COMPARISONS WITH OTHER FIRMS

This page is dedicated to the subset of applicants with one of the most unique and important perspectives in all of MBA admissions consulting — the experience of having worked with two or three different consultants or firms.

I continue to be surprised at how often we encounter applicants who previously / unsuccessfully worked with other consultants, from big names to local players -- and at how different they find their experience with Avanti Prep to be.

You can read their stories below. The themes remain the same. We provide a level of time, depth, quality, commitment, and care that others simply do not. And we charge $100 to $200 less per hour than our competitors for it.

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All reviews are verified by and available on GMAT Club and/or Poets & Quants. Avanti Prep does not provide any incentives to clients for posting reviews.​

AVANTI PREP CLIENTS WHO PREVIOUSLY WORKED WITH OTHER FIRMS

HANDS DOWN THE BEST THOUGHT PARTNER / WRITING COACH / INTERVIEW COACH I’VE EVER WORKED WITH​

Posted on and independently verified by GMAT Club and Poets & Quants​​
Review title comes from the applicant's Poets & Quants submission

​With just a 720 GMAT, Greg helped me get an acceptance to HBS and a waitlist at GSB. He's hands down the best admissions consultant / thought partner / writing coach / interview coach I’ve ever worked with. I actually began this process by signing up for a couple of hours with a few well-known firms before diving deeper with Avanti Prep. Working with Greg was one of the best decisions I made during the admissions process. Here are just a few (of the many) reasons why:

Great for non-traditional backgrounds: I studied liberal arts at a non-target public university, had a fairly non-traditional background, and super non-traditional career aspirations. Greg was the only consultant I spoke with who actually "got" my background and helped me craft a really unique and cohesive story out of it. He struck a brilliant balance both supporting my goals, and challenging me to take them to the next level.

Financially favorable: Avanti Prep offers some of the best deals across the consultant landscape. (If you do your own hourly rates benchmarking you'll come to the same conclusion!). I did a 20 hour package, and added an additional 10 hours for interviews. On top of all of that, Greg was extremely generous and gave me a lot of complimentary time.

Personality: I genuinely had fun during this admissions cycle, in no small feat due to Greg's constant humor, warmth, and integrity. He's just an overall incredible person to work with.

Essay expert: Greg has deep expertise in school programs. His essay guidance was thoughtful, direct, unique to each school, and extremely constructive. I often thought of myself as a strong writer, but Greg's suggestions were always on point, mirrored my writing style, and significantly elevated my own voice.

Interview prep: I spent many hours with Greg prepping for HBS, GSB and a few other M7 interviews. He knew the interview style and nuances for each school, which can vary significantly, especially with HBS and GSB. He delivered highly personalized prep sessions and helped me significantly polish many of my answers unique to each school. In fact, many of his interview questions ended up being nearly verbatim to the ones I actually received!

If you're on the fence and you've read up until this point, just take this as a sign to sign up. It’s absolutely worth it!

ACCEPTED TO WHARTON AND COLUMBIA WITH $100K IN SCHOLARSHIPS!

Posted on and independently verified by GMAT Club and Poets & Quants

As a reapplicant who worked with a different consultant last year and did not receive interviews invites, I was anxious about applying this year, and hesitant to work with a consultant. I can say with great confidence that this year’s success is completely a result of my work with Greg and his unique, personalized and brilliant approach to crafting my application. 

With a 740 GMAT, 3.85 GPA, 5 years of work experience at a big tech company, and career goals in brand management and entrepreneurship, there were no glaring red flags about my previous application. I felt lost when it came to improving my application, and apprehensive about my odds this year. 

I initially set up a free consultation with Greg, which went probably two times longer than the allotted time; by the end of our conversation, I could tell that Greg was different than other consultants, and really understood me and each school’s unique application process and values. He followed up with a comprehensive email with ideas and insight based on our conversation, and I immediately started feeling hopeful for this round of applications. 

I initially signed up for three hours with Greg, but I quickly realized how invaluable his insight and help is and ultimately signed up for about 10 hours (Greg certainly rounded down more often than not, so I’m sure that 10 hours should really be more like 20). Greg not only helped me craft my essays, but also helped with strategizing on recommender selection, prep, crafting my MIT Sloan video and eventually with scholarship negotiation. He also helped me with school selection, and encouraged me to apply to Wharton (which is where I will be attending next fall!). 

Greg helped with my applications for MIT Sloan, Columbia and Wharton. I must say that the ten hours I worked with Greg were more effective than the 40+ hours I worked with my previous consultant. I felt confident about every essay and application component. 

Ultimately, I received interview invitations from all three schools (versus zero invites last year), and was accepted to Wharton and Columbia, with a $100k fellowship at Columbia. 

Greg’s expertise and insight are unparalleled. He has an incredibly deep understanding of every school’s mission, offerings and priorities and helped me craft applications that spoke to exactly what each school was looking for. In each essay revision he would offer brilliant anecdotes to include to highlight my fit for and knowledge about the programs. He suggested ultra-specific treks, clubs, competitions, and courses to highlight in my application, showing a very deep understanding of each school. 

Greg is also a highly skilled essay crafter. He was incredibly strategic at cutting down content to fit word count without eliminating important details. He helped me prioritize aspects of my background that made me stand out but also fit into each school’s culture. 

Greg was incredibly responsive and provided feedback often within 24 hours. Nonetheless, his feedback was deep and comprehensive. He provided clear strategies for improvement and what content to prioritize. 

I’m most grateful for Greg’s help with my application to U Penn. In a last minute decision, Greg encouraged me to apply to Wharton, two days before Christmas. He ensured that he would make time to help me through my application in the days to come, and gave me hope that I had a chance at what would soon become my dream school. In an incredibly quick turn-around, Greg helped me craft a fantastic application, that showed no signs of being put together in just two weeks (I don’t recommend rushing through an application like that!) 

I was accepted to Wharton and will be attending the school in the fall; I know that I would not have even applied to Wharton if it wasn’t for Greg’s encouragement, and there is no chance I would have been admitted without his expertise. 

Greg’s insight is absolutely invaluable and his approach is unparalleled by any other consultant. He will make a huge difference to you application and is worth every penny and more. ​

BOOTH WITH $60K – MUCH BETTER EXPERIENCE THAN MY WIFE HAD WITH A BIG NAME FIRM

Posted on and independently verified by GMAT Club and Poets & Quants

​Background
• Age 30
• Asian male (raised in China, now a US citizen)
• GRE 325 (low for my schools and demographic)
• 3.6 GPA in a T-20 US university
• 5 jobs in 6 years across multiple industries
• Applied in Round 2

I decided to apply to business school in the summer of 2023, having done no prior preparation. Once I committed, I realized I would miss the round 1 deadline, and with only 5 months until round 2, I needed guidance. An HBS alum highly recommended Greg and Avanti Prep, which was refreshing since many of my friends felt their MBA consultants added little value besides grammar editing on the essays.

Consultation and Services
Before meeting Greg, I had met with five other consultants, but I knew immediately after our intro call that I wanted to work with Avanti Prep. Greg had clearly put in significant effort to understand my background and suggested schools that would be a good fit. I left the call feeling confident I would be in good hands.

I chose the 4-school package and added 18 more hours of service for extra schools, high-touch recommendation feedback, and comprehensive interview prep. Greg was my lead consultant, but given the extent of our engagement, he put together a team customized to my background and career goals, and I also worked with Xin, Sarah, and Fahad during the process. The team exceeded all my expectations.

Comparison with Other Consultants
I have a unique vantage point on different consultants because my wife also applied for an MBA at the same time as me. She chose one of the "big name" consulting firms with a higher price tag, and despite their flashy advertising, her consultant did not go into the depth they promised compared to the tremendous degree of attention and care I received from Greg and Avanti Prep.

