Providing
MBA Admissions Consulting
and Seminars

WHO WE ARE

MBA Strategies is an admissions consulting practice that helps clients discover, position, and authentically communicate their stories to the most selective business schools around the world.

We specialize in working closely with applicants over the course of the admissions cycle. Our focused approach helps you to bring out the best of who you are.

By the time you hit “submit,” you will have created applications that give schools a clear sense of why you will be an undeniable addition to their diverse, well-crafted incoming classes.

What we do

We coach clients through the entire application process, providing them with insights on how to leverage their strengths while offering practical guidance toward addressing potential weaknesses in their profiles.

MBA Strategies offers one-on-one consulting for select MBA candidates, as well as seminars and partnership opportunities for organizations with talented pre-MBA associate classes.

We’ve heard time and again from clients that we “go out of our way to bring out the best” in every applicant.

WHY US?

Our team’s institutional experience at top business schools gave us one key insight: every applicant is unique, but admissions success hinges upon each applicant’s ability to articulate their distinctiveness.
We’ve heard time and again from clients that we “go out of our way to bring out the best” in every applicant.

We follow a specific process and use our proven framework to help you find and tell your own unique story in a holistic, cohesive way that will distinguish you from your peers.

Our staff has a deep understanding of the admissions process behind the institutional veil at all the top schools. Because we have actually worked at these schools and most importantly have so many years of seeing who ultimately gains admission, we are able to offer each individual client a sense of how their qualifications and stories will compare to others we know are applying.

Who we serve

Our clients are very busy professionals who above all want insight into how to use their time most efficiently as they embark on the application process.

Our focus is on the top 15 schools, although our consulting is useful regardless of where you are applying.

Unlike other MBA admissions consulting practices, we do not offer package deals; we give you complete control and the flexibility to engage us for as much or as little support as you feel you need.

We operate solely on word-of-mouth referrals. We do not advertise, and very intentionally limit our size, allowing us to focus on what we love doing the most: working with you, our clients.

Bottom line

MBA Strategies operates on the principle that well-informed applicants make better decisions resulting in more successful outcomes.

Please use our Contact Us page to get in touch.

Over 95% of our clients are “extremely happy” with their results – a testament to their backgrounds, the time they commit to the process as well as the quality of the assistance they receive from MBA Strategies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Optimally, we would like to get to know you at least 6 months prior to the application round you are targeting. Most round 1 MBA application deadlines occur in September, R2 deadlines in January and R3 deadlines in February/March.

Expenses vary between clients. We charge $350 an hour, billable in 10 minute increments to ensure that you only pay for time we spend working with you or your materials. Most firms charge a flat retainer fee in the thousands of dollars, regardless of whether you use them for 6 or 60 hours.

Our clients spend an average of 3 to 6 hours with us depending on the nature of their application process. Factors like application volume, mock interview training, or further support in sending additional materials to target schools all determine total billable hours. We charge for time we spend with you on the phone as well as time spent reviewing application materials.

With 35 years of experience, we are quick studies and work very efficiently both on and off the phone. We do not charge for reviewing the items we request you send prior to your first appointment.

Applying to business school has many steps. For some, the process begins a year before they decide to apply — some clients contact us for advice on how to maximize their future chances of success. Most people, however, decide to apply within an upcoming cycle and need help assessing their chances, determining their target schools, and addressing potential weaknesses in their application.

We help applicants understand specifically what each school is looking for and how their own experiences align with these unique considerations. We bring our relative perspective to help clients harvest the most impressive experiences from both their professional and volunteer lives, and frame those experiences in a way that focuses on what matters most to schools.

We address specific essay questions and review drafts. To be clear, applications are always our clients’ own work; we do not write essays nor in any way mold applicants into people they are not. The most successful applicants are those who use their authentic voices to share who they are, why they’ve done what they’ve done, and how their experiences have impacted the organizations where they’ve been.

We help our clients consider their selection of recommenders, hone their interview skills, and craft additional materials should they be put on a waitlist. With our fee-for-service pricing, you decide what support you do and do not need from us.

Our consultants Sally, Beth, and Anita are on the move, but our relationships are all over the phone, email, or virtual meetings; whether we are in San Francisco, Minneapolis, Boston or New York for any given appointment will not matter. We work with each client whether in Beijing or Baton Rouge to find mutually convenient times to have our conversations.

Depending on our workload we may be able to assess past applications, billing on an hourly basis for time spent reviewing (we read very quickly) and discussing on the phone. The best time to request this service is between January and May, before we are fully engaged with new clients.

Unfortunately with looming deadlines and insufficient time for us to get to know these clients are writing about their best experiences, we are unable to have confidence that we would be providing our best guidance. We read past essays as part of our process for reapplicants.

This is part of what we discuss with clients, as well as how to best prepare. Depending on the outcome of the test, we will help explore what additional information clients can give schools to support their ability to compete academically in each program.

Absolutely. This is part of what we will discuss and explore in detail.

First, no other firm has as much experience. We were literally the first firm in the business and bring a wealth of knowledge of what does and does not work to the process.

We’ve worked with myriad clients in every industry all over the world, and are experts at helping clients see the best parts of who they are and assisting them in presenting those experiences in their authentic voices.

We have never needed to advertise: the quality of our service speaks for itself. We are proud of the fact that virtually all of our clients are either referrals or individuals who have seen the presentations we deliver to leading employers.

Finally, all of our consultants possess a keen ability to counsel and support; from our team you will find someone to accompany you on your application journey whom you will respect and admire for their smarts, perspective, and efficiency. We are our clients’ biggest fans as they embark on their process.

You may either select which consultant you want based on availability, or we’ll randomly assign one of our equally great consultants.

Most clients will apply to 2 to 5 schools depending on how strongly they want to matriculate within a given year. Applicants must be introspective when answering this question — frankly, some applicants would be better suited to wait a year to address potential weaknesses in their profile. We will be brutally honest with clients in discussing their chances of acceptance to any school, empowering them to make the best possible decisions in building their school lists.

Not only are we pros at knowing the world of business school admissions, we are pros at knowing the world of MBA placement. We know who recruits at schools and what they look for. We know about the world of tech, finance, consulting, product management, start-ups, health care, and real estate, to name a few. We’ve come out of top MBA programs ourselves and run their placement offices; we’ve edited upwards of 3000 MBA resumes, as well as short and long term career objective essays. We help clients explore and talk through their goals and assist in crafting stories that will make logical sense to the MBA admissions committees.

We will discuss this, but we recommend looking first at schools’ websites, talking with alums and student ambassadors, and signing up early for virtual or in-person tours. In addition, we have many online sources to recommend. We also have a robust network of current and recent graduates — clients benefit from conversations with our helpful past clients who are eager to pay it forward.