After a lot of research on consulting companies, I decided to go with August Academy. Karthik guided me throughout the application process - starting from the selection of B-schools to apply to - one of the steps that I dreaded the most. His approach is very professional and well educated. He helped me in putting the best of myself out there through my resume, essays and letter of recommendations. He enhanced the uniqueness of my application by helping me develop ideas for my essays from my life stories and not compose them himself. I believe that I was profoundly benefited through the extensive experience he had with his other MBA candidates over the years.

I had a great Experience with Karthik at the August academy. I was initially a bit hesitant since I did not feel comfortable with paying so much money for the applications process. But I think it was really worth every penny.There was a clarity of process and thought which Karthik brought to the table- that helped to streamline my applications and eventually I did get into HEC Paris- which was one of the top 3 colleges I aspired for.Apart from actually ensuring the correct content for the applications, this coaching helped me to work on my writing skills, resume building, interviews and develop a more linear structured way of thinking. I got to know myself as a person better.I would recommend August academy for anyone who is aspiring to get into some of the Top B-schools and who is keen to also invest time in the applications process.

Decided to go with Karthik primarily because in our initial email exchanges he was quick to revert to my queries in straight to the point, no-nonsense style. This approach suited me well. And throughout the admissions process remained the same.So in the same no-nonsense style, Ill give you reasons to work with Karthik for your MBA admissions process.A. He provides a step by step guide for the entire process along with useful templates. This brings much-needed clarity in terms of what you need to do and when, and in some cases why.B. He will make sure you do all the work, and you will thank him for that later. It helps you in the interviews and does wonders to your confidence.C. He offers unlimited reviews for resume as well as essays. This goes on till both of you are satisfied with the outcome (or you have run out time)D. He gives feedback thats easy to understand, actionable and often helps you bring out the best in you.E. You will not have to waste your energy in following up since he sets clear deadlines for all the activities and strictly adheres to them.F. Beyond all this, he is easy to communicate with. I feel thats the biggest USP because during this process you really need someone who would help you identify the winning stories from your cluttered story-board.Please be cognizant that working with a consultant does not mean it gets any easier, you will still have to do most of the heavy lifting. (Just like working with a fitness trainer) but the best trainer often helps you achieve the best results.So go for it. Wish you all the very best!

Working with Karthik and August Academy on my B-School applications was an excellent experience. Together, we worked on 5 applications out of which I scored an admit from Tuck and a waitlist from UCLA even in an extremely hard application cycle.From the get-go I appreciated Karthiks honest and open communication style. In our first conversation, he helped me think through the range of schools that were realistic targets given my profile and GMAT score. Yet, he let me know that he was open to changing our strategy if I wanted to be more ambitious. And I did. Karthik was also open to letting me position my story the way I wanted to - he is a firm believer in authenticity and would often nudge me in the right direction when he felt that I wasnt being true to my goals and ambitious. We often brainstormed a plan B w.r.t story positioning but our priority would always be to run with what felt right.Another thing with Karthik is that you can always know what to expect. He uses Asana as a project management tool with his clients and I found this to be extremely helpful in staying on top of all the various to-dos that an applicant needs to address. He was also prompt in his review of my essays, resume, and other documents - you could pretty much expect an in depth review within 48 hrs. This helped me manage my internal application deadlines with ease. Having said that, Karthik was always open to working on a tighter deadline if the matter was urgent and needed his review.One thing I particularly liked about his process was his ability to ask the right questions during our brainstorming process. Often, we do not dig deep enough when trying to answer essay questions in MBA applications. We have an ongoing narrative in our head which we rely heavily on. But if you ask the right questions, there is often a much more meaningful reason and core belief that is guiding your decision making. Karthik was a pro at doing this and it massively improved the quality of the essays we worked on together.Finally, something that really helped take my application to the next level was just the sheer number of reviews each of my essays went through. Karthik and I would often go up to as many as 5 drafts of the same essay before we froze it. Knowing that I had the option of doing multiple iterations of the essay allowed me to take more risks in the writing and craft better essays.I will forever be grateful for Karthiks guidance throughout the process. Will 100% recommend using his services if youre looking for a good mentor to guide you through the B-school application process.

You would definitely get your bang for the buck!!! He transforms our application material to world class. You will feel it!!!

Securing an admit from a top B School is tough but finding the right person who would take you there is even tougher. After a lot of deliberation over whom to choose, I decided to go with August Academy. The primary reason was Karthiks stellar academic achievement. Karthiks no spoon feeding attitude not only made the grueling application process feel interesting and fun but also helped me at work and outside. The starter files that he prepared brought the unique qualities out of me to be put down in application essays. He would never give up on his students and would constantly motivate them throughout the application process. Through the constant effort that he has put, I was able to get an admit from one of my dream B Schools with 60% scholarship. I would really like to thank Karthik for helping me with my applications and wish him much more success in the present and future.

I worked with Karthik for 5 schools in round 2. I was targeting all schools which were in top 10. Karthik guided me through the process, making me well aware of the risks but was supportive on how to achieve the aim. When I had contacted Karthik, my whole application was rusty. He worked patiently with me spending almost a month ironing out kinks in my resume and my professional goals. The best part was that he understood my part of the story why I wanted to pursue Mba, which helped me create compelling stories for the application. The other thing that I really liked working with karthik was his organization through Asana. It made life so much easier anytime I needed any content reviewed by him. I ended up getting interview call from Mit-sloan, Yale and Berkeley-Haas. I was put on the waitlist for Yale and Haas and ended up converting those. The step by step help provided by karthik during my waitlist period, really helped me be in meaningful constant touch with the admission team. I would like to give a shout out to him for his constant support and guidance that ultimately helped me get admit into my dream school.

