Testimonials from 2011-2012 Clients
Indiana Kelley (we worked intensively starting just a week before the deadline)
I got into Indiana University Kelley School of Business! Thank you so much for your help. I couldn’t have done it without you. Your methods were outstanding. You highlighted some of my accomplishments and helped me write outstanding essays. I’m still waiting to here from Boston College. I needed all of your help to overcome my GPA and below average GMAT. Thanks again. I hope all is well.
UNC Kenan-Flagler
I am satisfied that I was able to apply to all schools I wanted and I tried everything I could. Furthermore, I am really satisfied with your professional consulting. Your comments and editing were always logical and persuasive for me, and you led me to the shortest path. I am convinced that you effectively strengthened my candidacy in spite of my “minimum” test scores. I remember, regarding Kelley’s ethical dilemma essay, that you kindly arranged a meeting in response to my short notice, and tried to improve my essay at the last minutes before the deadline. I greatly appreciate all the devotion you made for me. Thank you very much, Bryan!Now, therefore, I don’t hesitate to recommend your consulting service to my colleagues. I am glad to hear that you still have spaces this year.
Wharton (also accepted to Virginia Darden)
“Dear Bryan – do you remember the day you asked me to write a letter to my coming baby? You said it would help me set the right tone to explain my career to adcoms. I remember feeling uneasy because we had limited time to prepare for the 1st round application. The day, however, was the defining moment for my life – the innovative counseling made me aware what MBA essay is and I eventually got an admission to Wharton, my life-long dream school. Thank you from my heart – you changed my life.”
Before I began working with him, I was obsessed how to come up with stories best appealing to adcom or stretch my career achievements. Bryan told me to realize that my baby (and adcom also) would not want to know about my company or achievement lists but love to find out “who I am” – the important things are what I thought in struggling situations, how I took actions to overcome the difficulties, and what I learned from the experiences and how much I grew up as a person. It was not so easy to deeply reflect on oneself, but in that process (and even after writing up the 2,000 word letter), we continued looking for my life stories and digging, digging, and digging my actions in each and every situation of both personal and professional careers, which further strengthened our essays and gave us the invitation from almost all schools I applied for.
This story is just one part of our long collaborative work days, but you can find how much Bryan is creative and flexibly provides his counseling depending on each client, and more importantly, how much he seriously – sometimes with passion – gives his full attention to our life. If you asked if I would love to work again with Bryan, my answer is a clear “yes”. I definitely recommend you work with Bryan then you will have a brilliant future!
Kellogg (also accepted to Cornell Johnson and Michigan Ross)
(English, Japanese follows)
Working with Bryan was the best choice I made during my MBA application.
Last April, my friend, a former MBA candidate, introduced me to Bryan. He worked with Bryan and was admitted to his preferred school. I finally decided to work with Bryan because my friend was entirely satisfied with Bryan’s service. After finishing my MBA application, I recommend Bryan as the best counselor.
Some outstanding points of Bryan’s service are as follows:
- High quality in discovering clients’ latent experience.
He knows what kinds of experience are desired to be written in MBA essays and doesn’t hesitate to find the needed experience from applicants. Since his service is flat rate based, you don’t have to be nervous about costs and we could come up with ideas we both agreed on. I believe that some of my experiences would have remained hidden without Bryan’s help.
- High quality in editing / word selection
Bryan’s ability in editing and selecting words is outstanding and this helped me a lot. Since he understands what you want to tell through meetings, he brings the right words for each applicant. He has never exaggerated my experience, however, his help allowed me write the condensed and efficient essays.
Seeing my results in applying to MBA schools without high test scores or outstanding work experience, I am again convinced that Bryan’s service is quite high quality. Without his help, the results would have been totally different. I had a difficult time in achieving a high score in GMAT, however, he always motivated me to continue applying to MBA schools. Thank you, Bryan!! Thank you for your work and kindness!!
