How Angela Helped Me See the Bigger Picture (ending in $375k in Scholarships)

Working with Angela Guido and MBA Protocol was one of the best investments I made in my MBA journey. My admissions results went better than I ever thought possible, but the Career Protocol process fundamentally changed the way I understood my own story and career path which transcends this esoteric MBA application process. Coming into the MBA application process, I knew I wanted to pivot careers, but I struggled to explain why in a cohesive way. My background was unconventional compared to many MBA applicants: I had spent nearly eight years at an international trade law firm working with agricultural exporters on high-stakes trade cases while simultaneously building the firm’s operational infrastructure. Outside of work, I volunteered at my local farmers’ market, focused on expanding food accessibility programs. I knew these experiences were connected somehow, but I did not yet know how to articulate the thread between global trade, food systems, operations, and my long-term goal of working in Food CPG strategy and operations. That is where Angela completely changed my understanding of storytelling. What makes Angela different from other consultants is that she does not try to force applicants into a formula. She genuinely wants to understand who you are, what motivates you, and what kind of life you are trying to build. Through the Discovery process, she helped me connect experiences that I had previously viewed as separate parts of my life into one authentic narrative about food accessibility, operational leadership, and cross-border impact. One of the biggest transformations for me was confidence. I had taken the GRE four times and worried constantly that my scores would define my candidacy. Angela never dismissed those concerns, but she also never let me reduce myself to a test score. She helped me focus on presenting the strongest and most authentic version of myself across every component of the application. She was also instrumental in interview preparation. I tend to become overly polished and robotic when nervous, and Angela identified that immediately. She helped me relax, trust my own voice, and approach interviews like real conversations instead of performances. That shift changed everything for me. The results still honestly feel surreal. I applied to nine MBA programs and interviewed at seven. I was admitted to every school where I interviewed, including Dartmouth Tuck, Chicago Booth, Duke Fuqua, Ross, UCLA Anderson, IESE, and NYU Stern, and I received a total of $385,000 in scholarship funding across programs. When I got the call from Tuck, I was in shock. When I got into Booth — my reach school — I cried. I had poured so much of myself into the process, and for the first time I truly felt that my story had been understood. But beyond admissions outcomes, the biggest thing I gained from MBA Protocol was clarity. I learned how to communicate my experiences, understand my motivations, and confidently explain the kind of impact I want to make in my career and life. If you are someone with a nontraditional background, a complicated career pivot, or a story that feels difficult to package neatly, I cannot recommend Angela highly enough. She will help you find the thread that makes your story make sense, and more importantly, help you believe in it yourself.

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My Coach Is EVERYTHING & MORE

Switching careers during the middle of the Pandemic from medicine to real estate finance, I knew I wanted to go to business school. I started as an executive assistant at my firm for the two co-founders and then earned a spot on the deal team after a year. Although I learned so much, it was a lot of DIY and googling. Given that I didn’t have a traditional finance background, I wanted to gain a more holistic understanding of business and finance as well as further my growth in real estate. I knew that business school would allow me to explore different sectors of real estate, give me the flexibility to see what my interests are and create an invaluable network. My goal post-MBA is to work at an institutional firm with a specialization in development and/or hospitality.

I started my MBA journey by first reaching out to a current MBA student and she connected me to her consultant. Let’s just say, I didn’t leave that intro call with the warm and fuzzies. So, I decided I could probably do without a consultant since I’ve had experience applying to medical school. However, as months of GMAT prep went by, I realized that I might need some help and I was lucky enough to connect with a different friend who just went through the whole process and did very well. That’s when my coach entered the chat. Within the first few minutes of speaking to her, I knew she was the one.

I knew that my biggest weaknesses within my profile were going to be my GMAT/GRE score and GPA. I was a chemistry / pre-med major at a top university and had a few grades in calculus, chemistry, and organic chemistry that fell short of my tiger mom’s expectations. But I knew my saving grace was going to be my story and I’d only have one chance to tell it right. I say this with my entire being, I could not have done it without my coach. I’ve always been a very confident writer and knew how to tell my story, but she knew exactly how to push me to dig deeper. After writing numerous drafts of something, it can be incredibly challenging to change the content or to develop the story further, but she somehow found a way to pull things out of me that I didn’t even realize existed. She helped me connect the dots not only for the essays but also for my self-discovery. She knew exactly what questions to ask to guide me to write the most powerful and meaningful essay I’ve ever written. I realized that this essay meant more than just an essay to get into school – it was my journey to finding who I am. The toughest part was sculpting each essay and figuring out where and how to cut since each word matters when you have a limit. Given that each phrase was written from my heart, I was very protective when it came to cutting. However, she was too. She knew exactly what was necessary to keep my voice. She found ways to make what I wanted to say more efficient and impactful. She helped me find the beauty in my weaknesses that I’ve always struggled to find.

