Ivy Advisors | MBA Admissions Consultants

I’ll first begin with the broader Ivy Advisors team and state that they are unified, specific, organized, and share a meaningful perspective in an additive way. Across the minor contact I have had with other members in the organization who were not Lulu, I felt taken care of and as a priority.

Now, with respect to Lulu. She is more than a consultant. While I received the necessary preparation and guidance for my essays, applications, and recommendations, a bulk of the time I spent to Lulu was on strategizing and planning. We spent hours across days and weeks think through how to optimize the most out of my application and being introspective as well as my work experience which became challenging at times given the full workload I had as a junior private equity professional. Lulu is always available, regardless of her being based out of the west coast (email or text). She is well studied, takes genuine time to learn about her fellows, and beings to decipher trends in your story, educational, and work experiences that help you compose a strong application and packet. She also helps you see your blind spots, her relationship with several alums and admissions personnel is a differentiator because it provides unique access and insight into the process. Lastly, Lulu is a problem solver, this because evident as I hit a challenging moment in my process, and she found a solution. This is what you should expect from Lulu who is an HBS alumni, problem-solving, high engagement, strong management of your process, and room for vulnerability. I highly recommend her service.

Lulu and her team always provided pragmatic feedback and a clear path forward throughout my application journey. As someone who worked across multiple job functions/industries, I was anxious about how to coherently present my experiences. Lulu was able to draw out my unique elements and very effectively guided me to craft my personal story. By working with Lulu, I was able to prepare a package that I felt was both truly authentic, and the best push for my candidacy.

After dozens of calls with consultants that all started to sound the same, a friend recommended I reach out to Lulu, and it didn’t take long before I could hear the uniqueness in her approach and caring for me (and my application) as an individual.
Go to Lulu if you want the following, which you can’t get anywhere else:
1. An individual approach to YOU and YOUR story. This seems obvious, but most consultants I spoke to couldn’t tell me anything about my story back to me after hour+ long “consultations”, and they were all ready to throw me into the same worksheets and frameworks they throw their other hundreds of applicants. Lulu heard my story and immediately understood how to put it on paper in a very specific way that worked for me before we were even officially working together. She also worked with me to put together a consultation package that worked for me and better targeted the time necessary for my application.
2. A true team approach, not just a single consultant assigned to your file – where reviews would have notes from multiple editors and advice/practice would come from a holistic team matched up for the most appropriate pieces of the application.
3. Someone that goes above and beyond and beyond – You will definitely see if you work with her.
Thanks to Lulu and her team, I was accepted to HBS and could not have been happier with the support I received to confidently get there. Thank you thank you thank you!!!

Working with Lulu and the Ivy Advisors team gave me the confidence to apply to top MBA programs and completely elevated all aspects of my applications. Lulu’s support covers the entire application – she helped me transform my resume, essays, and interviewing skills. More importantly, she pushed me to dive deep to truly understand my motivations and accomplishments which was key in being able to tell an authentic, compelling story.

Lulu was also very quick to give feedback on essays and other documents (typically within hours) helping me meet my Round 1 application deadlines. I also could not have done it without her honesty and direct feedback.

In retrospect, I would 100% work with Lulu again. Thanks to her and her team I was accepted into HBS, Wharton, and Sloan!

I heard about Lulu through a friend from Venezuela who recommended her Ivy Fellows GMAT Program. I joined her class in desperation after being stuck for 1yr+. Just in two months, I was able to increase my GMAT score by 100 points!

Lulu continued to help me throughout my business school application journey after I was done with the test. I always wanted to go to Harvard Business School but the reality is that I did not believe my profile and background were good enough to apply. However, Lulu made me feel I had everything needed to succeed in the application process. This was definitely not just business for her; she REALLY put her heart into every essay, resume, or recommendation revision she sent me back (even after revision #50…).
It was stressful to think deeply about my motivations, goals, career aspirations, but thanks to Lulu’s mentorship and coaching I was able to dig deep and put my best application forward. If it wasn’t for her, I would have never applied to HBS.

Lulu is a professional when it comes to MBA applications and career coaching but this is not what impressed me the most about her. She inspired me to believe that I could get in and to be more confident about my accomplishments. This world is much better because of people like Lulu and the whole Ivy Advisors team. Thank you for the amazing experience.

