Oxford Saïd – Offer received!I signed up for MER services for support for my MBA narrative and essays. Before contacting MER, I had already chosen my preferred program but was unsure of how I should present my story. In my 5-year career, I have worked in different capacities in several sectors. I was clear on the next step I wanted to take but I was not clear on which highlights from my career I should stress and how I could tie my experiences to my post-MBA goals.
After looking at several other MBA consultants, I chose MER because I wanted to work with Poonam. Her profile as a Ph.D. in English with three decades of experience helping people craft compelling stories for business school applications convinced me that she would help me define and refine my essays in a clear and comprehensive manner.
During the counseling session with Poonam, we discussed my profile, goals, and ambitions. We conducted a review of my resume and post-MBA goals. The counseling session was well-structured and productive. We discussed my overall profile and purpose for pursuing an MBA; at the end of the session, we agreed on which achievements and strengths should be highlighted to bring the two pieces together. Poonam brought a professional and disciplined approach to the session. We worked slightly over the expected session time, giving me confidence that I was working with a consultant that was invested in my success.
During the resumé building process, Poonam was patient and informative. Through helpful probing questions, Poonam helped guide me to reformat my resume to concentrate on my achievements and specific contributions to each role. Poonam’s advice helped my work experience come to life. There was a significant difference between my first and final resumé draft.
Poonam and I spent a large portion of our counseling session discussing my professional and personal profile. I proposed which stories should be highlighted and Poonam provided her feedback. Poonam’s inputs regarding story selection helped emphasize my personal values and career ambitions in my post-MBA career goals essays and additional essays. Poonam consistently provided strong technical advice to improve the structure and organization of my essays. From Poonam’s feedback, I could better understand how the reader would interpret my essays and what questions they would ask. Poonam helped me eliminate vague and passive passages from my essays and highlight my strengths and achievements. Poonam also provided valuable guidelines, such as the STAR framework for situational questions, that helped me tell my story in a clear and fluid manner.
Poonam’s editing skills are top-notch. Her input on sentence structure, grammar, and punctuation helped me to craft well-structured and compelling essays that I am proud of. For the majority of my essays, we had to trim 10-20% of the words to meet the word limit. Poonam’s advice on where to trim and where to add substance to my essays gave me confidence and helped bring out the authenticity and originality in my story.
Throughout my 4-month engagement with MER, Poonam was always very prompt and professional in responding to queries via email. The tone of our email exchanges was always friendly and productive. MER’s turnarounds and response times were consistent and reliable from the start. Each question or edit was answered within 1-3 business days. Poonam is organized and possesses strong collaboration skills. From the very start of our engagement, I felt as though I was part of a team. Poonam’s set strict turnaround guidelines compelled me to push myself to meet deadlines and produce my best work. Poonam’s organization on a tight schedule helped me to produce a final MBA package that was complementary and comprehensive.Poonam asked me to think critically about each component of my MBA application, highlighting my strengths and addressing my weaknesses. My low undergraduate GPA was the one glaring weakness in my application I was especially concerned about. Poonam advised me to address my low GPA head-on in my additional essays, describing the circumstances that led to it and assuring the admissions committee that it is not an inaccurate indication of my abilities or potential. Poonam provided me with strong technical guidance to mitigate my weaknesses and highlight my strengths throughout the editing process. Both of my recommenders produced drafts of the LOR’s. Poonam’s feedback helped align my recommendations with my qualities.
I was elated when I received an invitation to interview at Oxford Business School. The interview prep offered by Poonam challenged me during the interview prep to think critically about the “why” behind each facet of my application. Our mock interview lasted 45 minutes, and Poonam’s verbal and written feedback pinpointed specific strengths and weaknesses in my presentation and profile, helping to better position me for success during the live interview.
It was a pleasure to work with Poonam. Poonam is a skilled storyteller and possesses expert editing skills. Throughout our engagement, I was impressed by Poonam’s professional and organized approach as well as her encouraging and warm persona. I have received an offer from the Oxford MBA:) Thank you, Poonam, for your guidance throughout this process!!
