Christine B.

MBA Prep School

Chicago, Illinois

United States

Net Promoter Score: 9

Consultant Bio

With more than 20 years in admissions in the US and Europe, the last 16 in MBA admissions, few consultants have read as many or as diverse a subset of applications as Christine.

With all that experience, you may be surprised to learn, Christine does not come to private consulting naturally. As a person committed to student service and helping those with less traditional family pedigree, she has always felt like a little bit of a traitor moving into private consulting from the other side of the desk. While most consultants have MBA’s and have surmised why they were admitted– Christine and her small subset of former admissions director peers actually KNOW why and how people are admitted.

Christine is a tell-it-like-it-is, no-nonsense, realist who will help you craft an accurate story of you instead of spinning a story from something that isn’t there. She has a deep knowledge of the application process beyond just essay crafting. She is responsive, helpful, funny and is invested in her client’s success.

She crossed over to admissions consulting to stay committed to helping people tell their story, find what differentiates them, and guide those without the traditional family or professional background that makes an MBA a foregone conclusion. She’s got a soft spot for military, non-traditional, women, underrepresented minorities and intellectually curious applicants.

With Christine’s experience at Chicago Booth and London Business School– she has that diverse domestic and international perspective you just may be looking for!

Company Information

Our consultants combine personal branding principles and storytelling talent to differentiate you from the competition.

Our consultants are experienced professionals with years of success sending clients to elite business schools including Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Columbia, Kellogg, MIT, Chicago, LBS, and INSEAD.

Our client-to-consultant ratio is the lowest in the industry, assuring 24-48 hour turnaround times. We are dedicated to your success!

Each client receives a clear work plan with weekly goals to stay on track and organized. MBA Prep SChool’s knowledge base has been cultivated over a decade of successful MBA admissions experience. We are able to boast consultants who have been on the front lines of the admissions process at top business schools in the US and Europe.

We solely offer MBA admissions consulting services, so you know your consultant is an expert in the industry.

Menu of Services and Associated Costs

Contact us for more information on our prices and consulting services.

Location: Chicago, Illinois, United States

Email: inquiry@mbaprepschool.com

Website: https://mbaprepschool.com/poetsandquants/

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P&Q Consultant Reviews

  • Very Organized & Thoughtful!
    3 years ago
    I used Christine for a six-school package (all M7) and had a great experience! She was very organized and did a great job of keeping me on pace to finish well ahead of deadlines, despite my schedule rapidly changing. Overall, Christine provided thoughtful input into my essays and teasing out a more meaningful story. Her feedback was very pointed and was helpful in creating the next steps. As you'd expect, Christine was highly knowledgeable on the admissions process and how to differentiate for each school. I ended up getting interviews with 3/6 schools and was accepted into 2. Thanks, Christine!
    Christine Balzano
    MBA Class of 2023 Admit
    All reviews are independently verified by Poets&Quants staff.
  • Extremely Responsive & Easy To Work With!
    3 years ago
    From the first consultation until I was admitted, Christine was extremely helpful and easy to work with! It was immediately obvious that she cares about her clients. She was instrumental in helping me understand and build my most effective and authentic story. Any time I had a question throughout the process she was always available to chat and provide feedback. Her previous experience working in admissions helped me gain a better understanding of the entire picture of my application. In the end, I was admitted to my top two schools. I would highly recommend Christine to anyone who is considering an MBA consultant.
    Class of 2023 Admit
    All reviews are independently verified by Poets&Quants staff.
  • Admitted To Wharton & Columbia
    3 years ago
    Christine was a pleasure to work with! I was initially skeptical of MBA consultants as the previous consultants I spoke with before Christine was mostly focused on their sales pitch and pointing out my weaknesses. My initial consultation with Christine was like a breath of fresh air. She provided a detailed assessment of my profile from the MBA Prep School quiz and constructive advice on what I should focus my essays on. She took the time to understand me and my story, helping me craft an application that was authentic to me. In addition to essay help, Christine provided me emotional support throughout the application process whenever I doubted myself and gave me the confidence to forge on despite my initial rejections from my R1 ...
    Read the full review
    Class of 2021 Admit
    All reviews are independently verified by Poets&Quants staff.
  • Thoughtful, Strategic & Responsive. Couldn't Be Happier With Christine
    3 years ago
    Christine was outstanding to work with through my MBA application process. She was instrumental in setting out a strategic plan to navigate past my embarrassingly low undergrad GPA and highlighting my strengths in the applications. Her vast knowledge of elite European schools and previous experience in admissions were invaluable, as she was always readily available to deal with any question or issue at moment’s notice. Ultimately, I was accepted into my #1 choice. I highly recommend Christine and MBA Prep. The investment was worth every penny.
    Class of 2022 Admit
    All reviews are independently verified by Poets&Quants staff.
  • A Consultant who has actually been an Admissions Officrer
    4 years ago
    I was highly sceptical about using an admissions consultant when doing my research. It seemed a bit like the Wild West with various different consultants quoting me vastly different fees. Beyond an initial phone call there wasn't much else to go on considering the substantial investment. So when I came across Christine and she told me about her experience actually working as an admissions officer at Booth and LBS I immediately felt comfortable parting with my hard earned cash as I realised there was real value to be had in having her expertise to tap in to. Here was someone who could back up that they actually knew what they were talking about! I don't regret my decision. After our first strategy call I was taken ...
    Read the full review
    Class of 2022 Admit
    All reviews are independently verified by Poets&Quants staff.