I worked with Inspira Futures and have only positive things to say. My consultant was pleasant, professional, and responsive - very easy to work with. She helped me refine my story and write my essays, as well as improve my MBA application resume. She also worked diligently with me across time zones while I was working abroad.

While MBA consulting services are certainly an investment, it is one I would make again 10 times out of 10. I really believe working with Inspira Futures helped me submit a vastly better application than I would have otherwise. The guidance was especially helpful for me in writing essays and crafting a coherent story across my applications. The experience and advice she provided was instrumental to me getting into both Wharton and Columbia. Overall, I would highly recommend.

After speaking with a number of admissions consultants, I decided to work with Inspira Futures due to their responsiveness, professionalism, and understanding of my story and goals. I primarily worked with Allan on my application essays, and he was thoughtful and encouraging throughout. He helped me prepare with deep introspection and then convey my narrative in a compelling fashion with clear language. Allan was there to provide overall advice and guidance throughout the process. This included how to approach my career pivot, where an MBA fits within that, which schools fit best, and how to devise an overall strategy to tackle the application process. He also helped with interview prep through mock interviews, and I can't imagine walking into interviews without having gone through those sessions. Allan was very knowledgeable about the strengths, weaknesses, and nuances of each school, and his insights were invaluable. Ultimately, I was admitted into Tuck with a full scholarship as well as Haas which was high on my target list. I couldn't have done it without Inspira Futures, and the costs were well worth it with the scholarship offer.

About myself:
I am an Indian engineer working with Schlumberger for the past 5 years. Coming from a highly competitive pool (the Indian Male Engineer) the application process was extremely challenging as I had to work to differentiate myself from the competition.

My GMAT was 780 (on the second attempt, first was 700. Gave the attempt again in the min period of 16 days. Just goes to show how random the GMAT exam can be)

Services Taken:

I had taken a Comprehensive School Package with INSPIRA FUTURES

I applied to the top 6 schools in R2.

Why I chose INSPIRA FUTURES:

I had taken free consultation calls with several highly rated consultants. I ended up choosing Inspira Futures because of the following reasons:

1. Cost effective - Although most top consultants are priced roughly the same, Inspira Futures was at the lower end of the spectrum, which definitely works for someone working on a tight budget

2. Personalized attention - I had my first call with Inspira Futures and had an instant connect as I was able to relate. Although the call was scheduled to be only half-hour, the actual call was well over an hour. They were able to identify kep aspects of my story and identify which b schools would be the best for me.

I decided to go ahead as I felt understood and really enjoyed the personalized and friendly nature of the conversation. This was a refreshing change from the commercial and often matter-of-fact nature of the other companies.

The Process and overall comments:

Really liked the way they identified my story and had frameworks so that I could remember key events from my past.
The essay reviews were also were useful, as I was able to create a professional and ultimately winning essay after 3-4 reviews. This was especially beneficial as I was short on time during my application time. Kudos to both of my consultants for adhering to timelines even in the crunch time (last moment before application submission) and keeping me on track during the process.

Special shout out to Grace for her guidance in wharton application specially, as I really feel I would not have got this admit without her advice. Her comments on the essays and especially before the interview/GD were very useful for my preparation. Often direct and clear when the essay was not flowing or answering the prompt accurately, she helped me craft the essay to a winning one after 3-4 reviews.

Conclusion / Summary:

I got into Wharton! Totally go ahead with Inspira Futures for a great friendly personalized and effective application process!

I'm so thankful for Inspira Future's guidance and support throughout this process. I had initially begun visiting schools and crafting my personal statement for pursuing an MBA without a consultant and found myself overwhelmed with only four weeks left before Round 1 deadlines. Fortunately, through online research, I found Inspira Futures.

During our initial call, we aligned on how far along I was on my applications and school selection process, and my consultant immediately worked with me to strengthen and shape my core story. I admit I was a bit nervous about how much attention I would receive as an hourly client compared to others with more comprehensive services, but I was highly impressed with and appreciative of her invaluable insight, along with her timely and honest feedback. I was out of practice with my essay writing skills and she showed me how to write authentically and in more compelling ways that I believe differentiated my application. In the end, I was thrilled when I was accepted into MIT Sloan and am excited to attend this fall!

