Prep MBA | MBA Admissions Consultants

When I first reached out to Alex, I was coming off of a cycle of rejections from a few top schools and just during our initial conversation, I could sense the areas in which I could have done a better job in my applications. My career story was somewhat disjointed and the motivations were not coming across strongly. Alex suggested that I had a strong chance with higher quality application materials and so I decided to re-apply when I realized immediately how Alex could help me strengthen my applications significantly.

Alex brings a wealth of experience in helping candidates from all types of backgrounds gain admissions to top schools and it shows in the way he carries himself through the preparation process. He is thorough and meticulous with his reviews at every stage.

We started off by filling out a detailed PrepMBA questionnaire which touched upon various aspects of my professional and personal life. I then mapped out 1-2 relevant but slightly different career paths as options. As I come from an over-represented pool of candidates, I heard the need to “differentiate yourself” several times, but it was not until I had done my ‘career purpose’ work with Alex that I understood what it really meant. I strongly recommend watching his video “Crafting compelling career goals” on the PrepMBA website. My career purpose document served as the basis for my essays, which I was able to complete smoothly, thanks to the foundational prep earlier.

I strongly recommend Alex for his ability to help applicants build strong career narratives and his ability to stitch them together into essays that flow very well. I would suggest starting as early as possible, to be able to take full advantage of Alex’s rigorous preparation process. I ended up getting admitted to a top choice (top 4 M7 school) and couldn’t have done it without Alex’s help.

I spoke with over 10 consultants before choosing, and I decided on Alex because of his experience and genuine care for my success. During our initial call, he was the only consultant that took the time to ask me about my background and helped me generate some great essay ideas. His HBS background and industry expertise make him the best consultant not only for HBS but also for any other business school.
Alex’s greatest strength is his creativity. He has the ability to pick out the perfect story from topics that other consultants would brush off. In my case, I came in with a few ideas I wanted to write about, but Alex encouraged me to list all possible topics. He pushed me to explore a topic that I wrote down briefly at the end of the list, and we ended up using it as my HBS 2+2 essay. Alex has the ability to take underappreciated life experiences and turn them into compelling stories.
Alex also really cares about all his clients. He willingly used my mock interview for another M7 school that I did not use his services for, which helped me get on the waitlist.
Alex was meticulous about every step in the process, from interviews to letters of recommendation to the application form itself. He definitely makes you feel like his only client. I would definitely hire Alex again!

My journey to being accepted to business school was a long one, involving reapplications, waitlists, and a lot of nervous waiting. Alex guided me every step of the way, from connecting the dots in my professional experience to define my career purpose, mining my personal experience (including my childhood) to create compelling essay material, and overcoming the introverted side of my personality to put forth an engaging admissions interview. In addition, he was equipped to handle the less typical aspects of my specific situation, which included reapplication and waitlist processes. Lastly, Alex is a good-hearted person who honestly does care about his clients, which I believe helps to create a more personal application that is truly reflective of the person underneath the applicant. I would not have been able to get into my dream school, Stanford GSB, without Alex, and I highly recommend him to anyone considering applying to business school.

I am so glad that I decided to hire Alex and his services for my MBA application process. Because I was studying for the GMAT and completing the application at the same time, it was extremely important that I stayed on track and was well paced for the short term deadline. Alex was flexible with my schedule and very responsive to my emails. He also helped to shape a clear story for why I was seeking an MBA from my background and personal experiences – I think this was a pivotal part in my application that would not have been as strong without his coaching. Even though I had a lower than average GPA and okay GMAT score, I felt confident about the quality in my essays and resume and the content in my application. I only applied to one school, Fuqua, and was accepted with a scholarship in their most selective round.

I was introduced to Alex’s Prep MBA through a close friend who got into MBA at MIT Sloan, and she told me Alex played an essential role to guide her in the process of self reflection to connect the magical dots in her life, which deeply touched me because since the very beginning, I thought my application, especially the essay should show the genuine me, even my weak sides, my emotional side, and I believe Alex would be the advisor that could help to unleash my potential, not like many other advisors in China, kind of forced everyone into some kind of format.

My gut was proved super right. He pushed me hard to reflect on my past experience, and did not shy away from failures. I felt super safe and comfortable in showing all sides of me, that lead me to generate super genuine stories, and through the process, I have become clearer of the things I want to do in the future, not just to apply for MBAs.

There are three memorable things from this 1-year consulting with Alex.

1. The application process is very intense and stressful, but having Alex can always ease my tension, and kept me on schedule. I remembered in my round 1 application, I was super late in the timeline, but Alex’s comforting words, That’s what I am here for, to set you the pace and ease your tension, which definitely relived my stress and panic situation. He is very responsible, always solve my doubt and it’s nice to have companionship like Alex in this rigorous process.