I recommend her without reservations to any prospective MBA candidate who is searching for a consultant to help tell their story in a compelling and comprehensive manner.
I signed up for MER services for support for my MBA narrative and essays. Before contacting MER, I had already chosen my preferred program but was unsure of how I should present my story. In my 5-year career, I have......
John (not real name), 2021 applicant, admitted at Oxford!!!!
Accepted into UCLA Anderson’s FEMBA program. Thanks, Poonam, for your help !I wanted to work with someone who can help me articulate my story and ideas in the form of an essay. I was less than three weeks away from my deadline and wanted someone who can guide me through the short challenging time frame. I am glad I chose MER services. I chose MER services because I was very much impressed with Poonam’s profile on GMAT Club and how she had helped other students who were in similar situations like me.
The counseling session on Zoom was the most informative session. Poonam was extremely detail-oriented which really helped me to converse with her. She made me understand that there were some key aspects that were missing in my draft essay, which I should highlight. The session helped us organize our essay in a much better way. The outcome showed in our final versions. Poonam did extremely well in understanding my profile and my stories. The zoom session as stated above helped us better position my story.
Organizing details of my story was one of the most important aspects for me. Poonam has done a great job in organizing and structuring my essay. My personal experiences draft essay word count was almost 500 words above the limit. It would not have been possible to edit it without Poonam’s expertise in organizing the essay and structuring it in a way to retain the important aspects and stay within the word limit. Poonam’s editing skills are flawless. I am happy to have chosen Poonam to work on my essays. I had a ton of queries and Poonam was very patient to answer them all. Thanks for the zoom session.
Finally, Poonam’s turnaround time is commendable. She delivered the essays as promised on time and I was able to meet my application deadline. It wouldn’t have been possible without her quick response.
I am extremely happy to have chosen Poonam’s services to work on my essays. I am accepted into Anderson’s FEMBA program. I would definitely recommend Poonam to prospective students.
Click here for Preetham's testimonial on LinkedIn.
I wanted to work with someone who can help me articulate my story and ideas in the form of an essay. I was less than three weeks away from my deadline and wanted someone who can guide me through the......
Preetham, 2021 applicant, admitted to FEMBA program of UCLA Anderson
Accepted into all the 4 schools I applied to- Booth, Haas, Foster, and UCLA. Thanks, PoonamAs I completed the GMAT test and planned for the last round of applications to 4 programs, I was looking for some guidance on the challenging essays and other application aspects. With some amazing reviews for MER and finding great synergy in the introductory call with Poonam Ma’am, the decision was an easy one that I would love to work with MER. Poonam Ma’am was clear from the outset and really enjoyed her candid personality while ensuring we hit the right areas from the get-go. The application expectations set from the outset were just what I needed, and I think this started us off on the right footing.
I cannot say how helpful these sessions were. During the second session, I was a little lost with the essay prompt and it certainly helped clarify what the essay was asking just so I can clear my thinking in the middle of a pressure cooker application season. Following on from the initial Skype session, Poonam Ma’am clearly understood the various themes in my persona to bring out. Be it what to highlight or a fresh set of ideas, the overall guidance Poonam Ma’am provided during the applications was fabulous.
There certainly were so many occasions while working with Ma’am that I would write long-winded statements and just jot my ideas to put something together for the essays. However, the real nuance and flow, and theme came through once I received feedback from Poonam Ma’am. I can confidently say that even after completing the applications when I go back and read the essays I feel like the push from MER and the constant egging-on allowed me to produce diamonds from coal.
Editing was one of the highlights for me. There were innumerable occasions where rambling ideas and run-on sentences were written by me. Once Poonam Ma’am edited them and fixed the structure and grammatical issues, the crispness, and impact was clear to see.
The resume was my favorite assignment. When we started off working together, I felt my resume was great – little did I know there was so much work needed. I also think this is a great first project and ensures the application flows smoothly as one is forced to think about the structure of the resume and it then naturally lends to thinking deeper on the projects undertaken for stories for the essays. The review of the inputs from my recommenders was very helpful to ensure they bring out the right talking points. This greatly helped them as well.
