Barbara Coward

Barbara was a great resource for me in my MBA application journey since I was applying to B-school from a less-traditional path. My background is in engineering and industrial project management, but I have long had aspirations to become an impactful business leader at the broader organizational level. With Barbara’s help, I was able to craft my strengths and goals into a compelling narrative and draw the attention of my target schools, receiving scholarship offers from 2/3 of my top choices!

Barbara was an amazing resource during every step in the process, and I’m certain I couldn’t have been so successful without her help!

Working with Barbara was an absolute pleasure. She is an expert in refining your message and helping you put your best foot forward. She came highly recommended from a friend of mine, and she did not disappoint. I was accepted into every program I applied to with scholarship, which is very impressive considering I had a 3.1 GPA.

Working with Barbara through my application to Booth was such a great experience! From the professionalized advise to her insider knowledge on different schools, processes, and insights, Barbara was such a big help in my process. She helped me edit and refine my essay, challenging certain topics and points that should be done differently, and offering insights on different phases of the process. I often felt like I was Barbara’s only client and it was clear that she truly cared about my admission.

Helped me to land interviews for the MBA Program of Rotman and LBS. Great advice in how to structure the essays.

Loved each interaction with Barbara, learned a lot and she was always open to reviewing and giving me advice for each step of the application process.

1) Barbara really understands the “personality” of each school well, and can help you customize your profile accordingly and pick your school strategically
2) Barbara really know how to craft your story to make you stand out from your competitors. As she mentioned, she would be acting as your attorney to argue for your strength and against your weakness
3) Barbara is honest and dedicated, and she returned your work very quickly with very detailed comments, and she is always available for a call for further explanation

Barbara was instrumental in helping me achieve my goal of getting into my first pick business school. She provided invaluable guidance on how to structure all deliverables of the admissions process from resume to essays and ultimately, helped secure my acceptance at both schools I applied to. Even after I received my acceptance letters, Barbara continued to provide me with effective coaching and guidance. I ultimately decided to defer and it was her logic and thoughtful reasoning that helped me come to this conclusion. I highly recommend Barbara to anyone looking for a stellar admissions consultant. Thank you, Barbara, for all your help!

I highly recommend Barbara as an exceptional coach for MBA candidates! Her depth of knowledge and expertise in the field is evident in her ability to guide and support students through the rigorous MBA application process. Barbara is extremely skilled at identifying unique strengths and weaknesses and providing tailored guidance to help create a story that showcases your true self. Barbara’s coaching and mentorship were key factors in my success during the application process and ultimately in my acceptance to Columbia and Wharton with scholarship offers!

I highly recommend Barbara as an MBA consultant. She helped me get accepted into my dream MBA program. Her expertise in the application process was invaluable, and she helped me position my resume, and story and understand the nuances of what admissions offices were looking for.

Barbara’s support and encouragement throughout the process were outstanding, and I felt like I gained a friend for life. Thanks to her guidance, I was able to submit strong and compelling applications to five different MBA programs.

Overall, I am deeply grateful for Barbara’s assistance, and I wholeheartedly endorse her as an outstanding MBA consultant. I’m confident that her expertise and support will help others achieve their academic and professional goals as well.

I can’t say enough good about Barbara. She has been more than a consultant for me but also a life coach in a sense. She gets “IT” and demonstrates that through her passion of staying ahead of the curve and speaking on topics on platforms like Linkedin that most consultants aren’t speaking on. Barbara’s involvement does not stop when a candidate gets accepted into their dream school. She is and continues to remain a cheerleader for those who’ve been through the journey of applying to B-School. This journey isn’t for the faint of heart as Barbara is the first to say. I just got accepted into my dream school on the account of Barbara talking through this process and keeping me motivated to finish strong. If you are seeking uncertain whether or not you should apply then she is very realistic. Keep in mind that a high GRE/GMT won’t guarantee you a seat at your school of choice. I can stay this speaking from experience. Barbara will help you bring your story together because, at the end of the day, schools are looking for someone who is more than a test score as they reject those often.