2. While I was writing my HBS and Stanford GSB essay, I’ve seen various admits’ essays from the HBS application guide, and most of them are filled with so many successful points to demonstrate the capabilities of them. However, I did not feel those are my type, and Alex encouraged me to just be me, and write it in a simple and genuine way, that shows my struggles and obstacles, and how I got over with them, and also show my mental activities. I’ve shown my essay to several HBS & GSB admits, they all said, it might not be strong enough or it’s too emotional. I was nervous and panic. But Alex told me my essay is super genuine and touchy, I should stick to who I am not who others think you should be, which gave me confidence. And I believe it’s my genuine that allowed me receive both offers from HSB and GSB. I think Alex is truly trying to know the special characteristics of each applicant, and try to bring out the special parts of each individual.

3. As an international student, though I had my undergrad at US, I was still not that confidence with my writing skill, but Alex will never edit too much of my original drafts – essays or application forms unless the time is super urgent. At first, I was a little nervous that my language is not perfect, but Alex told me that I should not focus that much about my language, as long as it shows the true me and well articulated. It is actually cool that he took rounds and rounds to guide me to get to the proper content that allowed myself to dig deeper. At the meantime, though Alex quietly encouraged self-reflection, he is strict sometimes when he thinks you are really thinking too much.

Eventually I got into Stanford Graduate School of Business and Harvard Business School, which are amazing results for me!!! I had dreamed for them, the Alex has helped me to make my dream came true.

How I wound up working with Alex is really interesting: I initially consulted a few of the larger MBA consulting firms and I never reached common ground with them; I had a low GPA, a 640 GMAT, and worked for my family business in the Middle East and had never worked for a multi-national company. Yet I had big aspirations to get into a top 5 MBA program despite all these obstacles. None of the consulting firms would take me on with my stats. Alex, on the other hand was very honest from the beginning that getting into an elite program with these stats would be a long-shot yet he was willing to work with me provided that I studied hard for the GMAT and I that I was realistic about my chances.

The key with Alex is to start the process very early as Alex is extremely meticulous and would not accept anything less of perfection. With the essays, Alex immediately knows what stories make the cut with the big schools. I was impressed with the amount of time that Alex devotes to knowing his client, a step of the process that he thinks is the key to a winning application. Before we began working together, I had to fill in a very comprehensive bio-sheet that took quite a long time to fill out but a form that was really pivotal to the process. Alex would later draw onto details that I forgot I had mentioned in that sheet.

I also saw major added value in GMAT support where Alex was really pushing me to try different prep companies and even at one point to take on a personal tutor. I took the GMAT 5 times, scoring 680 the 4th time, and where everyone else told me to forget about the GMAT, Alex told me he thinks I should try one more time, and I followed him on that one, scoring a 710 in my last attempt.

Though his turnaround times are very quick, Alex is very critical throughout the process, and things take time to stack up to his standard, so for me starting early with Alex no matter how weak you think your profile is would be imperative to gaining admission at the school of your choice.

I applied to Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, MIT, and LBS, and gained admission into Wharton, MIT, and LBS, and will be starting at Wharton next fall.

Bottom line: If you are really serious about getting into a top program and have enough time to devote to the process, then Alex is your guy.

I had the experience of working with other admission consultants before I worked with Alex, and I can tell you that the level of personalized attention I got from Alex is not something other consultants provide. The other consultant I worked with was not the most responsive. When I emailed her, she would take various days to get back to me. I never felt she took the process as seriously as I did. With Alex it was a different story. He always tried to respond within the same day, and if he could not get back to me in 24 hours he would let me know when could I expect a new version of my essays. He also provided valuable advice in choosing between my recommenders. His interview prep helped me feel confident and ready for my interview. Additionally, he identified my areas of weakness so that I could improve on them before my interview. With my essays he provided direct and honest feedback indicating the gaps in my stories, but also suggesting a complete rewrite of the essays when necessary. Thanks to his guidance I was fortunately admitted to MIT Sloan, despite having a low GPA.

I was introduced to Alex by close friend and former colleague who had gotten into both Harvard and Stanford and spoke volumes about Alex’s expertise in the application process. I spoke to six admissions consultants as part of my initial research and found Alex to be very thoughtful about how to go about navigating the admissions process, and clear in noting both the strengths and weaknesses of my candidacy. I am part of an over represented demographic (Asian male in finance) so it was critical for me to have a strong consultant who could help my unique capabilities shine. Alex’s experience clearly showed during our introductory call and I liked that he works directly with all his clients rather than having other junior members lead parts of the process. He was also the only consultant I spoke with who clearly highlighted that over 90% of his clients have gotten into one of their target business schools (no other consultant provided any statistics – if you don’t believe me, check the websites!).

