ApplicantLab | MBA Admissions Consultants

If I had to redo my applications, I would stick to the same approach of using the ApplicantLab of giving structure to a highly-complicated process of applying to B-School and working with Carin on school-specific essays.

The Lab’s advice on how to approach school-specific essays is absolutely fantastic. Very detailed and spot-on advice. I worked with Carin for my application to Chicago Booth. Initially, I was a bit sceptical because there is no opportunity to “speak to her” and the communication mode is asynchronous. However, after my first review I realized that the feedback that you receive via video + an edited word-doc is highly detailed and is much more efficient than discussing on a “live call”.

If you are someone who deals well with constructive criticism, then this is the ideal platform and set of consultants to work with. The advice is to the point, crisp, and highly relevant – she will not mince their words if you have not done a good job, and at the same time also be quick to point out the “strengths and good sections of your application”.

Subscribing to the lab and working with Carin was one of the best decisions I could have made during my applications, and would highly highly recommend the software + team to anyone who is still deciding how to approach MBA applications.

After checking out a few reviews, I tried ApplicantLab and it was the best decision. After multiple GMAT attempts and being stuck at a lower than average score for my target schools and coming from an ORM, I wanted to strengthen the other aspects of my application and ApplicantLab did exactly that!!

Applicant Lab portal provides all the resources we need and allows us to create our own narrative using those resources!! It allowed me to keep my originality intact whilst adhering to what schools are looking for.

Speaking about Applicant Lab, Maria has done a great job in distilling all the advice in bite-sized pieces that don’t overwhelm you. My advice would be to sign up well in advance so that you can follow through with all the advice at the intended pace. But you can also jump through modules as I did.

Out of the 4 schools I applied to (2 M7 and 2 T15), I got interview calls from 2 schools (1 M7 and 1 T15) and then got waitlisted at both schools. I reached out to Maria for advice at that time and several other times in my application journey. Maria always responds back quickly with all the necessary info and a ton of positive attitude. She has a great sense of humor which comes through in her messages also. I got off the waitlist at both the schools and will be headed to what has been my dream school all along, Chicago Booth!!

To conclude, Applicant Lab is a DIY tool with all kinds of resources at your disposal. Those resources are more than sufficient for the application, trust me!! (Resources for Resume/Essays/Video essays/Recommendation letters/Scholarships/Waitlist etc). But it is upto us to make the best use of it.

Thank you Applicant Lab!! Thank you Maria!!

After checking out a few reviews, I tried ApplicantLab and it was the best decision. After multiple GMAT attempts and being stuck at a lower than average score for my target schools and coming from an ORM, I wanted to strengthen the other aspects of my application and ApplicantLab did exactly that!!

Apart from the 1-year Lab subscription, I did a Sanity Check and essay reviews with Carin since I wanted expert advice on whether my essays are conveying what I intend to convey. I cannot recommend her enough!! She has been absolutely clear in her communication and critical when she needed to be. I felt that Carin wanted me to succeed and the kind of criticism she gave was absolutely needed for me to present my best self in front of the admissions teams across business schools.

Out of the 4 schools I applied to (2 M7 and 2 T15), I got into 2 schools (1 M7 and 1 T15). Will be headed to what has been my dream school all along, Chicago Booth!!

Thank you Applicant Lab!! Thank you, Carin!!

Applying to business school is a deeply personal and transformative journey, and as I sit here with multiple admits to some of the best business schools in the world, I’m filled with gratitude for Maria and ApplicantLab!

The application process is fairly long and complex, but ApplicantLab’s structured framework truly demystifies applying to business school. The Lab is set up the way it is for a reason and requires putting in the work end-to-end. Put simply, ApplicantLab works if you work.

Three aspects that truly stand out are the school specific recommendations, the interview module, and ApplicantLab’s ability to help you introspect. Most of the top business schools are covered, with specific advice for each application. Furthermore, if you’ve put in the work up-front, the interview module will ensure that you’re well prepared for the interviews. Finally, for me personally, ApplicantLab allowed me to introspect deeply and unearth stories and aspects about myself that I didn’t know were there. On top of all this, Maria was always gracious with her time and provided me with sagacious advice: be it school-specific recommendations or switching to the GRE, her advice was magical!

If done right, the b-school application process can be transformative, for I’ve become a much better person due to the introspection and the quantitative and qualitative improvements, and this wouldn’t have been possible without Maria and ApplicantLab!

You cannot be mollycoddled when applying to business school and although Carin never sugar-coated her advice, what makes her truly stand out is the fact that she has your best interests at heart. Time and time again, she went out of her way to make sure that my applications were on point and she never accepted anything less than the best. When I came to her, I knew why I wanted to do an MBA but I didn’t know how to get there (which is truly what schools are looking for), and she showed me the way through her sanity checks and the usage of the right stories in the right places.

This fall, I’ll be going to business school and I owe so much of it to Carin!

Trying out ApplicantLab was the best chance that I took. I had just sat my first GMAT and was looking for guidance on how to tackle the whole application process. Coming from India, all those highly rated consultants who I felt would be the best for me, were priced completely out of my reach. To add to the cost was the fact that these consultants work in packages of 3 or 5 or more schools. This felt like a limiting factor. What if I wanted to apply to more schools? What if I changed my mind and wanted to apply to some other school than what we would decide initially?

Do not misunderstand me. I come from a non-traditional background, and at that time, I also felt that I would be best served in a 1-1 model working with a consultant. But I also felt like that would hamper my originality.

In my research phase, I spoke with a lot of students and someone fleetingly mentioned Applicant Lab. It was after this that I tried the trial version and I was hooked! Applicant Lab felt like the perfect blend of the guidance I needed while keeping my originality intact and being able to tell my story in my own way.

Another big factor was I wanted to be sure of the person I would be working with. I saw many of Maria’s videos on YouTube, and what struck me was how genuine she seemed, a good person, someone trustworthy, and I liked her sense of humor too!

Apart from the 1-year Lab subscription, I also took a Sanity Check since I was in a huge mess regarding my story. I am not exaggerating, Maria hand-held me throughout the process, helping me narrow down my choices and making me realize the holes in my initial story. I cannot thank her enough. There are almost 50 emails back and forth between Maria and me, and not once did I feel unwelcome. Maria will be your cheerleader in your journey.

