Ryan Barba ConsultingReviews of ryanbarba.com

I first had a chance to work with Ryan during the 2019-2020 Application cycle. From the onset, Ryan took the time to know me both as an applicant and an individual passionate about social impact investing. Ryan's support during my application process was unrelenting; He even agreed to work with me for an additional year so I could get into my dream school! Ryan's tenacity and guidance as a coach is surpassed only by the level of detail he uses to provide feedback on essays. I was extremely impressed by the essay edits that Ryan would provide, to the extent that I believe working through the application process with Ryan made me a stronger writer in general. I would unconditionally recommend Ryan as an MBA coach.

I worked with Ryan back in 2019 and am currently entering my second year at Booth (University of Chicago). My experience was extremely positive and definitely produced results – Accepted to Booth (with scholarship), MIT Sloan, and Yale SOM (also with scholarship) with a 700 GMAT and 3.3 GPA. Couldn’t have been happier with my experience – Ryan’s a great coach and advisor, really knows the top MBA programs and how to appeal to them, and genuinely has a ton of passion for working with candidates. He’s patient, detailed-oriented, and specific in his feedback. I recommend him to the highest degree!

I was referred to Ryan from a Stanford GSB student I met. She had worked with him directly and joked the she called him "Mr. Stanford" because she knew of at least 4 other people at the school who had worked with him. Given that Stanford was my top-choice program, I was intrigued, but also wanted to interview a few of the larger consulting firms. I knew I needed all the help I could get, given how competitive Stanford GSB is! The student gave me Ryan's contact info, and the minute I got on the phone with Ryan I knew he was my guy. He was just SO knowledgeable and SO personable, and didn't come off nearly as "salesy" as the larger admission consulting firms I spoke with. I was so excited that he had bandwidth to take me on as a client (he says he only works with a small number of candidates at a time) and hired him to help me with two schools - Stanford and Haas. I could go on and on about how great the experience was, but "Mr. Stanford" Ryan Barba was just fantastic throughout the entire process - he helped me really evaluate my background to boil up my strengths, and helped me craft a narrative that was just extremely compelling and far better than anything I could've created on my own. The Stanford "What Matters Most" essay is deceivingly challenging, but Ryan knew exactly how to tackle it - It was clear he knows Stanford and what they're looking for extremely well, and knows exactly how to frame the essay in a way that uniquely showcases you but also fits what they're looking for. I was so pumped by how my essays turned out, and applied with confidence despite having a GMAT score below the GSB average. His knowledge of Haas was actually equally strong, and that application process was just as smooth. I got interview offers from both programs, and Ryan's interview prep is detailed and comprehensive. I know the interview skills he taught me will help me for the rest of my life. I got into both programs (including a small scholarship offer from Haas) and am headed to my dream school - Stanford - this upcoming fall!! The whole experience could not have been smoother, more efficient, or more helpful. I'm so glad I opted to work with Ryan, and would recommend him to anyone - especially if you're interested in Stanford!!!

The results speak for themselves - I got into Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan (with $40K/year), and Kellogg (with $30K/year) with Ryan's direct help this past year. Working with Ryan, you gain confidence in yourself and your candidacy, which enables you to put your best foot forward. He doesn't sugarcoat things or set unrealistic expectations, but as you work with him and realize how credible he is and how invested he is in your success, you start to believe that success in this daunting, sometimes overwhelming process is possible. I had a 700 GMAT and a 3.5 undergraduate GPA, with 3 years' work experience. These stats are "acceptable" by top schools' standards but not above average, and I didn't think the nature of my work experience was anything special (I particularly didn't think I had a lot of leadership experience) so I had some serious concerns about whether I'd get in, especially during a competitive year. Ryan got me to stop worrying about my scores and grades, and got me focusing on our strategy to earn acceptance - how I could best position myself to stand apart from other candidates, how to make a convincing case that I'd be successful during and after business school, and how to clearly communicate my career goals, when asked. I got interviews at 3 of the 4 schools we worked on together (Booth didn't interview me), and I was able to convert all three interviews into an acceptance- because Ryan is just AWESOME at interview coaching. I mean, super amazing. I had worked with professional career and interview coaches in the past - I mean, people who work full time teaching people how to interview - and Ryan's training blows them out of the water. I've never felt so confident stepping into an interview, and it showed. Working with Ryan, you can be assured that you've hired someone who really wants you to succeed. He's both direct when he needs to be (like when delivering feedback on your essays) and encouraging and warmly supportive when he needs to be (there were times when I doubted myself and my candidacy and really needed to be talked off the cliff). You feel like you're working with a really knowledgeable friend, and I can't imaging having a better experience or better results.

