We are MBA graduates and former admissions officers from Harvard Business School, Stanford GSB, and Wharton, working together under the guidance of one of the industry’s top-rated admissions coaches—herself an MIT Sloan MBA. We know what gaining admission to these top-tier schools requires because we have all done it ourselves.
Our specialty is you. Whether you are working at an elite private equity or consulting firm, a high-flying start-up or tech giant, or a family-controlled business, or coming from a nontypical pre-MBA industry, we know the common pitfalls and can help you not only avoid them but also stand out among your peers.
As a Gatehouse Admissions client, you will never need to compete for our time or attention. We intentionally maintain a limited client roster of business school applicants so we can ensure that you receive the energy and dedication you deserve.
Gatehouse Admissions was founded by Liza Weale, one of the best-rated MBA admissions consultants in the industry. Having worked with business school applicants for nearly two decades, Liza has seen the bar to admission at the very top schools continually rise. Driving this phenomenon are several factors:
First, the typical MBA candidate is savvier, making use of the considerable information and resources readily available on the Internet. As a result, more candidates are submitting noticeably stronger applications, thereby requiring that all business school applicants up their games to remain competitive.
Second, the MBA applicant pools are getting deeper. The business schools themselves, maniacally focused on recruiting and building robust, diverse classes full of future leaders, have increased their marketing outreach, encouraging new potential business school students to apply. Complicating matters, the well-known (and well-respected) pipeline industries to business school, such as private equity, investment banking, and management consulting, continue to grow in size, creating more “traditional” applicants. Both these dynamics are exacerbated by the fact that business school class sizes have remained largely unchanged. This puts considerable pressure on MBA applicants from these traditional industries to stand out in very crowded fields.
Third, MBA applications are also getting harder. The MBA admissions teams are constantly tweaking their admissions process—introducing new questions and application components. In recent years, the Stanford GSB launched four new optional questions, each approximately 180 words in length—effectively almost doubling the size of the GSB’s written application! In the 2021–2022 business school application season, HBS and Wharton both added new background questions; Wharton also modified its letter of recommendation form—already an anomaly in business school applications. Each of these changes adds to a business school application’s complexity, which in turn makes an applicant’s journey more challenging.
The bottom line: The commitment, energy, and expertise required to develop a winning business school application have increased dramatically in recent years. You need to work harder to gain acceptance to an MBA program, so your business school admissions consultant naturally needs to work harder as well.
Understanding these dynamics, Liza created Gatehouse Admissions. Gatehouse is a new caliber of MBA admissions consulting—rigorous, incredibly client focused, and specializing in providing differentiated insights and expertise. To help her deliver what the firm calls “The Gatehouse Way,” Liza assembled a small team of elite MBAs and former MBA admissions officers. The Gatehouse team understands the introspection and hard work required to develop the kind of authentic and compelling applications the most discerning business schools demand, even for candidates from competitive pools. Each of us is deeply invested in enabling our clients to maximize their potential in the application process.
To learn how we can help you tilt the odds in your favor, request a free consultation with Gatehouse Admissions today.
