Before MBA Protocol

Before applying to business school, I worked at a women-owned private credit firm, where I supported women in finance and invested in small businesses. I genuinely loved the mission-driven nature of my work, but my long-term calling had always been global health. My undergraduate studies, research, and early internships were all in global health, and I originally moved into finance because I wanted to understand how capital gets allocated and why so many important health initiatives struggle to get funded. My dream was to eventually return to global health and help bridge the gap between mission and sustainable financing.

Why MBA, why now

An MBA was always part of my long-term plan because I saw it as the best way to connect my finance background with my global health aspirations. I explored a number of adjacent opportunities, including venture debt, healthcare consulting focused on private equity, and other private credit roles, but none felt like the right bridge to my ultimate goals. At the same time, my firm was incredibly supportive of my MBA ambitions, and many of my mentors were MBA graduates themselves. Ultimately, I realized that business school would provide the network, credibility, and broader perspective needed to make a meaningful pivot.

My post-MBA vision is to return to the global health sector and help build sustainable financing models that can unlock greater impact. Throughout my time in finance, I saw firsthand how investment decisions shape entire industries, and I became increasingly interested in applying those lessons to global health challenges. The MBA helped me connect those experiences into a cohesive vision. Today, I'm excited about pursuing opportunities that sit at the intersection of finance, healthcare, and global development.

Why MBA Protocol

I first heard about MBA Protocol through a coffee chat with someone who had gone through the admissions process before me. She challenged me on my story and pointed out that while my experiences were strong, I wasn't yet communicating the deeper "why" behind them. She recommended MBA Protocol's storytelling resources, and after my introductory conversation with Heather, I felt understood in a way I hadn't with other consultants. Rather than seeing me as another finance applicant trying to pivot into impact, she immediately grasped the personal motivations behind my goals. That gave me confidence that MBA Protocol would help me tell a more authentic story.

The work we did together

The biggest shift was in how I approached storytelling. The modules helped me move away from writing essays that focused on accomplishments and toward essays that showed admissions committees who I was, what I cared about, and why my experiences mattered. Beyond the tactical aspects of the application process, the community was incredibly valuable. Having a cohort of people going through the same highs and lows made the process feel much less isolating, and it was especially rewarding to reconnect with many of them at admitted students weekends.

MBA Admission Results

I earned a 328 GRE (163 Quant, 165 Verbal) and received interview invitations from Harvard Business School, Wharton, Columbia, Yale, and Duke. I was admitted to Harvard Business School, Columbia Business School with a full-tuition scholarship, Yale School of Management with a full-tuition scholarship, and Duke Fuqua with a Forte Fellowship and $100,000 per year in scholarship support. I was also waitlisted at Wharton. Professionally, I was promoted to Senior Associate during the application process.

Advice to other pivoters

Start earlier than you think you need to, especially when it comes to testing and reflecting on your story. The strongest applications are built over time, not rushed together a few months before deadlines.

Be honest with yourself about why you want an MBA and whether it's truly necessary for your goals, because it's a significant investment of both time and money.

If you decide it's the right path, take full advantage of the opportunity and approach the process with intention.

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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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BEST... COACH... EVER...

When I first started seeking an admissions consultant, my sole objective was to find a person who could teach me all the tips and tricks to sneak my way into one of the most prestigious programs in the world. I felt that my background was weak (white male, undergrad at a non-target state school, average GMAT score, and an impressive, but non-traditional professional background), and many consultants had me convinced that they held a secret formula to help me disguise these flaws. Then comes my coach…

By the end of our free intro call, my perspective on the application process had been flipped on its head. While many other consultants spoke of how they’d leverage their expertise and talent, my coach spoke of how he’d leverage mine. In the duration of a 30-minute call, he had thoroughly dissected my ambitions and desires to a degree that I had never thought to explore. But more importantly, he was genuinely excited for what I dreamed to accomplish. Our conversation made me feel empowered and proud of my accomplishment, not ashamed of my shortcomings. All the self-doubt and insecurity that I’d felt thus far was gone, and I knew that I’d found not only an admissions consultant, but a friend, mentor, and cheerleader with a sincere interest in seeing me succeed.