Speaking about Applicant Lab, Maria has done a great job in distilling all the advice in bite-sized pieces that don’t overwhelm you. My advice would be to sign up well in advance so that you can follow through with all the advice at the intended pace. But you can also jump through modules as I did.

Coming from a non-traditional background, I was struggling with my resume. The way Maria has set up the Resume module – getting into the nitty-gritty is so good! The school-specific advice was a goldmine for me. I cannot speak highly enough of the value of this module especially.

Applicant Lab has some advice for every facet a candidate might need help with. Right from helping guide how to reach out to students and looking for potential companies to target, to giving tips on trying to re-negotiate scholarships, Applicant Lab has it all.

Another aspect of Applicant Lab that I liked is that it does not have any ‘sample’ essays or guides. There are excerpts only where Maria would just give you a flavor of the essence of how to go about telling your story, and that’s all. You have to think for yourself. And that’s the best part! You sharing your thoughts in your own words.

After I got my interview calls, I was worried about how to go about preparing for them. But Maria has covered interviewing ‘in detail’ within Applicant Lab. Just to give you an example, she even tells you how to position your camera and where to look, and a very funny, but extremely handy trick to use in training yourself to look at the camera when speaking!

I applied to 6 schools in R1 and interviewed at 5 of them. While Duke waitlisted me, I got significant scholarships at McCombs, UNC, Owen, and Kelley; and none of this would have been possible without Applicant Lab.

While concluding, I would like to point out that Applicant Lab is like a DIY admissions consultant. What I mean is, there will be no one pushing you and prodding you to get up and make the effort. You will need to be able to hold yourself accountable. And if you are someone like that, there is no better tool for you out there than Applicant Lab. This will be the best $300 you would spend.

And Maria is the best! THANK YOU!!!

Applicant Lab was a game-changer for me! Coming from Vietnam, I did not have a lot of access to the business school’s info sessions – Applicant Lab took it to the next level with specific school details to help with essay and application strategies for a fraction of the price! On top of that, the HBS mock interview that I did with Maria was also empowering and gave me confidence and improvement points so I felt comfortable going to the actual interview and secured the offer from HBS. Would highly recommend it to everyone who is applying to business schools, thank you, Maria!

As a lawyer who wanted to get into a top business school, I didn’t have much knowledge or experience with the process. I wanted guidance, but I didn’t want to pay a lot for admission consultants. I came across Applicant Lab through some YouTube videos (AdCom’s hierarchy of needs!) and it had an immensely positive impact.

Once I signed up, I realised that Applicant Lab is an extremely powerful platform that helps you with every aspect of your
MBA applications. It can assist you in identifying your strengths and weaknesses, clarifying your career objectives and accomplishments, matching your personal qualities with the preferences of each school, crafting impactful essays, getting ready for interviews, and providing other forms of support. Simply put, it’s a wonderful treasure trove of information and guidance. The content delivery is also flexible – both videos and text (including bite-sized summaries of key points). It also provides some examples, tips, videos, and resources to support you along the way.

What I appreciated about Applicant Lab was the feedback I received from the experts on the team. I booked sessions with Souvik and Ken, who were knowledgeable, friendly, and honest. They reviewed my essays and CV and provided feedback on areas that needed improvement. They gave me some valuable tips on how to improve my application.

Thanks to Applicant Lab, I was able to create a story that I believe accurately portrayed my personality, skills, and potential. I applied to INSEAD and I received an admission offer. I appreciate the assistance of the entire team in helping me reach my goal.

There is no doubt that Applicant Lab is a wonderful tool for anyone who is looking to ace the MBA application process. I wholeheartedly ‘advocate’ it!

For context, I do not have a traditional background (Art/Animation) and did not have the highest GMAT score – I didn’t have a lot of confidence in myself either. The MBA application process seemed daunting, and I wasn’t sure I’d get in anywhere honestly!

But, with ApplicantLab and Carin’s feedback and support, I secured admits at the three schools I applied to! (LBS, IESE $ and HEC)

Working with Carin, Maria and Luqzan was an absolute pleasure.

Carin’s feedback was so helpful, candid and concise. She helped me really figure out what my narrative was and how best to put my story together on paper. I had a few laughs listening to her feedback on my weaker stories, but that’s exactly what I needed to hear to make sure I was doing the right thing. She is extremely responsive (as is the whole ApplicantLab team) and compassionate. I felt like a real, down-to-earth person was reading my essays and giving me honest feedback (rather than telling me what I wanted to hear).

You can’t go wrong with ApplicantLab and Carin! Best part, you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars either – everything you need is on the platform!

I come from a non-traditional background. No one in my professional circle has an MBA, let alone an MBA from a top school in the country. So when I started thinking about applying to business schools, I knew I needed someone to guide me. However, the absurd prices some of the other consultants asked for was too much for me to pay without feeling guilty for wasting money. I came across applicant lab through GMAT club, the prices were astonishingly low, so I decided to try them out and I am so glad I did. The modules in the program were designed so thoughtfully that it was a joy to work on the different modules on my own time to build a story for my MBA application that eventually got me accepted to 6 top schools (including two M7 schools: Booth and Kellogg). I also booked a personal consulting session with Maria, which was very useful as a guidance towards creating a strategy for my essays. Maria helped me poke holes in my application and because of the session I booked with her, my application package became even more focused and streamlined. I highly highly recommend applicant lab and Maria. For a miniscule fraction of the price, you are getting similar, if not better, consulting services compared to other consultants.

I booked a sanity check with Carin through Applicant Lab. Carin was very thoughtful when reading through my application and pointed out many ways to improve my thought process. I believe Carin’s review of my strategy was the main reason behind my acceptance at 6 different top MBA programs, including two M& schools (Booth and Kellogg). I highly recommend Carin as an admission consultant.

I would also recommend the Sanity check and Essay review services with Carin – the best bang for your buck you will get anywhere in the MBA admissions process.

