Testimonials: Better life not just better essays
A successful life is a long-term game, and that’s the only one we’re interested in helping you play. An MBA is a means to an end, not the end itself. Our secret is that we’re not helping you get into business school. We’re helping you become a more conscious, competent, communicative, and connected professional. That’s what will make you an irresistible MBA candidate (and classmate, employee, collaborator, and boss!)
Great experience with Angela!
Early last year, I observed Angela lead a seminar for MBA applicants, and I found her approach to storytelling to be very helpful. In the summer, I decided to apply to MBA programs in Round 1. After a consultation with Angela, I knew that she would help me a lot, but like many, I felt unsure of whether working with a consultant was worth the financial investment. I took the plunge because I wanted to feel that I gave my applications my all, and it was absolutely worth it.
I chose to apply to four competitive schools and started working with Angela. When we brainstormed essay ideas, I initially struggled to come up with compelling ones. I held back on discussing various experiences that I didn’t think were relevant to business or leadership. When Angela asked me to talk more about struggles, I brought up these seemingly disparate experiences, and she was able to connect them to reveal an evolution in how I approached my work. She helped develop a framework to write my first essay using these experiences, which made it easier to execute. This helped me get on a roll in crafting all of my essays and made me view my experiences in a new way. I wouldn’t have written about some of the professional experiences that affected me personally if Angela had not helped me realize I could do so appropriately and artfully.
So far, I've received admission to HBS and Wharton, 2 out of 4. It may become 3, as I'm still waiting to hear back from one school. Even if I had not gained admission, I think I would have still felt that working with Angela was beneficial, because the skills you hone are applicable beyond MBA applications. You may not have to write another essay about a time you worked in a team, but you will have to maintain a resume, interview, articulate your value, and be able to tell your story for the rest of your life. Going through this process with Angela improves your ability to do that. You will come out with better self-awareness. The MBA application process can be an intense journey, and it’s nice to have a knowledgeable, supportive friend along the way.
HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL AND WHARTON ADMIT, JANUARY 05 | 2015 ON GMAT CLUB
Do you dread talking about career goals?
I certainly did. I was not afraid of tests and essays, but I was terrified about talking about myself and my journey. A lot of my fellow MBA applicants fall into this category – we have nebulous, wishy washy thoughts about our strengths and career dreams, and don't know how to crystalize them into a story. Angela completely changed that for me. Unlike other consultants and advice-givers, Angela starts with YOU as the individual, and forces you to reflect very deeply about yourself. For her, the process of career mapping is central to the MBA process, and everything unfolds from there. Career mapping should also be fun – and with her, it is! She brings a positive, humorous approach that is incredibly valuable during this often harrowing process. After working with Angela I not only feel crystal clear about my career goals and story, I also feel great about myself and my decision to pursue an MBA. Instead of dread when someone asks me “”why do you want an MBA,”” I actually get visibly excited to share my story. How great is that? Thank you, Angela!
KELLOGG ADMIT ON GMAT CLUB
Great admissions consultant, even better professional coach!
As I was doing my due diligence, I shortlisted a few consultants who came highly recommended on GMAT Club. After scheduling an initial trial call with a few of them, I was immediately drawn to work with Angela because of her positive energy and experience – she has been doing this for longer than I have been out of school!
As for her strengths, there are two skills that define Angela’s work with me: First, she very quickly understood my life story and had an incredible knack at drawing out the best personal traits to highlight in my essays. Second (and most amazingly!), Angela is able to weave those personal anecdotes into a cohesive and powerful narrative. In a few of our skype chats, I vividly remember Angela giving me two or three options on how to approach each essay using the same personal anecdotes we chose to use. This way, I had the chance to pick the most comfortable option, making the essay writing process much easier.
But what really defined my time with Angela was the extra hours she put in to go through the decision making process with me after the admission decisions came out. I applied to four schools among which one was my safety school. I got dinged at the three schools I was targeting, so I was struggling and very disappointed for a while. However a few skype chats with Angela, she was able to provide encouragement and, most importantly, both emotional and professional perspective to help me see the light at the end of the tunnel.
More than a great admissions consultant, Angela is an excellent professional coach!
BOOTH STUDENT, MARCH 2, 2017 ON GMAT CLUB
A perfect Angel(a)
Angela was perfect. She did a little bit of research on me and totally pegged who I am and what I'm about. She articulated a compelling narrative for me to present to top business schools, and I'm confident she can maximize my admission chances.
