Stanford University Graduate School of Business, MBA
Yale University, BA
11 years
Creative, patient, encouraging
Private equity, military, real estate investment, consulting
Hollis is an avid outdoor athlete. She enjoyed windsurfing and whitewater canoeing throughout her childhood, and a NOLS backpacking course she took in college only deepened her love of the wilderness. She has since become an experienced rock climber who has scaled peaks throughout the western United States and Canada. Hollis understands the importance of intense focus but also appreciates the benefits of taking time out to gain perspective.
Hollis earned her MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and her bachelor of arts in literature from Yale University (Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude). More than a decade ago, a lifelong love of reading, writing, and editing led Hollis to consider admissions coaching as a career, but what cemented her choice was the opportunity to support MBA applicants on such an introspective journey. Hollis takes the trust clients place in her very seriously, helping clients to explore their dreams, fears, traumas, and triumphs and convey what makes them compelling candidates.
Earlier in her life, Hollis worked as a student journalist, holding different editorial positions at The Yale Herald and co-founding a Stanford GSB blog. Pre-admissions consulting, her career spanned real estate private equity, public relations and executive search. An avid photographer and outdoor athlete, Hollis enjoys rock climbing, hiking, and backpacking—and the attendant documentation of exciting pursuits and beautiful settings.
One of the keys to a successful application is highlighting what makes you unique. When you’re living your story, it can be tough to do that; you’re too close to your experiences to know which ones set you apart. As an outsider, I can see your accomplishments, interests, and adventures with a fresh set of eyes and help identify what makes you special. After that, it’s all about finding your personal voice —as distinct from your academic or professional voice—to communicate your story to admissions committees in a compelling, succinct, and distinctive way.
Hollis is easy to get along with and a clear communicator (both for planning and editing essays). Initially, Hollis was a great sounding board for coming up with essays ideas – I thought she pushed on the right threads, helping me arrive at themes that not only became great essay topics but also were very true to me. When it came to actually writing the application, Hollis gave great suggestions for areas of focus but also left plenty of room for me to maintain my own voice which was important to me. In addition, Hollis did a great job with overall application planning and ensuring I was in a good spot throughout the summer to finish the applications by the deadline. I know for sure my applications would have been materially weaker without her help and would recommend her to anyone looking for help on applications.
As an international candidate with an ordinary profile, I never thought I could ace my way to a top business school. But Hollis made it happen. I was accepted to Haas School of Business—my dream school. Her help and support played a vital part in my success. When it came to essay editing, she kept my voice genuine and helped connect all my discrete pieces of information into a beautiful mosaic. Hollis also painstakingly guided me on how to enhance my application by utilizing my strengths and mitigating my weaknesses. Under her guidance, each of my applications was tailored in a very unique way for each specific school. I would definitely choose to work with Hollis again. Her thoughtful advice and her dedication make her a source you can always trust.
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