Almost everything about ApplicantLab is great – the affordable price point, the structured approach to shape your story, why MBA and the school-specific advice is amazingly detailed. Maria and her team have created an amazing product! I would highly recommend the applicant lab to anyone serious about their MBA aspirations. Out of the 7 schools I applied to (selection of M7 + LBS + Yale), I was admitted to 5! ApplicantLab is a robust, end-to-end product for your MBA admissions needs – don’t pay ridiculous amounts for an admissions consultant, please! Thank you to Maria, Carin and the team!

I worked with ApplicantLab on reviewing my MBA narrative and resume. ApplicantLab distilled mountains of wisdom through their rich experience in the domain down into (1) fun, digestible and straightforward videos and (2) an easy-to-use and insightful platform.

What really made ApplicantLab work for my relatively non-traditional background were the sanity checks with Maria and the ApplicantLab team. While the ApplicantLab platform framed 95% of my application, the 1-on-1 sanity check and resume review with Maria really helped me drill down on weak spots (as a low-GPA applicant with little work experience, there were plenty). Not only were Maria & her team detailed and astoundingly responsive on email, they were EXCEEDINGLY generous with their time and critique. Maria completely revamped my resume and helped me articulate and sharpen every single bullet. She also helped me figure out which programs would be the best fit, and asked the right questions that not only shaped my MBA application but my career goals. I also really appreciated that all the feedback was recorded — this was a HUGE help.

I’m certain beyond a doubt that I would not have been admitted into a top program, let alone with a scholarship, without ApplicantLab — and I don’t think any traditional consulting service could have worked this miracle, not to mention at a FRACTION of the cost. Give this platform (and the sanity checks!) a try; you won’t regret it!!

To put it plainly, working with Carin and the entire ApplicantLab team was absolutely fantastic. Not only do I recommend the service as a whole, but I especially recommend the additional consulting services with Carin!

I solicited Carin’s feedback on essays for two schools – Kellogg and Booth – and received offers from both. In each case, she went above and beyond to give honest, actionable feedback that I was able to immediately apply… and, in the case of my Kellogg essays, undoubtedly meant the difference between receiving an offer and not!

Since I’d used Carin for my essay reviews in 2020, when I first applied to Kellogg, it was a no-brainer to solicit her feedback again when reapplying. I struggled with the essays this time around, and it showed. Carin demonstrated “tough love,” and gave very candid feedback on my first drafts. The difference maker, however, was that she went BACK to the essays I’d sent her nearly TWO YEARS prior, and pointed out elements from those that I could re-incorporate and expound upon. She provided some rewriting recommendations, which helped me quickly identify the necessary edits, and gave some general feedback on how to make my “growth since first applying” really shine in my re-applicant essays (again, having looked at the materials I shared years prior). None of this was in the “job description,” but showed how much she really cared about steering me in the right direction. Due wholly to her feedback, I was able to completely transform my essays, and receive the offer of admission I was hoping for. This is just one of the many examples I have of Carin going above and beyond to help out.

I have no doubts that Carin’s candid feedback played a crucial role in my receiving these 2 M-7 offers. Though I know her sessions are a little more costly, I can wholeheartedly say it makes all the difference.

I started applying for MBAs around two years ago and took Carin’s help during both years of applying.
– Carin was very supportive and every piece of feedback she gave was very specific to me and my application. She was very responsive whenever I had ANY questions about anything which was very useful during stressful times.
– My mock interview with Carin was also the most effective/useful $500ish that I have ever spent with respect to MBA applications. During that 2 hour interview + feedback session I had with her, I learned more about how to speak in interviews and how to present myself to interviewers than I had ever done during the 2 years that I had worked towards getting accepted into a top MBA program.
– Carin is super candid with feedback which only helped me with my application and my interview – I really feel like without her, I wouldn’t have been successful at my application for INSEAD.

ApplicantLab offers very succinct, structured, and comprehensive advice and guidance that were extremely helpful for me throughout my preparation phase. It was very easy to navigate the platform without getting bored or overwhelmed with information. There are a lot of videos that make the learning experience insightful and fun at the same time. Also, it helped me plan for my next steps and remain disciplined in my prep.

Incredible affordable, great value for money, and amazing service and support from the entire team.

Also, I found the essay review service quite helpful. Maria provided really helpful and candid feedback that helped push my essays to the next level and create the best version of my application. She was always there to answer questions in detail and always made time for me whenever I had any questions. Maria always pointed me in the right direction and gave me helpful advice. I consider myself lucky for finding ApplicantLab and for working with Maria. Maria is not only great at reviewing essays, but she’s also fun and nice to interact with. I’d definitely recommend working with Maria 1000 times!!

Couldn’t recommend ApplicantLab enough!!! It helped me get into my dream school.

I originally heard about ApplicantLab on several MBA forums and was dead set on avoiding the “traditional” admissions consultants because of the exorbitant costs. The program itself walks you through your story very well, and the supplemental essay help was incredibly insightful and affordable for what you get.

The highlight of my experience was my HBS mock interview with Maria. I firmly believe that this prep made a difference in my interview performance. Maria prepared a comprehensive list of mock questions that VERY closely mirrored my actual interview. Seriously – 90% of my interview was comprised of questions we had gone over. Maria even advised me to use a prop that I ended up using in the interview to help explain my engineering background. If you have an interview, especially one with HBS, I see interview prep with ApplicantLab as a must!

ApplicationLab was extremely helpful during my MBA application process. I came from a nontraditional background and was not too familiar with the MBA application process. A friend of mine recommended the website. After I sign-up, I knew it was the best decision.

What I like about this website is how comprehensive it is each step of the way. It took an extremely structured approach and detailed breakdowns for each stage.

I really like the recorded videos because they were very easy to digest. They were helpful because I could always playback the episodes that I thought were helpful. I would not have been able to get into my dream school without ApplicationLab. I would love to thank Maria for her effort in bringing an affordable solution to the MBA application process.

I was incredibly delighted by my outcomes (admits to Stern, Haas, LBS, Kellogg, Yale, Tuck, UCLA and McCombs—as well as generous scholarships from many of them and one full ride!) and I couldn’t have done it without ApplicantLab and Carin.