Since day one on LinkedIn, Barbara was of great support. She would make herself available to go over doubts or obstacles, which with time-sensitive deadlines is something to be grateful for. Barbara always conveys a positive attitude, managing to bring calm to what is a complex process. Barbara provided detailed guidance from start to finish. I can’t tell you how many times I sent an email asking for help or a quick call to go discuss a part of the application and she would reply in the following hours with an opening to talk. This was something I noticed from my first communications with Barbara and this support did not change throughout the whole process.
Finally, you can really notice Barbara’s authentic involvement in your application process. You can feel how she is rooting for you every step of the way.
I would recommend working with Barbara to any potential applicant!

I first engaged with Barbara via LinkedIn to ask her questions regarding the MBA process. Barbara always shares insightful and valuable information with her followers. She was always willing to answer any question I had and offer up recommendations to me. If you are interested in learning more about the MBA process and want to work with an expert in the field then she is your trusted advisor, let me be clear when I say this – you would be making a mistake by not engaging with her. Barbara always has a positive attitude and is invested in making your dream happen! The MBA changed my life, and it will change yours too!

Barbara was pivotal in helping me craft my story to stand out throughout the admissions process and ultimately earn admission to Chicago Booth. Her guidance showed me how to better draw from my background and experiences in order to showcase my best qualities to admissions teams. She was also crucial in helping me navigate the nuances of each school and truly understand their core values in order to crush the interviews. Barbara’s insight was all I could have hoped for and more.

Barbara was invaluable in preparing my MBA application for Kellogg. This was the only program I applied for, so our sessions were very targeted and focused. Always encouraging and great to work with, Barbara initially helped review my essays and other parts of my application. Over a few appointments, she not only offered several recommendations to improve it but also took the time to help me formulate my pitch and reflect it appropriately throughout. She always made sure I understand the rationale behind her suggestions and that I feel comfortable with the direction we were taking. Later, when I received my interview invitation, she found time to meet with me with only a day’s notice (!). We went over a series of potential issues, reviewed several scenarios, and had a mock interview that was super helpful. Barbara’s support and calm but confident approach made the MBA application feel like a breeze. I was notified about my acceptance 2 weeks after my interview. Forever grateful!

I’ve been working with Barbara for over two years as I was a re-applicant for most of the programs I applied to this year. What stood out about Barbara is her extremely personable, supportive, and positive personality – she has the expertise in the schools and admission process, but more importantly, she understood me as a person beyond the admissions criteria. As a result, she recommended schools to me that turned out to be a great fit but would’ve slipped through my radar otherwise. She is also well connected in the industry and always happy to make introductions. I couldn’t recommend Barbara more!

With Barbara’s help, I was accepted to Tuck, Ross, and Fuqua in Round 3 with a named fellowship at each school. I will be attending Tuck, which still feels unreal to me. I was defeated from the start of the application process: I struggled with the GMAT/GRE for over a year and ultimately got an okay score despite taking the test multiple times, I had a lower than average GPA from a large state school in a non-quantitative background, am in an overrepresented minority group, and work in financial services, a highly represented and competitive applicant pool. Due to personal circumstances, I was not able to apply in Round 1 or 2 and everyone highly discouraged me from applying in Round 3. I am about 5-6 years out of undergrad and really wanted to go to school to make a career change at this point in my life.

It was so hard for me to find a consultant who saw my value – others honestly wrote me off just on stats (one even told me that I was only eligible for my alma mater’s MBA and no other schools would consider me). Enter Barbara. She was so encouraging from the beginning of our conversations and let me have my ambitions while also being realistic and practical. My role in financial services is a less common feeder into b school, which other people saw as a negative, but Barbara helped me flesh out unique parts of my role and brought them to life. Others told me to include mostly work stories on the applications, but Barbara encouraged me to lean into my volunteer experiences, which I strongly believe helped make me a more memorable candidate. She also helped put me at ease when I would get anxious about the process (a regular occurrence!) and was extremely responsive and easy to get a hold of when I needed to talk. I truly feel that I am a better, more confident person having gone through the application process and Barbara is a huge part of that.