After hiring my coach, we started a several-week process of introspection; school applications were not discussed until later. He wanted to extract the personal and professional stories that shaped me, understand what was driving me to pursue an MBA, and ultimately what I hoped to accomplish in my life and career both short- and long-term. This self-discovery process not only helped him as we crafted my essays, but also helped me provide a far more genuine and compelling story as I networked and interviewed with current students, alumni, and ad-coms. As we moved into the essay and interview prep phases, this introspection paid dividends. I knew who I was and what I wanted to accomplish in a concise, genuine, and believable story, and I had already reflected on the stories to prove it. While I had zero doubt that I’d made the right choice with my coach, it was confirmed when I received Stanford GSB and Wharton interviews and over $80k in scholarships from Duke Fuqua and Yale SOM (which he masterfully helped me negotiate).

To summarize, gaining my coach as a mentor and friend has become one of the greatest blessings of my life. He changed the course of my life not only by helping me gain admission to my dream schools, but also by equipping me with the skills, confidence, and self-awareness to achieve my goals during and after my MBA. If you want to simply gain admission, go with the other guy. If you want to gain admission and prepare yourself for the rest of your life and career at the same time, go with my coach.

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$460,000 in Scholarships

I started working with Angela when I was 18 for behavioral interviews in college and reconnected with her again and all of MBA Protocol for my MBA applications. MBA prep is a beast of its own, and I did need some hand-holding at times, which they provided in exactly the right way. The number of resources and guidance available is endless, and what I found most helpful was how they kept me on track with a timeline and helped me figure out my story.

Timeline-wise, it was really easy for me to get overwhelmed with everything there is to do from numerous resume and essay revisions, to attending MBA events, working with recommenders, and the GRE, but MBA Protocol laid it out in a way that felt manageable, with a clear agenda and path. My coach would even nudge me when I was starting to fall behind, which I needed. I was also able to talk through whether this was the right year for me to apply while juggling other things I had going on personally.

For the story discovery process, that was really the foundation for every MBA essay I wrote, even for the schools I applied to on my own. Talking through my experiences helped me connect dots I didn’t see myself. For one of my schools, we finalized everything, and two weeks prior to the deadline, we completely scrapped an essay and started from a new angle and it’s the essay I’m most proud of because it shows a side of me I never would have thought to show otherwise.

I applied to 6 schools and got 4 interviews. When I began the interview prep process with Angela, I already felt a lot of confidence in my story. We practiced answers to key questions from my target schools to ensure I was ready for anything.

I am happy to report that despite a below average GRE score, I was admitted to Yale, Ross, and Booth with a total of $460,000 in scholarships, setting me up to make the career pivot I’ve been dreaming about for years now.

Overall, MBA Protocol not only helped me get into business school, but they helped me get scholarships that I never would have expected. It has completely paid off for me. There are many other ways they helped me with such as providing my recommenders with great materials on the best way to write a recommendation, connecting me with GRE tutors, and even after application submissions with tips and tricks to navigate waitlists. I couldn’t recommend Angela and MBA Protocol enough, especially if you want someone invested in your outcome.

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Angela Guido comprehensive prep

After researching a few different companies and interviewing 3 different consultants, I did not hesitate to work with Angela, and I still consider hiring her as one of the best things I did to prepare for the long process of applying to business school. She is upbeat, down to earth, kind, and the type of person who will tell it like it is and tell it how you need to hear it. Now that the process is over, I would definitely go back and choose her again in a heartbeat.

I am a non-traditional applicant- first of all, I am a 38 year old mother, so from the perspective from many Adcoms, I may as well have an AARP card. The stats for my admission to any top tier school were not good just based upon this fact alone. I am also military (I had a long commitment), but I had a late start to my career due to some flailings in my personal and professional life in my early 20’s. My extracurriculars were nothing spectacular and my college GPA was 3.3. I did, however, have a 740 GMAT, so I decided that maybe a school or two may overlook my faults if I could sell myself correctly, and this is where Angela came in.

I knew that I would give this one shot- no reapplying next year, so I wanted to make it count. I bought the 5 school comprehensive package and paid the nearly $10,000 fee (gulp!) With her advice, I decided to apply to MIT, Yale, HBS, Kellogg, and Foster (U of Washington). Here are a few of thoughts about my experience with Angela:

1. I am an extremely private person, yet I felt completely comfortable sharing things with Angela that even some of my closest friends don’t know. Not only is she not judgmental, but I also felt that in sharing certain things with her, she was able to understand me as a total person, which was key when helping me craft compelling narratives.

2. She was ALWAYS on time and NEVER missed a deadline or phone call. Ever. She was always prepared for the call.

3. I am not by nature a procrastinator, so I did not hire her to help me stay on track. I hired her because she knows what she is doing. She did not disappoint.

