Admissions Gateway | MBA Admissions Consultants

Rajdeep’s strategy sessions helped me understand application components and essay break-downs on a much deeper level. Things that had felt like a black box at the start started to make real sense, and by the time I was writing, I knew exactly what each piece of the application was supposed to do.

The interview mocks with him were what really tipped the balance for me. He pushed hard on the questions I was least prepared for, and walking into the actual interviews I felt genuinely ready instead of just rehearsed. So grateful to Rajdeep and the team for getting me here!

What stood out first was how fast Mudit understood my profile. He was also quick to respond. Whenever I sent something over I heard back almost immediately, which kept the whole process moving instead of stalling out for days at a time.

He is direct. If a draft was not working he will point it out, and he told me exactly why, which saved me weeks I would otherwise have spent polishing the wrong thing. He kept regular check-in calls going through the stretch before deadlines, and those were what pushed me through the parts of the application I kept wanting to avoid.

Interview prep was where I felt least prepared, and it ended up being one of the strongest parts of the process. We did mock interviews, he shared the questions that come up most often, and he helped me work through the weaker spots in my profile so I had an honest answer ready for them.

Really thankful to Mudit, and grateful for how this turned out.

Very grateful for my admissions Journey!

Mudit helped realise how to put myself on paper. He’d ask about a project and then keep going, past what I built and into why I made the calls I made, what I got wrong the first time, what I’d argued for when nobody else in the room agreed. I hadn’t thought of any of that as material. It turned out to be the whole application.

He was fast, which mattered more than I expected. Drafts went out at night and came back marked up with notes I could actually use, specific enough that I never sat there wondering what he meant.

Then interview season. Mocks for both schools, blunt notes afterward on what worked and what I was rambling through, then another round. By Kellogg I’d stopped rehearsing and started just talking.

Admits from Wharton and Kellogg came through. Thank you, Mudit.

When I worked with Admissions Gateway in 2020, I signed up for a single-school package focused exclusively on INSEAD. Working with Aparna Pahwa as my lead consultant was hands down the best investment I made in my application journey and as an INSEAD MBA Class of 2022 graduate, the results speak for themselves.
A few key reasons why Aparna is exceptional:
Sharp Narrative Building: Coming from an engineering and corporate background (IIT + FMCG), I had plenty of international experience, but Aparna was instrumental in helping me synthesize complex business scenarios into a clear, compelling story.
INSEAD Expertise: She understands INSEAD’s DNA inside out, pushing me through multiple essay iterations to highlight my global exposure and post-MBA strategy goals effectively.
Direct & Actionable Feedback: Her sharp, honest critique, quick turnaround, and high standards kept me focused and accountable from resume prep to interview prep.
Thanks to her guidance, I hit my exact target and was admitted to INSEAD. I cannot recommend Aparna highly enough to anyone serious about top-tier business schools!

Beyond all this she is a kind person to work with unlike several other consultants.

I remember walking into the MBA application process feeling completely overwhelmed and unsure of myself, especially coming from an overrepresented tech background. But right from our very first call, Aparna put me at ease and made me feel right at home.

Her meticulousness is unparalleled. Right from the start, she laid out a detailed action plan and diligently followed up with me at every step. During our brainstorming sessions, she asked deep, critical questions that forced me to look at my personal story and work projects in a completely new light. She holds an exceptionally high standard for essays, continually pushing me to refine every single detail until the writing truly represented every dimension of my journey.

Something that I admired and needed most was her relentless push to keep me on schedule. At the time, I was trying to raise my GMAT score, draft MBA applications, and juggle a demanding job all at once. It was maddening! Had it not been for her constant support and drive, I would never have submitted my Round 1 applications on time.

Aparna is an absolute powerhouse. Not only does she have immense insight into what admissions committees are looking for, but she is also genuinely warm and deeply invested in your success. Having someone who truly cares about you rather than treating your drafts like just another task on a to-do list made all the difference. With her guidance, I achieved far more than I ever thought possible.

I was accepted into both Chicago Booth and Tuck, and I couldn’t have done it without her! Working with Aparna and Admissions Gateway was the single best decision I made for my MBA journey, and I cannot recommend her highly enough!

Rajdeep’s interview prep for HBS and GSB was unlike anything I’d experienced. His insights for each of these schools were so specialized and nuanced that I could clearly identify the gears I need to switch between the interviews. His mocks felt indistinguishable from the real thing to the point that in my actual interview I could clearly observe the same atmosphere and question patterns. This not only made the actual interview feel comfortable and familiar but also shot up my confidence a few notches.

Through his mocks and post-interview guidance, Rajdeep didn’t just coach me on the content; he sharpened every dimension of how I showed up in the room, including the nonverbal cues. His insights were sharp, specific, and genuinely moved the needle. He’s the kind of coach who genuinely invests in your success, and it shows.

I worked with Aparna as a reapplicant, and the difference between my previous application and the one we submitted together was remarkable.

The previous year, I had received an interview invite from Harvard Business School but didn’t convert it. Going into this cycle, I genuinely believed my written application was already strong. Aparna quickly showed me how much stronger it could be.

The biggest transformation was in my resume and essays. My resume became far more strategic, allowing me to showcase significantly more impactful experiences without feeling crowded. My essays also evolved from describing isolated achievements to telling a cohesive story. For example, my curiosity essay went from being a collection of anecdotes to a narrative tracing curiosity as a defining trait from childhood through college and into my professional career. She has an exceptional ability to identify the thread that connects your experiences and bring it to life.

I also appreciated her willingness to challenge me. I started working with her only about a month before Round 1 while managing a demanding job and was determined to rush my applications. She firmly insisted that submitting the strongest possible application was more important than meeting an arbitrary deadline. Looking back, that was absolutely the right advice.

Aparna’s guidance was practical and backed by deep admissions experience. Her feedback wasn’t just about improving individual essays, it was about deciding which stories to emphasize, which to downplay, and how to tailor each application to what different schools value. Despite applying to seven schools in a single round, every application felt thoughtfully customized rather than recycled.

She was also incredibly responsive. Even when timelines became tight, she turned around detailed feedback and multiple iterations within days to help keep everything on track. Her interview preparation was equally thorough, covering not just expected questions but also unexpected scenarios and blind spots.

Beyond our original agreement, she even helped me with applications to three additional schools. I ultimately received interview invitations from four of the seven schools I applied to, including Harvard Business School, where I was admitted.

I would wholeheartedly recommend Aparna to anyone applying to top MBA programs. She doesn’t just improve your application, she helps you present the strongest, most authentic version of yourself.

I gave my GMAT on the 31st of October and had every application closed within two months. Writing that out now, I still don’t quite believe it happened.

The thing I was most worried about going in wasn’t the essays, it was everything at once. Multiple schools, different deadlines, recommenders to chase, a full-time job on top of it, and almost no runway. Mudit was the person who made all of that feel like something I could actually handle.

He broke the whole thing into steps and always knew what needed to happen next, so I was never staring at a blank page wondering where to start. When I fell behind, and I did fall behind a few times, he’d quietly reorganize the plan around it instead of making me feel bad about it.

His feedback on the essays was direct and specific, the kind that actually moves a draft forward instead of leaving you guessing. He pushed me to write about the things that mattered to me rather than the things I assumed would impress, and the essays were better for it.

He also stuck around for the parts that count. He prepped me for the interview more than once and was honest about what was landing and what wasn’t, which is exactly what I needed.

In the end both got into Yale and Tuck. If you’re working with timelines this tight, I’d recommend Mudit without even a single thought. I could not have imagined this was even possible. I’m grateful to Mudit for everything.

When I started my MBA applications, I was in a difficult position. I had begun the process only in mid-July, leaving barely six weeks before Round 1 deadlines. On top of that, I had what many considered an unconventional profile – moving from consulting into multiple startup roles in a relatively short span. Several people I spoke to viewed these transitions as a weakness, and I received conflicting advice on how to position my story.