For example, when my wife worked on her resume with the other firm, her consultant helped her with only two rounds of edits: one for format and one for content. In contrast, Greg and Xin conducted five extensive reviews, including both calls and document reviews. During these, they went through my resume line by line, asking detailed questions about my experiences and finding the best ways to convey them. My wife’s consultant mainly polished the language, without much guidance on the resume content itself, which is what distinguishes a great resume from a mediocre one.

Avanti Prep’s thoroughness was equally apparent during the essay process. They helped me work through multiple drafts, with each draft showing significant improvement, while my wife’s consultant focused mainly on two iterations and then shifted towards grammar edits. Whenever I told her about the processes I was going through, it was like night and day to her experience with the other firm.

Resume
Before starting my resume reviews, I believed my resume was in excellent shape, having recently applied for jobs. However, after meeting with Xin, I realized an MBA resume is different from a traditional job-seeking resume. Xin's extensive experience in resume editing, both as a former Career Management Fellow at CBS and as a resume screener for one of the largest consulting firms, was invaluable.

Xin quickly identified the key highlights of each of my experiences and selected those with the most effective evidence to support my overall story, painstakingly employing a situation-action-result approach for every single bullet point on the resume.

After my sessions with Xin, I thought my resume couldn't improve further, but Greg's subsequent reviews helped me perfect it. This was the first instance where Greg’s signature "above and beyond" approach made me feel extremely confident that we were putting the absolute best forward in my application, and little did I know, it was just the beginning of many such instances in the pursuit of success.

Essays
Greg and his team helped me tremendously with my essays, and I could never have expected my final versions to be as strong as they turned out. Applying to five schools with essay prompts ranging from deep self-reflection (where Sarah’s storytelling expertise was pivotal) to professional ambitions (where Fahad’s experience in my target industry was pivotal) was no easy task.

Each essay began with a brainstorming session that sparked new inspiration and provided me with an actionable outline. After the initial stages of essay development, Greg gave detailed comments, ensuring each sentence served its purpose, methodically refining each essay like a surgeon. Greg is a terrific coach and communicator, and his passion for helping you tell your best story is evident throughout the process.

Another hidden value was Greg’s help with planning my essay sequencing, which was especially important given the number of essays I needed to write. We strategically tackled the most foundational essays first and then adapted them for each school, making the process efficient. I sometimes felt like they had a PhD in the nuances, potential for overlap, and customization between different essays.

Conclusion
Working with Avanti Prep was worth every penny. For me, the ROI was felt in the quality of their process; in that I was accepted to Booth from an overrepresented group, with a subpar GRE, and multiple pre-MBA job changes; and in the $60K scholarship!! Their dedication, attention to detail, and personalized approach far exceeded my expectations and far exceeded my wife’s experience with a well-known, big name consulting firm. Greg's commitment to excellence was evident every step of the way. I wholeheartedly recommend Greg and his team to anyone seeking a consultant who truly goes above and beyond to ensure success.

GREG'S SUPPORT TURNED 2 PREVIOUS WAITLISTS INTO ADMITS WITH SCHOLARSHIPS (BOOTH, HAAS)

Posted on and independently verified by GMAT Club and Poets & Quants

TLDR- If you want a consultant whom you can trust, who holds a mirror to who you are as a candidate and help you build on your strengths, look no further than Greg! My application journey was a long and difficult one and it became easier since I started working with Greg. I initially came to Greg for helping me get off the waitlist for one school but quickly found myself working with him for other parts of my application as well. Greg will consistently go to great lengths to get things right and have a candid dialogue to keep you motivated throughout the application process. I wholeheartedly recommend Greg as an MBA consultant!

My background:
For the most part, my (29, F) stats are average: 720 GMAT, 8.5 GPA from T20 undergrad university in India. When I started the application process, I knew that it was not my stats but my story and vision that I would have to lean on to differentiate myself. Also, I did have work experience in the US that could have helped me stand out.

Of the 4 schools I applied to in R1 (working with another consultant), I was waitlisted at Haas and Booth and rejected at others. Unclear how to manage the waitlist process, I combed through several videos on Youtube and found Greg's video on waitlist strategy to be most thorough. Shortly after, I reached out to Greg for his hourly services to help me get off the waitlist. I applied to HBS in Round 2 where I leveraged Greg's services for the HBS Interview prep and post-interview reflection.

Outcomes:
Through Greg's support, I was able to get off the waitlist for both Booth and Haas with $$ scholarship. While I ultimately couldn't get off the HBS waitlist as the class was full by R2, I was extremely grateful to have Greg's counsel through this process. Managing the waitlist process for several schools felt like a very taxing and ambiguous process. Working with Greg helped me break this down into tactical steps and overall made it very manageable.

What worked well:

I. Diving deep in my story- I beleive what helped me get off the waitlists was Greg's support with my introspection followed by effectively articulating what truly made me unique as a candidate to the schools. For example, in the Booth waitlist video, Greg helped me comb through Booth's website/articles to identify a theme that would be unique and most importantly, true to my story. In the HBS post-interview reflection, because of Greg's guidance, I took a more holistic view into my application to reiterate my strengths vs. the more tactical route I had in mind. This ability of Greg to help a candidate build a deep understanding of themselves and tailor it to specific MBA programs is what helped me stand out in a crowded waitlist field.

II. Building a waitlist strategy- We started with poking holes to parts of my application that may have been perceived as weakness by the adcom. During this part, I felt Greg provided feedback in an honest yet candid way. Working backwards to R2 decision dates, we mapped how many updates I can share with each school and the topics each waitlist update would address. Greg recommended that I take GRE (as I had maxed my GMAT attempts for the year) and prep course like Math for Management to establish my quantitative readiness.

III. Detailed and thoughtful feedback- There were several times Greg went above and beyond in reviewing my waitlist material. Be it an email that I sent to adcom or my waitlist video for Booth, Greg was willing to review every single part of my waitlist communication to ensure I was giving it my best. What I also noted in the written feedback provided by Greg was that he gave ample context on why he was asking me to reconsider how I had framed a sentence in my waitlist updates. This context was crucial as it became easier to come to consensus and I had a clear view on Greg's recommendation.

IV. Empathy- The MBA admission process can make you as a candidate feel very vulnerable. You need people on your side who are rooting for you and are in your corner, even your MBA admission consultant. With Greg, I felt that he was truly committed to help me get to the school of my choice. Almost every session that I booked with him ran over time ( at least 15-20 mins) and yet, Greg was flexible and stayed true to the discussion we were having. I had booked Greg's hourly services and he could have easily charged me for the overtime, but he chose not to.

Other context:
I had worked with another consultant for the schools that I ended up being waitlisted/rejected. My experience with this other consultant was less than positive (delayed responses, limited feedback and poor interview and waitlist support). Given this, I was keen on finding a consultant who could be transparent, was thoughtful in their feedback and most importantly, cared for my success. Greg was all of this and much more. You won't regret working with Greg as your admission consultant.

ACCEPTED TO U.S. TOP 5 (INDIA, MALE, ENGINEER, NON-TARGET UNDERGRAD, 740 GMAT)

Posted on and independently verified by GMAT Club and Poets & Quants

​Basic Profile Info

I am a 2011 pass-out from a Tier 2 Indian college (GPA of 3.3/4.0 in Computer Engineering), and have worked in Finance industry for 3.5 years before having an Employment Gap for 2 odd years. In this time, I was employed at Early-stage investment funds (one for a voluntary unpaid position) for a discontinuous period of 9 months. Since then I have been working for an Asian focused investment fund.

