My Coach Is EVERYTHING & MORE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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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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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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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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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#1 Hype (Wo)Man Working with my coach was and remains (we’re still in touch) the best thing I did for my candidacy. Here’s why:

I dove into MBA research like most of you, I was unhappy with my current career and its trajectory and I needed an out. I took my GMAT (700), lined up the rest of my stats (3.56 GPA from a regional liberal arts university no one has heard of, No name employers, and a six-month employment gap). And then I was stuck. No one in my network, my friends’ network, or my friends’ old high school volleyball coach’s network had ever gotten an MBA. So I turned to the consultants, hoping for some guidance. I made some of those free “check out our services” calls, and every one of them made me feel terrible. With my stats, I was “too much of a question mark”, so they wouldn’t tell me if they thought I had a shot at all, let alone a shot at my T15 targets. Enter Career Protocol.

My intake call was so heartening. I felt seen, guided, and like I wasn’t crazy for wanting to pursue an MBA. Someone had an eye out for me because, after that call, they matched me with my coach. Suffering from a severe case of imposter syndrome coupled with no earthly idea what I was doing, she cut through my bullshit. She, with a warm and deft hand, gave me the vocabulary to tell my story. She held up a mirror to my life so that I could see it clearly, undiminished by my own baggage. She helped me carve out my own compelling case for why I wanted an MBA. She unflaggingly hyped me up on my third time through the GMAT. She never wavered in support, and never wavered in her truth-telling. She was exactly what I needed for my journey.

I was worried that this would be a formulaic experience that revolved only around essays. And don’t get me wrong, a lot of this was about essays (one of mine hit nine drafts and never did I feel like I was a burden, or like she was tired of reading this one story. She stuck with me until it was perfect). But this experience with my coach was bigger than that. It was a journey of self-discovery and reflection on my whole person. I was never just my stats. I was never asked to try and contort myself into some kind of perfect applicant. I got to be me the whole way through. Just me with her constantly reminding me I’m a force of f**king nature.

Six acceptances later, I am happy new admit at my dream T15 school with a scholarship (she held my hand through that negotiation as well).

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#1 or NOTHING: The Story

When I decided to get an MBA, I had one school in mind and one alone. I tried to fall in love with other programs, but I knew that deep down, I would not be happy anywhere else. It was selective, as you can imagine. Unfortunately, my GPA and GMAT were both below the median. Oh, and I hadn’t taken a math class since high school. After slogging through the GMAT five times because of the verbal (don’t ask), I didn’t want to rob myself of the more joyful parts of the application, the self-reflection and research. Plus, I knew my only shot at making my dream a reality was to put together the best application I could, which meant getting outside help. Enter my coach.

To say she is pretty good at her job is like saying Meryl Streep is ok at the whole acting thing. I know MBA applications are supposed to be stressful but thanks to her, it never felt that way. My coach is exactly the kind of supportive, compassionate partner you need on this journey. She’s whipsmart, with the perfect ratio of nurturing to no-nonsense. I can’t imagine having gone through this exhilarating process with anyone else. Even the most self-aware among us are blind to what makes our stories unique. She knew how to draw out the right ones—for the resume, video questions, and all the other application minutiae. When you (inevitably) second-guess yourself, she will meet your crazy with calm. I remember calling her to debrief after school visits, just because. She was always available and excited to hear from me.

As a professional writer, I figured I’d be in my element when it came to essays. Wrong. Every instinct I had was way off-base. I shudder to think about what kind of clinical, stiff essays I might’ve submitted to the five schools I applied to if it weren’t for my coach’s steady hand. After some 10-20 essay drafts, I ended up with lovely polished pieces, all while preserving my voice. Because Career Protocol’s methodology involves getting to know each client on a deeply personal level, she was able to keep me honest about what mattered to me. Was that one volunteering experience worth highlighting or was it that project I had at work that was more impactful? How would that interview answer sound to an adcom? Rather than frittering away time on Reddit threads and websites like these and crowdsourcing opinions from well-meaning (but uninformed) family and friends, I could just ask a trusted source about every concern I had. My coach was right about E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. All I had to do was work hard and trust her.

I got interview invites to all 5 schools, got admitted to 4 (including a highly-ranked M7 that I thought was way out of my league and almost didn’t apply to), and waitlisted at 1 (a school I’d heard a lot about anecdotally but wasn’t the right cultural fit). But of course, I only cared about one decision. As you might have guessed by now, my coach changed my life. I will be attending my dream school in the fall (with $)!! Getting that call is now one of my all-time happiest memories. And who called it from the start? My coach.

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Outsmarts & Outshines The Rest With Her Quirky & Ruthlessly Successful Approach

I am still stunned. If you had told me 12 months ago that I would be picking up the phone to hear “Congratulations! We would love to admit you to the Stanford GSB Class of 2022” I would have told you that you were simply being ridiculous, and to stop getting my hopes up.

And yet, after working with Angela, I not only have a Stanford offer but offers to three other M7 schools, one with a scholarship! It’s well beyond my wildest dreams, and I’m putting the effort into writing this review because I am so grateful to her and her team for the countless hours of support (literally, unlimited) that they put into getting me where I am today.

My background: I currently work at an MBB firm in international geography. My background pre-MBB is non-traditional – I worked in a community-run NGO, with no business qualification to speak of (therefore why I wanted to go to B-school in the first place!). I took the GRE, not the GMAT (score was ~ average for top schools), and my undergraduate marks were pretty poor. In short, we had a lot of work to do to reach my target schools.

The process: Angela was dedicated from the start to truly understanding my story. She asked the right questions from the very start, which led me to pour out some of my deepest hopes and fears to someone I had spoken to for barely 15 minutes!

Through countless iterations of multiple essays, Angela was instrumental at helping me ‘show, not tell’, and to bring parts of my personal story that I had discounted as irrelevant to an MBA to the fore – which, in the end, became the centerpieces of my applications. I learned not just to tell my story, but to tell stories better in general – a skill which also helped me later during the interview process.

Her services truly are all-inclusive – from essays to interviews, to all the other tiny things you need to know about MBA applications, scholarship negotiations, and interviews.

My take: Angela works with clients that she genuinely believes will make a positive difference in the world, and her belief in you is contagious. If you have any issues with self-confidence, Angela’s enthusiasm and honesty will help you celebrate your strengths as much as help work through your weak spots.

Her ‘special sauce’ is a mix of her years of experience in this space, her training as a story-teller and screenwriter, and her clear insistence that she is there to bring out the best in you, and help you write your own story – not to write it for you. The lessons I have learned throughout this process have helped me already in my job, and with applying for various other programs and awards.

I interviewed a number of consultants before I settled with Angela, all of whom told me to retake the GRE / lower my expectations – Angela believed in me from the beginning, and now I’m heading to the most selective business school in the world.

Thank you, Angela and team. Truly.

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