In addition to all the information on ApplicantLab’s service, the Sanity Checks and Strategic Essay Reviews I booked with Carin really helped me polish my story and make my essays shine. She was extremely helpful in helping me refine my career goals and my story, in addition to identifying target schools. She often went above and beyond to answer my questions over email and help me iterate over my career vision until I uncovered a winning strategy.

I found that her advice on one of my essays was often applicable to several of them, and she really helped me showcase my strengths and personality to the admissions committee. She was integral in helping me identify points to focus on in my application, and I truly felt like I’d put my best foot forward after working with her.

I can’t recommend her help enough—I honestly couldn’t have done it without her!

When designing my game plan for R1 applications, I was hesitant to pay thousands of dollars for a top-tier consultant after hearing some mixed reviews from friends. After spending many months studying for the GMAT using Target Test Prep (and loving it), I was looking for a similarly innovative platform for my applications. I decided to use ApplicantLab as my consulting service after reading many online reviews and noticing how inexpensive it was compared to virtually every other consulting option. Overall, I found ApplicantLab to be incredibly helpful from start to finish for each of my applications, but I’ll go into detail a bit on how I used the product to help others understand its value.

I started with the Strategy Modules (My Strengths & Weaknesses, Career Vision, and Why MBA) to develop my unique story for applications. Each module enabled me to think introspectively and helped me leverage my best leadership examples effectively. Before diving into my essays, I wanted to make sure my story was sound, so I paid for a “Sanity Check” with Maria. This review was immensely helpful! She provided feedback over a recordable video, and I watched it several times through to make sure I perfected my story.

After the Sanity Check, I felt comfortable with my goals/story and started outlining my essays. I found the advice tailored to each school’s essay prompt(s) incredibly helpful and helped me feel confident with the materials I was submitting to each school. I received an interview invite at 5 of the 6 schools I applied to, including an invite for HBS. After hearing this exciting news, I decided to pay for Mock Interview session with Maria. She spent a considerable amount of time reviewing my application and coming up with questions similar to the ones I received during the actual interview!

ApplicantLab was 100% worth the money for me and helped me get into HBS, my dream school, and I am incredibly thankful to Maria for designing such an awesome product!

Carin gave great feedback on my Yale SOM application package which ultimately led to admission + scholarship.

Carin is an absolute professional that embodies compassion. I found ApplicantLab after reading about it online and am so glad that I did not shell out thousands for a traditional consultant. ApplicantLab and the essay reviews provided by Carin were instrumental in my admission to an M7. If you’re considering spending money on a consultant, give ApplicantLab a shot first.

During R2 of the 2020/21 cycle, I – a non-traditional, outlier, international applicant – applied to eight business schools and relied on ApplicantLab’s fantastic platform to organize my narrative, stories, past experiences, and achievements. This affordable platform, which provides quality service in a fraction of the cost of its competitors, allows its users to learn how to appreciate their strengths and address their weaknesses while engaging them with the many pieces that would make each unique application (both the written portion and the interview) successful. The ApplicantLab staff was always accessible to answer specific questions about the different applications and provided solid advice throughout the process with no additional cost. Besides the platform, I opted to use complementary services, such as the Sanity Check and Essay Review, working with both alumni and Carin to ensure my application is on the right track. Those additional sessions, which were inexpensive compared to the competitors, enhanced my applications, especially since I applied to many schools.

ApplicantLab made my application process more manageable, and the level of service Maria, Carin, and the three alumni on the roster provide is exceptional. While I did not work directly with Maria, she did guide the process by answering questions, and it felt like I was working with her given the interactive platform. I was thrilled with my results, as I was admitted to several schools and chose to enroll at Wharton/Lauder with a full-tuition fellowship at Wharton and a partial fellowship at Lauder. I have no doubt ApplicantLab played a crucial role in my success, and I highly recommend the service.

During R2 of the 2020/21 cycle, I – a non-traditional, outlier, international applicant – applied to various business schools and relied on ApplicantLab’s fantastic platform to organize my narrative, stories, past experiences, and achievements. This affordable platform, which provides quality service in a fraction of the cost of its competitors, allows its users to learn how to appreciate their strengths and address their weaknesses while engaging them with the many pieces that would make each unique application (both the written portion and the interview) successful. ApplicantLab made my application process more manageable, and the level of service Maria, Carin, and the three alumni on the roster provide is exceptional.

Besides the platform, I also used some of the supplementary services in a very targeted way, working with Carin to polish my Wharton & Lauder essays before submitting them. I appreciated the level of commitment and dedication she provided throughout the process of reviewing my essays. She was highly responsive, was invested in my candidacy despite the fact we did not work extensively and even made sure to add a special slot for me so that she could make a final review of my material. Her professionalism and experience as an admission consultant were evident as well. The feedback she provided was always candid, concise, and actionable. She highlighted the strong portion of the essays and precisely what was missing to make them even more robust, referencing specific resources. Besides working with her directly on my essays, she and the rest of the ApplicantLab staff were always accessible to answer specific questions about the different applications and provided solid advice throughout the process with no additional cost.

I highly recommend Carin. Even if your essays are in good shape, she will provide you with encouragement and constructive feedback to make sure you submit the best application possible. She was over the moon when I told her that I was accepted to Wharton/Lauder with substantial fellowships to both programs, indicating how invested she was in my candidacy and how rewarding it was to work with her on some of my essays.

As a recent college graduate, I was tight on money and skeptical of spending big bucks on an admission consultant. After doing some diligent research (as a college student on a budget always does) I found ApplicantLab.

The ApplicantLab modules allowed me to build not only my application, but also my unique story in steps. I first completed the career vision, and “why MBA” sections before purchasing a Sanity Check Consultation with Maria. Her feedback was honest and gave me clear direction on what areas of my profile I needed to project to admissions.

For the next month, I worked through the remaining modules on ApplicantLab to form my essay. I purchased two essay reviews with an ApplicantLab Alumni (the cheapest option) before submitting my application to HBS.

Coming from a non-traditional background, and having a GMAT score (700) lower than the median, I did not expect an interview invite, but to my surprise, one morning I got the email. Without hesitation, I booked a mock interview with Maria.

As an HBS alumna, Maria knows the interview like the back of her hand. We spent 30 minutes conducting the interview before she gave valuable feedback. Not surprisingly, my real interview was near identical to my mock with Maria.