The decision to pursue an MBA from a top US B-school was made by me in late August of 2020. Having not prepared for GMAT or applied to international B-schools previously, I needed a mentor who could guide me through the arduous end-to-end process of b-school applications.In my introductory call with Karthik, I was particularly impressed by how quickly he could understand my case and motivations, and propose a clear plan of action. Karthik is very structured and professional in his communication style. Unlike many admissions consultants who come across as salesmen during the initial discussions with candidates, Karthik shared with me a realistic view of what could and could not be achieved within the available timelines and with my profile. Furthermore, Karthik’s exemplary personal qualifications and credibility of August Academy’s as an AIGAC member along with the opportunity to directly work with Karthik convinced me to enroll for his services.I worked with Karthik on a 5-school package. Karthik adopts a very structured approach to the entire application process and breaks it down into several smaller modules which makes it easier for candidates to work upon efficiently. Additionally, usage of project management tools such as Asana supports this approach further.The key value add that Karthik brings is his ability to break down a college essay question into what it exactly asks for and what it does not. This is particularly important as most essay questions have word limits and the worst mistake an applicant can make is frame the best answer for the wrong question. Having worked with him on applications for 4 of the top 5 US B-schools and another top 10 B-school, I was able to secure interview invites from 4 of the 5 schools. The stories and essay answers drafted for these colleges allowed me to apply to several other top 15 US B-schools in round 2 itself. This would not have been possible without Karthik’s mentorship and guidance and throughout the process.I ended up interviewing for 9 schools and secured admits to 5 B-schools with hefty scholarships in few of them. Additionally, I was waitlisted in 2 of the top 5 B-schools. I have decided to enroll at Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley due to a strong fit with the school culture and with my career goals. This is a school which I may not have applied to in the first place, due to its small batch size and high selectivity, had it not been for Karthik who recommended me to apply despite the challenges.I would highly recommend Karthik and August Academy to all serious MBA aspirants who are seeking sincere and honest guidance to help them secure admits to top global B-schools. He is not someone who will write your essays or draft your resumes. Rather Karthik would act as a sounding board to efficiently guide you throughout the application process.

I was referred to Karthik @August Academy by a couple of colleagues who had worked with him before. I worked with him in Round 1 of 2019 for 4 US-based MBA programs.I had spoken to multiple MBA consultants at the beginning of the application cycle and had my doubts about how personalized their approach would be. I wanted to work with someone who would personally spend time to understand my story and then guide me to present it in a convincing manner. After my initial conversation with Karthik, I was convinced that his approach suited me the best and I wasnt disappointed.Karthik follows a very systematic and structured approach to the application process. His use of an online productivity tool made it much simpler to manage multiple tasks. We began with a set of starter questions which helped me compile all my experiences and achievements in a succinct manner. This exercise made the rest of the process relatively straightforward as I had the relevant reference material for the essays and the resume.Calling Karthik a consultant would be a bit of an understatement as he was more like a mentor and friend to me. He helped me pick me a set of schools and had a unique and tailored perspective on each one. He was the perfect sounding board who helped structure my thoughts in the right direction and often brought an outside-in perspective to my essays. He was always available for a chat about the smallest of doubts, even in peak admission season and responded to most queries within 48 hours.Thanks to Karthik, I received admits from three (with a hefty scholarship from one school) top-12 U.S.-based schools along with a place in the waitlist at another top-5 U.S. school. I would suggest all future aspirants to set up a chat with Karthik to understand how beneficial it will be to have him by your side in this rigorous process.

After having unsuccessful admission round 2 in 2018, I reached out to Karthik to work with three schools in Round 1 2019. I found him very understanding and helpful person. He was very systematic in his approach and knew what he was doing, what the applicants’ strengths were and how to leverage them.We started working on Resume and he made sure that every bullet point highlighted my key strengths and impact I had at work and in community involvement. After Resume we started working on essays. What I really liked about him was that he ensured that every word in essay was making sense and answered the question that was asked in essay. Sometime as applicant, one starts to use flashy words hoping that they would impress adcom but he made sure that I did not fall into that trap.He really helped me in structuring my essays and we were able to highlight the right aspects of my background and tell a meaningful and authentic story. Apart from his essay and resume review, he also conducted webinars with adcoms of top B schools which I felt allowed me to know more about those schools on more personal level. He conducted live sessions on resume, essay and career goals etc. with his other clients and I really leveraged those sessions to make my application stronger.After going through one unsuccessful and one successful application process I can say that it is because of his meticulous and committed efforts I could get admit from Duke Fuqua - my top choice. I would encourage prospective applicant who is looking for not just a MBA consultant but a guide, mentor and most importantly friend to work with Karthik. I am glad to have him on my side.

I have worked with Karthik from August Academy for my full-time MBA applications and accredit a huge part of my success at getting admits to his guidance, support and inputs. Being an early career applicant it was difficult road for me to tread, but Karthik helped me in every step of the journey. He provided valuable inputs in choosing the right B-Schools to apply to, based on my interest, profile and fit. He was nothing less than a mentor in the process of building my story, perfecting my resume and writing my essays, as he constantly pushed me to not be complacent and do better with each revision we made. He has a very streamlined method to manage multiple applications through Asana, which helped us both keep track of our progress. It due to the extra effort and time he put in during the last leg of my application timeline that I was able to successfully submit my applications and secure admits from two of the three schools I had applied to, and that too with scholarships!

When I first reached out to Karthik, I was, like many others, doubtful about taking MBA application guidance from a consultant. I was skeptical of essential bits of my story getting lost between multiple team members and of not having control over my application. With Karthik, however, it was different - he works with applicants through the entire process and his understanding of what business schools look for in applicants convinced me that he was going to be a value addition to my MBA application journey.Karthik has a structured process to help you build your personal story. He was always available to chat and discuss, even in peak application season. Karthik is not the kind of consultant who will tell you what to write in your essays or write your essays for you. Instead, he’s like a sounding board – I would bounce my ideas off him and he would help to structure my thought process, often lending different perspectives as well.I also liked that I had the chance to interact with other applicants in August Academy and with AdCom members from different schools through the webinars that he organized over the months.Karthik was a vital part of my success in being accepted at my schools of choice (including Kellogg) and I would certainly recommend him as an MBA admissions consultant!

