Brian Birdwell & Career Protocol - Best No-Regret Decision I've Made

Personalized introspective MBA application experience with stellar outcomes.

One of the amazing things about Brian and the Career Protocol team is that they helped me whittle the many vast ideas in my brain down to concise essays that got results. Results including acceptances from 7 out of the 8 programs I applied to, with 5 of them offering me scholarships totaling $500,000. I went from worrying about not getting in anywhere to getting in virtually everywhere I applied. Acceptances included: Wharton, Booth, Kellogg, Columbia, Ross, Johnson, Fuqua. Brian helped me through the process end to end, and I wholeheartedly recommend Brian Birdwell at Career Protocol.

But since essays are done, here are some bullet points that describe how amazing it was to work with Brian: • When I initially decided to apply to MBA programs and work with Brian and the Career Protocol team, I didn’t know what I was getting into but took a leap of faith. I am so glad I did. • When I decided to go forward with applying to MBA programs, I felt behind. Brian accelerated my process to apply to 8 schools during ONE ROUND. He helped me through the journey by meeting me where I was at. He knocked it out of the park. • Brian keeps it real. He is very down to earth and easy to talk to. This was so helpful for me to be able to be authentic with him, the process, and my applications. • He was firm when needed and encouraging when I felt down. • Brian knows and has in-depth experience with the application process, enabling him to help me maintain the right mindset and avoid overthinking. • Brian is organized, thorough, sharp, and really knows his stuff. He’s extremely talented and smart. He kept the process lighthearted, which helped me relax. I definitely needed the humor and those laughs! • He is RELIABLE. I would hear back from him quickly with updates. Communication felt easy. • Scheduling video calls was easy, even with my busy schedule. Him being based in the United States / the time zones worked well for me. • He was one of my biggest cheerleaders throughout this process and helped motivate me to keep pushing forward. This helped me cross each hurdle, especially when it came time for interviews. • He focused on me and who I am rather than using a school focused lens throughout the process. It helped me reframe my thinking toward what I have to offer and who I am vs. trying to say things that I think the school wants to hear. He genuinely cares. • He offers great practical advice that I took to heart. Also, lots of great wisdom that I’ll cherish. • As we combed through the details of my life, the ups and downs, and dug into who I am as a person, I noticed his incredible attention to detail and story crafting abilities. When we would brainstorm together, he would bring up things about me that I was sure that he wouldn’t have remembered. Goes to show how much he cares and how personalized they make this experience. • Somehow Brian knew the right way to support me… pumping me up when I’m down, reminding me that I really don’t have to be so self-critical, also sharing KEY ADVICE to act as if each interview is my only interview…. Totally immerse myself in the school’s program for the 48 hours prior to the interview and only think about that school (because he noticed I was getting distracted thinking about other schools). SERIOUSLY such good advice that stuck with me and I adhered to it!!!! • Truly listened to me. Got to know me and focused on looking at this as the whole package. • Built my confidence to meet people, talk to admissions, talk to other candidates. Made friends!!! • Networking, campus visits, school research… guided me through it all! All the materials were so helpful. • Resume – killer job helping me with one of the things I dreaded and put off THE MOST. • Stories – many times I wanted to give up. But we kept going. • Knew how to cut the right corners for me and focus on the right things at the right times. • Brian offered encouragement and praise where he saw I was progressing. It may sound funny, but not only did it help motivate me, but it also demonstrates how much he cares and how much attention to detail he is giving. To be able to comment on someone’s improvements takes time and it takes knowing the person to have something to compare against. • Brian offered critiques and was a straight shooter when I was way off (e.g., stories, essays, video essays, interview mindset & approach) • Short responses / mini essays – they sneak up and can be a lot. Did a great job working through this with me and really the whole package end to end. • Interviews + Mock Interviews – practiced interviewing with Brian over video calls. Very helpful to get in the right headspace and think about how to approach it. By the time interviews came around, we had done so much self-reflection and digging deep into my values as a person that the interviews were an easier lift than I expected. And more enjoyable 🙂 • I had some atypical interviews but rolled with them. Brian would check in on me, provide his thoughts on my reflection, etc. He was there every step of the way. • Strategized applications together for 4 schools that I applied to independently. Got into all of them! Got into 3 of the 4 I worked closely with him on. This was where the real leg work was done. • This process revealed a lot about myself and pushed me to grow. I didn’t know how hard it would be. I also did not know how much I would get out of it with them. Truly 10/10. • These are good people that I trust. I have already recommended them to my friends.

