"The Best Applications Partner"

“When I started my MBA application journey in 2023 for the Round 1 2025 cycle, I figured I was optimistically a T15-25 candidate and hardly even considered the top programs in the country. After earning a strong GRE score, I realized that I didn’t know much about the M7, let alone if I was even a competitive candidate given my below-average undergrad GPA and non-traditional professional background since graduation. After a couple of weeks of looking through various program employment reports and r/mba profile reviews, I knew I needed help 1) building a candidate profile that would get the attention of adcoms, 2) articulating strong, but realistic post-MBA career goals, and 3) developing a process to ensure I could complete my applications in time for the Round 1 deadline without compromising on essay quality.

I interviewed several different admissions consultants, during which Petia was gracious enough to meet with me on two separate occasions so I could learn more about her support style, before I ultimately committed to a 1-school package. While I had several positive conversations throughout this process with different consultants, Petia really stood out because I could see that she was really invested in her clients, as she spent a lot of time in our conversations trying to understand some of my intrinsic motivators and influences that had inspired some of my biggest professional decisions to date. For someone like me who is over-analytical at times, I found this perspective refreshing, and believed (correctly) that this level of insight could elevate my essays.

With Petia’s support and accessibility, I was able to finalize my school selection, MBA resume, and recommender requests (using her multi-page personalized guides) weeks before application prompts were released. This made for a relatively stress-free essay phase, where I was able to focus on writing and bouncing ideas off Petia on our calls, with multiple drafts reviewed each week. In both our calls and emails, Petia offered clear feedback on essays and shared her insights as to how I should position my core MBA goals to stand out. Because of how detail-oriented this process was, my essay outlines proved to be incredible resources during my interview preparation a few months later. I was able to submit all of my MBA applications on August 18, 2024, a month before most Round 1 deadlines, while also navigating an intensive interview process for an internal role at my company (to which even here my MBA application process with Petia also proved particularly helpful).

Knowing where I started this process, Petia was integral in helping me craft the best possible applications I could submit. Ultimately, I secured admittance to Ross School of Business (my dream school when I began this process) and Columbia Business School, which I will attend this fall. I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with Petia and would strongly recommend her to anyone thinking about applying in upcoming cycles.”

—Admitted to Columbia and Ross, Poets & Quants verified review