Unconventional Finance Applicant Admitted to Columbia MBA

Coming from a Media and Communications background, Peter made his way to equity analyst at a hedge fund. With the help of Sr. Admissions Consultant, Lainie Blum Cogan, Peter is now headed to NYU Stern.

Highlights from Peter’s story

Constructing a compelling narrative

One of the reasons that Peter decided to work with a consultant on his applications was his unconventional background. While his role as equity analyst at a hedge fund is not uncommon for business school, his route there was unusual, having started from a Media and Communications major. So with Lainie’s empathetic and detailed approach, Peter was able to craft a cohesive narrative as to why he was pursuing an MBA.

With the structured Menlo Coaching program and Basecamp tool to collaborate on, working together with Lainie was seamless in all aspects of the application process, from constructing the resume and strategizing on how to get the right test score for the programs he was applying to, to identifying what aspects of his personal and professional story could be leveraged in the essays and other application materials.

Ensuring timely completion and submission of the applications

Peter was a very busy professional that needed to balance the demanding requirements of his finance role at the hedge fund and project managing his MBA applications. Lainie quickly became Peter’s accountability partner, helping him with milestone setting and pacing that eliminated unnecessary stress from the process and ensured that all application materials were completed not only in time but also at the standard of quality expected from top business schools.

In Addition to the professional approach of his coach in getting work done, Lainie took a personal interest in making sure that Peter’s workload was manageable and structured the application work around Peter’s busy work schedule. The great time management of the process allowed Peter to be in the right headspace to be able to reflect on his entire personal and professional life and bring to mind stories that were ultimately used to craft his unique personal story.

Advice to other applicants

1. Applying to business schools is an arduous process that requires a significant time commitment so make sure to start working on your applications as soon as you know you want to go to business school.
2. If at all possible, get the testing out of the way before you start working on the applications. Getting the right score can be time consuming and stressful so trying to balance the test prep with developing the material for the applications can be an overwhelming task. So my advice is to take the test early and then focus solely on the application components.