Show, don’t tell – This quote sums up my experience working with Karthik.I failed to secure interviews in the previous admissions season, so I decided to work with a consultant this season. In the initial brainstorming call itself, I could see Karthik’s expertise on profile evaluation and school selection. He is very realistic about the profile evaluation – a quality only found only in top tier consultants.The entire process is well structured. I was able to retrospect and scope out many experiences that I would have otherwise ignored. Additionally, I was able to refer back to these experiences throughout the process and pick up stories that would better fit the application. We went through multiple rounds of resume reviews, and I was surprised by the quality of the end product. Karthik’s tips helped me to highlight the stellar aspects of my profile in the resume. I really enjoyed our conversations during these calls, and I found that, for reasons unknown to me, I was able to think of ideas and approaches to essays that I would have otherwise not even considered.For each essay, we created a structure during the call and discussed the various aspects that must be highlighted. Karthik patiently reviewed the essays multiple times, scrutinizing each sentence and evaluating if the sentence has any value add – I believe this a trait that only comes with experience. The mock interviews were vital and helped me prepare and present the best version of me during the actual interview. I was also blown away by some of the tool used throughout the entire process.What I really liked about working with Karthik is that the onus is on the applicant to take the initiative and do the required research/network. It is like a Pre-MBA Crash Course, and the process very essential to learn and experience.Karthik’s results speak for themselves. I’ve already secured an admit at a top 20 school, and I hopefully have another one on the way. I wholeheartedly recommend anyone to take up Karthik’s guidance in helping with the application, especially for folks from the overrepresented category.

Karthik has a very methodical approach towards B-school applications. He does not use a cookie cutter method towards different applications. I remember that we collaborated on many applications and he helped me recall instances to highlight what mattered to each school specifically. He pushed me to write a better version of my resume and really did bring out the best in me. He spent time reviewing my essays and resume in detail, that they were edited multiple times before the final draft was ready.He differentiates himself from other service providers in the industry as he gives complete creative freedom to a candidate to highlight his/her accomplishments and life experiences and then pushes them to bring out the best version forward. So far I have been accepted in one school, waitlisted for one and have two interviews lined up. I have also received a scholarship for 5k per year and a GA decision is awaited.I am very happy I approached August Academy for my B-school applications and loved working with Karthik on my applications. I will recommend him to anyone who wants to get accepted into a B school of his/her choice.

I was referred to Karthik by a friend who just graduated from MS-SDM program at MIT Sloan.Although Karthik doesnt encourage face to face meetings, he accepted my request to meet him in person. After an hour discussion, I instantly decided to work with him.I really liked the way Karthik manages the calls and schedules. The project management tool that Karthik uses made my tasks a lot simpler.Karthik gave me a set of assignments even before we started working on my profile and resume.I basically have to write a lot about myself. By the end of the assignments, I was confident thatI will come up with an impressive resume.Although I had a list of colleges in mind, I wasnt 100% sure whether these colleges are the right fit for me. As I did not have a 700+ GMAT score, I thought I will never get into a top B-school in US with a scholarship. But I always wanted to do my MBA in US. He took into considerations all my preferences and suggested me a set of colleges in US.I opted for 3 schools comprehensive package. Karthik prepared a well-defined tasks list for each college. I had a few close deadlines and Karthik took care of essay reviews well before the deadlines. I was always looking forward to the brainstorming calls. I could ask him any kind of questions. He gives a lot of insights from his personal experiences. After our brainstorming calls, I will exactly know how to approach my essays.Karthik conducted a mock interview which covered almost all the questions that one would expect in an MBA admission interview. I had the mock interview just a couple of hours before my actual interview. He recorded the entire mock interview call and shared it for my introspection.It was a great experience working with Karthik. I am happy and excited to join a dual degree MBA/MS-MIS program at one of the top US colleges with 50% scholarship.

I worked with Karthik on 5 school applications and I got admits from 3 of them including Kellogg. Karthik is well rounded consultant whose inputs were useful at every stage of the application.Through his storytelling approach, he helped me discover the true spikes in my career which led tovery interesting stories. I had a good resume but lacked stories that could engage and excite the admissions teams. Karthik spent lot of time understanding my perspectives and through these collaboration sessions, we discovered the right approach to each college.I also relied heavily on Karthik’s insights and recommendations while choosing the portfolio of colleges to apply to. He helped me create a very balanced bucket list that aligned to my future ambitions. He recommended 8 colleges that I ended up applying to (Even though I leveraged Karthik’s services for only 5)Unlike other consultants that I spoke to, I found Karthik very approachable and understanding.Throughout the whole application process, Karthik was as involved and committed as myself. At times, I submitted drafts day before the application timelines and Karthik still always took out time to review them. The humane side of this professional relationship is something that I truly enjoyed.

I gave my GMAT in July 2018 and secured an average 710.Up till then, I had thought that GMAT was the biggest challenge and rest everything else would be easy in comparison. However, that is not the case and I soon came to realize that I would be needing all the help I could get to make it to the schools I was targeting. The B-School application is a holistic process and it requires that you look back and introspect. In my opinion, the entire application process kind of gives you a little taste of what B-School will be like. I finally decided to approach Karthik from August Academy and quickly realized that I had made the right decision.Karthik has a very systematic way of working which is designed to draw out the best in everyone he works with. He quickly grasped my strengths, weaknesses, personality and the way I approached problems.Karthik pushed me to look at my life and think about all my different experiences, small and big, and their impact on me. I never would have thought about those things myself, honestly - I did not know I had such interesting stories to tell.Karthik also would never try to influence or embellish my essays. My words, language, writing style and stories were all mine. Authentic and original. We would go back and forth until we found the ‘perfect fit’Karthik is also very professional while being understanding at the same time - this is something I admire very much about him. There were times when I would freak out about one thing or the other and I also know it as a fact that I could not have been an easy client to work with and could be very stiff at times but Karthik was very accommodating and encouraged me to do my best and not let any setback affect me. He also ensured that each of my applications was of the highest quality.I now have an admit from one of my top choices with an 80% scholarship and am awaiting results for a few other schools. Karthik truly helped me to portray the best version of myself. I couldn’t be happier with the resultS and would strongly recommend August Academy if you truly wish to give your MBA applications your best shot!!

