Traditional Full-Time MBA Admissions Experts

MBA COACHING, WRITING EXPERTISE & CAREER • Stanford GSB Alum, Class of 2021 -- see relevant experience sets below: • Coaching | Advised 300+ admits into Stanford GSB, HBS, Wharton, Kellogg, MIT Sloan, INSEAD, Haas, and more (see ~100 Leland reviews), while teaching multiple courses through Leland • Professional Writing | Speechwriting in public policy & political environments, Lead Editor for Nondisclosure (Stanford GSB's magazine) and Managing Editor for the Stanford International Policy Review • GMAT / Test-Taking | Scored in the highest percentile of GMAT test-takers, but more importantly I've honed my ability to help others extrapolate top test-testing strategies in the areas they're weakest • Interview Training | I'm interview-trained for McKinsey, allowing me to give high-quality mock interviews for MBBs and any MBA program • Additional Writing | Crafting op-eds, ghostwriting for major publications, developing a fictional short story collection, policy deep dives, a book on chess applications to life, and application essays of all sorts CAREER • What I'm Doing Now | Based in NYC, building a publication 'Staying Human', working on a stealth, marketplace startup, playing chess profssionally, and advising while a slate of Seed to Series C startups through Elevate LLC • Public Policy | Prior to Stanford, worked on the Policy Team for the Chicago Mayor's Office under Mayor Rahm Emanuel, focusing on 5G infrastructure policy, criminal justice policy, and citywide corporate/economic development deals • McKinsey | Before policy, worked at McKinsey & Co , with casework focused on job training for the formerly incarcerated and workforce development for at-risk youth • PE / VC / Startup Advising | After Stanford, worked in Bain's Private Equity Group on various due diliegences, managed deals with several venture capital firms, and advised multiple startups on growth and go-to-market strategy

🏆 Selected as one of the Top 5 Coaches on Leland 🏆 During my time inside the admissions office at Chicago Booth, I learned a hard truth that drives my work today. There is a massive gap between being qualified for an MBA and actually getting admitted. Most of you are qualified for admissions to one of the top business schools in the world. You have the grades and the work experience (or internships, in the case of Deferred appicants). But for the last 17 years, my job has been to help applicants move from the 'qualified' pile to the 'accepted' pile. I do that by helping you strip away the generic business jargon, find your core story, and build a narrative that actually sticks in the memory of an admissions officer. As a member of AIGAC, I’m constantly talking to schools to understand what they are looking for this specific cycle. For MBA applicants, the bar is incredibly high because you are selling potential, not just history. My goal is to help you figure out how to prove that potential.

With 17 years of admissions consulting experience at a top-ranked firm, advising more than 1,000 candidates and guiding hundreds to M7 and other top-20 MBA programs, I offer a strategic partnership grounded in clarity, efficiency, and long-term career architecture. I have worked with candidates from every background and career path, and I understand how personal and high-stakes this process can feel. My work begins well before essays are drafted. Drawing on a 40-year career spanning engineering, corporate strategy, product leadership, and entrepreneurial ventures, I help you think through not only where you can gain admission, but where you can build meaningful, lasting leverage. Rather than focusing narrowly on one or two programs, we thoughtfully evaluate Full-Time, Part-Time, Executive, and alternative pathways to determine what truly aligns with your goals and life circumstances. I invest deeply in front-end strategy: clarifying your demonstrated strengths, modeling realistic career trajectories, and developing a clear positioning thesis. When that foundation is strong, the writing becomes more natural and efficient. I do not believe in endless cycles of edits. I believe in doing the hard thinking upfront so the messaging reflects who you genuinely are and what you bring. Whether you are a traditional applicant or come from a less conventional background, I serve as both strategic advisor and steady project partner. You can expect candid feedback, structured planning, and focused refinement that surfaces your authentic value. I will not write your essays for you, but I will challenge and support you in ways that help you see your story more clearly than you have before.

I graduated from Wharton's MBA program and the Harvard Kennedy School's Masters of Public Administration program. I have expertise in dual-degree applicants, candidates with traditional backgrounds looking to differentiate their application, and candidates committed to mission-oriented careers. I have 5 prior years of formally coaching full-time and deferred-applicants with over 75 students accepted to M7 programs. I have deep experience with candidates from traditional backgrounds in finance (IBD + PE + Real Estate), consulting (healthcare + CPG), and social impact looking to advance within their industries & make pivots. I am particularly passionate about linking the seemingly unrelated pieces of candidate's backgrounds into a clear through line. I love meeting the Leland community, so please feel free to schedule an intro call!

