Tyler Cormney
Tyler is an experienced MBA admissions consultant and is a co-founder of MBA Prep School. He started his admissions consulting career in 2006 with one of the leading firms in the field and has coached over 100 MBA applicants.
He is the co-author of How to Apply for an MBA, the essential guide to earning an acceptance letter from the world’s best business schools. He has also authored a “how-to” guide on admissions consulting used extensively by top admissions coaches and has published five guides on MBA essay strategies.
In addition to helping his clients prepare for success in the MBA admissions process, Tyler has worked as an independent strategy consultant for clients ranging from high-tech start-ups to Fortune 500 market leaders. He was a manager in Strategic Planning and Business Development at PeopleSoft, and started his career as a consultant in Arthur Andersen’s Business Consulting Services group, working in the US, Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Middle East.
Tyler holds a Harvard MBA, a Master’s in Professional Writing from the University of Southern California, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Honors Business from the University of Texas at Austin.
Testimonials
Below are testimonials from just some of Tyler’s successful clients:
Harvard Business School – Class of 2014
The MBA application process is excruciating and stressful, especially for re-applicants.
During last year’s application process, I initially thought that both my application and essays were strong. However, the eventual rejection signaled that I needed to go back to square one and objectively re-evaluate my application if I were serious about re-applying.
Given that using an admissions consultant is a significant investment, I was extremely diligent with my research process. I eventually spoke on the phone with six different admissions consultants. On each call, we covered a list of 15+ questions that I had. I also set up follow-up conversations with the front-runners with more questions. Eventually, I narrowed down my list to Tyler Cormney, MBA Mission, and SBC. As someone without finances to spare, I was still hesitant but there were two deciding factors:
1. An emphatic endorsement for Tyler by a mentor who I had worked with
2. Tyler’s answer to, “why are you in admissions consulting?”
Process
I give Tyler my highest possible recommendation. Tyler was instrumental in pushing me to present an application that captured who I am.
The biggest advantage of working with Tyler is the personalized approach. He took the time to get to know me and understand my story. I felt he was invested in the outcome of the process as much as I was. The “care” factor is what I valued highly as a client.
Tyler’s feedback and the MBAPrepSchool videos were key in helping me understand how to position my stories in a memorable way. Sometimes, I thought my initial drafts were close to being “masterpieces” (just like last year, of course), but Tyler brought me back to reality and continuously pushed me to write better. In the end, I was confident in the essays and the application I prepared.
In addition, Tyler’s mock interview and advice made me feel completely prepared to tackle this last step of the application process.
Another of Tyler’s strengths is his personality. He is sincere, honest, and encouraging. That combination and balance is hard to find, but much needed in someone who you’ll look to for advice through months of hard work.
Result
I was admitted into my top choice. Unlike last year, I actually felt the application I presented was the best I could regardless of the results. Before decisions even came out, I told one of my friends that I would have no regrets about my applications this year or my investment, I knew I had done my absolute best – that feeling of knowing I did everything within grasp is thanks to Tyler. If you are considering working with a consultant, Tyler is the absolute best in the business.
Harvard Business School – Class of 2011
Harvard Business School – Class of 2009
Harvard Business School – Class of 2009
Stanford – Class of 2014
Derrick Bolton said in an interview, when asked about his thoughts on admissions consultants, “‘How can someone who doesn’t know you help you be a more authentic version of yourself?’ Some people probably can, if they’re asking the right questions. There’s a fine line. ” Tyler walked that line perfectly, not helping me with ideas on what to write, but actually coaching me to discover what I should write about on my own. He took the time to get to know me, even read my previous application and gave me feedback, and actually helped me understand myself better and inspired me to write something truly authentic.
He helped me take my ideas to the next level through his creative critique, motivated me, and kept me from getting discouraged even after dozens of rewrites on certain essays. No matter what my pace was, Tyler stayed with me and kept me polishing and rewriting until my essays and my application were perfect.
The result was astounding. I got into all the schools I applied to and will be attending Stanford, my dream school. Friends and family who read my application felt it really stood out; after reading my essays, my friends’ uncle even said he really would like to meet me. I could have never done it without Tyler, and I highly recommend him to anyone embarking on the daunting business school application process.
Stanford – Class of 2010
Stanford – Class of 2009
Wharton – Class of 2013
Tyler was able to find what buttons to push in order to get me to look beyond the surface of what I wanted to say, beyond the clichés. I was able to get to the root of my stories which made them more interesting and developed. He pushed me to think harder about the stories, to give them more depth, adding that additional layer to show the admissions office that I had truly given some thought to why I wanted to get my MBA. After it was all done, reading my essays from the first version to the final submitted version, I could definitely see the improvement and how much tighter and better the final version was.
