Katie McQuarrie

Katie was extremely supportive throughout the process. She definitely pushes you out of your comfort zone, but that’s exactly what you need to succeed in this extremely competitive process. She is very empathetic, helps you stay strong, and provides thoughtful feedback/advice. She was also able to accommodate short turnaround times (all reviews were <48 hrs). She’s also flexible on the level of support you need; never pushy on making you buy additional hours.

Katie was awesome. She was blunt when needed and focused on getting me the best application possible. She clearly knew how to write an essay. It’s amazing how much changed from the first essay I wrote to the final one I submitted. Would highly recommend this progress and specifically Katie.

I cannot say enough good things about working with Katie. This was my second time applying to MBA programs. I had previously worked with a great consultant, but Katie is in a league of her own.

I submitted applications to four schools, three of which I had previously applied to; none of which had previously given me an interview.

One of Katie’s greatest strengths is being efficient with your time and adapting her process to best align with your working style. As a result, writing my essays and fleshing out my story was made that much easier and less stressful. When I was extended interviews, Katie was immediately ready to prep. Not only was I admitted to my dream school, but I also received a partial scholarship.

Katie was so supportive throughout this process and is exactly the type of person you want to have in your corner. I couldn’t have done it without her.

I cannot recommend Katie enough to anyone considering an admissions consultant for a top MBA program. Katie helped me focus my essay writing and refine my narrative to a degree I would never have been able to accomplish on my own. She was also highly flexible with my overseas work schedule and provided valuable feedback on everything from the application process to interview prep.

I managed a hit rate of 7 interviews from 10 applications and managed to receive an offer from my number one choice school! If you’re looking for a responsive, empathetic, and considerate admissions consultant, look no further than Katie!

Katie was my primary consultant for my full-time applications and I have absolutely enjoyed working with her for a number of reasons. 1) She is straightforward and candid, which is what you need when applying and forcing yourself to be so introspective 2) She was able to help me think around the school that I was applying to so that I could really hone in on the relevant skills and 3) she kept me honest, never allowing us to stray into any ethical gray-zones and ensuring we were presenting a real picture of who I am.

I have nothing but great things to say about working with Katie throughout the MBA application process. From the get go, Katie really helped me refine my story – she rightfully advised me to spend more time here (vs. diving into essays right away), even giving me tailored homework to do to get this critical thinking ‘right’. Because of this tailored approach that Katie took with me, I went into essay writing with a more clear and compelling pitch.
I also appreciate Katie’s skills in pushing for deeper insights/connections, while still allowing for the candidate’s unique style to fully shine through. Finally, I have to highlight how actionable, clear, and prompt Katie’s feedback is. Whether it was in refining my resume for an MBA application or running through many iterations of essays, every piece of feedback I got from Katie was helpful and very clear to action. Katie always made sure we used our time together as efficiently as possible, which allowed me to get the most out of my $s invested.
I highly, highly recommend working with Katie – she truly is the best!

I am so happy I worked with Katie to craft my business school application essays. She was wonderful at helping me shape my story and cater it to each of my target schools. She was always incredibly prompt with her responses and gave very helpful and actionable feedback. I received acceptances to both Booth and Sloan and Katie went above and beyond to help me negotiate what ended up being a $50k scholarship offer. I can not recommend working with Katie enough!

Working with Katie has been an incredible experience. Katie opened my eyes to several aspects of the MBA Admissions process that I didn’t truly understand at the time and clearly defined the strategy behind each assigned task which led to developing a comprehensive application. I was a nontraditional applicant, and Katie’s personalized approach made all the difference in developing my unique interests and experiences into an effective MBA story! Additionally, while working around my extremely unpredictable work schedule, Katie remained unbelievably patient and flexible in order to work in a style that was best for me. Katie’s responsiveness is something that simply cannot be overlooked. Regardless of the significance and/or time sensitivity of my inquiry, she was always eager, thorough, and prompt in responding.

