Jenn Kaufman

Jenn is an expert! As someone with a “non-traditional” background, navigating the MBA application process seemed daunting. However, working with Jenn was foundational in helping me identify and reflect on my unique strengths, providing clear insight into what I could contribute to an MBA program. This ultimately made me feel more confident in the process. I’m excited to share that I’ll be attending Wharton this upcoming fall of 2024! The MBA application journey is full of rejections and acceptances, unexpected twists and turns–a constant process of reflection. The support, wisdom, and opportunity for self-reflection provided by Jenn left me feeling proud and satisfied with my efforts and my application as a whole–regardless of the outcome. Thank you Jenn!

I only applied to one school only with a specific healthcare related pathway and after I was invited for an interview, I started working with Jenn for the interview prep. Being an international, English as a second language, applying at R3, the final gate to the MBA entrance, which is the interview, had to be prepared very well.
Jenn had an exceptional ability to comprehend my application packet, and really pick and choose the strengths and weaknesses of my application to tell a story as effective & efficient as possible when facing a possible interview questions. As English is not my native language, I worried I would get nervous during a real interview and not performing best of my abilities, but Jenn’s naturally approachable personality really made me comfortable at my interview chair and enabled me to be just true myself. After two mock interviews with Jenn, I had a real interview with the school and I felt so good and I knew in my heart that I got through the interview successfully. I not only got accepted, I received a Dean’s scholarship to enter their full-time MBA program. Choose Jenn, you won’t regret it!

I’ve always thought that the most compelling stories are authentic, so in preparing for my applications, I sought a coach that could listen to my story, help me make sense of who I am, and show me how I might weave the most meaningful parts of myself into a genuine narrative. I lucked out with Jenn—not just because she’s a creative, meticulous editor or an absolute professional, but because she’s one of the most thoughtful and deeply empathetic people I know. Because Jenn is so committed to understanding others and has such a wealth of experiences to pull from, the suggestions she provides are always well-thought-out and well-timed. She has an innate ability to connect with people that, in combination with her fierce and unwavering support, made her one of the best teammates and coaches I’ve ever had.

While other consultants hesitated on our fit calls (I was a “younger applicant”, my professional experience “would draw questions”), Jenn didn’t—she had complete confidence in me throughout the process and she made that confidence known. Her experience was invaluable while we crafted application strategies, made plans for navigating school visits, and worked together to prepare for interviews. At every point in the process, Jenn ensured I felt well-prepared.

The real gem, though, was the essay-writing experience. My essays took a tremendous amount of time and effort to write, but Jenn matched my effort while providing consistent and creative feedback and helping me rethink my overarching narrative—even when I was so frustrated that I considered giving up. We were both obsessed with the stories I told, and the end result was some of the best writing I’ve ever done.

This process was a challenge, but it was rewarding. Beyond getting into schools and pocketing a scholarship, I have a better idea of the kind of person I am, the kinds of teams I like to work with, how I can most effectively present myself to others, and how I might carve out a career for myself. If this resonates with you, and you’re the kind of person that wants to get something out of the application process, beyond just collecting interviews and acceptances, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better mentor and supporter than Jenn.

I loved my time working with Jenn and am so thankful for her support! As a non-traditional applicant (education and non-profit background) I felt some hesitancies around the MBA admissions process and was unsure how I could communicate my passions and values-driven career goals to an audience that felt unfamiliar to me. Jenn made the whole process feel so authentic to me, and I ultimately feel like I got so much value and reflection from the application process, even before I heard back from schools. I felt so supported, from the highest level brainstorming to specific questions about minute application details, I knew I could go to Jenn with anything. Jenn was also so instrumental in helping me prepare for my interviews. After our prep sessions, I walked into all my interviews feeling confident and ready, and able to express my true self. I am so excited and grateful (and pleasantly surprised!!) for the MBA options I have now and I know Jenn was a cornerstone of my success.

After having exposure to several admissions consultants through the Forte MBA Launch On Demand program, Career Protocol’s mission and vision resonated with me the most: I wanted to use the MBA application process not only to get into b-school but also to learn and grow while doing it!

