Matt Symonds

I worked with Matt on my Round 3 application to the Stanford GSB, MIT Sloan and the Wharton School. I was a non-traditional applicant with a government background, applying a bit later in my career than the average – and had previously received some less than enthusiastic advice from consultants encouraging me to consider safety schools or delay applying. This made sense on the face of it: the odds are very low for those schools as a R3 applicant, and they didn’t want to set me (or themselves) up for failure. But Matt took a totally different tack: I felt he took a real interest in me as a person, understood my goals and rationale, and went beyond the stats to see the strength in my application. He totally understood the reasoning behind going for it in R3, put himself on the line to tell me what he honestly thought, and provided me the vital encouragement to keep going. Close to the deadline, he was available over the weekend to iterate my essays and review the final elements of my application. I felt that his advice was always helpful – and crucially, helped to bring out my authentic voice, not just what adcoms want to hear. Matt’s advice and encouragement were crucial to getting me over the line and securing offers from all 3 schools. Thank you Matt – you’re a good man and a pleasure to work with!

Before I embarked on my journey to start the application process, I had a discussion with Matt and I think he looked at my profile in a way that helped me carve a very strong application down the lane. Matt was in the middle of a conference in Mumbai but he still managed to take out time for me and discussed everything in so much depth and detail. I’m truly indebted to him for his support and motivation that kept me working during the strenuous process. I would recommend Matt to anyone who is dreaming of going to a top school and needs honest and candid feedback. Being an older applicant with a not so uncommon background, Matt was truly helpful at the start of this process. Thank you, Matt 🙂

Throughout my application process, I met a lot of people who were incredible—and Matt is undoubtedly one of them. Not only is Matt an expert on the MBA application process (seriously, he knows the ins-and-outs of everything and is well connected with everyone!), he’s a wonderful person; kind, genuine, and thoughtful are really the first three words that come to mind when I think of Matt.

I can’t recommend him enough for future MBA applicants. Matt will be there for you and will be a HUGE help.

I contacted Matt (post-interviews) for LBS/INSEAD after having been waitlisted for one and admitted to the other and he provided very useful information that I could not obtain online myself relating to the waitlist process. I subsequently contacted the Business School and requested a transfer to a different waitlist intake allowing me to gain admittance.

There was no hard sell in the initial contact which was refreshing.

Hi There, I have been a passionate MBA candidate. To apply, I gave my GMAT twice within 3 years – flunking both times at 620. I knew I stood no chance for my desired MBA. However, in parallel, my professional profile was on an overdrive. January 2016: Browsing the web, I came across Matt’s profile and seeing his established credibility, booked a call with him for my profile screening. Matt did an honest screening of my profile and clearly told me: “Shubham: I am going to say something you don’t want to hear. Just give the GMAT again. I literally beg you”. According to his assessment, my profile had everything needed in a ‘Strong Application’ and my GMAT was the only blocker. Sounds pretty crazy, but the 30 min call and those words gave me the kick. I e-mailed him back: “Matt, you said something I DID want to hear!” 2017: I gave my GMAT a 3rd time, scored 720, and got accepted into INSEAD. We spoke 30 mins in Jan 2016, my post displays the impact.