As we nailed down my story, she helped me narrow down my schools. School research was daunting to me because I had no idea where to start. But she always had an answer. Her advice allowed me to be more targeted with my research, and it showed in my essays and interviews. I knew that if I could just get my foot in the door for an interview, I’d win the hearts of admissions. But my lifelong testing anxiety could prevent me from even having a chance. After working 12-hour days, I’d study for the GMAT until 11PM / midnight. Saturdays and Sundays were reserved for studying and practice exams. Despite the countless hours of studying, I never achieved my desired score. I took both the GMAT and GRE several times and fell short of 700 (GMAT) and 320 (GRE). Because of this, I was ridden with anxiety. I struggled to sleep for days on end. When you’re going through the process, even though you’re told by everyone that tests aren’t everything and you know it to be true, it is impossible to truly believe it. I was terrified that no matter how great the rest of my profile was, I might not even get a chance. But my coach helped me replace my shame with confidence by focusing on all my unique strengths.

She was the best cheerleader I could have ever asked for – so much so that at one point I wondered if she was just telling me what I wanted to hear haha! However, come interview prep, I realized that everything was genuine and she’s not afraid to give you tough love when you need it. I was lucky enough to get interviews from Columbia, Cornell, and UCLA. I’ve always been good at interviews, so I thought it was going to be a breeze. However, after practicing the “Tell me about yourself” question (arguably the MOST important question of your interview) with her, I realized I was maybe a little too confident. She stopped me halfway through my spiel and helped me realize that I’ve essentially told her nothing about who I am and what impact I’m going to make on my community. This further solidified what I already knew – I could not have done it without her. Her pointers allowed me to choose my words wisely so everything I talked about would showcase how I was going to move the needle.

I feel so lucky and honored to have been accepted to Columbia, Cornell, and UCLA. At Columbia, I received the Forte Fellowship with a $50,000/year scholarship. At Cornell, I received the Forte Fellowship with a $30,000/year scholarship. At UCLA, I received a full-ride scholarship. Thanks to my coach, I will be attending my dream school. She is more than just a consultant – she is a friend, therapist, mama bear, and cheerleader. Anything is possible with her by your side.

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The Best Decision I Made: Why I Highly Recommend Brian & Career Protocol

Brian truly embodies the “Under-commit and OVER Deliver” spirit, and the career protocol package is both super-detailed and truly end-to-end (they guide on everything: from deciding which schools to apply for  to now sharing tips on how to maximize the next 2 years).

Top 3 value adds for me: helping me improve my GMAT score from 740 to 770 (V47!!), helping me find my calling and encouraging me to make a pre-MBA pivot from consulting to Venture Capital, and of course, helping me land an offer from my dream school, Booth! I applied to 7 schools (Harvard, Stanford, Booth, Columbia, Duke, UCLA, and McCombs), got interview invites from 5 of them, and finally got into 3 (Booth + UCLA and McCombs with 50% scholarship).

I’ve had a FANTASTIC experience working with them and would highly recommend them to anyone who’s willing to put in the time and effort. Below are my top 5 reasons:

• Extensive support – When you sign up with CP, you don’t just get a consultant, you get an army of people who have your back and a community of applicants who are driven and supportive. I am someone who asks a LOT of questions, and I can safely say that their team has a wealth of experience to guide you/point you in the right direction. For instance, I was gutted when I learned that I was waitlisted from Booth in R1. Soon enough, another member from the CP team who was a waitlist expert stepped in. She gave me tips on how I can continue engaging with the school and helped me approach the waitlist process with a positive mindset.

• They give you “no-nonsense” advice – I come from an over-represented Indian, Engineer, Male demographic. Brian was honest about what was realistic for me and had enough knowledge and inspiration to help me make a valiant attempt for the top. He didn’t hesitate from telling me if I needed to completely scrap off an essay draft or that I needed to retake the GMAT.

