28,603Leland Reviews

Big thanks to Dione for helping me through the MBA admissions process! Dione came recommended to me through a friend. Dione is very knowledgeable about the admissions process and was helpful in giving suggestions on how I could take my different experiences and tie them together to create a more complete picture of myself as an applicant. I appreciate Dione’s attention to detail and commitment to helping me put my best foot forward. I knew very little about the MBA application process before applying, and Dione was very proactive in making sure that I didn’t miss out on any opportunities to add more dimension to my application. With Dione’s help, I was able to get into my top choice school. Thank you, Dione!

Dione and I began working together seven months before application deadlines. Having never worked with a consultant before, I was unsure what to expect—but was immediately impressed by Dione from the moment we met all the way through interview prep eight months later. Well before I started actually writing essays or contacting recommenders, Dione and I spent many hours discussing my overall strategy and positioning. Her guidance and input during this early phase proved critical to developing a cohesive story/framework for my application. And when I moved from big-picture planning to the nuts-and-bolts of the application (e.g., writing the essays), Dione proved just as helpful. A few of Dione's differentiating strengths that I would like to highlight: - Dione is extremely responsive. I continued to be amazed by how quickly she would email or call with input every time I sent her draft materials for review. - Dione is a very strong writer. Given her background in marketing/communications, I believe Dione is perhaps better-qualified than many other consultants to support with essay edits. - Dione deeply cared about my success. I feel that Dione came to know me very well—not just as an applicant, but as a person—and this helped to make me feel very genuinely supported throughout the process.

Dione helped me to prepare for my interview with the GSB. She gave me a LOT of very honest feedback. She pointed out my strengths and weaknesses and managed to give me a clear overview of what was expected of my answers. She helped both polishing my stories and presentation and I really appreciated her supporting words trying to bring my nerves down. I cannot believe we covered so much in the short time we had together. As I got my acceptance call I couldn't wait to share the news with Dione as I feel she really had a big impact on the result.

When I approached Dione for help, I had only 10 days until deadline. I knew that it was an uphill task that needed an advisor who was well versed with Stanford GSB's admission process and who would provide concrete guidance on how to improve my application. I can confidently say that Dione far exceeded these expectations and her guidance played a vital role in my admission. During the entire process Dione was extremely understanding and considerate. In order to help me with my expedited application timeline she was extremely flexible in terms of reviewing any material sent and in arranging a call at a short notice. She was also very efficient in terms of time utilization. In total I purchased three hours of service, but was able to get my entire application including CV, additional optional answers reviewed twice, along with getting numerous other questions answered and was even able to get some best practices tips to share with my recommenders. As part of her feedback, Dione provided clear guidance on which sections to prioritize, how to craft the answers to make them more coherent to the reader, and how to structure my thought process so that I could communicate my career goals in a credible and compelling manner. Overall, I would say that Dione is a true professional and it was an absolute pleasure to work with her on my application and I would recommend her to everyone applying to Stanford GSB.

I worked with Dione for over 2 months revising my resume, brainstorming essays, and crafting a compelling narrative across my application. Dione was an incredible resource that not only provided me with strategic advice but also moral support throughout the stressful process. When I hit a road bump with laying out my career path, Dione checked in on me frequently and provided solid guidance for me to get past the bottleneck. Every step of the way, Dione prepares thoughtful documents detailing an actionable plan, from constructing an overall application strategy in the beginning to picking and requesting recommendations to preparing for interviews. Dione is efficient in reviewing essays and other written materials. She usually responds to emails within hours. When problems and unforeseen circumstances popped up during my application, she utilized resources…consulted her colleagues, and gave me valuable advice…. It was a great experience working with Dione and…made the whole application process a lot more manageable and less stressful.

When I made the decision to apply to business school, I knew I would be hiring an admissions consultant. You have to put in 100% of the work with your consultant to truly get the results you want, remember that. I have a journalism background and then worked in software sales for a number of years....Dione understood me, challenged me, provided clarity for me, helped me unearth my narrative, and became my confidant and trusted advisor throughout the whole process. Without her I know I wouldn't have received the number of interview invites as I did. With her leadership and friendship I committed to my dream school.

Dione was able to quickly understand my background, my story, and my future goals in order to help me craft a compelling application. She was incredible to brainstorm with and was always available to run through ideas or to answer my (many) questions. She helped me edit all of my essays up until I felt they were truly exceptional, and she was fantastic as keeping these concise, to the point, but still genuine and authentic. I was truly impressed with her work and extremely confident with my applications. In addition, I’d like to add that Dione was genuinely so kind and it really felt like she was on my side in this process. I had lots of ups and downs while applying (personally and professionally!) and Dione continued to be there to cheer me on and push me forward. I ultimately got accepted to my dream school and cannot recommend Dione enough!

I started out targeting a magnificent 7 B-school with a GMAT score that was in range but slightly below average. I spoke to Dawn before signing on and was immediately drawn by her clear and direct approach to the application process. Dawn helped me plan my strategy; she helped me bring out things in my application that actually mattered. Things that the adcom actually cared about. She put an entire strategy together with clear target dates, proof read my essays and gave me a mock interview. Her approach was systematic and through various steps she helped me think about different aspects of my application that put my essays in shape. Without Dawn I wouldn’t have put my best foot forward and wouldn’t have gone for my interview with such confidence. Today, I am finally going to my dream school and couldn’t be happier with my experience working with Dawn. In summary, I highly recommend Dawn if you are targeting a top 10 B-School.

I evaluated multiple consulting firms when I first started my MBA application journey. Dawn was highly recommended by a close friend who is now at Wharton, so I chose to move forward with her (fortunately she was available to work with me!). When I started, I had a story and a ton of different ways to approach my applications. Dawn is very strategic in nature and was extremely helpful in guiding me to create a focused brand. She's very in-tune with what the top schools are looking for, which helped ensure I mentioned relevant information in each application. I applied to 4 top schools and was accepted to 3, 2 of which I received generous merit fellowships for. I have no doubt that without Dawn's help, I would not have been able to achieve this level of success. I highly recommend Dawn!

Dawn is extremely knowledgeable, outspoken, sharp, and attentive. Together, we picked apart every possible aspect of my personal journey leading up to this point. When we started strategizing for each school, I felt comfortable with her recommendations. It is clear that Dawn simply knows what type of candidates fit with what program better. I feel like we prioritized our essay discussions and other preparations according to not just deadlines but also where my best shots lie – so I could make sure to put my best foot forward for those programs. Towards the later stage of app prep, Dawn was still able to look at my whole package from a rather objective perspective. She warned me in advance of some areas of weaknesses that another independent reader from a consulting firm also pointed out during their “flight test” review. Overall I’m very pleased with the result and Dawn’s mentorship.