While I believe that I have strong work experience, the Employment Gap loomed large and my CV lacked major brands. I had worked at 5 finance shops with only 2 of them having global brands – but those weren’t my longest tenured roles. I was also a bit on the older side of the average student’s age or work experience for my target schools.

I was introduced to Greg by one of his Round 1 clients, and after our first call, I took a reference call with another Indian client (a Kellogg graduate) who worked with Greg. I am aware that the first client has also done well and is going to a T10 with decent scholarship. I owe them a thanks for the introduction/ vetting, and I am glad in retrospect that they were made. Greg was very forthcoming with such references.

Our Work Together / My Results

Greg and I started off by working across 5 schools with a Tier 2 package (two M7s, one T10, one T15, and a leading Canadian program), and with 2 schools on hourly basis (one M7 and one T10/15). All of these schools were in Round 2. I was invited to interview at one T5 program and Tuck, and I was waitlisted before interview at Stern.

After that, I used Greg’s Interview Prep services and was Waitlisted at the T5 and Tuck, post which I took more services from Greg to help navigate the Waitlist process. After many steps and great efforts, this ultimately resulted in acceptance to the T5 program. I withdrew my candidature from Tuck once my plans with the T5 program were settled.

What Stood Out (with Examples)

1) Overall Approach & Impact: The first thing I want to highlight here is Greg’s earnestness to make your profile win. He truly brings a lot to the table. While I had unsuccessfully applied to an M7 (in Early Decision) with an Indian admissions coach, I thought my application materials were mostly ready when I onboarded with Greg. And I couldn’t have been more wrong!! Greg made me redefine and re-nuance my goal, worked very very very hard on my stories and rehashed my CV entirely again. It was clear the competence and professionality he brought to the table was enormous.

Also, regarding Greg’s efforts, he offered to work with me on a pro-bono basis on my Interview Essays (where required), despite the Package originally being Tier 2, which ends with submission. This included multiple iterations in 5 working days. He literally measures every word, every sentence and remembers every detail of your story.

2) Main Essay Work: The in-depth nuancing and opening essay strategy sessions we did gave me a skeleton for each essay, but there were many times where we would improvise as needed, and Greg was super accommodative on that (again, the general theme is his keenness for you to submit your best possible version). I really liked this balanced approach and his deep knowledge of the DNA of the school in question. Multiple times, Greg pointed me to the right resources to research and reference.

Even when we were adapting stories/ anecdotes from one school to another, Greg helped me think through and re-position them with an eye on the newer schools. Given the nature of the industry and people’s tendencies to streamline, he could have easily approved the older versions and saved his time and efforts. But that wasn’t the case.

To International Applicants, I would also like to point out that Greg sometimes helped me avoid fatal mistakes on the grounds of handling and quoting sensitive issues. We (i.e. internationals) need to understand that the reader is from a very different socio-cultural background, and sometimes, our manner of presenting a situation/ idea can be taken in a somewhat offensive manner. I was happy to have Greg on my side for this.

On Goals Essays, we molded my career goals to fit the strength of the school in the best manner possible – another example of the thoughtfulness and customization.

3) CV Work: Although I thought I had my CV “done” from an Indian admissions consultant, Greg and I worked extremely hard on it, review after review, and we re-built every single bullet point basically from the start. He also provided me one extra review than was in my original Package. Greg’s way of building the CV was much different than my previous consultant and much more in-depth too. Post 2 reviews we were still at 1.5+ pages of CV which was eventually trimmed into single page in a manner well-done.

Also, Greg’s CV reviews didn’t end after applying to first school. I remember once merely 3 days before the application deadline, he pro-actively offered to review the CV again and adapt its presentation for some schools specifically. I was amazed not only by his efforts but more so, by the timing, to prioritize this final pro-active and pro-bono review just to put the best foot forward. (There was no change in my job experience, but just one story which came forward, which led Greg to recommend re-balancing the CV.)

4) Application Review: Greg’s application reviews (i.e. review of online application submissions) were in-depth and water-tight. He helped me to elaborate on CV points wherever needed, helped bring out job responsibilities where needed. And he really made it a point to not leave anything on table (in terms of information and explanations).

5) School Strategy: While Greg and I did not specifically work on school selection together (as I started with a Tier 2 Package), he did offer me resources online to help guide me. To be honest, Greg felt my choices of schools were aggressive with my kind of profile – and he wasn’t wrong at all, as he was going with past trends and results (which any rational person would do). I do want to clearly highlight here, and quite explicitly too, that his work was as intense (always intense) no matter the school or chances of getting in, whether a riskier application or safer one. Coming from a background where potential winners are given more support than underdogs, it was a very heartening moment for me. In fact, seeing his professionality led me to double downing on riskier options, and I chose 2 more M7s than I initially intended to.

In an industry where no one can say for sure what’s a “good enough” application, Greg put a lot of his efforts and time and even some unsolicited additional reviews to help me deliver my best and rise to the challenge of harder applications. And in a good irony – almost like a movie – this Fall I’ll be attending the most difficult program I applied to.

6) Post Interview Invites: I took Greg’s Interview Prep services for both schools I was invited to interview to (one session for each). My initial reaction was a shocker when I realized how under-prepared I was. After going through long mock interviews in each school’s style, Greg offered me detailed feedbacks on the way to answering questions, presenting myself and handling curve-balls. I had very little skepticism when I thought of purchasing the second Interview Prep package. My effort with the second school improved, but still further nuancing and feedback were re-introduced by Greg for that school. Greg’s combined effort of interviewing and feedback was much beyond the 2.5 hour per package offer. These made me more adept not only in answering the core interview questions and articulating goals and fit in line with the specifics of each program, but also in handling each school’s mini-curveballs during the actual interviews.

7) Post Waitlist Efforts: I was waitlisted at the two schools I interviewed (Top 5 program and Tuck), post which Greg was very accommodating in allowing me to upgrade from Tier 2 to Tier 3 Package (as the late upgrade is not technically allowable).

One of the most important parts was Greg’s openness to accept what could have been done differently, i.e. how to be self-aware and identify and address the needed areas for improvement. Waitlists are tricky and create a lot of what-ifs and second-guessing in the candidate’s mind. I felt very happy that we both took the result in a positive manner and were open to accepting the outcome and developing an approach to move forward.

After some Waitlist Strategy discussion, I was surprised to see Greg ending up doing 3 reviews of each Waitlist Letter submission (I submitted 2 of these per school). Yet again, he guided me in nuancing the emails and letters to the right tone of the school.

Finally, I am grateful that a couple of colleagues/ alumni of certain schools agreed to write an Endorsement/ Letter of Support for me. Greg offered more pro-bono help by offering advice for these letters as well. This was definitely a piece of work that I didn’t explicitly sign up for, but Greg was much more than happy to help in order for me to win.

Summary Comments

At the risk of sounding repetitive and giving unsolicited advice, I truly believe that application success is a quite grey and can’t be predicted. Your GPAs/ Your work experience/ Your age/ Your undergrad institutions/ (to some extent of your GMAT – after all we all want that 760-780!)/ Your Extra-Curriculars/ Who your Recommenders likely will be are often well beyond your control by the time you decide to apply.

What is in your control are your essays and your stories and their presentation. While one can’t say how the applications results would have looked if I had used a different consultant (BTW my first application with an Indian consultant was very terrible and cost me a chance at an M7 which was very well geared towards my goals), I would advise the following parameters as **must have** in your consultant – **the ability and the willingness** to do deep reviews, see the application in comprehensive manner, and not be penny pinching on time. Of course, the onus is on the applicant to give decent drafts for review and ahead of time; Greg was on many occasions able to rapid-turnaround reviews (at no cost to the depth of the review), in some cases as early as the same day.