Securing a place at a top business school isn’t just about a good GMAT score. It is a comprehensive evaluation in which you need to highlight your candidacy through multiple application elements such as essays, recommendations, resume and finally an interview. I realized this pretty early on after speaking to my friends who were studying at business schools and can attest to it after spending almost six months going through this grueling process myself.The silver lining in this entire experience was that I had Karthik guiding me all along. Generically, as Indians, we start our school research pretty late unlike our western counterparts. Thus, quite a few of us may end up applying to schools based on flawed assumptions and without solid understanding of our own potential. Karthik helps to really calibrate our school selection based on his prior experience of working with students having similar profiles and does a fabulous job at that. His insights are truly amazing!There were two things that I absolutely loved about working with Karthik. First, the brainstorming session which was conducted before beginning work on my essays. This really helped me to understand the essay statement, the structure in which I should answer and also select the stories to highlight. I found myself being forced to think on the experiences which were to be written about, which in my opinion is the most challenging and important part of an essay. Later on, Karthik ensured that my essays underwent multiple revisions (all words mine), gently nudging me in the right direction until we were both happy with the final outcome. By the end of working on my first school, my personal motto had become: “Make your essays bleed”. That’s the only way you’re getting Karthik’s approval!Second, the use of Asana. This tool helped us to keep a track of our progress online (and on the go via a mobile app) while not getting bogged down with the multiple activities going on simultaneously. This tool kept me on my toes with automated reminders for finishing/ scheduling multiple tasks. He adhered to his set timelines and I always received a prompt response, which sometimes led me to question myself, when does he sleep? Haha!I also had a fabulous time working with him on my interview prep, the most crucial part of which was to understand the question being asked. He really drilled this point home and as a result I was fortunate to have a 100% interview conversion rate.Working with him, I have admits from three top 20 US schools and in his words it is a good problem to have in deciding which one to attend! This is the quintessential Karthik, always understanding and practical. I now realize that I have not only successfully negotiated the mysterious admissions process but also gained a friend and mentor for life!I will strongly recommend him for any future applicants. Trust me, you’ll have a great time working alongside him!

If you’re an Indian Engineer looking to get into business school, August Academy should be your go-to consultant. As an overrepresented minority looking to stand out from the sea of applicants, you need someone who can help you position and highlight your strengths and mitigate your weaknesses. Karthik understands the challenges of trying to make the career switch from engineering to business, and helps you create your own unique story.After my first consultation with Karthik, I was convinced that he could help me create a successful application. He does not immediately dive in with a set list of colleges, but makes you introspect about your goals and ambitions and your own “why MBA” story first. His series of starter essays forces you to think about your strengths, weaknesses and motivations and he uses these to get a clearer picture of your personality and candidature. He also provides honest and objective feedback so you understand what areas of your application would need more focus. This exercise also helped me structure my own thoughts and I found myself returning to these notes as I worked on my application essays. He then helps you research and shortlist the right schools for you, and even guides you on how to network with students at your preferred schools. Once you get started, he helps you dig deep and choose the best stories for each essay, and gives you clear and honest critique on your writing. Do not expect him to handhold you through your essay writing (you must write your essays yourself), but rest assured that you will be receiving in-depth notes and comments on your essays well past midnight.The B School admissions process can be gruelling and exhausting, but Karthik ensures that you stay positive and encouraged through this period. He also helped me prep for my interview, and calmed my nerves by making me walk through all kinds of behavioural questions. The interview prep turned into an insightful discussion of my eventual goals after MBA. As an automobile engineer, I was glad for the guidance in this respect, as this gave me a glimpse of how I could leverage my skills in the future.Karthik has been instrumental in my success in the application process. He is clear, to-the-point and dedicated. I would strongly recommend him to any prospective MBA candidates.

The same Manchester United team that finished 1st in the 2012-13 season finished 7th a year later. What was the difference – the manager and coaching staff.I got admits from two Top 10 schools (with 40k in scholarship) in the US this year (2018), in what was my first attempt at applying, and this was down to the coaching I got from Karthik. He’s been incredibly supportive over the past 8 months, helping me get through a tough application cycle during what was a tough time for me personally. Karthik is very thorough in his approach and makes you introspect considerably as he guides you towards crafting authentic and credible stories.Karthik helped me right from shortlisting schools, to re-doing my resume, to drafting essays and prepping for interviews. I think it’s very important to be able to tell signal from the noise when it comes to not only articulating your personal stories but also making sense of the clutter of data and information on MBA programs available online.I considered five other admissions consultants before zeroing in on August Academy in late April and they most definitely did not let me down. I am grateful for all the help I’ve received from Karthik and feel that August Academy provides you a service that is at par with, if not better than, global admissions consultants and gives you the best bang for your buck.

August Academy has helped me in many ways while enduring the tedious b-school application process and interview preparation. Karthik is very well versed with the entire MBA admission process. In the first meeting, he analysed my profile thoroughly and suggested list of schools that I should be aiming for. Once I short listed on the schools, he and I had further meetings for each school and finalized on the strategy to approach each b-school application. These meetings have helped me put down points that represent me accurately. The mock interview sessions conducted by him have helped me realise my areas of strengths and weakness and fine-tune my interviewing skills.In the entire application process journey, Karthik has been a strong motivator and a mentor. He has provided all the scenarios that I could land up in by taking up a certain path. This has been pivotal for me in making thorough decisions without any second thoughts. On the whole I am very satisfied with the services of August Academy and would definitely recommend this admission consultant firm to my friends.

When I finally got a good score in GMAT, I knew that this was just the beginning of the entire application process. I wasnt very confident in applying alone and wanted some guidance. So, I started to search for consultants and opted for Karthik from August academy. I chose the 5 school package.I was skeptical at first regarding this decision, but sooner realized that it was a great choice. The amazing thing about working with Karthik is that he understood my profile completely by brainstorming exercises and was down-right honest about the schools I could apply to, depending on my profile.Another impressive element is that Karthik asked me to write the essays on my own and provided only inputs to make it better. This helped me to bring in individuality to my essays. Karthik also used to conduct live webinar sessions with ad-com officers from leading schools. These sessions were very helpful for me. He was also pretty flexible with call appointments after understanding my job nature and this helped me greatly.My dream was to get into a top-15 B-school in the US and, I successfully applied to Haas, Tuck, Ross, Anderson, and Mccombs with Karthiks help. I got the interview invite from 3 schools and finally got an offer from Anderson (with good scholarship).Im so excited about the offer and this wouldnt be possible without help from Karthik. All in all, the mentorship and encouragement provided by Karthik helped me to navigate the application process with ease and precision.I would enthusiastically recommend Karthiks services for anyone looking for an MBA admission consultant.