From my very first conversation with Aparna, her perspective was different. Instead of focusing on the “job switches,” she focused on the intent behind each decision. She saw a coherent narrative where others saw inconsistencies and gave me the confidence to own my story rather than dilute it. That clarity changed how I approached the entire application process.

Despite the compressed timeline, Aparna never let the pressure compromise the quality of the applications. We went through multiple iterations of my career goals until they genuinely reflected my aspirations. Even when deadlines were around the corner, she continued pushing me to improve sections she believed could be stronger instead of settling for “good enough.” At the same time, she never created unnecessary panic. I still remember questioning a particular line in an essay just before submission, and instead of insisting we keep it because of time constraints, she calmly said, “If it doesn’t feel authentic, let’s change it.” That balance between high standards and composure made an otherwise stressful process feel manageable.

After receiving an admit from Wharton in Round 1, we worked together on Stanford for Round 2. Those essays demanded much deeper reflection, and this is where Aparna’s biggest strength stood out. She didn’t simply edit essays – she helped me discover stories I hadn’t considered important, challenged me to think more deeply about my motivations, and helped connect different experiences into a coherent narrative. Throughout brainstorming sessions, she was refreshingly direct. If she believed an idea worked, she said so confidently. If she felt something wasn’t compelling enough, she explained why and encouraged us to find something stronger. That decisiveness made the entire process far more productive while still leaving room for my own voice.

Most importantly, I never felt like I was working with someone following a template. Aparna genuinely invested herself in understanding my journey and ensuring every application reflected me.

The results exceeded anything I had imagined, I was admitted to both Wharton and Stanford, with an 80% scholarship from Stanford. While the outcome was incredible, what I value even more is that I submitted applications that felt completely authentic to who I am. For anyone with an unconventional profile or someone looking for a consultant who combines strategic thinking with genuine empathy, I would recommend Aparna without hesitation.

I applied to deferred MBA programs during my final year of college, which meant I was going into this with almost no full-time work experience behind me. Just internships, a couple of campus projects I’d started, and a lot of doubt about whether I even belonged in the applicant pool. Nisha was the one who convinced me I did.
When we first spoke, I was sure my profile was too thin. Everyone I’d read about seemed to have years of banking or consulting to point to, and I was still finishing my degree. Nisha didn’t try to inflate what I’d done. She helped me understand that deferred programs are looking for something different, mostly potential and the direction you’re heading, and she knew how to draw that out of the experiences I actually had.

A lot of our early work was just her asking me questions. About decisions I’d made, things I’d taken ownership of even in small ways, moments that shaped how I think. Half of those things I never would have thought to put in an essay on my own. She helped me pull them into a story that felt genuinely like me instead of some generic strong candidate.

Her feedback was direct. If a draft wasn’t landing, she’d tell me straight and then help me figure out how to fix it, so I was never left guessing. She was also quick, which mattered a lot because I was juggling all of this with a full course load and finals.

The interviews were the part I was most anxious about, since I hadn’t done many formal ones at that point. Nisha ran mock sessions with me and helped me talk about my goals in a way that felt natural instead of rehearsed. By the time I sat down for the real thing, I felt steady.

I ended up with deferred admits from Stanford, HBS, Kellogg, and Columbia. Four programs I honestly wasn’t sure I should even apply to. If you’re a student wondering whether it’s too early, or whether a few internships and campus projects are enough to compete, talk to Nisha. She knew how to take what I had and turn it into something these schools wanted to say yes to.

I got admits from MIT Sloan, Booth, and Columbia, with a total of $200K in scholarships, along with an interview invite from HBS. Working with Nisha was central to all of it.

What I appreciated most is that Nisha doesn’t rewrite for you. She genuinely builds on what you already have. Before working with her, I’d heard about consultants who impose their own opinion of what your story should be. Nisha was the opposite. She worked with my story, helped me figure out what needed to be highlighted, and let me stay in the driver’s seat the whole way.

Her comments were tough and to the point, but they added real value. Going in, I didn’t understand the flight level that top schools look for. She taught me how to quantify my impact at work, and more importantly, how to take the seemingly disparate parts of my profile and tie them together in a way that pointed toward my future goals. Slowly, my application stopped feeling like a collection of achievements and started feeling like one coherent story.

She’s also incredibly efficient with her time. Our calls were often just 15 to 20 minutes, but that was more than enough to send me off working on a new draft for the next few days. In July and August, our constant back and forth had me churning out 2 to 3 essay iterations a week. That pace is what made applying to multiple schools in one round actually possible.

The interview prep deserves its own mention. Interview prep is a completely different skill from essay writing, and the practice rounds covered everything from my cadence and tone to how I presented externally. The HBS prep especially stood out, where I was paired with other applicants to practice with. By the time interviews came around, I felt confident answering questions about my story because I finally understood it myself.

I would 12/10 recommend working with her for your applications!

When I started my applications, I had pieces of a story but no real sense of how they fit together. Mudit was the one who made them fit.
What I noticed early on was how strategically he thought about everything. He didn’t just react to my drafts. He’d step back and ask why a particular experience mattered, where it belonged in the larger narrative, and what each school actually needed to see. It felt less like editing and more like building something with a plan behind it.
His feedback was honest in a way I appreciated. If something wasn’t working, he told me, and then he showed me how to fix it. I never had to guess where I stood or what came next, and that clarity took a lot of the stress out of the process.
His background as a former admissions reader came through constantly. He knew what actually lands with a committee and what just fills space, and he kept steering me toward the former. A few of his suggestions completely reshaped how I framed my goals.
In the end I got into UCLA Anderson and Foster with a generous scholarship, and USC. I don’t think I would have built an application this sharp on my own. If you want someone who treats your story with real thought and tells you the truth, work with Mudit.

What I underestimated going in was how much the process itself would matter. I assumed this was mostly about writing strong essays, but Nisha treated it as something more deliberate. Before I wrote a single word, we spent time figuring out what actually mattered in my profile, and that groundwork shaped everything that came after.
Her feedback never felt vague. When an essay wasn’t landing, she’d tell me exactly why and then help me find a stronger version rather than rewriting it for me. There were stretches where I felt stuck, usually staring at a draft that wasn’t working, but those moments never lasted long because she was quick to respond and always clear about the next step.
The interview stage was where her support really showed. Nisha ran several mocks with me and kept pushing on the questions I was most nervous about, never letting me settle for answers that sounded rehearsed. By the time I sat down for the real thing, I could just talk like myself.
I ended up with admits from Yale, Kellogg, and Haas. I’m grateful to Nisha for how she handled this from the first conversation to the last interview.

Nobody warns you about the middle of the application season. The start is exciting and the admits at the end make for good stories, but the middle is just deadlines, rewrites, and second-guessing everything. That’s where Nisha made the biggest difference for me.
There was a stretch where I was juggling multiple applications at once and convinced none of them were good enough. Nisha didn’t give me a pep talk. She just broke it down into what needed to happen that week, and then the next. Having someone who knew exactly where things stood and kept everything in order made it all manageable.
She was an amazing guide throughout. A couple of essay ideas I was attached to weren’t actually working, and instead of just shooting them down, she helped me think through why and figure out what felt authentic to me. We spent a lot of time refining my goals and resume first, and once those were solid, we moved on to schools and essays. That sequence made everything downstream so much easier.
I secured admits from Booth, Cornell, Kellogg, NYU Stern, and Ross. Super happy with the results, and very, very grateful to Nisha for getting me through the entire process.

I’ll be honest, when I started the deferred MBA process I didn’t fully believe I had enough to work with. I was still in college. My “experience” was a couple of internships and some campus stuff. It felt thin compared to what I imagined everyone else was submitting.