Last words. I had the rare opportunity to work with both Brian Birdwell and Angela Guido. You both amaze me. The speed at which you’re able to think, your relaxed demeanor, the enthusiasm you have. I hope it never dies for either of you. You are both such wonderful, talented, kind people. I can never share my appreciation enough.

Thank you both for taking a chance on me. Brian, I really cannot thank you enough for your thoughtfulness, wisdom, kindness, empathy, enthusiasm, and downright hard work. You really went above and beyond for me when I know you didn’t have to.

I remember showing my significant other one of your emails, and him being really impressed. Several times he has mentioned that it seems like I’m getting exceptional value for the investment.

You both always have people’s best interest at heart.

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The Best Consultant/Supporter/Friend

My coach is the best storyteller and a supporter of your MBA application journey. I can tell you why below:

I was very skeptical when I first chatted with Career Protocol founder Angela Guido for a 30-minute consultation. (The main reason for my skepticism was that I already had about ten consulting firms that told me that my profile is not near to any of the “Top” MBA programs”) After the consultation, Angela introduced me to my coach, as Angela thought my coach would be the best fit for me. After the first chat and introductory zoom call with her, I was drawn to her energy and encouragement.

One of the fantastic and unique things about the Career Protocol’s approach to the MBA application is the discovery process (and my coach was serious about this process). The process was strenuous and stressful as I had to look back at my entire personal and professional life and figure out what I needed.

She helped me thoroughly with this process and I was extremely grateful for her support whenever I felt overwhelmed with all the required essays and introspections I had to do during the process.

With her amazing storytelling skills and support, I was admitted to many of the top programs namely: Stanford GSB, Wharton, Kellogg, MIT Sloan, and Yale SOM (combined scholarship worth over $350,000)!

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Angela Is A Legend

TL;DR Angela is an absolute legend. Working with her felt like someone was looking into my soul with a magnifying glass and teasing out elements of my story that I hadn’t fully appreciated myself.

In my opinion, the top 3 characteristics that an applicant should look for in a consultant are: (1) someone who gives very candid feedback, (2) someone who has the ability to not only extract your unique story, but also bring out your unique voice in the storytelling, and (3) a trusted, end-to-end, holistic advisor that is with you every step of the way. Angela is THE unparalleled standard on all of these aspects and more — (1) if I wrote a bad essay draft, I heard as such (in a constructive manner, of course), (2) if Angela hadn’t course-corrected my initial story idea and communication style, I don’t think I would’ve achieved the results I did, and (3) Angela not only helped ideate and construct my core story, but also advised on holistic application packaging (including the short answer sections within each application, which should not be overlooked), as well as interview and waitlist guidance. Throughout the process, she was my biggest cheerleader and made a typically stressful period fun — I felt at ease at all times knowing Angela was in my corner.

The results speak for themselves. For context, I’m a South Asian male in finance who went to an Ivy League institution for undergrad and had a non-traditional path after undergrad. My undergrad academic performance was not the most ideal (3.3 GPA with an F on my transcript). Despite these circumstances, I got into Wharton ($105K scholarship) and Booth and have made it all the way to the summer waitlist at HBS. To be clear, it is quite literally unheard of for someone from my demographic and background to get $105K from an institution like Wharton. If Angela had not been in my corner, then absolutely none of these results would have been possible.

Don’t think further — hire Angela and make your life that much easier and fun.

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Decision to Hire Angela

When I first decided to apply to MBA programs, I had no idea how competitive I was, where I had a shot of getting in, or how high I should reach. While I had good stats (3.9 GPA from a top 20 liberal arts school, 760 GMAT), I worked in accounting for 3 years and I didn’t know how to differentiate myself from the other good applicants who were applying. I didn’t feel like I had a particularly interesting story. I was intrigued by the idea of hiring a consultant but, frankly, couldn’t fathom spending that much money only one year before I would be taking out upwards of 150K in student loans.

