
Kelsey Kephart
5.0
(76)
Former CBS Adcom | 93% Success Rate | $180K Avg Scholarships
25,353 min coached
535 followers
Supercoach
Admissions Committee at Columbia Business School
Successful clients at
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
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

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
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:







