Before MBA Protocol

The bulk of my experience has been in social media at a digital marketing agency that specializes in B2B companies in the tech sector. I also had a 5-year tenure as a marketing manager at a business services company and that’s when I started considering an MBA – I had a general understanding of my role in growing the company but lacked the tools to transform my marketing area into a growth engine. I knew an MBA would help me close the knowledge and skills gaps that I’d noticed over the years. I wasn’t strictly sure about what role or career path I wanted for my future, but I did know I wanted to grow.

Why MBA, why now

I like that working in a marketing agency allows you to see a variety of customers and helping them solve different problems. Post MBA I would like to expand on that and go into consulting. It seems like a natural extension of my current experience and what I hope to gain from the MBA.

While I do have a business background from my undergrad (I majored in Marketing), an MBA will help me strengthen those foundations and provide a stepping stone for me to approach consulting firms with confidence and a solid set of skills and experience from the consulting projects I will participate in during the MBA.

Why MBA Protocol

The “call to adventure” philosophy really resonated with me. It helped me reframe this journey full of uncertainty that I was about to embark on into something to be excited about.

I knew I made the right choice because I knew I could count on anyone in the team for whatever I needed, and the community we ended up creating in our cohort was incredibly supportive; it was genuinely one of the most enjoyable things about this entire process.

The work we did together

I had to dive deep into my personal and professional history, which helped me own my story and become more confident when telling it, knowing that I have as much a right as anyone else to pursue an MBA and to earn my place in a program. I was of course nervous for the interview portion of the process, but knowing what makes me uniquely me and what I can bring to the table helped me navigate the anxiety. I mentioned earlier that I wasn’t sure what I wanted my career to look like on the other side of the MBA, but this journey really forced me to weigh my options and not only make up my mind but see the exact way forward.

During the process, I spoke a few times one on one with Heather, and she truly has an incredible ability to see you. She helped me connect the dots on aspects of my personal history that I later used in my essays, and I came to respect her opinion to the point of taking a leap of faith when she asked me to and submitting a particular application in round 2 after weeks of agonizing over it. She never for a second doubted that I would make it, even if I myself did at times.

MBA Admission Results

I got into Cambridge Judge Business School, my first choice, with a Cambridge MBA Distinction Award and an invitation to become a Forté Fellow. I’m also now a member of Wolfson College. It still doesn’t feel real. I think it won’t become real until the first day I’m actually on campus.

I also got admitted to Rotman Business School at the University of Toronto with a scholarship. I had 3 other schools in my roster: one of them rejected me, and I didn’t end up applying to the other two once I got an offer from Cambridge in December.

Advice to other pivoters

If you take this seriously, it’s possibly one of the scariest things you’ll ever do. You’ll question everything you thought you knew about yourself. At multiple stages, you’ll probably wonder why you’re doing this to yourself (especially when subjecting yourself to the GMAT multiple times like I did). You might want to put if off until you finally feel ready. Don’t wait.

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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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My Coach: Patron Saint Of Non-Traditional Applicants

It’s been over a year since I left the advertising world for HBS, and not a day goes by that I don’t think about what my coach did for me.

You read that right: advertising –> HBS.

Most consultants I spoke with told me to aim lower, especially considering that I’m quantitatively challenged (I couldn’t break 47th percentile in the GRE quant), and pursued a pure humanities major in undergrad, albeit with a 3.9 GPA. My coach was the rare partner who looked past my stats and considered me as a whole person. In my desire to parlay the lateral thinking, creativity and people skills I’d learned in the ad world into a career as a GM in a consumer business, she didn’t see a moonshot, she saw a match. And once she’d gotten to know me, she pressed me to reach for the best programs.

You are probably reading this to the tune of a low-humming anxiety about your future that’s been bothering you since you began toying with the idea of business school. If you work with my coach, you will be surprised to find periods of relief from that feeling: the process she puts you through may actually help you discover a stronger sense of self and a more confident orientation towards your next steps that is a relief for anyone in their mid-late 20s, no matter what happens. It did for me.