Poonam Ma’am was always-on-top of the application process. I could not have asked for a better partner for the stressful application season. 11/10 – can I give it that rating? Always on time and to the point. I felt Poonam Ma’am provided me the much-needed personal attention with ensuring the applications go through on time. I am happy to have chosen Poonam Ma’am as my partner for the applications. I would more than recommend Poonam Ma’am to any student looking for someone who will understand your persona and achievements. Not just that, at every stage of the application process, the rich experience of working with multiple applications is something you will notice. While it may not be clear initially – trust her process. It is a tried and tested method. Be prepared to dig deep since that is what will bring out your best application. Poonam Ma’am will give you a free hand to create your own painting while also ensuring you receive candid feedback if veering off-course. I can easily say my applications turned out far better than I anticipated when commencing this journey.
I have really enjoyed working with you, Ma’am. I am thrilled to say that over the last 10 days, I have received great news from all 4 schools- Booth, Haas, UCLA, and Foster. Chicago provided an early admit just this afternoon. I have decided to attend Haas.
Click here for Kunal's testimonial on LinkedIn.
As I completed the GMAT test and planned for the last round of applications to 4 programs, I was looking for some guidance on the challenging essays and other application aspects. With some amazing reviews for MER and finding great......
Kunal, 2021 applicant, admit offers from Chicago Booth, Foster, Haas, and UCLA Anderson!!!!
Accepted to Chicago Booth's full time MBA program with $40K scholarship. Thanks, Poonam!I signed up with MER to receive guidance on my application for three schools. Since I was short on time when I first contacted MER, the 1-hr Zoom session for me was perhaps not as much about understanding my profile but more about reviewing my Resume and Essays for one of the Schools. I was satisfied with my experience and got some really helpful insights. However, I would have liked to have contacted her earlier and benefitted from her expertise in extracting the most effective stories from my life.
Poonam’s Resume Review service is what I consider most useful for me personally. She spent a lot of time during our 1-hour Zoom call helping me make my Resume elements sharper. There was a considerable difference between my pre-and post-MER Resumes. I feel the improved resume really made me a more confident applicant not just at the application stage but also during my interviews. Considering that I did not have much time for LoR review, I could just take one set of edits from her. If I had more time, I could have effectively leveraged her services for this application component, too.
I do not think we had much time for Poonam to understand my profile and harness that to position my stories. So, we focused more on how to better the stories/drafts I had already considered/ presented. Poonam is excellent at seeing the bigger picture and really distilling the key takeaways from an applicant’s story/ essay. This allows her to see the value of each paragraph/line and make effective improvements in the structure/ organization to present a coherent narrative. Poonam’s razor-sharp focus on cutting any clutter to show only the most impactful elements of the essay allows the essay writer to think and write freely and present the best drafts without worrying about the word limit.
MER’s turnarounds were as promised and very predictable. This was extremely important for me as I was running on a tight schedule. I really appreciate Poonam’s going beyond your call of duty on multiple occasions and reviewing two essays instead of one on a single day or working on a weekend to help me meet an impending deadline. I really enjoyed working with Poonam, found her services extremely helpful for my application, and would enthusiastically like to recommend her services to prospective applicants.
It gives me immense pleasure to inform you that I have been admitted to the Chicago Booth Class of 2023. I have also been offered a scholarship of $40,000 spread over two years. I can't thank her enough for the value that she added to my application and for her exceptionally useful guidance.
Click here for Shekhar's testimonial on LinkedIn.
I signed up with MER to receive guidance on my application for three schools. Since I was short on time when I first contacted MER, the 1-hr Zoom session for me was perhaps not as much about understanding my profile......
