Chris Aitken

Consultant Bio

Chris is a co-founder of MBA Prep School and co-author of “How to Get an MBA,” the essential guide to earning an acceptance letter from the world’s best business schools. He is a member of the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants (AIGAC).

Chris has over 20 years experience in top tier management consulting as a partner, managing director, and executive vice president. More recently, he has been focused on helping fund and grow promising early stage companies in the online learning and media publishing spaces.

Chris holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honors) in Finance and Information Systems from The University of New South Wales where he graduated with First Class Honors and was awarded the University Medal.

Chris enjoys hiking with his wife, sons, and their Labrador, or sharing a good glass of Australian red wine.

Company Information

What Makes MBA Prep School Different?

A few years ago, clever tips and some professional application polishing may have been sufficient to give MBA hopefuls an edge over less-prepared applicants. Today’s MBA admissions landscape is far more competitive!

MBA Prep School delivers a winning formula for our MBA admissions consulting clients that “MBA application consulting firms” simply can’t match:

We partner storytelling experts who are gifted at identifying what is truly unique about each of our clients with former admissions officers from top business schools who excel at the critical aspects of evaluating an MBA application and perfecting flaws that might prevent admission to a top business school program.
We provide our clients with powerful tools for MBA applicants, including a step-by-step work plan, practical exercises, and templates that provide both inspiration and direction.
We provide our clients access to a phenomenal knowledge base of proprietary resources built over a decade in the admissions consulting field, including how-to videos, school guides, essay analyses, and our five-star rated eBook: How to Apply for an MBA.

The MBA Prep School Difference

A Dedicated Coach vs. Consulting by Committee
Application Strategy and Personal Branding vs. Application Polishing
Essay Strategy and Storytelling vs. Essay Editing
Brainstorming and Collaboration vs. “Fix this/change that”
Career Coaching vs. “You’ll figure it out”
Active Project Management vs. “Send me stuff whenever”
Interactive Phone/Video Meetings vs. “Email me”

Menu of Services and Associated Costs

Each year I work closely with a small number of US and international MBA applicants via telephone, Skype, and by email. I’m available for both hourly consultations and comprehensive packages.

Location: Berkeley, California, United States

Email: inquiry@mbaprepschool.com

Website: https://mbaprepschool.com/poetsandquants

P&Q Consultant Reviews

Transformative Experience & HBS Admit!

4 months ago

Working with Chris was one of the best experiences of my career. I initially sought his help to write a strong essay, but the journey became so much more. He challenged me to reflect deeply on the person I aspired to be—something I had never done before in my professional life. That introspection enabled me to craft a unique and authentic story, ultimately helping me secure my spot at HBS. Chris was an absolute pleasure to work with, and I can't recommend him highly enough to any prospective candidate. Regardless of the outcome, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat!

Working with Chris was one of the best experiences of my career. I initially sought his help to write a strong essay, but the journey became so much more. He challenged me to reflect deeply on the person I aspired to be—something I had never done before in my professional life. That introspection enabled me to craft a unique and authentic story, ultimately helping me secure my spot at HBS. Chris was an absolute pleasure to work with, and I can’t recommend him highly enough to any prospective candidate. Regardless of the outcome, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat!

Class of 2027 Anonymous
All reviews are independently verified by Poets&Quants staff.
Chris Aitken - Mock Interview

7 years ago

I highly recommend hiring Chris to help you through the grueling MBA application process. My only regret is not reaching out to him earlier to help me optimize my entire application. I only reached out to Chris after getting an interview at my top choice. With a week to spare, I shot him an email asking to set up a mock interview. Even though he’s a very busy guy, he squeezed me in on a Saturday afternoon. Chris was a consummate professional: he was thoroughly prepared for our interview, as he had already read through my application very closely and done a bit of brainstorming on how I could answer certain questions. As for the mock interview itself – my first attempt at an interview ...

I highly recommend hiring Chris to help you through the grueling MBA application process. My only regret is not reaching out to him earlier to help me optimize my entire application. I only reached out to Chris after getting an interview at my top choice. With a week to spare, I shot him an email asking to set up a mock interview. Even though he’s a very busy guy, he squeezed me in on a Saturday afternoon. Chris was a consummate professional: he was thoroughly prepared for our interview, as he had already read through my application very closely and done a bit of brainstorming on how I could answer certain questions. As for the mock interview itself – my first attempt at an interview like that – it did not go well. But Chris walked through each type of question with me and helped me articulate better examples to paint a consistent picture of who I am as a candidate. Furthermore, he gave me some additional background on the interview process and the different ways each school approaches it. After my hour with Chris, I felt like I had a much better grasp of the process and how to frame my experiences. I also immediately regretted not reaching out to him earlier for the broader application process. I ultimately was accepted to my top choice school. If you’re serious about getting into an elite business school, you’re doing yourself a disservice by not reaching out to Chris for a consultation. I’m very confident that without his help, I would’ve had a much lower probability of success.

Read the full review

Class of 2020 Admit
All reviews are independently verified by Poets&Quants staff.