp up in exercises, reviews, and conversations throughout 2016. Scott provided the perfect balance of cautious optimism and realness, keeping me grounded after big events (like the GMAT) but confident in times of need (interviews, school visits, etc.). His feedback was incredibly helpful and always specific and detailed. I felt very comfortable relying on Scott not only for application specific questions, but also for school, career, and general life questions! One of us his greatest skills is the ability to pull details from applications and help mold them into inspiring stories. Most importantly, Scott allows each applicant to lead the process, for at the end of the day it is the applicants voice that must be heard above all else. I had lofty goals when I began my journey, needing a significant increase in GMAT score and a bit of luck on my side to be admitted to a top 10 school. Well, with Scott’s guidance, I was admitted to three, all of which offered me very strong merit based awards. I chose my dream school, U Chicago Booth. I would absolutely recommend Scott to anyone who is open to feedback and change, and willing to work hard to earn a ticket to a top school.

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I hired Scott (Personal MBA Coach) to help me prep for my MIT Sloan Round 1 interview. I was a bit skeptical as to what an MBA admissions consultant could offer in terms of practical advice, but I was definitely pleasantly surprised with the service. Before our meeting, Scott sent me a number of materials detailing common interview questions and strategies for how to approach answering them. We exchanged a number of emails and phone calls back and forth before our meeting, and he was very available/approachable with anything I needed.

Scott came to my office to conduct a practice interview with me – which in retrospect is probably the best decision I made throughout the entire MBA recruiting process. The entire process was incredibly professional, and honestly felt like a real interview. After the interview we had a feedback session, and then the next day Scott sent me a detailed email with strengths and areas for improvement from our mock interview.

When I walked into my actual interview at Sloan, I felt incredibly prepared and confident. I knew my story, had prepped answers to all the possible questions I could get, and it felt almost like déjà vu hearing the admissions officer ask the same questions Scott had asked me a week prior.

If you’re on the fence about hiring an admissions consultant to give you a mock b-school interview, I would say go for it. In the long-run, it’s a drop in the bucket – but it can be the one thing that makes or breaks your interview – and in turn your admission to a top program.

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I can highly recommend Scott for his interview prep. I only applied to one business school, so wanted to make sure everything would go well in the interview. Scott did an awesome job in prepping me for it. He took great time and care to go through all my submitted application documents in order to be prepared for our mock interview. He provided many insightful comments on how I should rather phrase my answers, which aspects I should emphasize and which aspects I just rather de-prioritize.
Also it felt like a real interview and was simply a great mock-up.
What I found even more helpful were his comments on the post-interview submission. As I only had 24 hours to submit the reflection on my interview, it was great to get Scott's opinion on how I should write the reflection and how to re-frame some answers from the interview.

Overall, Scott played a significant part in my admission and I would highly recommend him to anyone who doesnt fell 100% confident about the interview!

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At the start of my MBA journey, I had never written an essay, did not know what leadership experience was and could not think of anything that distinguished me from the thousands of other well-qualified candidates. Thanks to Scott Edinburgh as my Personal MBA Coach, I was not only admitted to all 5 top 15 programs I applied to, but was also awarded scholarships totalling over $200k.

Navigating the MBA admissions process is a major project in itself. Luckily there are rockstars like Scott Edinburgh who make the entire process so much easier. Being an international applicant with an unconventional background, I had no idea how to craft a powerful narrative to tell admission officers my story (when starting out, I did not even fully know what my story actually was).

Scott broke the entire process down in easy-to-understand components and tackled them with me one by one. As you will discover when working with him, his thorougness and attention-to-detail is second to none. As a result, he unconvered several great topics I had too readily discarded and helped me turn them into outstanding essays.

When I then showed him my first essay drafts, Scott did his job - and ripped them apart! Imagine Scott as a tough coach: he will be relentless in pushing yourself to your limits and beyond. You may wish that he'd be easier on you, but once you are smiling from the top of the podium, you know how valuable his input was.

To be perfectly clear: the above is in no way to say that Scott is a mean guy - the complete opposite is true. Scott is with you every step of the way offering plenty of encouragement. He genuinely cares about your success. Despite a substantial time difference, Scott was always available to answer my questions, even on very short notice if necessary.

