There is no doubt in my mind that I am today sitting with offers from HBS and Wharton because of David and the Ivy MBA team.
Do not be fooled – the application process is absolutely grueling. But working with David was a phenomenal experience from the start. He was not just an extremely professional admissions consultant, but a strategy guru and life coach.
On our first call, David suggested that I wait a year to get more experience in my new job. I was quite surprised by that advice as he was essentially risking missing out on a client. But that’s David – he’s not just going to take you on because he’s getting some business; he’ll take you on because he truly believes you have the ability to get into your dream schools and that he can help you get there. That brutal honesty convinced me to take his advice, and I’m truly grateful for it.
From the start, David coached and challenged me. He worked with me to construct a competitive profile and application strategy, and throughout the experience was realistic about the challenges I faced and the ways we could address and work them into the applications. Moreover, he actually identified strengths in my profile that I hadn’t considered as relevant as I was engrossed in looking for weaknesses.
He would not allow me to complete a document until he was fully satisfied with it. Despite my insistence on several occasions that I had done the best I could, he would push my limits and gave me clear constructive feedback on areas that I needed to improve. When I’d hit a wall, we would brainstorm ideas together and I’d leave with 2-3 more directions to try. On interviews, I was preparing well in advance of even receiving interview decisions (that’s how confident he was!). David organized independent interviewers for mock sessions which were extremely valuable. For Wharton, he even organized a 5-person mock TBD! His confidence definitely yielded results.
David was literally always available. I honestly couldn’t believe it. We were constantly exchanging emails, WhatsApp, and calls. Initially, I would reach out to schedule calls, to which he told me to just call him anytime, and he actually replied, anytime. He would also revert back with comments on my essays/documents max within 1 day, and often chased me if I was falling behind on some items. He really kept me on my toes!
As a final word, I’d like to add that the journey working with David really helped me to build my self-confidence. There’s a lot of introspection involved in this process, and I often faced lows where I thought I wasn’t good enough for the top schools. David was instrumental in lifting my spirits and in showing me I was absolutely aiming where I should be. This approach undoubtedly yielded results that emerged in my writing and in my interviews and have better prepared me for the MBA program.