Skip to main content
Michelle S.

Michelle Shen

Stanford MBA | M7 expert storyteller | Learned from ex-Dean of Admissions

  • Stanford Graduate School of Business Logo

    Stanford Graduate School of Business

  • Headway Logo

    Headway

  • 3.4k

    Expert mins

  • 174

    Followers

Available Thursday

Starting at 2:00 AM UTC

Questions?

You can start chatting with Michelle before you get started.

Work with Michelle

About

I didn’t look like a typical MBA candidate on paper. I studied neuroscience at Penn, started my career in life sciences consulting, and bounced across mental health and life sciences before earning my MBA at Stanford. These days, I work in tech and spend a lot of my time experimenting with AI, i.e., testing new tools, building workflows, and figuring out what’s actually useful vs. hype. I know firsthand how hard it can be to turn a nonlinear career into a clear, compelling story because I had to do it myself. Now, I share what I’ve learned to help others do the same: whether you’re applying to business school, figuring out your next career move, or just trying to figure out (like the rest of us) how AI can actually be useful in your everyday life.

Michelle’s MBA Qualifications

10+ people coached for MBA

Michelle has helped clients get into these schools:

Unlike other coaches, I personalize my strategy to you. I had the rare opportunity of being one of ~30 students per year to take the class by the former HBS/GSB Dean of Admissions, where we dove into the ins & outs of what a good MBA resume looks like, what a good interview looks like, and how they align with the values of our school. I myself applied and was accepted into four M7 programs, and have a network extending beyond that I can tap into for you. I help take your raw experiences and shape them into coherent, memorable narratives that admissions officers will champion in committee discussions. I know which details matter, which stories resonate. Whether you're struggling to articulate your "why MBA" or need to present a non-traditional background confidently, I'll help you tell your story with the authenticity and strategic insight that top programs demand.

Michelle can help with:

Application Strategy

Essays

General Exploration

Interviews

Networking Strategy

Recommendations

Resume

School Selection

Why do I coach?

I coach because I know what it feels like to stare at MBA application prompts and wonder if your story is "business school material." When I was applying, I remember questioning whether my neuroscience research, my pivot through consulting, or my startup experience would translate into a compelling narrative for admissions committees. I felt like I was speaking a different language than the finance and consulting candidates who seemed to have clearer paths. Now, as someone who successfully made that transition, I'm passionate about helping other candidates discover their own compelling narratives. There's something incredibly rewarding about watching someone realize that their "different" background is actually their competitive advantage. I coach because I want to be the guide I wish I'd had - someone who understands the unique challenges of translating their story into business school gold.

Work Experience

Headway Logo

Commercial Strategy

Headway

2025 - Present

Willow Logo

Chief of Staff to CEO

Willow

June 2024 - August 2024

Guidehouse Logo

Senior Consultant

Guidehouse

2020 - 2023

Interviewer

Education

Stanford Graduate School of Business Logo

Stanford Graduate School of Business

Master of Business Administration - MBA

2023 - 2025

University of Pennsylvania Logo

University of Pennsylvania

Bachelor of Arts (BA), Biological Basis of Behavior (Neuroscience), Magna Cum Laude

2015 - 2019

Michelle was also personally admitted to

  • Columbia Business School Logo

    Columbia Business School

  • Yale School of Management Logo

    Yale School of Management

  • Haas School of Business (Berkeley) Logo

    Haas School of Business (Berkeley)

5.0 average review

7 reviews


Overall rating

5
4
3
2
1

Knowledge

5.0

Value

5.0

Responsiveness

5.0

Supportiveness

5.0


Michelle has helped clients get into these schools:


Loading reviews...