Ryan Barba Consulting Reviews 93

I worked directly with Ryan on my MBA applications last year and can’t adequately articulate what an excellent experience it was. Not only is Ryan friendly and easy to work with, inspiring me and keeping my confidence up throughout the long application journey, but he’s just SO KNOWLEDGEABLE about anything MBA admissions related. From a strategic perspective, Ryan knows exactly what a top-tier MBA program wants to see from a candidate worthy of admission, how an applicant should best tell their “story” in a convincing way, and even what different programs look for and how to revise your story and tone for each program. His depth of knowledge is just simply not something someone like me would have been able to figure out independently; He really leans on his deep experience in MBA admissions and coaching to benefit his clients! He’s also so attentive!

I really felt like my success was his top priority, and found him to be extremely responsive. I could go on and on raving about Ryan and my experience with him, but I think my admission results speak for themselves: I’m headed to Yale School of Management, thanks in part to their generous scholarship offer, but also got accepted to HBS, Haas, and Duke! I literally got into 4 out of the 5 programs I applied to, with Ryan’s help, and am so glad with my results!

Best of the best!
A real professional, you can not go wrong with this guy!

I am so happy to have worked with Ryan to apply for business school.
Ryan takes the time to get to know candidates inside and out. He really listens and helped me communicate my story. Ryan knew how to push me and brought the absolute best out of me.
He did this with my resume—which improved by leaps and bounds. He did this with my essays too, holding me to the highest standards to help me reach a level of quality I didn’t realize I was capable of. Ryan is candid and realistic throughout the process, and his years of experience equip him to give advice that is on-the-money. The business school journey is challenging (to say the least), and having Ryan on my team helped me stay motivated and encouraged.
I had a strong application, but standardized tests were a big weakness for me. I thought I could not get into a top program with my GMAT score of 670, but Ryan helped me show the admissions committee what makes me a compelling applicant. Ryan is dedicated, talented, and supportive, and I highly recommend his services.
I am headed to Wharton this fall—and over the moon!
I could not have made this dream come true without Ryan!!

I have worked with Mr. Barba on applications for both law school and business school. He was forthcoming with the weight an essay carries and how realistic my admissions chances were given my standardized scores. After a round of law school applications, I was admitted to Penn Law with a fabulous scholarship (Silverman-Rodin). After matriculating, I was told that I was awarded this scholarship because of the leadership skills that I demonstrated in my essay. Needless to say, Mr. Barba was an essential part of crafting and reviewing the essays because he helped me to stay laser-focused on the topic.

After a year of Penn Law, I decided to apply to Wharton for a joint JD/MBA degree. Again, I reached out to Mr. Barba for advice and counsel. I had scored 710 on the GMAT and written essays that attempted to touch on many different employment experiences. Mr. Barba recommended that I improve my GMAT and that I tailor the essay to Wharton's expectations of what would make a successful MBA candidate who could contribute to the Wharton community.

I retook the GMAT and scored a 750 (something I would not have done without Mr. Barba's prompting) and rewrote the essays according to his strategy. When I was offered an interview at Penn, Mr. Barba suggested that he conduct a mock interview so that I would know how to prepare for the interviewer's questions. I was prepared for each of the questions and received an offer of admission into Wharton's Class of 2024.

One cannot overstate the significance that Mr. Barba's strategy had in securing for me an admission to the world's best business school.

RBC came recommended by one of my close friends. Ryan and his team helped him get into a top MBA program last year, and I'm very glad he pointed me toward Ryan to guide me through my MBA application journey. I worked directly with Ryan, and he was professional, punctual in his reviews, and highly constructive in his feedback. I applied during one of the most competitive years, and I had my doubts about successful admission. Ryan believed in me though, and he patiently fielded my questions and worries even when things didn't seem to be going well. In the end, I'm very excited to say that I was accepted to NYU Stern, and Ryan definitely played a crucial role in making that happen. I would highly recommend him and his team!

Ryan is more than a great consultant - he's a mentor, motivator, writer, and expert in all things MBA admissions. I absolutely never thought I'd have the positive results from my MBA admissions process that I ended up seeing with Ryan's help. There's not much to say except that Ryan is just incredibly solid, knowledgeable, and supportive. He just gets it - what candidates need, how to succeed in the process, what the tops schools look for and what makes them different from each other, how to overcome candidacy flaws... everything. I got into all 3 schools I worked on with Ryan - HBS, Yale, and Darden, with a 700 GMAT score (which I honestly thought would be too low to get into these schools) and despite a sizeable employment gap on my resume. Darden even offered me a sizeable scholarship. Not much more to say - Ryan's legit.