But Tyler didn’t just help me with the essay portion of the application; he worked with me on the entire application so that every part told a different story to make it a more complete representation of who I am. Before we even started working on the application, Tyler worked with me to concisely describe why I wanted to get an MBA and what I wanted to do with my life after graduating. He helped me realize what my goal for MBA was. After I had received my invitation to interview with Wharton, Tyler worked with me on my interviewing skills, giving me a mock interview and then critiquing those areas that needed work or praising which answers helped me build my case. After spending that time with Tyler, I was more comfortable and confident heading into the interview.
Another factor that helps make Tyler a better consultant is that he understands the demands of trying to work while applying to schools. It’s incredibly difficult to find the motivation to work on school applications after a long day of work, but Tyler was great at finding ways not only to motivate me but getting me to use what time I had efficiently. He had a great process of getting me to focus on what’s really important so I could maximize whatever time I had.
Tyler definitely made this process easier and I would recommend him to anyone who is thinking about applying to MBA school. He was a great person to have at my side to help me through this difficult process!
Wharton Class of 2013
After working with Tyler for a few short weeks, I realized I’d been approaching the business school application process all wrong – he helped me identify the personal and professional experiences that told the admissions committee who I am and what I value and then craft these anecdotes into succinct, engaging admissions essays.
The result of my work with Tyler was an application that was more original and thoughtful and even more “me” than I could have generated alone.
I’m happy to say I was admitted to both of my reach schools (Wharton and Kellogg) and waitlisted at my “super-reach” school (Stanford GSB). I am thoroughly convinced that Tyler’s guidance and support helped me obtain these coveted acceptances.
I’ve already recommended Tyler to numerous friends and family members considering embarking on the business school application process
The business school application process is undoubtedly stressful – managing applications on top of a hectic work schedule and personal commitments is challenging – I greatly appreciated Tyler’s calm demeanor and quick turnaround time; it’s what got me to the finish line.
Essays are critical to landing an interview, but you have to ace the interview too to actually get an acceptance. Tyler’s guidance and prep for my interviews was as good as his help with my essays. I couldn’t have sealed the deal without him.
-Accepted to Wharton & Kellogg Class of 2013
When I started thinking about applying to B-school, I didn’t know what to expect. I certainly never dreamed of receiving an admission call from both Wharton AND Yale. Needless to say, your guidance was a tremendous boost to my application process. By helping me identify key career themes, understand my strengths, and communicate effectively, you made my application process about as productive and successful as possible. To anyone contemplating whether to seek an admission consultant, the choice is easy. Choose Tyler.
Wharton – Class of 2012
Wharton – Class of 2010
Kellogg – Class of 2014
When I began working with Tyler, I wanted to dive right into applying to as many as schools as possible. Fortunately, Tyler helped me consider my list of prospective applications more prudently. He made certain that he and I both understood exactly what qualities I was searching for in an MBA education and helped me focus my application efforts on an optimal list of target schools. His in-depth knowledge of the admissions process at the top business schools and his years of experience advising MBA applicants allowed him to steer me towards the schools where I had the highest probability of being accepted.
Having recently completed the MBA application process, I know that a successful application is dependent on a candidate’s ability to present a compelling portfolio of educational highlights, career aspirations, and personal attributes. Through several weeks of introspective self-assessment exercises and focused discussions with Tyler, I was able to truly understand my strengths and weaknesses as an MBA applicant and fully grasp how my career history contributed to my post-MBA goals. After we had discovered the core elements of my own story, Tyler helped me to present myself as an exceptional MBA candidate throughout my essays and tailor my applications to each individual school. With an intimate knowledge of the MBA admissions process and a solid understanding of my potential contribution to business schools, he advised me to emphasize certain aspects of my candidacy that he knew would be appreciated by admissions committees. It was during this step of the process that his experience truly shined through. Although I may have possessed a strong academic and professional background, I know I lacked the self-awareness necessary to present an application capable of earning me a seat at a top 5 business school. With the help of Tyler’s advice and perspective, I was able to confidently apply to top MBA programs.
I would highly recommend Tyler to any of my friends who are about to undertake the MBA application process. He served as a valuable resource throughout several months of application preparation, and without his help, I would not have obtained a seat in a top 5 MBA program.
Kellogg – Class of 2014
I had several free ‘assessment’ calls with different consultants. I think the biggest difference that Tyler brought to the table was his crafted approach – I had the feeling on all the other initial calls that many other consultants and larger firms had a more ‘cookie-cutter’ approach. Tyler really took the time to get to know me personally and different strengths I could leverage in my application. He was very accessible throughout the process. There was a lot of prep work on my end, but as long as you put in the time and effort, Tyler will too and you will reap the benefits.
