Kevin R.

When I received an interview invitation from Stanford Graduate School of Business, I had one week to squeeze in two mock interviews to prepare. I completed one with my primary coach and was lucky enough to get Kevin for the other.

Kevin’s tone, pace, and question style in our mock interview were extremely close to what I experienced in my real interview, and I was admitted. His expertise in every aspect of Stanford is obvious from the first time you speak with him.

Kevin also kept in contact after the mock interview, even making introductions to others with similar interests to mine despite not being my primary coach. He felt like an old friend after I had spoken to him twice, and he was invested in my success despite only knowing me for a couple of weeks. I cannot recommend Kevin enough for anyone with GSB high on their target list.

TL;DR: Kevin is an amazing consultant that was crucial in helping me get accepted to Chicago Booth, my dream school, with $70K in scholarships. Kevin is kind and friendly, yet serious and down to business. He will push you and really want to get to know you and understand practically your whole life and psyche to help you write an honest and compelling story. Every piece of advice he gave throughout the application was well-thought-of and critical. He helped me overcome my anxieties and write a strong story, that just by reading at a resume or the numbers could not have been told. His talent to unfold stories and his support in helping you write amazing essays are simply astonishing. It was a pleasure to work with Kevin and could not recommend him enough: he will get you to a much higher place than where you think you can land.

Dream high, aim high has always been my biggest trait. However, along with that, I’ve struggled with anxiety and self-confidence. I did not let that deter my dreams of getting into a top school, and fortunately, I found Kevin. I had a sub-par GPA (if not to say terrible). I’d jump around a few positions in my career, and some were simply horizontal changes to different industries. No volunteer experience. No athletic achievements, no significant college extracurriculars. I had been recently laid off due to COVID. It was heavy lifting – for Kevin, of course. Not necessarily to help me create a compelling story, but to overcome all the obvious “why-nots” I kept obsessing about. Nonetheless, I was determined and relentless, and fortunately, I had Kevin by my side.

I found Kevin after searching and speaking to a few consultants. Some were straight-up arrogant and quickly dismissed my profile. Kevin, however, was interested in my story, my true purpose. Find out the “why’s” about the negatives of my profiles. Curiously dig into my past and what really made me tick, what my true passions were. He was genuinely interested, and if he sees something in you, he will work with you. He saw I was hungry, determined, had a knack for finance, and really wanted this. He connected the dots, saw the positive attributes in my profile, and was quick to understand and help me put together the flaws.

I first hired him for two hours of GMAT tutoring, helping me get from a 710 to a 770. How? I had been scoring 740-770 in practice tests, but 710 and lower in real practice tests. Amazing tutor and consultant, he quickly identified what I was doing wrong, helped me change my approach to the test, and designed a study plan to reinforce this approach. Keep in mind, a 770 barely compensated for my terrible GPA; the MBA application work was just getting started.

We had multiple phone calls, hours long, where Kevin asked and asked and asked about me, my past, where I wanted to be, my hobbies, my passions, my family, EVERYTHING. He did not want to help me write whatever sounded right to the admissions committee. He wanted me to write about what was truly myself. Honest. From the heart. And those are the stories the admissions committee really wants to hear. After helping me craft my story, we went through multiple essay drafts. He will dissect the essays, from word selection and grammar to high-level concepts and the way you structure the essay. He was phenomenal. Yes, sometimes it felt like a pain. He won’t allow you to settle for mediocrity (and if you are, an MBA Is not for you). But that’s how the best are crafted – they revisit and revisit until their act is perfect.

In the end, after scrutinizing and making me revisit every single part of the application, and thoroughly preparing me for the interviews, came the moment of truth, when I finally heard of my acceptance to Chicago Booth. Kevin’s support was crucial. And best of all, besides probably getting you to where you want to go, in hindsight, he makes this process fun. There were dreadful moments, but looking back, working with Kevin with the challenge and the push to delve deeper and put the best version of yourself forward was not only fun after all, but extremely rewarding.

I definitely recommend hiring Kevin as your MBA consultant (and GMAT tutor). They say invest in yourself, and this is one of the best investments I’ve made for myself, if not the best. It comes from someone who invested in this right after being laid off. This will probably be one of the best investments of your money and time – ever.