I could not speak more highly of Susan Berishaj and her MBA admission consulting services. Coming from a non-traditional background with a blip in my professional experience, I was worried about the prospects of getting into business school. With Susan’s help, I was able to interview with Stanford GSB and was accepted to 6 of my 7 target schools (Wharton, Yale, Kellogg, Booth, Berkeley-Haas, and NYU), with a full-ride scholarship from NYU, significant scholarships from Yale, Kellogg, Booth, and Berkeley.

After interviewing a dozen MBA consultants, I narrowed it down to Susan and another seasoned consultant who had worked in the industry for 10+ years. Within 2 weeks, I decided to switch to Susan because she took the time to call and understand what she could do better next time to win my business. I got the sense that Susan held herself to a standard of excellence that no other consultant carried for themselves. Because she works on a very personal level, she sees each client as a person, not as an upsell opportunity.

On an intangible level, Susan lives and breathes the term “mission-driven.” She actively listens to every detail of your story, helps you shape your short and long-term career goals post-MBA, gives honest feedback that you may not always want to hear, and sticks with you every step of the way. During moments of vulnerability, such as a terrible essay, bad professional experience, or weak test score, she supports you with an optimistic mindset and constructive feedback. Her ultimate goal is to elevate your story to the best version it can be.

On a tactical level, Susan is incredibly methodical in her approach. She takes the time to set up a strategy call, reviewed my resume as many times as necessary to get it to her level of perfection, and edited every draft of my essays with careful thought and care. She consistently made herself available for Brainstorm calls, and weekly check-ins to ensure I had the right support and accountability. When it came time for the interview preparation process, we went through 3-5 rounds of interview preparation for each school. I felt so prepared by the end of the process, that my confidence naturally showed through.

I could not recommend Susan enough. As you consider investing in an MBA coach, remember that Susan will actually invest in you to be the best version of yourself in your applications. She is a lifelong friend and mentor now.

P.B. MBA Candidate, The Wharton School

Review first appeared on Poets & Quants