ANONYMOUS MBA ON GMAT CLUB
Angela Guido: Mindreader
It seems like every single time I hit a wall in the application process – is my resume format okay? are my bullet points impressive enough? do my goals make sense? how do I even begin tackling these essays? – Not only did Angela expertly address the toughest questions but she also provided clear tools and methods for thinking through all of them. I walked away with a clear strategy and increased confidence. I highly recommend checking out the MBA bootcamp, including the Resume Protocol below. Thanks Angela!
FORTE MBA LAUNCHER, JULY 21 | 2016 ON GMAT CLUB
structure and joy through ALL the chaos
I worked with Angela and without reservation can say she is truly committed to the success of her applicants. Angela was able to speak to so many of the issues I encountered in the MBA application process and provide specific solutions and advice.
One of the most elements in the Boot Camp that saved me the most time was the “”Exploring Your Experiences”” worksheets, which was a guided reflection on my personal and professional experiences that left me blooming with rich, thoughtful ideas for my essays. I often shyed-away from soul-searching, but this worksheet made it comfortable for me to talk about my accomplishments and what mattered to me.
Aligning my resume with impact was never conveyed to me prior to MBA Resume Protocol, so the information completely changed what a reader would know about my experience. I previously struggled writing about my accomplishments because my experience was in consulting, however Resume Protocol addresses this issue head-on and suggests amazing verbiage that still conveys impact.
(here is the link if you are interested: https://careerprotocol.com/mba-resume/)
I strongly recommend Angela's services and materials for anyone who is looking for guidance and inspiration!
MBA ADMIT, JULY 31 | 2016
Gaining Confidence on my own
Angela's advice is invaluable. I knew I wanted to pursue my MBA, but wasn't sure if I could persuade the AdComs. I currently participate in Forte's MBALaunch, and as one of the younger applicants with significantly less work experience, I felt unsure of my candidacy. Angela walks you through the application process step-by-step and gives you great detail on how to work through potential obstacles in your application. I learned so much from Angela, but the most important thing I gained from her was the confidence to go forward with my applications. Furthermore, Angela's MBA Resume Template is GOLD. Her format is perfect for demonstrating growth, even if you haven't been working for long, like me. I got SO many compliments on my new resume, and I am proud of the work I put into it. Angela is a great resource – make sure you use her as you continue on with your MBA Mission.
MBA APPLICANT, JULY 27 | 2016 ON GMAT CLUB
Angela is my hero!!
I worked with Angela Guido on the end-to-end package for three top-5 schools. Though I came from a typical b-school-feeder background (consulting) and had good numbers (3.7 GPA / 740 GMAT), with Stanford as my dream school I felt I needed help on telling a compelling story to separate me from the pack. My result was that I received interviews at all 3 schools, was accepted to 2/3, and will be attending Stanford in the fall.
I spoke to multiple firms to choose a consultant and felt an immediate connection when I spoke to Angela. A few thoughts on why I found her so helpful:
– I had a number of things I wanted to write about in my essays and for my overall “”narrative””. Instead of just spitting out a story that sounded good, Angela really took the time to listen to my disparate stories and help me weave together a compelling narrative around what was most meaningful to me, not just what would be interesting to adcoms
– Instead of just writing FOR me, Angela pushed me to communicate what I was trying to say in more straightforward and meaningful language. She really helped to cultivate my own skills in communication and self-expression, and turning those into meaningful essays
– There were many times where we had short timelines to work on, but throughout the process Angela was always punctual and reliable in terms of when she would get things back to me. This helped me to keep my work on track and lessened my already-high stress level!
– Having someone who is so knowledgeable about the b-school admissions process as a coach was absolutely invaluable just in itself. Angela helped me think through what the most impactful stories to tell for each school were and was always there to reassure me that we were on-track and making good progress.
Through my work with Angela, I not only accomplished my goal of getting into my dream business school, but I developed a keener sense of myself and how to present myself in my communications, which is a skill that will serve me well throughout my career. I highly recommend working with Angela!
STANFORD GSB ADMIT, MAY 09 | 2012 ON GMAT CLUB
It is worth every Penny
I worked with Angela in my MBA admission Journey and I got into the school that I dreamed of. Listen to my story.
