They weren’t sure they were competitive either.
Read what happened to people who felt the same way, in their own words.
541 client stories 176 reviews on Poets&Quants $109,000 average scholarship per admitted client (last 3 years)
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Got into MIT Sloan
But now, I'm experiencing a whole new level of panic about my future.
"After months of sleepless nights and self-doubts, I wanted to share some exciting news—I got accepted into MIT Sloan! But now, I'm experiencing a whole new level of panic about my future. Everyone around me seems to be doing a million things (and I'm not entirely sure if they're laying the right groundwork, you know?). Thankfully, your YOMO course is here, and I feel like it could be my saving grace, like your Interview Hero book!"
The highlighted sentences are the ones quoted above.
Your story won’t look like this one, and it doesn’t need to. Tell us yours on a free 25-minute call and you’ll know whether we’re the right team for you.
Let’s talk about my storyThank you for not giving up on me, thank you for believing in me, and thank you for being judgement free as well as genuine.
Thank you for everything. It meant a lot to me, and you showed me how to find myself again.
You have had a bigger impact on me than you know as I often reflect on our conversations over the last year and a half. You've really been there with me through some of my hardest times, whether you knew it or not, and I want to thank you! Thank you for not giving up on me, thank you for believing in me, and thank you for being judgement free as well as genuine.
The highlighted sentences are the ones quoted above.
Your story won’t look like this one, and it doesn’t need to. Tell us yours on a free 25-minute call and you’ll know whether we’re the right team for you.
Let’s talk about my storyI’m more confident going into the recruiting cycle because of her and YOMO – thank you, Angela!
Wish I Had Worked with Angela During The Admissions Process As Well!
I participated in YOMO, Angela’s course to help you prepare for an MBA the summer prior to beginning. YOMO is the perfect way to prepare for your MBA. I love that the course was self-paced and that we had regular calls for us to meet and catch up. The course helps you better understand the keys to work-life success and what really makes you happy. You’ll encounter several frameworks that you can employ while recruiting and having these in mind before even beginning the process is so helpful. The course was valuable for me because, in addition to the above, it helped me realize the importance of relationship building, whether you’re recruiting or not. There are also cool guest speakers that you can listen to, and I appreciated hearing their perspectives since they also went through the process. And most importantly, you’ll spend time reflecting and better understanding your values and what you want to do, which is much easier to do before you get busy with school.
Angela is a wonderful coach. I first heard her speak at a Forte event in London a few years ago and was inspired by her unique way of thinking. A former recruiter, she truly understands how candidates can differentiate themselves to not only get the job but also to be a better connector outside of the recruiting cycle. I read her networking book while completing this course and the information in both gels so well together (I highly recommend this). I’m more confident going into the recruiting cycle because of her and YOMO – thank you, Angela!
The highlighted sentences are the ones quoted above.
Your story won’t look like this one, and it doesn’t need to. Tell us yours on a free 25-minute call and you’ll know whether we’re the right team for you.
Let’s talk about my storyYOMO really helped open my eyes to networking strategies I'd have never considered on my own, and helped me understand why these strategies work.
YOMO really helped open my eyes to networking strategies I'd have never considered on my own, and helped me understand why these strategies work. Angela has a great way of communicating ideas, and is always eager to help.
The highlighted sentences are the ones quoted above.
Your story won’t look like this one, and it doesn’t need to. Tell us yours on a free 25-minute call and you’ll know whether we’re the right team for you.
Let’s talk about my storyYOMO gave me a structured way to think about what I’ve done so far and my career wish list, all prior to school starting.
YOMO gave me a structured way to think about what I’ve done so far and my career wish list, all prior to school starting. Angela’s frameworks are no-nonsense and are wonderful tools you can use to make the decisions that are best for you.
The highlighted sentences are the ones quoted above.
Your story won’t look like this one, and it doesn’t need to. Tell us yours on a free 25-minute call and you’ll know whether we’re the right team for you.
Let’s talk about my storyThrough detailed and guided self-exploration and lots of personalized support from Angela, I am prepared to hit the ground running come the fall!
YOMO has been a vital part of my MBA preparation experience. Through detailed and guided self-exploration and lots of personalized support from Angela, I am prepared to hit the ground running come the fall!
The highlighted sentences are the ones quoted above.
Your story won’t look like this one, and it doesn’t need to. Tell us yours on a free 25-minute call and you’ll know whether we’re the right team for you.
Let’s talk about my storyWhat you are, what you like about yourself and what you want to do with your time and your life before, during and after the MBA.
I learned from Angela that it's not about getting ahead of the competition but getting started with yourself. What you are, what you like about yourself and what you want to do with your time and your life before, during and after the MBA.
