Aziz Lalljee

Aziz’s help was particularly important to me. When I got rejected from all my round 1 MBA applications (with another consultant), I thought I would never make it to a top business school. When I started working with Aziz in round 2 the results were above expectations. With a surprising come back I was admitted to two M7 and top European business schools. Aziz goes the extra mile in every aspect of the application process. He not only helped me build my story and goals but also pushed me to find meaning and purpose in them.

From the outset of the application process, I was extremely unsure of my chances of getting into any program, let alone my dream program, and felt overwhelmed with the process as a whole. I started working with Aziz in hopes of applying to Round 1. Life and work got in the way and I eventually submitted all 9 applications in Round 2. Aziz was instrumental in helping me express my authentic self to admission committees and in guiding me in crafting stories that highlighted my values and experiences that made me a unique candidate. His working style is highly conducive to the rigor of the MBA application process and he is able to concisely identify and convey ideas that are hiding in the text of your essays that are ready to shine through. Ultimately, I got into my dream program with a significant scholarship.

I’m writing this review from the POV of a reapplicant. I purchased the 5 school application package and was paired with Aziz in my first year of application. I found Aziz’s ability to synthesize and distill down my values and guide me through essay writing invaluable. I cried when I read my final draft of “what matters most to you and why?” on Stanford’s essay because Aziz helped me see layers of what really matters to me (this was useful beyond the MBA application for me and into what I want my long-term vision to be). It was a heart and mind-opening exercise to write that essay as my first b-school essay and have that as the basis for all of my other essays. He was open, approachable, caring, and would give honest feedback whenever I had questions. It was tough when I found out I didn’t get into any schools in my first year even with the help of Career Protocol and Aziz’s guidance. When it came time to reapplication, the greatest value-added from Aziz and Career Protocol has been the ability to follow up with him in the second year to approach a post-mortem and see where to improve for my reapplication. He helped connect me to the right resources to strengthen my application and think about points to highlight in the optional essay required for reapplicants. I am happy to share that I am an incoming student at Berkeley Haas with a full-ride and have also received a full-ride from a top 10 school and received scholarships to attend 2 other schools in the top 15 in my second year. Turnarounds do happen!

Even though I wasn’t with Aziz for my second-year reapplication beyond the optional essay, he’s been a pivotal person in my MBA application journey from the very start in year one and helped me kick off applications in year 2. I learned the art of applying to business school, what matters to me/my values, and in general appreciated having an insightful, caring, and kind sounding board for business school and general career woes. Grateful is the only word I’m left with when I reflect on my MBA app journey with Aziz and CP!

I cannot sing enough praises about Aziz as an admissions consultant, career coach and friend! The MBA journey was tough, but I’m so thankful he was in my corner.

From cheering me on (and recommending a tutor!) during my GRE attempts, coaching my recommenders, providing essay revisions, to performing mock interviews, Aziz showed up for me every step of the way without judgment.

Most notably, Aziz helped me dig deep in my self-reflection and discovery. This was crucial in uncovering and articulating my authentic story – pulling from early life experiences through my present-day career. From there, Aziz helped me translate my goals into a specific short- and long-term plan pre and post-MBA. For the first time in my career, I had a clear and actionable plan that I was excited about!

When I hit “submit,” I knew I put forth my best applications. Ultimately, I received admissions to all the schools (T20, T10) I applied to and a generous scholarship from my dream school (T10)! I could not have had such an incredible outcome without Aziz. Thank you so much, Aziz!!

Aziz was an amazing supporter during my entire application process! He helped me think deeply about my interests and career aspirations, which will be extremely valuable beyond my MBA. Career coaching was something I did not even know I needed going in, but what I am now most grateful for receiving. Aziz was always available, he is genuine and was truly invested in my success. There were times during the process when I was losing energy and Aziz encouraged me to keep pushing I am now confident that I submitted the best applications I could. Throughout the whole process, Aziz was inspiring, extremely positive, and very knowledgeable. I really enjoyed working with Aziz and looked forward to every conversation.

I was accepted to 2 of the top programs, and one of the very top with a large scholarship. Would highly recommend Aziz as an MBA consultant!!

When I first heard about Admission Consultants, I was unsure about if I needed an admissions consultant to help me with my application. It was an expensive choice that I wasn’t sure would payout. As I evaluated and researched the different options, I was drawn to the way Career Protocol helped their clients. Their focus on being not just an Admissions Consultant, but a Career Coach for pre-MBAs, is the mindset that eventually sold me to work with Career Protocol and Aziz.