Working with Alex was fantastic, and I really enjoyed our discussions. He dives deep into your profile and tries to understand everything about you before recommending ideas you should highlight in your application. The personal touch was what made a clear difference in my case as Alex was able to augment my career ambitions and really make my essays shine through detailed examples of my background and aspirations. Alex also provided me with multiple samples of successful essays from past clients and these were incredibly helpful for structure, flow and word limits. The advice and edits he provided for my resume as well as the interview preparation were critical both for my application as well my long-term career. Two things that really stood out were his creativity (he was always able to find vivid and catchy ways to tell my story) and his editing capabilities (I was amazed by how he was able to help me hit the tight word limits!).

I did a 4-school package with Alex and applied to the very best schools: HSW & Columbia. It was an ambitious goal, and most would have suggested a “safety” school but Alex knew that I wouldn’t settle for anything less and that despite my over representation, I stood a good chance if I put in the effort. Ultimately, I received interviews with three of four schools (Stanford, Wharton and Columbia) and got into both Wharton and Columbia. I also received a 6-figure merit scholarship at Wharton!

In my day-to-day job of private investing, our ideal situation is to generate 10x returns on our capital (i.e. invest in companies that ultimately generate 10 times our initial money into the company) and many in my industry search for years to find such opportunities. In the case of Alex and my merit scholarship this statistic was clearly true!

I would recommend Alex in a heartbeat and have already done so to friends. Applying to business school is not an easy process and having a consultant like Alex working tirelessly on your side can really improve the odds!

Alex Leventhal was critical in assisting me with putting together thoughtful applications in a short amount of time. From our first exploratory phone call, I could tell he was passionate about his work and would help me stand out. His honesty after reviewing my candidacy was refreshing and he was able to suggest solutions to weaknesses a low quant score immediately. I appreciated that he ran a one-man shop and that I would be working with him directly at all times.

Working with Alex proved to be awesome. His service was very personal (I often felt like his only client) and his schedule accommodating, despite a time difference between my location and LA. His vast experience truly helped me develop my “career purpose” and he really worked with me to get creative with my essays. He helped me differentiate myself and get into my top choice program (one of H/S/W).

I would strongly recommend Alex to all future applicants, as I have to my friends, looking to get into their dream school.

Results first- I applied to four schools with Alex and got into three (out of which one was from HSW), 2 with scholarship (1 M7 with scholarship and another one in top 10) and I was waitlisted at one (another M7 school.

Now, coming to my application process and history-I reached out to Alex first in 2016 for a free call. He wasn’t in a rush, asked me specific questions and really got to know me on the call to assess what my strengths and weaknesses were. He pointed out certain weaknesses in my profile (I am from an overrepresented background, Male/Engineer and belonging to one of two most populated countries in the World) and asked me to work on them. Also, to provide more context, neither is my undergrad school reputed nor is the engineering company I work for. So, I belonged to the most difficult competitive pool you can think of. What I really liked about this call was his honest/unbiased opinion on my profile. Though the call was supposed to last 20-25 min, it went on for a good one hour.

However, emotion got the better of me as I ended up going with a different consultant who spoke strongly about my chances with some top schools. Result- I was dinged from (3) schools in T-15 and realized that I would need someone who is more honest and critical throughout this process. After this, I took my time, increased my GMAT per Alex’s recommendation and went straight to him for R-2 admissions for 2017-18 season.

I had a vague idea of what I wanted to do, but Alex really helped me distill this vagueness into “concrete passion” and we came up with solid goals, that tied with my engineering background. I really think the brainstorming and time we took to finalize goals was a big reason I ended up getting into top schools. Once we started working on schools, he was always very responsive, always available for a call and made sure that I was never getting stuck. I can’t recollect a single instance when I didn’t get back comments on my essay or a response to my question within 48 hours. Also, the samples he will provide from previous successful applicants will also help you brainstorm more ideas for unusual essay topics. Oh by the way, you cannot BS him- he has way too much experience in the field (he is a super smart, HBS grad) and will be direct with you when he thinks you’re trying to exaggerate something. He is very articulate and can bring life into mundane sentences. So, if you’re afraid that you aren’t a good writer- fret not- your essays will sound very compelling and logical in the end.

In terms of interview prep, Alex’s coaching is outstanding. He will coach you on tone, content, timing, and also teach you how to drive the conversation to be able to talk about your top stories.
Overall, I had a very positive experience with Alex. His experience in the field for more than a decade will truly show in your application. Lastly, he runs the business by himself – so no junior consultants, you will always get the best service. And he WILL provide that personal attention to make it seem like you are his only client. Go for him if you want to get into your dream school.

During my initial due diligence on admissions consultants, I spoke with a number of large, national firms where conversations began a receptionist to gather information, not the actual admissions consultant. After this initial experience, Alex and PrepMBA immediately stood out from the competition as a hands on approach where Alex was my initial and only point of contact. Alex took a sincere interest in my story, hearing about my goals and what I was looking for in an admissions consultant. During our first two introduction calls, it became very clear that Alex’s honestly and no BS attitude was one of the keys to his success. He outlined my weaknesses from his perspective and helped me to really gauge my strengths during the application process which was extremely helpful in putting together my target school list.

