As a 41 year old Army Officer with an above average score and a non-technical background, I am the definition of a non-traditional candidate....and guess what...MBA and Beyond had a consultant to meet even my requirements.

For me, selecting a admissions consulting team was about finding someone who had as much faith in my candidature as I did and with MBA and beyond there was an immediate connect. As soon as i took the first call for my profile evaluation with Megha or while working my way through the entire process with Shubham, there was always a personal touch and a willingness to accommodate all my requirements.

The company offers personalised support of an unparalleled magnitude. I was rendered support to navigate my way around the site, adding content on the platform, understanding the nuances of applications and scholarships and even college selection. When required, a call with the CEO was just a few clicks away.

And then of course there is my Consultant, Dr Vinita Singh.

With nearly two decades of experience, it is not possible to find a more mature, balanced, confident and accomplished consultant. Her structured approach to the process and here adherence to deadlines was something that i have come to admire. And that coming from a military veteran should say it all.
She was not just willing to put in more hours than me when required but was also open to disagreements about myriad aspects of my application ranging from college selection to goal setting. She not only accepted an offbeat candidate like me for third round applications for London Business School but she helped me navigate the entire admissions process from preparing the resume to submitting the applications in a span of one week....YES ...ONE WEEK !!!!

So if you want to create magic, look nowhere else.


With the deadline looming around the corner, she cleared all the bureaucratic hurdles which are associated with most consulting platforms to be available on call. During that one week, I didn't need to wait for a response from the company on their portal to schedule a call. She had cleared her entire schedule for a week to support me in my journey. On one occasion, we have interacted for more than 7 hours in one single day. That is the level of commitment and hard work that she brings to the table.

She was forthcoming in sharing sample essays and letters of recommendations from successful candidates from my target colleges and she even connected me with some of her successful candidates in business schools and in the industry. To take it to the next level, she was able to connect me with candidates matching my profile who helped me navigate the entire application and interview process. We went through every word of my application at least thrice before my final submissions on calls lasting over two and half hours at times.

When it came to the interview ,we prepared a range of questions which were not only college specific but also focussed on all facets of my profile. There were no restrictions on the number of mock interviews that i took with her. On one occasion, she even conducted a mock interview at 5:30 AM to meet my requirements. In fact, she even helped me prepare for the Kira Video Interview which was not even a part of the deal. Needless to say, when it came to the actual interview with the college, there was nothing which came as a surprise.

A word of caution here - She is going to make you work really hard. So if you are working with her, be sure to bring your A game to the field.

It has been a privilege to work with MBA and Beyond and with Dr Vinita Singh in particular. I would strongly recommend them to candidates of all domains and profiles.

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Working with Shantanu Sharma, the founder of MBA and Beyond, was an amazing experience. Back in 2021, MBA and Beyond was much smaller than it is right now and at first, I was hesitant to work with a consultant from a new company, but after just one call with Shantanu, I knew I had made the right decision. He not only provided invaluable MBA consulting advice, but also acted as a mentor, giving helpful life and career advice.

With Shantanu's guidance, I was able to craft a compelling and coherent story, which helped me get accepted into INSEAD, the only school I applied to. Shantanu's approach was very structured and scientific, which helped me to remember and use stories and incidents from my life that I would have never remembered otherwise. He asked tough questions and gave brutally honest feedback, which was exactly what I needed to improve my application by leaps and bounds.

Shantanu's ability to understand my strengths and weaknesses, and guide me accordingly, was a key factor in my success. He also gave a lot of support for interviews, helping not only with preparation but also with boosting my confidence. Even after my MBA finished, Shantanu has stayed in touch. I highly recommend Shantanu and MBA and Beyond to anyone looking for an MBA admissions consultant. His expertise and mentorship were invaluable, and I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to work with him.

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MBA & Beyond provides the much-needed structure to help MBA aspirants apply to their dream schools.
They provide a detailed profile evaluation, match you with one of their in-house consultants, and guide you through the entire process of content gathering, before starting with the applications. Not to mention, their help to fine-tune your resume and stories for your LOR.
The team at MBA&B is very approachable and always there to address any concerns that you may have throughout the application process. They are also quite easy on the pocket when compared to a lot of other MBA consultants. The mock interviews that Shantanu & Dr.Vinita conducted were super helpful and really helped me narrow down the stories that I wanted to talk about during my interview. Overall, I had a positive experience working with them!