Last year, I applied to 5 different MBA programs with one of the “big” MBA consulting firms. Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful, and so this year I faced the daunting challenging of applying again as a reapplicant. I circled back with the firm I worked with last year, and they told me to “set more realistic expectations” and apply to lower-ranked programs, but I didn’t feel like I needed to do that - I had solid scores, experience, etc. But the other “experts” I talked to were trying to talk me out of reapplying, saying that it’s difficult to be a reapplicant, few get accepted as reapplicants, etc.

Ryan had a different perspective. He told me how he approached reapplicant candidates when he worked in Admissions, what they tend to look for, and how to be effective. After I hired him, he took a cursory view of my applications from last year, and immediately had ideas for how to improve my approach, what should be stressed more strongly and clearly, and how to add to what I’d submitted last year to be successful as a reapplicant. He did talk me out of one program I applied to last year, which he convinced me was not a good fit given my career goals, but we worked together on three schools - all of which I had applied to, unsuccessfully, last year. I applied in Round 1 2021.

Fast forward a few months: All three schools interviewed me, and two accepted me (Booth and Haas).

Ryan did SUCH a better job of helping me clarify my strategy - which stories to tell, which aspects of my background to stress, how to tell my story, how to appeal to my target schools, basically everything. There’s literally no comparison between the quality of the essays I submitted last year and those I submitted this year - I mean, they were literally 10x better. Ryan helped me diagnose what he thought went wrong with my submissions last year, and the approach we came up with together was definitely more thorough, detailed, clear, and compelling. He gave me the confidence I needed to not lower my standards, go after the programs I really wanted, and stay optimistic despite last year’s failures. Unlike what I experienced last year, with the other consultant, Ryan was always available - he returned my emails faster, was easy to get on the phone, and was even willing to communicate via text.

I’m so glad I didn’t take the advice given to me from my other consultant, stuck to what I wanted and applied to the schools that I was truly interested in, and switched to Ryan. I just wished I had found him the first year I applied! If you have the choice between working with one of the “big firms”, where you’re one of dozens of candidates they’re working with, or with Ryan (who only takes on a few people at a time), it’s a no-brainer. I’ll be attending Booth - my top-choice school - thanks to Ryan, and I couldn’t be more excited!

I couldn't be happier with my decision to hire Ryan for his help on my MBA applications. We worked together on four applications this year, and I earned acceptance to three programs, including my dream school - HBS! Ryan was incredibly diligent, detail-oriented, and supportive throughout the entire process - developing my strategy, coaching my recommenders, writing application materials, interview prep, etc. He's an expert at all of it! Ryan really understands the key details of what each program looks for and how to tailor your message and essay content to each school. He's just incredibly knowledgeable about the process, how to stand out, and how to tailor your messaging to each program effectively. And the results speak for themselves!

Getting into 3 top schools is a dream come true for me. I was more successful than I ever imagined I would be, since my GMAT score is "good not great" by the standards of the top programs. I can't say enough positive things about my experience with Ryan, and am so thankful to him for his amazing support!

I am so lucky to have found Ryan. I was referred to a friend of mine who also used his services (he's currently in his second year at Harvard Business School, but also got accepted into Wharton and MIT Sloan with Ryan's help), and worked with him on my applications last year.

Long story short, I'm now a first year student at Chicago Booth! I worked with Ryan on three applications, and two of them were successful (accepted to both Booth and Kellogg). Ryan is incredibly diligent, detailed, attentive, and knowledgeable. He knows top MBA programs like the back of his hand, and really stays on top of how trends are changing in the world of MBA admissions. He is a great coach and mentor, unafraid to healthily push and encourage you when you have doubts or concerns about your abilities or candidacy. I felt like I was in great hands from step 1 of the process up until I accepted my spot at Booth.

At first, I had concerns about my candidacy given my relatively low undergrad GPA (3.16). Ryan was a master at helping me craft my story and optional essay to address this application "weakness" and genuinely gain confidence in my candidacy and chances (without setting false expectations). He gave me the confidence I needed, in other words, to power through the admissions process! He was also very available and helpful to my recommenders, who needed a lot of coaching, which I really appreciated.