ApplicantLab is an amazing resource for aspiring MBA students. Maria possesses a bubbly and bright personality that is rare amongst the general robotic nature of admission consultants. Maria (and Carin) reply fast to any questions and are always willing to support ApplicantLab users.

I can’t wait to attend HBS, all thanks to Maria and ApplicantLab!

Maria is a phenomenal consultant and resource when it comes to the admissions process. She has a keen eye for detail and keeps the big picture in mind when helping craft your application.

I’d highly recommend scheduling a kick-off call with her – going through the strategy phase of the process with Maria was extremely valuable. She listens to your story and brainstorms strategies to position your application effectively in a way that is unique to you, and it is especially helpful if you’re from an overrepresented group like I was (Indian-engineering).

Maria’s insights were crucial to help distinguish my application from the rest of the pool, especially since I had less than stellar GMAT scores and graduated from a school that wasn’t well known, even in India. She’s fully invested in the process, and works her magic, iteratively chiseling away at refining the application (the resume, essay, and even the data fields) for as many iterations as you like. The result – I was able to represent myself in a compelling way in my applications and I received interview invitations from IIMs.

She also helps craft a compelling narrative when practicing for the interview component of the application. She provides feedback on each question that’s asked during mock sessions and provides suggestions for improvement. Like the iterations on the essays, she helps you run through several interview “styles” – from simulating extremely stressful-poker-faced-interactions to ones in which the interviewer is much more candid and engaging.

I’d very highly recommend her services – and hopefully, you’ll also receive a call from admissions, congratulating you on your acceptance! 🙂

When I started looking into the MBA process, I was astounded by the astronomically high prices of many MBA consultants. There’s no way I could afford it – until ApplicantLab (AL) came along!

Disclosure: I got free access to the AL modules because the content was not captioned for the deaf and hard of hearing, so it was not fully accessible at the beginning. Maria was kind-hearted enough to grant me free access and then later had the videos captioned within a few days. So if you’re deaf or hard of hearing and thinking about an MBA, AL will definitely make its content accessible for you. Instead of a video review of your essays, they’ll write in notes/comments in the Word doc.

I mostly worked with Carin to craft my narrative (“sanity check”) and essay reviews, and how to shine a positive light on my lived experiences as a deaf person. I couldn’t find a deaf student or alumni at my programs of choice (M7 + T10s) to reach out for helpful guidance and information. I had questions like “How did they present themselves well?”, “how to show that we offer a lot to the community?” and “how did the employers view students with disabilities?”

However, Carin and Maria were awesome in lending their experience and perspective as hearing people to make sure I present my unique, nontraditional background and experiences well. They responded quickly to my emails and questions, including their feedback/thoughts on selecting a certain topic my video prompts.

The modules are all top-notch, highly specific, updated, and very informative in all one place – great if you’re short on time and need to churn out applications in a matter of days. I highly recommend AL for any new MBA applicants at very affordable price points for its platform and add-on services (which I did pay for).

Results? I got into Wharton, Yale SOM, and Booth for R2.

When I started looking into the MBA process, I was astounded by the astronomically high prices of many MBA consultants. There’s no way I can afford it – until ApplicantLab (AL) came along!

Disclosure: I got free access to the AL modules because the content was not captioned for the deaf and hard of hearing, so it was not fully accessible at the beginning. Maria was kind-hearted enough to grant me free access and then later had the videos captioned within a few days. So if you’re deaf or hard of hearing and thinking about an MBA, AL will definitely make its content accessible for you. Instead of a video review of your essays, they’ll write in notes/comments in the Word doc.

I mostly worked with Carin to craft my narrative (“sanity check”) and essay reviews, and how to shine a positive light on my lived experiences as a deaf person. I couldn’t find a deaf student or alumni at my programs of choice (M7 + T10s) to reach out for helpful guidance and information. I had questions like “How did they present themselves well?”, “how to show that we offer a lot to the community?” and “how did the employers view students with disabilities?”

However, Carin and Maria were awesome in lending their experience and perspective as hearing people to make sure I present my unique, nontraditional background and experiences well. They responded quickly to my emails and questions, including their feedback/thoughts on selecting a certain topic my video prompts.

The modules are all top-notch, highly specific, updated, and very informative in all one place – great if you’re short on time and need to churn out applications in a matter of days. I highly recommend AL for any new MBA applicants at very affordable price points for its platform and add-on services (which I did pay for).

Results? I got into Wharton, Yale SOM, and Booth for R2.

I was an international applicant going through the process for the first time. To make things worse, I was working 12-15 hours a day and had very little time to work on my apps. Applying during the COVID-19 application cycle, I knew I could use all the help I could get. I think ApplicantLab was the best investment I made. Three things that made ApplicantLab stand out for me: 1) It’s extremely cheap compared to traditional consultants 2) You pay for what you use 3) Maria and Carin are amazing at what they do I highly recommend ApplicantLab to anyone going through the application process. You won’t regret it.

I was international applicant going through the process for the first time. To make things worse, I was working 12-15 hours a day and had very little time to work on my apps. Applying during the COVID-19 application cycle, I knew it would be extremely difficult to get into a good program. Getting Carin’s help was the best decision I made that year. Carin was extremely responsive and invested throughout the process. I got all my essays reviewed by her and received a lot of thoughtful input. It wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t have been able to secure an admission to Yale SOM.

I worked with Carin via ApplicantLab this past year for my MBA applications and I can’t say enough positive things about the experience! As a reapplicant and first-time ApplicantLab user, I loved how the platform had self-guided modules so I could leverage the work I had already drafted in a cost-effective way. I did a Sanity Check and Essay Reviews with Carin and her feedback was so helpful and candid. When I finally finished my re-applications with Carin’s help, my test scores/work experience hadn’t changed at all – but the way I presented my story was different. Thanks to Carin, I was able to shape my narrative in a more unique and compelling way. And it made all the difference – this time around I got accepted to my top schools! I highly recommend working with Carin/ApplicantLab if you’re looking for a game-changing admission consulting service that won’t break your bank.

It wouldn’t be an understatement to say that Maria got me through the gruelling MBA application process.