エッセイカウンセリングをBryanにお願いしたことが、私のMBA受験における最高の選択でした。
Bryanに出会ったのは昨年4月に前年の留学生に紹介してもらったのがきっかけです。彼もBryanのサービスを受けて志望校に合格していましたが、受験結果だけではなくその過程も含めて彼がBryanのサービス全てに満足していたことが、私がBryanと共に歩む決め手となりました。MBA受験を終えた今、私も自信を持ってBryanを最高のカウンセラーとして推薦いたします。
Bryanのサービスの特徴をいくつかご紹介させていただきます。
・エッセイに必要なネタを掘り出し、それを深堀りする能力の高さ
Bryanはエッセイに必要なネタを掘り出すための労力を一切惜しみません。エッセイで要求される内容に応じて適切なネタをアプリカントから掘り出してくれます。BryanのサービスはFlat rateのため、アプリカント側も料金を気にすることなくBryanとミーティングを重ねることができ、その結果Bryanとアプリカント双方が納得するネタを見つけ出すことができます。また、Bryanはアプリカントの経験を多面的に分析し、その要点を整理する能力に優れています。Bryanとのミーティングを通じてネタを深堀りすることができ、内容の濃いエッセイを書くことができたと確信しています。
・語彙力/Edit能力の高さ
質の高いエッセイを書くには文章力や語彙力が必要不可欠ですが、英語力の高くない私のようなアプリカントにとってBryanのEdit能力は強い味方となります。Bryanはアプリカントが何を伝えたいのかを、文章からだけではなく、事前のミーティングを通じて理解しているため、アプリカントが伝えたいニュアンスを理解してくれています。決してネタを誇張するわけではなく、しかしアプリカントが伝えたいニュアンスを正確に言葉にしてくれるため、言葉や表現に無駄の無いエッセイに仕上げることができました。
受験が終了した今、私を合格へと導いてくれたBryanのサービスの質の高さを改めて実感しています。Bryanと共に歩むことを選択していなければ、自分の受験結果は大きく違ったものになったと思います。私はスコアメイクで苦労しましたが、Bryanは常に私をモチベートし、私が前向きな気持ちで受験プロセスを迎えられるように背中を後押ししてくれました。Bryan、本当に長い間お世話になりました。ありがとう！
Kellogg (also accepted to Berkeley Haas and Dartmouth Tuck)
I thank you a lot for all of your greatest support in my application process and believe that I couldn’t have gotten over this thorny path without you. I can’t wait for my new life in Evanston!! And I’d like to visit you in NYC someday!! Again, I really appreciate your counseling.
Kellogg (also accepted to Berkeley Haas and LBS)
Dear Bryan,
Stanford GSB (waitlisted at HBS, invited to interview at MIT/withdrew)
As a person who was raised and educated thoroughly in Japan, studying at a business school in US is not just adding another degree – it (hopefully) provides broader career possibilities and transformative personal challenges. I feel lucky that I could take the chance, and thank Bryan a lot who assisted me with such a pivotal moment in my life.
As many of you know, Bryan has a great working history with Japanese candidates, and more importantly has a great admission track record with non-returnee Japanese students. That’s why I decided to go with him.
He is a professional who understands what is necessary to make the applicants successful, and can perfectly play the role. He thought very highly of my decisions throughout the application process, and gave every support he could provide. I’ve heard some (scary) stories that some counselors decide which school to apply when. Bryan will never do that. When I was intensively writing essays, in order to adjust to my working schedule, he made himself available for sessions with me even late at night, or in the early morning. If we had to communicate only via emails, he professionally did so (though he must have felt inefficiency). After getting interview invitations, he gave me mock interviews almost every week – an extra flexibility given that he provides his own professional interviewing service as an independent one from essay counseling service.
For almost all the applicants, sessions with Bryan will be very constructive and stress-free, or even encouraging. He will never get emotional, and stay analytical. When I had mock interviews with him, I was always encouraged as he clearly analyzed my answers and when I made satisfactory answers, he pointed out what made my answers great.
As an essay counselor, if you want a ‘teacher’ to give every detailed advice over the whole application process, you may want to consider other counselors (Though Bryan for sure can provide every detailed advice, if you ask). Rather, if you want a partner to complete a long shot as a party of two independent professionals, you should be contacting him immediately. I truly hope that many of you become successful applicants, leveraging his professional services.