In August 2017, I contacted August Academy. :) Since then Karthik has been a great mentor and support. In round 2, I received 4 interview invites out of 5 top-15 schools we applied to. I have already received an early admit from UCLA with 100K USD scholarship. While helping me right from conceptualisation to depiction to refinement, his biggest help was to not let me settle for mediocracy. He made me do some 4-5 iterations of some essay by providing me strategic feedback and pointing out even minutest logical fallacies. That really helped.

I worked with Karthik for Fall 18 Full time MBA applications. I started with my essays quite late but thanks to Karthiks intensive involvement, I was able to complete my applications on time. His quick responses decreased the turnaround time for each essay and resume draft iteration. He helped me simplify the technical jargons in a way that it becomes easier for adcoms to get an idea about my work experience. The brainstorming sessions were particularly helpful to extract stories that could be used to demonstrate the strength and challenges out of my life events in the application. He continuously encouraged me to convey my thoughts in best possible way to the adcoms in mock interviews. I found his art of explaining complex logic using examples very useful. Karthik is so approachable that there were instances when I was running out of time because of looming application deadlines and he graciously accepted my request to provide the edits in a day..

The decision to pursue an international MBA is a big one. And anyone who has tread this path would concur. At that juncture, the right guidance and help from someone who is well versed with, the entire process is extremely valuable.After talking to four or five admission consultants when I spoke to Karthik from AugustAcademy, I knew at that very moment that my search has ended. Karthik is extremely professional, very systematic, punctual and prompt. Furthermore, the calmness in his voice and tone actually gives you very positive feeling.I signed up for a package of three schools with Karthik. Given my work exp, I was not too inclined to do a two-year MBA and so my focus was mainly on the European one-year MBA programs. In the first interaction, Karthik helped me understand the format in which we would work. The excel spreadsheet detailed out how we would go about it - the number of edits, hours spent on reviewing/editing, duration of the phone calls, etc. To be honest, I wondered if that would actually work. But trust me when I say, the process is just perfectly cut out. By the end of the process, you would not just have secured admissions into the schools of your choice, you would have actually learnt a great deal about yourself.The best part of working with Karthik is that he would have you write your own essays/applications in your own style. He would guide you on to approach them, guide you with making them more coherent. And I think this is really important because that is what preserves the originality of your content and writing.Of the three schools, I applied to with Karthiks help, I got admits from two. I also applied to three other lower-ranked B-schools, and got admits from all three with stupendous scholarships and Forte fellowships. Thanks to Karthik for all his help and guidance that helped me achieve my dream.For B-school applicants who are looking for an admission consultant, I would highly recommend Karthiks AugustAcademy.

After failing to secure interviews in the previous admissions season, I decided to work with an admissions consult to improve my chances. During the profile review with Karthik, he reviewed my profile from adcoms perspective and he immediately found that I lacked the focus in my short term plans. I chose to work with him for 3 school package. We first brainstormed and narrowed down my short term plans, which went a long way in my Essays and my admissions interviews. Karthik also helped me fine tune my CV for the MBA applications.Karthik, is honest and realistic when selecting schools to apply to. We selected school based on my profile and post MBA plans.We worked on each essay from scratch. When working on the essays, Karthik laid down a skeleton, based on the my strengths and experiences, for each application essay. The essays were written by me and then Karthik reviewed them a couple of times, giving me pointers to make sure the essay is to the point and help me highlight my strengths for each university. I was invited to interview for all 3 of them. I got accepted into Carlson School of Management (my target school), with half tuition fees scholarship.Even though Karthiks charges may seem high, he helped me present the best version of myself and which helped me get into my target school with scholarship. All in all, it was a very fruitful experience.

I had reached a cross-road in my life, after nearly 8 years of IT experience. I knew I was lacking in certain key skill and competencies, if I needed to move up the career ladder. Gaps like in finance, project management, leadership, etc. I knew I had to do an MBA, it became my goal and purpose in life.I decided to do my MBA in USA, but was unsure if I could manage to do a decent job with the application. That’s when I found out about August Academy, run by Karthik a great mentor and guide. He could have been in a great job, armed with top qualifications from IIT and Stanford. He taught me about self-realisation, how to assess my strengths and weaknesses. How to define a career goal. And went through painstakingly the SOP’s and essays, giving valuable feedback. It’s only with his help I got into UCONN in USA. I could not have managed without the inputs by August Academy and Karthik!

To all those still contemplating on the benefit of hiring a consultant, please hire one, even if you think you know what you are doing. For me, it was not until I wasted a cycle of admissions, did I realise I wasn’t doing enough. I then decided to hire August Academy to help with my admissions and it was the best decision ever. Especially given my background (Indian), I felt the need for an admission consultant even more – writing essays in a way eloquent enough and at the same time in a well-directed manner is a skill not many know.I initially started off on my own and struggled to get any calls. I did get a call from a Canadian school, but largely due to my GMAT score and yet which dint convert. I did not realise the importance of essay writing at that point. I was then referred to August Academy by a GMAT club acquaintance. I contacted Karthik, who did a profile review and gave me some nice pointers on what works in my profile. I was a 31 year old at that time which is towards the higher end of the age range that US schools admit. However, we brainstormed to understand my profile at granular level. This later helped me in writing essays.The entire process for large part takes place over “Asana” where Karthik creates tasks and I had to complete them within a deadline. Usually, he takes about 2 or 3 days to review the work, but for me he did give some leeway as I struggled with a few quick deadlines with schools. We had to submit the application for Stern within 10 days of submitting the app for Columbia. This was a herculean task and yet we could do it because we had it all planned out in “Asana”.Karthik’s style of working is probably similar to other international consultants. Unlike the Indian admission consultants, he doesn’t write your essay, rather, he provides a direction. The language essentially would still be of the applicant. This is ethically and morally the right thing to do. For those who get essays written by others, a caveat for you guys – schools do check for language consistency and if it sounds like you may not have written the essays, they could reject your candidature even after getting an admit.Where Karthik excels is his ability to pick the right story for the essay. I think I could navigate through some really difficult essays mainly because of his guidance. In the end it all bore fruit. I worked with him for 4 schools and I received interview calls for 3 of them. I got admit from two of them. He may come off as slightly on the expensive side, but be assured that the services you get would be of very high quality. 5 stars to him!

