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.

The highlighted sentences are the ones quoted above.

Before MBA Protocol

Growing up in the DC area with two parents who served in the federal government sowed a deep appreciation and admiration for the work the US Government does. The work I do at Deloitte, partnering with federal agencies, feels akin to the service my parents provided.

Also, because of how massive Deloitte is, we get to play with some very cool problems the USG has. The level of experience and exposure I’ve received at the firm has affirmed my decision that this is the kind of firm I want to be at for a long time.

My goal going into the MBA process was to streamline my development to a partner level role at Deloitte. I was already in the consulting space, but I had seen directors and partners exhibit a level of nuanced analysis that I did not possess; this made me nervous about my long-term viability in the firm. When I asked them about how I could replicate their development path, each contact said their time back in school allowed them the time and space to take the deep dives into the work we do. Essentially, they would not have developed the level of nuance required to provide the level of service they provide for our clients.

Why MBA, why now

I was in a client meeting with a senior manager, who had done his MBA at UNC Kenan-Flagler, and I watched him effortlessly rip off strategic analysis for the client that, frankly, left me dumbfounded. After the meeting, I pulled him aside and asked “Gavin, how’d you develop the skill to be able to do that?” He laughed and said “That came from two years of a million case studies.” He emphasized that while the firm certainly provides a lot of opportunity to learn, the sheer volume of client demands prevents you from doing the deep academic dives a full-time MBA program provides.

If this was the work I wanted to do for the rest of my career, I knew I needed to take a two-year strategic break that would pay off twenty years down the line.

Why MBA Protocol

In 2024, I applied to four schools (Tuck, Darden, Ross, and McDonough) in Round 2 with little to no guidance. I went through the process trying to piece together tips I found online. I received one offer of admission, but felt like I really left meat on the bone looking back at my process; my essays lacked a punchy theme and my resume was all sorts of lackluster. I decided to use the material and test scores that I already had to try my hand again, this time in Round 1. This time I would seek optimal guidance, as I really did not want to go through this process a third time.

I remember thinking “I should look into that site that had all the rainbows and unicorns on it.”

While the website’s happy go lucky attitude stood out in my mind, what hooked me was Heather’s understanding and excitement for my story and previous efforts. She seemed to be fully in my corner before even giving MBA Protocol a dime and that certainly stood out to me.

Whether it was good marketing or not, I felt that I had a teammate from the get go.

The work we did together

I remember reading Brian’s reviews on P&Qs describing him as an admissions wizard, knowing exactly how to describe yourself for certain schools, and being somewhat skeptical before we met. Yet, Brian proved that he was in fact an admissions wizard and was able to add critical details to my story that I would have never thought to add if it were not for his suggestions.

Between my two application cycles, one thing changed: what kind of advice I was receiving on my essays.

I learned that I wasn’t great about talking about myself. Brian’s patience and objective feedback helped me tailor a story that seemingly wowed admission’s committees.

I walked away from my time with Brian understanding the importance of humbly selling yourself; a skill that I’ll need to continue to hone as I enter my MBA years and after in the consulting space.

Better essays acted as a domino for everything later down the line. My essays allowed me to script a better interview pitch of why me and why this school.

Interesting note: very late in the game, probably with two weeks from my submission dates, I heard a Tuck AdCom reader say something along the lines of “I don’t want to read an essay like X.” Well, my main Tuck essay read exactly like X.

I went to Brian, nearly in a panic, and said “we need to burn it down and start over.” He very calmy told me to check myself and trust him. My story was excellent and anybody would love to read it. I trusted his judgement, knowing he had done this a hell of a lot more times than me, and it paid off.

I truly believe that Brian’s ability to sherpa my story into something more strategic is the reason I went from 1 acceptance in R2 of 2024-2025 to 6 acceptances on R1 of 2025-2026.

MBA Admission Results

Dartmouth Tuck, Class of 2028!

Advice to other pivoters

There are a TON of MBA consultants out there. You may feel compelled to go with a certain consultant because they are the biggest name out there (one that I knew even before starting this process) and they seem to provide results. I too felt the draw of the big name, but something in my gut said the team at MBA Protocol actually had my best interests at heart and I was going to get their full undivided attention.

You, as a client, need to feel an extra level of care as you go into this process. The money, time, and what’s riding on this effort dictates that. I fully felt that I was Brian’s only priority as we were going through the essay drafting process

Personally, you need to understand what your story is and why you’re about to do what you’re about to do. Not only does an MBA require a hefty tuition, it requires maximal effort that I don’t think many prospective MBAs understand.

Each of the top 25 schools offers you a chance to be back in the classroom with really smart people and be on a campus that has tangible energy and opportunity to change your life.

You need to do the work to make that happen, though.

The highlighted sentences are the ones quoted above.

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

The highlighted sentences are the ones quoted above.

Not just a consultant, but a friend

I’m an international student with a terrible GPA, no blue-chip companies on his resume and an OK GMAT. Despite all these weaknesses in my profile, thanks to my coach, I got admitted to CBS, Tuck, Kellogg and Booth, all with scholarships.

I found my coach from P&Q among many other consultants and had a quick call with her. On that short review call, I could tell she would be there for me no matter what, which is quite unique compared to all the other people I talked to in this process. She may be one of friendliest and lively people I’ve ever met.

She used a special framework to highlight the key themes I can use in my essays. This was super helpful since I wouldn’t have been able to do this on my own. As part of this framework, she showed me which schools would be reach/target/safety for me. I used her framework and school suggestions throughout the entire application period. With one exception, she nailed the selections!