LBS
Still in a frenzy for getting admitted to my dream school, I would like to touch upon Bryan’s service:
I. Capability
As his unrivaled reputation and high-profile results reveal his world-class service, I do not think I have to elaborate here on how talented Bryan is. Simply put, working with Bryan guarantees you will fully bolster your candidacy. In my case, I was so astounded at a place in my dream school. I did not have splendid career background, and my GPA was only 2.59 out of 4! What a Christmas present!
II. Style
Bryan is never a jobber who looks just at scores/numbers. While some other admissions consultants are too picky about such aspects, he would rather think about his fit with the candidate and how he can add value to his/her applications. That’s why I didn’t feel that I was on the conveyor belt system working with him. Understanding how admissions committees weigh candidates, he sees straight through your personality and passion. He is a seasoned expert in extracting, understanding, and organizing your stories that lie in yourself. Creating an essay boils down to how you convey the core message from your life experiences and aspiration. So does the interview process, and that is what you really need someone’s support for. Working with Bryan makes you a solid, authentic candidate. If anything, it was a personal and somewhat spiritual experience.
III. Professionalism
A. If your essay idea is on the wrong track, Bryan will explicitly reject the idea. This is highly efficient for you but actually makes his work harder. His goal is to lead you to your target school, rather than just finish up your essays. He never forgets to see from the school’s standpoint.
B. Quick and thorough, and logical review – At the same time, he is not a perfectionist. Pursuit of perfection may get you nowhere when it comes to the admissions process, which is like a business activity. He cares about your schedule.
I feel honored to have worked together with Bryan, the person who changed the world I live in.
HBS (also accepted to Wharton, Kellogg, and Columbia)
I have been privileged (and very lucky) to work with, in my view, the best admissions consultant in the market. I heard about Bryan from a few of my friends who had used his service during the 2010-2011 season and had achieved amazing results. The first free consultation via Skype convinced me that he is a reliable and trustworthy character, and I was able to feel the “fit” through the 30-minute conversation we had, so I decided to go with him without ever feeling the need to consult with other counselors.
As people say, MBA apps could become one of the toughest challenges we face in our lives, but I am confident to say that Bryan is at the highest caliber in guiding you through that journey. For reference purposes, I have listed here just a few of the many points that I felt especially beneficial in working with him.
1. Experience / Past Performance
In choosing the right consultant, experience and past performance were important factors for me. As you can see in his testimonials page, Bryan has been building a very strong track record, and there is a reason for this. If you work with him, you will find out that he knows exactly what he is doing. There are MANY things that have to be done before you can finally apply to a school, but he guided me through each step and clarified any questions or doubts I had during the process. He keeps track of where you stand during each phase, and leads you in the right direction at the correct pace. I believe that if it wasn’t for Bryan, I could not have applied to all these top schools (with satisfying essays) in Round 1.
2. Essay Counseling
As many others have written already in their testimonials, Bryan’s journalist approach during essay counseling, in my opinion, is one key aspect that other consultants cannot mimic. His unique way of digging deeply into your experiences in many cases led me to find the right solution for each essay question. Looking back, he always asked “sweet-spot questions” that made me think, think, and think about whom I really am, and he does this from every angle so that you are absolutely confident in what you are writing in your essays. If something I wrote is shallow, again he digs, digs, and digs until we both reach satisfaction. This approach, I believe, is what led me to write convincing essays that really came from the bottom of my heart.
3. Interview Training
I found Bryan’s interview training to be exceptionally valuable. He can do either mocks or brainstorming, and I did about half each. Writing and speaking about yourself are not equivalent; for instance when an admissions officer asks you to walk through your resume, you obviously don’t just simply read the lines. There is clearly technique involved, and he will go through this with you step by step. During mocks, he gives you precise advices on how to make your performance better, and having been through this made me feel much more confident prior to entering the real show.
