MBA Admissions

✨Coached 130+ clients from 25+ countries across various industries including consulting, investment banking, PE/VC, fintech, big tech, consumer goods, defense and aerospace, family business, law, military, mining, and social impact. ✨Client metrics from 2018 to 2025 (7 seasons) include:  ✓ More than 70% of clients admitted to, waitlisted by, and/or interviewed by HBS/Stanford GSB/Wharton  ✓ 85% of clients admitted to a top MBA program (U.S. & European)  ✓ 90% of clients admitted to or waitlisted by a top MBA program (U.S. & European)  ✓ 100% of clients admitted to or waitlisted by a top European program (INSEAD, LBS, Oxford, Cambridge, HEC Paris, IESE) ✨Worked with diverse set of clients that includes:  ✓ First-gen college students (FGCS)  ✓ First-gen Americans  ✓ Internationals (roughly 50% of clients to date)  ✓ LGBTQA  ✓ Military candidates  ✓ Non-traditional candidates making major career transitions  ✓ Third-culture kids (TCK) and adults ✨In 2022 and 2023, ranked among Poets & Quants top MBA Admission Consultants globally. To view testimonials, please see https://poetsandquants.com/consultant/jenifer-raver/ I’m happy to share my success metrics sheet and more testimonials with you – Just ask when you sign up for a free consultation with me!

As a current Harvard Business School student admitted through the 2+2 Deferred Enrollment Program, I have firsthand experience navigating both the deferred and traditional MBA admissions processes. I successfully gained admission to multiple top MBA programs, including my top choice HBS, and understand what it takes to craft a compelling application at every stage. Whether you're applying through a deferred program like HBS 2+2 or Yale Silver Scholars, pursuing a traditional full-time MBA, or exploring a combined degree like an MS/MBA, I can help you develop a differentiated application strategy, refine your essays, and prepare for interviews with confidence.

Good advice should not break your bank. And good advice should be unique. I help MBA applicants find the story that makes everything make sense. My specialty is connecting the dots — personally, professionally, and strategically — so your application reads as a coherent, compelling story rather than a collection of disconnected achievements. I am especially strong at helping applicants find their unique voice and differentiation. This is not a Mad Libs approach, and it is not a factory or template. I help you uncover the most powerful unifying storyline behind your life, career, decisions, ambitions, and future direction. Why this path? Why now? How does everything you have done so far logically lead to what you want to do next? What is the deeper pattern behind your experiences? What makes your candidacy feel not just impressive, but inevitable? Over the past 12 years, I have advised roughly 100 applicants, most targeting top 10 MBA programs. My coaching style is intense, direct, and highly detail-oriented. I am a perfectionist about narrative coherence. I push candidates to go beyond surface-level achievements, uncover the strongest themes in their background, clarify credible short- and long-term goals, and translate their experience into essays and interviews that feel specific, mature, and authentic. The final application should not sound manufactured; it should feel honest, distinctive, and unmistakably yours. I am particularly helpful for candidates with complex, international, technical, finance-heavy, startup, or non-linear backgrounds. If your story has many moving pieces, I can help you connect them into a compelling admissions narrative: where you have been, what shaped you, what you are building toward, and why an MBA is the right bridge. My background combines education from MIT Sloan MBA / undergrad at UPenn, international business experience across the U.S. and China, and years of advising students and professionals on applications, essays, interviews, and career positioning. I have worked across strategy, operations, venture capital, M&A, clean tech, and startup commercialization, which gives me a practical understanding of how ambitious candidates should frame their leadership potential, career goals, and personal differentiation.

Welcome to my profile! With 20+ years experience in Admissions Consulting, Career Coaching, Education, and Recruitment, I've supported many candidates gain admission to top MBA programs on the planet. My values are deeply rooted in quality education, global interconnectedness, and diversity & inclusion. If you're targeting a seat at some of the best schools in the world, working together, I'm confident we can get you there, and my previous client testimonials confirm that. As former Director of Recruitment for the Global MBA program at ESSEC Business School (Paris, France & Singapore) I know exactly what gives MBA applicants a competitive profile in the eyes of admissions committees. Previously in my role at France's prestigious Sciences Po, I offered countless workshops on how to write an impactful CV, as well as how to interview effectively. Prior to this, I worked in admissions & recruitment at Long Island University in New York. Additionally, as an English teacher for many years, most recently at the prestigious École de Guerre, you can rest assured that your essays will be critiqued for English grammar and spelling with the eye of a hawk. In 2020, I created Candidate Coach to do admissions consulting full time. Currently based between Paris, France and New York City - centrally located and globally connected to team up for appointments, no matter what your time zone in the world.