Tyler has his MBA from a top program as well as a degree in creative writing – I believe the latter helped me significantly in my essays so that they stood out from the crowd. He does not write them for you, but he provided me with great feedback – specifically, I was having trouble identifying points of differences that Adcoms would find valuable, as well as coming up with a career ‘story’ that made sense given my interests and prior work experience. Tyler was able to help me pick my best experiences and craft them into meaningful stories. He also assisted with different ways of making points so that I was able to stay within the essay length guidelines. We spent hours and hours on them and I was very happy with the result. There is NO way I would have gotten to the same final product without Tyler’s guidance.
It was a bit tough for me to digest the fee at first, but in retrospect I think the value that Tyler provided was well worth the investment. To me the biggest value-add was the essay editing. We also spent a lot of time on assessing my strengths, picking target schools, and interview and resume prep. To those applicants who are finding it difficult to come with a concrete “story” that makes sense, or who are struggling with essay writing or having issued with self-reflection, I would encourage you to try MBA Prep School.
Overall, it was a great experience. My outcome was very positive as I went 2/2 on acceptances. Though even if I went 0/2, I still would have been pleased with my applications as I felt with Tyler’s help I did absolutely everything in my power to make them as strong as possible.
Kellogg – Class of 2014
Kellogg – Class of 2013
I didn’t realize all the prep work that went into an application, let alone the checklists from the B-schools. He helped me reach my maximum potential (on paper) by teaching me how to shape my ideas into a clear and concise message. My writing skills improved by working on the essays with him!
I can’t speak on behalf of other consulting services, but I think another thing that distinguishes Tyler is the access his clients have to MBA Prep School (mbaprepschool.com). The tools from MBA Prep School were extremely useful and valuable because they helped me manage all documents, exercises, charts, videos, essays and project plans in a central location. Trust me – the application process gets a bit crazy and having this tool can save you hours searching through endless documents! Bottom line, Tyler was an awesome coach!
Kellogg – Class of 2011
Kellogg – Class of 2011
Kellogg – Class of 2010
Chicago/Booth – Class of 2013
Chicago/Booth – Class of 2012
Chicago/Booth – Class of 2011
Chicago/Booth – Class of 2010
Columbia – Class of 2014
The application process, as expected, was challenging. But with Tyler’s help, I perfected my application. Even more so, I discovered what my true passions were in my career and found a way to put those passions into words to form an incredibly compelling life story. I discovered much more about myself than I anticipated while working with Tyler; he proved to be a life coach, rather than just an admissions consultant.
Overall, it’s hard to put into words how fantastic Tyler was. He helped me define my career path and brought out the absolute best in me through my essays – the Kellogg admissions committee even commented on how great my story was, and I was truly blown away! I am deciding between Kellogg and Columbia and I really owe it to him. I highly recommend Tyler for anyone serious about attending a top school – he is the best out there. Thank you Tyler!
Columbia – Class of 2012
From the beginning, Tyler was not the typical consultant who puts you in a box or applies a checklist to output a generic plan. Tyler helped me not only identify my strengths and a weaknesses through some unique drills but also pushed me to think “outside-the-box” to identify a very strong post-MBA career path and story. What was most surprising to me was that Tyler pin-pointed what makes me “tick” early on and I ended up writing about a different post-MBA story per Tyler’s guidance that was completely in-line with my values and vision – a career story which never would have occurred to me without Tyler. Moreover, Tyler helped me eloquently put my story on paper.
What differentiates Tyler over anyone I have spoken to is that he is relentlessly focused on telling a story, very knowledgeable about the MBA application process and extremely in-the-know about business. I never had to repeat myself twice regarding what I did, as Tyler quickly grasped every concept and tied it into my essays. He is extremely efficient and does not allow the conversation or your thoughts to go off-track. That said, Tyler is an amazing listener and internalizes every point. Finally, Tyler is able to put everything together in a tight script.
The MBA process is a marathon and not a sprint. Do not except Tyler or any consultant to do everything for you. It requires a lot of hard work and dedication; however if you have aspirations to attend a top-notch institution, I would not think twice about working with Tyler – no one compares and I sincerely mean that. He is worth every penny.
Columbia – Class of 2012
Columbia – Class of 2009
Columbia – Class of 2009
Columbia – Class of 2009
Columbia – Class of 2009
MIT/Sloan – Class of 2012
Duke – Class of 2014
Tyler’s gift goes beyond story-telling. He’s an incredible coach.
Tyler is committed to your success. I was up against very tight deadlines, throwing last minute curve balls at Tyler, yet he managed to squeeze in multiple revisions for my essays even when he was probably slammed with dozens of other essays. Even when you’re not in a meeting with him, you know Tyler is looking out for you. Knowing my MBA focus was social entrepreneurship, Tyler sent me a relevant HBR article to give me inspiration while I wrote my essays. And when I’d send emails with various b-school questions, Tyler would immediately reply with great advice. He truly does care.