Barbara gave me wings. Going into the MBA application process, I lacked the confidence to apply to the top MBA programs. I felt my academic record was mundane and that I didn’t have the necessary extracurriculars on my resume to stand me out. All that changed when I met Barbara. She made me realize the outstanding achievements that I was discounting. She encouraged me to apply to some schools that I love but into which I did not feel like I could gain admission. She prepared me to tell my story in my essays as well as in interviews. I gained acceptance into all the schools that I applied to including a US Ivy League MBA program as well as a top European business school. She was very flexible to work with. Her services were worth every penny.

I worked with Barbara on my application to MIT. With her extensive insight on the admission process, she provided valuable feedback to make my resume and essays more appealing to admission officers. She pointed out the mistakes that could be devastating to my application. Barbara also helped connect me with an alumnus to enrich my understanding of the school and the program. I highly recommend Barbara to any prospective student.

Barbara is simply the best! I have dreamed about getting an MBA from a top tiered school for many years now, but I worried about whether I could get accepted into a top business school, knowing that standardized testing is not a strong suit of mine.

Barbara took the time to really get to know me and my story. She helped me bring my story to life within each application to help the admissions committees understand that I am more than a test score. She became fully invested to the point where it felt that she is going on this MBA journey with me. As a result, I never felt alone and I could always reach out to her at any time for advice when times got hard.

Applying to these top tiered schools is very time consuming and an emotional experience. Barbara is the cheerleader and mentor I needed to be successful throughout this process to get accepted into a dream school!

I highly recommend Barbara to anyone who wants an admissions consultant that not only will help you get accepted to a dream school, but also will care about you and your success.

Barbara was great to work with because she brought calm and confidence to the application process. I had so much going on with work and GMAT studying that the application process was completely overwhelming until I hired Barbara. She created a plan for me that helped me focus on one task at a time and we got everything completed in time for the application deadlines. I also got into my dream program. Thank you Barbara for helping me get into Haas!

My experience with Barbara was amazing, to say the least. She was supportive and helped me on my MBA journey. I worked with her on my applications and interview preparation. I got into all the schools that I applied to, which included two of the top schools in Europe and the top two in Canada. She is an amazing coach, and I have recommended her to friends and family. She was readily available when needed and was able to adjust to fit my work and personal schedule for any items that needed to be actioned throughout the entire admission process. If your goal is to get into top schools, work with Barbara.

Barbara was very supportive, empathetic and motivated me when I felt like giving up. Thank you for your support and for being a great advisor when I needed help. I finally made it into my dream school and I cant wait to start in 2022!

Barbara was a stellar professional and really let me maneuver the sessions as I needed to. I purchased 10 hours with Barbara and was very specific about the support I needed with my essays. Barbara was efficient and communicative throughout the process. She never missed a deadline.

When it came to the revisions themselves, she really helped me think through how each detail I choose to include could be interpreted by the admission committees. Given her understanding of the ethos associated with top programs, she was able to help me decipher what could “fly” at one program, but not another. She also helped me synthesize my supporting statements/examples to meet my character limits and still get my point across. I would recommend Barbara to other prospective students.

I am deeply grateful to Barbara for the professional approach. She has guided me throughout the application process by providing emotional and constructive support. She has helped me realize the key points I need to address in my resume and application as a whole. Working with her has been amazing. Barbara has helped me build my confidence and I have been accepted to one of the best schools in the world.

Barbara’s advice and experience have been a key element in the preparation of my applications. Her advice helped me to present my experiences and credentials in a memorable and impactful way. Without changing my voice or point of view, she allowed me to present my story in a way suitable for this type of program. Barbara is meticulous, responsive, and always available and present, providing the necessary support during a stressful and important period such as applying for an MBA. Fully recommended.