This is the story of an engineer working very hard in a small town in Odhisa. He decides to explore a new option. Let’s dream of something big. So he starts a new journey, preparation of MBA. The first step was rigorous preparation for GMAT. Finally, he succeeded in securing a decent enough score.Then his situation resembled a sailor set ashore towards invaluable wealth but he had no idea how to tame aggressive tides and how to encounter the difficulties in his way. A big ship helped him to steer his way through the turbulent tides. The ship had a very experienced captain. He was very efficient in figuring out the strategies for a successful venture.Now a new journey started for the engineer guy. He learned about how to gather his thoughts efficiently in an essay. He understood the major requirements of any prime B school and their expectations from a potential applicant. Slowly all the complications were abolished. Moreover, a hardcore technical person transformed into a successful management aspirant.Lets introduce the characters of this story. The engineer is Shatam Bhattacharyya, an Instrumentation and Electronics engineer from Jadavpur University and a victorious person in professional life at Tata Steel. The big ship is August Academy.August Academy was an integral part of my journey of MBA applications.This institute is unique in following ways-1. This academy understands the candidates profile and career aspirations in a specialized manner. Main attention is focused on this part. As a result, any potential candidate can identify the career aspirants and the role of MBA in an effective way.2. Anyone can recognize his strengths and achievements, both at professional and extracurricular front through the unique initiative of creating Starter Files. I benefited immensely from these exercises. These were the foundations of my MBA application journey. These exercises helped me to get admission in one of the most premier Business School in India.

I took my GMAT quite late last year. Round 1 of application was over for all colleges and round 2 deadlines were approaching fast. Meanwhile I had not done any research for schools and programs. During this time I came to know about Karthik from gmatclub. I approached him, but since he was busy I decided to go with another company. That was a bad decision. They did a shoddy job for few of my applications and I realized it in time. For the rest 3 applications, I again approached Karthik, since I liked his no-nonsense but wise approach from our last conversation. This really was a game changer. He goaded and guided me in my application process, especially in essays. I was finally interviewed by two of the programs and got offer from one of them. Good thing about Karthik is that he really understands the essay topics and then guides you to write accordingly in your own language. His feedback is extremely helpful. I come from a technical background and my resume reflected that with lots of technical jargon. He helped me in cleaning the clutter in my resume and bringing the significance of roles in terms of quantifiable business goals.

I availed Karthiks admission consultancy service during application cycle of 2016-2017. I applied to seven B-Schools in the US under the guidance of Karthik. Out of seven, I was interviewed in six colleges. As I worked on my application with Karthik and as I got to know him better, I found Karthik brilliant and expert in the application process. He knows inside-outside of admission committee mindset, helping me to streamline my thoughts while I was writing my essays and tweaking my CV for B-School applications. I also found him very honest in his commitment and disciplined in essay review approach. He helped me to structure my story, making it very compelling to the schools. Overall I will say that if you want yourself to be saved from many poorly offered admission consultancies (also unverified ones) available on the net and looking for real expert, Karthik is the only person for your quest.

After pondering over half a dozen admission consultants, I finally decided to go with August Academy. My results are a testimonial to the effectiveness of Karthiks streamlined method. I applied to six schools and was invited to interview with five of those; withdrew my application from one school, and was finally waitlisted at one and admitted to two schools with substantial scholarships.My experience of working with Karthik has been nothing but wonderful. He spends a lot of time getting to know you and your story, including your personality type. Although, to some it may sound as unnecessary, but believe me, this is a very essential part of the puzzle. This getting to know you process will reveal vital character traits and revelatory anecdotes. I felt I had not much of significance to say in my essays. But Karthiks constant prodding proved me wrong. Soon I realized how true Dostoyevsky was when he wrote, But how could you live and have no story to tell?.Next came the essay writing part. Here, Karthik has an ethical policy that he does not change much of the language. This is a boon for us applicants. The chiefly unchanged language ensures that your own, unique voice resonates through your writing, and your narrative is much more convincing.But this is not to say that whatever you write will do. Karthik will be constantly at your elbow, gently prodding and guiding you; urging you to go into more detail into a topic he thinks is important or asking you to cut down a long-winded narrative which he thinks does not add much value.To top it all, I was really impressed by his turn around time, even during the extremely busy time around R2 deadlines. On top of it all, he is easily accessible, and you can seek his advice and have discussions with him on topics not strictly related to your essays, e.g. moving to a new country for education, securing visa, etc. While most admissions consultants limit the number of consultations they do, Karthik works with you on a part of your application until he feels that we had made the most out of it.Karthiks polite honesty, his dedication, and his professionalism make him standout among a sea of admissions consultants out there. I strongly recommend him to anyone thinking of hiring an admissions consultant. You cannot go wrong with Karthik.

I started to understand the admission process early this year. I was overwhelmed and confused. Some guidance came in the form of GMATclub, but it was clear I would need a proper guide for navigating these difficult waters.I looked at the available consultants, made the free consultations.August academy stood out as clear winner for various reasons:1. they use the raw material from the candidate and just mold it in a way to project the image perfectly.2. they dont change the language so the essays come out as your own,3. Karthik, my guide, is very understanding and considerate person. Very comfortable to work with.So, I took a three school package. We started out with the basic getting to know the candidate stage and preliminary write-ups. In one week with that done, and deadline just two weeks away we dived in with the school specific essays.It would have been impossible otherwise, but we managed to submit an 8 essay application in just 2 weeks. and a relatively smaller application in next 10 days. I got interview call from the both.Karthik prepared me up for the interviews, he gave me a set of all basic and specific questions. I prepared. We discussed. and when I was ready we did mock interviews. Which helped a lot. The last interview I had, was 6 years ago. So those practice sessions were like a godsend, which I really needed.In the end, we made application for two schools, Successful at IE business school and Waiting list at INSEAD.