Nisha didn’t pretend that wasn’t a real concern. But she also didn’t let me sit in it. In our first few calls she just asked me a lot of questions, about internships, about decisions I’d made, even small things I never thought were worth mentioning. Somewhere in those conversations the essays started taking shape. Stuff I’d written off as ordinary turned out to be the most useful material I had.

She was also blunt with me about my goals, which I needed. My first drafts had the kind of vague ambitious plans every deferred applicant writes. She kept asking “okay but what does that actually mean” until I had answers that sounded like me and not a brochure.

The interviews scared me the most, honestly. I was worried they’d see through me. The mocks with Nisha helped a lot, especially on the questions about whether I’d really thought this through.

I got into Booth, Kellogg, and Columbia. All three, before my first real job. I still don’t totally believe it.

Super grateful to Nisha all the help! She made the process super easy and helped secure admits from four M7s!!

The essay workshops with her were the most useful part of the process. She never rewrote anything for me. Instead she’d point at a paragraph and ask why it was there, what it was doing for my story, and whether I’d say it out loud to an interviewer. That forced me to get honest about my goals and cut everything that sounded like filler. My resume went through the same treatment. Every line had to earn its place.

Nisha was practical about everything. School selection, essay strategy, timelines, even which recommenders to pick. No fluff, just clear direction on what to do next and why. When deadlines stacked up, her feedback came back fast enough that I never felt stuck waiting.

Interview prep was thorough. Multiple mocks, tough follow-up questions, and honest feedback on where my answers were weak. By the time the real interviews came, nothing surprised me.

I ended up with admits from Kellogg, Booth, Wharton, and MIT Sloan, with scholarships from Kellogg, Booth, and Wharton. I still find that hard to say out loud. If you want someone who will sharpen your story instead of polishing it, work with Nisha.

I’m incredibly grateful to Nisha and the Admissions Gateway team for all their support throughout my MBA application journey. Nisha and the AG team genuinely cared about my success and were personally invested from start to finish. Nisha constantly challenged me to think more deeply about my experiences, goals, and what truly made my story unique. My essays went through multiple iterations, and each round of feedback made them significantly stronger than I could have imagined.

Nisha’s feedback was always thoughtful and incredibly valuable, and she was there even for last-minute reviews and questions. Thanks to her guidance and the team’s support, I was able to craft an application that got me admitted to London Business School with a significant merit-based scholarship. I couldn’t be more thankful for everything Nisha and team did to help me get there.

What I valued most about working with Mudit was how direct he was. He never padded his feedback or told me what I wanted to hear. If something in my essay wasn’t working, he said so, and then he helped me fix it. That honesty saved me a lot of time and made every round of edits feel like real progress.

His admissions background came through constantly. He knew what schools were actually looking for and helped me position my experiences accordingly, without my application ever feeling forced or calculated. He’d push me to be clearer about my goals and to articulate why I was making the choices I was making.

There were stretches where I doubted my profile was strong enough, and Mudit had a way of helping me see it differently. He stayed invested the whole way through, and the Tepper and Ross admits are a direct result of that.

If you want someone who genuinely cares and will be straight with you, work with Mudit.

When I began my MBA journey, I didn’t come from a typical feeder role or background. My experience lay deep in operations-heavy, emissions-intensive industries, where success often hinged on aligning welders and project schedules, not PowerPoints or pitchbooks. I had powerful stories to tell, about green hydrogen, biodiversity, and inclusive leadership, but I struggled to translate them into a narrative that top schools like HBS, Wharton, and Yale would recognize as leadership-ready. That’s where Aparna came in.
What stood out from the start was her intellectual curiosity and commitment to understanding my world, even when it was far from familiar. Whether it meant decoding a blast furnace shutdown or researching India’s green hydrogen policy landscape, Aparna never defaulted to surface-level edits. She dove in, researched deeply, and challenged me to think harder about not just what I’d done, but why it mattered and how it connected to the bigger questions schools care about: impact, values, and vision.
More than anything, Aparna helped me frame a cohesive arc. From my early exposure to industrial harm to leading ESG pilots in Jindal Steel, launching biodiversity programs, and mentoring grassroots changemakers, she helped me weave these threads into a powerful story about systemic change and responsibility. Every essay became more than a polished draft; it became a strategic platform that aligned my lived experiences with each school’s unique lens. Whether it was Booth’s culture of “pay it forward,” Wharton’s emphasis on impact execution, or HBS’s focus on personal clarity, Aparna ensured each application felt authentic and surgically aligned.
Her feedback was always sharp, always honest, and always grounded in both strategy and empathy. She wasn’t afraid to push back, sometimes hard, when something didn’t land. But that push came with insight and intent, and it helped me show up on paper as the most thoughtful, mission-driven version of myself.
I walked away with admits to HBS, Wharton (with scholarship), and Yale, but more importantly, with a story I could believe in. Aparna didn’t just help me write applications. She helped me define what kind of leader I want to be, and gave me the clarity to say it powerfully.

One of the things I appreciated most about working with Rajdeep was how he brought clarity to a process that can easily feel chaotic. At every stage, whether it was refining my resume, shaping my career narrative, or working through essays, he had a way of helping me focus on what actually mattered instead of getting lost in the details.

What stood out even more was the level of personal attention he brought to the process. Whenever I was stuck on a decision, second-guessing an essay, or simply feeling overwhelmed, Rajdeep was always available to talk things through. I never felt like I was being managed through a process; I felt like I had someone genuinely invested in helping me put forward the strongest version of myself.
His understanding of different schools was particularly valuable. The advice was never generic. He helped me think carefully about how my story would resonate with each program and what aspects of my background to emphasize. The preparation for my Harvard interview was a great example of this. The guidance was tailored not just to the school but to the interviewer, which made a meaningful difference in how prepared and confident I felt going into the conversation.
What I value most, though, is that Rajdeep’s support didn’t end when we completed the applications for the schools in our package; he also supported me with school strategy and essays for the schools I was applying to independently. And even after I was admitted to HBS, he continued to be a sounding board as I thought through the next steps. That level of commitment says a lot about how he approaches this work, and it’s something I’ll always be grateful for.

I went through the MBA application process while working on live private equity deals, which meant I had very little time to dedicate to researching schools, refining my story, or managing the countless moving pieces involved in the process. Rajdeep brought a level of structure that made the entire journey significantly more manageable. He helped break down what felt like an overwhelming process into a clear roadmap, ensuring that I always knew what needed attention and when.
His advice was really specific and actionable. Whether it was the resume, essays, goals narrative, or interview preparation, feedback was always direct and well thought through. Instead of endless rounds of rewrites, we would align on a structure upfront, make a few focused iterations, and move forward. That efficiency was invaluable given the time constraints I was operating under.
Rajdeep also had a strong sense of what each part of the application needed to accomplish. He was able to quickly identify the strongest elements of my background and help shape them into a coherent narrative around my experience.
His support became particularly important during the HBS interview stage. Harvard was my only interview invite, which naturally raised the stakes. Rajdeep’s preparation went far beyond generic interview coaching. He provided highly tailored guidance based on the specific interviewer, my industry background, and the nuances of my application. The advice felt personalized rather than formulaic, which gave me confidence going into the conversation.
I also appreciated his emphasis on independent preparation. Rather than encouraging endless mock interviews, he pushed me to spend more time reflecting on my experiences, sharpening my stories, and developing my own answers. We supplemented that with a couple of focused mock interviews, which proved far more effective than repeatedly rehearsing responses.
I applied to 4 schools in Round 2 with a 322 GRE and ultimately received an admit from Harvard Business School. While there are many factors that contribute to an admissions outcome, Rajdeep’s ability to provide structure, targeted feedback, and highly personalized guidance played an important role in helping me put forward the strongest application possible.

