28,622Leland Reviews

As a strategy consultant at BCG, I’m surrounded by colleagues who get into top 10 business schools every year. I thought the application process would be straightforward and something I could manage on my own. I invested quite a lot of time in my R1 HBS and Stanford applications. Much to my surprise, even with a 780 GMAT, I was dinged from both without interview. Only then did I probe a bit more and then learned that almost all of my fellow consultants sought help on their MBA applications. Planning for Round 2, I set up some calls with the big Admissions Consulting companies and also with Farrell. There were three main reasons I chose to work with Farrell: • She was the only consultant who read through my R1 applications and had some feedback already prepared for our consultation call. • She had an honest, direct style. No beating around the bush, it gave me confidence that we wouldn’t waste time. • She is a lot of fun to work with. This is important, your admissions consultant is somebody you are going to spend a lot of time with! We worked together on both of the applications I submitted for Round 2 – Wharton and MIT Sloan, and I got admitted to both! The quality of my applications was unbelievably higher. There are several things where Farrell stands out: • Helping you tell a compelling story. The most important part of the application. Here you really need somebody who knows the nuances between the different programs, will study your past to know you inside and out, and has read thousands of essays. Farrell could always tell me when something would have a positive impact or detract from the value of my candidacy. Furthermore, she can even help you decide what you really want to do after the MBA, which is not always an easy thing to determine. • Keeping track of the global picture of your application and all the details. Every space on the application is an opportunity to tell your story and set yourself apart. And it is very hard to track all these details. Farrell made sure I leveraged all parts of the application to the highest advantage. • Cutting down those essays to meet the word limit. Farrell is world-class talented at this. Being able to include that extra example in your essays can be a deciding factor. • Moral support: Not to be underestimated. It is a long and tortuous process, and I was really grateful to have someone I could rely on to keep me focused and motivated. It is not easy to find a consultant who is really your partner, in your corner to help you in every aspect and even makes it fun. I cannot recommend her strongly enough. Work with Farrell – she will get you into business school.

I consider myself so lucky to have gotten to work with Farrell, and I know I wouldn’t have gotten into HBS without her help. I came to Farrell in mid-July hoping to apply round 1. In two months, Farrell coached me through taking the GMAT twice, rewriting my resume, submitting three applications, prepping for interviews, and ultimately getting accepted to HBS, MIT, and Darden. Farrell was my therapist, best friend, and toughest critic throughout the process. She insists on a lengthy introspection process before starting the applications, which ensures that she knows you incredibly well and understands your unique strengths / what will make your application stand out. Farrell has a very strong BS detector, and she does not put up with slacking off or not giving her 100%. She makes you work extremely hard (basically a full-time job on top of your day job), but that hard work pays off. And she’s really fun to work with (seriously, I miss our daily calls). If you’re considering working with a consultant, CHOOSE FARRELL!

When Farrell and I first started working together, I had a plan, but I was lost. I was following the standard career path for my industry; start in engineering, get an MBA, move into business development. There was nothing in my plan that aligned with who I am or what I believe in. Farrell saw through this, and so would an admissions committee. We started with introspection and goal setting. We dove deep into my entire life story, not just my professional journey! I told her of the good times that I love to share and the hard times that I’d rather forget. Farrell got to know me better than I know myself. She posed challenging questions that pushed me to my emotional limits but helped me uncover who I am and what I bring as a unique individual. After learning about who I am, the school choices fell into place. Farrell identified MBA programs that aligned with my goals and pushed me to research each one, connecting me with her past clients who were current students or alums and recommending podcasts and business school guides. It felt like pieces of a puzzle coming together. I could see myself at each institution, working towards a future that would bring me true fulfillment. After choosing the schools, crafting the essays was next. Farrell has developed a process that is structured and clear. She identified the stories that would bring life to each essay, coaching me to bring out in my writing the unique qualities that I will be able to share with my future classmates. She provided me with untethered feedback, designed to bring out the best in me and my writing, even if I felt the words were tough to hear. We worked through drafts, day and night (it felt like Farrell never took a holiday, she was that committed!) until together we had created something that would show the admissions committee who I truly am in a way that they would really hear. When I got my first interview invitation, I was over the moon. When I received my 7th interview invitation, I was in shock. Farrell was just as happy as I was, but she wasn’t in shock. She would never lie to make me happy and was always transparent about my chances, but she was confident that she had helped me present myself in a way that made me stand out among a pool of brilliant candidates. Throughout the interview process, Farrell was dedicated to helping me adapt my story to each individual interview. We outlined anecdotes and fit them into a framework that I will use in interviews for the rest of my life. I recorded myself on video and she provided honest feedback that helped me refine my stories into short, effective responses that captured the key messages that I want to convey. Most importantly, Farrell was my biggest fan and I walked into every interview feeling like I deserved a place on that school’s MBA program. In the end, I chose to accept an offer from Harvard Business School with offers from Duke, Kellogg, MIT, and Berkeley and waitlists from Yale and Stanford. $25K offer from MIT and $60K from Duke. Great results for someone without any diversity points to speak of and a 720 GMAT. However, I gained so much more from this process than these results. I learned about who I am, what I bring, and what I will bring me true fulfillment in life. Farrell has been my admissions consultant, my life coach, my harshest critic, my biggest fan, and my best friend, and I’ll forever be in her debt.