I was referred to Ryan Barba from a friend of mine who had worked with him a couple of years ago and attended Stanford GSB. Stanford was always my dream school, and I’m so glad that my friend connecting me with Ryan. He is such a pleasure to work with, so incredibly knowledgeable about MBA admissions, and most importantly – I got into Stanford (my dream school) as well as Chicago Booth and Columbia! I can’t say enough about how helpful Ryan was – extremely responsive, passionate about his clients, and vested in his clients’ success. He just genuinely cares, isn’t afraid to push and challenge you, and is able to clearly explain his suggestions and advice. He’s the best-kept secret in MBA admissions consulting and I’m so fortunate to have found him.

SIMPLY THE BEST!!! I worked with Ryan Barba and one of his consultants, Kate, on my MBA applications this past year. Kate is an alum of MIT Sloan, and was on their Admissions team. I had a fantastic experience with both her and Ryan. They really helped me carve out a stellar brand and strategy to showcase my accomplishments and strengths in my MBA applications, and I went into the application-writing process with a lot of confidence in that strategy. Throughout, Kate was super-responsive. We had calls whenever I needed them - usually 2-3 times a week - and she sent back detailed edits on my application materials (like my resume and essays) in an extremely timely fashion. I felt like we made solid progress with each draft, and she helped bring my materials to an totally different universe of where they would have been had I written them solo. Ryan was available whenever I wanted to pull him in for a second opinion, too. As he proposed from the very beginning, if I wanted to ask him anything at all - including to review application materials - all I had to do was email or text him, and he was there to help. It added a lot of extra confidence having two experts on my side when I wanted them. Ryan and Kate are both extremely professional, knowledgeable, patient, and enthusiastic about the work they do. They got so much joy being able to celebrate with me (via Zoom) when I got my admissions letters. And I couldn't be happier to be heading to Sloan - which has always been my top choice - this fall. I can't recommend Ryan and his team more. I'm so glad I worked with them! (Here are my stats, in case you're interested: 3.3 GPA, 700 GMAT, 4 years of work experience)

This will sound like an odd review…. Because I never actually engaged Ryan for his consulting services. I attended one of Ryan’s webinars and booked a ‘strategy session call’ with him, and was actually fully ready to purchase a consulting package from him. I had read his reviews online, loved his webinar, and even checked out some of his YouTube videos – I was basically already sold! I arrived to my call with Ryan, credit card literally in hand, ready to purchase. Ryan actually talked me out of it! We spent a solid 40 minutes on the phone, and he was able to describe for me why it wasn’t the right time for me to apply yet, what I needed to do to improve my candidacy if I really wanted to have a solid chance of getting into a top school, and how to plan my next year accordingly. He wasn’t insulting – he didn’t tell me I was a “bad candidate” or anything like that. But he was sincere and direct in his advice, and offered some really helpful tips that I know have set me on a better path to eventual success. Ryan had every opportunity to just try to make the sale and take advantage of my ignorance around what a candidate needs to have to earn acceptance into a top school. All he had to do was take my credit card info. Instead, he declined that opportunity, and not only did he not try to weasel me into a sale, but also took time – for free – to give me really needed, helpful advice on what I needed to do to improve my MBA candidacy. So while I can’t speak to the quality of Ryan’s consulting services, I can tell you that in dealing with Ryan you’re working with someone who is ethical, genuinely wants to see people succeed, and isn’t just looking to capitalize on his reputation to make a quick buck. And from what I’ve heard about some other MBA consulting companies out there, that’s not always the case in this industry. What I can tell you from my call with him, though, is that Ryan is very knowledgeable on what top programs look for and what their admissions decisions are based on. He definitely knows what he’s doing.

My friend referred me Ryan, who had been accepted in one of the top MBAs with Ryan’s support. Then I watched Ryan’s webinar, and I instantly got assured that he was the one whom I wanted to work with. I had a below-average GMAT. However, I was still dreaming of attending the top business schools. My number one choice was Stanford GSB. We had a couple of sessions to create my brand strategy. It was an incredibly insightful process because, after these sessions, I got to know myself better, figured out how to position myself, and got solid ground on which I could build my story. Then we started working on a resume and essays. When I thought I had already achieved the desired result, Ryan used to get back with direct and harsh feedback. Sometimes I felt I was in a deadlock because I did not know how to improve my work. But Ryan never compromised and did not let me until I made my essays look PERFECT! He consistently did his best to make me create the best version of myself. Ryan always gives you direct feedback and never praises you for winning your heart. After about two months of working with Ryan, a miracle happened! Stanford GSB invited me to the interview!!! I am still shocked!!! I had a mock interview with Ryan and due to his hands-on experience, Ryan could put himself into the admissions team’s shoes and gave me extremely useful and tangible feedback. To sum up, I highly recommend Ryan! He KNOWS HIS JOB and is able to equip you for success in getting into a dream business school!