Utilizing the comprehensive package with Katie not only helped me appropriately express myself within my application but also allowed me to gain a better understanding of what I hoped to accomplish during my business school experience. I am so thankful for the time and effort that she devoted to helping me find success during this process and I am grateful for the opportunities I have been presented with because of her support.

The only regret I have about working with Katie McQuarrie and Vantage Point is that I didn’t engage them sooner in the application process. It’s worth noting that I reached out to Vantage Point in December of 2020, several weeks before R2 applications were due. Despite this challenging timeline, Katie coached me through six top-ten MBA applications, resulting in a full-ride scholarship at NYU Stern and admittance to Northwestern Kellogg’s MMM program. Katie provided expert advice that went far beyond mere grammatical essay critique. In fact, while her comments on my essays were always insightful and prompt, she was most helpful in refining my broader applicant narrative before I even set pen to paper. She helped me navigate the shifting sands of various career goals, even suggesting certain paths based on my background that I’d never considered. Nudges like this expanded my perspective and enabled me to present a very compelling “why” behind my application, which helped my essays and interviews stand out. Katie’s style is tactful but direct. She encouraged me to lean into my strengths, but also candidly pointed out when she knew something wouldn’t resonate well with admissions committees. Katie and Vantage Point played an indispensable role in honing my applicant story, preparing for interviews and negotiating competing scholarship offers. If you’re serious about getting into a top MBA program, do yourself a favor and hire Katie McQuarrie at Vantage Point ASAP.

I was referred to Katie through another prospective MBA student. I completed a “trial session” with 3 other top MBA admissions consulting firms, but as soon as I spoke to Katie, I knew she was the perfect fit. I decided to apply Round 1 to four schools in July, which only gave us a few months to work on my applications. In the beginning of our time working together, Katie helped me think through all of my past experiences that led me to pursue my MBA. This resulted in a much more compelling MBA story than I ever could have strung together on my own – not only did it help create a much stronger application, but it also helped me thoroughly think through my MBA and post-MBA goals.

Katie was also immensely helpful with my essay writing. She always pushed my writing to the next level, providing both high-level feedback on the overall tone of my essays and, once we got farther into the process, very detailed feedback on syntax, word choice, and grammar. She also gave very customized feedback depending on the school. Another one of my favorite parts of working with Katie was her responsiveness. Even when we were working through resume / essay drafts, she always responded within a day or two (usually even less).

The best part about working with Katie is that I can tell she genuinely cares about my MBA experience. Ultimately, I was admitted to 3 out of the 4 schools I applied to, and we have continued working together to determine how to weigh my options, from scholarships to exit opportunities and overall school fit. I highly recommend working with Katie to anyone who is going through the MBA application process!

I cannot express how grateful I am for the assistance I received from Katie McQuarrie from Vantage Point! I always felt like I had a good sense of what I wanted to do in the future, as well as solid and unique work experience, however, I didn’t quite know how to build my MBA story around my experience and goals in a way that would be compelling to MBA admissions teams. I didn’t even realize how important it was to have a solid “story” until I started working with Katie.
I also knew in theory why I wanted to get my MBA, however, Katie helped me to logically and clearly express how I planned to get from point A (now) to point B (short-term and long-term goals) and exactly why an MBA would be so crucial to my success. Katie also helped me identify those specific short-term and long-term goals and how they connected with my past work experience.
In addition to that, Katie was honest with me about which schools I could and should target, especially with my non-traditional background, however she was always incredibly encouraging too. I knew that my GMAT score was lower than the average at many of the schools I was applying to, and certain quantitative scores that I received during undergrad could have been higher, but Katie helped me to take advantage of the optional essay and express why that should not be a concern to schools.
It was so nice to have someone in my corner who could give me relevant advice, especially since I felt like a deer in the headlights at the start of my application journey! Ultimately, I ended up receiving a full ride to my top choice school through a scholarship that I would not have known about without Katie. I cannot say enough great things! Thank you so much to Vantage Point and to Katie for helping me through the application process!!!