I worked with Inspira through the hourly package and my counselor was fantastic. Extremely responsive and supportive, she went above and beyond to provide helpful feedback on both essays and interview preparation. She is a pleasure to work with and I would highly recommend her. Even though we worked together on the hourly package, she really came to know my background and narrative extremely well. Her turnaround time was always incredibly efficient, usually within 24 hours. She is genuinely committed to seeing you do well, and she understands the application process deeply, as well as what different programs are looking for. The Inspira team in general is responsive and invested in your success.

I've had the privilege of working with Inspira Futures over the course of 9-10 months and I must say what an incredible experience! From the very beginning, my counselor identified my weaknesses and developed a roadmap to address them.

After I took the GMAT, I was upset with my score, as I was a full 100 points below the average of my target school. As the final rounds approached and given my work experience, I decided not to retake the GMAT and to proceed with my school application. As an applicant who was applying on the final round with a low GPA and low GMAT, one thing was certain, my whole application had to be stellar in order for me to even have a slight chance of getting into the school I was aiming for. With his guidance, we completely revamped my CV and we spent quite some time on the essay question. He responded in timely manner and he always gave constructive feedback. He definitely pushed me to my limits and brought out the best of me!

The application process was quite the journey and I am so gratefully that he was by my side. I can confidently say that, without him, I wouldn't have been able to get into my target school. The Inspira Futures service was without a doubt, the best investment I've made and I highly recommend it to everyone!

I am a first year MBA Candidate at Columbia Business School and I have Alec to thank for it!

It was a long, yet incredibly transformative journey to business school and I can certainly say that I would not have been able to do it without the help of Alec. Being there every step of the way, Alec will help you craft a strategy that helps present your best self in your B-School applications. He dives deep and curates your brand, your story, your resume, your letters of recommendation requests, and your essays line by line, going through as many iterations as you need to be confident in what you are submitting to admissions.

When it comes time to interview, Alec will strengthen your interviewing skills by helping you identify and refine your behavioral stories, administering 1-on-1 mock interview sessions, and giving feedback on your video interview samples. All of this mentally trains and prepares you for when you finally come face to face with the business school interviewers.

Why did I pick Alec? I interviewed ~10 different MBA coaches before finalizing Alec and the reason was simple: Alec really cares about you and is truly vested in your success. And this became increasingly evident as Alec fielded countless questions and emails from me and VERY PATIENTLY supported me through all the stressful “freak outs” and breakdowns. The MBA application process is tough, arduous process. Alec is someone who can help alleviate a lot of that pressure and set you up for true success!

Yes it's possible to work on your applications yourself and to just ask your friends and family to help edit your essays but why not set yourself up for the best chance by hiring a professional admissions consultant who will help guide you through the entire process?

Like most, I was initially hesitant about hiring a consultant. But after my first introductory call with Julie at Inspira, I knew I had to work with them. Having been out of school for ~4 years, I was a little rusty with my writing but Allan continued to push me and I was able to write compelling essays for my applications. I also really appreciated the quick turnaround between all of the edits. The mock interviews that Allan helps set up with former MBA interviewers were also extremely helpful and helped me be more confident for my actual interviews.

Out of the 4 schools I applied to, I've been accepted to Wharton with a decently sized scholarship, waitlisted at another, and I'm waiting to hear back from 2. Obviously hoping for some more good news down the road but it's nice to have 1 admit so far and I wholeheartedly attribute this success to Allan and Inspira Futures!

When I began considering whether I should re-apply to business school after an unsuccessful attempt a few years ago, I was referred to Julie and Samantha by a close friend who worked with her and later received acceptances at every school she applied to. My friend absolutely raved about Inspira Futures, so I signed up for an introductory call, and I was immediately impressed with Inspira. Julie did her homework on me and had lots of questions and thoughts on my candidacy (for reference, I am a female, Ivy grad, strong GPA and GMAT score, previous work in consulting and now in internal strategy). She addressed my concerns of being a re-applicant and she was real with me from the beginning about how competitive the schools were that I wanted. But, without trying to sell me on anything, she also gave me encouragement that I was a strong candidate and gave me some advice on what considerations I should weigh in deciding whether or not to apply at all.