I have friends who worked with larger MBA consulting firms, and my experience with Ryan is above and beyond what any of them experienced.

Just like a jeweler can cut and polish a stone to bring out its finest qualities, Ryan with his experience and expertise, makes his clients shine! He has the skill, eye for detail, and determination with a sincere passion to bring out the absolute best in people. I had all the raw material but I needed polishing to stand out among my peers. Choosing to work with Ryan is making an investment in yourself and securing your future. I was accepted by my dream school, UCLA Anderson, and awarded a $30,000.00 scholarship. I am so grateful for the time, patience, honesty, and professionalism Ryan dedicated to helping me reach my goals. The question to ask yourself should not be, “Why?” but rather, “When?” Ryan and his team are exceptional. I am confident that if you choose to work with him, you too will have a flawless experience!

I can’t say enough about the amazing experience I had working with Ryan Barba. He literally did all I could have asked for and more – helped me manage the process (literally and emotionally), stay on schedule, choose which schools I’d apply to and when, develop my “brand” and messaging to my chosen schools, construct and polish all of my application materials (resume, essays, application forms, etc.), and nail the interview process. No stone was left unturned, he was always completely available to help when I needed it, and his response times were incredibly fast. He just KNOWS this process, how to do it well, and how to appeal to the most selective MBA programs on this planet.

After being accepted to 2 of the 3 schools I worked with Ryan on, I’m starting at HBS next month. I couldn’t be happier or more grateful. If you’re lucky enough to find Ryan (I was referred to him from a friend of mine who’s now at MIT Sloan), take any opportunity you get to work with him. You won’t regret it!

I first had a chance to work with Ryan during the 2019-2020 Application cycle. From the onset, Ryan took the time to know me both as an applicant and an individual passionate about social impact investing. Ryan's support during my application process was unrelenting; He even agreed to work with me for an additional year so I could get into my dream school!

Ryan's tenacity and guidance as a coach is surpassed only by the level of detail he uses to provide feedback on essays. I was extremely impressed by the essay edits that Ryan would provide, to the extent that I believe working through the application process with Ryan made me a stronger writer in general. I would unconditionally recommend Ryan as an MBA coach.

I worked with Ryan back in 2019 and am currently entering my second year at Booth (University of Chicago). My experience was extremely positive and definitely produced results – Accepted to Booth (with scholarship), MIT Sloan, and Yale SOM (also with scholarship) with a 700 GMAT and 3.3 GPA. Couldn’t have been happier with my experience – Ryan’s a great coach and advisor, really knows the top MBA programs and how to appeal to them, and genuinely has a ton of passion for working with candidates. He’s patient, detailed-oriented, and specific in his feedback. I recommend him to the highest degree!

I was referred to Ryan from a Stanford GSB student I met. She had worked with him directly and joked the she called him "Mr. Stanford" because she knew of at least 4 other people at the school who had worked with him. Given that Stanford was my top-choice program, I was intrigued, but also wanted to interview a few of the larger consulting firms. I knew I needed all the help I could get, given how competitive Stanford GSB is!

The student gave me Ryan's contact info, and the minute I got on the phone with Ryan I knew he was my guy. He was just SO knowledgeable and SO personable, and didn't come off nearly as "salesy" as the larger admission consulting firms I spoke with. I was so excited that he had bandwidth to take me on as a client (he says he only works with a small number of candidates at a time) and hired him to help me with two schools - Stanford and Haas.

I could go on and on about how great the experience was, but "Mr. Stanford" Ryan Barba was just fantastic throughout the entire process - he helped me really evaluate my background to boil up my strengths, and helped me craft a narrative that was just extremely compelling and far better than anything I could've created on my own. The Stanford "What Matters Most" essay is deceivingly challenging, but Ryan knew exactly how to tackle it - It was clear he knows Stanford and what they're looking for extremely well, and knows exactly how to frame the essay in a way that uniquely showcases you but also fits what they're looking for. I was so pumped by how my essays turned out, and applied with confidence despite having a GMAT score below the GSB average. His knowledge of Haas was actually equally strong, and that application process was just as smooth.

I got interview offers from both programs, and Ryan's interview prep is detailed and comprehensive. I know the interview skills he taught me will help me for the rest of my life.

I got into both programs (including a small scholarship offer from Haas) and am headed to my dream school - Stanford - this upcoming fall!! The whole experience could not have been smoother, more efficient, or more helpful. I'm so glad I opted to work with Ryan, and would recommend him to anyone - especially if you're interested in Stanford!!!