I was the first person in my friends and family circle to get my MBA, and Aziz was incredibly helpful and patient as he guided me throughout this process. Aziz’s focus on my professional and personal growth throughout this process, not only as an admissions consultant, but also as a career coach, helped me focus and prepare for what I wanted out of my MBA and make a plan for how I would get there.

Aziz pushed me outside my comfort zone to think through what I actually wanted to do in my life and to start building my network. This journey of self-discovery was invaluable in my application process and the lessons I learned this past year will be ones I’ll keep coming back to in the future.

Even after the application process, Aziz provided support as I decided between amazing choices (Yale with a scholarship, Booth with a scholarship, and NYU with a full ride).

Aziz goes above and beyond to help you put your best foot forward in your applications. I’m incredibly thankful for Aziz, without whom I don’t think I would be going to an M7 school in the Fall.

For the longest time, my goal was to become a doctor; I had no interest in going to business school. As my interests and ambitions changed, however, I realized I could make an equally meaningful impact in the corporate world. There was one problem – I had next to zero “formal” business experience, having spent most of my professional life in academic research labs. How could I possibly stack up against those who spent years as MBB consultants and investment bankers? Oh, and I struggled tremendously with the GMAT. I knew I’d need some help…

From day one, Aziz made the MBA application process truly fun. There was always less emphasis on the applications themselves and more on internal discovery – what makes me “tick” and how do my seemingly discrete passions and skills build up to a compelling narrative. This is the hard part, but it’s what made my applications stand out and made schools want to invest in ME.

Finding the “right” MBA consultant is, of course, a personal choice. It’s also an extremely expensive one. But I can definitively say that I would not change a thing about working with Aziz and Career Protocol. From my first conversation with him, Aziz picked up on small character traits and nuances I never in a million years thought I’d use as interview or essay material. He encouraged me when I felt defeated and gave me the confidence to tackle not only the application process, but B-school and beyond.

I ended up with acceptances to nearly all of the schools to which I applied and am excited to attend a T15 program next fall. While I won’t be his client anymore, I certainly intend to keep in touch with Aziz and am happy to call him a friend.

Working with Aziz is like having your own personal cheerleader and a stellar coach – who will both guide you to success and support you when the going gets rough. When deciding to apply to business school, I was seeking guidance with my story coming from a non-traditional background, to present my authentic self to schools, and to have grown from the application process regardless of the outcomes. Working with Aziz and Career Protocol not only helped me achieve all of those goals but also helped me learn so much about myself.

Aziz is phenomenal because he truly gets to know you personally and deeply. He has a sharp intuition and will help you discover strengths and gems in your story you didn’t even know about. He was diligent, helpful, and insightful at every step of the application process, from essays to interviews to decision guidance. I got into Haas (one of my top choices), and I know the application process would have been a lot more grueling and precarious if I had done it on my own. I would recommend working with Aziz and Career Protocol in a heartbeat – they will bring you on a journey, and you will emerge having gained valuable insights about yourself and your future.

While the most important part of the MBA admissions process is the outcome, as cheesy as it sounds, the journey of self discovery was nearly equally as valuable to me.

As someone who initially pursued an MBA because it was “what I was supposed to do to further my career”, Aziz helped me truly understand my goals and passions. While deep self reflection is not always easy, Aziz patiently guided me through the process, helping me explore my motivations and aspirations. This ultimately helped me discover a career path that I am passionate about and can confidently pursue during and after business school.

Aziz and the career protocol team went beyond cleaning up my essays or telling me what the admissions office wanted to hear. Aziz took me on a journey of self discovery, which in end not only helped me get into both Booth and Kellogg (my two top choices) but also helped me grow as a person.

Aziz is amazing! I was drawn to Career Protocol’s personal approach given that I was applying to business school with a very non-traditional background. Aziz helped me narrow down and identify my dreams and goals into something tangible. He was able to extract intrinsic characteristics in my life story and how they would be valued in business school, and then helped to connect the dots as to how they related to my goals. I was really able to show the admissions committees who I am as a person and what my values are. I never felt like anything was fake or forced- if a suggestion didn’t feel right, I was comfortable having that conversation with Aziz. At the end of the day, he really cared about helping me show my true self to the adcoms and how I would be an asset to their programs. I cannot imagine that I would have had much, if any success without his help and guidance throughout the application process.