She pushed me very hard to write the best story about myself. Without her help, I would not be able to do so. Not only that, she helped me find a GMAT tutor for me when I couldn’t pass the 300 level. After I finished my GMAT, she strongly advised that I study at a community college to prepare myself for the MBA since my first language is not English and she thought I would have a difficult time in my MBA. She read my personality and she advised which schools I should consider for my MBA.
She went far and beyond the scope of our contract. I felt every step of the way she truly cared about me and my success – she understood me and worked with my very very busy schedule. I knew I could always trust her advice. I tried other admission consultants, and I do not see anybody give me what Angela gave me.
I still consult her about my further study, and she still answers me without charging me. I consider her an advisor and friend for the rest of my career. Is there any reason why not to sign with Angela?
ANONYMOUS, FEBRUARY 05 | 2014 ON GMAT CLUB
Advice from Angela is invaluable
Angela Guido provided insightful advice and really helped me see the big picture of the application process. Beyond getting into the school of my choice, I left the process with a more mature understanding of why I was going back to school and what I would look to get from it.
BOOTH ADMIT ON ADMISSIONS 411
Fantastic Experience with Angela!
I worked with Angela on a two school package for both HBS and GSB.
What really impressed me right away was how she read into my personality so well. After reading through my initial brainstorming materials, and doing an 30 minute call, it felt like Angela had known me for years.
She was tremendously helpful in helping me brainstorm essay ideas and helping me frame my life story and interests in a convincing way! I was very happy with the end result of my essays and felt they really reflected who I was.
Angela was quick to respond to any questions I had over email, and always got drafts of my essays back to me in a timely manner.
Although I did not end up getting into either of my top choices, I was able to leverage the work I did on both schools into an application to Wharton and was admitted! Angela even helped me in my interview even though it wasn't one of the two schools I was working with her on. Talk about going above and beyond!
If anyone is on the fence about hiring a consultant, I highly recommend you spending 30 minutes (free consultation!) on the phone with Angela!
WHARTON MBA ADMIT, JANUARY 17 | 2016 ON GMAT CLUB
Really Great Experience
I worked with Angela with a one school package deal. I had a great experience, and throughout the nine month process of working directly with Angela, I learned so much and was able to create an application that really reflected what I could bring to the table. Angela really pushed me to unearth my own voice, pushing me to tell my story in a way that felt both genuine to myself but also compelling to a reader. She was really good at giving high-level directions but then leaving it up to me on exactly how I should execute and improve.
She's obviously very passionate about this work, and helping her clients to grow through the process via discovering their own voice. She also graciously offered all her clients an invaluable interview workshop, which really trained us on effective interviewing, and how to verbally make my story more compelling.
As an atraditional applicant, I came in unclear on how to best way highlight my unique attributes while also emphasizing the contributions I could bring to each school – despite her unfamiliarity with my industry, Angela had a unique ability to really synthesize and identify patterns across my work experiences, and use that understanding in pushing me to articulate my unique value proposition.
I grew and learned so much in the process of working with Angela – although I ultimately wasn't accepted to the school that we worked on together, the materials we created drove the content of my other applications and overall really made me a much stronger candidate. And even post-applications, Angela has been invaluable resource in connecting me with students at the schools I'm considering and even in planning pre-MBA plans. I would highly recommend working with her!
MBA ADMIT JANUARY 18 | 2014 ON GMAT CLUB
Angela is a rock star!
What more can I say? Does Angela go above and beyond to help her clients succeed in every way possible? Yes. Does she exhibit professionalism and candor? Undoubtedly. Is she a rock star? Definitely.
I worked with Angela on 3 schools, and selected her to be my MBA consultant without even meeting her- she came highly recommended by numerous outlets, and thus I felt confident in working together. She didn't fail to deliver, as immediately we worked through my profile. I came into the MBA admissions game with a sense of where I wanted to go, but no gauge on my chances as a candidate. Angela assessed my strengths and weaknesses, and we put together a brand that was distinctive and written for each school. In every interaction we had, she was frank without being abrupt, and thus I had an good understanding of how to appeal to admissions departments. I utilized her invaluable input on other schools, too, and the result: A full ride to one of the best schools in the country.
As a person, Angela is someone I aspire to be like. As an MBA consultant, she is, in every sense of the word, the BEST. Even after this process, I know she is someone I can reach out to for anything- and that fact alone clearly shows she truly cares about the people she works with. She started off as my consultant, but now I can call her my friend.
TOP MBA ADMIT, JANUARY 21 | 2014 ON GMAT CLUB