I have heard (and had one bad experience myself also) of several shenanigans of other consultants including: reviews which are done in a manner to push work – stories where even international consultants follow stereotypical skeletons of essays, superficial essay and CV reviews that offer little more than general comments, 5-10 mins of work done on Application Entries review, or consultants pushing their thoughts on to the candidate to save time and effort. None of that ever happened here. Quite the opposite instead.

There were very few times when I was in disagreement with Greg (including the topic for an Interview Essay, some mentions within a main essay, and even how to articulate some points during the interview prep). But we would always have constructive debate and end up on a much stronger middle ground than where we started. This is a big testimony to his sincerity and his mandate – to get the best out of you, and to get the best for you. I can assure you that this is one thing that has been constant in our seven full months of work together. I strongly feel that your probabilities of success increase several-fold when you take someone of his caliber and more importantly his dedication.

Please feel free to reach me for any references etc. I would be more than happy to help.

100% + 80% SCHOLARSHIPS TO TWO M7 SCHOOLS - FOREVER INDEBTED!

I couldn't be more thankful to Greg Guglielmo for helping me realise my goal.

I engaged a very well-known admissions consulting firm for my round 1 applications. I was rejected from three M7 schools, and received a waitlist invitation to a top 20 school. My objective metrics were reasonably strong (3.5 years' work at top tier law firm, 770 GMAT, strong extra-curricular involvement). While I felt my consultant did provide some useful pointers, I felt that perhaps his reviews were rushed and quite high level. He did not drill down into the content of my essays or provide meaningful suggestions; and I did not feel I put my best foot forward.

I dusted myself off and re-applied in round 2, this time to a further three M7 schools and one more top 15 school. After an initial free consultation (during which my consultant, Greg Guglielmo, spoke with me for nearly 90 mins - well over the allotted 30 mins), I signed up for 12 hours of service. Even though I had only purchased hourly services, I could immediately tell Greg was completely invested in my cause. The feedback on my essays was wholly different to what I'd previously encountered - I could tell that my unique position had been critically and carefully analysed, with extremely insightful recommendations made. Greg was incredibly responsive (even over the Christmas period). He delivered difficult advice candidly, but also warmly and professionally. I completely reshaped my career goals, and framed my past experience far more effectively.

Ultimately, I was fortunate to be admitted to two M7 schools - on 100% and 80% scholarships - as well as the top 15 school to which I applied. I honestly believe I wouldn't have had this success without working with Greg Guglielmo. Just the other day I signed a full-time offer for my dream firm - and I emailed Greg that same day to thank him for his (huge) part in getting me there!

GO WITH GREG, YOU WON'T BE SORRY

Posted on and independently verified by GMAT Club and Poets & Quants

​Let me just start off by saying that if you are reading this, do not make the mistake and go with anyone other than Greg. He is the real deal.

I actually initially went with someone else for the sole reason that they had more reviews at a more established company, and it was the biggest (financially speaking), mistake of my life. After working with this individual for a few sessions and getting final drafts back that were littered with grammar errors and advice that felt templated, I knew I had to make a change. I thought back to my initial phone screeners and remembered feeling pleasantly surprised at how in depth our conversation got and how it didn't feel like I was just a meeting on his calendar between other candidates. I took that feeling and got to working with Greg.

As for me, I applied to 2 M7's and 2 top 10's and 2 top 15's as a 29YO white male with a low 700's GMAT. I ended up getting into 4/6 schools, including an M7. The M7 we both agreed was a reach school, so the fact that I got in is a testament to our work together. I think I could have gotten into all 6 had it not been for applying late in CBS's rolling admins, and making a blunder on another application.

Ok, enough about me... A couple of points as to why you should work with Greg.

A: Essays
For me, the essays were quite daunting. Trying to take major life experiences and boil them down to 500 words to try to impress some people you've never met is still to me a crazy task. It's a game we all have to play, so I get it...

To make things easier when it came to writing time, we spent a while on topic exploration. I appreciated how he brutally told me to drop some essay topics, while finding the 'angle' to play up in others.

When it came to his revisions/notes, his comments were long. Like an entire essay worth of notes long. If you want someone to give you a free pass on your mediocre essay, he's not your guy. Every sentence was poured over, and every word counted to him.

I appreciated how he kept wanting me to go deeper with topics. For example, I might have said I want to take X class. Greg's response was 'Why do you want to take the class' 'what projects in the class will make you get to your goal' 'how does this class tie to your overall story of why X school'. I knew he was putting time into my essay comments, so it pushed me to work harder on making them good. I felt like there was a bit of camaraderie that we wouldn't let each other down.

Greg is also a fantastic writer. He will re-write some sentences to streamline them or hit home an important point. He won't write the essay for you, but he's not going to let you submit anything that isn't up to his standard either.

B: Speed
Now I know he's getting more popular, so I can't guarantee the same experience, but Greg's responses edits were fast. For most of the schools, I worked with Greg right up to the deadline. If I made an update on a set of essays, I could expect an edit back that same night or next day at the latest. With speed did not come any drop in quality.

C: Trust
This one is hard to measure, but I feel like Greg cares about you and your success. I felt like I had someone going to battle with me. If you are reading this review, think about if the person is treating you like a number, or a person. I think that difference will make the consultant who cares stay up late to help you when the other is asleep.

Well that's all I can think of right now. Last thought... just go with him, trust me. I know this is just some anonymous message board, but I was in your shoes. Don't make my $10k mistake.

THREE TOP 10 SCHOLARSHIPS AFTER FAILING WITH OTHER CONSULTANTS TWICE BEFORE

Posted on and independently verified by GMAT Club and Poets & Quants

– International male from over-represented group, Finance
– GMAT score of 720, GRE score of 332
– Three-time reapplicant, 30+ years old
– Had bad experiences with two other US consultancies before Avanti Prep
– Completed 31 hours of service with Avanti Prep
– Achieved three top 10 scholarships (50K, 40K, 20K)

After having very poor experiences by the so-called large consultant companies, I was losing hope on admission consultancy in general. But Greg and Avanti Prep changed that feeling. I found out about Avanti Prep from its free consultation. Greg went above and beyond the allocated 30 min (probably spent an entire 1hr) to share with me insights and next steps.

The level of dedication and excellence was completely different than the other consultancies. We worked on revamping my resume (total improvement even from what the previous consultancies considered “done”), essays, and interview strategies. I signed up for hourly services and kept adding because I really enjoyed the level of details, insights, and perspectives on how the materials are being interpreted by the admission officers as they read them.
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The financial commitment to admission consultancies is real – HOWEVER – Avanti Prep’s rates are much more affordable versus others, I did not feel like I was getting ripped off like I did with the other companies, you end up receiving even more hours and services than you actually sign up for, Greg will tell you to save money if he thinks you don’t need advice on a certain area, he will give you discounted pricing when it’s possible, and most of all the final results are clear.

(I was even on the waitlist for one of the T10 schools with the other consultancy in Round 1 before I worked with Greg on the waitlist strategy, which led to my acceptance with a 20K scholarship. Greg’s waitlist strategy was so much better and more thorough than the previous consultant who was very abstract and wishy washy about the approach. Greg later helped me with the scholarship negotiations, and I was able to increase two out of my three offers.)

I would highly recommend Avanti Prep to anyone, especially if you feel burned by a previous consultancy. I felt the highest level of commitment and quality in everything that was done. If this can be a sign, I have taken almost ~9 months to write this, and NOT A SINGLE DAY has gone by without me thinking what I wanted to say. If anything, this shows how much I respect Greg and want to keep him as a mentor and a person to look up to even after the contract is completed. He has taken my perspectives and communication skills to a whole new level.