ApplicantLab holds your hand through the ENTIRE process, from understanding what is required for every component of the application package, all the way to interview preparation. Since the website already explains what makes ApplicantLab different from traditional consultants, I’ll focus on addressing a few concerns that I initially had, in an effort to dispel any skepticism that you might have:

– The speed and quality of Maria’s support for one-off questions: I was initially worried that given the virtual nature of the platform, that if I had questions that were unanswered by the website content, I wouldn’t be able to get answers as quickly as a traditional consultant. I can tell you from my experience that this should absolutely not concern you. Maria is extremely quick to respond (often in a few hours, always within at least 1-2 days) and the thoughtfulness and expertise behind her answers were incredible.

– How ‘in-the-know’ Maria is: It will soon become very clear that Maria is an absolute EXPERT in the space. She pulls incredible insights from her numerous previous clients, and also keeps up-to-date on the latest by attending admissions consulting conferences and speaking with adcoms of top schools.

– How current the website stays: Maria very quickly translates these latest insights into the website, so throughout the application process, the website stays extremely current. For example, when I was applying to CBS, within two days (!) of a new application question going live, the website had a FULL page of advice as to how to tackle the question. Amazing.

– Quality of the “story” and essay reviews: If you can afford it, I HIGHLY recommend for you to sign up for the ‘strategic essay reviews’, at least for your top schools. With Maria’s advice, I ended up applying with a very different story than my initial draft. It would be an absolute mistake to think that just because this platform is lower-cost compared to admissions consultants, that the quality would be compromised. I was blown away by how Maria was able to assess the strength and weaknesses of my overall story
(the big picture), as well as advise me on very granular details such as word choices.

Overall, I couldn’t recommend ApplicantLab enough, and I honestly feel so grateful that Maria founded ApplicantLab to level the playing field in higher education because I definitely could not have afforded to pay an admissions consultant USD 10K (I applied to 5 schools). I hope this helps, and best of luck with the journey! 🙂

I got into three schools – Wharton, MIT, Columbia with Maria’s help. As I was intimidated by the process, I hired a personal consultant (very $$$) before I learnt about ApplicantLab. As the ApplicantLab was comparatively so inexpensive and the reviews were awesome, I decided to give it a go as an extra cushion. Now after completing the whole process, I regret paying for the personal consultant. Value I got from Maria was 100x (not exaggerating) compared to the personal consultant for <1/10th of the price and I not only used the software but also the other services from Maria i.e. the strategic 1:1 essay review, mock interview, etc. I wanted to leave this review so that others don't miss out on this and end up paying a huge amount to some personal consultant.
The software provided a lot more in-depth and pointed guidance than the personal consultant. To be honest, I found the software to provide much more tailored advice than the personal consultant. Software was that good – who would have thought that! After using the ApplicantLab software, I had very high regard for Maria's opinions and wanted all my essays to be personally reviewed by her and iron out my interview prep. So even though my personal consultant was helping me edit the essays, I used the ApplicantLab's additional services for each of the schools I applied to. Again, the value was simply unbelievable. She went above and beyond of what was promised every single time. I ended up disregarding most of the advice I was getting from my personal consultant on my essays because it felt really tactical compared to the advice I got from Maria. I just wonder how is she able to provide such outstanding service at such a low price point compared to other personal consultants. The entire package was too good to be true. Can't recommend enough!

Accepted R1 To HBS, Wharton, Booth($$), Kellogg($$), And Darden($$$)

I am a white female with 7+ years of experience and was only willing to leave my job for very specific programs, so going into the application process I knew this was my last shot. This pressure initially pointed me towards the standard MBA consultant. I physically could not stomach the insane price tags that came with that one-on-one help, but luckily a friend of mine alerted me of ApplicantLab. I can not recommend this platform enough!!! ApplicantLab helped me clearly define why I wanted the MBA, and better understand what the schools were asking in their essays. The best part of ApplicantLab was that in the end, the essays sounded like ME! I got to keep my authentic voice, and didn’t feel like I was “cheating” the system, but was also sure that I was presenting myself in a way that showcased my strengths. I did use Maria’s Insanity Check, and one strategic essay review. They were helpful, but ApplicantLab is built out so well that I truly think the majority of applicants could forego the individual services and still succeed with their applications.

I worked with Carin through ApplicantLab, and it was easily the best decision I made throughout my MBA application process! The ApplicantLab modules were so helpful to get started on my materials (resume, essays, and the general foundation of my career vision / why MBA story), and working with Carin took it all to the next level. I worked with Carin on the “sanity check” and all of my essays for the three schools I applied to. She was super responsive, supportive, and encouraging, and her feedback was always valuable and actionable. Carin pointed out areas of my resume and essays that were unclear and provided tangible and thought-provoking suggestions to improve the flow and clarity of my writing and to ensure that my overall application materials worked together to tell a consistent story. I also really liked the video format of her feedback – I could rewatch the videos over and over on my own time, rather than trying to scribble down notes on a phone call. I am a night owl, so I usually worked on my applications late at night. It was really convenient to be able to watch the videos and work on my essays on my own schedule rather than being constrained to phone calls during business hours when I was busy with work. Also, ApplicantLab’s pricing is so reasonable! I was so glad to have an option to receive top-notch consulting services at an affordable price. I was accepted to one of my top choices (Wharton), and I know that working with Carin and using ApplicantLab made all the difference.

Prior to ApplicantLab, I was really insecure about my GMAT score and was not expecting to get into a top MBA program (or any scholarships).

Working with Carin has exceeded my own expectations: I was recently accepted to a Top MBA program where most of my tuition will be paid for (70%)! I don’t think I’d have had the same results without her/ApplicantLab and here’s why:

1) The information on ApplicantLab is incredibly thorough. You will understand what business schools are looking for in a very honest, straightforward/easily digestible way. Every question you have is probably answered somewhere in ApplicantLab. Resources are accessible 24/7– super convenient when you’re working a full-time job– all for a few hundred bucks! You do not need to spend 10K on MBA application advice.. (in my opinion)

2) I got constructive advice from *Carin* which REALLY elevated the quality of my application and I felt SUPER confident submitting my application before the deadline. Carin is friendly but honest– she pointed out ALL the weak parts of my app and suggested ways to improve them. With Carin’s help I was also able to leverage my strengths/unique aspects of my story!