I purchased a five-school package from Alex, and worked hourly for a sixth application, and the first step in the process was the Bio Sheet: nearly 50 personal questions meant to help both him and me analyze my history to craft the perfect story. This was one of my favorite parts of his process and was the first time that anyone has had me really look into my decisions and path to date for inspiration. I had a general idea of where I wanted to take my application, but I had a very hard time moving from “general” to “specific.” Alex helped me to really pinpoint my career goals and to craft an application with character, interest and even humor. Applying to six schools was a daunting task and anxious process, but Alex made sure that I moved calmly and methodically through the application process, completing one school at a time.

I would recommend Alex to anyone looking to take their application to the next level. Alex was always available to bounce ideas off of, even at odd hours while I was traveling internationally. I can truthfully say that my applications would not be a fraction of their final product if it weren’t for Alex’s mentoring and expertise along the way. I was ultimately accepted to two of my top choices, UCLA Anderson and London Business School!

I began my search for an MBA consultant with endless questions and a lower than average GMAT for my target
schools. Moreover, I came from an over-represented background having worked in banking since graduation. These
qualities mandated that I find an experienced and effective MBA consultant to help me avoid common pitfalls and
standout from a large crowd of qualified applicants. My GMAT tutor provided three recommendations of MBA
consultants that had worked with his clients in the past. My initial communication with Alex of Prep MBA proved
that he had what I was looking for. First, he was the experienced with 10+ years in the industry demonstrating
successful outcomes with clients in a similar predicament to my own. Second, as a Harvard MBA himself, Alex
could relate and provide crucial insider knowledge. But, most important, before signing up for any services, Alex
took an hour out of his schedule to examine my profile, pinpoint areas to improve and outline his process. This
initial interaction demonstrated that Alex would be a committed and thoughtful partner through this challenging
process. After the initial consultation, I chose a two school package with hourly work on two other schools.
Alex was great at providing candid and effective feedback throughout the process. We started by examining my
background from square one, highlighting areas of strength and weakness to help craft a compelling profile for my
target schools. Alex’s strong understanding of current industry dynamics, banking and MBA selection criteria
helped my profile steer clear of generalities and focus on particularities. Moreover, Alex’s attention to detail allowed
each sentence in my essays to speak to my strengths and personality, highlighting my career goals and value add to
the MBA program. However, I think Alex’s understanding of the interview process helped the most. Through in
person, one on one sessions, Alex helped turn my interview style from nervous and impersonal to engaging and
confident. In the end, I was accepted to three schools as well as one of my top choices, LBS.
Looking back on the process, I do not know how I would have fared without help from a consultant the caliber of
Alex. His process helped me demonstrate a compelling profile despite my well represented background, his
experience answered all my questions giving me confidence at every step and his sense of structure kept my essays
impactful within the right word limits. I look forward to recommending Alex to any of my former classmates and
colleagues who wish to pursue an MBA in the future.

Alex has been a great help to me and instrumental for me to make the application process for my Executive MBA as time efficient as possible. He was a great help for me with getting the right strategy and helped me greatly expressing my reasons for wanting to do the programme and through a structured process gave me some very helpful pointers to get starting on the essays I had to do. Thereafter he was a very efficient and gave me some very actionable feedback and advice which resulted in my essays getting to the next level in for me a very time efficient way. Would recommoned him highly to everyone who wants to have some tailor made advice and support for application for an executive MBA.

I first reached out to Alex over the summer as I was getting ready for my round 1 applications. Like most applicants in the market for an admissions consultant, I scheduled free consultations with several big-name shops. Alex immediately stood out because he made it clear that I would be working with him one-on-one through the admissions process, and he had a track record of helping applicants with my background get admission into top programs. Most other consultants who I spoke with were eager to pass me on to the junior members of their teams, and I would have little to no interaction with the admission veterans who were extensively featured in their marketing material. During my research, I encountered consultants who thought that I was aiming too high and pushed me to apply to lower ranked schools, or they promised the moon and advised only applying to M7 schools. Alex gave me an honest assessment of what schools I should target and were worth spending the limited application resources on. After receiving decisions on my Round 1 applications, I can confidently say that his assessment was spot-on with regards to target and stretch schools. One big area where Alex’s expertise immensely benefited me was in the crafting of my career goals. Since I was sponsored by my employer, Alex helped me brainstorm a few different career goals that made sense for my background and my sponsorship situation. He helped me identify aspects of my background that connected organically to a career goal that was not only unique, but also something that I was genuinely excited about. I am positive that this enthusiasm came across in my essays and interviews and played a big factor in receiving multiple admits. Another area where Alex shone was picking the right stories for my essays. Often the stories I initially disregarded ended up being extremely meaningful in addressing the essay prompts. While working on a particularly challenging essay, I found myself in a creative block and ended up spinning my wheels for several days. Just a quick phone call with Alex gave me several different ideas to work with, and I was able to crank out a solid draft that I was happy with in a matter of hours. The mock interview with Alex helped me understand the finer aspects of my delivery that I needed to refine – things such as how to come off as a more ‘fun’ applicant, adding texture and color to my stories so that I don’t sound like the hordes of other applicants applying to top programs. Oh, and did I mention that I was a reapplicant? I went from all dings and waitlists last year to multiple admits with scholarships at my target schools this year. This was made possible in no small part by the reapplication strategy that Alex helped me come up with. He helped me determine the right mix of reapplications and new applications for round 1 and advised me to wait till round 2 for schools that had denied me in round 2 the prior year so we could show substantial year-over-year growth. All in all, I highly recommend Alex to B-School aspirants who are looking for a solid coach who will go the extra mile with them.