Shekhar Iyer - 2021, accepted into Chicago Booth with 40K Scholarship
Happy to be accepted into M7 Program- MIT, Thanks PoonamI signed up for MER because I needed advice in choosing the right stories to tell, how to tell and make them connect properly. In the first counseling session, we discussed my background and accomplishments, which helped me a lot to improve the essay. She understood my story well and helped me effectively position them. I liked how she structured one essay to the other one and helped me align them to the LOR to make sure the complete picture looked fine. I think a proper organization is Poonam’s strongest point! She was a great help in organizing details to make the story flow better, especially because my essays were huge, and I had difficulty in putting everything together to fit on the word count. Her editing skills are excellent, and the final versions were perfect in content, organization, and grammar.
Her guidance on the LOR was excellent. My recommenders also commented that her feedback was constructive to help them improve the LORs. I did not raise many questions other than the comments on the word files; all my questions were replied satisfactorily. Everything worked fine, including turnarounds, as we agreed before starting our work. I liked the result, and I feel that my application would be definitely much weaker without her help. I am happy to be accepted into the full-time MBA program of M7 program– MIT. Overall, I enjoyed working with Poonam, and I would like to recommend MER services to prospective applicants.
Click here for Eduardo’s Interview with Poonam.
I signed up for MER because I needed advice in choosing the right stories to tell, how to tell and make them connect properly. In the first counseling session, we discussed my background and accomplishments, which helped me a lot......
Eduardo- 2019 applicant got admitted to MIT.
Accepted by Kellogg full time MBA Program. Thanks, MERI signed up with MER after reading excellent reviews of MER on the GMAT Club. MER was also recommended by e-GMAT. In the skype sessions, Poonam Ma’am discussed my profile, goals, and prospects at length. I got a lot of handholding during tumultuous times as I did not have much exposure in the application process. She made untiring efforts to finalize my resume in a way that spoke about my achievements and caliber. Also, Poonam ma’am displayed a lot of patience with up to 6 edits on my resume.
Ma’am spent a lot of time with me to better understand me as a professional and as a person. Her inputs regarding my drafts were insightful and crisp that focused on my goals and virtues. I am sure this helped Ad. Com to better value my candidature.
She was very particular about how cogent my essays were. The structure suggested by her made sure that there was a flow of information that displayed a timeline and chronology for better comprehension and understanding.
Poonam Ma’am understood the information handicap I was facing during the application process. Many times, upon finding me overwhelmed, she scheduled calls to help me better understand the situation and the demand of the school applications. She went out of the way to help me emphasize my candidature given that I have a very unconventional profile (doctor + civil servant). It was a challenging task to streamline my goals with my chosen path. Poonam Ma’am came to the rescue. She is a scholar herself. Her command over English in terms of grammar, punctuation, etc. is unparalleled. I was especially grateful to her to help me trim my responses to the prescribed word limit.
Promptness is a distinctive feature of MER. The commitments made at the time of starting the process were always adhered to. The turnaround time of MER is better than that of many other consultants.
Also, I had a very professional mock interview session with her. The insights provided at the end of the mock were beneficial. Many of the questions were in tune with my interview for Kellogg. I am happy to be accepted by an M7 program- Kellogg.
I have already recommended MER to 3 prospective candidates.
Click here to learn about Rohit's career goals, application journey, and much more.....
I signed up with MER after reading excellent reviews of MER on the GMAT Club. MER was also recommended by e-GMAT. In the skype sessions, Poonam Ma’am discussed my profile, goals, and prospects at length. I got a lot of......
Rohit- 2019 applicant, accepted into Full Time MBA program at Kellogg
“Accepted to the top 5 MBA programs including Harvard, HBS and Stanford! Thanks Poonam:)”I gave my GMAT in end June 2017 and started the application process in early July. The next step was choosing an admissions consultant, and this was not an easy process. I talked to some 5-6 consultants and was really disheartened when they didn't believe in my passion and dream of getting into HBS. They asked me to apply to more "safe" schools. When I had an introductory talk with Poonam, she sounded really encouraging and yet practical. And I knew that I found my companion for this journey.
The next few months were not easy, and I worked extremely hard to achieve my aim. At all times, Poonam worked equally hard right from reviewing my essays in time and putting extra time and effort whenever I got demanding.
