Expert Admissions Consultants

Get Accepted! Speak with an admissions expert today!

Accepted is THE premiere professional admissions consulting firm, helping applicants get accepted to colleges, graduate schools, business schools, law schools, and medical schools, as well as other healthcare programs, for the past 30 years. We have guided thousands of candidates through the entire application process to gain acceptance at the world’s top programs.

When you choose Accepted, you’ll have a passionate and invested admissions consultant dedicated to helping you specifically, in addition to the support of a team of uncommonly talented professionals, including former admissions directors, published authors, PhDs, journalists, professors, and career coaches.

Here are just a few reasons you should choose Accepted to help you navigate the admissions process:

The Accepted Advantage

Dedication

Your designated Accepted admissions consultant is focused on learning about you and your candidacy and helping you present yourself in the best way possible to the admissions committee. They truly commit themselves to getting to know you and your story and being your partner through every stage of the application process.

Expertise

Founded in 1997, Accepted boasts a team of professional admissions consultants who collectively bring hundreds of years of direct admissions committee experience to your application. We are truly passionate and dedicated admissions specialists. With more insider knowledge than any other firm, we KNOW the application process inside and out and can guide you every step of the way. Our job is to walk you through and simplify the often overwhelming admissions process, and we take that job seriously.

Teamwork

Although you work one-on-one with a consultant dedicated specifically to you and your candidacy, you benefit from having the backing of our entire team of admissions experts. We consistently lean on and learn from each other to ensure we are best serving you.

Individualized Approach

Over the years, we have honed in on what works in the admissions process and what doesn’t, which allows us to personalize each client’s application strategy to best fit their strengths, story, and goals. Every applicant is unique, so no cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all template will work to help you get accepted. Identifying what you have to offer and highlighting that effectively is where we excel.

International Team

With consultants around the world, you never have to worry about time zone discrepancies or being able to reach your consultant. This global reach also contributes to our wealth of international experience, so if you are targeting an overseas program, we’re positioned to get you there.

Free Advice and Insights

Our website is bursting with valuable free information on every aspect and stage of the admissions process. Resume guides, sample essays, our weekly podcast, daily blog posts – we aim to provide you with everything you need to know about successfully applying to the program of your choice. Keeping all this content up-to-date shows we really “talk the talk.” Rather than keeping our knowledge to ourselves, we want to share it with you – free of charge! Start with a free consultation to get some of your initial questions answered and get a feel for our firm. You’ll speak directly with an Accepted admissions professional, who will offer complimentary advice focused specifically on YOUR profile and YOUR goals.

Flexible Service Offerings and Transparent Pricing

We offer both flat-rate and hourly options to fit every applicant’s needs and budget. We’ll listen to your goals and suggest a package that we think makes the most sense for you, but you can be reassured that we’ll never pressure you to purchase more than you feel comfortable with or need. We list all our prices clearly on our website, and what you see is what you get. Every client pays the same amount for the same service because we believe in treating all applicants equally and feel that our pricing is fair. You are paying for the in-depth knowledge and expertise of professional admissions consultants and higher education insiders, and this is an investment in your future.

Our Admissions Consulting Team

Not only do our admissions consultants have the experience and expertise needed to help you stand out, but they are also passionate about getting you accepted.

Get to know our admissions consultants and you'll see why Accepted can help you get accepted!

Cydney Foote

Having served on admissions committees at the University of Washington (UW) School of Medicine and the curriculum development team at the UW School of Dentistry, Cydney uses her more than two decades of real-world admissions expertise to pinpoint what is unique about her clients’ stories and help them present their authentic voice. She has advised hundreds of successful applicants to MD, DO, and other healthcare programs in the United States and Canada and authored three e-books on medical education.

Learn more about Cydney Foote.
Michelle Stockman

A former member of Columbia’s MBA admissions office, Michelle has a background as a digital/broadcast editor and reporter, tech and finance executive writing coach, and social media presenter, with global work experience in South Asia and Europe. In her more than 15 years of MBA and grad admissions consulting, she’s guided clients to admission to top U.S. and European MBA programs. Clients say Michelle, who has a Columbia University MS in journalism, is insightful, honest, creative, and problem-solving.

Learn more about Michelle Stockman.
Kelly Wilson

In her past roles as executive director of admissions at CMU Tepper and assistant dean of admissions at Georgetown McDonough and Pittsburgh Katz, Kelly oversaw admissions for 23 years for the MBA and master’s programs in management of information systems, computational finance, business analytics, and product management. Having approved more than 38,000 admissions decisions, she has a deep understanding of what top MBA programs value. Her working style is warm, supportive, straightforward, and organized. Kelly is also a member of AIGAC.

Learn more about Kelly Wilson.
Dr. Karin Ash

With 30 years of career/admissions experience at four universities, including Cornell’s Johnson Graduate School of Business and College of Engineering, Dr. Karin Ash has met with thousands of recruiters seeking to hire the best students from leading schools. She has served as a member of the admissions committee, ensuring that the applicants who ultimately enroll are a good fit for the program and prime candidates for employers. Karin has been a Consultant with Accepted for 8 years and has facilitated students’ entry into top engineering, data science, MBA, and other STEM graduate MEng, MS, and PhD programs. Her clients have been accepted into MIT, the University of Chicago, Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, UPenn, USC, and more than 60 other schools.

