I push motivated graduate school applicants to bring their own stories to life through their application materials. As a former admissions professional, I have a strong understanding of calculations happening on the “other side of the desk” and work with clients on how to navigate what can often be a confusing, frustrating, and unpleasant process. My goal is for each client to feel confident about their application by the time they push the “submit” button - my clients have reported a marked improvement in their ability to convey an authentic written voice by the time they finish working with me.
I have held admissions roles at various undergraduate colleges within NYU and, most recently, as Senior Associate Director, MBA Admissions at NYU Stern School of Business, which I represented throughout the continental US, China, India, and the UK. I also hold my MBA from NYU Stern, with specializations in Strategy and Marketing. I‘m currently based in Los Angeles, CA - but am more than happy to work with remote clients, wherever they may be.
My clients have been admitted to top graduate programs, including University of Pennsylvania Wharton, University of Chicago Booth, Harvard Business School, Northwestern University Kellogg , MIT Sloan, Columbia Business School, Yale School of Management, Berkeley Haas, Dartmouth Tuck, NYU Stern, Duke Fuqua, UVA Darden, UCLA Anderson, UT McCombs, USC Marshall, and Harvard Kennedy School.
I have a particular interest in working with LGBTQ applicants and also enjoy working with underrepresented groups and "nontraditional” applicants.
MBA & Graduate Admissions Consulting
Services Offered
I work with MBA, MPP/MPA, MS, MA, and other advanced degree applicants on the following and more:
Pre-application counseling & ROI assessment: is grad school right for me, and is now the right time?
Determining ROI for different program formats: Full-time MBA vs. Part-time MBA vs. Executive MBA
Personal narrative crafting
Essay development & review
Resume development & review
Application & school selection strategy
Interview prep
Philosophy & Approach
There are many admissions consulting services in the marketplace: in my observation, many are prohibitively expensive, and some consultants lack the knowledge, experience, and skill to justify their cost. From me, you can expect a competent, relatable coach who approaches this work with a sense of humility, levity, and drive to help others succeed.
My approach is consultative and down-to-earth, yet direct - I’m invested in enabling my clients to bring out their best and often push them to go beyond their comfort zones.
Part of my job is also helping clients manage the stress and anxiety that comes along with the grad school application process, and I remain especially attuned to the fact that this work is a marathon, not a sprint.
How i work
I happily work with clients at different hours of the day and night and will tailor the medium of our work to you, for maximum efficiency and effectiveness. This includes in-person sessions, email-based feedback, phone workshopping sessions, video calls, text, etc.
I am willing to work with select clients on a sliding scale rate and gladly welcome a phone call with all clients before getting started:
20ish-minute free consultation, for you to feel great about your decision for us to work together on an ongoing basis
45-minute single working session (in lieu of free consultation):
Quick-fire Q&A or focused working session with a seasoned admissions professional
Is grad school/a specific program right for me?
Evaluation of your high-level strengths and weaknesses as a candidate
Matriculation decisions post-admit: weighing pros and cons
Application review + feedback session for complete or near-complete applications
Please note that I do not write essays or other application materials for clients, nor will I ever guarantee admission into any program as a result of working with me - I expect clients to put in significant time, effort, and energy under my guidance.
get in touch!
To help me best serve your inquiry, please provide some light background and high-level goals for engaging my services. I’ll follow up promptly to schedule an initial conversation. If you’d prefer, you’re also welcome to email me directly.
Oren Margolis
oren@pinetreepalm.com
310-893-0959
Testimonials
“I spoke to a lot of admissions consultants before I found Oren, and the reason he stood out to me was that he actually took the time to get to know me. Oren and I were able to form a trust-based relationship that helped me refine my true motivations for attending graduate school and write personal statements that reflected my values and let my true voice shine through. Oren also had so many incredible insights on how to improve my resume and strategize on which schools would be right for my career and goals, and his experience as a former admissions director was clearly a differentiator in this process.
With Oren's guidance, I was able to submit my application with a lot of confidence and was admitted into four highly respected schools, which I could not have done without his perspective. I'm grateful for his help, and would highly recommend Oren to anyone who is seeking a personalized approach to their higher education journey.”
Manas R.
University of Chicago Booth School of Business
“Working with Oren was a huge difference maker for the deferred MBA application process. Given the programs are so new and competitive, his guidance was a huge component of my admission to Wharton, MIT Sloan, Booth, and Kellogg.
In the beginning, Oren took the time to help me craft and tighten up a compelling story. He was able to immediately identify potential pain points and red flags in my narrative, and fine tuned my strategic vision into a story that made sense, was cohesive, and spoke to what business schools were looking for. In the actual essay writing process, Oren was extraordinarily responsive (I often had deadlines coming up in the same week and he would always be available whenever I needed him). He knew how to tease out my story and put my best foot forward, and comprehensively suggested edits to each piece to make my voice shine through. Even when I had quick one-off questions, he could always be counted upon.
Finally, Oren's mock interview was extremely thorough and covered nearly every single avenue/potential question that was asked. He knew which parts of my application would raise questions, and simulated an interview experience that was pretty much identical to the real deal while providing clear and actionable feedback. Following his advice led me to convert every single interview I was offered into an acceptance.
Oren's value-add from working in the admissions office of a very competitive school was very evident, his passion for the work shone through, and I know from the past 6 months working with him that he truly loves helping students reach their potential. I can't recommend Oren enough for anyone looking at MBA programs (and particularly deferred MBA programs).”
