Executive MBA Admissions Experts

I'm a Princeton undergrad and UC Berkeley Haas MBA with 10 years of professional experience coaching over 200 applicants to top programs. As someone who initially struggled with the MBA admissions process and with navigating my early career path, I am passionate about helping others have a smoother and more purpose-driven experience. While my background is in investments, product, and marketing, I love working with applicants from all industries and functions (variety is the spice of life!) I am also highly plugged into the world of entrepreneurship through my work in venture investing focused on UC Berkeley affiliated startups. MBA ADMISSIONS EXPERIENCE - Leland Top MBA Coach in 2026, 2025, and 2021. Leland Top 50 Coach (all categories) in 2024. - Began coaching professionally in 2017 with Stacy Blackman Consulting, where I was trained and mentored by former M7 AdCom members - Coached 200+ clients who have been admitted to Wharton, Kellogg, Sloan, Columbia, Stanford, Harvard, Haas, Booth, Ross, Tuck, Fuqua, Stern, LBS, Oxford, and many more; clients have received >$3M in scholarships - First-hand experience as the student VP of Admissions at Haas (2014-2015) and also served as VP of New Student Orientation (2013-2014) - Extensive experience helping clients with low GPAs, below median test scores, unemployment, etc. (and can personally empathize with some of these challenges) - Specialized knowledge of top part-time programs, including Haas, Booth, Kellogg, and Anderson COACHING COMPETENCE - Decades of experience giving others constructive feedback on their writing and speaking in corporate, editorial, and admissions coaching settings - Find personal fulfillment in mentoring: mentored financially disadvantaged youth in San Francisco on college applications and currently mentor small groups of college women in Utah on career development, higher education, and leadership - Brutally honest with my clients about their chances rather than saying "of course I can get you into XYZ school" (but will never discourage someone from applying to a reach program if I think there’s a chance!) - Known for collegial, astute, and supportive coaching style, as exemplified by one former client stating: “Emily is so much more than an MBA Admissions Consultant. She's a mentor, friend, and on many occasions...a therapist.” MARKETING & WRITING EXPERTISE - Held a variety of product marketing, product management, and investor relations roles over my 19 year corporate career, which honed my positioning and messaging skills (if I can make a boring old mutual fund compelling, think of what I can do for you!) - More creative writing pursuits include penning a #1 Amazon Bestselling book for first time moms in 2020 and serving as a sports writer for The Daily Princetonian in college

🏆 RECIPIENT OF LELAND TOP COACH AWARD 2026 🏆 ✨SEPTEMBER SPECIAL: I’m currently offering special limited time pricing for my MBA and Masters Application Packages (including unlimited hours)! Check out my packages or DM me for details. ✨WHY CHOOSE MELANIE? When you work with me, you're partnering with an insider who has firsthand knowledge of what top MBA programs like Columbia, Harvard, and Stanford are looking for. As a Columbia MBA alumna, MBA Admissions Interviewer, former McKinsey consultant, and professional ICF-certified Executive Coach, I offer a holistic coaching approach that combines admissions expertise with expert storytelling, giving you an edge over the competition. Here’s why I’m the best choice for your MBA journey: • 🎓MBA, M7, & COLUMBIA EXPERT: I have proven results at every M7 school and many Top 25 programs. As a CBS MBA alumna and MBA Admissions Interviewer, I have insider knowledge of what top-tier schools seek. My experience in admissions interviewing gives me the unique perspective of understanding how to effectively position applicants for success. • ✍️ESSAY CONCIERGE: I’m not just a coach - I’m a writer and editor with an eye for detail. With years of experience writing successful MBA essays, career coaching courses, and crafting works of fiction, I bring a keen sense of storytelling, language mastery, and technical precision to every essay I work on. Whether it’s structure, flow, or word choice, I’ll make sure your essay is perfectly polished and reflects your best self. Through powerful storytelling, I help them build a brand that truly stands out in the MBA admissions process. We fine tune every written piece of your application, including essay, resumes, short-answers, and even LinkedIn profiles! • 🚀PROVEN RESULTS: I’ve helped 200+ applicants secure spots at M7 schools (as well as top 25 programs), and I’m proud to be part of the top 4 ranked firm on Poets & Quants for 2025. My clients’ success stories are a testament to the tailored strategies and guidance I provide. • 🎯PROFESSIONAL COACH: With over 10 years of coaching experience, I’m not just an admissions consultant—I’m an ICF-certified Executive Coach & Life Coach. My approach goes beyond getting you into business school; I focus on your MBA branding, leadership development, and executive presence to prepare you for the journey ahead. ✨WHO I WORK WITH: • Traditional and Non-Traditional Candidates • Diverse Applicants including POC, Veterans, and LGBTQIA+ • Candidates with High and Low Test Scores • Full-Time, Part-Time, Columbia's J-Term, Deferred, and EMBA (Executive MBA) Candidates ✨PROVEN SUCCESS AT THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMS: • Columbia Business School (CBS) • Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) • Harvard Business School (HBS) • University of Pennsylvania Wharton • Northwestern Kellogg School of Management • Chicago Booth School of Business • MIT Sloan School of Management • NYU Stern School of Business • London Business School (LBS) • INSEAD • University of California, Berkeley (Haas) • Yale School of Management • Michigan's Ross School of Business • Darden School of Business (UVA) • Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth • Duke's Fuqua School of Business • Cornell University Johnson School of Management • Emory University Goizueta Business School • Jones Graduate School of Business (Rice) • University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business • University of Texas, Austin, McCombs • University of California, Los Angeles, Anderson ✨LET'S GET YOU INTO YOUR DREAM MBA PROGRAM: Ready to transform your MBA aspirations into reality? Contact me for your free consultation today. With my insider knowledge, executive coaching expertise, and essay-writing mastery, I’ll help you craft a standout application that positions you for success—both in admissions and beyond.