When I got an email from Angela inviting me to have a free 30-minute consult live in my city, I figured I had nothing to lose. I went in thinking that if a consultant would simply save me time – tell me things I could find online, save me calls to admissions offices, etc – edit my essays, and set a schedule for me, I would skip it. But if hiring one would actually increase my chances of getting in in ways that I could never do myself, then I would consider it.

Free Consult

In my 30-minute consult, Angela assessed my competitiveness at all the schools I was considering, helped me with my resume, told me I didn’t need to take the GMAT again (despite getting 70% Quant and 67% IR scores) and helped me with my “story” – my reason for going to business school and my post-MBA goals. I remember leaving that 30 minutes consult feeling already like she’d added incredible value to the process. I no longer had to stress about whether or not I should retake the GMAT or figuring out what schools I should apply to.

I realized that if I thought an MBA was worth the cost of tuition and opportunity cost of not working, it was definitely worth another $3.75K to have a consultant help me with one school. After all, applying to one school would mean perfecting my resume, my “story,” and, if I picked the right school, I’d probably be able to use the essays for other schools. So I decided to use Angela for one school.

My next dilemma was which schools to choose. I had decided to apply to Harvard, Stanford, and Wharton as reaches, Booth and Kellogg as fit schools, and Fuqua as a safety. And I couldn’t figure out which one hire Angela for. If I chose Harvard to increase my chances of getting in, I figured I could still end up rejected everywhere. If I chose a fit school, then I thought my chances at HBS/Stanford went out the window. If I was only going to get into my safety, then I thought it was worth using a consultant to see if I could get scholarship money. In the end, I decided if it was worth using her for one school, it was worth using her for all of the schools. And that $8K when compared to the cost of an MBA was a drop in the bucket, especially if I could get a scholarship that would make the consultant more than pay for itself.

Hiring Angela was the best investment I’ve ever made. I ended up with full tuition scholarships to Booth and Fuqua, a partial scholarship to Wharton, and admission into HBS. I’m not at all saying that I don’t deserve admission or scholarships at these schools, but I can say without a doubt that I would not have been this successful in my applications if I had not hired her.

One of the biggest values that Angela brought to the admissions process was making me realize how strong of a candidate I was. When I first spoke with her, I thought I was a weak candidate and that Booth/Kellogg would be a reach. I wasn’t even thinking of applying to HBS/Stanford. But Angela recognized aspects of my candidacy that made me exceptional and pushed me to be as successful as I could.

Essays

She knew what I needed to highlight in my applications. At the beginning of our work together, Angela and I had a long brainstorm session in which she got to know ALL of my stories, personal, professional, and from undergrad. Because of this, whenever we started working on a new essay, Angela was able to pull from my life stories to know how I should best answer the question. Throughout the process, I was amazed at the extent to which Angela was able to tie together stories from my life that I would not have pieced together. She was able to find themes that portrayed parts of me I hadn’t identified. For someone who believes she has lived a very normal life, I didn’t think I could put together an inspiring essay. But Angela got to know me well enough to find the things about me that would make me shine in the eyes of the adcoms.

As I wrote the essays, Angela pushed me to do what she knew I was capable of. We went through 12 versions of some essays. In the first versions, she would often tell me to scratch it and start over. While I’m a perfectionist and a hard worker, Angela pushed me farther than I could have pushed myself. She often asked for more insight into what I was thinking, what my motivation was, and what I learned in a way that helped me discover things about myself that I never would have learned without her. Also important to note is that my essays (and the rest of my application) were entirely my work. She asked questions and pushed me to success, but didn’t make direct edits or in any way embellish the truth. Still, looking at the end product, I couldn’t have written the essays on my own.

Interviews

When it came to interviews, Angela delivered a workshop for all her clients with a really novel and refreshing approach to interviews. Then for each individual school interview, she helped me feel thoroughly prepared. She not only helped me come up with answers to specific questions during mock interviews but more importantly, taught me a methodology for how to answer questions, so I would never be stumped. She built up my confidence, which is perhaps the most important part of an interview. She even sent me a youtube video of an interview with a movie star so I could learn by example how to show in an interview that I’m human without apologizing. She taught me how to highlight my strengths without sounding full of myself. These are lessons I will take with me and apply to future job interviews, and I have even begun coaching my colleagues based on what I have learned from Angela.

