The process, in full.
Each phase has a clear checkpoint.
- 016–8 weeks
Foundation
Deep career-trajectory analysis, short- and long-term goals, a 20-40 story bank, a rewritten resume, a school-level research playbook and a shortlist of no more than seven schools chosen for fit, not brand.
You dothe raw thinking, the story recall, the alumni conversations.
I dothe structure, the tests, the pushback, the research framework.
Time from you6–8 hours per week.Clears whenYour goals, narrative, resume and shortlist hang together as one argument a stranger could summarise in a sentence. - 024 weeks
Application build
I build the framework, you write essay draft. We iterate till perfection against the six essay laws, achieving coherence across all documents - your application, LOR, resume and scholarship essays — all held to the same rigour.
You doevery draft, every rewrite. I don't ghostwrite. Brief and follow up with your recommenders.
I dostructure the argument, pressure-test every claim, run each draft through the checklist.
Time from you8–12 hours per week during essay windows.Clears whenEvery essay clears the checklist before it leaves your file. - 03Final week
Submission
A final gap analysis, full pre-submission QA, locked essays, school-specific resumes, finalised recommender letters and a full application-form check. Then submit.
You dosubmit.
I dothe gap analysis and the full pre-submission audit.
Time from you2–3 hours per school.Clears whenYour applications are consistent across schools and differentiated within each one.
Essay rules.
Open with a visual, never a summary.
Every essay reveals a new dimension.
Specificity beats adjectives.
Every paragraph answers "so what?"
Vulnerability makes achievement credible.
Be the agent, not the victim.
The starting point.
The baseline every engagement begins from — before a single essay is drafted.
- 01
Three alumni conversations per school on your shortlist.
- 02
Two named professors per school whose work actually maps to your goals.
- 03
A structured school research database as your reference set — not a Google search.
- 04
No AI-drafted prose. AI is used to brainstorm and stress-test ideas, not to write.
Four years on the LBS interview panel, applied to your prep.
Between 2021 and 2024 I evaluated candidates for London Business School. What I share here is not what was said in the room — it's what actually matters in it.
- 01
Goals, why MBA, why now, why this school — stress-tested until each answer holds up under a follow-up you didn't rehearse for.
- 02
The CV walk-through is the interview. Every bullet must survive being read out loud with a follow-up after each line.
- 03
Panels want real answers, not polished ones. The strongest candidates pause two seconds before speaking.
- 04
You will be asked something you can't answer. How you handle that is the interview.
Prep with me: recorded mock interviews, CV pressure-tested line by line, and the questions you can't answer rehearsed until they don't rattle you.
“Surbhi provided outstanding guidance during my MBA application process. Her structured approach significantly improved my work, offering a distinctive insider's perspective on the programme.”
“She patiently and diligently went about uncovering the pros and cons of my profile. Then, she went into the specifics of action items that I could work on for LBS.”
“She patiently addressed all my queries and shared practical nuances about what makes a strong profile stand out. What I found most valuable was her ability to suggest clear, actionable next steps, which gave me a much better sense of direction.”