28,119Leland Reviews

I was initially hesitant to work with an admissions consultant as I had countless friends in graduate programs who were willing to help me through the process. After speaking with Kelsey, I was immediately impressed and my free 15-minute call lasted more than an hour. After the call, I knew I had to work with Kelsey and throughout the process of working together, she went above and beyond my expectations. My other friends who hired significantly more expensive consultants from the most well-known firms often had generic and underwhelming experiences with a cookie cutter approach. My experience with Kelsey could not have been more different. She took the time to fully understand my background and goals and helped me craft specific applications for all of my target schools. With a low GMAT score, I am confident the only reason I was accepted my MBA and MPP programs can be attributed to my essays and my work with Kelsey. She pushed me to put forth my best application and spent abundant time drafting essays with me and coaching me through multiple iterations of the interview process. I could not be more pleased with my experience and I highly recommend that applicants give Kelsey a call. You will not be disappointed. After multiple acceptances, I was fortunate to accept my offer from the Harvard Kennedy School, my first choice program. Pre-MBA Industry: Military Years of Work Experience: 4 Undergraduate GPA: 3.8 GMAT Scores: 670

Candidly, I was working with another admissions counselor before going to Kelsey. About 3 weeks before application deadlines, and after hundreds of dollars with another counselor and still feeling like I was getting nowhere close to my applications being ready, I reached out to Kelsey and thankfully she was able to help me out! Within a few days we were able to craft a compelling “Why MBA” essay that I was able to utilize across several applications – and an essay I felt confident about submitting! Working with Kelsey was truly a joy. A few things to highlight. 1) Kelsey is a previous admissions counselor which I think is a huge plus because she knows exactly what is being looked for across all aspects of the application. 2) I think Kelsey genuinely cares about the students that she works with – she isn’t like other consultants who just want to make money. Not only did she help me with essays, but also kept me motivated throughout the process. She was truly one of my biggest cheerleaders. 3) Kelsey is very efficient! She always got back to me with edits in less than 48 hours, and was very fast with edits, saving me time and money. 4) Kelsey was great at ensuring my personality and unique characteristics came out in my essays – she made sure that my voice was honored. These really helped me standout during this extremely competitive year. Results: In total I applied to 6 six schools and received admission to all 3 M7s (including Wharton), 2 T15s, and was waitlisted at one place. Not only did I receive acceptances to 5/6 programs, but I also was awarded over $450k in scholarship money! I genuinely don’t believe I could have done this without all of Kelsey’s work during the application. My only regret is that I didn’t go to Kelsey earlier! If you are looking for a MBA coach, I ensure you there is no one better! Pre-MBA Industry: Finance Years of Work Experience: 4 Undergraduate GPA: 3.6 GMAT Scores: 650

I’m so incredibly grateful that a friend of mine happened to mention they were working with Kelsey while also applying to business school…! At the time, I wasn’t quite sure where to begin or what I needed, but after just one conversation with Kelsey, I knew she was the right fit for me. Her approach is personal, targeted, and grounded in real experience – and working with her from end to end far surpassed my expectations. Kelsey is genuinely one of the most attentive and thoughtful consultants I’ve ever worked with. She was there for everything – every question, every doubt, every anxious moment – and made me feel completely supported throughout the entire Columbia EMBA application process. That kind of presence goes a long way when you’re navigating something as formal and high-stakes as a business school application. Her feedback was always crisp, clear, actionable, and deeply personalized. Every session we had – whether we were workshopping essays, refining the application, or prepping for interviews – was productive and focused. It was worth every dollar, and then some. I only wish I had met her sooner when I first began thinking about business school! If you’re looking for someone who truly takes the time to understand you and what you need to succeed, I can’t recommend Kelsey enough. She’s an A+ consultant and a truly wonderful human. Anyone lucky enough to work with her will feel the same. Pre-MBA Industry: Tech Years of Work Experience: 11 Undergraduate GPA: 2.62