I worked with Aziz on a three application package after Career Protocol came highly recommended to me by a coworker who had worked with them previously. I had met with a few other consultants as well, but after my first conversation with Aziz, I felt a distinct sense of engagement and care for my story and my ambitions. I started the MBA application process concerned about how I’d make myself stand out coming from a typically well-represented pool of applicants (finance). Throughout the next several months, we deep-dived on my personal background, the choices I had made through life, and the goals and aspirations I wanted to put to paper in my applications. Aziz helped me put together applications that I felt were true to myself, clear and powerful, and simply much better than what I could have done in an equal amount of head-banging alone. The reflection process helped me clarify not just that I wanted the MBA, but what I would do for myself personally and professionally, giving me greater confidence for the interviews. I got interviews at all three schools I applied to (HBS, GSB, and Wharton), and got into HBS (my top choice), Wharton with a full ride, and waitlisted at GSB. Post-decisions, Aziz was there for me to discuss scholarships and any other concerns I had. If I had to make the choice to work with him again, I’d do it again in a heartbeat. I’ve already recommended Aziz and Career Protocol to a few friends contemplating applying next year.

I came to Career Protocol looking for a guide to help navigate wielding an unorthodox narrative in my pursuit of an MBA. More than that, I found one of the most genuine advisors and friends in Aziz, who helped me redefine my path and launch my future with astonishing clarity.

Aziz is a deep listener and an honest communicator. He pushed me early on to dive deeper into my own motivations to develop a career path that was going to do more than signal ‘success’ to some outside scorekeeper. While I continually pounded my head against the pavement trying to optimize my career, my life, my goals – and solve the universal equation to success while I was at it – Aziz patiently redirected me to explore where I could uncover meaning and fulfillment. Our time became a mission to identify where I could grow myself and ignite the passion that would authentically drive the success that I was craving, rather than a box-checking exercise to amass the most success indicators.

Through this incredibly personal and often challenging process, I discovered an opportunity to pivot pre-MBA into consulting – a place where I could do all kinds of exploring while leaning into my existing talents for strategic thinking and problem solving. While I had hired Aziz to help me prepare for an MBA application cycle, he didn’t miss a beat and immediately pivoted to serve this new directive. He connected me with resources to practice case interviews, helped me polish my resume for the industry, and filled my cup when my confidence was less than stellar.

I am at an absolute loss for words to describe how grateful I am for Aziz’s attention and care for the most human parts of his clients. While I did not leave Aziz with an admit to Business School – though I have plans to hire him for this again in the future – I did walk away with a newly minted colleague at McKinsey & Company with a fuller spirit and a fresh perspective on what I am seeking in life.

If you are looking for more from your application process than GMAT scores, school research, and endless grammar edits, look no further. I can’t tell you who Aziz will help you find in yourself, but I know I am so proud to have met this bolder, more inspired version of me and I can’t wait to see what else we dig up in the future.

Do yourself a favor and work with Aziz.

Working with Aziz was such a pleasure. He helped me discover and pull out things about me that I never thought were important enough to discuss or mention in essays/interviews. The whole process felt empowering and he kept me confident throughout the journey. Before applying, I felt that I had no idea how to write a good essay about myself but after the process, he turned me into a storyteller. If you’re looking for a consultant who isn’t just focused on the numbers, go to him!

I was introduced to Aziz and Career Protocol through Forte’s MBA Launch program. In a week of speaking with 5-6 admissions consultants, Aziz stood out to me above everyone else. Even though our pull-up was only 30 minutes, he was truly interested in who I am as a person and how he could help me showcase that in an application. This was incredibly different from folks who were focused on how to hide some of my weaknesses (undergrad from non-target state school, avg GPA).

Once I started working with Aziz, I honestly felt more and more excited by the application process. First, Career Protocol’s guide on story-crafting was so, so, helpful for me. I learned how to articulate my journey and values in a concise way, that I have even been able to use outside of the MBA process. Second, Aziz’s ability to ask leading brainstorming questions helped me hone in on my post-MBA goals. I don’t think I even realized how unclear and jargony my responses to goal-related prompts were, and without Aziz, I would’ve floundered in that aspect of my application. And lastly, Aziz’s interview prep. I was so nervous for one of my interviews, and honestly was feeling the imposter syndrome set in without even knowing anyone in the rest of the applicant pool. Career Protocol’s guide. on storytelling and interview prep was amazing, but I couldn’t have done it without Aziz. He was incredibly patient and did mocks with me to take my answers from good to excellent.

In short, in Aziz, I feel I’ve found a friend and mentor– not just an MBA consultant. Sign up for an intro session with him, and you’ll see what I’m talking about!

