MIT (100% Success Rate)
Strategy & Transformation Executive I Startup Mentor I COO I ACT Fibernet (TMT) I The Coca-Cola Company I MIT SLOAN
I had less than 3 weeks time and had absolutely no idea about the whole admission process, their requirements etc. This is when I spoke to Bala for the first time and by the end of my conversion, I was quite sure that if anyone has a few basic requirements in place, he can get the aspirant close to at least an interview call. He listens very carefully, keeps on questioning, keeps on pushing to get the best moment, achievement, experience from the aspirant and then help to build a story. Not only I could get my admission into the course and college of my choice, but also came to know a lot more about me, my strengths and blindspots and all these after working in for 18+ years. I always looked forward and loved those long conversations, though I had to finish a lot of homework given by him. Bala is definitely a guiding star if you are looking at a MIT/Stanford/Harvard/Wharton at any point of time in life.
INSEAD (100% Success – INSEAD, Kellogg & Cambridge with Scholarships)
Product Manager at Uber | INSEAD MBA | ex-Google
Bala helped me with my MBA application and was a great thought partner, and very knowledgeable about the various options in terms of universities, what each school looks for, and how I should best write my application to bring out these aspects. His feedback was timely, and he was a great second set of eyes to bring an outside perspective to my resume and applications.
LBS (LBS, Chicago Booth, Stanford Fellows finalist, Kellogg etc)
MBA Candidate at London Business School | BK Birla Scholar
Bala was instrumental in helping me get interview calls from LBS, Wharton, Kellogg and Booth and admission into my top choice business school. He completely understood my goals and my vision and helped me put my thoughts down to paper effortlessly. With his in-depth knowledge and vast experience, he then guided me to understand what business schools expect which in turn transformed my application to one that would be good enough for a Top 10 B-school. I think it's safe to say that without Bala, I wouldn't be going to B-school this fall.
Duke (Fuqua, UCLA, CMU Tepper, USC etc Scholarships from EACH)
Duke University STEM MBA 2024 | Business Intelligence & Marketing Analytics | Product | Finance
Working with Bala on the MBA application process has been a great experience. Bala is one of the few mentors who will question, guide, and motivate you to develop and submit a simple and strong application. He asks the right questions and shows great interest in knowing about your goals and life experiences. He helps you realize how each of your previous experiences shaped you into who you are. Being an expert, he provides you with the in and outs of the application process and how to position yourself to succeed. Bala is committed to your success - He will review all the draft versions that you prepare and share what needs to be changed and why it needs to be changed. He will be available to talk to you whenever you have any questions. Most importantly, he shares his honest thoughts on the draft essays and is committed to helping you submit your best application. As a result of the above, I got to know more about myself while working with Bala and was able to develop a great MBA application. I got interview invites to all the 6 top 20 B-Schools I applied to, and I finally got admitted to 4 schools with scholarships ranging from $40K to $80K. To summarize, the MBA application process is strenuous and it would have been difficult for me to navigate the process without the help of Bala. He has been and will be a great mentor and Admissions coach for me and many others.
Ross (with Scholarship:100% success rate)
Senior Manager, S&OP Planning at Amazon
One stop solution to MBA application = Bal Krishna Shukla.
When I started my application, I was very much confused and less confident about my profile but after having lot of brainstorming session, he nicely brought the best things on surface and made my application valuable.
Signing Bala for my applications is one of my best decision that I not only got admit from Ross Business School (MSCM) but also received 5000$ scholarship.
Once again thanks for pushing me and making me confident.
Cambridge (100% success rate; SUBMISSION within 7 days OVERALL)
Real Estate Investment Banking at Bank of America | Cambridge MBA
Bala is a One Man Army when it comes to applications to elite B-schools. He helped me get through the entire process from strategizing my essays to interview prep very coherently even though I approached him just one week before the deadline of the first school. While I was unsure of submitting in time, he motivated me and worked hard with me to make sure we submitted great quality applications. He is an extremely logical, approachable and organised person with immense knowledge on almost any subject. I was fortunate to have worked with him and got through my dream B-school, Cambridge.