He’ll push you to the very end. Even when I didn’t want to retake the GMAT, he highly encouraged me to go for it—and thank goodness because I scored 50 points higher. There were times when I would get sick of looking at my essays, but our conversations would refuel me with better ideas that kept me going. And that’s just what you’ll need during this whole process.
He’ll keep you accountable and on target each step of the way. We didn’t waste any time. Our conversations were very focused. At the end of each meeting, Tyler told me what to prepare for the next meeting so as to keep on track with all the things that I needed to get done in the short amount of time I had. It’s a miracle I got everything done on time, especially since I started late.
His feedback is very thorough. Essay revisions went beyond grammar and spell-check. Tyler gave dozens of comments suggesting new ideas on how to improve a sentence/paragraph. I knew that Tyler was really reading my essays, not just proofing them.
Last, but definitely not least, as a great coach, Tyler saw me for me. When I began looking for an admissions consultant, I had spoken to several of the larger consulting firms, and their reps told me that I would need to tweak my background because it did not “fit” in with the other applicants. After hearing my story and reading my profile, Tyler told me that I had a unique voice, and that I should keep it, not change it. That’s when I knew I had found the right person. He doesn’t need to “tweak” or create some fake persona for your application because he really hears you.
Result: Accepted to 2 schools including my dream school! Couldn’t be happier.
Duke – Class of 2014
Coming from one of the toughest applicant pools –Indian male with an engineering degree and technology experience, I knew it was going to be a tough application season. And as if that wasn’t enough, my age certainly wasn’t in my favor – I was already over 30 when I applied!
I knew my margin for error was extremely small. And that is where Tyler’s help made all the difference in the world. I needed to put in a top-notch application where everything fell perfectly into place and Tyler ‘guided’ me in creating one. And this is what I want to stress on – Tyler wouldn’t do your work, he will be your guide. You will do the work, you will spend the long nights working on those essays, and at times you will get frustrated. But you know what? In the end, when you get that acceptance call, you will know that it is truly you who has got accepted, it is your hard work that has paid off. And that is one of the best feelings ever!
Thank you so much Tyler for pushing me through this. For bringing out the best in me! I couldn’t have done it without you.
Oh and there’s one more thing I’d like to add – a note to your prospective clients Tyler. Don’t be surprised if Tyler doesn’t try to sell himself too much in the initial consultation call! Frankly, that is what sold me to go to him. He is unlike many other consulting companies in this regard who will try to sell their services aggressively. With Tyler it works the opposite way. The real magic starts after you sign up not before!
Duke/Fuqua – Class of 2012
Michigan/Ross – Class of 2013
Tyler broke down the daunting application process for me, first helping me organize a successful application strategy, then working with me on my essays until I produced my best product, and finally coaching me on my interview skills. I was amazed. He was extremely knowledgeable about what each school looked for in an applicant. Furthermore, when I needed to improve certain aspects of my application, his willingness and ability to provide candid feedback made me a much stronger candidate in the end. I am certain that working with Tyler led to my successful applications to Haas and Ross. I would highly recommend him to anyone who is applying to top business schools. It’s definitely one of the best investments I have ever made! Thank you Tyler!
NYU Stern – Class of 2014
As such, I began researching various MBA admissions consulting firms (the Big 3) and speaking with their past customers. Although some of them did seem happy with their experience, I estimated that about 2/3rd were either 1) woefully unimpressed with the work 2) felt ripped off 3) did not get into a top school 4) were given a “guarantee” of admission that amounted to worthless 5) felt like they were going to provide a cookie-cutter approach.
With this information at hand, I quickly moved to secure Tyler’s services. What differentiates Tyler from everyone else is that he is incredibly creative, incredibly knowledgeable, wonderful listener (he remembers absolutely everything) incredibly disciplined, and intensely focused on crafting a compelling narrative. My undergraduate school was impressive, my GPA was not, and my leadership background was not particularly interesting – however, Tyler was able to help me craft an incredibly, fascinating story to tell the admissions committee. Even more importantly, he was able to help me better understand/determine what I want to do with my life.
In summary, getting into a top notch MBA school is very hard – there are hundreds of other people just like you and I with similar GMAT, GPA, and leadership experiences. The key (that I reluctantly learned) is that you must separate yourself from the rest of the pack by crafting a compelling narrative – at which Tyler is second to none. I highly recommend Tyler – so much so that I referred my younger brother to him (he is now matriculating at Kellogg). Tyler is absolutely, unequivocally worth every penny.
Tuck – Class of 2012
UC Berkeley/Haas – Class of 2009
UCLA Anderson – Class of 2009
Learn more about Tyler’s private admissions consulting services by visiting tylercormney.com
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