Before contacting Alex, I had already called a couple consultants located both in China and United States. The feedback I received from those consultants were quite opposite. I got very negative feedback from a Chinese consultant saying that I had no chance to get in a top 10 school, and very positive feedback from an American consultant encouraging me to apply any school I want. Coming from a very competitive pool with a moderate background (Chinese and average GMAT), I understand there are many hurdles I have to face. The initial conversation with Alex was quite pleasurable, unlike other consultants who treat you just as another business opportunity. Alex was sincere, professional and passionate about his career. More importantly, Alex was very honest with me after evaluating my background. With his help, I targeted three schools and got into CBS, my dream school! Working with Alex was a great experience, he is a Harvard MBA with more than a dozen years of experience in this business. His passion and expertise always help me think out of the box and have the chance to look into the “black box” of MBA admission. We spent a lot of time working on my career goals and resume, and when it came to the essays, Alex’s creative thinking about the structure and logic of essays really helped me ace my application, and I believe that’s why I got into CBS. Rather than just a consultant-customer relationship, working with Alex was also a fun and personal experience. We shared our lives during the calls and really got to know each other. I would definitely recommend Alex to anyone who is planning to pursue MBA at top schools. Looking back at my journey, teaming up with Alex was the best decision I made when I decided to apply business schools.

I was referred to Alex when I first began seriously considering pursuing an MBA. Despite indicating in my initial outreach that I was unsure an MBA was right for me, and that I was looking only for high-level guidance, Alex gladly took time to speak. The discussion led me to spend another year at my job and take my time with the GMAT. His candid advice and patience with my unfamiliarity with the application process were key reasons I decided to retain Prep MBA when I had fundamentally strengthened my resume. After retaining Alex’s services, he and I got to work immediately even though we were months out from the “typical” application timeline. With Alex’s guidance, I narrowed a target school list – Fuqua, Wharton, Kellogg, McCombs and Anderson. We then worked collaboratively – including in-person meetings, phone calls and lots of emails – to prepare a compelling resume and strong core personal narrative that leveraged my family history, work experience and short- and long-term career goals. When the time came to write my essays, I was well-prepared with my narrative and a great resume to support it. Alex’s support throughout the drafting process was timely and demonstrated a deep knowledge of my background and target MBA programs. In addition, his bank of resumes and school-specific essays were helpful resources. His timely feedback, creative and actionable directional guidance and digestible line edits were also extremely valuable. As a result, my applications painted a clear picture of me and my specific goals at each school and how I’d give to and take from each program to achieve those goals. As my applications moved forward, Alex continued to be a critical resource for me. His interview prep, school selection advice and scholarship negotiation assistance demonstrated his commitment to his clients from start to finish. In the end, I was offered admission at Anderson, McCombs (both with sizeable scholarships), and Fuqua. I removed myself from the waitlist at Kellogg after deciding on Fuqua, but was confident I’d gain admission in the event I remained on the list. Given I was offered scholarships at Anderson and McCombs, Alex and I decided to shoot for some scholarship assistance at Fuqua. He helped conduct back-and-forth scholarship negotiations with the school. After some time, Fuqua offered a generous merit scholarship, which has enabled me to attend my dream school! Overall, Alex was immensely helpful through his commitment to helping me develop the strongest possible applications and ability to navigate the MBA application process at both micro- and macro-levels. I would highly recommend him to prospective MBA students.

I spoke with a couple of consulting firms before choosing Alex. I wanted to gauge my chances at my target schools being a younger candidate coming from an over-represented demographic. What initially stood out was his candid feedback not only about strengths to highlight but also potential weaknesses and challenges. His honest feedback gave me a realistic sense of what to expect throughout the application process. I went with a 3 school package and utilized our work to apply to an addition 2 schools.

Once you sign on with PrepMBA, you will have access to Alex’s expertise as someone extremely familiar with every intricacy of the process. Alex’s method to get to know who he works with provides tremendous value. Alex helped shape my MBA goals and story in a way that set me up favorably throughout the entire process. This focus helped me craft a narrative that I used in all my essays and interviews. Additionally, his feedback on essays and my resume improved my writing significantly. From topic selection to essay structure, every sentence of each essay was meticulously considered. Alex definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone at times with edits and rewrites, but the hard work paid off with the final version of my essays. Additionally, after digging into my resume, I couldn’t believe the substantial improvements from first draft to final product.