HEC Paris (plus Darden & CMU Tepper)
HEC Paris MBA'23 | J. N. Tata Scholar | Strategy & Analytics Consulting
I first met Bala when I decided to do my MBA, probably one of the most important decisions of my career & life.
Firstly, before getting into the nitty gritty’s, I just want to say Bala is an absolute gem of a person, my sessions with him felt more like talking to a friend who was wise, experienced, & well versed in his area of work rather than just some counselor.
Secondly, Bala guided me very well on the schools I should select and the ones that best fit my future goals & aspirations.
Thirdly, Bala’s approach to guiding me in jotting down my goals, and aspirations, as well as the essays was fantastic. I was compelled to think deeply, introspect & give concrete examples. An approach that I use to date whenever I want to write down my thoughts.
Bala is a wonderful mentor & I am deeply thankful for all the guidance you provided.
All the very best & do stay in touch
Your friendly neighborhood Bawa.
Columbia, UPenn, Minnesota, Duke (Data Sciences)
Senior Data Scientist
“Bal knows this process in and out.” He can guide you in figuring out what’s achievable and what‘s not. He is direct and forthright and won’t hesitate to tear down hours of work if he deems necessary. You will end up revisiting, re-writing and reviewing the same documents multiple times but don’t worry he knows what he is doing. If you plan to take this gargantuan journey with him rest assured that you will get your best shot to your desired goal.
Personally, I learned a lot from him in the process. His work – ethics, and professionalism are desirable qualities any working professional should strive to develop. Additionally, learning how to make good resumes is a lesson for life. some counselor.
Georgia Tech
GT PhD Candidate || Matmerize || VNIT Nagpur' 20
Bala has been phenomenal with his guidance to my admission process for MS/ PhD. I got itno 4 schools, including my dream places, UPenn for MS and Georgia Tech for a fully funded PhD, the results speak for themselves.
Bala has a great eye for detail, I remember we made over 15 iterations to my resume and rewrote the SOP over and over again for each college. His drive to achieve the absolute best was unrelenting. He contributed hours perfecting every line in my SOP.
For Georgia Tech, I decided last minute that i wanted to apply, that too opt for the PhD option. Bala was amazing, he poured over the smallest details with me, and only went to bed after I submitted my application, which was around 4 AM. The same was true for MIT, another last minute decison of mine.I received an admit with full funding for Georgia Tech PhD, and I am positive it was Bala's inputs that made the difference.
Bala's commitment to his work was inspiring. He has been a huge support emotionally as well, making sure I did not get weighed down due to rejects. Through his work, I was confident that I was presenting my best foot forward in the application process. He still helps with my queries relating to admissions and visa issues, in these uncertain times of the pandemic. It has been a pleasure and honor to work with Bala, he is an exceptional mentor for the admission process.
Carnegie Mellon, Georgia Tech, Missouri Science & Tech
Software Engineer at Leidos
His guidance has been a shining light on the path to my goals. Seeking his help, when i chose to pursue graduate studies, i learnt how to transform words into meaningful text. Moreover his methods don't just suggest how to think but instigate a way of thinking that makes for effective communication. The level at which he personally involves himself, with all of the tasks, itself instills a certain confidence towards their accomplishment. An accomplishment i experienced with admits to five universities which included Carnegie Mellon University and Columbia University.
Georgia Tech, Dartmouth, TUDelft, Univ of Southern California
Biomedical Engineer | Data Analysis | Product Development | Technology Commercialization
I have had the pleasure of working with Bala through Admissions Gateway. With his help I have been able to reach my dream college to further grow in my career. Out of the 5 dream universities I applied to, I was able to get admit from 3 of them. While, the other two offered conditional admits. Now, I am the only person from my batch to be pursuing Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech. Though Bala has a background in a completely different field, he was patient enough to hear and understand my aspirations. Further, instead of drawing out my path for me, what he provided was fabulous consultation which instilled self-realization. This has been most beneficial as my interaction with him has made me learn a whole lot more than what the application required. I now put some extra thought behind most of my interactions and it happens to pay off in the best way. His patient hearing, ability to comprehend what the other person is trying to say, his vision and most of all his understanding of what a good application looks like makes him an apt guide for the application process.