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The consulting service itself is great. Dr Singh was with me every step of the way and went above and beyond on multiple occasions. She knows how to craft the story, and carry it to the natural conclusion. What impressed me was also a willingness to take mock interviews for schools that I wasn’t applying with MBAB - that clearly left an impact since I made it to UNC KF with a full ride. I also managed to convert at least an interview to almost each school I applied to.

As I mentioned before, MBAB should refine their strategy for Indian males in R2 moving forward.

I am waitlisted at Darden and Tepper, but let’s see where that goes!

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Prior to embarking on my MBA journey, I spent countless hours scouring the internet for the perfect consultancy to guide me through the process. I scheduled numerous consultations with various admission consulting services, but after careful consideration, I decided to partner with the firm that had impressed me from the outset.

The entire experience was tailored to my individual needs, with meticulously planned timelines and helpful prompts to assist me during the content gathering phase. The online tool provided an easy way for me to monitor my progress and stay on track.

When I was matched with my consultant, Josh, we immediately hit it off. Together, we spent countless hours brainstorming and refining the narratives for my essays. Josh's insightful feedback helped me gain a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of my profile, and he provided scrupulous attention to each aspect of my application, offering valuable guidance and mentorship throughout the process.

But Josh's support went beyond the technical aspects of my application. He was also incredibly attuned to my emotional state, readily noticing even the slightest hint of doubt or lack of confidence and providing the encouragement and reassurance I needed to stay motivated and focused on my goals.

Thanks to Josh and the MBA and Beyond team, I was equipped with the skills and confidence to apply independently if necessary. Their guidance and support were instrumental in securing admission offers from two of my top three preferred colleges.

Overall, the team went above and BEYOND to help me achieve my goals, and I am incredibly grateful for their unwavering dedication and support.

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I engaged with MBAB's service after the Marketing team showed extreme confidence in my profile and told me that they'll be able to turn around my 3 applications in the stipulated period of 1 month. Thinking that MBAB could really identify and highlight my strengths and also help me navigate the complex of process of filling applications, I enrolled for their premium price.
I was promised an entire comprehensive process that would help select schools and match it to my profile. But in real,I was asked to pick my 3 colleges all by myself. After much nudging, the consultant provided me with 3/ 5 school options, degrading my target school to #22 school ( this is when I was shown great confidence in #9 school during the marketing call)

The content specialist's only contribution to the process was ' I ll push you think to harder'. There was no support inthe branding and writing of essays. All I heard from my admission consultant is that 'look you have to decide what story you have to present' when asked to zero in on one storyline. In 2/3 brainstorming calls, I was the one providing ideas and story lines instead of vice versa.

Even their reference material was subpar. I got ONLY ONE essay for reference that was not even aligned to my industry and function. I was told that I have an ML based profile and MBAB hasn't seen such profiles and point blank told 'so sorry we cant provide you with any more reference material.'

When asked to provide me with content related to my specific school in essays, I have been told to Google things and do my research myself. Despite paying a premium fee for their services, I received absolutely no assistance in navigating the complex MBA application process.

It was super stressful to work with MBAB and I had to do triple the amount of work to do because of lack of any 'consulting' from their end. I couldn't apply to more schools and it infact became a huge opportunity cost for me to leave out applying to more schools in this cycle.


I was super dissapointed with MBAB and I really wished they did a better job especially when candidates's stress levels are high and add real value to the process.