Learn more about Dr. Karin Ash.
Sadie Polen
Sadie has more than ten years of experience in higher education. She reviewed statements of purpose, personal statements, and resumes for political and public service opportunities and made candidate selections for elite programs at Harvard University. She also has experience advising individuals on their career and post-graduation plans. Sadie holds a BS from UC Davis, an EdM from Harvard, and a DEI certificate from Cornell. Learn more about Sadie Polen.
Madison Searle

As a former director for three undergraduate honors programs at the College of Natural Sciences at UT Austin, Madison read more than 5,000 applications while also advising students applying to graduate and professional programs. He has taught writing seminars to pre-med students and is a freelance writer himself. His goal is to help applicants communicate clearly, concisely, and in their authentic voice. He has helped hundreds of pre-health professional students prepare for and apply to medical, dental, veterinary, and pharmacy schools.

Learn more about Madison Searle.
Marie Todd

Marie has more than 30 years’ experience in higher education and consulting. At Accepted, she specializes in undergraduate admissions, helping domestic and international clients gain admission to top U.S. colleges, including Stanford, Berkeley, Duke, and Notre Dame. She was a University of Michigan application review specialist for five seasons and is now committed to helping her clients highlight their unique strengths and perspectives. Her working style is positive, constructive, honest, and supportive.

Learn more about Marie Todd.
Natalie Grinblatt Epstein

An AIGAC member and Michigan Ross MBA, Natalie has served as admissions dean/director at Michigan Ross, Cornell Johnson, and ASU Carey. With almost two decades of admissions experience, she’s helped hundreds of clients get admitted to top U.S. and international business schools, graduate programs, colleges, and universities in her 15 years as a consultant. Described by her clients as strategic, engaged, creative, nurturing, and direct, she’s earned high ratings on Poets&Quants, GMAT Club, and Trust Pilot.

Learn more about Natalie Grinblatt Epstein.
Jennifer Bloom

Jennifer has helped applicants get into HBS, Stanford, Wharton, and other elite schools for 24 years. She is known for her fast (often next business day) response time, powerful wordsmithing, and meaningful guidance (she’s in Israel, where Sunday is a workday!). If you’re part of a dense applicant pool (e.g., Indian engineering, consulting, finance) and wondering how to stand out from thousands of others like you, speaking with Jennifer is the first step to creating an application that will get you noticed!

Learn more about Jennifer Bloom.
Esmeralda Cardenal

Esmeralda consistently receives five-star reviews on Poets&Quants, GMATClub, and Trust Pilot for her personable coaching style, helping her clients present their best. Her nine years in MBA admissions as former Yale SOM associate director of admissions, Michigan State director of MBA admissions, and Cardiff Business School (United Kingdom) consultant prepared her to effectively help clients gain entry to elite MBA/EMBA programs and a wide range of master’s programs, as she’s done for more than eight years.

Learn more about Esmeralda Cardenal.
Jamie Wright

Jamie spent more than eight years at London Business School, serving as admissions director for Early Career Programmes and head of the Recruitment & Admissions Team. With a background in storytelling, thanks to her early career in PR, she’s been quoted in the Financial Times, Insider, and U.S. News & World Report. Jamie has been an admissions consultant for four years, focusing on UK grad and MBA programs, and is passionate about making her clients’ goals a reality – academic, professional, or personal!

Learn more about Jamie Wright.
Dr. Barry S. Rothman, Ph.D

Barry’s clients have successfully applied to MD, MD/PhD, dental, vet, pharm, PA, PT, nursing, optometry, podiatry, PhD, and MPH programs. He is an emeritus professor of biology, former health professions advisor, and former director of three post-bac programs at San Francisco State Univ. whose post-bacs had an 80% success rate. His Accepted clients have an even higher rate. He has his PhD in biochemistry from CalTech and conducted biomedical research at CalTech, UTMB Galveston, UC San Francisco, and SFSU.

Learn more about Dr. Barry S. Rothman, Ph.D.
Dr. Valerie Wherley

As the former assistant dean of student affairs at the William Beaumont School of Medicine and former director of pre-health advisement and the Postbaccaulaureate Certificate Program at Sacred Heart University, Valerie brings more than 20 years of success working with pre-health candidates in medicine, dental, vet, PA, PT, OT, exercise science, and nursing. Her clients appreciate her expertise in the holistic admissions process and her patient, thoughtful, strategic, and data driven working style.

Learn more about Dr. Valerie Wherley.
Alice Diamond

Formerly the associate dean for career and community service at Lesley University, Alice brings 35 years of experience in career and admissions advising for undergraduate and graduate students. She has expertise in working with candidates applying to top programs in a wide range of fields including psychology, social work, public health, public policy, education, expressive arts therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and environmental studies.