TLDR: Got into Stanford, Wharton & Booth, all with $$$ scholarships. As a counsellor, Shabri is second to none 🙂

My experience:
I’d been advised by many seniors that working with a good consultant is one of the most critical decisions for MBA applications. So I spent time speaking to over ten of the top MBA consultants globally. Coming from a quant background, I felt a bit underconfident about my chances — and while many consultants I spoke to had worked with similar profiles, it simply didn’t feel like an emphatic yes.

My conversation with Shabri was lovely. There was a natural exchange; she asked a lot of questions to get a sense of my story, and she was already giving me feedback on things I could improve for H/S. I truly felt like she believed in me.

In my application process, I found that she knows what each school needs, helps bring out a coherent narrative from all your professional experience, maintains a high standard of care for ALL parts of the application, and spends time bringing out your authentic experiences.

She also tailored her approach at different points to offer more support where I needed it. Through so many conversations, we brainstormed the best way to convey my story, and she kept refining it with her insights and expertise.

In every mock she kept a high bar and gave constructive feedback. As we approached the real interviews, she’d just tell me to relax — we’d already stress-tested everything.

What meant the most to me was that she truly cared. She was genuinely rooting for me and believed in me even when I was scared to. I still remember when I didn’t get an interview for a school we’d put a lot into — Shabri was more dejected than I was, and she made sure I didn’t lose motivation.

I’ve had candid conversations with peers who worked with other popular consultants, and honestly, nobody comes close. Working with Shabri never felt stilted, and she’s really funny, which definitely helps in something as stressful as MBA apps.

Everyone’s story is worthy, but it takes a lot of conviction to believe that. Shabri brought that to me. I’m sure I would not have enjoyed this process as much as I did, or gotten my dream school admits, with anyone else.

I read every review I could find about Eli before starting this process and was intimidated that “brutal” was the word that kept popping up. In our introductory call, even Eli mentioned that the applicants he worked with felt this way.
At risk of dismantling his hard-earned reputation, I’d like to dispel the rumors. Eli is not brutal. What he IS is precise, unflinching in his standards, and the antithesis of an epidemic of poorly considered, lazily written slop that increasingly inundates us from every angle.
Background for context: I majored in English and had nobody in my orbit who had been through this process or was going through it at the same time. Eli, having navigated this environment and its timelines dozens (hundreds?) more times than me, knew where to start, where to push, and where to let up.
Eli is, at his core, a writer, and he understands that good writing is just clear thinking. So, if writing isn’t landing, the root of your problem usually isn’t your words. He catches when your thinking gets lazy or half-formed and will challenge you every time. I was at a startup in the middle of a Series D raise, and I’ll admit the thinking part *occasionally* came after sending something to him for review. He held me to a higher standard – I once even managed to get him to open with “…Dude.” I consider this an achievement, though I am remorseful for disappointing him.
He reads what you write and finds the thing that matters most: sometimes it’s where your thinking falls apart (“You are technically answering the question, but I am not sure”) and sometimes it’s where you finally get to your core and he wants you to know it (“BOOM!!”) (< framed that one btw, including both exclamation points!).
Where Eli does not get enough credit, in my opinion, is that he also knows when to let up. He’ll never admit this, but this man is FUNNY. Not like a ha-ha, trying-too-hard funny: it’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it, wry sort of funny. He could, if he wanted to, level anyone with a one-liner — to my delight, he did so to me more than once. If ambition is what gets you started on this process, humor gets you through it, and Eli is an excellent sparring partner to that end. I created a “Things Eli Said” group chat with my family; I didn’t share my essays with them, but they delighted in reading my screenshots of his commentary.
At one point, after I'd written something particularly group-hug-y, Eli hit me with a “In addition to the "Kum ba yah" ceremony, show how you enabled it technically. This can be instead of the next paragraph (which I am not a fan of).”
After one of his reviews, I asked if we could hop on a call to talk through it together. He agreed, but once on the call he gently redirected me – he understood the desire, but at the end of the day I wouldn't be able to do that with whomever was reading my final application. Every step of the process prepared me for the one that really mattered.
I worked with him directly on three schools, then used that foundation for two more — four M7s and one top-tier in total. I received interview invites to all five, significant scholarships from two, and will be starting at HBS in the fall.
I thought that this would be a process of packaging – I did x, it meant y, plz accept me. It turned out to be more of an excavation. I sat on acceptances until the decision deadline in part because, by the time they arrived, they didn’t feel real – the work had gone so deep that a letter couldn't quite hold the weight of it. I'm still exhausted, but I also feel more grounded: more secure in who I am, what matters to me, and what I'm looking to accomplish at HBS and beyond.
Start early – I didn’t – and be ready to do it again.

Before choosing Eli, I spoke with several admissions consultants. Many were knowledgeable, but the conversations felt transactional. With Eli, it was different from the very first call. I felt that he genuinely wanted to understand who I was, not just what I had accomplished.
Coming from a multicultural background and working in finance, I was worried that my profile would blend in with countless other applicants. I had strong experiences, but I struggled to see what truly differentiated me and how to tell my story in a way that felt authentic. Eli’s greatest strength was helping me uncover what made me unique. Through countless conversations, questions, and moments of reflection, he helped me identify themes in my life that I had never connected before.
What impressed me most was his positioning process. He really helped me understand my own story. He challenged assumptions, pushed me to dig deeper, and helped me connect my background, values, experiences, and ambitions into a narrative that was both compelling and genuine. For the first time, I could clearly articulate not only where I wanted to go in my career, but why.
Throughout the process, Eli was incredibly available. His response times were remarkable. Whether I sent a message late at night, needed feedback on an essay, or was struggling with a difficult decision, I never felt alone. In moments when I doubted myself, Eli consistently provided both honest feedback and encouragement. He never sugarcoated things, but he always made me feel supported.
What I appreciated most was how deeply he cared about getting the story right. He remembered details from previous conversations, noticed inconsistencies, and pushed me to keep refining until every piece of the application reflected who I really was. It often felt like having a coach, strategist, and advocate all in one person.
By the end of the process, I felt I had gained much more than successful applications. I had gained a deeper understanding of myself, my motivations, and the impact I want to have in the future. The clarity I developed around my goals will never stay with me long after business school.
I am thrilled to have been admitted to both Chicago Booth and Yale SOM. Looking back, choosing Eli was one of the best investments I made in my MBA journey.

I was admitted to Columbia Business School, Chicago Booth, Yale SOM, and NYU Stern, with a decent scholarship offer from Yale SOM. Going into the process, I knew my stats were just okay, so the storytelling would have to do most of the heavy lifting. That’s where working with Eli David made the difference.

My background and career path is nonlinear. I went to school in Latin America, moved to New York on my own, and started out with odd jobs like washing dishes at a restaurant and door-to-door sales before joining a large bank in an Operations role. Over the years I worked my way up, most recently helping establish a Latin America trading desk. Translating that into a coherent narrative for adcoms was the real challenge, and it’s where I needed the most help.
The year before, I had used a self-paced service from a large consulting firm. It got me a certain level of work done, but I felt there was additional nuance missing from my materials. After exchanging some feedback emails, I actually got a call from the founder of that firm, and I initially thought I’d just work with him directly. But before committing, I decided to shop around, and that’s how I found Eli. Like the others, he asked to see the materials I had already applied with.

The difference was immediate. Where other consultants hyped me up about how unique and “cool” my story’s arc was, Eli called out the flaws he saw. A prominent example: he told me I should omit the fact that I had bred bulldogs to finance my move to New York. I explained at length that it had been done ethically, but he pointed out it was a gray area that could be misconstrued, so it was better to remove altogether. That first call gave me a real glimpse of what working with him would be like, and it matched what I’d read in his reviews. He was brutally honest, but never harsh for the sake of it. He genuinely cared about getting me best positioned in front of an adcom.

From there, Eli helped me develop a strategy for the overall narrative, weaving the different parts of my story into a single compelling profile. Where other consultants told me my long-term goal was too niche and suggested broadening it to something more conventionally appealing, Eli took the opposite approach. He recognized it was something I had been genuinely passionate about and working toward for a long time, so instead of softening it, we kept it and worked on elevating its reach and impact.

