MBA Admissions Coaches

Hey there! With an MBA from Harvard Business School and a strong background in consulting and asset management, I bring a wealth of experience to MBA admissions coaching. My journey includes serving on the admissions committee at Trinity College, where I evaluated candidates and conducted information sessions. As a former entrepreneur, consultant at McKinsey & Company and Asset Manager at Morgan Stanley, I understand the competitive landscape and what top programs are looking for in applicants. I'm here to help you create an application that truly represents YOU and helps you to feel confident when you crush your interviews. Reach out if you’re ready to lock in and get started!

I’m well-qualified to coach students preparing for MBA admissions, having successfully gone through the process myself and completed my MBA. I understand what top business schools look for — from crafting a compelling personal narrative to excelling in interviews and essays. Beyond my own experience, I’ve coached over 30 students from my school and professional network on how to position their backgrounds effectively, resulting in multiple successful admissions to top MBA programs. My coaching focuses on strategy, authenticity, and helping each student showcase their unique strengths in a competitive admissions environment.

MBA is life-changing, but the price tag is something people rarely talk about. When I applied to MBA, I knew one thing very clearly: I could only go if I received significant scholarship support. Through a focused and intentional application strategy, I received two full-tuition MBA scholarships and four 50% scholarships. And I didn’t get there by chance. Along the way, I spoke with 30+ full-scholarship recipients, studied what actually makes schools view an applicant as fundable, and developed a repeatable framework for maximizing scholarship outcomes. Especially for candidates who don’t come from traditional business or consulting backgrounds. I studied chemistry and worked in the pharmaceutical industry before deciding to pivot into consulting through an MBA. I understand how intimidating it can feel to explain a non-traditional path, and how easy it is to undersell your story. My goal is to help you build an authentic personal narrative that still thinks strategically - one that shows schools you are not only admissible, but also fundable and employable. If you’re coming from a non-traditional background and want both admission and meaningful scholarship, I’d love to help you get there.

I was admitted to Booth, Kellogg (MMM Program), and Wharton, all on merit scholarships ranging from 25-75% tuition coverage. I was an Admissions Fellow at Wharton, speaking to and interviewing over 300 candidates.

I applied to a broad range of top programs and was admitted to every school I applied to (4 M7 and 10 T15), despite having a sub-par undergraduate GPA and a non-traditional background. Now, I’ve been on both sides of the process. Most recently, I served on the Chicago Booth Admissions Committee, where I reviewed 100s of applications, interviewed candidates, and saw firsthand how this are evaluated internally (NOTE: It’s a far more structured and methodical process than most applicants realize!) I work selectively with motivated applicants who want honest, direct feedback and a clear strategy from someone who has navigated the process successfully and understands how decisions are actually made.

As a current MBA candidate at The Wharton School, I have provided 1:1 coaching to over 30 prospective students to support their MBA application process. I bring a wealth of experience through my own MBA application process, which was enriched by my role as an MBA Fellow with Management Leadership for Tomorrow and Questbridge MBA Scholar, where I gained insights into crafting compelling applications for top business schools. Through these efforts, I was accepted as an MBA Candidate at The Wharton School, Harvard Business School, and UChicago Booth. Let's get started today and help best prepare you for the business school program of your dreams!

I have personally been admitted to several M7 and T15 MBA programs, including Chicago Booth, Columbia Business School, and Cornell Johnson — with over USD 250K in merit scholarships. Additionally, I am a recipient of some of the most prestigious and competitive graduate fellowships in the world, such as the Schwarzman Scholars program at Tsinghua University with only a 3% acceptance rate annually. Since then, I have advised 50+ traditional and non-traditional applicants to top business schools globally, including Harvard Business School, Stanford GSB, The Wharton School, Columbia, Kellogg, Booth, MIT Sloan, INSEAD, London Business School, Haas, Cornell Johnson, and Dartmouth Tuck, etc. I have developed a success framework and templates that can guide you through the MBA application process and maximize your chances. Let's work together to craft a standout application that highlights your unique story. Reach out to start your journey towards your dream MBA program!

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'm Maryam, an MBA candidate at Wharton (Class of 2026), where I received a merit scholarship. I will be working at BCG in San Francisco after school. Before Wharton, I spent years at LinkedIn and Accenture sitting at the intersection of business strategy and technology, and developing a real conviction that we can get anything we want in this life as long as we have the right people beside us. That belief brings me to coaching! The MBA application process is deeply personal, and the best applications don't just list achievements, they reveal the unique person behind them. I know this process from the inside: what Wharton looks for, how to frame a non-linear story, and how to turn your specific background into a compelling case for why you, now. Whether you're building your school list, thinking about your essays, or preparing for interviews, I'll help you find the through-line in your story and tell it with clarity and confidence. For essays specifically, you are welcome to explore my general writing on my Substack: https://substack.com/@maryamaram

I grew up across five U.S. cities and spent years living on four continents, so “Where are you from?” rarely has a tidy answer. But why I move is simple: to help people become the best version of themselves. For me, that impact starts with food. My personal mission is to make healthy meals exciting, accessible, and affordable. That mission led me to build a hydroponic farm in my apartment, donate 20K lbs of food to furloughed service workers during COVID, and start a kombucha company in China. That clarity of vision led me to become the first person ever admitted to Stanford GSB and the Schwarzman Scholars program in the same application cycle. As your coach, I’ll give you the clarity that took me years to gain. Together we’ll sharpen your mission, ground it in your experiences, and craft a story that connects every dot. The result? An application that admissions teams can’t overlook. Just ask the people I've previously worked with who were accepted into Stanford GSB, Schwarzman, Harvard, Wharton, and beyond.