I think Kelsey's biggest strength is she helps you define and frame all aspects of your story. I find a lot of applicants, like myself, have interesting stories and background to share, but struggle to convey it in a relevant and compelling manner. Her experience in admissions shines in this area she is able to pick out and refine the highlights of your background. She did not hesitant to shoot down aspects of my background that weren't as interesting and also helped me flesh out other parts that I may have overlooked. Additionally, Kelsey's process is highly structured and helped me set timelines and goals for myself when applying. We set dates for work to be completed by and she would follow-up quickly with updates/comments. She has an efficient organization system for breaking down different pieces of work to be down by school and how to re-use certain pieces and ideas for different applications. She is high touch at every step of the process from LoR, essay, resume, application submission, interview, and wait-list. She will review everything you submit. Her expertise shines as you work with her and it made a huge difference for me when I was trying to get off the wait-list. I am thankful and grateful for all of Kelsey's hard-work and highly recommend her as an consultant.

Kelsey was recommended to me by a friend who had successfully gained admission to their dream program, and I couldn’t be more grateful for that recommendation. There is absolutely no chance I would have gotten into my M7 school without Kelsey’s help. Before working with her, I had completely misunderstood what admissions committees were looking for in essays. Kelsey’s guidance was invaluable in helping me reshape my approach. She is incredibly responsive, so there’s no excuse to procrastinate—you’re always moving forward in the process. What I appreciated most was her honesty. If a draft was off base or missing the mark, she didn’t hesitate to tell me point blank, which saved me from wasting time heading in the wrong direction. Kelsey is also great at asking probing questions that help you uncover the genuine story you want to tell. Without her assistance, I would never have developed the final version of my application, which truly reflected who I am and what I'm looking to get out of my MBA. When it came time for my live interview round, Kelsey prepped me perfectly. She helped me refine my story, articulate my goals, and present myself in the best possible light—all while staying authentic to myself. I plan to recommend her to my own brother when he begins his MBA journey in the next few years. If I trust her with my family, you can absolutely trust her with your MBA application process.

If you are looking for a consultant, I think you can stop searching. I talked to other consultants and used the ApplicantLab, but right from the beginning I felt that Kelsey was invested in me and my story. She once told me that she is a magician, and I now believe it is true because I got into M7 with a $100k scholarship after 2 years of rejections. I didn’t even want to reapply after those rejections, but she convinced me that I had a chance, and was actually angry for me that I didn’t get in. She says in the intro that her “superpower is helping applicants craft materials that sound and feel like them” and that she achieves “this by simplifying the application process, providing individualized and tailored advice, and spending time to deeply understand you”. I can attest that she means this 100%. She will provide tailored and very detailed advice on ways to improve every little part of your application (and I mean every little part). She will simplify it by stating targets and needed deadlines in each step. She will make your material sound like you, because she will bring the best out of you. Throughout this process, I realized that I actually was not that boring and had challenges that I thought were not that impactful, but actually are. But she will also challenge you on your decisions and every sentence you write the same way adcoms will challenge you. That way your application and you as well are fully prepared for adcoms. I had to prove to her why I had to apply to M7 and not other schools, and it helped me to outline (first of all for myself) the whole path of my MBA and planned post-MBA journey, which gave me confidence that I am the right fit for these schools. This also laid down the foundation for the interview, because I knew what I wanted and needed from schools. Kelsey prepared me for the interview as well. I am an introverted person and was a bit nervous about this part of the process. With her help it was like a walk in the park, I felt so confident and prepared. She knew exactly what questions will be, how to prepare and structure answers, and what to do in unexpected scenarios. She is also invested in you and your application emotionally, so she will ride highs and lows with you and will be your friend throughout this process who will encourage and support you. Given how reasonable her pricing is, I think you receive much, much more than you pay. The only thing I regret is that I hadn’t started working with her earlier.