3) Having her guidance really saved me A LOT of time, effort and anxiety while writing my essays. I think my stress levels would’ve been much much higher without ApplicantLab and Carin’s guidance.

Nothing but great things to say about ApplicantLab! Such an amazing resource with GREAT people behind it.

I was admittedly surprised when I saw the price tag for ApplicantLab. At a fraction of the price (like, literally 1/10 or less) of the other MBA consultants I’d researched, it seemed too good to be true.

I decided to give it a shot, mainly because I was feeling really stuck with my essays and was near the point of giving up on my applications. I’m really glad I did, because the essay guides on ApplicantLab were my saving grace. Not only is the interface great for organizing your thoughts and planning your application, there is so much specific guidance for each program – down to every letter of the essays questions. Maria provides insightful and engaging (and at times hilarious) videos which gave crucial direction and tips/tricks on how to approach the essays and interviews. In addition, Maria is super responsive by email if you have any questions.

I went from ready to give up on my MBA apps, to finding out I was accepted to my top choices (LBS and Booth). I really don’t think I would have had this outcome with ApplicantLab, and cannot recommend them enough.

Carin and ApplicantLab gave me tremendous help on my process. Carin’s mock interview is useful in every aspect of strategies.
Without spent $$$$ on a private consultant, only by reading and practice the resources on ApplicantLab, I received interviews from every school I applied to and admitted by one of the top early decision schools already.
I would definitely recommend Carin and ApplicantLab

Choosing ApplicantLab was the best decision during my MBA application preparation. Carin is very responsive and brutally honest. She gave me incredible insights and shaped my whole story. This was a game-changer for me. She went the extra mile to accommodate me when it was not even my slot so that I can finish my applications in due time. In a nutshell, one of my best ROI!!!

I worked with Carin through ApplicantLab and she was an incredible resource! As a deferred applicant, the MBA application process was a mystery to me. Carin really helped me hone in on my strengths and weaknesses and taught me how to leverage my nontraditional experience through my resume, career vision/story, and interview answers. Her advice allowed me to stay true to my story/background/goals while presenting a much stronger application than I would’ve been able to alone. In the end, I was accepted to three deferred programs, including Berkeley Haas, Chicago Booth, and Wharton. Carin was incredibly responsive and invested throughout the whole process and I can’t recommend her services or ApplicantLab enough!

I worked with Maria on my MBA applications, and I got admitted to IESE Business School. The Applicant Lab platform made me change the way I approach the application process. The platform is very organized and thorough.
Working with Maria is a smart investment. She gave me valuable consultations on building my story, and on aligning every piece of the application with that story – from the resume to the essays to the interview prep.
I highly recommend using the Applicant Lab platform and working with Maria.

Coming from the most over-represented applicant pool, INDIAN-MALE-ENGINEER, I realized the need for professional consulting. Then I came across ApplicantLab by Maria, and after reading its great reviews, I took the trial. It immediately made me feel confident that I also can MAKE TO MY DREAM SCHOOL. Step-by-step, I then subscribed to all the services that Maria offers.
The ApplicantLab is definitely the best one-stop portal for anything you need regarding any top business school. Maria has done a fantastic job of organizing her knowledge and experience on an online platform that you can use at your own pace. I particularly liked the “Why MBA & Career Vision” section, as it helped me lay a strong foundation essential for a winning application. Also, a unique virtual experience (including tons of excellent videos!!) of brainstorming core stories allowed me to prioritize each story according to different leadership qualities. I never ever imagined that a website could offer you this much!!!
Before moving forward to drafting essays, I thought it would be good to try out Maria’s “Sanity Check” service in which she reviews the crux of your application. And it was really really helpful. Maria made several corrections to my strategy and suggested several ideas on how to connect the dots while avoiding pitfalls common to my background. It boosted my confidence that I’m going in the right direction.
After completing all the modules in ApplicantLab, I started drafting essays. But I had a huge writer-block; neither had I written anything for a long time nor was I good at writing (you might judge it from this review :)). But by that time, I had full confidence in “my core story” and “Maria.” So, I decided to buy “Maria’s Strategic Essay Review,” and it was the best decision. Maria’s suggestions on how to make the essays logical, and how to be genuine, truthful, concise, and humble, really helped me tighten-up my essays. All of these essay reviews helped me overcome my fear of writing as well. In short, her deep experience (having worked in the industry for several years) allowed me to stand out from the rest of the applicant pool, and I got interviews from all the schools.
After talking to several alumni, I was sure about was that if I prepare well for HBS, I can do well for others as well. So first, I spent an ample amount of time completing ApplicantLab’s Interview Prep module. Maria has made great videos offering concrete advice on all commonly asked questions. But HBS’s interview is very different from others, so I scheduled three One-on-one mock interviews with Maria, and each one was worth it. Being an HBS alum, she knows the different line-of-questions that could be asked, and we practiced everything in those three sessions. Also, having multiple sessions allowed me to practice some questions multiple times. Maria helped me both in terms of content and delivery. By the end of the third session, I was confident that I was ready for the D-day.
Now, after getting into all the top-3 business schools, I would say Maria was the key to my successful results. And the reason it worked for me was that I had full confidence and trust in Maria, right from the beginning. So, overall I will always recommend ApplicantLab and Maria’s other services!!!
Good luck!!!!

Though I was (and am) confident in my story and motivations for pursuing an MBA, my background is very non-traditional, so I knew I wanted a knowledgeable, no-nonsense opinion of some of my application essays. Carin provided just that and really helped me accentuate and focus in on my unique strengths and experiences. I was accepted to seven of the eight schools that I applied to and received scholarship offers at more than half. Carin is great, I can’t recommend her enough!

Carin and Applicant Lab were a huge help to my application and essential for my success in the admissions process. After going 0/3 in R1, I was able to get multiple admissions to top programs in R2.

Applicant Lab provides a platform that allows you to think about your own profile as a consultant would without costing the $$$$ a consultant would. You can then request extra review (at a reasonable cost) on my story, essays, interviews, etc. I worked with Carin on my story and essays and really thought it improved my application. She was timely and on point with her feedback and brought my application to a more cohesive final product. Without her, I’m sure I wouldn’t have received the offers I have today!