Beyond all of this, I could be assured that I was well-prepared and composed throughout the entire process knowing there was a veteran Harvard MBA in my corner. With Alex’s help, I got 4 interviews and will be attending one of my top choices, Chicago Booth!

I contacted Alex after working with another admission consultant and receiving my first ding in R1. I was disheartened and was looking for someone to provide a fresh perspective on my profile. I called a number of admissions consultants, however was reluctant to accept any. That changed with Alex. Soon after our call I knew that he can help me and said Yes! He does not have a group of consultants working under him, but works individually with each client. I could tell that he was passionate about his service and honest in his assessment. I handed over a very difficult task to him – to help an Indian IT engineer, arguably the most overrepresented applicant pool, with silver work experience (not golden) land a ticket in one of the top-MBAs in R2 admissions. As I had limited time, I took hourly packages with Alex. However, he ended up becoming my mentor helping me in every stage of application process – school selection, profile assessment, essay ideas and edits, resume review, waitlist help, and most importantly interview prep.

His essay brainstorming and editing style is unique. End results of my essays, unlike my previous essays, were true, candid and confident reflection. They were well structured and much more engaging than my previous essays. His turnaround time surprised me! He was super flexible within my strict timeframes, and sometimes returned the edits on the same day. However, one area where I think I benefitted the most was interview prep. He changed my presentation style from sounding like a robot to presenting like a confident and genuine professional. I could see a huge difference between my first R1 interview and the following two R2 interviews. I’m sure his interview advice is going help me throughout my career. I applied at 3 schools with him and got into 2, including one of my top choices – Michigan Ross.

I would highly recommend Alex Leventhal. No wonder he has been featured in Poets&Quants as one of the top-10 MBA consultants. While his Harvard MBA is definitely a good enough credential, his philosophy undergrad, I think, also helps him connect with his clients on a deeper level. He is an amazing advisor with whom I look forward to staying in touch.

I remember in October 2016, I approached numerous consulting companies. I had initial sessions with many of them. After several conversations, I noticed that the majority of these companies does not assign those with highest scores on forums to you. Indeed, they use lower level people and they claim that the higher consultants oversee the progress. However, I wanted to directly work with an experienced person. One who owns the business not a middle man consultant who does this job on side. That’s why I chose Alex. It took me three weeks to reach this conclusion, and I think if you listen to my advice you can save your precious time. I did two school package with, and I hourly based consultation. My background is relatively complicated. First of all, I’m an international applicant with just 40 months of full time work experience. And before starting my MBA, I was pursuing my master in science as well as working part time. I bet you may think, schools shouldn’t admit me. And to be honest, I was thinking the same. In the first step, Alex sent me a workbook and I was supposed to answer them. The questions helped me to delve deep in myself. I came up with several events and achievement that shaped my life. This workbook helped us through the next steps. We started with Berkeley. As you know those self-reflection essays are super hard. We tried 12 times to reach the final idea and framing. But for the second one it decreased to 3 essays. As an international student, Alex helped me a lot to come up with appropriate and inspiriting sentences and well structured essays. For the general essay “Why school X? Why MBA? Why now?”, the strategy that he developed was really helpful. It helped me to connect my ideas and experience with school’s values, and come up with several solid reasoning. Therefore, admission committee could trust on me. I really feel shy to show my first draft of resume to anyone. It was a total disaster. I believe we went over that more than 15 times. The final version was a one page resume with precise wording and appropriate formatting. Don’t risk on your resume. Last but not least, for interview we had three sessions. He taught me to be more likeable, something that really matter for BS. We developed numerous stories with solid answers that made me confident in front of interviewer. I got admission form my top three choices Haas, Anderson, and Tepper. As an international applicant, I strongly suggest you choose Alex. He really cared about me. He is prominent in storytelling and writing skills. He knows what schools are looking for in their essay, what they want to hear. It’s a reasonable investment, as you will probably get into one of the top schools.