THE BEST ADMISSION CONSULTANT – HELPED ME TURN FAILURE INTO SUCCESS

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GMAT - 710
Country - India
Gender - Female
Background - Entrepreneurship/Product at early-stage startups
Undergrad - Engineering from a tier 2 college
Concerns - Low GMAT score, an undergrad from a tier 2 college, work experience only in early-stage startups, how to communicate my personal story and goals

I worked with 2 US admission consultants over 2 application years, and I strongly recommend Greg. He played a crucial role in helping me get an admit at a very difficult Top-10 US program and LBS in Round 2 after I had fallen short in the previous cycle and in Round 1. He was a game-changer for me and I really believe he is the best admission consultant around. I am pretty sure I have the lowest GMAT amongst Indian students in my school, which says a lot about Greg’s impact.

Greg helped me from figuring out the right stories to guiding me on my essays to interview prep. For both the essays and interviews, Greg helped me brainstorm my most powerful stories and then structure my delivery so the Adcoms and interviewers could understand my journey and goals. Greg customised the interview prep completely for each school, helping me to prep for that school’s interview questions and guiding me on how I could share parts of my story that aligned with the school’s values.

Greg also went above and beyond to help me with genuine advice throughout this journey. He has a deep understanding of how Adcoms from different schools look at essays and applications and how an applicant can put her best foot forward with each school. Even after the admission, Greg spent time with me figuring out scholarship strategy and holding a call to answer any more questions before I moved to the US (both as a complete favor). That’s how dedicated and involved he is in his client's success.

Overall I needed someone who believed in my story and could guide me through this process. Greg was just that guy. He helped me be resilient and kept me going. I spoke with several consultants and felt that Greg was more than just someone who reviews the essays, but is instead really there to give the right direction and genuine advice. I would recommend him to anyone.

INCREDIBLY COMMITTED TO YOUR SUCCESS - ACCEPTED TO M7 / T10 WITH SCHOLARSHIPS

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​I was a second time applicant with a strong GMAT score and reasonable work profile. I had used another consultant in my first year of applications and decided to go with Greg the second time around.

Firstly, Greg is just an amazing person to talk with and share your stress as you go through applications. He never went for a hard sell on using his services but eventually when I decided to go with him, he was fully invested and dedicated, unlike another consultant I had. Greg clearly has an idea of what admissions teams look for as he helped pick out the best stories and finesse them for the goals, essays, and overall application narrative.

I was very invested in the application process and Greg was equally invested which was refreshing given most consultants seem to always be on the clock. Greg helped me with two school applications and also helped brainstorm which two would give me the most diverse and applicable stories for other school applications.
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Overall, I was very satisfied with Greg and would recommend his services as I received an admit to 3 top 10 schools (including an M7). I also received scholarships of $50k and $10k to 2 of the 3 schools.

FAR BETTER QUALITY THAN TWO OTHER VERY WELL KNOWN CONSULTANTS

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Overall the time commitment, effort, depth of work and level of support that I received from Greg was far higher/better quality than two other (quite well known) consultants that I worked with before I came to Avanti Prep. Greg was extremely detail oriented and it was an absolute pleasure working with him.

Background:

I initially reached out to Greg for extra interview support with one of my Rd1 schools. I was already working with another consultant but I figured I could use more help. His interview feedback was so detailed that I decided to sign up for a 2 school comprehensive package with him for Rd2. I had done some of the initial career goals exploration with another consultant but I worked with Greg on everything else for these two schools (he also helped me refine my career goals to a certain extent).

Here are some of the things that stood out as I worked with Greg on the two schools:

1. Right from the very outset, starting from the initial intake form, he went really deep into my personal and professional background and really spent a lot of time getting to know me. And this was not a one time thing - in future calls, when we were brainstorming essays, he would bring up stuff from work/extracurriculars and we would spend a lot of time going even deeper into those topics as needed. He asked a lot of probing questions to extract the relevant fodder for essays. This translated really well in terms of him being able to guide my essay/interview content and overall application.

2. He really cares for his clients. He went above and beyond to make sure I was supported and all my questions/nagging concerns were answered.

3. His overall demeanor is very relaxed and friendly, and he is very easy to talk to. The application process is extremely stressful and I felt like I had someone by my side to support me throughout the process and calm my nerves when things got scary. This translated really well to me being candid and honest about my background and helped us bring my best self to the application.

4. He knows how to strike a balance of being polite and respectful but at the same time being persuasive to get you to do things. He was never rude but at the same time he made sure I knew when he thought something was not good enough, or more information was needed, or if there was a better way to do things, or if I was not putting my best answers forward for the interview. Nothing slipped through the cracks and he made sure I was giving it my best shot.

5. The level of depth and thoughtfulness that went into the process was simply remarkable. And this was true across the board - getting to know my story, essays, interviews, etc. The essay process involved 5-6 extremely detailed reviews which involved him asking me a lot of questions in specific areas so I could get the best ideas on paper. Even the brainstorming involved multiple calls to nail down the appropriate content for each specific school/essay. Likewise with interviews, it went far beyond content - we talked about vocal tonality, length of answers, body language, answer structure, etc.

In summary, I strongly recommend working with Greg for your MBA applications for all the reasons mentioned above.

EARNED SCHOLARSHIPS TO T15S AFTER NO T40 ADMITS WITH LOCAL CONSULTANTS

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​1. BACKGROUND

I was first introduced to Greg by a Ross student who had previously worked with him. He was endorsed by another T5 admit and a Darden student, but even with such strong and personal recommendations, I was sceptical about admissions consultants because of my prior experiences working with them.

This was my third time applying to b-schools. I had applied with no luck in two previous rounds, during which I worked with a total of 04 admission consultants based out of India. More often than not I felt that even the Indian consultants with big names adopted a generalist approach with very little or no efforts to get to know stories that could form a base for a strong personalized application. Reviews were superficial and at times it took over a week to get a response over a draft.

2. FREE CONSULTATION

My reservations were all alleviated as I scheduled a 30 minutes complimentary call with Greg. Honest, curious, well-seasoned, genuinely concerned were some of Greg’s traits that I could observe during our call, which went for 60 minutes and he seemed completely fine about it. He made genuine efforts to get to know me and my prior application experience and was sympathetic about it.

Whereas other consultants boasted about their past successes and dictated which schools I should be applying and what their strict timeline of working shall be, Greg took a far different route. He listened, provided insight as to where I might have gone wrong, and held an open discussion about schools. We even explored themes for my Goals Essay, providing a glimpse of the experience should I choose to move forward. It was a detailed two-way discussion and I was sold!!

3. SERVICES AND RESULTS

Working with India-based consultants in 2017 Round 2, I applied to Kelley (rejected without interview), Ivey (rejected without interview), Arizona State (dinged post interview), Rice (dinged post interview), and ISB (dinged post interview). Working with other Indian consultants in 2018 Round 1, I was dinged without interview at three T15 US schools and invited to interview again at ISB.

The very first thing I did with Avanti Prep was interview preparation for ISB, and this time I was accepted. I also signed up for a Tier 2 Package for two schools plus Hourly Services for one additional school, all for 2018 Round 2. I specifically worked with Greg on three T20 programs, received interview invites to all three, and was accepted to two, including one with a scholarship over $90K.

Seeing this success and wanting another chance at the T15 programs (this time working with Greg), I secured a deferral from one of the T20 programs and reapplied to three T15 schools and one new M7 school with Greg the following year, in 2019 Round 1. This time the story was very different, as I got admits from all three T15 schools, including two with scholarships ($50K and $40K).

So with the very same job and GMAT score, I went from being unable to crack the T30 working with local consultants to receiving multiple T15 offers and two T15 scholarships working with Avanti Prep. The only new ingredient in my recipe to success was Greg, who helped me portray and communicate my experiences in a coherent and powerful way.