Lulu was my MBA coach and she helped me in invaluable ways. First, she is highly knowledgeable about the application process. Second, she actually cares about her clients and pushes back when something isn’t working. Lastly, she works with the army of a team, instead of being a stand along consultant working in a vacuum. The Ivy Advisors team-based model is something that truly helped me in my application process. Thank you all!!!

I couldn’t have done these applications without Lulu. She was super responsive – especially as it got down to the wire. What I appreciated the most about her was her honesty and ability to get me to focus. I just graduated from Wharton and feel so lucky that I was able to have that experience.

I can’t overstate how helpful Lulu and the Ivy Advisors’ team were for my MBA applications. Where I would have agonized over my approach to the essays and interviews, Lulu came in with expertise and straightforward advice. She had extensive knowledge of the MBA application process, dates, and requirements for all of the schools I applied to.
When we first met, Lulu asked about my goals, motivations, personality, and needs. In particular, I was struggling with the essays for my applications. She helped me find my own personal story. Her responses were always quick, often on the same day that I asked her a question. Her feedback was honest and direct and clear. Later on, she helped me with interviews with by letting me know what to expect and by setting up mock interviews with her team. When I was working with Lulu, I felt like I was her only client when of course that is not the case.
Thanks to Lulu and Ivy Advisors I was admitted to Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan with a $30K scholarship, and Wharton. The MBA application process can feel brutal, and it really helps to have someone who knows the whole experience by your side. I’m extremely indebted to Lulu and the Ivy Advisor team for their support. If you have the opportunity to work with them, I highly recommend it.

There’s no other team that will give you the personalized attention, commitment, and the “real talk” to make your application shine as Ivy Advisors does it. Thanks to their relentless support on cracking down the GMAT, but most importantly uncovering the power of my story, I gained admission to 4 business schools – Johnson, Fuqua, Wharton, and Harvard Business School, my dream school!
I met Lulu two years ago at Harvard Business School’s Prospective Student Diversity Day. Since that moment, she quickly offered her help as a resource willing to help me throughout this arduous GMAT and MBA application process. Lulu invited me to be part of Ivy Advisors’ GMAT Bootcamp, providing me with studying structure, resources, and homework to crack the test. Despite not being done with the GMAT after the program ended, she constantly checked in and provided me with thorough study plans that complemented the work my tutor provided me.
When it came to the applications, I was lucky to have partnered with Lulu and her team – their in-depth expertise was the secret sauce to my success in this process. Even though I didn’t have a stellar GMAT, Lulu’s advice and breadth of knowledge helped me uncover and craft the uniqueness of my strengths and story. It was a truly humbling experience to share my background and to see how committed Lulu is in helping others succeed at sharing the power of their story in all aspects of the application, not just the essays. Lulu is ready to give it her all, but you need to be prepared to do the same to be successful at drafting the best application possible.
Lastly, her support throughout the process didn’t end with applying. She was eager to hear the interview news as much as I was. Once I got the interview notifications, she provided advice and shared materials on how to best prepare for each school interview. I got the chance to do mock interviews with experts from her team (many of whom were alumni of the schools I was applying to), and after the interview, she shared feedback from the interviewer on areas of opportunity. Their candid feedback helped me to own my story even more and go in the interview day confident of who I am and what I am capable of.
I honestly wouldn’t have done it without her and, if I had to do it all over again, without a doubt I would work with her and her team again!

Lulu Curiel advised me through the process of applying to both Stanford and Harvard Business School through their respective deferred enrollment programs. The entire process spanned at least two months. In these months, Lulu provided support for every part of the application, including essays, GRE prep, approaching recommendations, navigating deadlines, and everything in between. She was available day and night and even stayed up at times to support me on my essays. She deserves immense credit for my acceptances to both MBA programs.

STATUS: ADMITTED TO GSB! Lulu very literally changed my life. She and her team knocked my applications out of the park, due to her incredible knowledge of the admissions process, poignant attention to detail and above all a true sense that she wants you to succeed. During the difficult admissions process, I was so impressed by her ability to coach me through the trials and tribulations of the GMAT–helping me raise my score by almost 100 points simply through some strategies that have helped previous clients. She was also incredibly personal and did a great job of diving deep on me and what makes me stand out. I have a hard time imagining that you’d ever find anyone else more effective than Lulu!