He also helped me restructure my resume so it reflected my accomplishments properly and made a single page compelling enough that a reader would want to learn more. For essays, he’d give me a rough sense of what he wanted the piece to focus on, and then I’d write a draft. It usually took several rounds before he felt it was right, he simply wouldn’t accept anything less.

A few things stood out about working with him. He was consistently responsive, usually replying with comments within one to two business days, and he made himself available for calls or WhatsApp whenever needed. That happened often, especially when I didn’t fully understand his comments and we needed to get on a quick call to sync up on direction.

Eli also helped me put together a waitlist strategy, which ultimately resulted in admission from every program that had initially waitlisted me, along with some scholarship money.

I’d wholeheartedly recommend that anyone with a nontraditional background reach out to Eli and see if his approach is the right fit. Looking back, I only wish I had started working with him earlier in the process.

Having operated in this space for so many years, Rajdeep has structured this process really well. This basically meant that at no point in time did I feel like I was staring at a blank page, wondering what to do and how to do it. Whether it was the resume, recommendations, goals, essays, or interviews, there was always clarity on where to start, what questions to ask, and how to think through the problem.

Also, his approach is quite disciplined: right from the beginning, he chalked out the plan and our timelines, and he relentlessly followed through. Given the demands of a full-time job, having that structure and accountability helped me maintain momentum throughout the cycle. This proved critical in ensuring there was no last-minute rush, and I was able to add 1 more school to my list since we finished off early.

Also, the way we approached essays was super helpful. Before even thinking of writing a draft, we did a detailed exercise around goals that helped me evaluate different options, test their credibility, and arrive at a direction that made sense. The essays then became an extension of that thinking rather than a separate exercise.

A lot of that came from Rajdeep’s ability to take broad, open-ended questions and break them down into a more manageable process. Whether it was career goals, personal stories, or school-specific essays, he helped refine ideas, challenge assumptions, and bring greater clarity to what I was trying to communicate.

Finally, his deep knowledge about the admissions process truly showed through as I prepared for my interviews. The school-specific preparation sessions and mock interviews boosted my confidence going into the actual interviews.

Looking back, I believe Rajdeep’s approach towards the MBA application process from start to finish, with consistent guidance on how to maneuver each stage, helped me put my best foot forward.

I had initially applied to a few schools on my own in Round 1, but unfortunately, things did not work out the way I had hoped. Going into Round 2, I decided to work closely with Nisha, and almost immediately, I could see a stark difference in the quality of my applications. What stood out to me was how thoughtful, thorough, and strategic she was with every aspect of the process, from refining my narrative to helping me present my experiences in a much sharper and more compelling way.

We worked extensively together through the entire application journey, and eventually, I received admits from both schools I had primarily targeted, including MIT, which was incredibly meaningful for me. While the admits themselves were a huge milestone, what I value even more is the support Nisha provided throughout the process. After facing multiple rejections in Round 1, it was easy to begin doubting myself, but she consistently reassured me, pushed me to stay confident, and reminded me that something better was waiting for me. Looking back, those conversations had a very deep impact on me, not just as an applicant, but as a person.

I’m extremely grateful to have had Nisha as a mentor through this journey, and I genuinely do not think I would have approached the process, or the outcome, with the same confidence without her support.

As soon as we started working on my applications, Rajdeep helped map out clear timelines and milestones, which meant I always knew what needed to be done and when. As a result, the application process never felt rushed or overwhelming, even during the busiest phases.
The resume was the first place where I saw the value of Rajdeep’s guidance. Through multiple iterations, Rajdeep quickly identified what genuinely strengthened my profile, what didn’t add much value, and how to better frame my experiences at Venture Capital, Consulting, and college. That clarity made a significant difference.
Essays were where we spent the most time, and probably where Rajdeep had the biggest impact. We did so many iterations that by now I’ve lost count of the number of drafts and discussions we went through. Every time I felt an essay was ready, he pushed me to go deeper, to think harder, sharpen the narrative, and improve the quality of reflection. He consistently challenged me to move beyond what I considered an 80% draft and to keep working until it was closer to 95% version.
That preparation translated directly into results. I received interview invitations from both Harvard and Wharton, and the support continued through the final stage. Rajdeep guided me through the format and preparation process, conducted mock interviews himself, and even paired me with an interview buddy, ensuring I was really familiar with the format and could perform at 100% in the final interview. For Wharton, his TBD mocks closely simulated the actual interview environment, and the little things I picked up from them came in handy during my Wharton interview.
In the end, I was fortunate to receive admits from both Harvard and Wharton, along with a $40,000 scholarship from Wharton.

Shabri was an exceptional admissions consultant throughout my MBA application journey. She combined deep knowledge of the admissions process with thoughtful, personalized guidance, helping me articulate my story and goals in a compelling way. Her feedback was candid, actionable, and always timely, and she consistently pushed me to present the strongest version of myself. Thanks in large part to her support, I received admits from Kellogg (with a scholarship) and Columbia, along with an interview invite from Wharton. Beyond the applications themselves, she was a trusted advisor during a stressful process, and I would highly recommend her to anyone navigating the MBA admissions journey.

When I started my MBA application journey, I honestly thought it would be a fairly templated process: you fit your profile into a framework, optimize for each school, and hope it works out. However, Rajdeep completely changed my understanding of the process.
He never pushed me in a predefined direction. Instead of telling me what my story should be, he kept pushing me to think deeper about why I had made certain decisions in my life and career. He would constantly question my first-level reasoning and encourage second- and third-level thinking, whether it was around my career choices, my long-term goals, or the motivations behind key inflection points. That level of introspection fundamentally changed how I approached my applications.
Coming from a debating and business background, I initially believed my articulation was strong. But Rajdeep helped me realize that while my writing was logical and structured, it was also mechanical. Admissions essays require vulnerability and self-reflection, not just accomplishments. He helped me move away from listing outcomes and instead focus on growth, impact, and how my experiences shaped the way I think and see the world. That shift alone made a huge difference to the quality of my essays.
He was also incredibly effective at helping me structure my thoughts. Ideas that made perfect sense in my head often came across as disjointed to an external reader. Rajdeep helped me bring coherence, emphasis, and narrative flow to my essays, making sure the reader could clearly understand not just what I did, but why it mattered.
Also, there were schools I initially underestimated and others I overvalued, simply due to lack of information. However, through sessions with Rajdeep, I was able to recalibrate my preferences and apply with far greater clarity and conviction.
Rajdeep was also extremely hands-on throughout the process, from managing timelines across multiple Round 1 applications to regularly checking in on where I stood with different schools. Applying to six schools in parallel would not have been possible without that level of coordination and involvement. His accessibility and willingness to take calls at odd hours made it much easier to balance an intense job alongside applications.
Finally, the interview preparation was extremely helpful, especially the Wharton TBD simulations. Things I picked up during practice really came to the rescue during my actual TBD.
Overall, Rajdeep didn’t just help me “apply better.” He helped me think better about my career, my motivations, and how to present myself authentically. That depth of guidance made the entire journey far more meaningful and effective than I had expected, and earned me an admit from Wharton.

Coming from a somewhat non-traditional background that combined analytics, consulting, and media/OTT strategy, I initially found it challenging to articulate a clear and compelling narrative for my applications. Aparna played a crucial role in helping me step back, identify the common threads across my experiences, and shape them into a story that was both authentic and strategically positioned for top MBA programs.

What I appreciated most was her ability to put things in perspective. During a process that can often feel overwhelming, she consistently helped me focus on what truly mattered, avoid overthinking, and make decisions with clarity. Rather than trying to fit my profile into a predefined template, she encouraged me to lean into my unique experiences and present them confidently.