I had a great experience working with Alex. From our very first call while I was still deciding which admissions consultant would be the best fit, I felt at ease with Alex due to his honesty and openness about the process. Because I was a college senior, applying to only deferred admissions MBA programs, I chose to go with 1 full-school package, and then hourly services for additional applications. Upon beginning the first application, Alex provided clarity to an overwhelmingly open-ended process by helping me narrow down my story. He was extremely supportive in helping me explore multiple potential “career visions” until I could find one that was unique, realistic, and exciting for me. I firmly believe that I couldn’t have fully progressed through this initial planning without Alex’s help and honesty. The other reason that working with Alex was invaluable for me was for his help with my essays. Again, he provided honest feedback, taking the time to help me understand why certain themes in my early drafts sounded forced rather than genuine. He didn’t simply type up some comments and leave me to interpret them – he offered to chat on the phone and make it a live discussion. Ultimately, with his support and reaffirmation that I had picked a unique idea, I decided to write an essay about a highly unconventional topic. I can truly say that I would never have submitted an essay on this topic otherwise. When I received an interview from the Stanford GSB, Alex continued to provide good advice on how to avoid over-preparing and sounding too scripted. A month later, I finally received the positive news: I will be off to the GSB in two years! I know that the unique essay topic made me stand out – the dean of admissions even wrote a comment referencing the essay in the acceptance letter! Reflecting back on the process, I would have told myself not to hesitate in working with Alex (I had been debating whether it would be a worthwhile investment or not). Knowing what I do now about b-school applications, I can’t picture help any better than I received from him. Another tip – during the “busy” times (before R1 and R2 deadlines), he firmly sticks to 48-hour turnover times on essays (very reasonable), so you can typically plan ahead based on this.

As I began to consider pursuing my MBA, I was overwhelmed by the daunting application process, and felt alone, not knowing many people who had been through it before. Alex was recommended to me by a close friend whose sister had used his program and got into her dream school, HBS. The way my friend spoke of him made me feel like if I really wanted to be competitive and put my best foot forward with my applications, Alex was the guy to work with. This became evident from our first conversation together. Alex walked me through the steps we would take together to thoroughly establish my story and MBA goals before even opening an application. He took the time to get to know me personally and answer all of my questions thoughtfully. It was clear that Alex had many years of experience that translated into impactful coaching tools to help me be successful. While I was certain that Business School was the next step for me, I initially had trouble verbalizing what I wanted to get out of an MBA and narrowing down concrete goals for my post MBA career. Without feeding me answers, Alex gave me frameworks to think through my strengths, and work them into a unique plan for myself that would stand out as a thoughtful career path in my applications. With Alex’s help, before even starting my applications, I felt equipped to take them on and confident that I would be a competitive applicant. As I worked my way through a 3 school package with him, Alex challenged my thought process and never settled for a product that didn’t completely exhaust all opportunities to make me stand out as a candidate. He helped me completely re-work my resume and write thoughtful essays. He praised my work when appropriate that gave me confidence, but mostly provided constructive feedback that I would have never thought of if I had gone about the process alone. I called Alex on many occasions to discuss changes to my essays (big or small), and felt that I had him as a constant support system. All in all, I got into 3 of the 5 schools I applied to: Kellogg, Tuck and Fuqua (+$100K scholarship), and I know that Alex’s guidance was an integral part of my success. His level of expertise, natural skill for coaching and genuine personality made for a truly wonderful experience with PrepMBA. I would recommend Alex for anyone who might be weary entering into the application process and is seeking a real competitive edge.

I got to know Alex through a colleague who Alex helped get into a top 10 school with scholarship. After calling two other admissions consulting firms, I gave Alex an intro call and his articulate communication style and interest in helping me immediately stood out. In addition, I wanted a consultant who I can trust to manage the whole process and going with Alex guaranteed that, as compared to other admissions consulting firms who pair you up with consultants that you do not interact with before payment. I was so convinced that Alex was the right choice that I immediately signed up for a 5 school package with hourly work for an additional 2 schools. Right from the start of working together, Alex was incredibly helpful. He was very detailed in finding out about my background, motivations, leadership style, extra-curricular activities etc. We then worked together to craft a career purpose that really fits well with my aspirations. This initial phase of the process (including totally revamping my resume into one that really stands out) took multiple correspondences between me and Alex, but Alex was extremely patient and did not stop giving me advice until we have perfected every detail in my career purpose and resume. Eventually, we managed to build a holistic personal story for myself that combined my background, regional developments and personal interest. During our essay writing, Alex’s logical train of thought and creative use of language within the word limits really helped me to build character in my essays. This was also apparent in the multimedia submissions for some schools (such as PowerPoint or videos). Alex helped me to not only tailor my career purpose essay for each school, but he also helped me to really shine in the personal expression essays. In fact, the AdCom member of my first choice school that I got into specifically mentioned how much they loved my essay! Most importantly, I want everyone to know that signing up for Alex’s services will be an incredible experience because of his personal touch. He will always make time for you and ensure that no matter how busy your schedule, he will help you to get your submissions over the line. He is super detailed in his advice throughout the process and really makes you feel like he is as much a part of the application as yourself. With Alex’s help, I wound up getting admitted into my dream school, Columbia. I strong recommend going to Alex and will be recommending him to several of my colleagues who are considering doing an MBA. His mentorship throughout the process helped me to create a distinctive story that was convincing and unique. I remember that Alex advised me to have more chutzpah during my interview with Columbia as I lacked confidence at times when speaking to others. With Alex as your mentor, he will give your application the chutzpah to get into the school of your dreams.

