What? – AL is an amazing MBA admissions guidance product by HBS alumni Maria which replaces traditional, expensive and ‘not always reliable’ admissions consulting firms. It lays out all pieces of admissions process right from ‘attending b-school info sessions’ to interview prep into 15 broad areas, connected seamlessly into a framework. Imagine you can see the whole application process end-to-end in one dashboard so that you never lose touch of the bigger picture.
Why it’s so awesome? So in my case I stumbled on AL when my friend from Oxford Said found it valuable and suggested me to try. I love great products. I wanted to try and see how it works. I have worked with 2 MBA consultants earlier however I wasn’t convinced with them. They mainly contributed in refining the essay structure, editing essays and fitting the essays under word limit (not worth 1000s of $). When I checked AL, I was surprised my precise insights that makes the application robust. It goes deep into the thought process, individual strengths/weaknesses, story building, and every other ingredient that makes the application genuine and unique to an applicant. All at ~1/10th of typical admissions consultants cost. Worked with both the AL tool and multiple admission consultants, I feel that most b-school applicants do not require consultants to be true. Even if you are considering hiring a MBA consultant, do check the trial version of AL first. It boils down great practical tips and insights of Maria.