After opting to go with Kelsey, I submitted a TON of materials to her, including my Consortium essays (a whole other set of essays) and two letters of rec my recommenders shared with me. She reviewed EVERYTHING in a little over a day, including very detailed reviews of transcript, resume, etc (which can get loss in the essay shuffle). She shared a doc of 10 pages of feedback, and then met with me for ~45 minutes on Zoom (vs. 30 minutes advertised). Essentially, she is very generous with her services, which was amazing! I think her thorough feedback was critical to me sharpening a lot of my admissions package – I reworked a lot of essays, meaningfully improved a second recommender’s letter, and totally revised my resume using her guidance. I even took the GRE with her encouragement (after taking the GMAT). Throughout the process, she also answered many, many random questions I had, and just provided a lot of moral support in a very ambiguous and stressful process. I ended up getting full-tuition scholarships at both CBS and Stern, so it was 100% worth that upfront investment.

Kelsey is 1000% worth the investment! Before beginning the process of applying to business school, I had no idea where to start. I thought I didn't have a shot at my top schools with my slightly below average test scores and what felt like an unoriginal story. Kelsey came in with kindness, empathy, patience, and tough love when needed to help me reframe my entire perspective about my story and my accomplishments. She is also incredibly efficient, thorough, and extremely knowledgeable about the admissions process -- not to mention easily accessible when I bombarded her with questions and panicky messages. I am lucky enough to say that I was accepted into every school that I applied to (some even with scholarship), and I don't think that would've happened if it weren't for Kelsey. She believed in me when I didn't believe in myself -- which is exactly what you need in an admissions consultant. I truly couldn't have gone through this process without her!

Results: M7 with $, t-15 with $$$$, CBS with $$$ Stats: 3.4 from state school, 2.mid law school GPA, domestic candidate, 99% GMAT (please don't let this fool you; anyone who's paying attention can see that it's not all about the hard stats) Background: I had doubts regarding my candidacy. Looking through Linkedin, I found <10 people from my undergrad institution who went on to attend the top MBA programs. My resume was not adorned with mentions of blue chip companies and I had done a lot of job hopping in the government and non-profit sectors. I had also spoken with other consultants prior to contacting Kelsey and they all recommended that I aim for programs in the t-20 range, referencing my low GPA as a limiting factor to my candidacy. Even though I had a lot of self-doubt, I also believed in myself and felt that I could reach a bit higher. I wanted additional opinions and stumbled upon Kelsey. After sending her an email with my story, she promptly responded. She told me that she felt that I had a compelling story and that I could absolutely achieve my goal of admission into a top program (I'd also like to note that I hadn't yet taken the GMAT, so her response was more focused on my story and career progression with a hypothetical test score range in mind). Her advice actually made me tear up--here was someone who believed in me when I didn't even fully believe in myself. I knew that I wanted to work with her immediately. Review: -Kelsey has worked as an Adcom at a top program in the past, so she understands exactly what they are looking for. Additionally, she is able to translate her thoughts on an app into actionable advice. -Kelsey is very responsive to emails. This process can be very anxiety-inducing, and so it's important to have someone who can promptly address even the most minor of concerns. -Kelsey is a great listener and very empathetic. These points just made her a very easy person to work with. -Her rates are very reasonable. I never felt like I was being nickeled and dimed, and she bills by the minute if you choose to go hourly, so you can be sure that you're getting full value. Overall, I would analogize the MBA admissions process to building a puzzle without a box. You have all of the pieces you need, but you don't have the final image to reference in putting them together. Kelsey is the box. She will help you to arrange all of your seemingly disparate experiences into a cohesive picture. Even the strongest of candidates can benefit from working with Kelsey. We all rely on others every day for guidance in areas where we are not experts, so why not rely on someone for help with a process that could change the course of your life? If I had to do it all over again, I would work with Kelsey every time.

Stop looking for other consultants. Kelsey is the best. I talked to every major consultant available, and could have hired any of them. I chose Kelsey and I could not have gotten into my dream mba program without her. Kelsey worked in adcom, and it shows. She really works to bring the best our of you. Most consultants are glorified essay/resume editors. Kelsey takes the time to get to know you, your story, goals, and helps you communicate those in the most effective way. The application process is stressful, but Kelsey makes it simple and easy. Hire Kelsey and thank me later.