4. Personality / Fairness
These two traits are crucial, really. If you think about it, an MBA consultant becomes your “partner” from day one till the end, and you obviously do not want to be in a situation where you are not getting along with your partner. From that perspective, I think Bryan is the type of person who can work with anybody, and for me, I found it really interesting and enjoyable working with him. He threw in his “rib-tickling” jokes here and there during our e-mail exchanges, and we always laughed out loud during Skype calls. Even though MBA apps is serious business and can always become stressful, he was able to make me feel more relaxed and comfortable on a number of occasions throughout. Furthermore, he is fair. I believe his Comprehensive Consulting service is of the highest quality yet at the most reasonable price relative to other similar services. And last but note least, he never prioritizes one client over the other, and really cares about each and every one of his clients.
I want to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude and highest respect to him, who led me all the way to success. Thank you so much, Bryan. I will never forget the call we had when we toasted each other after my acceptance from your desktop! I wish you the best of luck for next year and very much look forward to seeing you in New York.
And to all the applicants: you can’t go wrong with choosing Bryan!
Columbia (Early Decision)
<Japanese Version, English Version Below>
海外経験もなく、テストスコアも決して高くない私が、1st ラウンドで第一志望校である、Columbia Business Schoolに合格できたのは、Bryanのカウンセリングのお蔭だと思います。本当にありがとう、Bryan。貴方に出会えたからこそ、最高の形でMBA受験を終えることができました。
私がBryanと最初にコンタクトを取ったのは、2011年のGWの頃でした。過去に同じ企業から派遣された先輩達が、Bryanのカウンセリングによって素晴らしい結果を残していたため、GMAT、TOEFL共に目標点には程遠かった私ですが、逸早くBryanとコンタクトを取りました。Skypeでの面談においては、私のWhy MBAやCareer Aspirationに熱心に耳を傾けてくれ、「君の志望動機には、とても説得力がある。是非、一緒に頑張ろう。」と、力強い言葉をかけてもらえました。他のカウンセラーとも話をしましたが、Bryanのアプリカントの声に耳を傾ける際の真摯な姿勢、（テストスコアではなく）アプリカントの志・想いを評価してくれている点に共感を覚えたため、Skype面談後すぐに、Bryanと共にMBA受験に臨むことに決めました。
Bryanのカウンセリングは、特に以下の点において優れていると感じます。
(1) アプリカント重視のカウンセリング・スタイル
Bryanのカウンセリング・スタイルの特徴は、アプリカントの魅力を対話の中から巧みに引き出し、その魅力を効果的にEssayに落とし込む術を教えてくれる点にあると思います。他のカウンセラーにおいては、アプリカントをカウンセラーの型に嵌め込んでいくタイプもいると聞きますが、Bryanはあくまでもアプリカントの意見を尊重し、アプリカントの書きたい題材を、より洗練されたエッセイとして仕上げるためにアドバイス・エディットをしてくれます（もちろん、題材が不適切な場合には、厳しく切り捨てることもしてくれ、代わりに良い題材を見つけるためのアドバイスをもらえます）。このアプリカント重視のカウンセリング・スタイルによって、私自身、心から納得のゆくエッセイを書くことができたと実感しています。また、そのように真の自分を表せたエッセイがアドミッションオフィスに評価され、トップスクールより合格を勝ち取れたものと確信しています。
(2) スケジュールに対する柔軟性
Bryanはフラット・レートでサービスを提供してくれるため、スケジュールに対して非常に柔軟に対応してもらえます。私の場合、Bryanとの契約後もスコア・メイクに重点を置く必要がありましたので、7月末まではレジェメに関して最低限の準備を進めるに留めた一方、本格的にエッセイ準備を開始した8-10月には週2回の固定ミーティングを設けてもらうことにより、集中的に準備を進めることができました。また、私は職業柄、深夜・休日のミーティングが入ることが多かったため、急なスケジュール変更に対応してもらえる点も、非常に助かりました。このスケジュールに対する柔軟性は、時間枠を提供するタイプのカウンセラーにはなく、Bryanのサービスの優れている点だと考えます。
(3) 出願戦略に対する的確なアドバイス
過去の豊富な実績・経験に基づいた、出願戦略に対する的確なアドバイスもBryanの優れた特徴だと考えます。私の志望校・テストスコア、各校のエッセイの特徴を踏まえて、出願の順番に関するアドバイスを的確にしてもらえたため、限られた時間の中で効率的に準備を進めることができました。また、テストスコアに関する自信の無さや、（今思えば）信憑性のない噂に惑わされて1stラウンド出願を躊躇っていた私に対して、客観的な状況判断に基づき、1st ラウンドにて出願すべきとのアドバイスをもらい、結局は今回の良い結果に繋がりました。振り返ると、Bryanの出願戦略に関するアドバイスは常に的確であり、この点も彼のカウンセリングの優れた特徴だと思います。
最後になりますが、近年日本人のMBA合格者が減少していく中、多くの日本人アプリカントをトップスクールに導いてくれているBryanは本当に貴重な存在だと思います。今後も質の高いサービスを提供することにより、多くのアプリカントの夢を叶えるべく、サポートしてあげて下さい。Bryan、本当にありがとう。
<English Version>
Thanks to Bryan’s high quality counseling service, I could gain the admission my first- choice, Columbia Business School, at 1st Round, despite my lack of overseas experience and not competitive test scores. Thank you very much Bryan for supporting me to achieve the best result.