4. SCHOOL RESEARCH

Greg’s insight into schools is unparalleled and his drive to make one learn about the schools is something I had not experienced before, yet I would consider it essential in one’s applications. While discussing the essay questions and brainstorming on how to position my responses, Greg always pushed me to make sure that my responses resonated well with the core values of the school and answered the exact essay question being asked.

From the outset Greg shared his insight on schools and highlighted how to go about researching schools, how to communicate with adcoms and students, how to keep track of interactions I had, and even connected me with students from certain schools I was applying. Even after my admit euphoria settled down, Greg encouraged me to talk to more students and alums so that I could choose between the programs where I was accepted.

5. STORY AND ESSAY DEVELOPMENT

The Package started with filling out a detailed Brainstorming Document. It was structured in a way to make me think and put all my experiences and stories on paper, which formed a base for my applications. Post that we hopped on to a series of calls focused on discussing my story, school selection, and forming a strategy on how to tackle my essays for the first school I was applying.

Post these sessions I dove into drafting essays. With tons of information about the school which I acquired through research, coffee chats, and interactions with school, I felt much more confident in my first drafts. Still the comments I received from Greg showed how much further I needed to go and how much effort he puts in to pushing the applicant. His comments were detailed, nuanced, and well-organized, not just pointing out the flaws but also suggesting possible corrective actions I could take.

In my prior experiences with other consultants, I almost always received high-level comments such as, “this doesn’t seem proper, you might want to change this” and whatnot. But with Greg it was different. He made efforts in making me understand where I went wrong, why the message was not being conveyed properly, and advised on what specific changes I could consider making.

6. RESUME AND APPLICATIONS

Greg followed a similar approach for my resume. He commented extensively on my resume on a macro and micro level, making me understand why the bullet point was not effective, what did it lack, what should I do to make it more effective, and how to engage his “SCARL” approach. For the bullets he felt lacked clarity, he sought more information.

When it came to resume format, Greg did not follow a cookie-cutter approach with fitting information in a pre-designed resume format. Instead we worked to adopt a format that best depicted my experiences in a neat, well-organized, easy to follow, structured way. Again, his diligence and conviction to achieve perfection helped me craft a strong resume.

He also reviewed my responses to the various application sections and ensured that information across different components was in sync, balanced each other, and painted a diverse picture of my professional and personal life.

7. INTERVIEW PREP

Over the two years I worked with Greg for my interview preparation for eight schools and was accepted to six of them, including three with scholarships. The experiences were a stark contrast to my previous experiences where the mock interviews were organized hastily, were neither structured nor school-specific, and feedbacks provided were brief and high level.

When I scheduled my first interview preparation, I was wondering what would we be discussing for 2.5 hours, but when we finally got over with that, the time clocked 3 hrs 15 mins. Greg has meticulously structured the flow of each school’s interview to mimic the program’s actual interview experience. The questions were well-segmented, close to what I experienced in my actual interviews, and the flow was adaptive to my response.

Post the 60-minute mock we hopped onto the feedback and analysis part, where at first, I received high-level feedback of the overall mock, and then we went into a deep analysis of my responses. Greg helped identify not only what went wrong but also how could I improve my answers to each specific question. He also explained the rationale behind each question, and we prepared strategies for each question or question type.

8. SCHOLARSHIP AND DEFERRAL NEGOTIATIONS

My involvement with Greg eventually went beyond just securing admits. These steps were not on my priority list while considering working with Avanti Prep, but they became a very important part of my applicant journey. When things became uncertain with COVID, Greg helped me decide if it would be right to defer my admission and helped me in securing it.

We also worked on negotiating scholarships with schools. With Greg’s guidance and experience, I was able to secure more than a $90K scholarship to a T20 program and a $50K scholarship to a T15 program, after neither of them had offered me any scholarships alongside my original acceptance.

Obtaining a top global MBA is a costly and challenging affair. If you need a coach and friend to navigate you through this gruelling process, Greg is THE GUY. As my experience shows, the investment made to work with Avanti Prep in putting up strong applications was far outweighed by the rewards in terms of admits and scholarships!!

OVER THE MOON: 50% SCHOLARSHIP TO A TOP 10 PROGRAM AS AN INDIAN MALE

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Background

Engaging a (sub-par) consultant during the last admissions cycle had already been a bitter experience that I primarily made due to the seemingly beneficial geographical proximity (they were based in the same city as me) and undeniably 'low-cost' services (be sure to verify advertised claims). Already on the other side of 30, I felt that this time around was really going to be my last real chance at gaining admission to a Top MBA program and I didn't want to leave any stone unturned. Here's some brief background:

> Indian Male
> US Undergrad + First Masters (Top 30 School)
> 750+ GMAT
> 9 years of work-ex
> Re-applicant in R1 2018 (from R2 in previous cycle)

As an Indian male engineer with nine years of experience when I would start the MBA program, primarily in family business (with some entrepreneurship and startup experience, all in India), I was in an over-represented, older, and non-traditional bucket.

Although I was re-applying with a much-improved GMAT score (50 points+), with 4 interviews and 3 waitlists last time around, I knew that it probably wasn't just the GMAT that needed improvement and hiring someone who knows the drill was essential in achieving my goals. Admittedly, I began my research on choosing the right consultant very late in the process (less than 2 months to go before the first R1 regular deadline), and by the time I had decided to engage Greg, the first deadline was just 5 weeks away.

Consultation & Signup

Although Greg technically advertises a 30-minute free consultation before sign-up, we ended up talking for almost 2 hours during that initial conversation where he really took the time to understand my situation and offer his candid opinion. He was also the first consultant who offered upfront to connect me with his previous clients (post which, during my research, I made that a requirement for even considering a consultant – and let's just say no-one was as forthcoming as Greg in making those connections). This was also a big bonus as I could actually talk about some of these connections (and subsequent connections made in their network) in my applications (in hindsight, these were strategic choices made by Greg given my specific school and career interests).

We ended up speaking again to finalize our arrangement and I ultimately signed up for a Tier 2 package for 2 schools with 23 extra hours to tackle 4 additional schools.

Quality, Efficiency, Precision & Personal Investment

Let me say here that Greg is really efficient with his time, and although I was a little sceptical of being charged by the hour once the 2 schools in the package were over, multiple times I saw him mark less time than I expected and make major progress within a review that seemed like it would have taken at least a couple of hours. Given the limited time we had, I had numerous anxious moments throughout the process, but Greg stood right by me before each and every deadline (literally burning the midnight oil on more than one occasion if there was a delay on my part in a particular review). No matter what, Greg was always committed to ensuring that we put our best foot forward.

Throughout the process, never did I feel even once that Greg just wanted to 'get it done and over with'. To the contrary, he was really personally invested in crafting my story and achieving a common goal. I doubt that an individual consultant in a larger firm (where you often have only a part-time lead consultant, and sometimes have different individuals working on different parts of your application) would have worked in a similar manner. In fact, when it came time for interview prep, Greg threw in an extra interview prep call prior to a scheduled Skype interview I had with an M7 school to ensure I was fully ready. I found him always eager to go above and beyond during the process, and I would also say he challenged me to do the same, bringing out the best in me.

The quality and precision in his reviews is also remarkable. At times, it seemed impossible to be able to do exactly as he'd recommended in an essay review, but once that was done (sometimes, post a couple of iterative suggestions), the depth of his initial suggestions really shone in the final outcome. I was also amazed at how effortlessly, over the course of several reviews of my resume, he was able to shrink 2.5 pages to the standard 1, without compromising on the substance or impact in my work experiences.