I LOVE WORKING WITH FARRELL. I used other admission consultants in the past, and I didn’t receive any good results. This year, I worked with Farrell on my application. Farrell coached me to apply to an MBA program in Round 3. I got admitted to Darden with a decent amount scholarship which is a big surprise to me! I would say it is the best decision that I have ever made in my life. She is the best! Below is a list of her values that I didn’t find in others. 1. Personal – Farrell does not do a cookie-cutter approach. She paid close attention to understand me as a person rather than just an MBA applicant. Working as an independent MBA consultant, she has the advantage to offer best-in-class quality services to everyone. As an applicant who comes from a non-traditional background, I knew that I need to find and sell my uniqueness in my application. I really needed someone who is accessible and easy to approach to help with my application. No doubt, Farrell is the best match for me. While working with her, I felt confident in my application because I felt her enthusiasm and strong willingness to learn about me as a person. She asked probing questions to encourage me to think deeper about my motivation and values. After completing my application, I was extremely satisfied because my personal brand and value are well presented and elaborated like they had not been with the other consultants. 2. Results-Driven – Farrell is responsible and committed to delivering the best outcomes for her clients. Not realizing how fierce the competition would be this year, I put all my eggs into Top 5 programs for Round 2. Unfortunately, I was rejected by all of them. Farrell pulled me out of the disappointment and helped me actively evaluate the situation. She researched programs that fit my personality and can help me achieve my post-MBA goal. With Farrell’s recommendation, I became more open-minded and applied to Darden. She was able to put herself in my shoes and recommend a program that will fit me well. It turns out that she is absolutely right! 3. Life-long coach – The best treasure I received from working with Farrell is the lasting impact of her coaching. She put a lot of effort to get to know me as a person and discover my unique value, which has made me become more confident. She always has a long vision in mind and thinks about what the best for me in the long term would be. Even though the application is done, I still chat with her a lot to get advice for my career development. 4. Commitment – Integrity is one of Farrell’s key values. She always gave me candid and straightforward feedback which really improved the quality of my application. She delivered what she promised and never disappointed me even once. It can be scary to let someone else set the pace, but I fully believe in her and recommend her to anyone. You won’t be sorry!

I thank Farrell whole heartedly for helping me get admitted to INSEAD, my dream B-school, INSEAD. When I found her on GMAT Club, I had already applied to London Business School, and was rejected without getting even an interview. In order to improve my essays and increase the chances to get admitted by my dream school, I decided to go with her, even knowing we on a very tight schedule. Farrell couldn’t have been more helpful and supportive throughout the entire application process, including essay editing, resume preparation, video interview preparation, and later, alumni interview preparation. I also chose to work with her on the Diversity scholarship for INSEAD, and was awarded 10K Euros! She has rich experience in how to tailor candidates’ profiles to each B-school and helped me put all my attractive and unique experiences together. I highly recommend Farrell as your personal MBA Prep coach to get you into your dream school.

Kerry provided exceptional recommendations while I crafted my MBA applications. She helped me sharpen my ideas and when it came to interview prep, shared best practices for standing out during the interview. Most importantly, she helped me stay calm and confident throughout the entire application process. Cannot recommend her more highly!

Due to covid-19 and some work issues, I started late to prepare my applications. When I started looking for a consultant, I had not taken the GMAT or TOEFL, and everyone told me that I would not meet the deadlines and that they could not help me, except for Farrell. After a brief conversation where we talked a bit about me and my goals in life, she said we could do this, I believe in you. We put together a plan to prepare everything in 2 months, and she coached me in everything from my resume to my interviews and helped me to get into Kellogg. Now that I look past through the process, I could highlight many things, but what I most value about her is two things. First, her empathy, you can feel that she is fully committed in you reaching your goals, she was a partner during the process and she helped me not only in technical things but in the emotional part too – she turned into a friend. She insisted on thinking about my life and helped me in ‘connecting the dots,’ this was crucial for her to know me better and advice where I could stand out, but also for me because I got to know myself better and see my goals clearer – that for me was priceless. Second, her transparency, she is always going to say what she believes is best for you, even if the truth is not pleasant. This is really important in every part of the application. Because of her experience and intelligence, she will see things that you don’t. I would totally recommend her if you are looking for a consultant.