She will be 100% on your team – she’ll make you confront hard truths, make tough decisions, and help you embrace optimism. As a neurotic personality, I can testify to her talent for reframing things in a way that saves emotional energy.

For people applying from “non-traditional” backgrounds – go with my coach. She will help you find where you belong, and believe me there is a place for you – programs need more of you. I have heard from classmates that I think differently from anyone they’ve worked with and it brings valuable ideas to the table. And you will gain so much from your program: this summer I worked at a fintech using some of the basic statistics, data science, and finance concepts from my first year to build a new pricing model for a product portfolio. I loved every minute of it, and I’m now weighing an opportunity to go back full-time.

Thank you, coach, for betting on the potential in your students instead of the boxes they check.

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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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Unleashed Confidence To Defy All Odds!

I had the fortunate opportunity to work with Angela during my MBA Round 2 for full-time Fall ’23. At the beginning, I had a lot of doubts about my profile and whether I could get into a top 15 school. I was worried about my undergraduate GPA (3.17/4), my relatively lower than average GMAT score (680), and my atypical background (non-diverse male in real estate construction finance). But choosing to work with Angela was, no doubt, the best decision I made. From the get-go, I was blown away by how obvious it was to her on how to counteract my weak stats by leveraging my ‘great, collaborative, and fun’ (her words) personality and my unique career experiences as my strengths within my application. She always had complete faith that these strengths are exactly what will help me successfully cross the finish line. Not only that, she gave me the tools to juggle and manage around 8 different applications, and submit each application with full confidence that it showed my best abilities and life stories.

Angela is a MASTER at helping people embrace their own stories and express them effectively. She understands how important it is to stand out among thousands of other applicants, focusing on what made me unique rather than just telling the AdCom what they wanted to hear. Surprisingly, I ended up using many life stories in my applications that I initially thought were irrelevant, but they turned out to be pivotal moments that perfectly showcased who I am and what I’m all about.

She’s brutally honest and it’s BEAUTIFUL. It is exactly what I needed during the process. She knows when to say no and offers alternative perspectives and solutions. It was confusing at times and even overwhelming to go against some information that I would find in online forums, Reddit, and speaking with other applicants, but putting full trust in her quirky and exciting process is what led to my success.

When I initially applied to 5 schools and found out that I was waitlisted at 4 of my top choices. Angela sensed the urgency and immediately helped me prioritize a game plan to stand out and get off the waitlist. Right away, she told me the hard truth of being on the waitlist and also told me something that I didn’t want to hear, which was to take the GRE instead of the GMAT. Looking back, this was the best advice and just one example of how strategic she is in her approach. She also pushed me to get creative with a video response that a school requested while I was on the waitlist, rather than taking the boring path. Thanks to all her efforts, dedication, and vast knowledge, I got accepted into 3 schools (still counting) and ultimately my top choice, Booth.

Overall, Angela is an amazing ROCKSTAR and a genius, enthusiastic person who brought out the best of my stories and I’ve learned a lifelong skill of creative self-advocacy. If you want to succeed in your MBA aspirations, I highly recommend working with Angela and her team at Career Protocol!

Yash Baheti

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She Makes You Into A Diamond!

Despite a 610 GMAT, a state school background, work experience in only one company, and only applying to two programs because of my fear of being rejected everywhere, I got an acceptance from HBS and waitlisted post interview in the GSB in the most competitive MBA application year!

At my desk, I didn’t consider myself material for the institutions where I thought my goals would flourish – it made me feel sad. However, Career Protocol’s process helped me take a deep introspection of my life and my future. Angela and her team are professional big sisters and brothers who are wise, funny, and knowledgeable in how to best present yourself in your MBA applications. They are good people who care.