Summary & Endorsement

Given my GMAT score and the fact that I was applying in R1, we decided to apply to 4 stretch and 2 reach schools. I got an interview invite at one of the stretch schools, a wait-list at one of the reach schools (Greg predicted this one) and an admit with a 50% SCHOLARSHIP AT A TOP 10 US PROGRAM (we were both over the moon about the $$$)!!!

I can confidently say that engaging Greg for my applications was the best investment that I made during the process. The improvement in my applications from last season to this one stood out like night and day. The work we did and the brainstorming that went in to craft my story will not only hold good for a long time in my professional career, but also really helped me understand the value of my experiences thus far and aspirations going forward.

I have already referred multiple MBA aspirants who worked with Greg on their R1 and R2 applications during this past admissions cycle, and will happily continue doing so in the future!

DEPENDABLE, INVESTED & EMPATHETIC: ADMITTED TO IVY LEAGUE

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​South Asian Male. 740 GMAT. The most important takeaway is that Greg is really invested in your success. When I was in a time crunch and needed someone to lean on, I trusted Greg and he absolutely delivered in guiding me. What makes Greg an amazing resource is his understanding of the process, attention to story and details, empathy, and flexibility in approach, suiting your needs. Thanks to his help, I had interview invites from 4 (of 5 schools including M7 and T10) we have applied for in round 1. This was in spite of the fact that the 2021 application cycle was extremely competitive, thanks to deferrals from the previous cycle.
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I was initially hesitant because I felt that Avanti’s pricing was on the higher end of the spectrum. So I previously tried working with a consultant whose pricing was lower and who I had heard some decent reviews about. That turned out to be a waste of time and money. This is not to say that lower-priced consultants are all bad. However, during my time working with Greg, I came to realize that it was worth every dollar I spent. I would definitely recommend his services.

PREVIOUSLY WAITLISTED AT T15 - ACCEPTED WITH AVANTI PREP'S WAITLIST SUPPORT

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Profile: Asian, Male, GRE (327), 3.38 GPA. I applied to 3 schools and was rejected without interview from a T10, accepted into a T20, and waitlisted from my first choice (T15).

After hearing about my waitlist, I was eager to find an affordable and well-regarded consultant who would provide guidance in developing and executing a waitlist strategy. I originally applied in round 2 under the guidance of a large, well-reputed consulting firm (5-Stars on GMATClub); however, I did not return because I wasn’t impressed by the quality of the reviews and also received conflicting feedback from two of the consultants. The first consultant was passive and let some of my gaps and soft spots slide. The second consultant gave me a more thorough review of my essays and highlighted any potential question marks that slid by the first review; however, she did not offer much guidance in developing a story to address those question marks.

After researching the rates and reviews of all the consultants that offered waitlist services, I ended up signing up with Greg from Avanti Prep for 4 hours, which we devoted entirely to waitlist strategy and execution.

We spent the first 40-50 minutes on a video conference, where we reflected on my application/interview and identified what gaps or soft spots existed. Greg was extremely detailed and critical in his review of my application and helped me readdress things that he felt were either not specific enough or were under-communicated in my original submission (ex: Why this school?). He gave me advice on how to convey that the school remained my top choice and my commitment to attend. I am certain that the tactics we deployed in conveying these finer details helped get me accepted.

Greg went through many detailed reviews and consistently pushed me to greater introspection behind my passions and story. Even when I felt like I addressed everything, Greg constantly pushed me for further specificity. As tedious as this was, it was extremely important because doing so helped me create a unique and tailored story, something I felt like the previous consultants did not dig deep enough into. It was clear from the beginning that Greg was deeply invested and always put 100% effort in his work. We originally signed up for 4 hours, but Greg gave me 1.5 hours of extra time for additional review in order to ensure I had the best submission possible. In fact, if you read all the other reviews of Greg then you will see a history of Greg going well beyond his hours to help other applicants as well. In the end, I got accepted by my dream school and there was a stark difference between my original submission and what was submitted with Greg’s help.

INSEAD, IMD, KELLOGG 1Y: PERSONAL, DETAILED ATTENTION FROM GREG GOT ME INTO GREAT SCHOOLS!

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Short summary first if you don’t want to read the whole thing:

Thanks to Greg’s help, I was accepted to the Kellogg 1Y program, INSEAD, IMD, and USC, and I am convinced that I would not have been accepted had I not worked with Greg. Between the four schools, I received over $175,000 in scholarships. Since Greg is a small shop, he takes the time to get to know you personally and can really help you discover your voice. I consider myself a very compelling and articulate writer, but I was astonished at how much my essays improved after working with Greg. I would highly recommend working with Greg.

Longer version for those interested:

- Age: 31
- Sex: Male
- Nationality: American (Texas), white
- GMAT: 770
- Schools applied: Harvard, Wharton, Kellogg 1Y, USC, INSEAD, IMD
- Accepted to: Kellogg 1Y, INSEAD, IMD, USC
- Scholarships: Kellogg ($35k), IMD ($20k), and USC (Full ride)

Background- I have been working in my family healthcare business for the past five years after starting my career in hedge funds and private equity. As I saw things coming to a close in my family business, I started thinking about what’s next. In the absence of a clearly defined passion or desire, I wanted to go back to school to get some more credentials and take time to think. Coming to the game a little late, I was worried about crafting my story and articulating why I was ready to get my MBA.

One thing that Greg did very well was help me craft my narrative for very different schools. Because I don’t know exactly what I want, my applications ranged from going to USC to pursue a job in the entertainment industry to going to Kellogg to return to family business to going to INSEAD or IMD to pursue international consulting. Obviously Greg helped me identify the parts of my story that resonated with each, because I was able to secure a seat in each school.

I researched the heck out of admissions consultants, and I actually worked with 3 different consulting companies over the course of my admissions process. Greg and Avanti was the one that stuck in the end. I started out with a bigger, more well-known firm, and quickly felt like the process was too automated and impersonal, like a cookie-cutter approach. I was told form the beginning with the other firm that I had to follow a syllabus and they would email me changes. I said that I’d prefer to speak on the phone and they said that I had to schedule phone calls days in advance in order to speak to a human. Greg’s personal approach felt more aligned with my personality and communication style, so I went with Greg. He was always open for a phone call and would email me responses very quickly when I had questions. Greg even went out of his way to email me stuff when it crossed his mind, whether I had requested it or not. For example, I was visiting Tuck’s business school, and Greg emailed me that he knew a couple students there and got me in touch with them. I didn’t even ask. I thought it was very thoughtful and intentional. This characterizes how Greg goes above and beyond.

By the time I had started working with Greg, I had already put together some background info on myself mapping out my life story, motivators, etc, but I’m sure that he would have done this with me had I started out with him. We had a long call going over it and discussing major themes and motivating forces. These early conversations became the seeds of my later essays.

This isn’t probably how everyone likes to work, but I wrote multiple stream-of-consciousness essays for each school and then shot them off to Greg for a quick read. Greg would look at all the essays I’d written and give me feedback on which one he felt would work best as a final essay. Then we’d work together to polish the essay. THIS IS WHERE GREG REALLY SHINES. Like I stated above, I feel that my essays were pretty good to begin with, but boy was I wrong. Greg really made them more succinct, articulate, and in lots of place, more politically correct or less offensive. There were lots of times where he changed wording because I didn’t realize how something might come across as insensitive or something. Greg helped me really articulate to each school who I was, why I wanted an MBA from that school, and how I could contribute to each school. In the end, I truly believe that Greg’s help on my essays made the difference in my getting in or not, ESPECIALLY ON THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS, where it was a bit harder to explain why this white guy from Texas wanted to go get an MBA in France.
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Greg didn’t nickel and dime me with time, and occasionally did stuff off the clock when he was personally interested in a question I had asked or something. Greg was always a pleasure to talk to and I genuinely enjoyed my time working with him. I highly recommend Greg. If you are looking for a very personal, highly communicative approach and a better value than the big names, Greg is the guy.
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For the curious, I chose IMD. The personal, intimate, focused nature of the course seemed like the best fit for my personality type, even though it’s not as well-known as Kellogg or INSEAD. Kind of like Greg…I took a chance on the little guy and went with my heart based on feel, and I don’t regret it. I’m hoping I have the same experience at IMD.