• Their process is painfully introspective – When I signed up with CP, I was completely clueless about what I wanted from my MBA. Their “Discovery process” pushed me to take a pause and reflect on my life experiences: My successes, failures, choices, everything. For someone who’s not as open about their life, Brian created a comfortable environment for me to express myself freely which led to some beautiful essays, and ensured that my applications were 100%, authentically me. (That’s their way of helping you stand out). Beyond the results, their process was transformational for me. Personally, I’ve become much more comfortable owning my story. Career-wise, I’ve been able to join a VC firm. Something I could not have imagined doing a year prior. The clarity I gained on what I wanted motivated me to consider my options and the confidence he inspired enabled me to boldly “go for it” and pursue the change.

• Brian is a GMAT God! – I thought I had maxed out when I scored 740 and didn’t know how to go beyond that. Brian used his expertise to quickly identify what my gaps were (Verbal + taking too much stress) and gave me advice that inspired me to take a fresh approach to the test, which combined with my work ethic, helped me score 770 in <1 month. This gave me a lot of confidence as I approached R1 applications at top B-schools.

• Value for Money! Brian works with only a handful of applicants every year and I could feel that he was genuinely invested in my success. As an international student, their package was well out of my budget. But I can reassure you, that he is worth every penny and then some more. By the end of our time together, Brian knew my stories better than I did. He is very generous with his time and leaves no stone unturned: he happily responded to my countless questions, returned drafts faster than expected as deadlines approached, and things like GMAT advice, and preparing for VC interviews were technically not a part of our MBA application scope. Yet, he did that. (with a smile!)

Lastly, I would like to add that the MBA application process is a long and tedious journey, when you do it with someone like Brian, it doesn’t seem like “work”.

Good luck with your applications! 😊

Lakshay Piplani

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A comprehensive review of Angela Guido - In short, Great!

It is long past due for me to do this review. First, I want to thank you, Angela, for the exceptional job that you did with me. I would not have been accepted at 3 top business schools if it weren’t for you. Also, I wish you the best of luck with Career Protocol!

BEFORE I START, SOME CONTEXT. I am 33 years old from South America with a solid career at small investment management companies. I started early (May), had a solid gmat score (740) but due to my age, I knew this would be my only and last shot at business schools. Career wise, I wanted to keep working in finance and stay in America after my MBA. I did the full package for 5 schools with Angela and applied to another 3 on my own (all on R1).

WHY ANGELA? She had great reviews, but I am a thorough person. I talked with about 5 consultants, all from top firms and with great reviews. Angela was the one that I felt most confident about. She really knew all the schools, had a great insight into the reality about employment of the programs and we had a great chemistry. I am sure all the other consultants were great, but I know Angela was the right choice and I don’t regret, not even for a second, choosing her.

THE FIRST GREAT FEATURE – She really knows the employability of each program. I think that most of the employment statistics provided by business schools are bogus. There is industry and region bias and people might be employed at second tier jobs or companies. Do you really believe that a top 20 BS is better than HBS because HBS has only 90% of its students employed upon graduation? Well, I don’t and neither does Angela. Our first task together was to narrow my 15 schools list to about half of that and also pick the 5 that made more sense working together. She really knew which programs were doing great and which were struggling to get jobs for their students. It was like I was working with someone from the inside! We also discussed a lot about the career path that made more sense given my goals. The MBA consulting came with a bonus of career counselingJ! She made me realize that PE was not a go way to go for an international to stay in the US. After putting all together, we decided on HBS, Booth, Kellogg, Tuck, Duke, Wharton, MIT and UCLA. The first five I worked with her.

THE HARSH TRUTH. It was early June and we were excited to start working on the essays. We were already done with the Brainstorming, which turned out great and full of stories, and were very advanced on my resume. My original Resume really stunk. It was very bad! LOL. Angela had a tough job there, but it became a masterpiece. I am so proud of it that I am thinking of framing it! Back then, only very few schools had they essay out. We started working on HBS (the dream and reach school). The first essay was terrible! The second, worst! Angela kept returning my essays with honest comments about them. After five bad essays, we decided to take a break and go back to the drawing board. She taught me the concept of a narrative. Tell the story, show the facts, be specific, but not so much that you can be concise, which I am not being here, and not turn boring. Also, she demanded me to take another look at the material she had sent to me. Advice: read everything carefully and pay attention to the structure of the examples. Angela does what a great consultant should do. She will tell will the truth, teach you how to overcome the problem and will not let you deliver anything short of a great work.