Overall

One of the most incredible things about working with Angela is that I always felt like I was her only client. One of my hesitations in hiring a consultant was the fear that they would give the same advice to everyone. Angela’s advice was completely tailored to me. She also responded to my emails sometimes instantly. Even when on her holiday vacation, she responded within a couple hours to any and every question I had. She could not have been more devoted or available.

Coming from an industry where we track the time spent on each client, I was also nervous that if I got a package, the consultant would cut corners and try to spend as little time with me as possible. But on the contrary, Angela went above and beyond to give her time and energy. She pushed me to write more drafts of essays. After I was accepted to schools, she initiated a call with me to discuss my thoughts and offer advice on where I should accept. After I visited schools for their accepted students events, she reached out to me to hear how they went. I truly feel like Angela cared about my success and in finding the best fit for me almost as much as I did. She was there every step of the way.

For me, as a type A perfectionist, working with Angela also considerably reduced the amount of stress and anxiety I felt during this whole process, largely because instead of worrying over details, I trusted Angela. While I had been freaking out over whether to retake the GMAT, Angela said no, so I didn’t give it another thought. There are countless questions that you will have during the application process, any of which could cause considerable doubt and anxiety. Working with Angela took all of that away. If she said to use story A instead of story B I said okay and moved on instead of second guessing myself. Angela’s fees were worth it if only because working with her during this year-long period made my life a lot easier.

I can’t express enough how valuable Angela was in this process. My friends can attest to this as I can’t count the number of times I said to them “I don’t know what I’d do without Angela.” I’ve raved so much about her to everyone I know that my friends have already referred their friends and colleagues to her.

So if I had to give those of you applying to business school one piece of advice, I would say hire a consultant, and hire Angela. The value you will get far outweighs the cost.

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MBA guru & genius motivator!

After one conversation with Angela, I knew she was the perfect MBA coach for me. I initially had doubts about being a minority candidate with an average GRE score, but Angela’s familiarity with each school and her confidence in my story was all I needed to apply to only M7 schools. In fact, she never even asked me what my GRE score was. While other consultants were worried about checking the boxes on my test score and GPA, Angela focused on helping me submit the most well-rounded application possible.

Her ability to shine light on my greatest strengths really helped me create amazing essays; but it’s also what gave me confidence through this tough process. At the school events I attended, when I saw other people freaking out about their test scores and backgrounds, I was totally calm because I knew my application was a holistic view of my journey. I ended up with a GRE score 10 points below what other consultants said I needed, but I got into Columbia and Wharton with a 310. It just goes to show that Angela was right, and it was my story that schools cared about. I was content with every application after submitting and was not surprised to be admitted. She even sent me a bottle of champagne to celebrate!

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Yes, You Are On The Right Page, Work With Brian!

I had the pleasure of working with Brian on my MBA application and was able to receive acceptance letters from both Wharton (UPenn) and HBS (Harvard)! I ended up choosing to work with Brian because first, other firms that I’ve talked to felt very much like a factory, where I felt rushed to make a decision to commit to them. Many mentioned fees and deposits before being interested in my motivation behind applying to MBA programs. Secondly, I watched Angela’s YouTube videos and she was so energetic and I loved how she would call out that MBA is not for everyone. From her videos, I could tell that this firm would honestly tell me if this were not the right path, and they would tell me that my essay sucks if it does. Lastly, on the website I found information about how Brian (or any other coaches) will never change your wording, which I really loved. MBA essays are supposed to be an expressive piece of writing that incorporates who I am, but if I sound like an AI/ some mass produced essay, it will not do its job. I felt even more confident committing to Brian and Career Protocol after seeing this. Throughout the process of working with Brian, he was very responsive and attentive. I loved the discovery process, where we walked through my entire life together and picked out some pivotal moments and lessons. Brian at some point was able to recite my life better than I could because that’s the level of attention to details he has given to my profile, LOVED the sense of deeper connection. He invoked some great questions to extract insights and I think this way of reflecting on my life events is a lifelong skill that I will continue practicing even after MBA applications. In editing the essays, Brian was able to recall any details or comments I have forgotten to edit and he will say that an essay needs more drafts when it does, regardless of how quickly the deadlines are approaching. His level of attention did not regress even after applications were submitted, so he helped me through interview preparations, as well as waitlist process. I highly recommend 1) to get help with MBA applications to maximize the chances of getting into a program of your dream, and 2) if getting a coach, work with Brian. I enjoyed every single step along my MBA application journey with Brian and happy to have shared the results with him after 9+ months of hard work.