The highlighted sentences are the ones quoted above.
Your story won’t look like this one, and it doesn’t need to. Tell us yours on a free 25-minute call and you’ll know whether we’re the right team for you.
Let’s talk about my storyGot into Stanford
I decided to take YOMO from CareerProtocol because, as a potential career switcher I did not know where to start and I thought the summer was a good time to get prepared for the recruiting process.
I feel this has helped me hone in my future career path. I find that invaluable as I feel more focused and prepared to start my Stanford MBA journey.
YOMO, a real self-discovery tour!
I decided to take YOMO from CareerProtocol because, as a potential career switcher I did not know where to start and I thought the summer was a good time to get prepared for the recruiting process. I got much more than I asked for! Through a structured set of videos, assignments and most importantly, direct coaching with Angela, the course helps you discover and analyze your passions and interests, and fix/improve/or totally rework the basic tools you'll need to do this i.e. networking strategies, CV, linkedin, career services insights.
You will also hear more about the recruiting and networking process from an experienced insider and get to meet former and current MBAs and learn about their own experiences. It may sound cheesy but personally, the self-reflection part about my past and future is what I found most valuable. I feel this has helped me hone in my future career path. I find that invaluable as I feel more focused and prepared to start my Stanford MBA journey. Totally worth it!
The highlighted sentences are the ones quoted above.
Your story won’t look like this one, and it doesn’t need to. Tell us yours on a free 25-minute call and you’ll know whether we’re the right team for you.
Let’s talk about my storyWhat the first call is like.
Free, 25 minutes with one of our coaches, and you’ll leave knowing where you stand.
During the first consultation, she didn’t give me a feeling of selling business at all.
Just 10-15 minutes into our conversation, Angela was already able to put together a decent picture about me and tell me how to best position myself.
During our free consultation, what encouraged me to work with Angela was her candor, and fascinatingly accurate analysis of my profile, my key strengths and my required areas of focus!
Want to know where you stand?
Tell us about you, your scores (or no scores yet) and the schools on your list. You’ll hear where you stand, which schools make sense and what we’d do first.
If the honest answer is “retake the test” or “wait a round”, you’ll hear that too. Nobody will push you to buy anything.
Not ready to talk yet? Try the free Story Quiz first.
Somebody saw it in them first.
Ask clients what they remember most, and it’s usually the moment someone believed them.
From the beginning, Angela made it clear that she believed in me and in my story, and in the fact that, with the proper application, I had a chance at my dream school - Wharton.
She did much more than getting me into Harvard: She helped me connect all the dots, find confidence in myself and tell my story for the first time.
It left me, a burly manly man, in tears because I felt truly worthy and capable of taking on the challenge that laid ahead of me for the first time in my life.
When my mom and sister read my final drafts and said, “you actually sound like a human being instead of a robot,” I knew I had a real shot.
Our numbers, and how we count them.
of clients who followed our full school-portfolio guidance earned at least one admit, since 2018.
average scholarship per admitted client, last three years.
Reviews on Poets&Quants, as of October 2026
- Angela Guido: 131 reviews, rated 5.0 out of 5
- Brian Birdwell: 34 reviews, rated 5.0 out of 5
- Heather Soderquist: 11 reviews, rated 4.91 out of 5
How we count these · Coaching MBA applicants full time since 2008.
About these reviews
Where do they come from?
Clients wrote them on Poets&Quants, on GMAT Club, in notes to us and in the success stories they wrote for our site, starting in 2009. Where a review was posted publicly, the card links to it.
Do you edit them?
Almost never. We choose which sentence to show you, and every sentence is copied exactly, typos included. There are two exceptions. Where a client named a coach who has since moved on, the name now reads “my coach” (or she or he, as the client wrote it), and thank-you titles drop the name. Where a client named the company Angela worked for before, it now reads “the firm”.
Some reviews mention programs I can’t find. Why?
Some reviews mention programs we’ve since retired, like MBA Catalyst and MBA LFG. The coaching behind them is what we do today.
Some reviews say Career Protocol. Is that you?
Yes. MBA Protocol is part of Career Protocol, and older reviews use that name.
Did everyone get in?
No. Some stories here mention dings and waitlists, because those happened too.
Who are the coaches named on the cards?
The MBA Protocol coaching team. Where a client named their coach, the card says so and links to that coach’s page. You can meet the whole team on our About Us page.
Looking for a particular school?
Read stories from people who got in there.
Or start from what’s on your mind.
Read enough?
Every one of these people asked for help at some point. A free 25-minute call is a good place to start, and nobody will push you to buy anything.
Not ready to talk yet? Try the free Story Quiz first.