I had been working on getting to the GMAT score I wanted for almost a year when I met Lulu at a Prospective Student Diversity Day at Harvard Business School in October 2017. I was impressed with her honesty and integrity and felt fortunate to meet an HBS alum, with whom I shared a Venezuelan background, and who has taken on the mission to help prospective students get admitted to their top business schools. Since then, Lulu has provided the resources and guidance that I needed to complete my GMAT preparation and my MBA applications and interviews, becoming my most trusted advisor during this challenging process and helping me get admitted to the business school of my dreams.
For my GMAT, I participated in the GMAT Fellowship program, a social initiative sponsored by Lulu’s company Ivy Advisors. In this program, I gained the structure and critical practice that I needed to achieve a 60+ score increase, which marked significant progress toward my desired GMAT score.
For my application and interview prep, working with Lulu and her Ivy Advisors’ team was a TOTAL GAME CHANGER. First of all, Lulu has extensive expertise in the MBA application process and what each school is looking for in each applicant. Lulu, along with her team of experts at Ivy Advisors, keep this in mind when evaluating and providing feedback to each element of your application to ensure this style is portrayed thoroughly and from multiple perspectives. Secondly, Lulu tells it like it is. She can be your toughest critic, but your greatest cheerleader. And for anyone whose writing is not their strength (and even if it is), having somebody you trust helping you brainstorm offering expert advice on the specific style of each school and how to make sure you describe the essence of your story through the lens of each of these styles is absolutely key. Finally, there are very few people that I have met who not only has a genuine desire to help others but actually does it. She invests time and effort to truly get to know you so that she could offer individualized guidance and advice for areas of the application that could be improved to ensure your strengths are properly depicted.
With Lulu’s help, I got admitted to my dream school, a place I did not think was attainable for someone from where I come from, a low-income family from a small town in Venezuela. I owe it all to Lulu and can’t speak more highly of the experience. If you want to put your absolute best foot forward, I strongly recommend working with Lulu and Ivy Advisors!

Lulu and her team were extremely helpful in the application process. She’s super smart, fast, effective and definitely knows what she’s doing. Lulu and her team also helped me to prepare for the interviews and it was crucial in the process. I got into Stanford GSB and couldn’t be more grateful with Ivy Advisors!

I worked with Lulu for my applications to HBS and GSB. She was super supportive throughout and really motivated me to dig deep and write insightful and authentic essays. As a result of her sincere desire to help me succeed, plus her in-depth knowledge of MBA applicants based on her credentials as an HBS grad, I truly trusted her to guide me through the process. I’m now happily at HBS and have Lulu to thank!

Reaching out to Lulu was the best decision I made. Her professionalism and thorough knowledge of the business school application process proved invaluable as she helped me develop a personalized application strategy. I found her to be very intuitive and a great listener, which allowed us to quickly develop trust and a fantastic working relationship overall. Thanks to Lulu I was admitted to my target business school. If I had to do it all over again, I would not hesitate to seek Lulu’s counsel and expert advice.

The experience of working with Lulu was excellent. All the application process was much easier because of her work, dedication, and full commitment. Lulu is a great guide to oriented you where to apply and the best strategy to follow.
She is not only very passionate for her work but also, and most importantly, super accessible; I was always able to reach her and she always had a minute to provide advice.
I recommend Lulu without reservation.

Lulu was incredibly helpful throughout my MBA application process. Being an applicant from outside the US, I had never visited these schools and with Lulu’s vast experience and guidance, I was able to understand the differences between programs, cultures, and select where to apply.
She also pushed me to dream big and work hard, and thanks to that, I got into all the MBA programs I applied to, with scholarships in most of them! I really trust Lulu, she is extremely knowledgeable, easy to work with, and really cares about the applicants who approach her for help!
Thank you, Lulu, for helping me achieve my dreams!

I cannot express how monumental Lulu’s help was on my acceptance into multiple MBA programs with scholarships! By working with Lulu and her team, I was able to look deeper and really craft my story in a way that communicated my message. The first meeting I had with Lulu was via video, and I felt she was really trying to understand where I come from and where I wanted to be. As an applicant without a stellar GMAT or GPA, I felt my chances of getting into my schools of choice were very low, but after talking to Lulu, she assured me that if I was willing to put in the work, I would have a competitive application. I felt Lulu went above and beyond to really get to know me and genuinely cared about me and my application. She was always very accessible and willing to meet at any time. I cannot say enough positive things about my experience with Lulu and her team, I will be eternally grateful!!

