Susie Gruda

With Susie’s help, I’m lucky to be in a position where I am deciding between Booth, Wharton, and LBS for my MBA. Despite having below-average work experience and applying in such a competitive cycle, I was confident about the quality and strength of my applications, because Susie used her insight to ensure I addressed what the schools were looking for. She is great at editing essays to make them more concise and impactful, and in particular, I noticed she added a lot of value when it came to interview prep. Her strong professional experience is definitely a big plus in that regard, and she knows how to help you sell yourself. Susie is also very flexible and willing to jump on the phone at short notice, which I really appreciated. As a person, she is direct, to-the-point, and easy to relate to, which makes working together a lot easier. Overall, Susie dedicates herself to making sure every aspect of your application is airtight – she helped me position myself for success, and I would highly recommend her to other applicants!

Susie is a wealth of knowledge about the MBA admissions process and was vital in being accepted into my number one choice. She gave me insights on how the admissions committee would be addressing my application’s essays and helped me craft my story to ensure it addressed everything they were looking for. While I was on a tight deadline to submit my app, Susie made sure she was available to help address any question I had. Following my application submission, I received a request to interview. As someone who was applying to MBA programs for the first time, Susie did a great job at walking me through what to expect from the interview, and how to convey the same messaging I included in my app. Between trimming the fat from my essays and practicing mock interview questions, Susie made sure I was ready to crush it heading into each stage of my application process.

Highly recommend Susie to anyone who is applying for top MBA programs! Susie was super knowledgeable about all the schools and very good at helping me to design the overall application strategy by picking different schools for each round. As a candidate who’s interested in transiting into a corporate strategy role in the tech industry, I found Susie’s experience at Google and Amazon incredibly helpful. She knows exactly what these companies are looking for and how I can demonstrate my potentials to succeed in those areas with my previous work experiences and educational background in my entire application packages. Susie is highly flexible as well, she’s always there whenever I have a question.

I applied to four MBA programs – two of which are ranked in the top 5 by US News and World Report. I am thrilled to share that I was accepted into all four schools and feel incredibly grateful to have worked with Susie throughout the application process. Susie is a master of her craft. Her attention to detail, vast knowledge of MBA admissions, and thoughtful coaching helped me achieve my full potential. Keep in mind that I was not a “shoe-in” candidate for either of the top 5 programs – my GMAT, GPA, and years of work experience were all below the averages. Susie helped me find my voice and enabled me to effectively tell my story to the admissions teams. All the while, she helped me pace accordingly for Round 1 deadlines and prevented me from running into the common pitfalls that most applicants face. Susie is an all-star consultant and I highly recommend her to any candidate applying to a competitive MBA program.

Susie was amazing to work with and helpful beyond measure. She is the reason I will be going to CBS this year. She is patient and knows the ins and outs of the MBA application process. She was the first person I called after taking the GMAT and she reassured me that though I didn’t break 700 I still had a good shot at some good schools. I got interview invites from all 4 schools I applied to and got into my top choice. DON’T TAKE CHANCES WITH YOUR APPLICATIONS WORK WITH SUSIE!!

I highly recommend Susie to anyone applying to top MBA programs. I worked with Susie during the Round 1 application process, in which I targeted only the top 5 schools. This was an especially aggressive choice as I only have two years of work experience and an average GRE score. Susie provided amazing and comprehensive help during this process — she helped me refine my story and post-MBA goals, and turn that into a compelling application that led to being admitted to the Wharton/Lauder program! Susie was both extremely personable and understanding, as well as honest and firm (the best qualities to look for in an MBA consultant). I am so happy to be done with the MBA application process and have been admitted to my dream school — thank you so much Susie!

I am incredibly grateful to have worked with Susie during the 2018 MBA application cycle. Our relationship started two weeks before Round Two deadlines after I had stubbornly tried to “go it alone.” Despite the compressed timeline, Susie calmly helped me lay out an abbreviated application strategy and redirected my anxiety into positive momentum. She started by considering my candidacy from a macro-level and then by digging into the details of my resume, essays, etc. Rather than simply sharing observations, Susie provided actionable advice that simplified my ability to translate our conversations into meaningful impact. Her insights essentially trained me to enhance the quality of the first drafts I created. I also appreciated how direct Susie was. On a couple occasions, I poured my heart and soul into an essay, only for Susie to share that she felt like it was a 6 out of 10. In hindsight, this is exactly what I needed to hear. When she paired this with actionable advice, I was able to turn a 6 out of 10 into a 9 out of 10.

