Darya Smirnova
May 23, 2023

Columbia Business School & Duke Fuqua ’25 Admit

As a medical doctor with an outsider view of the MBA landscape, Scott and his team helped push my application to the top level. To be honest, I didn’t speak with other consultants as I was sold on the deal after my first chat with Scott. He was sincere and genuine about my chances and where we needed to be as a team if I wanted a shot at the schools I was applying to. He was also readily available for phone calls and email chats within 48 hours when needed. With essay writing, the regular edits and push from the editors ensured that I introspected into why a sentence or paragraph belonged in my essay – that in turn, made me dig deeper into how I wanted to convey my story and journey as a medical doctor seeking an MBA. I have nothing but thanks and adulation for my essay editor(s). Secondly, my mock interviewers were the best, they helped me rework my answers to the behavioural questions to highlight the points I want conveyed. Overall, this was money well spent as I am going to an M7 with significant scholarship (+ I also got a T15 admit with 50% scholarship). Thank you, Scott and team!!!!

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Darya Smirnova
About the Author

Darya Smirnova

Scott Edinburgh is the founder of Personal MBA Coach, an internationally recognized MBA admissions consulting firm. In 2026, he was named the #1 MBA admissions consultant by Poets&Quants, while Personal MBA Coach was recognized as a Top Boutique MBA Admissions Consulting Firm in 2023, 2024, and 2025. A Wharton MBA graduate with a BS from MIT, Scott has more than 18 years of experience helping applicants earn admission to top MBA programs around the world. Alongside his team of former admissions directors, he has guided hundreds of candidates through every stage of the admissions process, helping clients secure more than $11 million in MBA scholarships in the most recent admissions cycle.