TL;DR: Working with Aziz has given me a clearer outlook on myself, my strengths, where I’m headed, and whether an MBA is the right path. He’s added so much value to me as a person and a professional, not just as an MBA applicant.

I came into the MBA process more out of curiosity and with an expiring GMAT score that I thought I may as well use. I talked to most of the highest recommended admissions shops based on this website, and I felt that Career Protocol and Aziz were the most invested and interested in me as a person versus just as another applicant. Based on this I chose to go with them, hoping that I may also gain a little more value for my life from the process as well.

Aziz definitely blew that expectation out of the water. I think he was the perfect consultant for me because he helped me identify then articulate what my differentiators are (something I really struggled with after being in consulting) and he was the optimist counterbalance to my slightly cynical outlook.

The process itself went as smoothly as it could, given my odd availability, and Aziz was always happy to work with the subpar drafts I used to send back late at night and brainstorm well outside business hours on how to make my essays honest and succinct. He was candid when something wasn’t working for him, and he’d work with me to find a replacement or a different storyline instead of just dumping the ball back in my court and moving onto his next advisee. I don’t think that my essays would have turned out anywhere near as well as they did without his guidance. When I had my interview, he helped me think through what was important and spent 1.5h with me just on the “tell me about yourself” question (then worked on more). Sometimes I think he was more committed to seeing me succeed than I was…

However, the reason that I would always recommend Aziz to others is because of his commitment to helping me figure out what I wanted to do. While there’s clearly some level of that that goes into every MBA essay, he went well above and beyond to really help me narrow down what I thought my path was and what the steps on that path were. Through his continuous prompting, I was able to become more and more specific about what I found interesting in a company and a role, and now I have a pretty clear path forward for myself in the FinTech world.

After I got into one of the top US MBA programs, he was still happy to help me think through whether going for the MBA was the right decision for me and how I could get the best out of it. He even helped me try to negotiate with the program for a scholarship.

Coming out of this process, I think that I’ve learned a lot about myself as a person and a professional, and that’s worth so much more than application advice. If you want someone to fit you into a tried-and-tested mold I don’t think that this relationship would work out for you, but if you’re willing to engage I think you’d find it very beneficial and entirely worth it.

I worked with Aziz for my MBA deferred enrollment application, and I was surprised at the quality of care I received. I have had a consultant for my college application, and Aziz is just so so so much better in every possible way. If you are looking for a highly responsible, capable coach for your MBA application, then Aziz is your top choice. He would give you honest, powerful feedback and helped you grow in your MBA application process. English is not my first language, so I sometimes struggle to accurately express my thoughts in essays. Aziz helped me to piece my different ideas into a holistic story and made me have a better understanding of myself. MBA application is a lot more stressful and challenging than I thought, and I am glad that I have found such an excellent coach to help me along the way.

When I first started seeking an admissions consultant, my sole objective was to find a person who could teach me all the tips and tricks to sneak my way into one of the most prestigious programs in the world. I felt that my background was weak (white male, undergrad at a non-target state school, average GMAT score, and an impressive, but non-traditional professional background), and many consultants had me convinced that they held a secret formula to help me disguise these flaws. Then comes Aziz…

By the end of our free intro call, my perspective on the application process had been flipped on its head. While many other consultants spoke of how they’d leverage their expertise and talent, Aziz spoke of how he’d leverage mine. In the duration of a 30-minute call, he had thoroughly dissected my ambitions and desires to a degree that I had never thought to explore. But more importantly, he was genuinely excited for what I dreamed to accomplish. Our conversation made me feel empowered and proud of my accomplishment, not ashamed of my shortcomings. All the self-doubt and insecurity that I’d felt thus far was gone, and I knew that I’d found not only an admissions consultant, but a friend, mentor, and cheerleader with a sincere interest in seeing me succeed.

After hiring Aziz, we started a several-week process of introspection; school applications were not discussed until later. He wanted to extract the personal and professional stories that shaped me, understand what was driving me to pursue an MBA, and ultimately what I hoped to accomplish in my life and career both short- and long-term. This self-discovery process not only helped Aziz as we crafted my essays, but also helped me provide a far more genuine and compelling story as I networked and interviewed with current students, alumni, and ad-coms. As we moved into the essay and interview prep phases, this introspection paid dividends. I knew who I was and what I wanted to accomplish in a concise, genuine, and believable story, and I had already reflected on the stories to prove it. While I had zero doubt that I’d made the right choice with Aziz, it was confirmed when I received Stanford GSB and Wharton interviews and over $80k in scholarships from Duke Fuqua and Yale SOM (which Aziz masterfully helped me negotiate).