TLDR: Karthik is awesome, hire him!For me, the best part of the entire August Academy experience was the opportunity to make Karthik’s acquaintance and work with him. I won’t bother listing out his accomplishments as I believe his profile speaks for itself, but what it doesn’t tell you is that he is a genuine & sincere individual who has your best interests at heart. He won’t sugar-coat the truth to keep your business, but at the same time he has a nuanced way of delivering it which won’t crush your confidence.I worked with Karthik on 4 applications to Top 10 US schools which led to 3 interviews and an offer with a significant scholarship. I was also waitlisted at one school and am awaiting the results of another. This has reinforced my opinion that Karthik has his finger on the pulse of the MBA admissions world and is usually very accurate in predicting your chances of getting in. He also enforces a process when you begin your journey with him that will allow you to examine all your priorities and what you really want to do post MBA.He is very approachable and uses all the latest tools in tech to make your collaboration intuitive and comfortable. Bear in mind, you will still have to put in the work yourself (no consultant worth their salt will do it for you), but the tools allow for a very fast turnaround time for feedback. This was great as I was doing my applications during a fairly strenuous period at work and managed to complete them well within the deadlines, without impacting my work output.Finally, my advice to anyone looking at August Academy would be this – if you want as yes man that will tell you how great your profile is you’ve just wasted 2 mins of your life reading this. However, if you want to be intellectually challenged and pushed by someone who is both passionate and practical, Karthik is one of the best out there.

If I have to make a list of people who had a significant impact on me and who contributed the most in my life, Karthik my counselor from August Academy would be one among them. Coming from a highly represented pool of typical Indian IT guys with GMAT above 700, I was facing a huge competition and was totally clueless on my application essays. I had interacted with many service providers and I can confidently say my admission into HEC Paris wouldnt have been possible had it not been with Karthik and August Academys help.Every aspect of the services provided by August academy make one understand ones profiles at a deeper level.By just working on my starter files my idea of my strengths changed drastically and at the same time, they made me pinpoint the exact reasons why MBA and how could it help me reach my goals.Working with Karthik feels like doing a smart and a critical introspective.He has put in a great effort to understand my profile, to the minute detail, question every tall claim I made and made sure I had substantial information to back my achievements. Their approach to resume preparation using the STAR methodology brought a stunning resume that highlighted my best aspects in a way comprehensible to the adcoms who can be from diverse backgrounds. I was very bad during my mock interviews and on one occasion during my ISB interview prep, Karthik worked with me late nights back to back, taking mock interviews, giving feedback and grooming me to the best level. The mocks were so helpful that I use the same lines to pitch my experience with almost everyone. In short, I strongly recommend August Academy not just for application essays but to have a deeper change in the way one approaches to promoting oneself at any level.

Initially when I decided to apply to B schools, I had no idea where to start from. I contacted a close friend of mine who had just secured admission in one of the top B schools. She recommended Karthik to me and I am glad I decided to go with him.Why?Because I applied to just 2 B schools and I got in both! Ivey with a $ 30,000 scholarship and Rotman with a $ 20,000 scholarship. Making the mistake of not giving my GMAT beforehand, I had limited time to study, draft essays, resumes, recommendations, video essays, prepare for interviews and deal with office work at the same time. But Karthik constantly pushed and motivated me to ensure I complete my application well before the timeline.The best part about Karthik is that he didn’t spoonfeed me - he gave me space to come up with my own story. He acted as a catalyst, guided me in the right direction, helped me identify and highlight key points in my essay. This was really important because I needed to own my goals and essays and talk passionately about them to be able to convince my interviewer that I would achieve those goals in the future.The advice and constructive criticism I received from Karthik while practicing my video essays and my mock interviews was extremely useful. I completely aced both my interviews - infact my Rotman interview was the best interview I had ever given in my life, even before it had ended I knew that the interviewer was really impressed and there was no way I wouldnt be selected. This was all possible because of the ample time Karthik had spent with my mock interviews - all the times he put me on the spot with really twisted behavioral questions gave a great boost to my confidence and my ability to tackle unexpected questions.Karthik was also really organised with the to-do lists on Asana and the meeting booking on Calendly. I really liked Asana because it helped me keep a track of all the items pending on my plate and assign tasks to Karthik easily. The constant annoying reminders from Asana that cluttered my inbox kept me on my toes to finish all the tasks on time.All in all, it was a wonderful experience working with him and I would definitely recommend him to others.

I worked with Karthik for 7 of my R3 applications and converted 5 schools, including Olin.I gave my GMAT in January and then was faced with a challenge of completing the applications within a short span of time since R3 deadlines for international candidates were approaching.I approached two consultants before Karthik. One of them clearly told me that completing the applications on such a short notice is not possible. The other consultant showed me a rosy picture and assured me that by working with him Ill be able to get into the top 20 schools in R3. I chose to work with him since he reassured me of good results with a guarantee. He started the application writing process without knowing anything about me. He wrote the first draft of essay himself, which was very philosophical and didnt go with my profile at all. I was disappointed.After going through the GMAT club reviews of August academy, I spoke to Karthik. The best thing that I liked about Karthik is that he is so straightforward and honest with you. He told me that R3 will be very difficult to crack and he cant promise top 20 schools but we will certainly try and not give up.He took his time to know about me and wanted me to make my story unique. He really worked hard on me and pushed me to write quality essays on my own. He gave me the liberty of writing the first draft the way I wanted to and then we would polish it more through iterations.Throughout my application journey, Karthiks suggestions were instrumental. He gave the right suggestions at the right time. He was also very quick in responding to my queries and also worked on weekends with me when the deadlines were very near. He was very professional and never edited the language of my essays. This indeed helped me as my essays sounded more natural. He is the most organized and systematic person to work with, which makes the application process so much simple. We were able to complete the applications of 7 schools in 25 days.I sincerely thank Karthik for his guidance in making my dream come true.

