3 M7 Admits and $390K in scholarships as an unusual candidate

When I decided in September 2024 to apply for round 2 by January, it was a sprint. I had just a few months to study for the GMAT, get my applications in order, and make some magic happen. I was referred to Angela by my GMAT instructor, and I could immediately tell she was a great fit. She has a fascination for good stories, and having started three cannabis companies, and grown up across several countries, mine was anything but a traditional MBA path.

We signed the contract in early December and hit the ground running. Her process was incredible. The way she made me download what felt like my entire life into a structured brainstorming session, my accomplishments my personality, who I was as a person, it felt like no stone was left unturned. It’s a wild feeling to have someone analyze your life and come back with insights you never considered yourself. Experiences I thought were mediocre she called out as “rockstar” stories. It felt like she was helping me craft my autobiography, not just for work, but really digging into my personality and letting it show through in every application.

We were in a race against time, and our time zone difference was actually a huge advantage. I would work on essays late into the evenings, send them at 1am, and wake up to comments from her. Rinse and repeat.

After submitting apps I was genuinely proud of, the results were humbling. I went 0/4. But I wasn’t deterred. I retook the GMAT and improved my score by 100 points. The following September, I went back into the process armed with essays I’d already written, stories I’d already excavated, and a clearer strategic gameplan Angela helped me create for reapplying. I was much more focused in the stories I told, and my career vision more aligned to my experience. Angela checked in on me, helped me retool my narrative approach, and armed me with the tools to approach this cycle myself. Success! I received offers from Kellogg, Booth, and Columbia, with a total of $390k in scholarships! (After negotiating, of course.)

I truly couldn’t have done it without her. Her ability to identify and elevate great stories is unmatched, and her genuine investment in my success across two application cycles despite me only paying for one made all the difference. She has my strongest recommendation.

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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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Mission Accomplished - Brian Is The One!

12 months ago I was down in the dumps. After 8 years of riding the self employment rollercoaster my business was getting quiet once again. I had just lost a parent, I was lacking direction and knew I needed a factory reset. I was seeking a path to a more purposeful existence that offered stable employment and long term financial prospects.

I was a 32 year old immigrant with a BA in Communications from a European university and I had no direct corporate experience. I had worked in media production for 8 years taking whatever work came through.

After spending many nights going down rabbit holes looking for inspiration, googling “how to get a good job”, I discovered Career Protocols YouTube page and benefited from a wealth of information that I felt was leading me in the right direction. I had never heard of an MBA or a GRE!

I recognize the ridiculousness of pursuing a $150k degree without a specific career goal but the employment reports were promising and I knew with the right guidance this could be an opportunity to get back on track. I was open to new challenges but didn’t want to completely start from scratch competing with 22 year olds for entry level jobs. I was willing to make the investment in myself to learn new skills which would help me to compete for coveted roles at amazing companies that I currently had no access to. I rolled the dice, made contact with Career Protocol and was matched with Brian Birdwell, aka The Wizard.

Within the first week of working together I knew my investment with CP was going to pay off. The first round of essay edits opened my mind to a whole new way of storytelling and I can’t believe I ever thought I could do it alone. We did a deep dive into my entire background and not only did Brian identify the most impactful events of my life, he wove them into a framework that helped me rediscover my confidence, recognize my achievements and inspired me to reach for the stars.

Brian balances being an absolute professional while also being the chillest dude. He’s a sage and has an unbelievable memory - 2 months into the process he was still recalling details of my background that I had mentioned during our initial discovery call, making for an incredibly personalized experience.

Aside from my age, lack of corporate exposure and unclear career goals, I hadn’t taken a math test in 14 years. I self studied over the Summer and improved immensely but ultimately managed to score below average on the GRE. In hindsight I should have sought professional help here as well. I subsequently took the Executive Assessment, scoring above average, and I used that test score when applicable.

Brian helped to identify programs for which I was a competitive candidate but encouraged me to apply to a range of schools. Despite the initial challenges with my profile we stuck to the plan and I ended up getting admitted to Michigan Ross, NYU Stern, Georgetown, the University of Washington Foster with a scholarship and I was waitlisted at Columbia!

I am immensely proud of what we achieved, particularly because I crafted truly authentic, soul bearing stories that are entirely original and unique to my experiences. Before connecting with Brian I interviewed 2 other admissions consulting firms. One of them told me I didn’t have a chance at top programs and the other pitched a scenario where their team of writers would interview me once and then write my essays for me - a ludicrous proposition. During one MBA school interview the admissions director told me I was one of the best storytellers that had ever applied to their program - wow. Without Brian’s expertise that would never have been possible.

This service is so much more than just essay support. It’s part admissions consulting, interview training, resume refining, school selection, career guidance, community support and at times, therapy. I achieved what I set out to do and learned an arsenal of new skills that I will take with me into my MBA and beyond. I am eternally grateful to Brian, Angela and the Career Protocol community!

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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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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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My Coach Is The Swiss Army Knife MBA Savior

I found my coach in a pretty dark time where I was working with another full package consultant who was not delivering on the agreed terms, I was tanking the GRE, battling major discriminatory legal issues at work, and feeling overall depleted with less than 2 months to apply for R2.

Immediately upon meeting my coach, her warm energy made me feel seen and offered a sense of emotional safety I did not even realize I needed. The space she held enabled me to re-tap into a renewed sense of reinvigorated inspiration on why I was applying to an MBA, and through her uncanny command of the English language, she began to tease out the best aspects of my background.

I work in an esoteric field in which it can be challenging to find the linguistics to make it ubiquitously relevant to a wide range of individuals. Yet she was always able to translate a garbled 1-minute ramble, into a cogent, specific, and uplifting resume bullet or sentence. Even the mere act of working with her on crafting language allowed me to rebuild a bit of the confidence I had lost and better appreciate all I had to offer.

It can be easy to fall into the trap that working with a consultant who got an MBA or worked on admissions is the best way to go. However, after working with my coach, I realized to bring your best application forward, you need someone that knows how to translate and tease out the best aspects of your profile to a wide audience. Not many possess that conglomerated skillset as it takes someone who is patient in hearing your story, open minded in receiving your story (without an agenda), and creative in helping you tell and tailor the story (rather than artificially force your story into a template).

My coach can do all of that so naturally.

The results after working with her for only a month at the tail end of my application process was, I got interview invites to 5 of the 6 programs I applied for (all T15 or above), and admission offers at 4 programs – including two M7s, and 150K in scholarship offers.

I genuinely believe if I had worked with my coach much earlier in my MBA process, those metrics may have been even higher. Regardless, working with her is an opportunity to re-write your own story and I could not recommend her enough!

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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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