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. 96% of my clients achieve MBA success and more than half secure scholarships averaging $240K. 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.

I have extensive experience coaching across all aspects of MBA admissions: 1. I have helped 30+ students get into top MBA programs, including HBS, Stanford GSB, Wharton, etc. I also have experience helping several students get into top executive or non-traditional programs (Stanford MSx, Wharton EMBA, etc.). 2. I am a former professional writer, and I have helped almost all of my students brainstorm, recraft, tune, and edit their essays. This is primarily what I help with for MBA applications. 3. I spent years tutoring standardized tests (GRE, GMAT, SAT). While I no longer offer tutoring services, I can help you develop a study plan and tackle weak points. 4. I am a professional resume reviewer for both MBA admissions and consulting applications. 5. Additionally, I was part if the Student Admissions Program for the Wharton MBA program

With over twenty years of multifaceted professional and MBA admissions consulting experience, I bring a perspective that most consultants simply can’t replicate. My career has taken me from Deloitte’s Strategy & Operations practice and Samsung’s Global Strategy Group in Seoul to the operating teams of multiple tech startups and the halls of higher education, where I have coached MBA candidates at UCLA Anderson and USC Marshall. I understand what admissions committees at top programs are looking for, because I’ve lived the kinds of careers they want to see and I know how to help you frame your story in the most compelling way possible. My commitment is to help you articulate your unique story and personal brand in an authentic and engaging way. I ensure that every aspect of your application, from essays and resumes to recommendations and interviews, reflects your full potential. Whether you need comprehensive end-to-end guidance or targeted assistance with a specific component, I provide honest, actionable feedback and individualized hands-on support. I work with a select group of clients each cycle—to give each engagement the attention it deserves and ensure that no one gets lost in the shuffle. The results speak for themselves: ➤ 100% of clients get M7 interviews ➤ 100% of clients interview with one or more M7 programs ➤ 90% of clients admitted to one or more M7 programs ➤ Clients admitted to HBS, Stanford GSB, Wharton, Kellogg, Booth, MIT Sloan, CBS, Berkeley Haas, NYU Stern, Yale SOM, Fuqua, and Tuck I hold an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and a BA from Swarthmore College.

Hello - I'm Stone and I'd love to help you with your MBA journey. Leland recently named me a Top 15 MBA Coach for 2026. I'm a Stanford MBA and was also accepted at Booth, Columbia, and Haas, all with scholarships. I've helped people get into every M7 school. My Ethos: I believe the MBA admissions process should be more than a series of essays and tests. It's an opportunity to look inward and reflect on: - What you actually want to do with your life - How you are going to get there - What makes you special? Were it not for the self-reflection and growth I had during my application process, I wouldn't have even thought to apply for the role that ended up being my dream job. And even if I hadn't gotten into business school, I still had a list of well thought out goals to work towards. I want to help guide you through this process in a way that will give you this growth, while also putting together applications you are proud of that will resonate with any admissions committee! Between my own applications and those of my coachees, I've spent hundreds of hours successfully navigating the admissions process. Wherever you are in your MBA journey, please feel free to directly schedule a free, no-strings attached consultation or message me with questions. I would love to work with you! Here are some of the things I've helped clients with: - Personal reflection and career goalsetting/discovery - Telling your "story" in an authentic, compelling, and coherent way - Is an MBA even right for you? - School selection - Resume prep (ideation and review) - Essays (ideation and review) - Recommender coaching (how to make sure you get stellar recs that will support the rest of your application) - Interview prep (strategy, response preparation, mock interviews with detailed feedback) - Waitlist strategy - Insights from other MBAs My Story: That said, my MBA application process was far from easy. In fact, I almost didn't apply. I had no MBB background, a below-average GPA, and even had a mentor decline to recommend me because they didn’t believe I’d get in anywhere good. I was intimidated by the profiles I found online of people who attended these schools and became full of impostor syndrome. Luckily a friend convinced me to apply anyway. I ended up being the only person at my company (200k+ employees globally) who was accepted to Stanford that year. How did I do it? By crafting a compelling and cohesive narrative that tied together every part of my application (essays, extracurriculars, recommendations, resume, etc.). I want to help you do the same and make your MBA applications the best they can be! I have extensive experience in marketing, writing, and storytelling. I want to use these skills to help you. For example: - I coached Stanford classmates for Talk and TalkX to help them reflect and authentically share their stories - I was a guest lecturer for a Stanford undergrad marketing course - In consulting, I wrote and edited several whitepapers on industry/market trends - I interned at the National Audubon Society's magazine, writing articles about environmental conservation - I was an editor for Brown's course review site - I interviewed candidates applying to Brown University (undergrad)