ACCEPTED WHARTON EMBA (WHITE, MALE, FINTECH)

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​Stats (730 on gmat, <3 gpa)
Fintech industry with engineering background

I had the luxury of hiring consultants from two companies. In round 1, I worked with one of [a large, well-known firm's] consultants. My cousin in her senior year of college was more helpful than anyone at this company.

In round 2, I reluctantly decided to try out another consultancy. This is when I found Greg. This guy is on a totally different level and it really showed from his first round of feedback. He developed a mastery of my target programs, my history, and my goals, enabling him to provide the best advice possible. Ended up getting into Berkeley and Wharton EMBA programs - landed at Wharton.

Greg billed me for a total of 18 hrs that included resume and essay work. In reality, the actual number was more than 25 hrs. This is also where Greg stood out. With Greg, 1 hour equals 10 hours at [a large, well-known firm].

Applications aside, Greg really helped me to craft my own personal narrative as I continue in both my career and my education.

Highly recommend Greg and anyone on his team. Take it from someone that actually tried two consultancies!!

A COACH YOU CAN TRUST 100% & MAXIMIZES ADMIT ODDS

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​OVERALL
– Gives 100% effort into your success
– Thinks of every detail of your application more than you do
– Looks for all angles to make you successful
– answers/addresses all your concerns/questions until you are satisfied
– Is available when you need/provides timely responses
– Maximizes your odds to get into your dream schools
– Provides extremely thorough interview preparation
– Most importantly – a coach you can trust 100%

BACKGROUND
– Male
– Engineering
– 5 years work experience
– GMAT 700
– Undergrad 3.2 – Grad 3.8 – graduated from “ok” schools

RESULTS
I applied to 5 top schools (part-time and full-time programs) in round 2. I started application prep 3 months before the application which gave me enough time. I also worked with Greg for school interviews which took 1-2 months.

Throughout this time, I really enjoyed working with Greg. He was there for me during the entire time and continuously supported me. He made the entire process very manageable, less stressful, and much more organized for me.

With Greg’s support, I got 3 admissions from top-tier part-time programs (2 of them with scholarship). I got waitlisted by a top-tier full-time program, and I got rejected by another top-tier full-time program. I am very thankful to Greg for his continuous support and guidance. I could not have gotten these results without him.

REFLECTIONS
Was I disappointed by one waitlist and one rejection?
The answer is yes, though these were some of the most difficult full-time programs.

If I worked with another coach, would I have gotten a better result?
The answer is no.

Do I feel that I and my coach did our best?
The answer is yes.

Would I recommend working with Greg?
The answer is ABSOLUTELY. Like I mentioned above, if you are looking for a coach whom you can trust and who will maximize your odds, the answer is Greg.

COMPARISONS TO ANOTHER FIRM

I would love to note here that before working with Greg, I briefly worked with another coach from a big firm. The difference between the previous and Greg was like night and day.

The previous coach made our sessions feel like pure transactions. On the other hand, Greg was like my friend who wanted my success.
Don’t get me wrong. This is Greg’s job and I paid for his services, but I never felt that I was a customer who could be used/manipulated to earn more money. Time wise, Greg was there for me always. I can’t count how many emails/documents he reviewed without billing me.

I also felt like the previous coach was not fully listening to me/trying to come up with the best strategies for my success. Whereas Greg was listening/paying attention to all details of what I said/wrote and my background to come up with the best possible strategy/feedback, etc.

Maybe I just encountered a very bad coach and I cannot generalize this style to the entire industry. But I just wanted to mention this to make sure you know that you will be in very good hands if you decide to work with Greg.

Good luck to all!!

100% INTERVIEW SUCCESS RATE (INCLUDING HBS) WITH AVANTI INTERVIEW PREP

Posted on and independently verified by Poets & Quants
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​Background: International, software developer, GMAT 750, GPA: N/A, GPAs not used

I worked with Greg from Avanti on my interviews, primarily my HBS interview. I met him through a group interview prep session he held for an organization I was affiliated with, and I instantly understood why people use consultants. When they’re good, they are absolutely worth it!

I had worked on my applications alone up until that point, not expecting much to be honest. But once I got the interview invites from HBS and the other schools, I knew I had to put my best foot forward.

Before working with Avanti, I had one sub-par mock interview with a very well-known consultancy service that left me feeling hopeless and considering withdrawing from HBS’s interview process. But Greg’s encouraging approach really brought out the best in me and helped me see that I had a good chance of getting in if I had the right technique. I signed up for Avanti’s 3-hour interview prep package split across 2 sessions: an HBS Interview Prep strategy/response design session and a personalized HBS mock interview and feedback session.

Overall, Greg was an absolute pleasure to work with! He understood all the nuances of how the HBS interview works and he had obviously done a lot of work before our session to make sure that my mock interview experience was as close to the real thing as possible. And beyond prepping for specific questions, he taught me a general approach to structuring my answers that would work in any scenario. That approach was very useful not just in my HBS interview but for the other school interviews I had. Greg helped me recognize any weaknesses in my application that could come up in the interview and prepare for anything that HBS could throw at me. He really went above and beyond; even though I had booked only 3 hours, he actually worked with me for 4 hours despite some personal constraints.

Just before ending our last session, Greg told me that he knew I would do great. I don’t know if he says that to everybody 😀 but those were the exact words I needed to hear going into my interviews. And he was right! I got into all four schools I interviewed with – a 100% success rate – including HBS!

After getting in, I also got an email from Greg recommending pre-MBA programs to check out, giving me a fantastic head start on recruitment. That’s the level of dedication and commitment that you get from Avanti Prep.​

GOT INTO TOP CHOICE WITH GREG’S INTERVIEW HELP!

Posted on and independently verified by GMAT Club and Poets & Quants

There’s something to be said about going with a smaller consultancy and getting non-canned, dedicated support. Greg was exactly that - if you want thoughtful, dedicated and tailored advice, I would highly suggest his services. I paid higher fees for Manhattan Prep and I can guarantee he is so much more worth it hour vs. hour - no comparison. He’s a great blend of very knowledgeable and very supportive, which address the two biggest stresses of the MBA application process: the intellectual challenge of getting in and the emotional roller-coaster of the process. I am thrilled to say with his interview prep support, I got into my top choice - and I really don’t know if I would’ve had it not been for Greg!

GREG IS THE MBA APPLICATION SPECIALIST YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS

Background, GMAT 750, Asian female, GPA 3.3.

Because of my own mistakes, I have been applying on my own in the early stage, and I also found some consultants who were not quite suitable for me and wasted some opportunities. After listening to one of Greg’s youtube lectures, I found him exceptionally emphatic and professional, so after receiving a waitlist from my dream school, I hope Greg can help me.
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After Greg analyzed my situation carefully, he gave me a free 30-minute consultation, but he was very passionate and patient for more than an hour. I was impressed by his professionalism and knowledge, so I immediately chose hourly services.

After the subsequent communication, Greg also surprised me. He always gave me a thousand words of comments after understanding my background carefully, combined with his deep understanding of MBA schools. I was amazed by his patience and professionalism, and I was able to find out the shortcomings of my documents and improve them. He is always surprising and always so enthusiastic.

Believe me, and if you are about to start applying to MBA schools, you should choose Greg; it will make you feel so lucky to have chosen Greg.

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