Barbara is a wealth of knowledge, simply put. For context, I applied to one, specialized master’s program in London. It was my dream school and program. Before working with Barbara, I lacked confidence in my application, knowing how competitive the program is. Additionally, I had no prior experience applying to really anything (was able to avoid the undergrad application process, thanks to college sports). It’s clear that Barbara’s expertise and guidance played a pivotal part in me being accepted. She consulted me on how to specifically illustrate why this program was a perfect fit for me, helping me to connect the dots between my background and the program. With all of her experience, she knew the school and their admissions style and tailored her guidance accordingly. Finally, she was always willing to cut out some time to answer any extraneous questions that I had about the process. London here I come, thank you, Barbara!!

Barbara has been so helpful in my MBA application process – from brainstorming LOR content, essay edits, to interview prep. She knows a lot about different MBA programs and what they are looking for in applicants. Barbara helped me stand out in my essays, find my voice, and narrate my story in a way that I could not have done by myself. I am really thankful for her knowledge, responsiveness, and support throughout my MBA application journey.

My experience with Barbara was fabulous. Barbara is a thorough professional. She understood the details of my profile really well and gave her best advice. She helped me craft my story and structure my essays, according to the schools I was applying to. At every step, she constantly gave honest feedback and was always ready to go the extra mile to ensure that the quality of the essays is impeccable and the overall profile is school-ready! She was also incredibly approachable and available to do essay reviews on all days of the week and all times of the day, which really helped me meet deadlines for school applications.

I cannot thank Barbara enough for her strategic feedback and vision throughout my application process. She is such a delight to work with and really paints a picture of what the admissions team will want to see across each piece of the application. She makes you think outside of your current career path and how to craft your long-term career goals in a clear way to the admissions team. I recommend Barbara to anyone looking to apply for full-time or part-time MBA programs!

Barbara Coward changed my life in the best way possible. Some background on myself: I attended undergraduate at a large public university, and then worked in financial services industry for two years. I was unhappy with my job and my life. I felt lost and discouraged, and then I connected with Barbara and everything changed.

“What proof do you have that she’s phenomenal?” — you might ask. I was admitted to every single school I applied to, and am/will be attending two Ivy League institutions over the next three years.

Barbara helped me believe in myself again, and make sense of where I was in my life and what I needed to do to pivot to a career that would truly fulfill me. My most valuable time and money EVER spent –yes, in my entire life — was simply speaking to her on the phone and crafting a compelling personal narrative to use for my applications. Her resume revamp was incredible — like night and day looking at the before and after versions. She was able to help me refine my essays to perfectly convey my story, with the eye of an admissions committee reader in mind. Finally, when it came to interviews — there is NO ONE I could recommend over her. The interview prep she offers is phenomenal. I aced my Harvard interview because of Barbara.

I would not have applied to several of the “reach” schools that I did, without her encouragement. I have already recommended Barbara to friends of mine, and I recommend her to anyone reading this as well if they are serious about their professional goals and want life-changing guidance. She has made an immeasurable difference in my life.

Working with Barbara was one of the best decisions I could have made — outside of deciding to go to business school! She was incredibly knowledgeable about all aspects of the process and helped me craft my best application possible. We worked together on everything from applications to essays and interview prep. On a personal note, Barbara was an absolute joy to work with. She is warm, personable, and was genuinely invested in my success. Applying to b-school can be an overwhelming, draining, and tedious process. Barbara brought energy, passion and insights to our discussions — I looked forward to my meetings with Barbara! I applied to 3 schools in Round 3 and was accepted to every program. I am now enrolled in Wharton! I highly recommend Barbara without hesitation.

I’m so fortunate that I met Barbara as she helped me navigate the MBA process. She was clear and honest with me and my chances at my prospective schools. She was always available and is very knowledgeable about the entire process! She properly prepares you in conveying your story on the application and for the school interviews. I would recommend Barbara to anyone and I can’t thank her enough for all that she’s done for me!

I know, out of personal experience as well as that of friends and family, that applying to business schools is a tedious process.
But after I started working with Barbara, I feel confident and calm about this journey.
Barbara is a superb consultant as she knows how to put your mind at ease. She is diligent and an expert in her work. Barbara is very professional and takes the time out to support her clients.
In addition to everything, she is a great human being!