The Order I Work In - And Why It Works (Aka “How I Turn Chaos Into MBAs”)

An MBA isn’t just about career transformation—it’s about personal growth. And for me, that growth came at a cost: pain, anxiety, loss, and eventually, healing.

Over the years (read: a decade of caffeine-fuelled essay drafts and deadline anxiety), I’ve developed a very specific order in which I work with clients. It’s not just a process - it’s practically a ritual. And trust me, there’s a method to my madness.

Step 1: The Resume – Our Greatest Hits Album

We kick things off with the resume. Why? Because it’s the one-pager that packs in your career, achievements, and secret superpowers. It’s also the most viewed document in your application - admissions committees glance at it 40 to 50 times throughout the process. Think of it as the table of contents for your entire story.

By going bullet by bullet, I get to know exactly what you’ve done and start mentally tagging those juicy, high-impact stories we’ll use everywhere else. It’s like building a personal Wikipedia - but with way more action verbs and a “helluva” lot of impact.

Step 2: Goals – The ‘Why the Hell Are We Doing This?’ Chat

In parallel, we dive into goals. Not the vague “I want to make an impact” kind - but the specific, personal, passion-fuelled kind. We explore different career paths, brainstorm opportunities in the industries that get you excited, and shape them into something concrete.

We do this early because once you know your goals cold, it becomes way easier to choose stories for your essays and recommendations that actually support them.

And how do we get clarity? With a little 3-paragraph writing exercise that sneaks into almost every application.

Step 3: School Selection + Recommendations - Matchmaking & Memory Mining

Once we know what you’ve done and where you’re headed, it’s time to pick the right schools and start working on recos.

This part takes some grunt work — we’re doing serious research here, from website deep-dives to stalking club officers (nicely, of course). At the same time, we’re briefing your recommenders so the heavy lifting is done well before essay season starts. Pro tip: nothing’s more satisfying than ticking off recommendation questions before the panic hits.

Step 4: Essays – Save the Drama for When You Know Me Better

I know - it feels weird to start essays so “late.” But here’s the thing: by the time we get to them, we’ve been working together for 4-6 weeks.

You’re more comfortable, I know what makes you tick, and we’re both better at asking the right questions. That trust helps you open up and bring your most authentic, compelling self to the page.

We usually begin with the ‘goals essay’ for the earliest school as that requires extensive research and takes time, then roll into the rest. This stage is fully customized based on your writing skills, content complexity, and the amount of time we’ve. Sometimes, we strategically juggle schools based on deadlines and where content overlaps.

Bonus Round: Video Essays – Because Life Isn’t Stressful Enough

If there’s time, we’ll prep a few of the key answers for video essays too - trust me, you do not want to be scripting your “Tell us about yourself” video 2 hours before it’s due.

Every step in this process is intentional - built to reduce stress, create clarity, and leave room for real reflection. Because this isn’t just about getting in. It’s about figuring out who you are, what you want, and how to tell the world in a way that makes them believe it too.