To summarize, gaining Aziz as a mentor and friend has become one of the greatest blessings of my life. He changed the course of my life not only by helping me gain admission to my dream schools, but also by equipping me with the skills, confidence, and self-awareness to achieve my goals during and after my MBA. If you want to simply gain admission, go with the other guy. If you want to gain admission and prepare yourself for the rest of your life and career at the same time, go with Aziz.

I was first introduced to Career Protocol through the Forte MBA Launch Program. After speaking with several MBA consultants, I chose Career Protocol because of their positive energy and their focus on finding your TRUE self. I am so glad that I worked with Aziz on my MBA applications. There were many times (COVID, job change, suddenly move back to Asia etc.) that I wanted to give up but Aziz was always there for me — he inspired me and helped me come up with a concrete plan. Every time I got off the phone with Aziz, I felt so pumped and knew exactly what my next steps should be. I would not be able to complete this journey without Aziz. After submitting the application to my dream school, I truly felt that this was already dream come true. Aziz spent so much time digging and helping me connect the dots so I would be able to show the school my best self and tell all the stories that I ever wanted to tell. THANK YOU AZIZ! You are truly an amazing person! I have learned so much from you and have grown a lot.

Before working with Aziz I had applied to business schools in the previous admissions cycle without any success. I was feeling completely defeated until I had my first call with Aziz. He was empathetic, honest, enthusiastic, and so genuine in every interaction we had. He made me feel like I was the only applicant he was working with. He took the time to carefully identify unique stories, and relate them to specific values at each school. After each essay draft, Aziz provided clear and impactful feedback and I was beyond happy and so proud of the final products. He pushed me outside of my comfort zone and provided immense support throughout the entire process. He defined a clear plan of action to tackle my weaknesses like a below-average GMAT score, and helped me really dig deep to identify my strengths to go above and beyond in all other areas of the application. With Aziz’s support, I was accepted into my top choice (Duke) and received a Forté Fellow scholarship. I could not have done this without Aziz!!

I’m so so so appreciative of Aziz and his guidance throughout my application journey! He helped me in 3 key ways:

1. Understanding and articulating my specific goals: I started out using tons of industry jargon that painted a flowery, unclear picture of what I wanted. Aziz asked the right questions that pushed me to really reflect on my short- and long-term goals in a way that not only helped with my applications, but also strengthened my understanding of the specific role and industry I see myself in, what I envision myself doing on a day-to-day, and how I plan on getting there.
2. Highlighting how my unique strengths complement a school’s culture: Aziz is a wizard at active listening and quickly processing information. After I rambled about my life story and what I thought of as my achievements, Aziz was able to identify strengths of mine I didn’t consider previously. He succinctly tied these strengths together into themes, painting a powerful authentic story-driven by specific life experiences. He helped me connect my story to specific aspects of each school, which illustrated a deep understanding of a school’s culture and how I could add value.
3. Providing structure: I work best with structure. The application process felt very nebulous, but with Aziz in my corner, I felt like everything was tons more manageable. On days I felt overwhelmed and stuck with my essays, it was comforting to know I could always call Aziz and bounce ideas off of him. Even if I felt like an essay draft was terrible, I could send it over to him for feedback and keep the momentum going, which I felt was so valuable during the MBA application marathon.

With Aziz’s help, I was accepted to 5 schools that gave out a total of approximately $400K of scholarship money, including an acceptance to a US News top-10 school with a full-tuition scholarship!

I started working with Aziz while preparing Round 1 and Round 2 applications. I appreciate what he and Career Protocol stand for and how they look at the whole person and not just your application statistics. He was there for me every step of the way. Coming from a non-business background he whipped me, and my story, into shape. It is truly invaluable to have someone who can give you honest feedback at every point. In a non-traditional application cycle because of COVID, it was really helpful to have someone to turn to and ask questions. From brainstorming my essays, practicing interviews, to deciding where to apply, I couldn’t have done it without Aziz!

I connected with Aziz to prep for my Executive MBA interview. It was on a really tight timeframe and I had to prep fast. Aziz gave me honest and valuable feedback that was not only applicable to the MBA interview but also to other interviews moving forward. He also went out of his way to provide his personal contact information in case I had any questions before my interview. I was accepted into the CBS EMBA program!! After admission, he was also really helpful in providing tips on looking for scholarships/funding.

There are so many great things to say about working with Aziz, that it’s hard to know where to start!

