Liz Bender

Managing Director

MBA Exchange

United States

Consultant Bio

Liz oversees a variety of sales and service activities for The MBA Exchange. An MBA graduate of Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, she majored in marketing and management. While attending Fuqua, Liz worked in the admissions office advising MBA applicants. Her personal admissions campaign produced offers of acceptance from four top-tier schools. With over a decade at The MBA Exchange, she has guided 100+ applicants (including two who lacked undergraduate degrees) in gaining admission to leading MBA programs including Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Columbia, MIT Sloan, INSEAD, London Business School, IMD and Toronto Rotman. Prior to joining The MBA Exchange in 2008, Liz gained pharmaceutical industry experience through management positions in marketing, sales and human resources for a leading benefits-management company. She also worked in sales and information technology at Eli Lilly and Company. Liz earned a bachelor of arts degree cum laude in mathematics from Hanover College. She studied services marketing, leadership, employee and customer loyalty, and business ethics at The Center for Services Leadership at Arizona State University.

Company Information

When everyone claims to be “the leading MBA admissions company,” do words matter anymore? Who are you supposed to believe?

To be frank, we don’t pay a ton of attention to the field. Our objective can be summed up in one word: “Win.”

We don’t mess around. Our temperament comes from––in all candor––age and experience and enormous success. We keep a lower profile than others, but that’s part of our story. Our word of mouth from former clients is so powerful, we have the luxury to remain focused on the work, rather than on promoting ourselves. (As future business people, just think about how cool that is.) We’re able to dedicate all our time to helping our clients win by getting into elite business schools, and setting them up for success well beyond. If that kind of professional formula sounds like a good match for what you’re all about, come meet us. Let’s find out if we’ll click.

A lot of firms sport elite former Adcoms. And elite MBAs. And eye-popping stats and success and reviews. So…

Yes. If we were in your shoes, our eyes would glaze over, too. But you’ll do your due diligence––and we encourage it. Picking the right coach is important. In the end, you’ll have a strong sense of who’s for real and who’s all flair but no substance. Who offers a sincere, intelligent assessment versus who will prey on your anxiety. Our advice: put together a shortlist of firms, and go meet as many as you need. Get a feel. If you’re truly top MBA material, we’re confident you’ll recognize the unmistakable signature of experience, excellence and sincerity. In your bones.

Cool, but what’s The MBA Exchange’s… thing? What, if anything, makes your firm different?

  • A self-assuredness and focus that comes from experience and a roster of true professionals.
  • No bullsh*t. [Caring? Yes. Determined? Yes. Coddling? Not so much.]
  • Genuinely good, smart, decent, solid people.* 

[*As you get older and wiser, you start to realize how important this is, and more interestingly… how rare. Our M.O. at The MBA Exchange since our inception has been to only invite not just the smartest and most accomplished professionals onto our team, but also only those people who are genuinely “good eggs.” People we genuinely like. People we find to be mature and dependable and committed to others’ success. It may seem like a strange differentiator to call out, but honestly, that’s the one that may matter most at the end of the day.]

Menu of Services and Associated Costs

We offer three different packages to accommodate individuals with different needs and budgets. Our Gold and Platinum packages include everything under the sun: deep strategic guidance plus comprehensive essay development, along with all the supporting elements such as interview prep, resume and LOR support, and unlimited access to your MBA consultant. We also offer a more economical Silver package (starting at $3,450) for those who prefer a more targeted experience: deep strategy plus essay development (and the flexibility to add on any individual elements as needed).

Location: United States

Phone: +1 888-305-5553

Email: info@mbaexchange.com

Website: https://www.mbaexchange.com/your-mba-evaluation/

Provide a Candid Review

10=Without Hesitation, 1=I would advise against it.

Select "N/A" if you are a career coaching client only.

Select "N/A" if you are a career coaching client only.


The information below is for P&Q verification purposes only. It will not be published. We may email you to verify parts of your review but you will not be added to our email list. Incomplete reviews will not be published.


Please upload a pdf, png, jpg or gif file.

