MBA Admissions

I'm a Harvard Business School MBA and a former McKinsey & Company consultant. Before HBS, I went through the application process from South Africa — figuring out how to break into a top US programme without the conventional playbook. That's the perspective I bring to coaching, particularly for applicants from non-traditional or international backgrounds. I've helped applicants get into Harvard Business School and Columbia Business School, among others. My approach focuses on the work that actually moves an application: finding the story you should be telling, sharpening it without losing what's authentic to you, and making the narrative cohesive across essays, recommendations and interviews. I've coached candidates from consulting, banking, social impact and operating backgrounds and I believe the strongest applications come from candidates who can articulate not just what they've done, but why it adds up.

As a Harvard Business School MBA graduate, I have firsthand experience navigating the competitive admissions process and understand what it takes to stand out. I have coached a number of mentees and helped them to get into top MBA programs by helping them to find the narrative threads of their experience and communicate them in the ways that resonate most with admissions committees.

I applied to HBS and Stanford GSB through their deferred MBA programs and was admitted to both (~5 people worldwide; <1%). Before I applied, I spoke to 100+ successful MBA applicants and used their advice for my applications. Happy to pass on the knowledge. I am new to formal coaching, but have mentored 5 individuals through the entire application process. All of them have got into Stanford GSB or Harvard Business School. I went through all these applications recently (2022-2024), so can provide relevant information for today's processes. I worked as a consultant at BCG for almost 2 years and recently left to building a healthcare startup. How I can help: ◆ Interviews: realistic HBS and GSB mock interviews with direct, specific feedback, plus help with the HBS post-interview reflection ◆ Essays: turning your experiences into a clear, memorable story, with structured feedback over a set number of drafts ◆ Strategy and school selection: how to position your profile, which schools and rounds to target, and how to explain your goals convincingly ◆ Resume: rewriting bullet points the way consultants do: concise, focused on impact, and easy to scan ◆ Deferred MBA applicants (HBS 2+2, GSB Deferred): I'll help you choose the right first job, frame your story as a college student and stand out in a pool of high achievers ◆ Ding analysis: an honest diagnosis of what held your application back and a concrete plan for your next round My style is structured, candid and efficient. Excited to work with you :)

As an IESE Business School and Imperial College London alumni (scoring in Top 10% of my classes, respectively), my MBA coaching journey began in 2020 after my experience at Harvard Business School’s Summer Venture in Management program, where I coached ambitious undergrads through their Deferred MBA Programs, securing admits from: MIT Sloan, Yale SOM, HBS 2+2, and Moelis Advance Access for Wharton. Since 2020, I have cultivated an MBA/MiM/Master coaching toolkit that encompasses: goals-first, logic-first, culture-fit first sense of executive and corporate storytelling for the M7 universities in the United States and for the top executive programs in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and greater-Asia. Now, I coach a selective clientele all over the world, with recent success stories involving international admits to UChicago Booth (with 60% scholarship), most notably. Over the past two years, I have learned the inner workings of every top program, helping a roster of 15+ (and counting) clients gain admission into their dream schools.

Candidates, especially ones from common or overpopulated demographics, need to stand out. We will work together so that you are not a one-dimensional candidate in the eyes of the Admissions Committee but one who adds something special to the entering cohort. I have been interviewing candidates as a Kellogg alum since 1993. I recruited Executive MBA candidates for Kellogg throughout Latin America and ran information sessions on the fulltime program while a Kellogg director. Later, I worked several years at two of the larger players in the MBA admissions consulting industry before deciding to offer the same services independently. Clients love my authenticity, enthusiasm, and sense of humor. But while a confessed porphyrophile, I have also helped clients get into a wide range of Top Twenty programs, including the M7.

I got into both Stanford GSB and Harvard Business School with a profile that didn't fit the standard mold: an international upbringing, a non-linear career, and no obvious "hook" on paper. What got me in was learning how to tell a coherent, honest story about who I am and where I'm going. That process, figuring out how to position yourself authentically, is exactly what I help clients work through. Since business school, I've informally coached multiple candidates through the MBA application process, several of whom have been admitted to top programs. I focus on the things that actually move the needle: sharpening your "why MBA, why now" narrative, making your essays specific enough to be memorable, and helping you figure out what's genuinely distinctive about your path (even if it doesn't feel that way to you yet). If you've been staring at a blank essay doc wondering how to make your story land, that's exactly where I do my best work.

Welcome to my profile! As an MBA graduate from Yale SOM, where I was a Dean's Scholar and Forte Fellow, I have a wealth of knowledge and experience in the MBA admissions process. My academic journey also includes an MEng from Imperial College London. I am passionate about helping aspiring MBA candidates navigate the complex admissions process, drawing on my own experiences and insights. Whether you need guidance on application strategy, essay crafting, or interview preparation, I'm here to support you every step of the way. Let's connect and work together to achieve your MBA goals!

Started coaching formally on Leland - my last client was accepted to HBS and Wharton! Experience with coaching with 2+2 programs

- Previous experience in MBA admissions consulting - MBA Admissions Ambassador and VP Admissions at Fuqua

Student admissions reader at Kellogg and alumni interviewer. Have assisted 15+ students for admissions consulting over 4+ years with success at Kellogg, Columbia, Yale, Ross, Duke, Darden & LBS