The results speak for themselves - I got into Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan (with $40K/year), and Kellogg (with $30K/year) with Ryan's direct help this past year.

Working with Ryan, you gain confidence in yourself and your candidacy, which enables you to put your best foot forward. He doesn't sugarcoat things or set unrealistic expectations, but as you work with him and realize how credible he is and how invested he is in your success, you start to believe that success in this daunting, sometimes overwhelming process is possible. I had a 700 GMAT and a 3.5 undergraduate GPA, with 3 years' work experience. These stats are "acceptable" by top schools' standards but not above average, and I didn't think the nature of my work experience was anything special (I particularly didn't think I had a lot of leadership experience) so I had some serious concerns about whether I'd get in, especially during a competitive year. Ryan got me to stop worrying about my scores and grades, and got me focusing on our strategy to earn acceptance - how I could best position myself to stand apart from other candidates, how to make a convincing case that I'd be successful during and after business school, and how to clearly communicate my career goals, when asked.

I got interviews at 3 of the 4 schools we worked on together (Booth didn't interview me), and I was able to convert all three interviews into an acceptance- because Ryan is just AWESOME at interview coaching. I mean, super amazing. I had worked with professional career and interview coaches in the past - I mean, people who work full time teaching people how to interview - and Ryan's training blows them out of the water. I've never felt so confident stepping into an interview, and it showed.

Working with Ryan, you can be assured that you've hired someone who really wants you to succeed. He's both direct when he needs to be (like when delivering feedback on your essays) and encouraging and warmly supportive when he needs to be (there were times when I doubted myself and my candidacy and really needed to be talked off the cliff). You feel like you're working with a really knowledgeable friend, and I can't imaging having a better experience or better results.

I was referred to Ryan Barba from a friend of mine who had worked with him a couple of years ago and attended Stanford GSB. Stanford was always my dream school, and I’m so glad that my friend connecting me with Ryan. He is such a pleasure to work with, so incredibly knowledgeable about MBA admissions, and most importantly – I got into Stanford (my dream school) as well as Chicago Booth and Columbia! I can’t say enough about how helpful Ryan was – extremely responsive, passionate about his clients, and vested in his clients’ success. He just genuinely cares, isn’t afraid to push and challenge you, and is able to clearly explain his suggestions and advice. He’s the best-kept secret in MBA admissions consulting and I’m so fortunate to have found him.

SIMPLY THE BEST!!!

I worked with Ryan Barba and one of his consultants, Kate, on my MBA applications this past year. Kate is an alum of MIT Sloan, and was on their Admissions team. I had a fantastic experience with both her and Ryan. They really helped me carve out a stellar brand and strategy to showcase my accomplishments and strengths in my MBA applications, and I went into the application-writing process with a lot of confidence in that strategy.

Throughout, Kate was super-responsive. We had calls whenever I needed them - usually 2-3 times a week - and she sent back detailed edits on my application materials (like my resume and essays) in an extremely timely fashion. I felt like we made solid progress with each draft, and she helped bring my materials to an totally different universe of where they would have been had I written them solo.

Ryan was available whenever I wanted to pull him in for a second opinion, too. As he proposed from the very beginning, if I wanted to ask him anything at all - including to review application materials - all I had to do was email or text him, and he was there to help. It added a lot of extra confidence having two experts on my side when I wanted them.

Ryan and Kate are both extremely professional, knowledgeable, patient, and enthusiastic about the work they do. They got so much joy being able to celebrate with me (via Zoom) when I got my admissions letters. And I couldn't be happier to be heading to Sloan - which has always been my top choice - this fall.

I can't recommend Ryan and his team more. I'm so glad I worked with them!

(Here are my stats, in case you're interested: 3.3 GPA, 700 GMAT, 4 years of work experience)

This will sound like an odd review…. Because I never actually engaged Ryan for his consulting services. I attended one of Ryan’s webinars and booked a ‘strategy session call’ with him, and was actually fully ready to purchase a consulting package from him. I had read his reviews online, loved his webinar, and even checked out some of his YouTube videos – I was basically already sold! I arrived to my call with Ryan, credit card literally in hand, ready to purchase.