I've helped over 1000 applicants from around the world get into Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, INSEAD, and every other top program you can name. I’m Ellin Lolis, founder of Ellin Lolis Consulting, a global MBA admissions firm with a 98.9% success rate. I’ve spent the last 10+ years guiding applicants with a proven, step-by-step methodology that simplifies the process and maximizes results. As a certified career coach and award-winning writer, my approach helps you craft a powerful personal brand, connect your story and values to each program, and submit applications that actually get you in. Clients often say I treat their application like my own. That’s because I do. I bring the same level of strategic precision and emotional support to every engagement, pushing you to deliver your best work while helping you stay grounded and confident along the way. I've collaborated with a range of different clients from every continent, including clients with low GMAT scores, 40+, traditional IB/MBB applicants, and even non-traditional applicants like nuclear scientists and sports journalists. For each, I helped them find their unique voice that helped them stand out in the crowded admissions space. If you’re aiming high and want a coach with the track record, tools, and heart to get you there, I’d love to work with you.

I went through the MBA admissions process myself and won a place at London Business School as a Merit Scholar — so I know what a competitive application actually looks like from the inside, not in theory. Seven years at Citi before that gave me the kind of finance and leadership track record that admissions committees look for, and I understand exactly how to position one. But my real focus is the part most applicants get wrong: the "why." Schools can spot a generic story instantly. I help you build an essay-and-interview narrative that's sharp, authentic, and impossible to confuse with anyone else's — the difference between a strong profile and an admit.

I’m an HBS MBA (graduated with Distinction) who "swept" the top business schools: I earned admission to Stanford GSB, Wharton (Howard E. Mitchell Fellow), Columbia (Full Tuition), Yale SOM (Full Tuition), Berkeley Haas, and Harvard. I know exactly how to turn a "non-traditional" background into a winning offer. Before HBS, I was a CPA and consultant—not a typical feeder for private equity. Yet, through rigorous positioning and storytelling, I leveraged my MBA to pivot directly into Growth Equity at Summit Partners. I’ve since been featured in Poets & Quants and selected as an inaugural HBS RISE Fellow. My coaching is built on that same level of execution. I have coached 100+ applicants to define their edge, specifically helping career switchers and first-generation candidates punch above their weight class. I don’t just edit essays; I help you build a narrative that connects your personal story (resilience, identity, overcoming adversity) to your professional goals. What to expect: Direct, high-touch partnership. We will clarify your "why," sharpen your resume line-by-line, and build an interview strategy that is authentic and confident. If you want a coach who will push you to present the strongest, most ambitious version of your story, let’s get to work!

I’m Mercedes, an MBA admissions coach with a background from MIT and Bain and deferred admission to Stanford GSB and other top MBA programs. I help applicants develop clear, compelling application narratives rooted in their values, goals, and lived experiences. My clients have been admitted to top business schools including Stanford and MIT, with a particular specialization in Stanford’s MBA application and essays. My coaching style blends strategic storytelling with deep reflection, so your application stands out while still feeling true to who you are. Let’s work together to build an application you’re proud of.

I have supported Admissions interviews for candidates in to the Chicago Booth part-time MBA program so I have a strong sense of what it takes to gain successful admission. During my application process, I only considered 2 part-time programs (Booth & Kellogg) and was able to attain admission to both. In addition, I TA'd Negotiations courses at Booth so I have significant experience negotiating offers and scholarships. I enjoy helping others achieve their goals and look forward to working with you!

Welcome! I chose to pursue a full-time MBA program to pivot my career from analysis to strategy consulting. I mapped out the financial opportunity cost of stopping work to go to a full-time program, applied to multiple programs, and received a scholarship to UVA. I understand the challenges and frustrations of the application process and am happy to help you think through your approach to applications.