Avi L.

Avi L.

5.0

Top 10 MBA Specialist. Caring, Honest, Supportive & Results Oriented!

University of California, Berkeley Logo

Studied at University of California, Berkeley

University of Southern California Logo

Worked at University of Southern California

Admissions Committee Experience

Available tomorrow at 4:00 PM UTC

Usually responds within 7 hours

Questions? Start chatting with this coach before you get started.

Avi's MBA Qualifications

Coaches professionally

500+ people coached for MBA

Open to working with clients outside the U.S.

Avi has helped clients get into these schools:

If you're looking for "nice", look elsewhere. With me, you'll get the hard truth. About your chances, about ways to improve those chances and, above all, the changes we need to make in order to maximize your chances at the top schools. My edits will be ruthless. I will insist you dive deeper and deeper into the narrative until we get it right. And I know "right". With over 15 years of working with Top 20 MBA applicants, I am an expert in identifying the areas where everyone needs help: telling their story in way that makes them stand out. When you're up against other Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Yale applicants, there is more to personal statements and supplemental essays than merely being outstanding. Your story has to stop the jaded admissions folks in their tracks and make them say, 'Wow! That's who we're looking for!" That's where I come in. I take a deep dive into getting to you know, your story, what makes you tick and what motivates you. With the help of our curated conversations, custom guides and 90-minute brainstorming sessions, I will help you squeeze out every last ounce of your potential and make it sing on the page. Working in this way is painstaking and time consuming, but my results speak for themselves. Each year, I get 90+% of my clients into at least one of their top 3 dream schools. This also means that I cannot take on many clients (usually 25-28 per application cycle). With so much personal attention given to each applicant and their multiple applications, it is impossible for me to maintain my high level of success if I take on more than 25-28 clients per year. This means three things: 1.) My schedule fills up quick 2.) I am by no means the cheapest consultant out there (in fact, I am on the more pricey side) 3.) The experience--and results--you have with me (yes, me, Avi...not some junior consultant) will be second to none. It's also worth noting that roughly half of my clients each year are those that had disappointing experiences working with other consultants. The most common complaint I hear from these disgruntled applicants is that they didn't feel like the consultant took a vested interest in their success, limiting their face to face time while discouraging them them from applying to top-tier schools. This way, the consultant looks like a big hero when you get admitted to schools you would have likely got admitted to without their "help". My specialty is M7 MBA programs and Top 20 Business Schools. In both cases, my job is to get you interviews at, and admitted to, schools that in some cases you have no business'' getting accepted to, and in other cases getting you scholarship money for your No. 1 school. Otherwise, what's the point, right? If I can't raise the stakes for you, what am I getting paid for? Background: Born and raised in New York City, I take a non-nonsense approach to consulting. We are going to work together for months, sometimes a full year, together, so I like to set the tone for an honest, direct style of communication that leads to winning applications, not inflated egos. To do this successfully, I have to part coach, part mentor, part drill sergeant and part therapist. But mostly your fearless leader in navigating the tricky terrain of college apps. I will hound you for draft deadlines, insist on better revisions and deeper reflection even when you feel it's "good enough". And I will keep you on a structured schedule so you don't feel overwhelmed. Lastly, in certain cases I won't be "nice". If I feel you're capable of better, I'll let you know. If something could work better in an application, I will point it out. I will not spare your feelings, we're here to win this admissions game. I have coached this game for going on 20 years. I am a former Admissions reader at Berkeley and writer for the LA Times. I have a receding hairline and a mean left hook (former boxer). I value honesty over flattery and ambition over modesty. Let's make this happen. Together. .

Avi can help with:

Financial Aid & Scholarships

Editing

School Selection

Secondary Review

Recommendations

Application Strategy

Interviews

Essays

Resume

Ding Analysis

Waitlist Strategy

Avi also coaches for College, GMAT, and GRE. View all.

About Avi

My name is Avi and I have devoted most of my career to helping applicants realize their dream of being admitted to their top school. I do that by bringing my experience behind the scenes in admissions, using my experience as a professional writer and editor at the LA Times and a life spent in the world of higher education. I am not the cheapest consultant because I do not take on many clients. Those I do take on get my full and undivided attention. We spend countless hours together getting to know you and your story so that I can help you pull out key elements of both to create a narrative that wows (!) the admissions committee. I am more than an editor. I guide you through the often confusing application process and help you to develop a narrative strategy that will work uniquely for each school. That means customizing your resume, strategically helping you to select schools, taking a deep dive into who you are so that when we develop your narrative branding strategy, we have multifaceted stories to draw from. We go through many draft revisions together and will not stop until we get it perfect. This applies to resume overhaul, personal statement, supplementary essays, letter of recommendation consultation and, finally, mock interview prep. I specialize in MBA/grad school applicants and high school students applying to Top 25 schools and the Ivies. I only take on 20-25 clients per season, as I prefer to give each client the extra attention required to submit successful applications and keep my success rate among the highest in the industry (92% of clients admitted to one of their top 3 schools). As I said, I am certainly not the cheapest. But if you are looking for the royal treatment and want to work with the best in the business, don't leave anything to chance--I know the admissions game better than anyone and I would be thrilled to help you navigate its tricky waters. I look forward to helping you get accepted to your dream program!

Why do I coach?

I love taking applicants with high goals for college admission and turning them into reality. I do that by helping them to discover--and uncover--aspects of their personal and professional history that they often overlook. In other cases, I help to accentuate elements of their stories that they would not have thought of. I am more than an editor--I am a coach, a confidant and, above all, a committed partner.

Work Experience

University of Southern California Logo

Director of Admissions Consulting

University of Southern California

April 2014 - March 2022

Led the Admissions Consulting division for all new domestic and international students at the International Academy, conducting personal statement workshops, Resume Overhauls and Application Support

Education

University of California, Berkeley Logo

University of California, Berkeley

3 years, Application Reader

1995 - 1998

Admissions Committee Experience

As an admissions rep at Haas School of Business, I reviewed applications, interviewed applicants and made recommendations to the Admissions Director

32 Reviews

Overall Rating

5.0


Knowledge

5.0

Value

5.0

Responsiveness

5.0

Supportiveness

5.0


Avi has helped clients get into these schools:


Avi has helped clients achieve these scores on the GRE

317 - 332


Avi has helped clients achieve these scores on the GMAT

550 - 710

Loading reviews...
Avi L.

Avi L.

5.0