I consider myself a non-traditional business school applicant. First, I’m an international applicant from South America. Second, while I have friends in banking and consulting applying to business school, I’m an entrepreneur. I was running my own company, studying for the GMAT, and applying to business school, and still trying to be available for my family. Working with someone who I could trust was essential in my process. Lulu had my back throughout the entire process. I knew I could rely on her to push me, remind me of deadlines, iterate with me, and challenge me to evolve my application. She was very knowledgeable about the schools and about the admissions process, which helped to make things more efficient and my time was used very productively. Working with her helped me polish my goals and my story, and ultimately landed at the London Business School thanks to her and her amazing team!
Thank you Ivy Advisors!!

The experience working with Lulu could not be better. All this process really seems easy because of her work. Lulu is a great guide to oriented you where to apply and the best strategy to follow to get accepted into your dream School. In my case was Babson College.
My application was in 2012 and I still remember our first meeting. I was very excited and very disoriented at the same time. That conversation was very important for all the process. She calmed me and helped put everything in perspective. Only after that, we started working.
One of the things I was not 100% sure was that all the work had to be remote and not face to face, but her methodology is absolutely amazing, easy to follow and easy to understand.
Although we did not have face-to-face meetings, Lulu was always available to talk, to clarify some doubts I had or to practice the different interviews I had with alumni and faculty.
Why do I say that I got my MBA because of Lulu? Easy… I was, on paper, an interesting candidate for the school, However, I did not perform as good as I wanted in the test we needed. Despite that, Lulu helped me to articulate my postulation in the way that we always talk with the truth and keep me as an interesting candidate for the school. For me, the only way to do that in the way she did it with a lot of experience.

My experience with Lulu and her team went above and beyond my expectations. Lulu took me in as a pro-bono GMAT student and since then she became one of my biggest supporters during this process. Our interactions flowed naturally and I felt it was more a mentor/mentee type of relationship which made a huge difference when I needed that extra push to keep going. One of the things I appreciated the most was her prompt responses and willingness to jump on a call with me no matter the day or time. Even during the most stressful times for me (interview process), she laid out a structured and clear path for me to work on. After a couple of mock interviews with Lulu’s team, I felt prepared and confident to tackle it. Lulu was checking up on my progress every step of the way and her advice was key during my HBS post-reflection interview. I am thrilled to start my MBA journey at HBS this fall and grateful to Lulu and her team for all the support during this journey.

Because of Lulu’s help, I got into HBS, Wharton, my top 2 choices, and with generous fellowships! I met Lulu through one of her presentations at my previous employer about business school. When we first talked, she was very direct and straightforward with me and set the right expectations about what I needed to deliver in terms of GMAT, time commitment, and the rigor of the applications. I was an international applicant from Asia working in Tech in Silicon Valley and just started to prepare in Oct for R2, so needless to say, putting together a strong packet that could stand out for my dream schools in just three months was hard. From the very beginning Lulu could understand my unique strengths and weaknesses. Her feedback was always spot on and enabled me to build awareness of myself while working on my applications. Lulu also accessed her team at Ivy Advisors to get different points of professional feedback. I felt at ease because there was a trusted party that was guiding me in this life-changing step of my career. Even after I was admitted and now as an HBS student, I keep in touch with Lulu because she is a valuable business contact to have by your side.

I worked with Lulu while applying to my MBA, and she was a very helpful support in the journey. The way that Lulu and her team helped me throughout the whole process, from end to end, was something that I really appreciate as it enabled me to focus on the critical steps and feel confident that I had all bases covered.

This was my third time applying for an MBA and I had been previously rejected from all schools. I had worked with consultants every time and felt a stark difference with Lulu; I felt that unlike the others she actually cared about my success and was emotionally invested in it. Upon our first conversation, it became obvious that Lulu had the experience to re-package my application and position me for success. This was particularly important given that I came from a non-traditional background. She provided candid feedback and so I trusted her judgment. I did the hourly package and she was incredibly efficient with the use of our time. In the end, I gained acceptance to 3 out of the 4 programs I applied to, 2 of which were top 10.

Lulu and her team at Ivy Advisors were invaluable sources of motivation and guidance throughout my graduate school application journey. No question was too taxing; no detail was too minute. Lulu is a truly miracle worker, ensuring that I was accepted to three of the top ten programs even though I attended a small liberal arts school for undergrad and had less-than-ideal test scores. I was even able to secure a full ride at one of them! I recommend Ivy Advisors without reservation. Thank you, Lulu, for all that you do to uplift emerging talent.