Please provide a valid email address

P&Q Consultant Reviews

  • Phenomenal
    4 years ago
    Working with MBA Exchange was absolutely vital to the success of my application process. I applied to 3 schools and was accepted to Ross and Darden and waitlisted at Fuqua, all thanks to Alex and the team's support. I used the soup-to-nuts package of consultation. Not only did MBA Exchange provide the structure, tools, resources, and expertise I needed to navigate each step of the process, but they also did so in an incredibly personal and friendly manner that showed they truly cared about my success. I would 100% recommend working with MBA Exchange to anyone considering applying to business school.
    Class of 2021 Admit
    All reviews are independently verified by Poets&Quants staff.
  • Do Yourself a Favor & Hire the MBA Exchange
    5 years ago
    As an international student, I felt at a loss when beginning to apply for a top MBA program. I felt like I was entering a highly competitive game with rules that I knew little about. To stand out in this American game, I definitely needed an expert. Luckily, Liz not only possesses extraordinary knowledge of the application process accumulated over 10+ years at the top MBA admissions firm, but also cares about my story and personal success. While working together, Liz picked up on four keys to my background that helped me stand out - a past career switch, robust tech experience, study abroad at a top US university, and a unique hobby. Under her guidance, I combined these stories to demonstrate my leadership ...
    Read the full review
    Class of 2021 Admit
    All reviews are independently verified by Poets&Quants staff.
  • Couldn't Have Asked For More
    5 years ago
    I signed up to work with Liz via comprehensive package for 3 schools - Ross, Fuqua, and Darden. I was accepted to 2 of the 3 and am on the waitlist for the 3rd. The experience working with Liz was phenomenal. From our very first discussion, I knew I was in extremely capable hands. She brought an assuring level of expertise to all aspects of the application process - from developing goals to crafting my story, to outlining essays and preparing for interviews. Any question I had - no matter how silly - Liz answered quickly and thoughtfully, always maintaining the right balance of bluntness, professionalism, and personal touch. She made this otherwise stressful process seem so much more manageable and painless. Most importantly, Liz seemed ...
    Read the full review
    Class of 2021 Admit
    All reviews are independently verified by Poets&Quants staff.
  • Fantastic Experience Working With Liz!
    5 years ago
    I cannot say enough nice things about working with Liz! She provided consistent and invaluable support throughout my MBA application process. I worked with her on multiple schools for my Round 2 MBA applications at extremely competitive schools. She was always available via email, provided insightful feedback, and connected me to helpful resources. For example, after taking the GMAT the first time and not receiving my target score, she connected me with great tutors. Similarly, after getting an interview invitation at one of my top schools, she connected me to another consultant at The MBA Exchange to conduct my practice interview since that individual was highly knowledgeable about that specific program. Not only did she help me stay on track for deadlines and provide great ...
    Read the full review
    Class of 2021 Admit
    All reviews are independently verified by Poets&Quants staff.
  • Excellent, Personalized Guidance Throughout MBA Process
    6 years ago
    Liz was an extremely valuable and important resource and advisor throughout my successful MBA application campaign. She was incredibly responsive with thoughtful, comprehensive feedback and suggestions for my applications, communications with schools, and other supporting documents. I was particularly impressed by how quickly she provided this high-quality feedback over Christmas break given my compressed application timeline. Liz was also very thorough and helpful in our mock interviews. The foundational materials from MBA Exchange were also extremely useful in crafting my story that I told in both my applications and interviews. Overall, I felt like I put my best self forward in both my applications and interviews largely because of the preparation and guidance that Liz and the MBA Exchange provided.
    Class of 2020 Admit
    All reviews are independently verified by Poets&Quants staff.
  • Great Decision to Work W/Liz!
    8 years ago
    Liz did a phenomenal job working with me on my application to B-School. I received offers of admission for both schools I applied to, thanks in large part to Liz's efforts, especially in shaping my image as a top applicant to both schools. In spite of my GRE score, which was a bit lower than I had anticipated during prep, Liz helped show to both Ross and Fuqua that I indeed belonged there. I'm really excited to begin graduate studies, and I have Liz to thank for all of her work, including conducting a helpful mock interview and doing some awesome essay-editing. You should definitely work with Liz on your app! I strongly recommend working with The MBA Exchange :)
    Class of 2017 Admit
    All reviews are independently verified by Poets&Quants staff.
  • Personalized Attention, Actionable Feedback, & Real Results
    8 years ago
    Liz worked with me on interview preparation for 2nd round MBA Admissions this year. Coming from a non-traditional professional background and having a GMAT score slightly lower than the average of my target schools, I knew I needed to ace the interview. I came to Liz with this objective and she did an amazing job at helping me implement steps to turn it into a reality. First, she took the time to get to know me as an applicant and to really understand my background. She provided me with detailed, actionable feedback as we worked through ways to better highlight specific aspects of my narrative for the interview. Finally, she conducted a mock interview with me before the big day to help put my mind ...
    Read the full review
    - TJ
    All reviews are independently verified by Poets&Quants staff.