4. I had one minor recommender-related crisis that occurred half way through the process that I freaked out about. Angela was on the phone with me almost immediately and talked me down off the ledge and gave me some much-needed direction.

All of this was still hard work on my part. Having Angela as a consultant did not mean less work for me- on the contrary, it probably resulted in more. I had anywhere from 3-6 drafts on each essay, but as a result, my applications were WAY better than they would have been had I not been working with her. There are so many ways to screw up an essay, and I probably would have if left to my own devices.

I ended up receiving a full scholarship to Yale and a $40K scholarship to Foster. I was offered an interview to both MIT and HBS but was waitlisted at MIT and rejected to HBS. I was rejected to Kellogg (they interview everybody). All in all, not too shabby for someone with my stats! I probably would not have gotten into Yale at all or Foster with such a large scholarship without Angela. So the way I see it, this was a great ROI on my initial 10K. Aside from the economics, working with her just made the process… well, better. It was nice not to have to bug my friends to read my essays and I liked having a totally unbiased opinion. I looked forward to our brainstorming sessions and I felt like she really got me. All in all, I would do the same exact thing and hire Angela again if I had to re-do this process (which I don’t, thank goodness!).

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Angela the Unicorn

If you want the best, go with Angela. I would choose MBA Protocol over and over again. With their support, I was admitted to Booth, Kellogg, Yale, Berkeley, and Ross, with over $400K in scholarships.

I started seriously considering doing an MBA almost 3 years ago. That’s when Angela spawned in my YouTube algorithm with her energetic, candid, and refreshingly honest videos. I learned about other MBA consulting firms later on, but it was immediately clear that Angela’s approach and level of care were on a completely different level.

We had our very first call 3 years ago. Even though I was still early in the process, Angela already saw my candidacy clearly. She helped me identify the values that would eventually define my story, and we talked not just about schools, but about what an MBA could truly mean for my life and long-term goals. That early belief in me and the clarity she brought made it obvious that Angela and her team were the right partners to help me achieve my dreams.

When I officially signed up for my MBA Guided Quest Package this year, I was welcomed by the whole MBA Protocol community – creating something truly unique. Beyond working 1:1 with my coach, I fully took advantage of the huddles and office hours held by other coaches, as well as exchanging advice with the other clients who became an extended part of my journey. The chance to interact with multiple people gave me continuous fresh perspectives, inspiration, and ideas to keep going and improve my apps every single day. The level of care and attention I received was simply beyond expectations.

Plus, I got the chance to work with Angela herself – from reviewing my career game plan to refining resume bullet points. This is the real competitive advantage of MBA Protocol: you’re never alone. In fact, you’re surrounded by experts who actively support you at every step in a community of peers that inspire you to aim higher.

You really cannot go wrong with this company. Choosing Angela and MBA Protocol was one of the best decisions I made in this journey, truly a unicorn in the MBA admissions world.

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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!!

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Super Brian: The Superhero You Want

Repeat with me: “I. Want. Brian.” With Brian, I was admitted to 5 out of 6 MBA programs with $150k+ scholarships: Booth, Kellogg, Yale, Haas, and Ross (and was invited to interview at Wharton as well).

I’m an international future student who has been working in Marketing and Sales for the past 5 years. From the very first call with Brian, I could immediately tell that he’s not only an amazingly professional and trustworthy person, but he’s also the chillest, most fun guy I’ve met in years. And trust me: you really want someone you can fully trust and who lifts your mood during this process – especially when you’re doing it on your own and most friends and family won’t fully grasp the amount of work ahead.

Brian will not forget a single detail of your personal and professional story. He has remarkable emotional intelligence and an incredible ability to highlight your persona in the strongest, most authentic way. With his help – made of lots of laughter, some shared tears, and tough love – I developed the most compelling stories in my essays, without ever settling or feeling like I wasn’t myself.

But the work we did went far beyond essays. We rebuilt my resume from scratch (even though my previous one had already helped me get into FAANG companies), strategized on the best recommenders, and carefully selected the portfolio of schools that best fit my goals and dreams. Most importantly, Brian was always there: ready to answer questions of all kinds and to offer thoughtful, honest advice whenever I needed it.

You just cannot go wrong with Brian. And, in the end, he’s someone that will always root for you as long as you are willing to work hard, be authentic, and have fun. I already miss working with him, but I’m sure I’ll keep in touch for the rest of my life.

“I. Want. Brian.”

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