Beyond the application strategy itself, Aparna was instrumental in keeping me on track throughout a long and demanding application cycle. From setting timelines and milestones to providing thoughtful feedback on essays, recommendations, and overall positioning, she ensured that I maintained momentum and submitted my strongest possible applications.

Her guidance ultimately helped me secure admission offers from Berkeley Haas and Michigan Ross, outcomes that I am incredibly grateful for. While the effort and introspection required for the application process ultimately come from the candidate, Aparna’s ability to refine my story, challenge my thinking, and provide structure throughout the journey made a meaningful difference.

I would strongly recommend Aparna to any MBA applicant, particularly those with non-traditional backgrounds who are looking for someone who can help them uncover, sharpen, and effectively communicate their unique story.

What I keep coming back to is how Nisha helped me see angles in my own experience I had been completely overlooking. There were specific moments in past projects I had been treating as throwaway, and her way of asking questions about them surfaced things that ended up being central to the application. By the time we sat down to actually write, the story was not something we were constructing. It was something she had quietly helped me notice was already there.

Sloan in particular has a very specific way of evaluating candidates, and Nisha treated the application with the school-specific care it deserved. We did not write a generic essay tuned to Sloan. We figured out where my profile genuinely fit into what Sloan actually values, and built the application from there. Every round of edits stripped away another layer of unnecessary phrasing until what was left was honest and unmistakably mine.

Sloan was always the goal, and the version of me that ended up applying was a much sharper articulation of who I actually am. The team was responsive and steady throughout the process, and the interview prep was sharp where it mattered most. So grateful to Nisha and the team!

Nisha brought something I hadn’t quite expected, which was a level of structural discipline to the whole process. Everything had clear timelines, every draft had a clear plan, and even during the most intense weeks I always knew exactly what we were working on next. That structure freed me up to focus on the actual writing and thinking rather than worrying about logistics, and looking back, it is probably the single biggest reason I made it through the cycle without falling apart.

She also pushed me hard on the goals piece, asking for more specificity and conviction than I would have arrived at alone. Every round of edits was uncomfortable in a useful way, and the applications got dramatically stronger because of it. By the time I hit submit on each school, I genuinely believed every line of what I had written, and that confidence carried through into the interviews as well.

The school-specific work was where the strategic depth really came through. Booth, Wharton, and Kellogg look for genuinely different things, and Nisha refused to let me reshuffle the same content between them. We built three distinct narratives, each tuned to what that program actually values, and I am convinced that is what moved the needle on all three outcomes.

The team was responsive throughout, with quick turnarounds on edits, sharp interview prep before every round, and a steadiness that did not waver even during the toughest stretches. Beyond all of that, Nisha was just genuinely invested, in the applications and in me. Cannot recommend Nisha and the team enough!

It’s hard to overstate how complete Eli’s consulting package is. He delivered far more productive hours and strategic insight than I could have gotten from any other consultant. Thanks to him, my MBA applications truly represented the strongest version of my story and delivered my best possible outcome.
I started the process late and was initially considering some of the larger consulting firms. At the last minute, a friend recommended Eli after seeing him on Poets & Quants. From our very first conversation, I knew he was the right fit. His personality clicked immediately, and the early ideas he shared for shaping my application were substantially stronger than anything I had come up with.
What stood out most was Eli’s personal accountability and availability. There were days I jokingly wondered if I was his only client that round. His feedback was always prompt, direct, and constructive. Our brainstorming sessions helped me uncover layers of my experiences (super valuable coming from a non-traditional background) without missing tight deadlines.
In under two months, I completed ten applications, including all the M7 schools. Eli supported me every step of the way, through interviews and even multiple waitlists (several of which I eventually converted). In the end, I received admission to four T10 programs, including three M7s.

I came to Shabri after two unsuccessful MBA application cycles with other well-known consultants, and as an over-represented international applicant, I genuinely wondered whether an M7 admit was realistic for me. Working with her completely changed both the quality of my applications and my confidence in my story.

What makes Shabri exceptional is her deep understanding of what top schools are looking for and how personal invested she is in making sure you succeed. She is extremely direct when something is not working but her feedback is always thoughtful and geared toward getting the best possible outcome. She helped position myself as someone who is authentic and differentiated.

Shabri pushed me hard, but also took the time to understand who I was and what I actually should say. She was thoughtful, responsive, patient and consistently raised the bar while helping me sound like the best version of myself.

The result was better than I could have hoped for: admits to Columbia and Kellogg, with $170K in scholarship. I truly wish I had worked with Shabri earlier and cannot recommend her highly enough.

As a Product Manager re-applicant, I came into this process knowing my profile wasn’t the typical MBA archetype. No consulting stint, no finance background, just a tech career I was genuinely proud of but struggled to translate into the language admissions committees respond to.

What made working with Aparna truly special was how deeply she invested in understanding my story before offering any direction. She didn’t apply a one-size-fits-all template and one could tell she had worked with candidates across very different backgrounds, because the advice was always nuanced, specific, and grounded in what actually works at each school.

Given my hectic schedule as a PM, I especially valued how structured and efficient our sessions were. She knew how to get the most out of limited time- sharp essay feedback, focused interview prep, no fluff. For someone constantly context-switching between work and applications, that mattered more than I can say.

Across two cycles, she helped me rethink not just my essays but how I framed my entire narrative, turning my product and cross-functional experience into a genuine differentiator rather than something I had to explain away. The re-application process could have felt defeating; instead, it felt like a real upgrade.

But what I appreciated most was the support didn’t stop at submission. From waitlist strategy to MBA program selection advice post-acceptance, she was present throughout the entire journey and not just the application grind.

The outcome was interview invites from multiple M7 and top-10 schools was beyond what I’d hoped for. If you’re a non-traditional applicant wondering whether you have a shot, Aparna will help you find your story. Genuinely grateful for the guidance.

Aparna brought a depth of knowledge to this process that I hadn’t anticipated. I came in knowing I wanted an MBA, with a few years in personal loans and a genuine interest in financial empowerment. What I was missing was a way to tie it into a coherent narrative. That’s where she made the biggest difference.

She understood what adcoms look for well enough to help me see my own story more clearly. She’d ask about a specific customer outcome, a product decision, or why a process was done a particular way. Slowly, the pieces started connecting. She knew the right questions to ask until I found my story.

She’s also extremely organised. From the first conversation there was a clear plan – which schools, which essays, in what order, by when. I always knew what was due and how much runway I had. That structure took a lot of the anxiety out of it, and the work was paced well enough that nothing felt last-minute.

Resume, school selection, essay writing, interview prep – all of it was thorough. The interview prep went beyond the standard questions. She pushed me on the harder ones, the kind you can’t always prepare for, and by the time I sat down for my Tuck interview I felt ready for wherever the conversation went.

Getting into Tuck was the result of months of work. I put in the effort, but without her pushing me to think harder, keeping me on track, and being genuinely invested in how it all came together, I don’t think I’d have gotten there. I’m grateful, and I’d recommend her without hesitation.

Kellogg, Yale, Ross with scholarship, INSEAD, and Foster with scholarship. Five admits across very different programs, and I genuinely could not have navigated this without Nisha and the team.

What I appreciated most was how seriously they treated each school as its own application. Kellogg, Yale, Ross, INSEAD, and Foster look for genuinely different things, and Nisha refused to let me reshuffle the same content between them. That harder work of building distinct narratives is what I am convinced moved the needle.

Beyond the strategy, Nisha never felt like just a consultant. She had conviction in my story before I did, and she was patient and steady
through every stretch of the process. I would wholeheartedly recommend Nisha and Admissions Gateway to anyone applying to top business schools.