After some soul searching I decided that applying to business school was the right move for me and I immediately reached out to Julie and bought an unlimited package for 5 schools (all M7). I honestly can say that this was a lifechanging decision for me. I ended up getting interviews at 4 of the 5 schools and then ultimately got into all 4 of those. This was an outcome I could have only dreamed of, and I really feel that I owe so much of my success to Samantha for helping me present the best and most real version of myself that I could.

Working with Samantha was truly a joy - and I don't say that lightly given how stressful, time consuming, and intense the business school application process is. Samantha came to every one of our brainstorming calls with ideas for us to discuss. She really knew my story inside and out and wanted me to tell it in the most honest way possible - she always encouraged me to go deeper and reflect and would push back if she felt like something I was saying was inauthentic in any way.

Samantha is also supportive. There were a number of occasions that exemplified this for me. For one, on the morning of every interview decision day or actual decision day, I would get an email from Samantha wishing me the best of luck. Then, when I received a disappointing interview decision at one of the 5 schools, Samantha out of nowhere checked in on me a few days later just because she cared. When I was about to hit submit on my applications, I had so much nervous energy that I kept firing off emails to Samantha with extremely minute (and frankly, probably irritating) questions about my application. She always responded quickly and patiently and assured me that I had done everything I could to present a strong application. In addition to guiding me expertly, Samantha was also like my rock through this process!

I would highly recommend that anyone who is on the fence about working with Samantha sign up with her immediately!! She is so passionate about what she does and working with her was truly a highlight of my year.

Coming from a non-traditional background, I felt pretty overwhelmed by the whole MBA application process, and was initially hesitant to get any type of consulting help. Looking back now however, getting Inspira's help was the best investment I could've made.

Throughout the several months process, my admissions consultant coached me on how best to share my story in a way that stuck true to who I am and where I want to go, while simultaneously keeping me organized/on track and even growing my writing skills. On top of that, I truly feel that I now know myself better both personally and professionally, beyond just for MBA applications, and have a strong idea of where I would like to go next. He is extremely insightful, knowledgeable and personable, and his vast experience in both MBA admissions and creative writing was invaluable to me as he helped me see how exactly the different bits and pieces of my story connected together in a coherent way.

Additionally, he is extremely responsive and always willing to talk/answer any (big or small) questions along the way, which is incredibly helpful during such a stressful period. I would highly recommend going with Inspira Futures. There are a lot of components involved in the MBA application process (resume, scores, essays, recommendation letters, interviews), and working with Inspira Futures put me at ease in knowing that I wasn't going to overlook anything, and that my final application package would give the very best representation of me. I cannot thank Inspira Futures enough for all their guidance and support.

When applying for business school, I was most anxious about writing essays that had the power to tell admissions exactly who I was in the matter of a few hundred words.

Working with Inspira Futures, gave me confidence knowing I put my absolute best forward in a clear and coherent way for admissions. My counselor was an easy choice given her extensive experience working in admissions herself. Her feedback not only gave me a second set of eyes on my essays but more importantly, comments and questions an admissions rep at my target school would also have.

She was instrumental in keeping me on track in terms of deadlines and really lessened my anxiety around the process, knowing I had someone to provide unbiased, holistic feedback on my application. She took me through every step of uncovering my whole story for "why business school" so by the time I interviewed I could recite my true "why" like the back of my hand with confidence.

Outside of essay and story strategy, she also helped me finetune my resume and interview skills - both things I already felt really strong in. She added value where I did not think I needed any help and was there as my support cheering me on through the daunting process. I worked with her on 3 schools and was accepted at all 3 (Tuck, Booth, Kellogg). Finally, I would say she is flexible in her working style and will tailor her approach to your needs (i.e. working independently, following strict deadlines etc.) which really helped to be able to personalize the process

I had the chance to work with Inspira Futures on my application for business school. I chose the 5 class package however aimed at getting to my top school - HBS, mainly because I knew I wanted to get the experience of networking/camaraderie.