When I first contacted Karthik, I had not yet given my GMAT. He evaluated my profile, helped me identify my strengths and weaknesses and motivated me to do well on the GMAT. He even suggested how to prepare for the GMAT.When I was playing safe with the selection of universities, Karthik encouraged me to apply for the bigger ones. I applied to 10 universities – 5 in R1 and 5 in R2. After I received admits from 4 universities in R1, I was happy about it and content. He asked me to apply to bigger universitiesI got interview invites from 8 universities and admits from 5.I will be joining a Top 15 ranked university this Fall. Thanks to Karthik for motivating me to aim higher.Before I started writing essays, he told me how to contact current students and alumni of the schools I was applying to and get vital information which will help me in my essays. After I had an idea of what to write in my essay, Karthik would help me structure my thoughts in a coherent way. And I was free to schedule an appointment to discuss about my essays until it was perfect. He did not limit me to the number of calls or hours as some consultants do.I found the discussions with Karthik to be more productive when I did some research on the school and made a rough structure for the essays.After attending 8 interviews, I can safely say I have become a pro at MBA Admission interviews. Karthik corrected my delivery style and taught me how to make proper eye contact with the interviewer.Karthik does more than what is expected of him. He motivates you to aim higher when you are content with the status quo. I would strongly recommend Karthik – August Academy to future MBA aspirants.AravinthUCLA Anderson school of Management

I have had a wonderful association with August Academy which eventually led to an Ivy League admit. (Yay!! ☺ ). The journey was as exciting as the result with many twists that came along the way. It was a real roller coaster ride with countless late night phone-calls, a few interview invites and some disappointments along the way.I was very impressed right from the first call we had when I was evaluating various admissions consultants. When I first spoke to Karthik, I had finally met an admissions mentor who did not focus on the no. of hours per discussion per candidate. Neither did he sell the same story to everyone. I could sense a genuine interest in Karthik to know me for the person that I was.Though I had researched a fair bit, Karthik’s inputs on various B-school cultures, their strengths and weaknesses etc. were helpful in narrowing down the list of schools that I should target. The first few discussions helped me discover my true motivations and realize my strengths and weaknesses.Karthik was extremely supportive, friendly and (I can’t stress this enough) patient through the entire process. Being the perfectionist that he is we worked on my story and each of the SoPs many times over.When things wouldn’t go according to plan, Karthik knew the right things to say to get you back on track. The myriad stories he shares about others he has helped are quite motivating as one can very easily relate to them.I believe that August Academy had a huge role to play in helping me achieve my goal and hope that they continue helping others the same way. All the best!!Best,SrinathSC Johnson Graduate School of Management, Cornell University

When I decided to apply for an MBA, I had some idea about my story but it wasn’t waterproof and that’s where Karthik made the biggest difference in my application. Discussions with Karthik (August Academy) were most productive if I did some homework about the colleges I was looking at. I initially found it frustrating that he wouldn’t give me a ready made storyline that would suit my background and future plans (as this was a common practice I noticed with the consultants my friends and colleagues were using) but in the long run I am really grateful that Karthik guided me to create my own story. He also suggested reading material to help me chalk out my ideas to get a better understanding of different post MBA professions. All of this meant that I didn’t have a common template which I tweaked a little bit to make it more personal but I had an original thought process from the word go and I was able to substantiate each part of my story and future plans. When both of us could not agree on something, Karthik was open to the idea of discussing and flushing out every detail (at times even having 2 calls a day or phone calls till 1 am in the night).He also conducted a pseudo interview to ensure that all the pieces of my puzzle fit together and this was done even before I wrote my first college essay. This activity alone ensured that I had a solid framework for most common questions of my long-term and short-term goals and why I chose them?Some essays go a little beyond asking about your professional plans where the admission office wants to get to know an applicant on a more personal level. It’s hard to figure out where to draw the line when you talk about personal stories. At such times, I had numerous discussions with Karthik where we vetted each story to check for its viability.One very important aspect of this process was the fact that we always looked at the essays while talking on the phone. It was crucial as I figured out the loopholes by myself most of times while combing through each and every sentence. I found this approach to be more effective than exchanging several emails with drafts of the same essay.Apart from researching on the colleges, he also pushed me to reach out in my network and talk to current students and alumni. I can’t stress enough about how important this aspect is; it adds a whole another level to your understanding which easily gets reflected in your application.I eventually managed to get interview calls from 3 of the top 11 ranked colleges (according to US news & World report) and got an admission offer from one. Everyone has their own stories but where most of us need help is in presenting it in the best way possible with the given constraints and Karthik does a brilliant job in helping applicants with that.

When I decided to take the plunge and apply to business schools, I was extremely nervous about the task that lay before me. As someone with limited corporate exposure (I’m an emergency doctor) I had no idea where to begin, including which schools to select. I had already spoken to several MBA consultants but was unconvinced. August Academy however, was a different story. When I spoke to Karthik, I sensed sincerity and a genuine interest in wanting to help me meet my objectives. Even before our conversation ended, I had decided to enlist his expertise.I found Karthik to be very systematic and organised. He broke down the application process into smaller tasks making it a lot more doable. Additionally, he spent ample time towards helping me clarify my goals, which was of immense help moving forwards. Based on my interests and strengths, we narrowed down a list of schools I ought to apply to, and chalked out a rough timetable for the next few weeks. Apart from constructing a plan, Karthik inspired self-belief and guided me through each step, and thus made this daunting process seem almost easy!Karthik was adept at assisting me craft professional essays that were unique and insightful. He mentored me in the art of essay writing, while simultaneously ensuring that the compositions be narrated with my own voice. Unlike other services, there was never any limitation on the number of discussions one could have. Moreover, Karthik was extremely prompt when it came to giving feedback regarding any drafts I’d sent. Even when floods in Chennai were making national headlines, Karthik somehow found a way to go online and critique my essays!Apart from the written submissions, Karthik coached me on how to handle various interviews. Thanks to his inputs I aced every interview I encountered!One of the issues applicants underestimate is the amount of emotional turbulence associated with the application process. The application process is time consuming and energy draining, as well as frustrating when a decision doesn’t go one’s way. In this regard, I was very grateful for Karthik’s support. Whenever I faced a setback, Karthik took out time from his schedule to call me and encourage me. Thanks to his efforts I was better able to cope with disappointments and kept moving forwards till I finally reached my goal!I attribute my success to Karthik’s guidance and wholeheartedly recommend the services at August Academy.