We worked on pre-application networking, school research, essays, interviews, waitlist strategies and even scholarship negotiations (I never would have though I’d need that).

I’m sure there’s a ton of things I can talk about, but to me, the best part of working with my coach, was getting motivated by her. At times I’d feel defeated by the essays or the process, but after a short call with her, I’d feel like I can take on the world. Honestly, a year ago today, I would have never thought I’d be accepted to any of the top 20 schools, but here I am and I don’t think I could have done it without her help.

The highlighted sentences are the ones quoted above.

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!!

The highlighted sentences are the ones quoted above.

Get Accepted AND Find Your Authentic Story With My Coach!

I was first introduced to Career Protocol through the Forte MBA Launch Program. After speaking with several MBA consultants, I chose Career Protocol because of their holistic approach to MBA admissions. I appreciated how they prioritized unlocking your joyful story (that speaks to your strengths, your unique story, and what makes you feel alive), rather than exploiting a more fearful narrative (that relies on false lies that you need to be a ‘perfect’ candidate in order to get into business school). Applying to business school is stressful enough — I am so glad I found Career Protocol.

My coach was spectacular throughout the entire process. I started working with him from May to March (almost a whole year!). We worked on 3 applications together. For the first school, we spent ~2 months drafting my story, my motivations and making sure that my entire application was authentic to me.

My coach also helped me strategize how to address my lower GMAT score. He connected me with a GMAT tutor who provided advice on how to raise my score. He helped me weigh the pros/cons of applying during R1 with a lower GMAT score vs. retaking the GMAT in hopes of raising my score for R2 deadlines. He also helped me identify an additional 6 programs to apply to, and he provided guidance on how to approach each school’s essay prompts too.

I ended up applying to 9 programs. I was accepted to 6 schools, three of which offered scholarships of $30k, $44k, and $110k.

I was speechless to receive so many acceptances, and with scholarships!! As an Asian-American woman who works in federal technology consulting, I was concerned about how I would stand out in a sea of similar candidates. My coach helped me find my deep and honest story, and I think that is the reason why I was accepted to so many top programs. He helped me tell my authentic story, and as a result of his wisdom and coaching, I was accepted to my top schools: Yale SOM and Dartmouth Tuck. Woohoo!!

The highlighted sentences are the ones quoted above.

Angela Actually Makes The MBA Process Fun!

I’ve worked with Angela in many ways over the past year and her guidance helped me not only get into my dream business school but also prepare for my dream job in consulting. I discovered her first through Forte MBA Launch and loved her initial webinar SO much I immediately went to her website, used every tool available, and signed up for every webinar I could find!

I referenced her You Discovery Toolkit from the very beginning to narrow down my target schools based on what I’m really looking for in an MBA, all the way through the end to prep my essays and short answers. Her unwavering belief that everyone is awesome and just needs to find their unique story is so refreshing–especially when I had experiences with other consultants that immediately told me the list of schools I was applying to was unrealistic as soon as they heard my GMAT score.

I used her tools on pretty much every aspect of the application- her MBA resume protocol to completely redo my resume and lived and breathed the advice from her “How To Crush Interviews” webinar. In the end, I was accepted with a scholarship to Darden, Yale, Tuck, and Kellogg/MMM!!

I also signed up for her SPITR class to try and get a jump start on consulting recruiting. All of the resources I’ve engaged with so far have distilled the core traits consultants need in a way that is simple and easy to understand, and she has actionable ways to practice the “micro-skills” so the cases aren’t nearly as overwhelming. She even took the time offline to offer me individual advice!

All in all, Angela makes a process that can seem dominated by stats and scores feel human, empowering, and fun!! I would highly recommend any and all of her programs.

The highlighted sentences are the ones quoted above.

A consultant, a friend, a mentor, a great sounding board- your biggest champion and the best consultant to work with

My coach really sees you for who you are! Working with her has been the best decision I ever made. Right from the onset, she was super invested in me and my story, she was determined to see me getting accepted at all the schools I had applied to and pushed and motivated me to have it no other way. Every interview was preceded by a heartfelt message instilling a whole lot of confidence in me. There were times when I had lost hope and doubted myself, in these desperate times she helped me regain the confidence and reminded me of the accomplishments I belittled.

As someone who came from a non-feeder school, competitive pool (Indian, female), WE: top 5 consulting firms with a pivot to social enterprise it was important to make every move, decision and experience personalized and explain the WHY? My coach spent multiple sessions just probing and asking me questions to dig deeper and reflect on my experiences. I was able to uncover so many hidden parts of my story that put things into a new light for me. All the sessions helped me craft my story amazingly well and bring them to the interview as well.

She goes beyond the applications and interviews and invests in you SO personally. She constantly reminded me ‘You are a BADASS’. This single line has been the biggest source of inspiration for me and reflected in my interviews. Once accepted she helped me research schools and make decisions, she helped me plan for the MBA life and most importantly reminded me of the great things I will accomplish at school.

Your consultant is your biggest champion in the MBA journey and as someone who had constant self-doubt about my average journey, I would say this to everyone ‘You need to believe in yourself and your story’. It is often difficult to underappreciate and my coach has experience of personalizing stories and uncover things even from the most ordinary experiences. It is all about having this strong support who pushes you reflect until you believe in yourself and appreciate your journey. My coach did just that for me (in addition to the other amazing insights, techniques and processes that made my applications a success). I would absolutely and wholeheartedly recommend everyone to work with her 🙂

Where am I headed: well thanks to my coach I have acceptances from London Business School, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and waitlisted at Kellogg (Her amazing mojo might turn this into acceptance :))

The highlighted sentences are the ones quoted above.