For the essay writing process, Inspira Futures had a very detailed rubric that they ask the candidate to fill out which forced me to dig deep into my past and why business school was right for me now. Through the process, my counselor was available around my schedule to help me formulate some of those reasons. She was able to extract details that I forgot I had, which later proved to be a crucial part of my essay. Given that it was only 500 words, I needed to make sure that my framework was concise, yet detailed enough to give the adcom color around why I was a great candidate. She was able to keep me on point and paint a picture of my background that gave HBS the most transparent clarity into "why me".

This rubrik took around 3-4 weeks to complete as there were 5-6 iterations and sections. While it seemed onerous at the time, it gave me the chance to extract the necessary details that eventually made it into my essay.

I couldnt recommend Inspira Futures any more highly than I do. I don't think that I couldve written the essay in a manner that was fit for HBS that wouldve put my best foot forward. This is partially because of the amount of details that are important that I didnt realize were. I got into HBS and this is mainly because of my team at Inspira!!

Choosing Allan as my MBA coach was the best decision I made during the application process. I first came to Allan almost two years ago, and was seeking his help to submit rushed applications to USC and UCSD a couple weeks before the R2 deadlines. He talked me out of this and convinced me to wait until R1 the following year so that I would have time to put together the best application possible - I'm so thankful that he did. Allan was very helpful in helping me determine my career goals (one of his specialties) and making sure that my applications told a cohesive and compelling story. He is very knowledgeable about the tech industry and helped me chart my career path and the steps necessary to reach my end goal. Allan advised me through each step of the application process and gave tips and recommendations that I would have otherwise had no idea about. He was also instrumental for interview preparation, and during all of my interviews I was not asked a single question that we hadn't prepared for in some form. He also referred me to an amazing GMAT tutor who helped me raise my score from 700 to 730. With his guidance, I was able to secure a full tuition scholarship at Darden! I was also accepted to Dartmouth Tuck with a sizable scholarship and will be enrolling there in the fall. I have had an amazing experience working with Allan and cannot recommend him highly enough.

Working with Inspira Futures was an amazing experience. I had applied to Business Schools on my own a couple of years before and the difference between working on my own and working with Inspira Futures was night and day. My counselor helped me stay organized, inspired and motivated me and really helped me find those things about me that made me stand out and how to express them (in less than 1,000 words!).

Derrick Bolton said in an interview, when asked about his thoughts on admissions consultants, "'How can someone who doesn't know you help you be a more authentic version of yourself?' Some people probably can, if they're asking the right questions. There's a fine line. " My counselor walked that line perfectly, not helping me with ideas on what to write, but actually coaching me to discover what I should write about on my own. He took the time to get to know me, even read my previous application and gave me feedback, and actually helped me understand myself better and inspired me to write something truly authentic.

He helped me take my ideas to the next level through his creative critique, motivated me, and kept me from getting discouraged even after dozens of rewrites on certain essays. No matter what my pace was, he stayed with me and kept me polishing and rewriting until my essays and my application were perfect.

The result was astounding. I got into all the schools I applied to and will be attending Stanford, my dream school. Friends and family who read my application felt it really stood out; after reading my essays, my friends' uncle even said he really would like to meet me. I could have never done it without Inspira Futures, and I highly recommend them to anyone embarking on the daunting business school application process.

I started working with Inspira Futures for round 1 applications. I was matched to a perfect consultant for me and was drawn to their her in real estate (a field I'm interested in), her dedicated work ethic, and driven personality. During our first call, she took the time to ask personalized questions to get to know me. I liked how she continually pushed me to stop using b-school buzz words and helped me be very specific on my short-term and long-term goals and how business school would help me achieved them. I ended up purchasing the 3 school inclusive package and then bought additional hours for my other applications. We started with revising my resume (something I didn't even know needed editing) to show how I made an impact in each role rather than describing the job.

When writing my essays, her comments really helped me to eliminate the fluff and be more direct while still allowing my personality to come through. In some essays, I wrote about a personal and delicate situation in my life, and I really respected how Katherine was sensitive to that and did not exploit this experience for the sake of a dramatic essay. I appreciated how timely and professional she was throughout this process. She had a very quick turnaround with essay comments/revisions - her efficiency left us with plenty of time with the purchased hours! She also helped me prep for interviews, leverage a scholarship offer, narrow down schools, and seek financial aid. Overall, Inspira Futures exceeded my expectations and helped me immensely throughout this process! I have decided to go to Berkeley Haas and can't thank Inspira Futures enough for helping me get here!