I met Lauren while applying for the Full-Time MBA program for the second consecutive year. I tried to apply on my own for the first time but only ended up on the waitlist for several of my targeted schools. So, in the following cycle, I reached out to different MBA consultants seeking more professional guidance. And I knew right away that Lauren was exactly the one I was looking for. I can guarantee that it was one of the best decisions I've ever made in my entire life. The application process was quite stressful, especially for a re-applicant like me. I was very uncertain about my candidacy and worried about my profile being too “untraditional” to the business schools. I even considered applying to other schools that were “lower in the ranking” for safety. However, Lauren stayed extremely positive and convinced me that I should keep focusing on my initial targets. And I'm glad that I took her advice. Due to Lauren's assistance, I was admitted to my dream school USC Marshall (by which I was rejected last year), along with a great scholarship. I know Lauren is known for her positive energy, but she is so much more than that. She is incredibly excellent at storytelling. And one of the most challenging parts of the MBA application is telling a good story about oneself. From essays to interview responses, Lauren helped me fashion all my materials into a cohesive whole. We brainstormed, discussed strategies, and did as many mock interviews as I wanted. She is also very insightful. I could always take something away from her every time we spoke. I couldn't express how thankful I am to have the opportunity to work with Lauren. To me, she is not only a consultant who provides tons of valuable advice but also a caring friend who will put in every effort to help you succeed. Although we only talked virtually, I'm hoping to meet and give my sincere thanks to Lauren in person. My experience working with Lauren was really delightful. I highly recommend her to anyone applying to a higher education program or seeking a personal coach to help them overcome any life challenges.

For me Farrell is more than an MBA admissions consultant, she is a friend, a mentor, and a coach. The application process with her was bigger than just getting into a top MBA program, I learned what my values are (what makes me happy and what I don’t like), what my strengths are, and what makes me stand out. Learning these things about myself will forever guide me when looking for internships, jobs, and promotions. Having this knowledge gives me the ability to communicate who I am to people. Her coaching has even helped me make adjustments at my workplace and in my family life that have greatly benefited me. Before working with Farrell I had a lot of doubts about myself and insecurities about not being a “typical” MBA applicant, I really felt like I didn’t even belong in a top MBA program. Farrell transformed these insecurities into things I am now proud of, and helped me feel worthy and deserving of the 3 admits I received. I was even extremely embarrassed about my writing skills and had almost no confidence when it came to drafting my essays, Farrell built me up and gave me the confidence and advice I needed to create a beautiful end product. Farrell’s background in journalism and marketing really shines throughout this process, before working with her I didn’t even know how to really express my story, skills, and values. I find her skills far more valuable in this process than working with a consultant just because they have received an MBA from program X. Getting into an MBA program is really just the beginning, leveraging it for its value is a whole different ball game and Farrell has gone above and beyond to prepare me for that. Having worked with other MBA consultants in the past I was bothered by some of their gimmicks and them asking me to oversell/exaggerate (which make me uncomfortable), Farrell allowed me to be my true self without any of that. Not only was I accepted to all three programs I applied to -Kellogg, Berkeley and Booth ($), I feel prepared for my future during my MBA program and after. Expect honesty and straightforwardness throughout the process. If I had gotten accepted to zero programs my time and money spent with Farrell would still have absolutely been worth it ten times over, for I truly evolved and grew as a person under her wing.

I don’t know how I can thank Farrell enough: I have been admitted with a scholarship to Wharton with no GMAT! When I first start preparing my GMAT and researching business schools, I was quite confident. After completing my master’s in Aerospace Engineering, as a French student in the US, I went on to work for a top aviation company in NYC, filling a role generally reserved for engineers almost twice my age. On top of that, I had a leadership position in a non-profit organization. Quite a rare profile in this business world! Well, I could not get above 650 on the GMAT and, after calling dozens of prep coaches, none of them believed in me. They all told me that the top 10 was out of my league. I was devastated until I met Farrell. Farrell is the only one who believed in me. First, she spent hours learning about me, to make sure I chose schools that fit me, and also, where the adcom would appreciate my international background the most. Honestly, this is probably the most important part of the application process and most students neglect it. It is the step that will make your profile unique for a particular program. As you know, the process is extremely long and tiring and you will need someone you can trust to go through this with. For over 8 months (from our free consultation to interviews), Farrell was like either my mom or my bestie. She was making sure I kept myself on track and she was constantly sending me information to make sure I was choosing the right thing for me. She advised me to attend specific events, read articles or watch videos to research schools, so I could create a good fit between my qualifications and what the school valued. She literally thought about everything. Not only did Farrell support me for “deliverable” part of the application (LOR, essays, resume, etc), but she also provided me with moral support. When I was crying and wanted to give up, she comforted me and helped me focus on the next step I needed to take. I took the GMAT several times during our engagement and despite my inability achieve a competitive GMAT score, Farrell made sure I would not lose hope. If you want to have someone to support you in all the different domains, I could not recommend Farrell strongly enough. The work she delivers is for sure way more valuable than any of those companies trying to sell you a “customized application.” I honestly and sincerely don’t think that you could find someone as dedicated as Farrell, it is impossible! Farrell also knows all the “hidden tips and tricks” to make your application successful. She advised me to take the GRE, despite my reluctance, and apply to Wharton Lauder, an international joint degree program at Wharton, to increase my chances. Nothing was forgotten! Even for the interview Farrell spent several hours to coach me on my expressions, tone, hand gestures, eye contact…it was amazing! Last week, I was admitted to Wharton…I can’t believe it! After 8 months of labor, sweat, and tears…I owe everything to Farrell, and I will share this joy with her forever. Thank you Bestie! If you are afraid to jump into this, spend one or two hours with her to see what I am talking about, or you can contact me and I would be more than happy to tell you about the best of Miss Farrell.