During Golden Week in 2011, I contact with Bryan for the first time via Skype. Since my senior colleagues got good results with Bryan, I reached him at early stage though I did not have enough test scores at that time. In our conversation, Bryan heartily listened my “Why MBA” and “Career aspiration”, and said “Your motivation for MBA is very convincing and strong. I am happy to support you, if you want.” I was strongly sympathize with Bryan’s stance in which he listens applicant’s voice sincerely and appreciates applicants’ aspiration (not test scores). Though I talked with other counselors, I decided to work with Bryan soon after our first conversation.
Bryan’s counseling service is superior in terms of three points as follows.
(1) Applicant Oriented Counseling Style
A feature of Bryan’s counseling style is that he can adeptly draw out applicants’ appeals and teach the effective way to shape the appeals into sophisticated essays. I heard that some other counselors tend to mold applicants to their own linking, however Bryan always valued my ideas, and supported to shape my ideas into high quality essays by giving advice and editing. (Of course, in case my idea is inappropriate for an essay, he strictly throws out with constructive advice to seek other ideas.) Thanks to Bryan’s applicant-oriented counseling style, I could write satisfactory essays from my heart. Since such essays could reflect true myself, these essays were appealing to admissions offices and I could gain admission from one of the top schools.
(2) Flexibility for Scheduling
Since Bryan provides his counseling service at a flat rate, he offers flexibility in scheduling. As for me, I had to focus on score making at first, so we worked for only resume by the end of July. On the other hand, we intensively worked for writing essays from August to October by setting weekly meetings. Thanks to such flexibility, I could efficiently prepare my applications. In addition, because of my profession, I sometimes attend meeting at late night and holidays. So I highly appreciate his flexibility to adapt to sudden schedule changes. This flexibility in scheduling is not offered by the other counselors who charge by the hour. Therefore I think that this flexibility is good characteristic of Bryan’s service.
(3) Precise Advice for Application Strategy
Based on the abundant experience and past results, Bryan can provide precise advice for application strategy. Considering my preferred schools, test scores and characteristics of essays, Bryan provided useful advice regarding the order for preparing applications. Then I could efficiently prepare applications in bounded time. Additionally, when I became confused by groundless rumors and hesitated to apply at 1st round, Bryan encouraged me to apply at early round, based on his objective judgment of the situation. Eventually, thanks to his rational advice, I could get the best result at 1st round. When I think back, Bryan’s advice for application strategy was always precise and rational, so I believe that this point is another good characteristic of Bryan’s counseling.
Finally, during late years when Japanese successful applicants are decreasing, I strongly believe that Bryan, who can lead the many Japanese applicants to the top schools, is an invaluable counselor. It would be appreciated if you could continuously provided high quality service and supported applicants to make their dream come true. Thank you very much for your great support, Bryan!!!