I initially was skeptical about using the services of an admissions consultant when beginning the application process for business school. I considered myself a good essay writer so I was questioning what value could really be added. After reviewing the testimonials on Alex’s site, and chatting with him for about 30 minutes, I was convinced he would be able to help me in the process and I am sure glad that I decided to work with him. Alex was very honest with his feedback on what schools were realistic targets. After discussing some options, I settled on a five-school package. Although I had gotten started a bit later than I would have liked, Alex worked with me to get in four Round 1 applications, and one rolling admission application (still on the early side). Alex really helped me to think outside the box in terms of my essays. He helped me take my story of why I was pursuing an MBA and helped me to express it in a clear, concise, and relatable manner. He also encouraged me to be creative with the essays that were in a non-traditional written essay format. With Alex’s help, I was admitted into three of the five schools to which I applied, including Chicago Booth, which I will be attending as part of the Class of 2018. In addition to crafting my story, and assisting with the essays, Alex’s interview preparation was extremely helpful. Coming from a finance company, I was used to very stiff and formal interviews. Alex helped me to relax and focus on conveying my reasons for pursuing an MBA, and encouraged me to let some of my personality shine through in the interview. After spending time preparing with Alex, I felt much better about my interviews, and was admitted to each school at which I received an interview! I had an exceptional experience working with Alex. He is sincere, reliable, and holds his clients to a high standard, which helps give them the best chances to get in to these very competitive programs. I highly recommend him!

I’m afraid of two things in life: Standardized tests and applying for things. After two attempts, thousands of problems, and a lot of sweat and tears I got my GMAT score near where I needed it to be and began to focus on my second anathema. As I looked at what I would need to do for the applications I became completely overwhelmed. Figuring out who would write my letters of recommendation let alone asking them to write my recommendations in a way that would best support my candidacy was daunting, and just a tiny piece of a much larger narrative I would need to craft. At this point I spoke with many admissions consultants, and at a few of the larger shops got admittance percentages I was comfortable with at my top choices. Then I talked to Alex. He wasn’t negative, he was just honest with where I would stack up vs. other candidates, and even suggested a few programs I hadn’t considered that based off my background and interest in healthcare may be a good fit as well. While the conversation was sobering on one hand, I appreciated the candid feedback, and was struck by how personal he made our interaction. Alex shot it to me straight, which was frustrating at times, but needed. My biggest challenge in the application was the “career purpose”. Like most of you, I’m used to creating things at work that get accolades from peers and superiors. Alex telling me my career purpose was “too broad” and “not meaningful” was a little hard to swallow at first, especially since this was the story that had impressed folks at my company enough for them to encourage me toward an MBA. There was clearly a disconnect between what I thought schools wanted to hear and what they actually do. Alex helped me bridge that in developing my career purpose and throughout our time in an iterative, albeit sometimes painful process. While beneficial for applications and interviews, I have found the secondary and tertiary effects of our working with Alex to be significant as well. I was amazed at how many folks at accepted students weekend enter b-school with only vague notions, if any at all, of what they want to do. I feel like the mind wrangling I went through with Alex has given me a huge leg up and I feel like our conversations have given me a road map to make the most of my MBA experience. And beyond me, I now find myself using similar tactics to help friends and family members think through their careers as well. I worked with Alex in a 5 school package, and got into two of my target schools: Tuck and Wharton. I applied with 2 years of experience, and Alex’s expertise and one-on-one focus really helped me navigate through the process. I’m really excited about going to Wharton this fall, and there’s just no way that would have happened without Alex being there to provide guidance I could trust. I would absolutely recommend Alex and have already sent colleagues interested in MBAs his direction. He does not have a team of junior consultants that he delegates work out to. He knows your story front to back, and you get the sense that he is personally vested in your success. A very worthwhile investment in my opinion.

Applying to business school is very stressful for most applicants – for me, Alex has been a huge help in every step of the way. The first time I called Alex to get his eyes on my resume and start working together, he actually told me to wait one more year before applying. During our first introductory call, instead of giving me a sales pitch, he listed his concerns and assured me that having one more year of work experience under my belt would strengthen my applications. I was impressed by his honesty and transparency from the very beginning. Indeed, a year later, I went back to Alex to work on my applications together. Alex is thorough in his approach – he is never satisfied with ‘good’ and has always pushed me to reach ‘great.’ He takes a holistic approach to the application process starting from childhood stories to future career goals, which proved to be invaluable as we were shaping my story. Alex often made me feel like I was his only client as he was always available for my last-minute questions. He hopped on the phone with me at a moment’s notice even when he was away for a few days on family vacation. His dedication to his clients and their success is hard to come by. He is also extremely patient – he was there every step of the way, even when I was editing the same sentence for what it must have been a hundred times. I worked with Alex on my top two schools and got into both – Stanford GSB and HBS. Without Alex’s exceptional support, this would not have been possible. His work ethic, years of experience, and friendly attitude transformed the application process for me from a dreaded experience to a joyful period of self-reflection. Thank you Alex!