Founded by a Wharton MBA and MIT Sloan graduate who sits on the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants Board of Directors, Personal MBA Coach has been guiding clients for 17 years and is consistently ranked #1 or #2 by leading sources including Poets&Quants. We help clients with all aspects of the MBA application process including early planning, GMAT/GRE/EA tutoring, application strategy, school selection, essay editing, and mock interviews. Our team includes former M7 admissions directors and former M7 admissions interviewers.

Last cycle, our clients earned more than $10M in scholarships!

At Personal MBA Coach, we take the time to get to know every client personally as we go through the journey together. This starts with deep analysis into your background, an identification of your objectives and a thorough development of your personal story. Our no BS approach ensures that nothing falls through the cracks and our feedback is honest, non-sugar coated and immediate. We push our clients very hard and the work pays off. See testimonials from past Personal MBA Coach clients for more details.

One Expert Consultant - ALWAYS

Unlike with many other firms, you will have one consultant (our founder or a former admissions director) throughout your entire MBA application process. There are no interns in a back office editing your essays and you will not be handed off to someone junior who happens to have availability. Having an expert who knows you, your needs and your strengths and weaknesses ensures not only the greatest success but a comfortable working environment throughout the application process.

Our Flexible Product Offering Guides You Through Each Stage of The MBA Application Process

Whether you are looking for help with early MBA/career planning, need tutoring support or are ready to begin work on your application essays, Personal MBA Coach has a package to suit your needs. Most clients choose comprehensive packages that allow work on every aspect of the application from school selection to interview preparation and offer acceptance. We also offer more limited services during certain times of the year.

We Work When You Work

We know that MBA applicants are busy working professionals juggling a demanding full-time job and extracurriculars. Our clients live or work globally across numerous time zones. See below for a map! We make ourselves available when crucial needs arise!

Why Else Should You Try Personal MBA Coach?

  • Founded by a Wharton MBA graduate who not only understands business schools inside and out but also has career experience across consulting, corporate strategy and financial services, we can advise you on the best steps and the best schools to attend based on your specific profile in order to accomplish your career goals (getting into business school is only step one).
  • We offer customized, personal, MBA application consulting with no red tape, no complex forms, no cookie cutter approaches.
  • We have no junior consultants. All clients work for Scott or a former M7 admissions director.
  • Former M7 MBA student and alumni interviewers will prepare you for the crucial day.
  • Our clients earned an industry leading $10M+ in scholarships during the 2022-2023 admissions season.
  • We are a boutique, family-owned business (with multiple ivy league MBAs in the family).

Scott Edinburgh

Founder

Wharton MBA, MIT Sloan BS

A Wharton MBA graduate with a BS from MIT, Scott has been an MBA admissions consultant for 15 years and has helped hundreds of applicants around the world get into top MBA programs. He is on the Board of Directors for the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants and was an invited speaker at the GMAC Conference with admissions committee directors from every top school.

Prior to perfecting the MBA admissions process and making dreams come true for applicants from Tokyo to San Francisco (and everywhere in between) as a full-time admissions consultant, Scott worked across consulting, financial services and strategy & corporate development roles. He ran Global Strategy/Corporate Development as a Director of a 700 person leading independent publishing company. He also worked for InterContinental Hotels Group in Global Strategy, as well as JP Morgan and Deloitte Consulting in Mergers & Acquisitions. Scott’s first-hand experience in many of the jobs applicants have today or hope to obtain post-MBA helps him advise them on the best ways to not only get into their top choice schools, but position themselves for their dream jobs.

In his free time, Scott enjoys visiting vineyards to taste wine in new regions, listening to live music and staying active outside. Wish him luck as he tries to plant more vines in his backyard.