THE GREAT TALENT. Angela is the best writer I have ever seen. She could really spin any fact that I told her in a perfectly told story. It is amazing how she does it on the spot and had I had that talent, my life would have been so much easier. Well I don’t have the talent, but I was fortunate to have Angela as my consultant. She guided me on the right direction in a way that I was able to tell my stories and at the same time the essay were compelling and resonated with the AdCom. After the HBS fiasco and of a round of advising, we decided to move on to Tuck. I nailed it on the very first draft! Her counseling really stuck and that essay was so compelling that became the base for at least another 3 different business school. Angela really taught me how to write a perfect essay.

THE ESSAYS (in order of writing). HBS – Took me 13 drafts. I only started getting right on the 11th. The final draft made my wife literally cry. TUCK – Nailed both on the 1st draft but after minor reviews they were ready in 3 drafts. DUKE – About 5 drafts each. KELLOGG – 3 drafts each. BOOTH – 5 drafts to what, I am quoting here, became the best essay Angela had seen for Chicago that year. MIT – 2 drafts. WHARTON – 5 drafts. UCLA – 5 drafts.

SOME OTHER QUALITIES. Besides the career and essay insights that were fantastic, I really enjoyed working with Angela. Not only me. In fact, my wife participated all the way in the business school applications. She was with us from the first to the last call. She read every single essay and short answer. Angela embraced her all the way in the process, as if she was the one applying. Even though she was in Europe and we in South America, we had little trouble in arranging calls to discuss essays and strategies. I sent her a huge amount of work every week (I must have been her most frenetic client) and she handled it beautifully. The interview prep material and the mock interviews were extremely helpful. She was even a shoulder to “cry” on, when everything seemed to be falling apart. The first five schools to release their decision dinged me, including Duke that I was certain to get in. She asked some friend to review my stuff to check for inconsistencies and problems, which they didn’t, and she gave me advices on how to proceed for R2.

THE FINAL RESULT. I got invited to 5 interviews (Booth, Kellogg, Tuck, Duke and UCLA). Booth suggested me to pursue their executive MBA. I got accepted to Kellogg, Tuck and UCLA. I also got 70K in scholarship from UCLA and an additional 30K from an UCLA Alumni Society.

GRATITUTE. I want to one more time thank Angela for her work. I had 2 weaknesses on my profile. I had always worked at smaller non mainstream firms and I was on the verge of being too old to be an MBA applicant. I would not have passed to any of these schools if it weren’t for her. Instead, I got much more than I was hoping for.

If anyone has any questions, just PM me. Sincerely, Guilherme Kobylko

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Best Decision Ever!!!

When I first decided to apply for an MBA, the application process seemed incredibly daunting, especially as there was so much uncertainty going on in the world with COVID-19. I work for a large technology company in Seattle, doing corporate strategy and revenue planning and post-MBA hope to transition into the healthcare technology space. I knew I wanted to apply to a number of schools, but felt lost as to where to start.

Working with my coach was the best decision I could have made!! She helped me navigate what felt like a very ambiguous process at the time. She worked closely with me every step of the way – to narrow my post-MBA career goals, reflect on my past experiences to craft my stories, prepare me for interviews, refine my resume, and build relationships with the schools I was interested in attending.

She is incredibly warm, dependable and always built me up. She helped me gain the confidence I needed to be successful in the process. By the end, I not only felt like I’d submitted great applications, but also like I’d learned a lot about myself and what I’m looking for both professionally and personally.

I ended up applying to 8 schools and was accepted to both Wharton and HBS as well as Kellogg, Tuck, and received a full-ride scholarship to UCLA. I’ll be attending my DREAM school in the fall and it wouldn’t have been possible without all of her help and guidance!!

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Before MBA Protocol

Right after I graduated from undergrad, I worked for a financial portfolio management company in portfolio reporting. It was a crash course in finance, and I learned a lot about investing, benchmarking, and Excel (lol). However, during undergrad, I knew I wanted to work in U.S. Mexico relations and specifically in trade. So, when the opportunity came to work for an international trade law firm, I took it! After eight years, I currently work as an Operations Manager and the lead senior international trade specialist at an international trade law firm in Washington, DC. In laymen’s terms, I am in management as a non-attorney, managing the paralegals and the economists on staff, as well as organizing the workflows and building structures to help build grow the firm.

Why MBA, why now

Outside of work, I have been volunteering at my local farmers market for the past six years. Ultimately, my professional experience working in global trade and my local experience working with farmers to expand food accessibility has inspired me to make a pivot into working for a values-led Food CPG company. I am interested in strategy and operations work and hope to join a leadership rotational program, but I hope to also recruit for brand-management internships to see if this role could give me the necessary skills I need for my long-term goal: to lead strategic initiatives in the CPG sector that expand access to nutritious, affordable food across borders.