Angela worked with me on more than +50 essay re-writes and added +200 comments throughout +3 months in my essays. Her background as a screenwriter helped me craft my story arc across the different elements of the application. She didn’t write sentences for me or gave me a template. She even prohibited me from looking at examples! She thoughtfully guided me to realize the highlights of my life and how to best express them in each part of my application. Even my passion to create the perfect Pisco Sour was included as a small line in my resume. I got questioned by both interviewers in the GSB and HBS about it. Angela knows exactly what detail to add where. She even worked with me in tiny job description boxes that perhaps other consultants don’t consider. There wasn’t a detail that Angela didn’t help me craft.

The essays that I ended up writing and my application inspire me. This is the most important. I’m also happy they inspired the Adcom! In addition, my post-MBA goals have multiplied in ambition and impact. The interview skills I’ve gained in Career Protocol’s program have already opened many doors and I’m no longer nervous. Working with Career Protocol I feel that I did not only create an MBA application but also embarked on a journey towards my dreams. I’m eternally grateful to them!

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My Coach Is Extremely Dedicated And Insightful!!

There are so many great things to say about working with my coach, that it’s hard to know where to start!

When I first started the MBA application process, I really wasn’t thinking of working with a consultant because I was afraid that the interaction would be mostly transactional (since that is sometimes what I hear from friends), and that the consultant would not really bother getting to know me as a person. But through Forte Launch, I got to know the Career Protocol team, and then eventually had a conversation with my coach, and I felt that his approach really resonated with me, and everything just felt “right.” I was also really stressed about the application process (remembering how stressed out I was during my college application process, and not looking forward to having to put myself through this again), and I wasn’t sure what my chances would be at different schools. So, after balancing all of this out in my head, I decided to work with him.

Now that I’m at the end of my MBA application journey, I can say that this has been such a great decision! My coach does a great balance with pushing me to be the best I can be and not letting me sell myself short, while also keeping things real. After not being able to crack 700 on the GMAT after repeated attempts, I was thinking of not applying to Stanford anymore, but he still encouraged me to do so, wanting to make sure I stayed true to my interests. He often said I shouldn’t do things out of fear, and that I would regret it in the long-term if I didn’t apply. At the same time, to make sure I applied to a balanced set of schools, he encouraged me to consider what my safety schools would be, something that I wouldn’t have done on my own – looking back, doing so gave me greater peace of mind throughout the application process than if I hadn’t done so.

He also took a lot of time to know what my “life story” is, and where my real interests lied. At first, I said what sounded like a list of disjoint things, between education, economics, technology, etc. After doing multiple rounds of digging with me, and taking into consideration everything I’ve written about myself, it was my coach who actually saw the unifying theme and articulated back to me what my actual interest was. This was a crucial turning point for my goals essays – before they were completely weak and generic, and after articulating my goals, he enabled me to write goals essays unique and true to myself and reflective of my life experiences, that made me a much more compelling candidate. But I would say, even beyond business school, his insight here is valuable because it enabled me to recognize what drove all my disparate interests, and what was the essential thing that made me tick.

Overall, working with my coach enabled me to focus on the things that mattered and not get stuck in my own head. I appreciated that he always gave me the feedback I needed to hear, and told me what was working and what was not. When I kept falling short of my GMAT target, he kept things realistic for me but also prevented me from excessively worrying about it. He was always generous with spending time talking through my concerns, even if I felt I might be asking some annoying questions!

I’m really glad that I worked with my coach – he takes a very humanistic, authentic, and grounded approach to coaching me through the application process. He’s prevented me from making a number of critical mistakes, both in terms of the application and maximizing my scholarship chances, and I’m sure without him, I would’ve gone through this entire 8-month process (working through R1 and R2) with a lot more stress! He also goes beyond in other ways – early on, he connected me with a personal friend of his, who was a Product Manager, so I could learn more about the PM career!

I’m thrilled to have gotten an acceptance call from Chicago Booth this past week (and with a $40K scholarship!), especially since I’ve dreamed of going to the University of Chicago since I was in high school! Moreover, I think I’ve grown a lot as a person through this process, and my coach has also shown me the right mindset to have when tackling challenges – one that keeps things in greater perspective and leads to less stress navigating various unknowns!

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