Aparna is exceptional, and I say that with the benefit of hindsight. I worked with her through my application cycle and ended up with admits from Columbia (with a $100K scholarship) and Kellogg, among others.
When I started, my profile felt like two disconnected halves: an MNC analyst stint and then a founder’s office role at an early-stage startup. On paper, it looked like a pivot. Aparna helped me see, and write, what was actually a single continuous story, threading my professional background with personal motivations and post-MBA goals into one coherent narrative. That narrative is what carried the applications.
A few things that genuinely set her apart:
She runs the process, you don’t have to. Regular check-ins, clear next steps, and gentle but persistent follow-ups meant I never had to wonder what was due when. For someone juggling a demanding role alongside applications, that scaffolding mattered.
She is never satisfied with the first draft. Or the third. Every essay went through more iterations than I’d care to count. She pushed back until the essay was actually saying what we meant it to say, not a polished version of something adjacent. Frustrating in the moment, obviously the right call in retrospect.
She front-loads the hard work. Aparna pushed hardest in the early weeks so that by the time deadlines closed in, we had time and room to refine at pace rather than scramble. By the final week of each round, I was reviewing, not writing from scratch.
You leave the process knowing yourself better. When I read my final resume and essays now, I see things about my own story that I genuinely didn’t have language for before: patterns, motivations, through-lines. That was the byproduct of the deliberate, almost uncomfortable depth she pushed me to.
One more thing worth highlighting: it was never just about the five-school package. I was also applying to a few schools on my own, outside the contracted scope, and Aparna engaged with those just as seriously, helping me think through fit, framing, and essays with the same depth as the schools in the package. That kind of investment beyond contract is rare.
If you want a consultant who will treat your candidacy as a craft project rather than a template, work with Aparna.

Working with Aparna was one of the most valuable parts of my MBA application journey. I was based in New York while Aparna was in India, but she managed the time zone difference seamlessly and always made herself available during overlapping waking hours for discussions and reviews. That level of flexibility and commitment made the entire process far less stressful.

Coming from a role at JP Morgan, I wanted someone who truly understood how to position my experience and career goals effectively. Since Aparna had worked with many other candidates from JP Morgan, she brought very strong insights into how to make my resume more impactful and how to articulate my transition goals in a strategic and authentic way. One challenge I faced during the application process was translating my experience into a compelling MBA narrative instead of just listing responsibilities. Aparna helped me rethink how I framed my goals, leadership experiences, and project impact, and through multiple rounds of brainstorming and revisions, we were able to build a much stronger and more differentiated application story. It was due to Aparna’s support and guidance that I secured admits to Booth, Kellogg and Columbia.

What stood out to me most was that Aparna never let me settle for a version that was simply “good enough.” Whether it was essays, resume bullets, or even short application responses, she continuously pushed me to think deeper, reframe ideas, and bring out stronger stories and perspectives. That persistence made a huge difference in the quality of my applications. I would highly recommend Aparna and the Admissions Gateway team to anyone applying for MBA programs.

Haas, UCLA Anderson with a scholarship, and then Booth converting off the waitlist. I am still catching my breath, and I genuinely could not have navigated this process without Nisha and the team.

Nisha had conviction in my profile from the start, even when I was second-guessing myself. She was thoughtful, incisive with her feedback, and remarkably good at asking the right questions to actually understand my journey, my motivations, and what made me who I am.
What I appreciated most was how seriously Nisha and the team treated each school as its own application. Haas, Anderson, and Booth look for different things, and they refused to let me reshuffle the same content between them. That harder work of building distinct narratives is what I am convinced moved the needle, the Booth waitlist conversion included. They stayed just as engaged through the waitlist stretch as during the crunch, which is exactly when I needed it most.

What truly stood out, however, was that Nisha never felt like just a consultant. She was a real companion through this journey, invested not only in the applications but in me as a person. Given the demands of my schedule, she and the team were always patient and supportive, and having someone as dependable as Nisha made an enormous difference.

This journey would not have been the same without her, and I would wholeheartedly recommend Nisha and Admissions Gateway to anyone applying to top business schools.

Aparna is exceptional, and I say that with the benefit of hindsight. I worked with her through my application cycle and ended up with admits from Columbia (with a $100K scholarship) and Kellogg, among others.
When I started, my profile felt like two disconnected halves: an MNC analyst stint and then a founder’s office role at an early-stage startup. On paper, it looked like a pivot. Aparna helped me see, and write, what was actually a single continuous story, threading my professional background with personal motivations and post-MBA goals into one coherent narrative. That narrative is what carried the applications.
A few things that genuinely set her apart:
She runs the process, you don’t have to. Regular check-ins, clear next steps, and gentle but persistent follow-ups meant I never had to wonder what was due when. For someone juggling a demanding role alongside applications, that scaffolding mattered.
She is never satisfied with the first draft. Or the third. Every essay went through more iterations than I’d care to count. She pushed back until the essay was actually saying what we meant it to say, not a polished version of something adjacent. Frustrating in the moment, obviously the right call in retrospect.
She front-loads the hard work. Aparna pushed hardest in the early weeks so that by the time deadlines closed in, we had time and room to refine at pace rather than scramble. By the final week of each round, I was reviewing, not writing from scratch.
You leave the process knowing yourself better. When I read my final resume and essays now, I see things about my own story that I genuinely didn’t have language for before: patterns, motivations, through-lines. That was the byproduct of the deliberate, almost uncomfortable depth she pushed me to.
One more thing worth flagging: it was never just about the five-school package. I had a side project I was building during the application cycle, and Aparna engaged with that too, thinking through how it fit into my candidacy, helping me frame it for adcoms, and treating it with the same seriousness as my essays. That kind of investment beyond the scope of contract is rare.
If you want a consultant who will treat your candidacy as a craft project rather than a template, work with Aparna.

When I started my MBA application journey, I expected guidance on essays and applications. What I did not expect was someone who would help me uncover and articulate parts of my own story that I had not fully recognized myself. Despite me being in the US and Aparna being in India, she made the process feel seamless, often opening up early morning slots on her side so we could keep momentum through one of the busiest phases of my life.

What stood out most was how invested she was in helping me discover stories that genuinely reflected who I am. One example I still remember was my HBS curiosity essay. I had never thought gaming was something meaningful to include in an MBA application, but Aparna pushed me to think differently and helped me see the deeper story behind it. She encouraged me to move away from safe answers and lean into what made me unique. What made that moment memorable was that my HBS interview actually started with the essay because the interviewers mentioned how interesting they found it. That was when I realized she was not just helping me write applications, but helping me understand and present myself better.

Then came interview season, and that is where she truly went above and beyond. Receiving interview invites from HBS, CBS, Kellogg, Wharton, and Yale meant preparing for five completely different interview formats, expectations, and styles. Even though fitting in that level of preparation must have required significant effort and schedule flexibility, she made time and ensured every school was approached differently instead of using a standard playbook. Every mock interview, discussion, and feedback session felt customized and intentional.

The result was something I still find difficult to believe. Not only did I receive interviews from all five schools, but I ultimately received admits from all five as well. Outcomes like these are never because of one person alone, but I genuinely believe I would not have reached this point without Aparna’s belief, commitment, and ability to bring out the best version of me. I will always be grateful for everything she did throughout this journey.

One of the biggest things I took away from my MBA journey through Admissions Gateway was learning how to think with more structure and intention, and a lot of that came from Rajdeep.

What stood out to me was his ability to bring clarity to every part of the application process. Even for the smallest prompts, his guidance was never about filling words. It was about understanding what the school was truly asking, prioritizing what mattered, and using every character and every sentence intentionally. That way of thinking completely changed how I approached applications.

What made an even bigger impression was that despite leading the entire consulting team, he always made time to answer questions and help whenever I had doubts. I can only imagine how busy his schedule must have been, but I never felt like my questions were too small or insignificant.

One experience that stayed with me was the HBS interview preparation training. The level of structure, intensity, and realism in that preparation was incredibly valuable. HBS interviews are known to be demanding, and when the time came, I felt prepared because I had already been trained to think, communicate, and respond with intention.