Having read most of the other reviews on this board, I wholeheartedly echo the praise that is being heaped upon Susie. She doesn’t get bogged down in contract terms or red tape: she cares about you as a person and is relentless in helping you succeed. She is a patient listener: she helps you unpack your unique web of experiences and turn them into a confident application package. She was incredibly flexible: she is willing to work on your schedule, even if that is over the Christmas and New Year Holiday season (which, trust me, you will probably need if you apply in Round Two). Through it all, Susie helped me get into the Kellogg School of Management, and I am convinced that I would not have gotten in without her. She helped me put my best foot forward into the next phase of my life, and for that, I am grateful.

If I want to summarize my experience with Susie, I would say YOUR SUCCESS IS THE PRIORITY, NOT THE CONTRACT SCOPE. Susie goes above and beyond to make sure at every step of the process that what you are including in your application package reflects who you are and does not ignore anything that may be important to the AdComs otherwise.

From the start to the finish point, I was in charge of my destiny sitting on the driver seat but I had Susie by my side as my amazingly knowledgeable and reliable guide that showed me the path along the way. Susie spent a lot more time than I expected to make sure not only my essays were correctly addressing the questions, but also I was learning how to put together a successful application package. She is very talented at brainstorming. I cannot count the number of times that I changed significant portions of my essays after I received brief but effective comments from Susie. She makes you think and come up with something that you had never thought of before. I was always amazed by the differences between my first drafts and final essays.

She is patient and reliable. Remember that you’re still in charge and don’t expect her to remind you of the deadlines. What is more important to note is that you don’t need to remind her of the tight deadlines. She fully understands the stressful process and makes herself available on weekends and holidays to get the job done. There were a lot of times that I had dumb and probably obvious questions on the application forms but she always took the time to respond to my queries patiently.

The MBA application process is unpredictable and not very transparent for most top schools. You may think at times that your application was not fairly reviewed or you may wonder why you did not even get an interview despite having near perfect stats. Most schools don’t feel the necessity to be responsive to the applicants or provide any review feedback after the application process is over. These are the things that unfortunately we cannot control or change significantly. However, we can do our best to put together application packages that can maximize our chance of success at the end of the process. I believe that working with Susie along with working hard to improve my stats and credentials and get to know the schools and post-MBA career prospects helped me achieve this objective and get into one of my top choices. Susie is THE person you want by your side in this hectic stressful journey. Thank you, Susie.

Susie is very attentive and affirmative. I asked MBA Exchange just several days before my interview. I appreciate MBA Exchange took me for such late notice. I asked Susie to review my essays and perform two mock interviews. Her feedback completely changed my essays, and I was able to complete my application thanks to her help. Even though she was in the middle of moving, she performed two mock interviews for two nights in the row due to the time differences between NY and SF as well as my tight interview schedule. Her customized interview questions for my program and constant encouragement helped me a lot to boost my confidence. After I received my admission from Duke, I realized that how lucky I was to work with Susie. As she did to me, Susie will be your guide and mentor on the way to the admission from your dream school.

Susie is one of the best people to have in your corner through a marathon that is b-school application. Coming from one of the most over-represented geographies and as a re-applicant, I was facing an uphill task of convincing adcom members. However, Susie never lost confidence in me even at times when I was skeptical. Some of the attributes that make her amazing include in-depth understanding of the entire application process and schools, ability to identify your strengths, and a unique way of articulating those strengths that truly make a candidate stand out. Being a recent graduate, she has a refreshingly new approach and knows exactly what adcoms are looking for. She spent countless hours with me on phone to know me as person and help me think through why I needed a MBA. She was available at extremely short notice (sometimes less than a day) to talk to me to answer any questions (sometimes really silly) that I had. Her patience is equally matched by her commitment to quality. She pushed me to think twice before every sentence that I wrote and gave me honest feedback when my drafts were simply not good enough. She told me on day 1 that she would not let me submit anything unless it was perfect and I could see the difference between my first draft and final submission. I don’t think I would have been able to get even an interview, let alone an admit, from my dream school if it were not for her. By the end of the entire application process she became a friend and a mentor and I cannot thank her enough for believing in me and helping me throughout the process.

