Status: First-time applicant
Pre-MBA industry: Real Estate Finance
Years of experience at time of matriculation: 9
GMAT/GRE score: 630 (V: 31 Q: 45)
Undergraduate GPA: 3.26/4.00
Admitted to: Columbia Executive MBA, Haas Part-time MBA, Stern Part-time MBA/strong>
Service Type: Premium
Kathryn and her team played a pivotal role in my acceptance to both schools that I applied to. With their help I’ll be attending Columbia.
Overwhelmed by the MBA application process, I first reached out to Kathryn in the fall of 2015 after reading the raving reviews on GMAT Club. During our initial 1 hour consultation Kathryn focused on understanding my personal history and immediately began building a framework for my personal narrative. With my GMAT exam a couple a couple weeks away and first round applications due in less than a month, Kathryn developed and outlined a strategy to tackle my applications for my target schools. With a plan in place, she left me to focus on studying for the exam. I took the GMAT a week later, and disappointed with my score, I scrapped my plans to apply to business school that year.
Fast forward to the spring of 2016. Destroyed but not defeated, I was back on the horse studying for the GMAT. Out of the blue Kathryn emailed me asking whether I ended up applying to business school last fall. We informally caught up and I confided in her about my struggle with the GMAT. Kathryn was able put things into perspective-that I was psyching myself out-which allowed me to take a deep breath and realize that the GMAT wasn’t do or die. While I still wasn’t satisfied with my results, this time I followed up with Kathryn after my exam. She did offer sobering news, that my GMAT score will work against me but assured me that my narrative and work experience would stand out to some select schools. She urged me to put the GMAT behind me and take a shot at applying this fall.
I took her advice and I was partnered with one of her advisors who took the lead in managing the application process. They not only kept me focused and on top of a tight schedule, but also, through dialogue and self-reflection, got me comfortable talking about not only my past but also the obstacles that molded me into the person I am today. Most importantly, with his help, I was able to craft powerful essays that created narratives to interpret my past and link an MBA degree with my future. The finished products, from the resume to optional essays, were captivating, to say the least.
Kathryn and her team are relentless in their effort to make their clients shine to admissions committees and I can’t recommend their services enough.