I was keen on applying to HBS in Round 1, but Poonam suggested me to keep HBS for Round 2 to give enough time to my dream school. Now when I look back, I feel that this was the most valuable advice she gave me. It gave me enough time to work on my essays and be confident about my application.
Poonam's USP is that she is a convincing storyteller, and with her, I learned this art. Not only this, but she also gave me valuable advice for all parts of my application process, such as bringing more clarity on my goals, getting my recommendations in line with my qualities, identifying my failures, etc.
I will strongly recommend MER to all those who are struggling to find an encouraging consultant and are really passionate about their dream school!
Click here to learn about Mansi’s career goals, application journey, and much more.....
Click here to learn about Mansi's Harvard MBA experience.
I gave my GMAT in end June 2017 and started the application process in early July. The next step was choosing an admissions consultant, and this was not an easy process. I talked to some 5-6 consultants and was really......
Mansi- 2017 applicant, accepted by MBA program of all the 5 top schools -Wharton, Kellogg, INSEAD, Stanford, and Harvard.
“Accepted into full time MBA program at Oxford Said Business School”I would like to share my experience of working with Poonam Tandon (My Essay Review) as a part of my admission process. After I gave my GMAT, I opted for the 1-hour free consultation with Poonam. I was surprised to see how much knowledge I gained during my interaction with her during that one hour. She was very thorough in explaining the admission process, my chances of getting into various schools after evaluating my profile, and in-depth discussion on the essays, LOR, and resume.
I decided to choose the Essay Review for 2 essays for Oxford Said. The payment was pretty simple, and I did it through the website. She informed me promptly that she received the payment. She had already mentioned to me during the 1-hour consultation that she needs a draft version of my essays before she can start working on them. After I gave her a few options on the essay topics, she helped me to finalize a couple. So, I wrote two versions for each essay, and she was kind enough to review them and gave me feedback on which version works better. In her first review, she had indicated which portions of the essays need modifications. I made the changes accordingly, and we were done after her second review. The whole process took less than 2 weeks. She had been extremely professional, l, and every time I submitted a response, I heard back from her in less than 3 days. She never wrote my essays, but she empowered me to write better. I strongly recommend her.
Click here for Arjun’s video interview with Poonam.
Click here to learn about Arjun’s career goals, application journey, and much more.....
Click here for Arjun's testimonial on LinkedIn.
I would like to share my experience of working with Poonam Tandon (My Essay Review) as a part of my admission process. After I gave my GMAT, I opted for the 1-hour free consultation with Poonam. I was surprised to......
Arjun Bardan- 2017 applicant; accepted into MBA program at Oxford Said Business School.
Pablo- Accepted into Ross full time MBA program with full scholarshipI totally recommend working with Poonam Tandon (myEssayReview). Though I first reached out only 72 hours before the deadline for the two essays and resume of one of my applications, she was 100% committed and helped me deliver great results.
My decision to work with Poonam was based on her uniquely strong background. She is a PhD in English Literature, who loves writing, and with proven track record reviewing successful essays and resumes for top-ranked business schools.
We communicated by skype and email, and I always received timely and clear answers that guided me to write more efficiently and effectively. Poonam and I discussed my personal and professional background and then she made sharp suggestions of the strongest topics to address the essay questions. As a result, I confidently chose my topics and focused on developing them. Also, Poonam gave me clear directions about format and structure, along with guidelines to ‘unleash’ my stories in a more compelling and thorough way. Finally, she edited my essays to trim them to the word limits and correct grammatical mistakes. One of the most challenging essays we worked on was the cover letter for MIT, with only 250 words.
Poonam also helped me build a strong resume. First, she provided me with a format that made me gain more space to focus on professional accomplishments. Then, she helped me strengthen every bullet point by choosing appropriate action verbs and focus on the outcomes. Finally, with the structure she suggested, I was able to better highlight other areas such as academic accomplishments and personal interests, making a well-rounded resume.