Raj S.
University of Pennsylvania Wharton School
Moelis Advance Access Program (deferred admission)
“As an Indian Engineer Male, I knew I needed help to put my best foot forward. Thanks to Oren’s guidance, I’ll soon be attending a school I hadn’t imagined attending in my wildest dreams, even until a few months ago.
As a former admissions officer at Stern, Oren knows the formula required to succeed in the process. And that formula might not be what you read on the internet! When I first reached out to Oren for some help with my resume, I thought I had a well-crafted one. However, Oren pointed out key flaws with my resume, and within an hour of his time, helped me reframe my bullet points so as to make them a lot more impactful and less jargon-y.
Before I started on my essays, I came up with a list of anecdotes and Oren helped me build a strong narrative that connected these seemingly disparate anecdotes together. His experience evaluating hundreds of MBA applications allowed him to quickly identify a theme that would resonate with the admissions committee, which I built on to construct strong essays.
I also sought Oren’s help for my interviews, and the mock interview he conducted accurately simulated my interviews at Yale and Booth. Oren’s tips for some of my responses allowed me to rephrase them so as to present myself better.
When you work with Oren, you get a friend who’ll leave no stone unturned to make sure you put your best foot forward. He was extremely accessible throughout the 6 months I worked with him, and his responsiveness often made me wonder whether I was his only client (I was not!). With his help, I interviewed with 3 of the 4 schools I applied to (Booth, Yale, Wharton) and converted 2 of them, including my dream school.”
A.J.
University of Pennsylvania Wharton School
I could not recommend a consultant more highly than I recommend Oren. I was hesitant to work with a consultant at all, and I had intro calls with all the major firms; I found each to be impersonal and indistinguishable. My experience with Oren was the opposite. I would describe his approach as compassionate and genuine. His feedback is honest but fair, and he encouraged me to put together an application that was true to myself and my goals, rather than one that schools might *want* to see.
He primarily assisted with essay editing, standardized test and school list strategy, and interview prep. For the other elements of my application, Oren was honest about what *did not* need his review. True to his approach to leading with integrity, rather than take advantage of or capitalize on my position, he chose to save me money and time instead.
The results speak for themselves, I was admitted to all 5 schools I applied to with scholarships (Fuqua, Anderson, Stern, SOM, and HBS) and I will be attending HBS in the fall. Even if I did not have the same success, I would choose Oren again every time, because I grew in the process and knew that I was putting forward an application true to myself. Not to mention – he was fun to work with. Thank you, Oren!
Kendra S.
Harvard Business School
“Oren never missed a beat. Ever. I found him at a time when I was struggling through the application process, and joining forces with him was an absolute game changer. Though I was looking to work only on essays, he reviewed all of my application materials (test scores, resume, transcript) and took the time to get to know me not only as an MBA applicant, but as a person. You are not just another number - he actually cares. Oren's professionalism and astuteness is incomparable, and knowing I could lean on him for guidance gave me the much-needed strength to keep pushing forward. With his support, I was able to fluently communicate the heart of my story and goals. I valued Oren's wisdom so much that after submitting my applications we worked on interviews. Oren was always gracious with his time, honesty, encouragement, and advice. I couldn't have done this without him, and as someone who is highly-discerning, I recommend him to any and everyone (which I did!) who is taking the MBA leap. Team Oren!”
Carla K.
Columbia Business School
“From the very first phone call with Oren, I could tell he was a genuine person that had my best interests in mind. The perspective he was able to provide on essays and the application process as a whole were incredible. As someone who is prone to over-stressing about things, working with Oren helped make the grueling admissions process much easier to manage, as I knew I was able to put my best foot forward. This not only helped my applications but sanity as well! He’s very responsive and was always willing to help in a pinch. Thanks to Oren I was accepted, with a scholarship, to a program I couldn’t be more excited to attend!”
Bryant B.
University of Texas McCombs School of Business
“I spoke with a few admissions consultants before reaching out to Oren, and decided to work with him as he came across as a very genuine person. From the get-go, Oren was very willing to answer any questions I had, and more importantly, insisted on taking the time to understand my "why MBA" story before working together.
As a first-time international applicant, I valued Oren's previous experience as an admissions director, and through the process, recognized that he had a perspective that my friends and family would not have been able to provide. Having read many more applications before mine, Oren was able to advise which parts of my stories would resonate, and I appreciated that he was always generous and upfront with his feedback.
I eventually received an offer from my dream school and spent less than what other companies would have charged for such services. I would definitely recommend Oren to anyone who is thinking about working with an admissions consultant!”
Eunice L.
Columbia Business School
“The experience I had with Oren was nothing short of exceptional. He helped me think critically as I dug deep in my essays, allowing me to bring out important aspects of myself into my applications that I otherwise would not have thought to include on my own. His edits to my essays, resume, and my overall applications were enormously helpful, and I never felt like he was doing the work for me. He always challenged me to refine my ideas, and I ultimately came out of the experience a much stronger writer. I feel prepared after working with Oren to not only pursue a Master of Public Policy at my top choice program, but fully intend to use his expertise for additional scholarship opportunities as well as the eventual pursuit of a joint degree in law. I highly recommend Oren to anybody who is ready to dedicate significant time to refining their applications but is also ready to see the results of the hard work they put in. I got into three top MPP programs, with two garnering me over $50k in scholarships.”
MPP Candidate
Harvard Kennedy School