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I started working with MBA and Beyond in October. I had a decent 700+ GMAT score but was completely unaware of the application process. I am a military veteran from an unconventional background thus, I wanted a deliberate and systematic approach to my B school application process.
I contacted the MBA and Beyond team and had a detailed discussion with Elana. Post our conversation; I attended a webinar wherein I could better understand the process and methodology followed by MBA& Beyond. Further, I was also briefed by Paridhi on how MBA& Beyond has helped people from unconventional backgrounds with their MBA applications. Finally, I was mapped with Dr. Vinita Singh, and right from day one, I could feel the kind of experience and knowledge Dr. Vinita had. It was very kind of her to accept my profile, especially when I had already missed the round 1 deadline and was even late for round 2.
Dr. Vinita has been more than a consultant to me: she has helped me to understand what exactly transition means for a veteran. She made me understand why having crystal clear short term and long term goals are significant for someone like me, owing to my work experience and profile as a veteran. At the same time, she made me realise my main strength- Leadership experience and how we can leverage it to make a strong application. Further, she removed any noise from the process and kept me focused and attentive toward the smallest details.
Finally, she quickly realized my biggest shortcoming: interview skills, and patiently worked with me toward overcoming the same. She pushed me to the extremes and ensured that I gave at least three to four mocks before appearing for the final interview with any school. It is her sheer dedication and ownership she has toward her students which makes her a true mentor. Over the last year, I have realised that more than the guidance and help, it is the partnership between the consultant and the student which helps to bring the best in the application. The true value which I was able to get out of MBA& Beyond is surely beyond MBA. To summarise in Dr. Vinita's way, the three things which makes her stand out from any other consultant are:-
1) She is incredibly genuine and empathetic, with an uncanny ability to observe your unique strengths and weaknesses.
2) She knows how to present these unique traits in a manner that is attractive to the top programs
3) She understands the core of the MBA application process extremely well and can provide outstanding advice on how to navigate through it using the unique strengths each candidate has.
I was able to find a true mentor and a genuine person whom I trust and I would always be thankful for making it happen for me. I was able to get shortlisted to 50 % of the schools I applied to and convert 50% of those shortlists to a final admission with a scholarship.
Schools Applied- ISB, IIM A, USC Marshall, Notre Dame Mendoza, IESE, WBS, INSEAD, LBS, Oxford

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a. The content gathering process really structures your story & helps even after essays - personally helped me during the interview process as well. MBA & Beyond really makes you work to get this right.
b. Unlimited sessions - be it for actual consulting, sounding off writing prompts, finalizing essays & interview prep - my consultant Andy Fischstrom was super supportive throughout the process, and managed to make time almost on a daily basis
c. Andy was also able to bring in diverse perspectives - soliciting the opinions of other consultants when we were unsure of what path to take
d. As nerve-wracking as the application process can be, it felt like I had a coach willing me on, even through bleak days, and that is something I'm grateful for
e. Focus on the little things - a lot of hours were spent in making small modifications to the essays, following which Andy and me would step back and look at it as a whole - and over time, the essays got to a point where we were both happy with them. Those little things add up!
f. The supporting team takes care of a lot of work that needs doing to keep applications on track - they let you focus on the essay writing

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Considering factors such as my higher work experience (7+ years), personal geographical preferences, low GMAT score (650), and post-MBA career goals, I wanted to apply to one of the top B-schools in the UK, and Alliance Manchester Business School was at the top of my target list. Even though I was confident in my overall profile, the low GMAT score and the tough competition for the specific geography meant that it was always safer to seek professional help from a reputed MBA consultant for guidance during the application process.
I had profile evaluation sessions with several reputed consultants from India. The outcome was not really encouraging. Some of the top consultants gave highly sceptical remarks by focusing too much on my GMAT score alone and not being interested in looking into some of the unique aspects of my profile. It was a stage where I started doubting my chances of making it to some of the target B-schools.
Then came the profile evaluation session with MBA&B. With how my previous profile evaluations have gone thus far, I wasn’t expecting a different outcome. However, to my surprise, the MBA&B consultant was more interested in my life stories and various life achievements than tangible factors such as my GMAT score and GPA. Based on several life stories I shared, the consultant gave me a deep insight into some of my strengths and weaknesses. I was told that my profile had several USPs and that with the right branding, the target school could be cracked. The best part was that the evaluation was very much rooted in reality, and I was not fed with any false sense of hope. The consultant also walked me through MBA&B’s overall methodical application process. I was convinced that MBA&B held the key to my admission success.
MBA&B had a team in place to cater to my various application-related requirements. It started with a content-gathering session. The content-gathering platform had a set of questions, questions meticulously put together to allow one to self-reflect on various life stories- both personal and professional. Ayushi, who was responsible for the content gathering, was not only supportive but also continuously pushed me to bring all my stories to paper. She also helped shape my perspective by guiding me in identifying the types of stories that could help my branding. At the end of the session, I had a vast ocean of stories and contents I could choose from to help effectively articulate the application essays.
In the next stage, I was assigned my consultant, Shweta. Shweta laid out the plan for the application process. I was given specific goals for each of our sessions, which helped me become more effective and stay on track to complete the applications on time. Based on the content-gathering data, she helped me identify the right stories that could help create the best application. My discussions with the consultant were around 1 hour and around 2 per week. Shweta was also never ready to settle for a mediocre essay response. Shweta would go to great lengths to analyse the essay word for word, revision after revision, to make sure that the best stories are captured clearly and crisply. MBA&B also arranged two mock interview sessions—one with my consultant and another with a different consultant—to give me comprehensive feedback for the interview session.
Thus, with the help of the MBA&B team, I was able to secure admission to Alliance Manchester Business School. My overall experience with MBA&B was excellent. I don’t think I could have asked for a better team considering how MBA&B helped me with the tiring and challenging application process. I will recommend MBA&B to all the MBA candidates who dare to dream and are not afraid to put their ultimate efforts into realising that dream.

