Humanities Master’s Admissions Consultants

Hi, I’m Becky Song, Founder & Executive Director of Ivy Journey, Wharton MBA, former Wharton admissions fellow, and admissions coach with 15+ years of experience helping applicants earn admission to top graduate programs. For master’s applicants, my specialty is helping strong candidates turn their academic, professional, and personal background into a clear, differentiated admissions strategy. I’m especially strong with applicants targeting MS, MiM, MSBA, MFin, policy, management, analytics, AI/ML/engineering/STEM-adjacent, and career-pivot programs where schools need to see not only strong credentials, but also a compelling reason for why this degree, why this program, why now, and why you. My clients have earned admission to top programs and universities including Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford, UPenn/Wharton, MIT, Columbia, Yale, Duke, Johns Hopkins, UC Berkeley, UCLA, NYU, Vanderbilt, and more. I also bring firsthand career strategy experience from management consulting, pharmaceutical/life sciences, research, entrepreneurship, government & nonprofits, which allows me to help applicants connect their graduate school goals to a credible long-term career story. I can help you with school selection, application strategy, personal statements/statements of purpose, resumes, recommendation strategy, scholarship positioning, interviews, waitlist strategy, and final application reviews. My approach is strategic, direct, and deeply personalized: we’ll identify your strongest admissions angle, sharpen your positioning, and make every part of your application reinforce a cohesive, memorable case for admission.

Hello and welcome! I hold dual Master’s degrees from the University of Oxford—a Master’s in Public Policy and an MBA—as well as a First Class Honours degree in Economics from the University of Cape Town. My academic and professional experiences, including working with organisations like McKinsey & Company and KPMG, have equipped me to guide students through the rigorous admissions processes for competitive graduate programmes. Having personally navigated these challenges and co-founded a student chapter of Effective Altruism, I understand how to craft compelling applications that reflect your unique strengths and aspirations. Whether you’re refining your statement of purpose or building a targeted admissions strategy, I’m here to provide personalised guidance to help you achieve your academic and professional ambitions.

I went to Harvard Kennedy School and Stanford GSB, which means I've sat on both sides of the admissions process this coaching is built around, first as the applicant, now helping others get there. Before business school, I was an Army officer; after, venture capital and AI innovation. Both jobs taught me the same thing: how to read a person's story quickly, find what's actually compelling in it, and cut the rest. If your essays are flat, I'll tell you why. If your interview answers ramble, I'll help you tighten them. I'm not here to cheerlead; I'm here to get you in. I also have experience with applying for competitive scholarships and international programs. I was awarded a Rotary Scholarship to study in King's College London, amongst other programs.

Coached 20+ students into gaining admissions to top education programs like HGSE and U Penn GSE.

Welcome to my profile! With a dual degree from Harvard Business School and Harvard Kennedy School, I bring a unique blend of business acumen and public policy expertise to my coaching. I have successfully guided over 30 clients into top-tier MBA and policy programs, including HBS, MIT Sloan, Tuck, Stanford, and Wharton, by helping them craft compelling narratives that highlight their unique personal and professional stories. My experience as a consultant at The Bridgespan Group and my leadership roles in both the non-profit and public sectors equip me to offer a holistic approach to your application, ensuring every element tells your authentic story. Whether you're from a traditional or non-traditional background, I'm here to help you answer the critical "Why MBA" and "Why Now" questions with confidence. Let's work together to unlock your potential and secure your spot in the program of your choice!

I have worked with over 10 people to get into programs like Knight-Hennessy, Rhodes, and Schwarzman Scholars and I personally have gotten myself accepted into Dartmouth, Knight Hennessy Scholars, and GSB/HBS.

Welcome to my profile! With a Master's degree from the University of Oxford and another from the University of Edinburgh, I bring a wealth of academic experience to my coaching. Over the years, I've successfully guided 62 individuals through the intricacies of master's program applications, helping them secure spots at top institutions. My approach is tailored to each client's unique strengths and aspirations, ensuring that their applications stand out. Whether you need assistance with personal statements, interview preparation, or overall application strategy, I'm here to help you achieve your academic goals. Let's connect and craft a winning application together!

Each program looks for something unique, and crafting your story to fit each school's needs is where I excel. By spending time to get to know you, learn your unique path, and develop a thorough narrative, top programs will not be able to resist learning more about you.

While attending the University of Chicago as a PhD student, I mentored master's degree students and worked in MBA admissions. I then returned to California and worked in admissions for the Haas School of Business. After spending years in admissions, I am very interested in helping grad school applicants succeed. Lately most of my clients have applied to Finance, Management, Business Analytics, Data Analytics, and Financial Engineering programs within top business schools, but I have also helped clients apply to Public Health, Economics, and Art History programs. If your budget is tight, please let me know so that we can figure out how to work together.

I've earned five degrees from four of the world's top universities — an MSM from Stanford GSB (MSx Sloan Fellows), an MBA from Wharton, an MA in International Studies from the Lauder Institute at Penn, an MS in Real Estate Development from MIT, and a BA from Harvard — spanning business, finance, real estate, international affairs, and the liberal arts. I was also admitted to London Business School's Sloan Fellows programme and attended INSEAD on exchange. Very few coaches can speak from personal experience across this range of programs, disciplines, and institutions. My graduate work has touched nearly every corner of the master's degree landscape: executive and mid-career programs (Stanford MSx, MIT Sloan Fellows), joint and dual degrees (Wharton/Lauder MBA/MA), industry-specific programs (MIT's MS in Real Estate Development), and internationally oriented degrees with language and regional immersion. I also guest lecture at Stanford School of Medicine on digital health and AI, giving me current insight into programs at the intersection of healthcare, technology, and policy. Outside academia, I've built a career across real estate private equity, venture capital, investment banking, international M&A, family office management, and digital health — experience that helps me advise applicants pursuing master's programs in fields ranging from finance and leadership to public policy, healthcare administration, and beyond. I work with applicants targeting a wide variety of master's programs in the U.S. and Europe, with particular expertise advising international candidates (I'm fluent in Spanish and Portuguese and have lived in five countries). My philosophy is the same across every program type: the right degree isn't necessarily the most prestigious one — it's the one that aligns with where you actually want to go. I help clients identify the programs that fit, craft applications that stand out, and make confident decisions when the acceptances come in.