Mae Jennifer "MJ" Shores

Admissions Director

MJ has served in senior admissions leadership roles at top business schools, including The Wharton School of Business, UCLA Anderson, and the International University of Moscow – Russia. She served as Admissions Director at The Wharton School of Business and as an assistant dean in Admissions at UCLA Anderson. At the International University at Moscow, MJ taught Organizational Behavior, International Trade, and Negotiations to MBA and undergraduate business students.

During her time in admissions, MJ served on boards and committees for the General Management Admissions Council (GMAC), the Forté Foundation, the MBA Tour, and others. She regularly spoke on panels and made presentations to alumni and prospective MBA students around the globe. She was also featured in Business Week, The Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, MSNBC, China Post, and others.

MJ earned baccalaureate degrees in Economics and History from Guilford College and Arizona State University, respectively, graduating summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. She also earned a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) at Columbia University in New York City.

In her free time, MJ is an active volunteer in the community. A lover of gourmet coffee, she can frequently be spotted spending time with friends at local coffee shops.


Skyler Adams

Admissions Director

Skyler is a former Associate Director of Admissions at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Before leaving Booth in late 2023, Skyler reviewed thousands of applications and oversaw the admissions process for the Civic Scholars Program, working with both full-time and part-time applicants in the non-profit and government sector.

Skyler has worked in college admissions and admissions consulting for over a decade, including a previous role as Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Northwestern University. Skyler has extensive experience successfully working with candidates domestically and abroad to get into the best universities and academic programs in the world.

Skyler earned a Master of Science degree in Higher Education Administration and Policy from Northwestern University and Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Hope College. Skyler is also passionate about educational equity and access and serves as a board member of the college access non-profit, Green Halo Scholars. When Skyler is not working with students on their applications, he loves spending time with his wife and two furry companions, Melo and Curly. He is also a musician and enjoys traveling.


Frenk Nebiu

Admissions Director

Frenk is a former Associate Director of Admissions at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, where he evaluated and interviewed Full Time MBA applicants globally from 2018 until late 2021.

Frenk was the admissions liaison to the Kellogg student affinity networks and oversaw end to end admissions for the MSMS program with Northwestern University. Frenk has led hundreds of domestic and international sessions as brand ambassador for the Kellogg MBA programs. Additionally, Frenk leads MBA recruiting nationally for Deloitte Consulting. In this role, Frenk has developed a deep understanding of the post MBA employment market.

Frenk earned his Bachelor degree in Communication from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. In his free time, Frenk enjoys traveling, cooking and recreational sports.


Nicole Shay

Admissions Director - Advisor

Nicole is a former Associate Director of Admissions at Columbia Business School, where she evaluated and interviewed MBA applicants globally from 2015 until early 2021. She also served as the admissions liaison to the Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Management Program and oversaw admissions for the JD/MBA dual degree program with Columbia Law School. Additionally, Nicole managed recruiting for Columbia Business School’s Executive MBA Program. Nicole has travelled to Africa, Asia, Europe, and North and South America to recruit MBA talent, deliver presentations to applicants and leading global companies and host events for alumni and prospective students to connect. She frequently participated in panels for the Forté Foundation and the MBA Tour, and has been interviewed for multiple MBA admissions publications.

Nicole earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Neuroscience from the University of Pittsburgh and her Master of Science degree in Human Capital Management from Columbia University in the City of New York. In her free time, Nicole enjoys traveling by plane to reach new places and by bike to explore them.


Where do Personal MBA Coach clients live?

Where Have Clients Been Accepted?

Past clients have been accepted at every top business school in the world including Harvard Business School, Stanford GSB, Wharton, MIT Sloan, Chicago Booth, Kellogg, Columbia Business School, Berkeley Haas, Dartmouth Tuck, Michigan Ross, Duke Fuqua, NYU Stern, UCLA Anderson, Yale SOM, Cornell Johnson, London Business School, INSEAD, and more.

96% of clients are successful. We work with applicants applying to full-time MBA programs as well as Executive and part-time MBA programs. Want help getting into HBS, Wharton and other top global programs? Submit an inquiry for a consultation.