Susie helped me get into Berkeley- HAAS for the EWMBA program class of 2021! Susie was a great partner to have during the admissions process, especially when it came to crafting my story for admissions and choosing essay topics and recommenders. She was a rockstar when it came to helping edit my essays (helping me edit down from 1000s to only 500 characters), prep for interviews, and help me manage the waitlist process. I had a gmat score on the lower end, and Susie’s expertise allowed me to highlight my quant skills in other ways, outside of just the gmat score. I would highly recommend Susie as a consultant, she was very knowledgable, professional and easy to work with!

Overall, I am so happy I worked with Susie, and I was accepted to each school I applied to–3/3. I applied in Round 2, and Susie even made herself available to revise my essays on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. She was always receptive to my feedback, and I felt like she really listened to me. I was worried in hiring a consultant that he or she would just project their views onto me and try to steer me in a certain direction; Susie was not like that at all. She is empathetic, kind, and a fantastic listener. She is also incredibly friendly and upbeat, and always has a positive attitude. Anytime I had self-doubt, she always raised my confidence about the applications.

For interviews, I again cannot stress enough how helpful she was. She always made herself available for scheduling and would stay on the phone until she had given me all the feedback she could think of and answered all of my questions. She was very knowledgable about the three schools that I applied to and gave me really candid and constructive feedback while also emphasizing what I did well. For my first choice school, she offered to do three mock interviews (we only ended up needing two) so that she knew I was fully prepared. I really felt like she was invested in my success at the interviews, which was such a great feeling. After interviews, she always followed up, asking how it went and offering advice and kind words.

Beyond that, she has also been helpful in talking through my school options with me, which she didn’t have to do. After I was accepted, she spent 30 mins on the phone with me talking through the pros and cons of each school specifically for what I want to do.

In sum, I am so happy that I chose to work with the MBA Exchange and if I could do the process all over again, I would do it the same way! I think any candidate would be lucky to work with Susie.

Susie was an invaluable partner in my application process. She helped me put my story and MBA goals into a framework that fit for applications. We went back and forth many times, first on essay ideas, and then on essay drafts. She was quick with responses and was essentially “on call” when we got close to deadlines. Without her, the process would have been dramatically more difficult and would not have ended up with acceptance to my top choice school (CBS). If you’re looking for a consultant who is intelligent and professional, and who will patiently help you workshop ideas, absolutely go with Susie!

Susie helped me craft a successful Wharton application in record time. I engaged her less than a month before the application deadline and she committed time and effort to make sure that I crafted the best possible application that my limited timeline allowed. She provided constructive guidance and invaluable inputs in all aspects of my application. Moreover, she did so in a friendly and accommodating demeanor, making the entire process seamless and productive. Being a re-applicant, Susie helped me turn my essays around from a subtle and generic draft to one that was personalized not only to my own story but also to the school I was aiming to get into. With Susie’s guidance, I was definitely more confident that I submitted a stronger application that stood out against those of other candidates. Anyone thinking of applying to b-school should definitely keep Susie in mind when applying.

Susie helped me gain admission to Wharton (my first choice school) in Round 2. She was extremely helpful in structuring my essays such that it communicated the story special to me and also took time to prep me for the interviews (I came from an over-represented student profile). She was always available, often through text, and invested the time to understand what makes my profile unique. She also has a very good understanding of school requirements and is not close-fisted on her time. She in fact dedicated the time before the app deadline solely towards helping her students with their apps. If your goal is to get into the top 5 business schools, I would strongly recommend her

Susanne helped me earn admission to my first choice school, Wharton, this year, as well as my second choice school. She is supportive, warm, and easy to get along with. However, she is also willing to give tough, sincere constructive criticism. When my resume and my essays weren’t showing the best I had to offer, Susanne would say so and give me guidance on how to re-do them. It’s easy to fall into the trap of writing timid or generic essays. Susanne helped me fill the essays for my top schools with bold, compelling substance that admissions officers cared about. I would recommend her highly.