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You want to work with Angela

I have an unusual profile for an MBA applicant, so early-on I decided that it would be best to work with a consultant. I went on to have 2 free sessions with the biggest consultancies out there. One session felt very general and impersonal, and the other one was with Angela. It was a complete accident that I spoke to Angela. She kind of just randomly chose my name from the list. Best randomness ever! Just in the intro, the free 40 min consultation, she was on-target and specific. No general stuff, no blablabla, very focused and directed. It was a clear choice for me to work with her. Plus she has like the best reviews out here. Now, she has one more AMAZING RATING from me.

I could write for ages about the journey I had together with Angela towards reaching my goals. She was there when I was excited, when I was exhausted mentally, when I completely lost it (like I was wondering down the streets, completely brain-dead), but also when I finally got admitted to 3 RAD programs. But I'll try to be more to the point. After 6 months of talking and working together, I see Angela as a friend - to the point that I invited her over to my hometown, to give her a tour. (BOOK YOUR TICKET, ANGELA!)

I have an unusual profile. I know, I know, I said that already. But I was terrified the schools wouldn't see past that. So I had to write down my life story for Angela - I wasn't sure which parts were relevant and which weren't. Angela analyzed everything, and together we selected the best stories to fit into those specific school essays. Her depth of analysis, her multi-angle viewpoint and her power to bring out the VERY BEST out of you is the top feature that you need to remember. That is what you want from your consultant, that is what you need from your consultant. Also, she's like really, really, cool. And supportive. And encouraging. All that plus a bag of chips.

Now, to the specific stuff that is borderline voodoo. I didn't know what schools I should be targeting. Angela said HBS, Kellogg, Wharton, Booth, and after some negotiation with me, we added CBS, and LBS. MARK MY WORDS - from the free 40 min intro session in April 2015, she told me: "You'll be a strong candidate for Booth, Wharton, and Kellogg. HBS is a risk, LBS, and CBS are gonna be more difficult."

This September, I got rejected from HBS, LBS, and CBS. This December, I got admitted to Booth, Wharton, and Kellogg. But wait, there's more - she was like - yeah, you might end up with a scholarship from Booth. GUESS WHAT? I DID.

So Angela CALLED IT! She actually called the cards in April. This is how well she knows the schools. This is how well she can analyze you based on a 10 minute intro about your life. This is how well she knows where you fit. What more do you want?

So in case you missed the point, I don't only recommend Angela. I would not have wanted to work with anyone else IN THE WORLD but her. And I'm not just saying it, she is my friend, and I feel lucky I got to know her.

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Give Yourself The Best Shot By Working With Angela

When I started my MBA process, I was overwhelmed, and lost, and had 5 months total before the Round 2 deadline. I knew my dream schools were GSB, HBS, and Wharton. I had no idea how to approach the GRE, who to ask for rec letters, or what my essays should look like.

Fast forward a few months, I had three admit letters in hand from all of my top schools.

What happened in the middle? A lot of things. But the single most important decision I made was to work with Angela.

After our first call, I knew I wanted to work with her. I was originally very skeptical about working with an MBA consultant. But she knew the MBA landscape in and out, was immediately candid about my prospects, and exactly what I needed to get done by which dates to give me the best chances at going to business school. And beyond all of this, she was friendly and great to talk to, and a fantastic sounding board for all the questions I had.

We worked through so much together, but my biggest take away was surprisingly not the application that I turned in (and was proud of!). It was understanding my own career trajectory. As we talked through my goals and objectives to write about and speak about in the interviews, I also started to unearth components of my professional and personal life that I’d never really considered and held to the light.

Another thing to note was Angela’s deep understanding of MBA applications. I had read dozens of books on MBA applications and thought I understood best practices. But Angela challenged me on many of these generic assumptions. I followed her advice, though it was sometimes hard to work against what I saw in every public essay, forum, and article online. This paid off: two of the schools I was admitted to speaking specifically about how unique my essays were.

We all have unique journeys and unique futures ahead of us. But if you’re looking to show the best and most authentically compelling version of yourself to admissions committees, my only advice is to consider working with Angela and the Career Protocol team.

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