When I first started the MBA application process, I really wasn’t thinking of working with a consultant because I was afraid that the interaction would be mostly transactional (since that is sometimes what I hear from friends), and that the consultant would not really bother getting to know me as a person.
But through Forte Launch, I got to know the Career Protocol team, and then eventually had a conversation with Aziz, and I felt that his approach really resonated with me, and everything just felt “right.” I was also really stressed about the application process (remembering how
stressed out I was during my college application process, and not looking forward to having to put myself through this again), and I wasn’t sure what my chances would be at different
schools. So, after balancing all of this out in my head, I decided to work with Aziz.

Now that I’m at the end of my MBA application journey, I can say that this has been such a great decision! Aziz does a great balance with pushing me to be the best I can be and not letting me sell myself short, while also keeping things real. After not being able to crack 700 on the
GMAT after repeated attempts, I was thinking of not applying to Stanford anymore, but Aziz still encouraged me to do so, wanting to make sure I stayed true to my interests. He often said I shouldn’t do things out of fear, and that I would regret it in the long-term if I didn’t apply. At the same time, to make sure I applied to a balanced set of schools, he encouraged me to consider what my safety schools would be, something that I wouldn’t have done on my own – looking back, doing so gave me greater peace of mind throughout the application process than if I hadn’t done so.

Aziz also took a lot of time to know what my “life story” is, and where my real interests lied. At first, I said what sounded like a list of disjoint things, between education, economics, technology, etc. After doing multiple rounds of digging with me, and taking into consideration
everything I’ve written about myself, it was Aziz who actually saw the unifying theme and articulated back to me what my actual interest was. This was a crucial turning point for my goals essays – before they were completely weak and generic, and after articulating my goals, Aziz enabled me to write goals essays unique and true to myself and reflective of my life experiences, that made me a much more compelling candidate. But I would say, even beyond business school, Aziz’s insight here is valuable because it enabled me to recognize what drove all my disparate interests, and what was the essential thing that made me tick.

Overall, working with Aziz enabled me to focus on the things that mattered and not get stuck in my own head. I appreciated that Aziz always gave me the feedback I needed to hear, and told me what was working and what was not. When I kept falling short of my GMAT target, he kept things realistic for me but also prevented me from excessively worrying about it. He was always generous with spending time talking through my concerns, even if I felt I might be asking some annoying questions!

I’m really glad that I worked with Aziz – he takes a very humanistic, authentic, and grounded approach to coaching me through the application process. He’s prevented me from making a number of critical mistakes, both in terms of the application and maximizing my scholarship chances, and I’m sure without Aziz, I would’ve gone through this entire 8-month process (working through R1 and R2) with a lot more stress! He also goes beyond in other ways – early on, he connected me with a personal friend of his, who was a Product Manager, so I could learn more about the PM career!

I’m thrilled to have gotten an acceptance call from Chicago Booth this past week (and with a $40K scholarship!), especially since I’ve dreamed of going to the University of Chicago since I was in high school! Moreover, I think I’ve grown a lot as a person through this process, and Aziz has also shown me the right mindset to have when tackling challenges – one that keeps things in greater perspective and leads to less stress navigating various unknowns!

I was first introduced to Career Protocol through the Forte MBA Launch Program. After speaking with several MBA consultants, I chose Career Protocol because of their holistic approach to MBA admissions. I appreciated how they prioritized unlocking your joyful story (that speaks to your strengths, your unique story, and what makes you feel alive), rather than exploiting a more fearful narrative (that relies on false lies that you need to be a ‘perfect’ candidate in order to get into business school). Applying to business school is stressful enough — I am so glad I found Career Protocol.

Aziz was spectacular throughout the entire process. I started working with Aziz from May to March (almost a whole year!). We worked on 3 applications together. For the first school, we spent ~2 months drafting my story, my motivations and making sure that my entire application was authentic to me.

Aziz also helped me strategize how to address my lower GMAT score. He connected me with a GMAT tutor who provided advice on how to raise my score. He helped me weigh the pros/cons of applying during R1 with a lower GMAT score vs. retaking the GMAT in hopes of raising my score for R2 deadlines. Aziz also helped me identify an additional 6 programs to apply to, and he provided guidance on how to approach each school’s essay prompts too.

I ended up applying to 9 programs. I was accepted to 6 schools, three of which offered scholarships of $30k, $44k, and $110k.

I was speechless to receive so many acceptances, and with scholarships!! As an Asian-American woman who works in federal technology consulting, I was concerned about how I would stand out in a sea of similar candidates. Aziz helped me find my deep and honest story, and I think that is the reason why I was accepted to so many top programs. Aziz helped me tell my authentic story, and as a result of Aziz’s wisdom and coaching, I was accepted to my top schools: Yale SOM and Dartmouth Tuck. Woohoo!!