Accepted to Ross($), Cornell, UCLA, and Tepper ($). I used ApplicantLab after having a bad experience with one of the top consultants who had charged their usual hefty fee. I used ApplicantLab’s videos/essay advice, resume review, essay review, and mock interview services. Maria went above and beyond those paid services by responding super-quick and going the extra mile throughout the application process. I cannot recommend her highly enough, even if she were to double the price of her services!

I come from an over-represented applicant pool (Indian, Engineering background) and wanted to make sure my application stood out. Other consultants had told me that the application process can only be completed by spending 6 months to 1 year on it. I did not have the luxury of time and felt constrained by the lack of response and the sluggish pace of the ‘top consultant’ that I had hired earlier. Initially, I was hesitant to try ApplicantLab because of the lack of personal interaction. I eventually chose it because of the affordable price, the great reviews, and the possibility that I could independently work on my application according to my timelines, not the hard-to-reach consultants’.

The essay and resume reviews, and the mock interview prep were key to my success. I knew I had made the right decision when I went through the ApplicantLab modules which provided the clarity, structure, and recommendations on how to craft my essays for each school. Maria helped me narrate my stories in an impactful way and submit my applications within my target timeline of 3 months! The mock interview and the write-up following that were quite useful too. Maria was very helpful and responsive to the questions I had later as well.

These reviews helped me so much when I was going through the admissions process and I vowed to pay it back when I was done. So, here I am. Just a few months ago I was in your shoes reading each and every review to make sure I wasn’t drowning more of my savings into a pipe dream. After scouring this site and many others, I decided to give ApplicantLab and Maria a shot. My only regret was not finding her earlier in my admissions process. What Maria has done is a breath of fresh air. She’s basically offering you outstanding consulting services for a fraction of the price. It’s time these larger admission firms get a real competitor in the space.
After one session with Maria, the entire purpose of my essay shifted. She took a real look at my background and told me, without fluff, what I needed to capitalize on. It was the honest feedback I needed to hear. I didn’t want to be told that my essay was great and that I could add in a few more concrete examples. I needed to know if the “vision” I was presenting made sense to who I am as a person and whether that was enough to get me into a top program. I can honestly say without Maria’s help I would not be headed to Columbia in the fall. I must also add I was extremely late in the admissions cycle because of my GMAT and was pressed for time. This is where ApplicantLab came in. So, if you are late in your process and really need to start taking a critical look at each piece of your application, please do not hesitate. Get on ApplicantLab and work from there. Then check out Maria’s one-on-one services to really get that story airtight. After getting an interview with CBS, I also used Maria for my interview prep, and once again she was phenomenal. I walked into my interview free of anxiety. I can not recommend Maria and ApplicantLab enough. Honestly, I have friends that completely regret paying thousands of dollars to their consultants and not starting with Maria first. For the price, you have absolutely nothing to lose.

Used ApplicantLab in conjunction with other consulting services. And the platform was just as valuable as what any of them provided but so much cheaper! The $ you spend is totally worth it for the materials that you get. I found it particularly helpful for my Booth interview short responses (separate essay they send you that has to be completed on short notice).

One caveat is that the videos should be used as a guide/tool and if you disagree with some advice ApplicantLab, you should look at it with perspective and be honest with yourself. I would say I used about 95% of the advice they provided but went ‘against the grain’ on some other things she said.

Overall, the only school I got into was one I did not use any external consulting services besides ApplicantLab so I would say it was valuable.

ApplicantLab has been one of the best ROIs I have ever made. Carin is top-notch, she cares so much about each of her applicants and is always open to working with what you have. She can be brutally honest and points out your weaknesses, but hey, that’s what you’re looking for right? She will tailor her feedback and suggestions based on your background and each school and goes the extra mile to research and provide strategic advice to best position yourself for your target schools.

She helped bring my application to life, providing the right spices to make them more enjoyable. I wouldn’t have gotten into my dream schools without them – thank you so much!

Carin provided me a ton of useful insight and helped me get into my top choice school. She delivers suggestions in a constructive and friendly way and I have no doubt her advice was a game-changer for my applications.

TL;DR: Some of the best money I have ever spent. If you are looking for a one-stop-shop where all info for each school is aggregated, and where you can craft a winning school-specific essay for every application, look no further. Don’t let skepticism hold you back!

If you are reading this it’s probably because you are skeptical – as I was when I was in your shoes – of how a product could somehow deliver the same results as a traditional admissions consultant. I honestly could not afford a full package from any of the consulting agencies, so I decided to give it a shot. After all, it costed about the same as one hour of most consulting services. Boy, did I make the right choice!
The very first thing I wanted was a place where I could find all the information about every school I was thinking of applying to. Reading through hundreds of websites and blog posts and putting it all together in a few docs here and there was eating away at my time. ApplicantLab aggregates all the information of a very wide variety of schools in one place. That alone was worth the price tag.
Then I needed to understand where my strengths and weaknesses were, and how to exploit this info to craft a great application. The ApplicantLab product is beautifully thought out to help you figure this out in a very simple, fast process. It helps you create the building blocks that will make up a great resume and essays.
The final touch comes in preparing the resume and essays. Even assuming I could have found the building blocks by myself (which I doubt), you need to put them together in different ways for each school, to connect with the different admissions committees. I would have never figured this out by myself, let alone before the school deadline. The Lab does it for you though, with an awesome breakdown (in video and written form) of every essay question for every school, complete with great examples. This helped me really understand my target school, and put together the building blocks in the right way!
In full disclosure, I did cheat a little bit in this last part of the process. I ordered a “reality check” with Maria with my rough drafts and resume, just to ensure that my starting point before polishing was good. This service, which returns a ~20-30 minute video with Marías thoughts, was also worth its weight in gold. I did have to make a couple of changes to my thought process and essay topics, but it really helped me fully understand the whole process and use the product even better.
In the end, I only applied to Berkeley Haas, which I felt was the best fit for me (by the way, the Product also helps you figure that out too), and I got in with a significant scholarship! Hands down, the best value for money ever!