After receiving an invitation to interview at HBS, I reached out to Inspira Futures to investigate setting up a mock interview. I was lucky enough to be paired up with Paolo, and with his help, I went into my interview feeling extremely confident. He gave me broad insights on what HBS admissions officers are looking for in an interview, as well as extremely personalized feedback based on our mock interview. He made me aware of my physical and verbal ticks that could be distracting, and he recapped my each of my answers, highlighting which ones could use work and in what way.

Paolo also went above and beyond when it came to the HBS post-interview reflection, which is due 24 hours after the interview. The day of my interview, he made himself available to recap the day with me, and he helped me focus in on the couple of things that made sense to highlight in the reflection letter.

Paolo is extremely dedicated and passionate about mentoring aspiring MBA students, and I am fortunate to have worked with him.

My consultant helped me build a great MBA resume that brought out my best qualities and experiences. I'm grateful for all the help Inspira provided.

Do you feel that you have all the right ingredients for a strong MBA application but you are struggling to put it together in a recipe which will result in the dish of a lifetime? Well that was me when I started down the MBA application path. I knew my career goals and I knew I was at the right point in my career where an MBA could help me boost the next phase of my career. I had taken GMAT and had a good score and I had my recommenders lined up. But I was struggling to communicate my story crisply and effectively.

A very close friend of mine had gone down this route few years back and I talked to him for advice and he said he faced pretty much the same challenge and recommended seeking help from a professional. I investigated few MBA consultants and I got in touch with Inspira Futures. I was quite impressed with all the glorious recommendations that Inspira Futures had online but what sealed the deal for me was the introductory call that I had with Julie. In that half an hour call, Julie asked insightful questions and I knew I had found the person who can help me pen my story.

My counselor was sometimes very critical with his feedback when required and can also be very encouraging when required. While he did have a defined framework that he worked in, he adapted that to make it work with my timeline. The experience he had in this field also proved very useful to me and helped me approach the whole process more confidently. I strongly recommend Inspira Futures for MBA application counseling.

Unlike most candidates, I didn't do any research prior to hiring a consultant. I decided to work with Inspira Futures due to a friend's recommendation.

I really had no idea what to expect - with a well below average GMAT score, I never dreamed of receiving acceptances into two of my top schools, CBS and Stern. Being a scatter brain, my admissions counselor really helped me stay focused. From editing my resume to reviewing multiple drafts of my essays, she was always responsive (weekends, holidays etc.) and went above and beyond to help me put my best foot forward. I found Inspira Futures' adcom trial process extremely helpful. I took advantage of this opportunity for my Stern application and it was detrimental to my acceptance at NYU Stern.

I KNOW I couldn't have made it this far without the Inspira Futures team. Having doubted my candidacy for so long due to my low GMAT score, I never thought my acceptances would be possible. If you are stressed, confused, and doubtful, I highly recommend Inspira Futures! They truly care, and will do everything in their power to help you get into your dream school!

I come from a fairly traditional/over-represented background (2 years of banking, 3 years of private equity) and I was concerned about my chances of being accepted into HBS or Stanford. After interviewing 7 different admissions consultants, I selected Inspira Futures for a couple reasons: (1) some of my close friends had used them in the past and had nothing but great things to say [and had also gotten accepted], and (2) I felt like they would be someone that could help me create a unique, personal narrative unlike some other consultants who like to squeeze all their clients into a pre-determined mold.

Regarding point 2, I would say that Inspira Futures has exceeded my already high expectations. My counselor guided me through a step-by-step process to bring out my most relevant / interesting / unique stories and helped me craft them into powerful narratives in my essays. He is disciplined, responsive, and in particular, his attentiveness almost made me feel like I was his only client. I got accepted to Stanford GSB!!

If you come from an over-represented background and care about crafting a unique story that still represents who you really are, PICK Inspira Futures!