When I did my initial consultation with Melody and Katie, I still had a great deal to learn about myself and my professional aspirations. Katie was selected as my consulting because of her familial ties to the military. I was impressed by how quickly she developed a grasp on the terminology and unique environment I plan to transition from. She helped me understand who I am at my core in order to shed a humble and encouraging light on the skills I bring to an MBA program.
We worked together to develop a narrative of my past in order to articulate a clear trajectory of my career goals over the next 10 years. Most importantly, I never once felt like I was receiving guidance from a hired consultant, but rather a friend who helped me make some challenging life decisions.
If you too are shaky about how to present your story or pursue your next career, Katie and Vantage Point are the perfect solutions. I strongly recommend the Comprehensive Package to get all the time you need to craft your applications to perfection.

I was referred to Vantage Point by a colleague who had previously worked with another consultant. I was initially going to work with that consultant I was introduced to, but she was fully booked, so I was paired with Katie. On our initial call, I could tell she was very skilled at working with people like myself – someone who is set on business school but doesn’t have a clear idea of how to portray themself through the application process. Katie was very patient, but also very persistent with me as she helped me craft my story. Just when I was satisfied with the progress we had made, she wanted to take it another layer deeper and make sure it was flawless and could withstand the scrutiny of an admissions panel.

Katie was exactly the sort of person I needed to coach me through the process. I work in a fairly demanding industry with little personal time. Without Katie, I would have procrastinated and let things slip until the last minute. She was assertive and in a good way. She held me to deadlines and a timeline that allowed us to put a quality product together without rushing. I was amazed and comforted by the amount of time and interest Katie took in crafting my story and getting to know what drives me. Not only did it help me put together the best application I possibly could have, but it also made me look within and think about those personal traits that make me the person I am.

Katie also truly went above and beyond what I expected I would receive out of the comprehensive package. After the applications were submitted, she thought critically about how I could maintain a competitive advantage at the schools I was applying to and how to keep my name top of mind with their admissions teams. She gave personalized advice and was a great sounding board when interviews came around. Buying a comprehensive package should be a personalized, customized service with someone who is very attentive to your process. My experience with Katie was everything and more. I highly recommend her to anyone that is considering a comprehensive service. Very well worth it.

I starting working with Katie about one month before the application deadline. I had started filling out the application on my own but quickly realized that I needed some expert guidance to put my best application forward. My advice — don’t waste time trying to do it on your own — just get started from the get-go with one of Vantage Point’s expert consultants.

Katie took the time upfront to understand my work and academic experiences. At the start, I couldn’t clearly articulate “Why MBA?” but she did a great job of helping me craft a concise and accurate story. Revamping the resume from a traditional one to a b-school one was a strong point for Katie, and she gave me a couple great ideas for the essay. Katie held me accountable to self-imposed deadlines, helped manage my stress and exceeded my overall expectations. She was super responsive, provided great feedback and ideas and used our time efficiently. This was a worthwhile experience and I would not have had nearly as strong an application without working with Vantage Point and Katie.

Initially skeptical about using an admissions consultant, I knew I made the right decision shortly after beginning to work with Katie. VantagePoint’s approach really helps you think about, craft, and articulate your story in a unique way.
I think a huge part of this was that Katie took the time up front to get to know me personally, which informed her advice throughout the process – from school selection to essays, letters of recommendation, interviews, etc.
Another huge plus for me was her responsiveness. As a consultant traveling every week, my schedule is often unpredictable and Katie was both incredibly responsive (always getting back within 1-2 days max, and often the same day) and flexible, willing to make something work if I felt like we needed to discuss something.
I highly recommend Katie and VantagePoint for anyone that is concerned about working with a larger firm and not getting enough time and individual feedback from their consultant.