Ryan actually talked me out of it! We spent a solid 40 minutes on the phone, and he was able to describe for me why it wasn’t the right time for me to apply yet, what I needed to do to improve my candidacy if I really wanted to have a solid chance of getting into a top school, and how to plan my next year accordingly. He wasn’t insulting – he didn’t tell me I was a “bad candidate” or anything like that. But he was sincere and direct in his advice, and offered some really helpful tips that I know have set me on a better path to eventual success.

Ryan had every opportunity to just try to make the sale and take advantage of my ignorance around what a candidate needs to have to earn acceptance into a top school. All he had to do was take my credit card info. Instead, he declined that opportunity, and not only did he not try to weasel me into a sale, but also took time – for free – to give me really needed, helpful advice on what I needed to do to improve my MBA candidacy.

So while I can’t speak to the quality of Ryan’s consulting services, I can tell you that in dealing with Ryan you’re working with someone who is ethical, genuinely wants to see people succeed, and isn’t just looking to capitalize on his reputation to make a quick buck. And from what I’ve heard about some other MBA consulting companies out there, that’s not always the case in this industry. What I can tell you from my call with him, though, is that Ryan is very knowledgeable on what top programs look for and what their admissions decisions are based on. He definitely knows what he’s doing.

My friend referred me Ryan, who had been accepted in one of the top MBAs with Ryan’s support. Then I watched Ryan’s webinar, and I instantly got assured that he was the one whom I wanted to work with.
I had a below-average GMAT. However, I was still dreaming of attending the top business schools. My number one choice was Stanford GSB.

We had a couple of sessions to create my brand strategy. It was an incredibly insightful process because, after these sessions, I got to know myself better, figured out how to position myself, and got solid ground on which I could build my story.

Then we started working on a resume and essays. When I thought I had already achieved the desired result, Ryan used to get back with direct and harsh feedback. Sometimes I felt I was in a deadlock because I did not know how to improve my work. But Ryan never compromised and did not let me until I made my essays look PERFECT! He consistently did his best to make me create the best version of myself. Ryan always gives you direct feedback and never praises you for winning your heart.

After about two months of working with Ryan, a miracle happened! Stanford GSB invited me to the interview!!! I am still shocked!!! I had a mock interview with Ryan and due to his hands-on experience, Ryan could put himself into the admissions team’s shoes and gave me extremely useful and tangible feedback.

To sum up, I highly recommend Ryan! He KNOWS HIS JOB and is able to equip you for success in getting into a dream business school!

I was really nervous about the MBA application process. For personal reasons, I really wanted to stay in the Boston area to be near family, especially this past year with everything happening with COVID. I had a GMAT score of 690 (which is good, not great for top schools) but had an otherwise decent candidacy, I thought. Even though I knew where I wanted to go – I literally had dreams of attending HBS or MIT - I had serious doubts about my ability to get into either of them.

Ryan gave me immediate confidence in my chances, but not in a fluffy, “trying to sell me his services” kind of way. It was clear that he really thought I had a legitimate shot, and was able to explain to me WHY that was and what I could do to differentiate myself through my application and explain away my GMAT score. I’ll be honest: I did hire Ryan but still didn’t completely believe in my chances. I was still skeptical. So he helped me on my MIT and HBS apps, but I still applied to a couple safer schools on my own… just in case!

Ryan was the very definition of efficiency and support throughout the process. He’s more than an MBA advisor; he’s a mentor in many ways. He provided a lot of emotional support, not just application support! He was very direct with his feedback as we developed my strategy and edited my application materials, never hesitated to share the ugly truth about what I needed to improve, and he always delivered edits quickly. He was available for a call whenever I needed it (even weekends), and even pulled in another consultant on his team (who used to work in admissions at HBS) at one point to share his perspective on an essay, which gave me even more conviction in my essays’ quality.

Overall, the application materials we churned out were beyond anything I could’ve created, or even thought to create, on my own. I was so proud of what I submitted; I thought my true self really jumped off the page in an impressive way. I applied in Round 1 this past year (2020), interviewed with both schools (I was shocked), and received offers from both programs!!!! Getting those acceptance calls was literally a dream come true, and I have no doubt that the reason for my success was choosing to work with Ryan and his supportive team.

The application process to business school can be intimidating. It’s easy to doubt yourself. Having someone by your side to talk you off the cliff now and then, and who can help you through the process of creating top-caliber application materials, is simply invaluable. Ryan and his team are worth every penny if you’re serious about getting into a top-tier business program. Having now gone through the process, it’s clear to me why they’re so respected and successful – They literally do everything they can to help you succeed, and it works.