Luckily, I got paired with Jenn: she has been an incredible partner, coach, and friend. During our early “discovery process” I was surprised at how quickly and deeply she was able to get to know me and extract key ideas to incorporate into essays. As for the essay writing, Jenn played a huge part in turning my “raw” nuggets into beautifully polished gemstones by helping to tie ideas together into over-arching essay themes and turning up the energy/cadence in my writing. I’m really proud of my essays and credit that to Jenn’s attention to detail. During interview prep, Jenn gave caring, honest, specific, and actionable feedback. I really value the career protocol process and specifically my time with Jenn in helping me to find and articulate my authentic self.

If I had a chance to work with Jenn again, I’d do it again in a heartbeat. She will challenge you in the most kind and caring ways. You will not go wrong with her!

I had the pleasure of working with Jenn as my MBA consultant. As someone who had to accelerate my application submission process, Jenn helped me remain focused and inspired as we evolved the story I wanted to tell. Importantly, Jenn is more than a mentor, cheerleader, or advisor—she is an empowerer. Not only did she guide me to explore and synthesize my experiences authentically, but she also compartmentalized the application process into something that felt seamless and fulfilling. With an eye for editing, a mind for the inner workings of MBA admissions, and a heart for crafting personal stories, Jenn is a rockstar at balancing the strategic with the tactical. Even after receiving acceptances from all 4 of my applied schools, 3 of which are M7s, I found the process of discovering and articulating my story with Jenn perhaps the most rewarding part of the application.

Jenn was an absolute pleasure to work with throughout the MBA application process. I came to her with only a few months before the R1 deadlines, but she was able to seamlessly guide me through every step of the way, and remind me that I CAN do this! We started by diving into my motivations, values, and strengths to craft my story. Through this, we were able to fine-tune my essays to be as clear, creative, and unique as possible. Her attention to detail also helped me in coaching my recommenders to write me the most effective recommendations possible. Jenn allowed me to express myself through my apps while always providing me with the structure and support I needed. Once my apps were submitted, she was fantastic with interview prep, conducting mock interviews, and helping me craft meaningful responses to the anticipated questions that may pop up in the interview. Fast forward a few months, I got accepted to all 5 of the schools I applied to! Go with Jenn, you will not regret it!

I took the Interview Hero course from Career Protocol and that is when I met Jenn. I was paired with her for my interview prep.

Jenn is a caring, honest, and encouraging person and she really helped me streamline my responses. She has deep knowledge about the various MBA programs and what sets them apart. Therefore, she is great when it comes to polishing answers to WHY a particular school and WHY MBA. She is also authentic and will tell you which parts of your story to keep and which to leave out (honestly, that turns out to be the most important thing when presenting your journey to adcom). Jenn completely transformed my approach to admissions in general.

I absolutely loved the interview package as well. It helped me dig deeper and gave me the confidence to share my story in an impactful and succinct manner. I especially like the fact that I can download the audio and materials, and I can access the package for a full year. I will definitely be using it to nail my job interviews once I get into business school.

Overall, the best part of the interview package was being able to connect with Jenn. I feel like I found a friend and a mentor and our one-on-one prep over Zoom helped me in my daily work as a Consultant and Trainer as well. I’ve been using my stories in my motivational talks now and I feel like I am able to derive more value from my own experiences. It’s really awesome!!!

I didn’t start working with Jenn until the interview stage of the application process, but I wish I had been working with her from the start! Jenn immediately treated me as if I was her most important client. She went above and beyond the value of the package I purchased and helped me prepare and practice for my interviews until I felt comfortable going into each one with confidence. All of my interviews went very well, which I fully attribute to working with Jenn. She is an empathetic listener and made sure I presented my story and goals in a concise and compelling way while always staying true to my authentic self. Jenn truly cares about her clients’ success and makes sure to follow up on every part of the process. I would highly recommend working with Jenn throughout your full MBA application journey!

Jenn has been absolutely instrumental to help me secure admission to my favorite MBA program. I reached out to Career Protocol quite late in the process (Early August for the first application due mid-September!), and Jenn kept me on track with clear deadlines and a structured work approach.
I was quite dreading writing up my essays and Jenn’s advice enabled me to surface my strengths and produce great essays.
The entire process with Jess has been a blast and a worthwhile investment! Not only did I receive admission from my favorite program with a scholarship, I learned a great deal about myself, how to write the perfect CV and succeed in any interview!
Last words to conclude, not only is she a great professional, she is an absolutely amazing and kind human being! You will not regret working with Jenn.

