Part-Time MBA Admissions Consultants

As a graduate of the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell, where I finished in the top 10% of my class, I have a deep understanding of what it takes to succeed in an MBA program. My experience, including my time at BCG post-MBA, has equipped me with the skills to guide candidates through the rigorous MBA application process. My leadership roles and community involvement have honed my ability to provide personalized coaching and strategic advice. Whether you need help with application strategy, essay writing, or interview preparation, I'm here to help you achieve your MBA goals. Let's connect and craft a plan tailored to your success!

I have over 17+ years of higher education experience and 9 years at Columbia University, serving as a former Director of MBA/EMBA Admissions, and Senior Associate Director for the Columbia Business School Real Estate Center and Alumni Development. I simplify the process with tailored guidance, personalized strategy, and insights earned as a former M7 Admissions Director, helping you build a narrative that feels true to you and compelling to admissions committees. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach here and I'd love to help you build successful applications with real results.

Welcome! European, without a consulting or finance background, never been in the US, no Ivy League undergrad… I once thought joining Stanford GSB would be impossible. But by being strategic, resourceful, and persistent, I made it happen ! And now I want others to pursue the same path and made their dream happen ! That is why I am on Leland ! For over 12 years, I built a career in telecom across France, Spain, South Korea and Poland, leading large teams and managing multi-hundred-million-dollar businesses. On paper, I didn’t fit the “classic” MBA mold. Yet through careful storytelling, clear positioning, and a deep understanding of what schools truly value, I turned what seemed like weaknesses into my greatest strengths. My journey showed me that admissions success is about owning your story, showing your potential, and finding the right strategy to shine. Along the way, I’ve coached dozens of applicants, especially international students, helping them break through their doubts and land at the GSB. I know how transformative the right mentorship can be, because I’ve lived it. Now, I’m here to pay it forward. If you’re ready to pursue your dream, I’d be glad to guide you step by step.

I've guided candidates through the full MBA admissions process for over 10 years — from school selection and application strategy through to essays, CV, letters of recommendation, and interview prep. Nearly all candidates who completed the full journey with me were admitted to their target school, including M7 programs (Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Columbia, Booth, Kellogg, MIT Sloan) and top European schools (LBS, INSEAD, HEC Paris, Bocconi, IE, IESE, Cambridge, Oxford). As a BCG consultant with an engineering background, I bring a perspective that most admissions coaches don't have. I know what top employers actually look for in MBA graduates, which programmes open which doors, and how to position technical and STEM profiles for business schools — because I've done it myself. I hold an MBA from SDA Bocconi and Columbia Business School, and a mechanical engineering degree from Politecnico di Milano and the University of Illinois, so I've navigated this transition firsthand, on both sides of the Atlantic. I work on every element of the application: defining your narrative and positioning, selecting schools strategically, crafting essays that sound like you and not like a template, shaping your CV for impact, coaching recommenders on what to highlight, and preparing you for interviews. The goal is a cohesive application where every piece reinforces who you are and why you belong. If what you've read resonates, write to me.

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!

M7 Admissions Experience: I spent 11 years leading admissions for the Part-Time MBA Program at Kellogg School of Management. During that time, I recruited, interviewed, and evaluated MBA candidates, counseled prospective students and reapplicants, and helped build four incoming cohorts each year. My Kellogg experience gives me a perspective on MBA applications that goes beyond essays and application mechanics. I understand how an admissions professional looks at the whole candidate - from professional progression and accomplishments to career goals, communication, and program fit. I also understand the questions or concerns that may emerge when all the pieces are considered together. Part of my role as a coach is to ask the questions an applicant may not have considered, and help determine what will strengthen the overall candidacy. Today, applicants have access to more information and tools than ever before. I encourage clients to use good resources thoughtfully. I bring something complementary: years of experience evaluating real MBA candidates and the judgment that comes from seeing how individual choices contribute to the overall impression an applicant makes. My goal is not to create an application for you. It is to help you make informed choices and present the strongest, most authentic version of your candidacy.

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.

-Coached 200+ paid clients (at professional, market rates) through the MBA admissions process -Have placed multiple clients at each of the Top 25 US schools (~75% M7; ~95% M7 + S7; ~99% Top 25), as well as European schools (INSEAD, LBS, IESE, Oxford, Cambridge) -Accepted as member of AIGAC (Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultations) - an international organization that monitors ethics in admissions consulting and collaborates with Admissions Directors to discuss ideas and trends -Attend annual AIGAC Conference to network, learn about schools, and discuss admissions trends. Attended by AdCom Directors at most top US / European Schools as well as the CEO and / or head consultant(s) at many of the large, well-known firms -Worked at mbaMission for five years -Experience consulting to a range of candidates both from traditional feeder fields (e.g. Investment Banking, Consulting) to non-traditional fields (e.g. fitness coach, independent film director) -Strong business acumen with strategy experience at multiple Fortune 500 companies -Strong informal network of the top solo MBA consultants globally

✨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!

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.