Ryan Barba ConsultingReviews of ryanbarba.com

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!