I worked with Aziz in 2020 to apply to three schools. I knew this would be a competitive admissions year and that my candidacy was iffy on paper, so I decided early in the admissions process that I would engage a consultant to help me refine my story and personal brand.

What I liked about Aziz from the start was his candor and realism. Our first conversation was inspiring – I gained a ton of clarity on the application process and I felt motivated to get to work.

Aziz was great throughout the entire process. He’s a witty and quick editor, a ruthless interview partner, and a strategic contingency planner. But where Aziz made the biggest difference for me was in career visioning. I had ideas about my future career that I hadn’t had a chance to test. Right away, Aziz pushed me to do informational interviews to talk with people who were actually doing those jobs. After having dozens of these conversations, I brought my findings back to Aziz so that we could test new hypotheses for how I might spend two years at business school and end up well-positioned to get my dream career. By articulating realistic and impressive career goals that align with my core values, I was able to write essays and interview with admissions officers confidently.

Aziz’s profile mentions that his life’s calling is to help others make decisions under uncertainty. I can confirm that he’s gifted in this area. While working together, I made bold changes in my life. Aziz provided advice and empathy, all the while helping me stay focused – not just on my MBA applications, but also on my career goals.

I’m proud of where I landed – I received a full-tuition named scholarship from my top school!

I started working with Aziz toward the end of June, by September I had submitted 5 round 1 applications, and in December I was accepted at Booth with a 90k scholarship (which he helped me negotiate to 100k). I could not have asked for a better partner than Aziz through the application process.

From our first meeting, Aziz perfectly balanced extreme candor and knowledge of each school with contagious excitement and enthusiasm. I left each conversation with Aziz with a clear understanding of where essays weren’t working, but never discouraged by the feedback I received. I never doubted that Aziz believed in me and was committed to doing everything he could to make my applications successful.

Aziz reviewed countless essays, helping me work through as many as six drafts on an essay I struggled with. On each draft, Aziz provided clear and actionable feedback on each that allowed me to efficiently edit and prepare applications that I was proud of.

After I had completed the three applications for which I had contracted, Aziz continued to review applications and coach me through the applications for two additional schools.

Working with Aziz felt like working with an old and trusted friend who had been through the entire process. Were it not for Aziz I would have gone through this process immeasurably more stressed, and not achieved nearly as good a result.

I worked with Aziz on my MBA application this year and I couldn’t be happier with the result! Nobody really enjoys or looks forward to the application process, but Aziz found a way to make it fun and inspiring. He’s a natural at identifying whether your target schools are a reach, match, or safety, and this really helped me narrow down my options whilst keeping my post-MBA goals in mind (figuring out the perfect mix). Even then, I was never discouraged from shooting for the stars, so I did end up getting into my top-choice school!

One of Aziz’s biggest qualities is efficiency. There were several elements to my application and too many layers to my personal story, but he supported me in figuring out the key themes to my life very quickly, which then helped me tell a cohesive story that best represented me in the limited application space I had. It also really helps that he’s super quick at giving feedback (and is very direct), especially when deadlines were fast approaching. In several instances, I had to completely switch up my story, but (with a lot of patience) Aziz agreed it was better to write a new essay from scratch, despite having gone through several versions of it already.

One often-overlooked quality in MBA consultants is their ability to keep a positive attitude and build the confidence in their clients. Particularly this year, I knew that MBA applications would be on the rise for my target school, and that meant that I had to create an especially great application if I wanted a real shot. As a result, I had a lot of ‘what if’ moments, but these were always quickly addressed, and his attitude towards rejection really put things into perspective for me – so I was ready for just about anything.

Finally, and most importantly (for me, personally), he’s genuine. Not just in his feedback, but also in wanting to get the most genuine application out of you – with all your ‘flaws.’ He could always tell whether my voice in my essays was real or ‘edited’ to impress someone (which often happens unintentionally), and he always made sure I showed my 100% authentic self and embrace my perceived weaknesses as part of what shaped who I am today.

Aziz – very personable, efficient, agile, and natural storyteller. Beyond your standard MBA admissions consultancy: Ironically, his process made me understand my own world better than I ever have – Would totally recommend!