Prior to Covid, I decided to ask for a new role at work that focused on operations management, so I could focus more on what inspired me most at my office: building firm-wide systems and initiatives that improve the flow of work, betters work quality and could help the firm grow. This position increased my exposure to our client’s operational issues while dealing with the uncertainties of duties and tariffs. Ultimately, through this position I found a new passion for management and operations.

In 2023, I attempted to make a career shift on my own into operations but had little luck. I knew I wanted to pivot but needed help. In 2024, I spoke with a friend who was graduating from her MBA program and realized that this was the next right move for me so I can make a big pivot into the Food CPG world.

Why MBA Protocol

I first met Angela through the Forte Launch program, where she led a presentation on the art of storytelling. I was so captivated by her presentation and it was the best one I had seen in the Forte Launch program so far (no shade to other presentations in the program). I knew that since my story wasn’t the typical one that the adcoms would read, and I wanted help to fully develop my story and pivot I wanted to make. Career Protocol was the best choice for me. They saw me for me, and helped me fully realize my story and my vision through the Discovery process. They even encouraged me to apply to schools that I thought were out of my range.

The work we did together

I learned so much with MBA Protocol, but the biggest lessons center on storytelling. Specifically, how to connect with someone whether it be through your elevator pitch, resume, or essays. Angela helped me immensely during interview preparation. I was so incredibly nervous because in the past I would get a bit of stage fright during interviews. She recognized it immediately and she gave me real tips and tricks to remain calm and be my authentic self and not this odd robotic professional version I think others want me to be.

Ultimately, I learned that presenting my story and being my authentic self will bring me to opportunities I never thought I could have obtained before. I also learned to believe in myself and my story more which will carry over to my MBA and life beyond!

MBA Admission Results

I applied to 9 programs and interviewed at 7. I was admitted to each program I interviewed with: Ross, UCLA Anderson, IESE, NYU Stern, Dartmouth Tuck, Duke Fuqua, and Chicago Booth and received a total of $275,000 in scholarships across all schools.

I am beyond thrilled with my results. I had taken the GRE four times and worked really hard but was worried that my scores would hold me back. When I got the call from Duke Fuqua, I was shocked for two days. The weight of this whole process was realized, and I was going to business school. When I heard the news about Booth, I sobbed and couldn’t believe I got into my Reach school. I poured my heart into my Booth essays and that translated into success.

Advice to other pivoters

My biggest advice for others attempting to make a big career pivot is to really carve out time and energy to understand your career journey. What motivated you to make certain decisions? What did you learn from your “failure” moments? This self-reflection is deeply coded into MBA Protocol’s process. In the beginning of my MBA application journey, I knew I wanted to work in the food industry but didn’t know the types of roles and opportunities. I used MBA Protocol ‘s advice and resources, speaking to many students and even Chat GPT about possible paths I could take. This led me to leadership development programs and possibly brand management. This then led me to uncover my skill gaps and what I need to accomplish my post-MBA goals. This helped while doing school research, essay writing, and interviewing.

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Accomplished What I Thought was Impossible!

I was recommended by a family member to utilize Angela's expertise and services and I can honestly say that this was one of the best decisions I made through my MBA application process! I was aiming at the top 20 MBA schools. I was skeptical of my chances of getting in because I didn't necessarily have a "wow" factor. I went to a Big 10 school, graduated with a double major in Accounting and Finance with about a 3.3 GPA, had about 3 years of work experience at the time I applied, and received a low 700 score on my GMAT. As I understand, this fits the criteria of several other individuals applying every year for an MBA. But when I started working with Angela, she could identify my strengths and weaknesses and develop a story that I didn't even know existed to help me stand out in my applications. She has a unique talent of being able to hone in on one's experiences and formulate them into a interesting and compelling story. One of Angela’s most important strengths I appreciated was that she was very straight forward - there was no BS and her expectations were always very clear. If you wrote something bad, she'll tell you. If you were slacking in completing your deliverables, she'll tell you. On the flip side, if you wrote something that she really liked, she'll tell you. This was extremely valuable as I was applying to 5 schools in Round 1. I didn't have time for someone to "ease the pain" if I wrote a bad essay - I needed the blunt truth right away, and Angela was willing to do that. Overall, my experience with Angela was much more than I expected! She assisted with creating my story, the essays, the online application, and even the interviews. Because of her, I was admitted to 3 out of the 5 schools I applied to – Ross, UCLA, and Booth! Last words – I HIGHLY RECOMMEND HER!

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