Miss Impact Consultant Didn’t Quit: ISB Admit with full ride on 3rd Try and 28 Lacs from Oxford

Shivangi had been in touch with us intermittently over two years, wrestling with a low GRE score and a second ISB rejection. On paper, she had strong impact consulting experience, but she struggled to translate her work into a compelling story, one that clearly showed the scale and significance of her impact. Many impact consultants face this: from the outside, it looks like they produce analyses and presentations for philanthropists and government bodies, but rarely is the depth of research, strategy, and decision-making behind these projects visible.

From our first conversations, we understood that Shivangi had untapped stories. She had her sights on INSEAD, but we were realistic. While INSEAD would be a stretch, refining her application with such an exhaustive application would position her strongly for other top programs.

Through our discussions, Shivangi rediscovered the impact of her work, projects she had taken for granted. Her fellowship contributions to India’s surrogacy laws, for example, had tangibly advanced women’s autonomy. On the grassroots front, she had identified how COVID-related fund diversions were devastating maternal health programs in regions with low infection rates, and she had designed interventions to redirect resources effectively. These were moments where her strategic insight directly affected women’s lives, examples she hadn’t fully recognized until we unpacked them together.

By surfacing these experiences, linking them to her long-term goals, and structuring them into a coherent narrative, we were able to help Shivangi pitch herself as a thoughtful leader with a clear vision. The result was scholarship offers from both ISB (100% tuition fee) and Oxford(28 Lacs INR), an outcome that validated both her capabilities and the power of articulating impact the right way.

In her very own words-

“I have received an admit from ISB and Said Business School (with around 28L scholarship) and besides my own hard work and luck, a huge credit goes to Aanchal. A little context:

I had applied to ISB twice before with a low GRE score. I was encouraged by a very reputed MBA consultant to apply in R1 last year. “No blames, the accountability lies solely on the applicant (me!). However, I was very surprised with their attitude when I didn’t make it (obv with a 317 GRE, duh!). The consultant stopped responding to my email / messages for feedback. It was while going through the forum that I stumbled upon Aanchal’s profile and researched a bit on her website. I was surprised to find her consulting charges far more reasonable than others (even for B-Schools abroad). Infact, that was a major reason I called her directly (best decision ever!). Without any hesitation, she told me that I won’t get an admit from any reputed B-school with my current GRE score. She pushed me to apply for European B-Schools along with ISB with a better GRE score.

Simultaneously, I also spoke to another famous consultant about getting support for INSEAD app. S/He simply asked me to ‘pay up’ and get started with my old GRE score. Just the sheer contrast in their approach made my choice very clear – I have to retake my GRE and work with Aanchal. While no one expects charity, honesty is a bare minimum expectation.”

I took 2 months off from work, gave my GRE in February , scored a good score and texted Aanchal to get started with my INSEAD application. INSEAD application is a beast, and she meticulously worked with me for over 2 months to help me curate my essays, while maintaining that our best might not be good enough. Her personal investment in improving my essays actually pushed me to give my best. She doesn’t shy away from calling out crap, puts in as much effort as the candidate does, if not more!

While I did’t get shortlisted from INSEAD, she stood as a solid pillar of strength throughout my applications for other B-schools. In fact, I repurposed a lot of my INSEAD essays for all my other apps. Very few people go beyond the package and seek genuine joy in setting people up for success. My association with her goes beyond an MBA application guide. I see her as my mentor and a friend.

So if you do not shy away from genuine hard work (I wrote around 7-8 drafts for each of the 2345596 INSEAD essay!!) and criticism, please do reach out to her. Working with her might exhaust you, challenge you and you may run out of ideas every now and then, but you will never run out of motivation. She is someone who will reflect back your energy and commitment in equal quantity!

I know it is a long post, but she deserves all the recognition and appreciation for her strong work ethics. Thank you so much Aanchal. I would have recommended her long back irrespective of my result. But without an admit, my recommendation would hold little value. Good luck to all future MBA candidates ”

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