I never imagined I’d work with an admissions consultant, but when I moved up my application timeline by a year, I knew I needed help to pull everything together in two months. I chose Career Protocol because I wanted to work with someone who would help me communicate my story with confidence rather than fit me into a template or push me towards “safer” schools. Aziz delivered all of that and so much more! I applied and was admitted to Kellogg and Booth’s Evening Programs, but more importantly, I feel much more confident and clear-eyed as I start business school.

-Insight: Even in our first conversation, talking to Aziz felt like talking to a (very smart) childhood friend. Aziz quickly picked up on my key life experiences and also helped me identify value in experiences that I had planned on downplaying in my application, like my religious upbringing. Because Aziz quickly earned my trust with his accurate insights, patience, and humor, I was more willing to dig deep into some painful experiences that added depth to my essays.

-Inspiration: Aziz helped me develop short- and long-term career goals that kept me inspired and energized even when I didn’t want to work on one more draft. We started with my desire to revitalize rust belt communities and then investigated different paths to that goal. He pointed me to innovative individuals and organizations to help me work out the details. He also inspired me to push past self-doubt when I was writing resume bullets or essays that discounted my accomplishments.

-Efficient Editing: Aziz is an excellent and efficient editor. He turned every draft around quickly. In early drafts, he asked difficult but necessary questions that forced me to provide more specific details. I was amazed by how he was able to help me convey my ideas vividly and concisely.

Bottom line – Aziz will help you craft an application that’s reflective of your potential and your dreams, and he’ll keep your spirits up throughout the process!

I worked with Aziz Lalljee on business school admissions and it was amazing. Without his guidance and insights – from preparing for the GMAT, understanding how my profile stacked up and writing essays I certainly would not have gotten into Ivey Business School. Over time, I went from seeing him as an admissions consultant to a mentor, coach, and friend. Furthermore, he already knew so much about my strengths, weaknesses, and how I best receive feedback that it helped me prepare for my job interviews while at business school. This helped me land a job at the Royal Bank of Canada.

Inspires you to aspire: When I started the application process, I wasn’t sure how my profile stacked up. He helped me decide between a 1 year and 2-year program, the geographical location – US/Canada/International, and aim for the best programs in each region. For applicants suffering from a lack of confidence, Aziz can change your trajectory. I felt like he took it as a personal challenge to shoot for “stretch” schools, rather than convincing me to apply to a bunch of safety schools.

– Keeps it real: I really valued Aziz’s brutal honestly and bluntness. I valued his candor and that helped to identify strengths and weaknesses in my profile. It kept me focused to introspect and ask the right questions to mitigate weaknesses in your application and place emphasis on telling my story and highlighting strengths.

– Maximizes efficiency: He helped brainstorm different ways to express key points to make every word count while making sure I provided a balanced representation of myself. It’s easy to get tunnel vision while writing essays. Aziz saved me precious time and energy by providing feedback on what NOT to write about.

Overall, the time I spent with Aziz was invaluable. Aziz kept the faith, and I never got the sense that he was ignoring me to devote more time to other clients with more promising outlooks. Thank you so much, Aziz!

I was completing what schools to apply to, I narrowed it down to five schools, Booth, Fuqua, HBS, Wharton, and GSB. Aziz gave great insight regarding best practices to manage the application, on-campus visiting, and GMAT studying process. Aziz consulted me on my applications and we spoke and corresponded via email on many occasions throughout my application process. His feedback was extremely beneficial, pointed out areas he thought made me a strong candidate and methods to showcase my strengths in addition to potential solutions to combat my weaknesses. In the end, I got into and choose Duke! One of my top choices.

I met Aziz through a common friend when I was applying to top tier MBA programs. My first preference was INSEAD because of its diversity and yearlong course duration.

Just like any hopeful applicant, I scoured the internet for tips and tricks to distinguish my application but I didn’t make much headway. Once I talked to Aziz, I knew working with him would be the right strategy. Instead of focusing on the application questions, Aziz patiently heard my story and asked questions which helped me reflect on the highlights and lowlights of my professional and personal life. Unlike most people, I didn’t have a streamlined career path until that point – I had dabbled in the non-profit and corporate sectors wearing multiple hats. Aziz helped me stitch my story together and connect it to my ambition in the future. He is a gifted conversationalist with a high emotional quotient which made it easy to share my thoughts and uncertainties without the risk of judgment. He is also an out-of-the-box thinker with ideas that are sometimes so funny that they keep you entertained and sometimes so insightful that they hit the right nerve.

In the end, thanks to him eventually I churned out 4 applications for R1 deadlines and got into INSEAD, my top choice! I would highly recommend Aziz as an application coach – he’s a natural!