Learn more about Alice Diamond.
Brigitte Suhr

Brigitte received her JD from UVA Law, where she also reviewed more than 2,500 applications as part of the admissions office, gaining valuable insight into the process. In addition, she has a background in international human rights and nonprofit strategy, programs, and management. Passionate about mentoring and guiding applicants, she’s coached more than 100 to successful admission to T-14 schools (and many others). Clients appreciate her direct, honest, supportive, and strategic working style.

Learn more about Brigitte Suhr.
Vanessa Febo

Vanessa has more than seven years of graduate school and scholarship consulting experience and specializes in helping clients communicate their research and goals. She’s coached clients to top programs in engineering, English, social sciences, and business and has mentored applicants for major scholarships for the past five years. Vanessa has taught writing for over a decade and is particularly skilled in writing for professional communication. Her working style is client focused, organized, and positive.

Learn more about Vanessa Febo.
Dr. Herman Gordon

Flash applies his teaching of problem-solving and strategic thinking to helping clients present their most compelling stories to admissions committees. A tenured faculty member at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, he was also the admissions committee chair and a neuroscience graduate admissions committee member. He earned his biochemistry AB from Harvard College and his developmental neuroscience PhD from Caltech and was a postdoctoral fellow at both the MRC Cell Biophysics Unit (London) and UCSF.

Learn more about Dr. Herman Gordon.
Dr. Christie St-John

Dr. Christie St-John, a member of AIGAC, has a deep knowledge of MBA, specialized master’s, and EMBA admissions. With more than 25 years of experience as MBA admissions director and career coach at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business and Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management, she’s read thousands of essays and conducted thousands of interviews around the world. Her clients have been admitted to Columbia, Wharton, Harvard, Kellogg, UCLA, Berkeley, Michigan, Virginia, Oxford, INSEAD, and ESADE, among others.

Learn more about Dr. Christie St-John.
Dr. Mary Mahoney

Mary earned her PhD from the University of Houston and her MFA from Sarah Lawrence College. She is director of medical humanities at a liberal arts college in New York and has been a tenured English professor, specializing in the personal essay, for more than 20 years. She also teaches narrative medicine, empathy, health equity, disparity, bias, and social justice. She specializes in helping medical school, psychology, and humanities grad school applicants, with whom she has a high success rate.

Learn more about Dr. Mary Mahoney.
Client Feedback
I never thought I'd get accepted to all three of my top choices. [My consultant] did an amazing job at meeting the deadlines and, more importantly, truly dedicating her time adding valuable comments to improve my essays and make me stand out among the applicants. Also, the multiple mock interviews helped perfect my answers and made them sound more natural. Working with her was truly a pleasure. 
 
Although my situation is kind of difficult, in a good way, I decided that [Harvard] would be my top choice. 
 
I can finally say it: I GOT ACCEPTED!
Read more

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How To Pick An Admissions Consulting Firm That's Right For You

Put your future in professional hands.

Accepted hires only experienced writers and consultants. Just as you wouldn't hire an art student or art critic over a portrait painter to paint your portrait, we will not hire grad students or even former adcom members- unless they first meet the professional writing standards that disqualify more than 90% of applicants for our consulting positions. We're so proud of our staff that we publish the bios for each of our consultants so that you can know your consultant's background and qualifications before you start work.

Choose a consultant that brings out your individuality.

At Accepted, we know that cookie-cutter applications don't work. We combine our extensive understanding of the application process with what you know best - your own story - to help you produce a truly unique application that shows you in the best possible light. 

Find a company that shares, not conceals, its insight.

Our website is a valuable resource for all applicants and a demonstration of our insight into the admissions process. We don't merely make claims about our familiarity with admissions. We prove it with every article, tip, admissions guide, newsletter, and webinar.

Select comprehensive admissions expertise.

Accepted's consultants are knowledgeable in a variety of top programs - not just one or two. Before they work with Accepted they must be skilled editors and admissions pros. To further develop their skills, each new consultant undergoes rigorous training. Our founder, Linda Abraham, personally guides each new consultant to ensure that each one maintains Accepted's high standards and benefits from her vast experience. The experience consultants bring to Accepted plus the training they receive here mean that you benefit from wide-ranging expertise and an exceptional professional perspective into the entire admissions process.

Work with a company that relentlessly pursues quality.

You don't rest on your laurels, and we don't either. Accepted has a rigorous peer review program so that drafts are reviewed by another consultant on the team. The purpose of our peer review program is to:

  • Ensure superior quality.
  • Share best practices.

Benefit from additional expert opinions. All at no additional cost to you.

Work with a consultant who works for you.

At Accepted, you'll work with one consultant who mentors you as you develop a winning strategy and craft your best essays. You won't be shunted around among staff members, and the person who advises you on content and strategy will also edit your essays so he or she will be thoroughly familiar with your goals and approach. Your consultant will be your chief critic, coach, fan, editor and reviewer.

Seek a service that fits your schedule.

We guarantee that we will return every draft within two business days, and we are usually faster. Our consultants even schedule weekend and evening appointments to make the process as convenient as possible. In those rare cases when a consultant has to stop work, another qualified consultant is always available to step in.