We worked fast, with turnarounds in less than 24 hours, so despite time constraints, we built strong essays and resume well before each deadline. I would like to mention here that New Year’s Eve was right in the middle of that short period of 72 hours before Ross's deadline. I couldn’t be more grateful to Poonam as she agreed to provide her strong support and advice and turned-around much faster than me. Also, I liked that she didn’t charge extra for rush service.
Overall, it was a pleasure to work with Poonam. She not only provided me with the best possible technical advice, but she also helped me boost my confidence at a point of weakness and tiredness. I had high expectations and the results were far better than expected.
Finally, I got admitted to Ross with a full scholarship. I would recommend the services of Poonam to everyone.
Click here for Pablo's application experience, challenges he faced during the application process, and much more....
Click here to see how a Ross MBA helped a Chilean to switch career.
Click here for Pablo's testimonial on LinkedIn.
I totally recommend working with Poonam Tandon (myEssayReview). Though I first reached out only 72 hours before the deadline for the two essays and resume of one of my applications, she was 100% committed and helped me deliver great results.......
Pablo- 2016 R 2 applicant; accepted into Ross with 100 % scholarship, interviewed by MIT
I received admits from Kellogg, Haas, Yale, and UCLA Anderson, with scholarships!Although I had already written most of the essays and was confident that they were good, I decided to sign up for a single essay review service to double-check the quality of my work. I signed up for myEssayReview because it was highly rated at GMAT Club, and because it offered very competitive pricing for a one-essay review. After completing the review process with Poonam for this essay, I realized that she helped me to elevate the quality of my essay to an entirely new level! As a result, I decided to sign up for essay review to six schools I applied as well as résumé review. Here is my feedback on my experience of working with Poonam:
Understands you as a person: Poonam was interested in understanding my whole story as an applicant and as a person, though I had initially just signed up for a one essay review. In addition, I could also understand her background and method of working, which helped us to work productively while not losing sight of my goals and characteristics. She provided me valuable advice on my school selection, application strategy, time management, and even résumé improvements, all of which were not part of the scope of my original service hired.
Delivers a Clear Sentence Structure: Poonam demonstrated that my first drafts had stories with the unnatural flow and frequently lacked a clear link between the story and the point I was trying to make. Once we identified the point, then we discussed how each part of the example supported the point. This method was vital not only to stay focused on my key messages but also to trim side arguments and reach the tight word limits. Poonam used an effective and elegant word choice, not overly sophisticated vocabulary. As a non-native speaker, I found it so helpful because I wouldn´t be comfortable with words that I would never write in my essays.
Effective Edits: Effective editing/trimming of essays is one of Poonam’s main strengths. I frequently sent her very large essays, thinking, there is no way to achieve the allowed word limit – but she consistently delivered on the word limit! In addition, I found it helpful that she offered my choices on what contents to sacrifice or details to omit so that I was able to consciously evaluate the trade-offs and make choices that maintained the essence of my examples.
Results speak for themselves! In the end, I was interviewed at all six schools I applied to, admitted to four of them (Kellogg, Berkeley-Haas, Yale SOM, and UCLA Anderson), and waitlisted at Stanford GSB. Plus, three of them offered me substantial scholarships! Kellogg-70K scholarship (Donald Jacobs scholarship), Yale SOM - 20k scholarship, UCLA Anderson -70k scholarship. Now I’m heading to Kellogg with a scholarship! I had never imagined I would be so successful. Without a doubt, Poonam has contributed substantially!
Beyond being admitted to my dream school with a scholarship, I gained a lot from working with Poonam. I improved my writing and critical thinking abilities, and also had a great time working with Poonam. Thank you, Poonam, for your guidance.
Click here to learn about Eduardo’s career goals, application journey, and much more.....
Click here to learn about the key reason behind the success of Eduardo.
Click here for Eduardo's testimonial on LinkedIn.
Although I had already written most of the essays and was confident that they were good, I decided to sign up for a single essay review service to double-check the quality of my work. I signed up for myEssayReview because......
Eduardo- 2016 applicant, interviewed by all 6 schools, waitlisted at Stanford GSB, and admitted to Kellogg, Yale, Haas, and UCLA Anderson with generous scholarships.