Lulu is accessible, passionate, and able to dig deep to help you best express yourself. Working with her relieved much of the stress of applications. She was with me every step of the way to discuss ideas and provide encouragement when I needed it most. Thanks to her I got into my two top schools with merit scholarships!

Thanks to Lulu’s experience and advice, I was accepted to multiple business schools. I then decided on going to the Stanford GSB.
My life was changed by her and her team’s support. I will be forever grateful and couldn’t recommend her more to all of my friends.

I got into the Wharton’s MBA program in 2014, and I have Lulu to thank for that. Since we first started working together, I told Lulu that I really wanted to focus on the Wharton application because the school was my first choice. Lulu helped me discover how to best portray my academic and work experience in a way that was specifically appealing to Wharton Admissions. It was obvious that she had extensive knowledge and experience on how to uncover a candidate’s potential to help him communicate how he can be a great fit for the school of his choice.
In terms of the interaction, Lulu had a process by which she would make comments on my essays and we would have a schedule of planned calls to go over her latest suggestions.
In all, I had a great experience with Lulu and I have recommended her to friends that have applied to other top MBA programs over the years. Her record of success with my friends has also been 100%.

Ivy Advisors and Lulu bring an incredible amount of knowledge and experience to the application process. I trusted them fully throughout the process and they really delivered. Having seen/heard about the typical MBA consultant work, I don’t think many match what Ivy Advisors bring. They treat you with respect and genuinely are in your corner while at the same time providing you with direct and necessary feedback that will improve your application. They shoot for well rounded holistic applications and work with you every step of the way to make sure you present your best self. I couldn’t have done it without them and Lulu. She’s amazing.

I contacted Lulu and her team after I heard about her personalized services through a colleague at Google.
I initially met with Lulu via video conference and she was very thoughtful asking me questions to learn more about me and genuinely doing her best to understand who I was and how to assist me better. I had a nontraditional background and I was on the extreme of the age range for a full-time MBA but Lulu didn’t walk away from my case and instead, she advised me to what schools to apply based on my goals and my story (aka reality check). I appreciate the objective assessment that Lulu did on my case based on her broad and deep expertise and of her team. Ivy Advisors truly knows every single MBA program in the country in and out and they are constantly learning about any small changes in the application process which makes their experience and professionalism critical.
I ended up applying for two part-time programs (Haas & Anderson) with the help of Lulu and her team (application preparation and mock interviews) and I got accepted to both programs. I can tell that Ivy Advisors not only helped me to understand the process and guided me through it but they also became a trusted advisor that paid attention to every single detail like I was the only customer I had (I know they have many many customers).
After I had decided to attend a part-time program in CA, Ivy Advisors strongly suggested me to apply to Harvard (HBS) for the full-time program. Initially, I thought it was a long shot but because I trusted their knowledge of my case and the MBA programs as well as I knew how invested they were with every application, I did apply to HBS and I was accepted!
I can’t recommend Ivy Advisors enough because of the professional and diligent work they did with my case and my wife’s case (she got into Stanford GSB) and I’m sure students considering an MBA program in the US or abroad will benefit from their services.

I attribute my success in obtaining admission at not only one but three top business to Lulu and her team. They provided me with the resources, playbook, and encouragement to apply. I met Lulu three years ago at a banquet organized by Harvard Business School alumni. I mentioned to her that I was interested in business school but not ready to apply yet (I was scared of the test). Lulu diligently followed up with me and encouraged me to conquer my GRE test before anything. What stood out the most is Lulu’s in-depth knowledge of the MBA application process and her deep sense of caring for applicants. I worked with Lulu to set out a study plan (even though she was not my tutor). Then we worked on my business school applications. Despite not having an ultra-completive score (like at all!!), she helped me own who I am and uncover my true strengths. It is because of her work and encouragement that I landed at Sloan, McCombs, and Booth, with scholarships! I can honestly say that if I had not worked with Lulu, I would not have had the same outcome.
During the process, it was clear that I made the right choice by going with Lulu and her team. The MBA application process is a humbling experience and you need to have an amazing team to help you through the tough times. Trust and transparency are key to me and I trust Lulu with my life – the connection and support helped me create compelling successful applications. I have nothing but positive things to say about Lulu. Not only do I see her impact in my carer, but I have also referred her to many friends who ended up with similar stellar results and attribute their success to Lulu’s guidance. I HIGHLY recommend her and her team to anyone considering business school.