Kelsey K.

Kelsey Kephart

5.0

(76)

Former CBS Adcom | 93% Success Rate | $180K Avg Scholarships

25,353 min coached

535 followers

Super Coach

Supercoach

Columbia Business School Logo

Admissions Committee at Columbia Business School

Successful clients at

+20

Available Tuesday at 4:00 PM UTC

I am at capacity for R3 and R1 clients. I am open for CBS J-term alternate deadline programs. Please send along your resume as well as a bit about your goals when you book your call or reach out!

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

Kelsey's Coaching Offerings

Custom hourly · $469/hr

Get help with Recommendations, Resume, and .

Kelsey’s MBA Qualifications

Coaches professionally

100+ people coached for MBA

Kelsey has helped clients get into these schools:

As a former M7 Admissions Director, I help you craft authentic, powerful applications that stand out and get results. Since 2017, I’ve helped hundreds of MBA-hopefuls get accepted to top MBA programs across full-time, executive, and part-time programs and I look forward to helping you do the same. 93% of my clients achieve MBA success and more than half secure scholarships averaging $180K. I served on Columbia Business School’s admission committee, where I reviewed countless applications, interviewed candidates, managed the world-wide interview program, served as a waitlist manager, and managed the dual degree programs for the Law, Medical, and Journalism schools. Thereafter, I transitioned into finance, with stints at a hedge fund, a large bank, and in venture capital. Yet, even as I built my career, I missed the part I loved most - helping candidates craft their stories. I returned to the admissions world as a coach. On the other side of the admissions journey, I saw critical gaps in the application process: limited guidance around testing, the challenge of telling narratives within the confines of a few essays and a resume is challenging, and how admissions committees can seem like a black box. My mission reflects these gaps - offer best-in-class advice, work closely with a small number of candidates, and provide personal partnership to every client.

Kelsey can help with:

Recommendations

Resume

General Exploration

Supplementary Materials

School Selection

Essays

Secondary Review

Application Strategy

Financial Aid & Scholarships

Interviews

Editing

Ding Analysis

Waitlist Strategy

View all of Kelsey’s categories

About Kelsey

I'm Kelsey, founder of Embark MBA. Before being a coach, I spent 3 years on Columbia Business School's admissions committee. I reviewed countless applications, interviewed candidates, managed the worldwide interview program, served as a waitlist manager, and oversaw dual-degree admissions for the Law, Medical, and Journalism schools. I know exactly how admissions decisions are made because I was on the inside. After CBS, I moved into finance. I worked at a hedge fund, a large bank, and in venture capital. It gave me something a real understanding of the career paths my clients are chasing. But as I built my career, I kept missing the part I loved mos: helping candidates craft their stories. I came back to the admissions world. Working on this side, I saw the same problems repeat. Candidates undersold their experiences. Essays sounded like everyone else's. Strong applicants got dinged because their story didn't connect. That's what I fix. 93% of my clients get in. More than half earn scholarships averaging $180K. I've helped 300+ people gain admission to programs including HBS, GSB, Wharton, Booth, Kellogg, and more. I work with a small number of clients each cycle. That's intentional. Every person I work with gets my full attention, from the first strategy call to the final submission.

Why do I coach?

I coach because I know how isolating this process can feel and how much the right guidance changes the outcome. I was the first in my family to attend college. I've seen firsthand what education makes possible. At Columbia, I watched strong candidates submit applications that didn't do them justice. The experiences were real. The potential was obvious. But the story didn't connect. Coaching is how I help people close that gap.

Work Experience

Columbia Business School Logo

Assistant Director of Admissions

Columbia Business School

2014 - 2017

Admissions Committee

I served on Columbia Business School’s admission committee, where I reviewed countless applications, interviewed candidates, managed the world-wide interview program, served as a waitlist manager, and managed the dual degree programs for the Law, Medical, and Journalism schools.

Kelsey was also given offers to work at

  • Bridgewater Associates Logo

    Bridgewater Associates

76 Reviews

Overall Rating

5.0


Knowledge

5.0

Value

5.0

Responsiveness

5.0

Supportiveness

5.0


Kelsey has helped clients get into these schools:

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Kelsey K.

Kelsey K.

5.0

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