Welcome to my profile! As a Columbia Business School MBA graduate and former Senior Associate at McKinsey & Company, I bring a wealth of experience in strategic operations and business development. My diverse background, including roles at NBCUniversal and Frame.io, equips me with unique insights into the intersection of business and creativity. I have successfully coached numerous clients through the MBA admissions process, helping them craft compelling applications that stand out. Whether you need guidance on application strategy, essay writing, or interview preparation, I'm here to help you achieve your MBA goals. Let's connect and start your journey to success!

Coaching has always been a big passion of mine - while in business school, I was the VP of Prospective Students for the Armed Forces Association as well as a member of Service2School, a non-profit that provides guidance and mentorship for transitioning service members looking to pursue advanced degrees. I'm also a alumni interviewer for Ross. Over the past 5 years, I've coached and prepped over 100+ people on MBA applications with a high rate of success. I know what adcoms are looking for, so let me help you get there!

If you're looking for "nice", look elsewhere. With me, you'll get the hard truth. About your chances, about ways to improve those chances and, above all, the changes we need to make in order to maximize your chances at the top schools. My edits will be ruthless. I will insist you dive deeper and deeper into the narrative until we get it right. And I know "right". With over 15 years of working with Top 20 MBA applicants, I am an expert in identifying the areas where everyone needs help: telling their story in way that makes them stand out. When you're up against other Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Yale applicants, there is more to personal statements and supplemental essays than merely being outstanding. Your story has to stop the jaded admissions folks in their tracks and make them say, 'Wow! That's who we're looking for!" That's where I come in. I take a deep dive into getting to you know, your story, what makes you tick and what motivates you. With the help of our curated conversations, custom guides and 90-minute brainstorming sessions, I will help you squeeze out every last ounce of your potential and make it sing on the page. Working in this way is painstaking and time consuming, but my results speak for themselves. Each year, I get 90+% of my clients into at least one of their top 3 dream schools. This also means that I cannot take on many clients (usually 25-28 per application cycle). With so much personal attention given to each applicant and their multiple applications, it is impossible for me to maintain my high level of success if I take on more than 25-28 clients per year. This means three things: 1.) My schedule fills up quick 2.) I am by no means the cheapest consultant out there (in fact, I am on the more pricey side) 3.) The experience--and results--you have with me (yes, me, Avi...not some junior consultant) will be second to none. It's also worth noting that roughly half of my clients each year are those that had disappointing experiences working with other consultants. The most common complaint I hear from these disgruntled applicants is that they didn't feel like the consultant took a vested interest in their success, limiting their face to face time while discouraging them them from applying to top-tier schools. This way, the consultant looks like a big hero when you get admitted to schools you would have likely got admitted to without their "help". My specialty is M7 MBA programs and Top 20 Business Schools. In both cases, my job is to get you interviews at, and admitted to, schools that in some cases you have no business'' getting accepted to, and in other cases getting you scholarship money for your No. 1 school. Otherwise, what's the point, right? If I can't raise the stakes for you, what am I getting paid for? Background: Born and raised in New York City, I take a non-nonsense approach to consulting. We are going to work together for months, sometimes a full year, together, so I like to set the tone for an honest, direct style of communication that leads to winning applications, not inflated egos. To do this successfully, I have to part coach, part mentor, part drill sergeant and part therapist. But mostly your fearless leader in navigating the tricky terrain of college apps. I will hound you for draft deadlines, insist on better revisions and deeper reflection even when you feel it's "good enough". And I will keep you on a structured schedule so you don't feel overwhelmed. Lastly, in certain cases I won't be "nice". If I feel you're capable of better, I'll let you know. If something could work better in an application, I will point it out. I will not spare your feelings, we're here to win this admissions game. I have coached this game for going on 20 years. I am a former Admissions reader at Berkeley and writer for the LA Times. I have a receding hairline and a mean left hook (former boxer). I value honesty over flattery and ambition over modesty. Let's make this happen. Together. .

Welcome to my profile! As an expert admissions coach, I specialize in helping individuals with non-traditional backgrounds craft compelling narratives for top MBA programs. With an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Master's in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School, I bring a unique perspective to the application process. My clients have successfully gained admission to prestigious institutions such as HBS, MIT Sloan, Tuck, Stanford, and Wharton. I focus on a holistic approach, ensuring that every part of your application tells your authentic story, particularly addressing the critical "Why MBA" and "Why Now" questions. Having coached over 30 clients, I am passionate about helping you unpack your personal story and achieve your dream of attending a top business school. Reach out to start your journey today!