Looking back now, as I prepare to head to HBS, I realize that beyond applications and admits, Rajdeep helped build a way of thinking that I will carry much further into my career. That impact goes far beyond admissions.

I just wanted to share my experience working with Rajdeep during my Harvard Business School application process.

I started my application journey in October, which was only about two months before the deadline. Naturally, I was feeling quite anxious because there was so much to do in a very short amount of time.

But from our very first connect call, Rajdeep was incredibly helpful, calm, and considerate. He immediately helped reduce my anxiety and brought structure to what felt like a very overwhelming process. When you begin an MBA application, everything comes at once — the application form, resume, letters of recommendation, essays, timelines — and it can feel chaotic. Rajdeep broke everything down into clear, manageable steps and created a roadmap that made the process feel much more achievable.

One of my biggest challenges was my background. I had experience across three different industries — banking, consulting, and healthcare — and I was struggling to tie them together into one coherent and compelling story. Rajdeep was exceptional in helping me identify the common thread across my experiences, understand what strengths to emphasize, and shape a strong personal brand that made sense to the admissions committee.

He was also extremely responsive throughout the process. We had several one-on-one sessions where we worked through essays and other parts of the application in detail. What really stood out was his ability to maximize every word. He has a sharp instinct for what adds value, what should be highlighted, and what should be removed. That gave me a lot of confidence and reassurance during a stressful time.

Once I received my interview invite, Rajdeep was equally helpful in guiding both tactical and strategic decisions. He advised me on selecting the best interview slot, which gave me enough time to prepare properly. He also scheduled four mock interview sessions and gave highly practical feedback after each one. One of the biggest challenges in MBA interviews is communicating your points clearly, concisely, and within limited time, and those practice sessions positioned me very well for the actual interview day.

Lastly, he was very proactive and made sure I had access to the wider team whenever needed for additional one-on-one support. Overall, working with Rajdeep was an incredibly valuable experience, and I’d strongly recommend him to anyone applying to top business schools.

I worked with Rajdeep through my MBA application journey, and in hindsight, there are a few things that really stood out about his approach and the impact it had on me.

One of the biggest challenges in this process is that after 5 years of work experience, you have hundreds of stories you could potentially tell. What Rajdeep did exceptionally well was bring structure to that chaos. He was very clear about what each essay needed to convey and how it should be approached. That clarity helped me not just refine my essays, but also declutter my thinking, what stories truly mattered, which ones were most impactful, and how they tied into my overall narrative. It wasn’t just editing; it was sharpening my perspective.

A principle we followed throughout was that I would only apply to schools I would genuinely attend, and that held true across my applications. Rajdeep was very deliberate in helping me arrive at that clarity. For instance, Kellogg wasn’t even on my initial radar. But through conversations with him, understanding the culture and what the school values, I realized it was actually a very strong fit for me. That ultimately translated into an admit with a full scholarship, which I’m incredibly grateful for.

This process can get overwhelming, not just during the applications, but even after submitting them. I found myself overthinking timelines, decisions, and whether we had missed something. What really helped was that Rajdeep was always accessible. I could reach out to him on short notice, and he would respond quickly and calmly walk me through things. That ability to bring a sense of clarity and calm in what is otherwise a very uncertain process made a big difference.

The interview prep I did, two rounds before Harvard and one before Kellogg, was extremely effective. The mock interviews were very close to the actual experience, both in terms of structure and the kind of questions asked. What stood out was the quality of feedback. It was always constructive and actionable, but never discouraging. That balance helped me improve meaningfully while still going into the actual interviews with confidence.

Something I underestimated going in was how involved the recommendation process would be. From identifying the right stories to guiding what I should communicate to my recommenders, this was handled in a very structured and timely manner. Everything was sequenced well, and I always felt like we were on top of timelines without it becoming stressful.

Finally, and most importantly, none of my application narratives felt manufactured. Everything I submitted was rooted in my real experiences. Rajdeep never pushed me toward a narrative that didn’t feel like my own. Instead, he helped me better understand and articulate my own journey, where my stories fit, and how they came together into a cohesive narrative.

Overall, I’m extremely grateful, not just for the outcomes, but for how the entire process was handled. It’s been a significant journey, and one that I believe will have a lasting impact on my life.

Rajdeep helped break down my TBD persona in detail (ultimately leading to a Wharton admit) and equipped me with tools to navigate almost all possible scenarios in a group discussion. His tried and tested insights and detailed workshops helped me approach applications in a more holistic manner, go to the root of every experience and bring out the true essence of my personal stories in my essays!

Aparna was instrumental to my Wharton and Kellogg admit! She was extremely thorough throughout the entire process, meticulous in her approach and very detail oriented.

She took out the time to truly understand my professional and personal background. I was really stumped when it came to connecting my past experience with my future professional goals, and it didn’t make it easy that I had multiple ongoing projects at work and I was travelling to NYC, but she was patient and consistently asked the big picture questions and pushed me to bring out the best in my applications. Her eye to detail brought out instances from my life that fit seamlessly into my app, which I wouldn’t have been able to notice otherwise.

Her brainstorming sessions not only helped me in the apps process but also helped me find clarity in my post-MBA goals! Her holistic approach and ideation workshops actually helped me apply to some schools independently as well!

Before the submission deadlines she was available even during late hours for a to z support, which especially helped given my demanding work schedule.

She kept me motivated constantly and I could rely on her without hesitation. Despite the stress, she actually made the process enjoyable 🙂

Getting into Harvard Business School, Stanford Graduate School of Business, The Wharton School, and MIT Sloan School of Management after applying to only four schools still feels surreal to me. These are among the most competitive MBA programs in the world, and I genuinely do not think any of this would have been possible without Nisha and her belief in me throughout the process.

From the very beginning, I felt reassured because of the conviction Nisha had in my profile and story, even during moments when I was second-guessing myself. She was consistently thoughtful, incisive with her feedback, deeply empathetic, and incredibly skilled at asking the right questions to truly understand my journey, motivations, and personality. More importantly, she helped me translate all of that into an application narrative that felt authentic while also presenting me in the strongest possible light to the AdComs.

What truly stood out to me, however, was that Nisha never felt like “just a consultant.” She felt like a genuine companion through this journey. She was deeply invested not only in my applications, but also in me as a person and professional. Given the demands of my job and the unpredictability of my schedule, she was always extremely accommodating, patient, and supportive. As someone who can get anxious around timelines and deadlines, having someone as organized, proactive, and dependable as Nisha made an enormous difference. She handled every aspect of the process with incredible care and consistency from start to finish. Nisha not only advised me on the application sections, but would regularly cheer me up, calm me down before stressful interviews and made sure that I was in my best mental state during the application period.

Even beyond the admits, the guidance and support have continued as I navigate decisions around business school and what comes next. Looking back, I feel incredibly fortunate to have worked with someone who brought together a sharp strategic insight, empathy, structure, and genuine care in the way Nisha did.

I can say with complete confidence that this journey would not have been the same without her, and I would wholeheartedly recommend Nisha and Admissions Gateway to anyone aspiring to apply to top business schools.

Getting into both Kellogg and HBS had been a goal of mine for a long time, and I genuinely could not have done it without Nisha and team AG by my side throughout the process. When I first came to the team , I wasn’t sure how to navigate the MBA application process or how to present my story effectively. The team helped me build a resume that was clear, well-positioned, and reflective of my professional journey. When it came to the essays, team AG helped me identify the right stories to tell, pushed me to think more deeply about my motivations and goals, and ensured every piece of writing was authentic and aligned with what each school was looking for. The feedback was always thoughtful and constructive, and the support throughout was consistent and genuine. What I appreciated most was how invested team AG was in making sure I put forward the best possible application. It never felt transactional; it felt like they were genuinely rooting for me at every step. If you are working through your MBA applications, I would highly recommend team AG. They bring real expertise, personalised attention, and a level of care that makes a meaningful difference.