However, Scott's work did not stop once I received the good news that I was admitted. He acted as a sounding board, helped me weigh my options and also assisted me in drafting a letter to the admissions office that ultimately got me additional scholarship money!

If your goal is to get in a top MBA program and you want customized and personalized support at a very fair price, look no further - Personal MBA Coach Scott Edinburgh is the guy for you.

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Admissions consultants are not cheap - they're a big investment. Like many people, I did a bunch of free consultations with "big name" firms. Many of them sounded great, but it was impossible to know who exactly I would actually be working with and what their track record for success had been in the past. I wanted someone whom I could speak with and evaluate before I shelled out thousands of dollars. I decided to work with Scott, and it was the best decision I made throughout the entire process.

Scott is everything he advertises: timely, responsive, honest, incredibly hardworking, thoughtful, and efficient. When he says he'll get you edits in 48 hours, he means it. He's also almost always on call despite his hectic schedule. I sent him countless emails with quick random questions, and he almost always responded within an hour or two. He worked with my schedule and accommodated calls whenever I asked.

Scott was an enormous asset throughout the entire process. He helped me affirm my school selections, think through my career goals, evaluate and play to my strengths, hide my weaknesses, select my recommenders, and truly match my resume to the interests of my top schools. I consider myself a pretty good writer, but Scott tore my essays up regularly. He made them much, much better every time, without compromising what I wanted to say. He also works incredibly hard to build relationships at the top schools, which gives him amazing insight into what they look for and how to prioritize time on the applications.

With Scott's help, I got into my top choice, Northwestern-Kellogg. Without a doubt, Scott was a big reason why. Money well spent.

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Do you want to get into a top MBA program? If so, you should work with Scott (Personal MBA Coach).

I tried applying to schools on my own first. Despite an extremely high GMAT score and good work experience I only got two interviews, and I struck out at all 6 places I applied. I didn't even get waitlisted anywhere.

For my second year of applications, I decided to get help. After talking to multiple consultants and feeling less than thrilled about their pitches (most were obviously just after my money) I talked to Scott. He was more engaged than anyone else, and most importantly he seemed to genuinely want to help me.

Long story short, I ended up getting interviews at 4 of 5 places Scott helped me apply to. I was accepted at two schools (one with a decent scholarship), and waitlisted at one. I also tried applying to one additional school on my own and did not even get an interview. This means that out of 12 schools, I was only admitted to those Scott helped me apply to, and Scott was involved in getting 4 of 6 interviews. Note that since he only helped me apply to 5 places I got interviews 80% of the time with him and 28% of the time on my own.

My last comment is about what you should and should not expect from Scott. He is not a magic genie who will instantly grant acceptance to your top school. He will not write anything for you. He will not tell you what you want to do in the future. What Scott will do is relentlessly critique your essays. He will push you HARD to fully distill what you are trying to say, and he will pull no punches while doing it. If you are six drafts into your essay and it just isn't there, he will tell you that you need to start over. At times it will suck, but as long as you continue to push yourself Scott will help unearth the best version of yourself in your final applications. I am extremely glad that I worked with Scott, and I cannot recommend him highly enough.

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At the very beginning of the process, Scott helped me identify the right MBA programs based on my career goals and academic background / work experience. He did an excellent job of helping me create "my story" and shape it so that it was clear, concise and consistent throughout my application. His review comments in my Admissions Essays were very value-add and he challenged me to really think about the content so that I could set myself apart in the application process. His full suite of services also included helping me prepare for admissions interviews and ultimately choosing the right school after I had been accepted. I would recommend Scott Edinburgh to anyone looking to apply to a top tier MBA program.

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Applying to MBA programs can be a daunting task. Between writing the essays, preparing for interviews, and finally deciding on a school that fits, the entire experience is rigorous. Scott prepared me for every single step of the process. He guided me on targeting the programs I was interested in, helped me brainstorm and compose the essays, and trained me for the interviews. I am happy to say I was accepted to every single school I applied to; UCLA Anderson, NYU Stern, Georgetown McDonough, and USC Marshall. I would not have been able to accomplish this without Scott's guidance. His experience helped me complete entire applications in a matter of days with minimal stress. I highly recommend Scott if you are serious about being accepted to the best MBA programs available to you.

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