The MBA application process can be a grueling one that really forces you to examine who you are and what motivates you. When I say I could not have gotten through this process without Jenn that is not an exaggeration because I was applying to school during a global pandemic and navigating a stressful work environment at the same time.

Jenn will provide honest feedback and keep you accountable but will do it with warmth and grace. She is your biggest support, sounding board, and advocate. I really struggled to get my GRE score up and she helped me try different strategies, pulling from her past experiences and past clients. As we worked through my essays and mapped out my path to an MBA, she helped me put together applications that spoke to what truly made me unique. If you want to put together an MBA application that is the best and most authentic reflection of you, work with Jenn! It is worth every penny and then some.

Working with Jenn, I received $500K in scholarships across 5 schools and got into one of my top choices.

My time with Career Protocol, and more specifically, Jenn was invaluable to my MBA application and has enabled me to make the most out of my b-school experience. During my time working with her, Jenn was my biggest cheerleader and helped me not only craft my story for why b-school but also contextualize my unique strengths and “superpowers” as a candidate. I truly don’t think I would be the student, leader, and trailblazer I am today if I had not spent the hours upfront working with her and digging deep into my background, aspirations, and goals. This work and the continued assistance from the CP team have allowed me to 1) hit the ground running on my career and cut through the noise in my program, 2) confidently select my dream school with ease, and 3) advocate for myself in a way that landed me a massive scholarship to two top schools. Say all this to say, I have no regrets about working with Jenn and joining the CP family — to this day, they continue to be a support system. I cannot recommend them — and Jenn — enough. And, I am forever grateful for the time I spent with them during my application process.

The return on my investment was having Jenn invest in me, helping me navigate the next step in my career, and walk out a more self-aware human.

Jenn embodies the Career Protocol philosophy of ensuring you find joy in your career and the MBA process. Jenn’s patience, empathy, collaborative nature, and kindness paired with her continuously pushing and asking the tough but right questions, made her an amazing partner. I could not have imagined having gone through the process with anyone else. At the beginning of the journey, Jenn took the time to get to know me and with my career goals being a bit fuzzy, she helped me narrow down what I wanted. In the middle of the process, she held me accountable and kept me motivated, pushing me, even when I was starting to be taken over by imposter syndrome. She was incredibly responsive and patient, it felt like I was working with a friend. The entire time she was my cheerleader, giving me those boosts of confidence when I needed it, checking in to just calm my nerves so we could hit the submit button together. After I applied, she tailored our prep to optimize our time together. She always made me feel like I was a priority so I felt comfortable asking her many, many questions of which she responded to each and every one! She tailored the process based on my experience, skillsets, and opportunities and having that flexibility made the process all that much easier and less daunting. As I near the end of this process in enrolling, I look back to the last year and know that I would not have achieved the same results without Jenn’s help!

Jenn was fantastic to work with throughout my full-time MBA application process. I dove into the experience with only seven weeks of lead-up time but Jenn offered succinct and clear advice early on, which helped me make the most effective use of those remaining days. She took the time to clearly understand my passions and motivations, staying supportive and open-minded in crafting my narrative for B-school. She was hands-on when I needed her to be, but equally took a step back when I wanted to steer the creative reins. I believe that her keen attention to detail and ability to find the overlap between my own values and those of the schools that I was applying to were critical to my success. I am thankful to Jenn for giving me the confidence I needed to gain admission into all of my top B-school choices!

Jenn was really amazing to work with. She started by helping me craft my story and then we worked through various interview questions. Everything we worked through came up in the interviews and I truly felt prepared – nothing came up that we hadn’t covered in some capacity. She was patient, thoughtful, and kind as I brainstormed ideas and formulated them into responses with her guidance. She knew when I needed to be pushed and when I needed more time to think things through and it was this balance that made it so effortless to work with her. I couldn’t recommend Jenn enough!