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When I started my journey, I knew where I wanted to apply but I had no idea how to go about it. My search for MBA Consultants started at a time when I was still preparing for the GMAT and had my target schools shortlisted.
MBA and Beyond - Key Differentiator
I spoke to many different companies and a lot of them asked me questions that I felt were being plugged into a foolproof equation that was known to provide results. However, I finalized MBA and Beyond because -
- I felt that my personal strengths and motivations were understood by the team and they didn’t boil my experience and personal qualities down to a math
- I didn't feel pressure to score exceptionally well on my GMAT or that the GMAT score was the make or break for my schools - the encouragement and tone through and through was always to give it my best shot
- Their success rate/ track record in helping secure INSEAD admits for applicants with low GMAT scores
The Application Process
a) The Product
The process itself of starting work on my applications was life-changing. Putting down points in the product in the MBA and Beyond framework gives you so much clarity going into this process about who you are as a person. From start to end the product covers content and instruction for each stage of your application process specific to the schools you are applying for. The content-gathering stage is the most pivotal step in this process in my opinion because it pushes you to think hard about your personal qualities. The team, especially Ayushi in my case, supports you through and through, even when you’re stuck and helps you position your content in unique and powerful ways. I think what comes out of this process is a simplified and more focused thought process that prepares you not just for your applications but also for your interviews.
b) Working with your Consultant – Andy my Partner
The relationship working with Andy was like no other. For starters, he actually read all the material I had written with a fine-toothed comb – be it my content frameworks, notes, first drafts and of course my final drafts. He helped come up with my branding – who I was as a person, what were some defining qualities/ motivations in my life that got me to where I am, my professional strengths and my contributions to a diverse classroom. I can’t emphasize how important this was for me because at each step of the way, I felt secure in knowing that Andy understood who I was and exactly that person was being presented in my applications. I was truly myself in the applications and not a summation of different variables in a tried and tested formula. Despite being in completely different timezones, Andy was always approachable, quick to respond and a true partner in this journey.
I would also like to highlight that the applications for both schools I got accepted into – INSEAD and IESE were with submission dates on the same day. This was extremely challenging as the INSEAD application is quite extensive and detailed oriented but with Andy’s help I was able to help systematically work on all aspects well in time.
Amidst this process, I would also like to share, that I took the GMAT twice as I scored poorly the first time and it pushed my plans to apply to INSEAD from R2 to R3. However, not once did Andy make me feel stressed or uneasy about my situation. He was a beacon of hope and positivity and encouraged me to take it again and not worry about the outcome. As I said – Andy just understood me and knew that I had a very very VERY bad day and it wasn’t a reflection of me or who I was. He was confident that I would take it again and “smash it” and even if I didn’t get that 700+ score I would still be just okay and we’d give it our best shot. There was never an expectation from me to score a specific number or be within a certain threshold – I was only and only encouraged to do my best. So I juggled preparing for my second GMAT attempt and working on my applications side by side with Andy’s help.
To sum up, I truly believe I made it here only thanks to Andy’s encouragement and support and I would encourage you all to work with him in applying to your dream schools!
The Interview Process
With Andy’s help, I was able to prepare just the right amount for my interviews and I think a key piece of advice that worked for me was to prepare but not over-prepare. Andy gave me the confidence boost and motivation I needed to just be myself during the interview and we went over certain aspects of my interviews in different calls he had set up.
Finally, Shakshi from MBA and Beyond, made sure to check in with me, every step of the way and ensure I was comfortable and all set at each stage. She was always just a call away and proactively helped me with quick responses for any queries that I had, never needing any follow-ups or reminders. So I can vouch for the fact that it’s not just your Consultant but an entire team that is there to support you through this entire lifecycle and the Teamwork truly makes the Dream work.

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