Status: First-time applicant
Pre-MBA industry: Private Equity/Venture
Years of experience at time of matriculation: 3
GMAT/GRE score: 336 (V:169 Q:167)
Undergraduate GPA: 4.62/5.00
Admitted to: Haas, HBS, Wharton
Service Type: Premium
I was recommended to Kathryn by my supervisor/recommender who was also an MBA student ten years ago (!!) and he would still recall many memories for his work with Kathryn – that spoke a lot about his positive experiences back then. Many of the other MBA consultants from different regions that I talked to recommended me to apply the next year given my shorter working experiences, it was Kathryn who highlighted my accelerated career exposure and gave me confidence that I also have my unique life stories. I also like how Kathryn focuses on my personal experiences and motivations beyond my professional life, which provides a more holistic picture of myself. Kathryn’s extensive experiences in dealing with clients from all over the world and all walks of life is very valuable as well.
I enjoyed each and every step in this “soul-searching” journey (though not easy): career goal setting, resume, school assessment, life story brainstorming, essay editing, engaging with recommenders, interview preps, scholarship negotiations… We would have debates time to time but it is wonderful: I really appreciate Kathryn’s candid and convincing sharing on when it is ok for me to pivot, or when she would recommend otherwise; She provided me good preps for the interview, but also warned me not to “over practice”… She knows how to find the right balance!
I am really thankful for the journey with Kathryn and SOP.
I applied for other schools in R1 and my dream school HBS in R2. Kathryn was the best mentor and buddy throughout this journey, encouraging me to persevere when I had doubts about myself, and patiently discussing and fine-tuning the narratives many times with me. I love my final HBS application materials: it is really ME! And the answer from HBS was a YES!