Vijay Raghunathan

Senior Coach

MBA Protocol

California

United States

Consultant Bio

Hi, I am Vijay. As a career pivoter and globally curious human being, I have learned how to build and sustain meaningful relationships to help me grow personally and professionally. At MBA Protocol, my passion is to connect with students at a deeper level and help them show the world how amazing they are. Working and traveling on six continents, I am energized by student stories from multicultural backgrounds. I help my students recognize their exceptional qualities by allowing them to reflect on their own experiences, learnings, and relationships.

My business degree from Stanford and my engineering degree from Texas A&M definitely contribute to what I bring to my students as a coach. More importantly, my diverse life experiences as a risk management consultant, career coach, assistant stage manager, social entrepreneur, and a recently trained theatrical clown are an asset when I help students craft and shape their stories. As someone who has taken bold steps throughout my life, I guide my MBA students to achieve their professional and personal goals without sacrificing their values or passions.

Company Information

MBA Protocol

At MBA Protocol, we believe that creating a life of meaning, impact, and fulfillment is the only outcome that justifies the significant investment of time & money required to earn your MBA. We also know that to be truly sustainable, your MBA must align with your post-MBA career goals and that many of you are wondering about the return on your investment.

When you’re thinking about ROI, we urge you to think about total return. Think pay plus purpose.

Your individual path to purpose will be unique; no two will be alike. But the most successful MBA journeys require these three things: deep personal reflection, values definition, and communication skill-building. And, yes, that begins in the application process.

All our programs at MBA Protocol are designed to help you gain breakthrough MBA admissions results and prepare in advance for MBA recruiting. Only by beginning with the end in mind can you truly maximize the ROI in both increased earnings and joy and fulfillment throughout your post-MBA career.

We guide you with five key principles:

• 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗩𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲: Uncover and share your unique story to connect authentically with admissions committees.

• 𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁, 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸: Get candid, compassionate insights that respect your individuality and help you excel.

• 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵-𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱: Develop lifelong skills in self-awareness, communication, and relationships for lasting success.

• 𝗝𝗼𝘆𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆: We make the application process fun, rewarding, and confidence-enriching.

• 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿: You’re never alone. Our supportive community is here to help you grow, celebrate wins, and tackle challenges together.

MBA Protocol has tailored programs to fit every learning style and budget. Our core values of radical service and joy underpin them all, so you can confidently choose the approach that works best for you:

𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗢𝗻𝗲-𝗼𝗻-𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴: High-touch, full application support, tailored to your needs (coaches take at most 10 clients per round.)

𝗠𝗕𝗔 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘀𝘁 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴: Expert guidance from our coaches paired with the power of our whole community of peers, ambassadors, and the MBA Protocol team.

𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽: The Power of community plus personalized coaching for essays and interviews.

We don’t like to brag but we’re kinda data geeks. We track our clients’ successes with precision, and 99.1% of them who followed the MBA Success Protocol got into at least one top MBA program and with an average scholarship award of $90,675 each.

We’re the only MBA Admissions Coaches who offer a 7-Day unconditional money back guarantee and an MBA Success Guarantee on all our MBA programs.

From test prep to school selection to scholarship negotiations and beyond, we’re with you every step of the way.

Ready to get started? 𝗥𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲!

Location: California, United States

Email: hello@mbaprotocol.com

Website: https://mbaprotocol.com

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P&Q Consultant Reviews

  • Vijay Helped Me Find My Voice & Connect With My Purpose
    5 months ago
    I had the pleasure of working with Vijay when I was applying to multiple top MBA programs. Before I met Vijay, I was struggling to find my voice and my purpose of going to b-school. It was until I met Vijay that I was able to craft my story in my essays, restore my confidence, and find my purpose for my career. Working with Vijay was an amazing experience because we built an organic relationship where I was able to reflect on my experiences and discover what really propels me in life. I had many insecurities about my upbringing and academic background, but Vijay helped me embrace these areas and make them into my unique strengths, giving life to my unique story. Working with Vijay ...
    Read the full review
    Class of 2026 Admit
    All reviews are independently verified by Poets&Quants staff.
  • The Power Of Honest & Caring Coaching
    7 months ago
    From my first call with Vijay, I felt safe and comfortable being transparent about who I am and what I wanted to gain from the MBA process. Vijay genuinely cared about my story and my success, which made me confident in working with him. This was particularly meaningful because other consultants I encountered were very formal, while Career Protocol, with Vijay, was relaxed and approachable. Throughout multiple draft iterations of my resume and essays, Vijay pushed me to reflect deeply and integrate those insights with exceptional communication techniques. This approach made me feel like I was truly taking ownership of my story. Vijay’s coaching style perfectly blended honesty, firmness, and care. Through the Discovery PowerPoint presentation, I could see aspects of my story that I hadn't recognized or ...
    Read the full review
    Class of 2026 Admit
    All reviews are independently verified by Poets&Quants staff.
  • Transformative MBA Application Journey
    9 months ago
    My entire MBA application process became a valuable learning journey with Vijay, who helped me clarify my career path and life goals. The coaching steps were thoughtfully designed, starting with a self-awareness questionnaire that encouraged deep reflection on my past successes, failures, personality, and values. This was followed by an inspiring kickoff call that provided profound insights. Vijay’s reasonable analysis helped me build the confidence to set ambitious school choices and work diligently toward achieving them within a structured timeline. The online coaching videos were excellent resources for learning about storytelling, resume building, recommender selection, and networking. I was particularly impressed by Vijay’s prompt feedback on my essays, offering valuable comments and thoughts—something every applicant hopes for as the application submission deadline approaches. Despite the short but ...
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    Class of 2025 Admit
    All reviews are independently verified by Poets&Quants staff.
  • Always Setting The Bar High
    3 years ago
    When I decided to pivot into a new industry and role, I was motivated to get an MBA. I was overwhelmed a few weeks into the process. Vijay’s help arrived just in time. He helped me see my application prep and post-MBA goals from a fresh perspective after our first call. In the following weeks, my list of target schools changed, I simplified my test preparation, and I stopped limiting myself to Texas-based schools. Vijay provided a robust framework for creating my career game plan and helped me look at schools that would be a good fit, given long-term goals and cultural fit. He advised me to take the EA instead of the GMAT based on my strengths. Vijay's work with me was thorough at ...
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    Arjun Visakh
    Part-Time MBA Class of 2021 Admit
    All reviews are independently verified by Poets&Quants staff.