Welcome to my profile! With a strong foundation in Electrical Engineering from IIT Bombay and international experience as an exchange student at Aalto University, I bring a unique analytical perspective to MBA admissions coaching. My professional journey includes roles at top firms like Bain & Company and Accel Partners, where I honed my strategic and investment skills. In 2024, I was admitted to HBS and Wharton (MBA Class of 2027), giving me firsthand insight into the application process. I’ve successfully coached 2 clients, helping them craft compelling applications that stand out in the competitive MBA landscape. If you’re looking for personalized guidance to navigate your MBA journey, feel free to reach out—I’m here to help you succeed!

Top Skills: Application essay writing and editing, interview prep, application strategy, crafting your narrative '24, '25, & '26 Client Results To-Date: *Kellogg - 10 Admits *Columbia - 5 Admits *Yale SOM - 4 Admits *Fuqua - 5 Admits *Booth - 2 Admits *Ross - 2 Admits *GSB - 1 Admit *Wharton - 1 Admit *Haas - 1 Admit *UVA - 1 Admit *Tepper - 1 Admit *UNC - 1 Admit *Goizueta - 1 Admit As an MBA candidate at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and a former Senior Product Manager at American Express, I bring a wealth of experience in business strategy, cross-functional collaboration, and recruiting for fintech and CPG (the industry that I'll be interning in over the summer). My journey from Yale University, where I graduated with distinction, to Kellogg has equipped me with a unique perspective on the MBA admissions process. I have successfully prepared several peers for the 2024 admissions cycle by structuring their applications and editing their essays. I also have experience volunteering for Yale's Undergraduate Admissions Office as an alumni interviewer and as an on-campus tour guide while at school. Whether you need guidance on application strategy, essay writing, or interview preparation, I'm here to help you achieve your goals with a warm, supportive attitude. The business school application process can be stressful and I hope to alleviate some of that stress by cheering you on from the sidelines!

Expert storyteller for Big 4 consultants applying to M7 MBAs, especially if you're worried your experience won't stand out. As a non-traditional government consulting applicant admitted to 3 M7s, I guide your application journey across essays, resumes, and interviews. I have experience across private, public, and non-profit sectors and understand how to craft stories that are personal and compelling to admissions committees. This approach has helped several clients overcome weaknesses to get into their top choice programs at Harvard, MIT, Georgetown, and other elite programs. The difference is a storytelling formula that I provide to my applicants.

Unlike other coaches, I personalize my strategy to you. I had the rare opportunity of being one of ~30 students per year to take the class by the former HBS/GSB Dean of Admissions, where we dove into the ins & outs of what a good MBA resume looks like, what a good interview looks like, and how they align with the values of our school. I myself applied and was accepted into four M7 programs, and have a network extending beyond that I can tap into for you. I help take your raw experiences and shape them into coherent, memorable narratives that admissions officers will champion in committee discussions. I know which details matter, which stories resonate. Whether you're struggling to articulate your "why MBA" or need to present a non-traditional background confidently, I'll help you tell your story with the authenticity and strategic insight that top programs demand.

I'm a London Business School alumnus and interviewer who started A1 MBA Consultants (A1mba.com). I have helped 120+ students, including ex-Formula 1 Race Driver Nicholas Latifi, get into their dream MBA program at schools such as HBS, Stanford GSB, Columbia, Wharton, Kellogg, London Business School, INSEAD, Oxford, Cambridge, and many more. I adopt a comprehensive and much more hands-on approach than your typical consultant, leveraging my insights into what adcoms want that I gained from being an interviewer. Partner with me and I will work to make your business school application journey a successful one.

I draw on my expertise as a former Harvard Business School MBA Admissions Board member, brand marketer, and Kellogg MBA to help my clients fulfill their MBA dreams. My strength is helping applicants identify what is most distinctive and compelling about their background, and then communicate it in a way that feels both strategic and authentic. My work covers a range of services: school selection and fit assessment, narrative and essay brainstorming, career goal refinement, resume and recommendation guidance, short-answer revisions, interview preparation, post-acceptance decision-making, and ongoing feedback and guidance throughout the MBA application process. I've coached clients across a wide range of industries, backgrounds, and career stages, from experienced professionals to college students pursuing deferred MBA programs. I bring particular expertise in deferred admissions, as I was one of the original founders of the HBS 2+2 Program. I know how daunting the MBA admissions process can feel. My goal is to demystify the process, reduce unnecessary stress, and help guide my clients to discover and achieve their full potential.