Testimonial Detail

Client: My experience with John was very positive, but if I’m to be honest, my experience with the rest of the team was not.

Kathryn: I am very sorry to hear you feel that way. I am also candidly confused how you could feel that way. You hired us to help you craft the best work possible, to help you evolve as an applicant/person, to help you understand what adcoms are seeking. You succeeded because we did our job with you. You undoubtedly came out of the tough career narrative process with clarity and the ability to articulate goals you never would have crafted without our rigor. We know that process was tough for you – it is tough for everyone.

I reviewed your resume three times on top of the work you and John did together. I reviewed each of your Kellogg essays two times; after the first review of the catalysts for growth essay, we instructed you to start over because you weren’t answering the prompt. You weren’t being introspective enough. Again, without the rigor of our team model, you would not have crafted the body of work you did to then understand how to tackle the other schools more effectively.

Further, why is this the first time I am hearing about your disenchantment with us? Had I known you were struggling with any of us in your partnership, I would have addressed the matter – even if the person you were struggling with was me – I’d have gotten on a call with you immediately. But again, if your issue was with our level of rigor/push back, we can’t apologize for that. We believed in you and wanted to give you the shot at success you deserved. Without it, you would have struggled. It all started with crafting a strong career narrative. And again, I know that was not enjoyable for you, but I’d like to think you can separate the frustration of doing that hard work from what you hired us to help you do. That aspect of the work is difficult for everyone.

I welcome feedback from you. And again, I am sorry you feel as you do.

Client: I would rather not get into the specifics. Again, my experience with John was very positive. I hope you can respect that.

Kathryn: It is very confusing for us on our end to hear this kind of feedback – after the fact, and when there were zero blips during the partnership. First, we want all clients to have a positive experience with us, and that is about more than getting offers; it’s about ensuring you grow through the process, and enjoy, which is different that expecting to not have frustration. Everyone struggles during this process at one time or another – if you don’t then either you aren’t pushing yourself enough or we aren’t playing devil’s advocate enough. Second, we are always open to learning what we could do better/differently to ensure we are giving clients what they need – current and future clients. So yes I respect your decision to not share, but know that if you ever change your mind and wish you speak candidly with me, I am happy to get on a call and listen to you. I sincerely wish you had picked up the phone during your time with us because I am just baffled right now.

Regardless, we hope you are happy with the level of success you had; it’s important that you realize most people don’t get the number of offers you got. So if you don’t value what we brought to your journey, please do cherish what you accomplished. We hope your b-school experience is life-changing for you. Take care.