How Veritas Prep Started in Admissions Consulting

We've been helping business school applicants for a long time now, so long that it's easy to forget that we didn't start out in that business. After Veritas Prep co-founders Markus Moberg and Chad Troutwine launched our GMAT prep service in 2002, it quickly became apparent that our students not only needed GMAT help, but they also needed help in pulling together their entire business school applications. How did we know? Because they came back to us time and time again, asking us to help them with their applications just as we helped them with their GMAT prep.

While we were flattered, we didn't immediately dive into MBA admissions consulting. We were only going to do it if we could do what we did in GMAT preparation -- do it better than anyone else. After talking to many respected experts and learning what was out there, we realized how we could do it better, and in 2003 Veritas Prep's admissions consulting arm was born!



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We have built the industry's largest team of admissions experts, consisting of graduates and former admissions representatives from all of the world's top MBA programs. When you work with Veritas Prep, you will not only get assistance from a Head Consultant who has worked as an admissions representative -- as an admissions officer, application reader, or interviewer -- but you will also work with a graduate from each of your target schools, to get true "insider" information about the culture and workings of each program.

Visit our site to find out more about our MBA admissions consulting services!

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Applying to B-School in a Few Years? Maximize Your Candidacy Today.

A significant portion of my MBA admissions consulting applicants come to be with little to no extracurricular experience since their undergraduate days. While this is a problem that can be addressed, it can show a lack of proper planning over the long term. A lot of applicants don’t think about the impact of their actions on their applicant competitiveness when the graduate from undergrad. To a certain extent, even I was the same way.

What I like most about some of my clients is the the way some of them are way ahead of the game we call the MBA application process. Those that have been planning since day 1 to go back to b-school tend to be distinguishing yourself from your peers out of the gate and these habits show when constructing the business school application.

This is what I tell those who have graduated and are planning to apply to business school in a few years:

1. Make sure you find a mentor at your employer. This does not have to be formal but it always helps when someone can show you the ropes. This person should be senior and be respected in the office.
2. This mentor will also be able to make introductions for you around the org. This will help when it comes to recommendation time.
3. Adcoms will consider your tenure and the ratio of leadership experience to overall experience at your work. Work to maximize this so that you can write about it eventually in your essays.
4. Make sure you are asking for leadership responsibility. It does not matter if it is leading the charge with organizing the company holiday party or asking for more work when on a project. It’s called managing your manager and it works wonders when its time for a promotion. Do this and more opportunities will arise. You may get to pick and chose your project work…..
5. Stepping up also helps with respect to your eventual recommendation when your manager is asked for how well you rank against your peer group.
6. Seek out those in the organization who have MBAs. Get to know them. Eventually, ask them to lunch and get to know how they liked their MBA experience.
7. Get involved with extracurriculars at work. Assume a leadership role as well as I have alluded to above.
8. See what pre-MBA mentoring programs are available to you. I know UCLA Anderson has the Riordan program. This is a great way to gain exposure.
9. Join several other organization types:
10. Toastmasters International - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toastmasters_International
11. A young professionals organization in your city - these orgs have social and business elements that will help you network.
12. Meetup.com - look for groups on meetup that have business or philanthropic goals that align with your interests.
13. As you get within a year of applying, go to open houses and MBA tours. Get your name and face out there. Adcoms have an uncanny way of remembering who you are.
14. Last but not least, start preparing for the GMAT now! Studying in drips and drops over a long period of time is far more effective that crammig just weeks before the exam.

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