Hear from students who got in…
“Working with Philippe was a fantastic experience; I highly recommend him. I had some doubts about working with an advisor, but he was absolutely worth it.”
“Working with Philippe was a fantastic experience; I highly recommend him. I had some doubts about working with an advisor, but he was absolutely worth it. From the beginning, Philippe went above and beyond to research the programs I was applying to and walked me through the entire process. He expertly guided me through writing my statement of purpose and other submissions. He was always very supportive and patient with me, remaining constantly positive and encouraging. There is no way I would have produced the level of application I did without him. Working with him gave me a competitive advantage over other applicants. I would recommend him to anyone who is serious about getting into a top-tier program.”—Master of International Relations, Johns Hopkins
“When I first started working with Philippe I was at a complete crossroads in my PhD application process. I had sent out many applications that weren’t getting anywhere, and I was frustrated and hopeless. Philippe was an absolute game changer…”
“When I first started working with Philippe I was at a complete crossroads in my PhD application process. I had sent out many applications that weren’t getting anywhere, and I was frustrated and hopeless. Philippe was an absolute game changer, he helped communicate what was needed in a cogent PhD proposal in terms I could synthesize. Philippe provided constructive interview preparation, answered any question I had, and was always on hand to provide feedback. Philippe made me feel like my goal was attainable, and thanks to him I got into my top choice PhD program. My only regret is that I didn’t start working with him sooner in my process.”—PhD in Media Studies, SOAS University of London
“Philippe played a crucial role in my journey to gain admission into Top 20 MBA schools. His expert coaching, unwavering support, and invaluable resources for editing, interview prep, and brainstorming were instrumental in helping me produce my best work.
“Philippe played a crucial role in my journey to gain admission into Top 20 MBA schools. His expert coaching, unwavering support, and invaluable resources for editing, interview prep, and brainstorming were instrumental in helping me produce my best work. Philippe’s guidance and advocacy motivated me to push myself to excel, and I am immensely grateful for his mentorship. I highly recommend Philippe to anyone aspiring to pursue an MBA, as he was a key player in my success.” —Admitted to Darden, Vanderbilt, Kenan-Flagler, Duke.
“Hope all is well!! Apologies I haven’t been in touch sooner, I’ve been a bit bogged down with both work and grad school interviews/visits. However, I am thrilled to inform you that I have accepted an offer to begin Ph.D. studies in Neuroscience at the University of Washington.
Hope all is well!! Apologies I haven’t been in touch sooner, I’ve been a bit bogged down with both work and grad school interviews/visits. However, I am thrilled to inform you that I have accepted an offer to begin Ph.D. studies in Neuroscience at the University of Washington. I applied to this school through 3 different programs so this school is clearly my top choice. I also got into Neuroscience at UC Berkeley. This has been something I’ve pursued for years and I’ve persisted through over 20 rejections. Nevertheless, this is just the beginning as there is a challenging path ahead! Challenging but exciting!
Now, I finally have a chance to send you a huge thank you for your advisement with writing and with graduate school in general. Your support has played a critical role in increasing my chance at admission and ultimately in this success. I’ve learned a ton about scientific communication and presenting my research interests in an engaging way. The before and after product of my writing quality is striking. Finally, I enjoyed working together because of your positive attitude and clear and focused guidance.
Thank you for everything.”
“In working with Philippe Barr, I found him incredibly professional, knowledgeable about the Ph.D. and graduate school landscape, and provided excellent feedback regarding applications and the overall admissions process.”
In working with Philippe Barr, I found him incredibly professional, knowledgeable about the Ph.D. and graduate school landscape, and provided excellent feedback regarding applications and the overall admissions process. At the beginning of my graduate school search, I was unaware of the intricacies behind the Ph.D. and master’s application process. Working with Philippe enabled me to focus each application on the individual program, thereby being as strategic and thoughtful as possible. In our weekly calls, Philippe often provided insightful details regarding the application process. He would apply his analytical approach when reviewing each program I was interested in, detailing their strengths, weaknesses, and areas to focus on in the application. Overall, Philippe is a genuine pleasure to work with, and I highly encourage anyone else to do the same. —M. Phil Economics, Cambridge
“Dr. Barr is one of the most brilliant people I have ever met.”
“Dr. Barr is one of the most brilliant people I have ever met. His ability to see what is needed for a Ph.D. application, how to rise above the competition, and make sure you get an acceptance is astonishing. The road to getting into a Ph.D. program nowadays is highly competitive. Everyone is good, otherwise, they would not apply… You have to be really good, one of a kind and that is what Dr. Barr was able to do with my application. It helped me address what was needed, he made sure they saw my potential, and that my future goals aligned with the school that I was applying to. My hard work was all there… He helped me rearrange it and that made all the difference.”
“Dr. Philippe Barr is a miracle worker.”
“Dr. Philippe Barr is a miracle worker. He worked with me every step of the way during the application process and he helped me polish up my interview and essay-writing skills. I was able to get accepted into my top two programs under his expert care and guidance. I highly recommend him to anyone looking to get accepted into post-graduate programs.” — MBA, UNC-Chapel Hill
“Working with Dr. Barr has offered me knowledge I will take with me far beyond the simple aspects of the graduate application and admission process.”
“Working with Dr. Barr has offered me knowledge I will take with me far beyond the simple aspects of the graduate application and admission process. Ultimately, thanks to his thorough, honest, and dedicated mentorship, I was not only accepted to various top-level programs in my field (UCLA among them), but I have become a stronger writer and thinker overall. Investing in his guidance has already yielded invaluable return—not only because I made it into my top-choice program, but because I know I will prove a stronger academic thanks to our work together. What I most admire in his approach is his encouraging attitude, but also that his congratulations for a job well done are sincere when he offers them. Anyone who seeks a coach with vast understanding and knowledge of the admissions process and how to navigate it should choose to work with Dr. Barr without hesitation. But know that his mentorship will equip you with tools as a writer and thinker that will serve you long after the application season is finished. I could not have made a better choice than to work with him. Thank you for all the support, Dr. Barr.” —PhD in Spanish Studies, UCLA
“More than a consultant: a coach, a refined writer, & an insightful friend.”
“More than a consultant: a coach, a refined writer, & an insightful friend. There will not be enough characters available in this review to speak highly enough of Philippe Barr and our application journey together. Applying to graduate school is an exercise in introspection and deep soul searching to devise a cohesive narrative that ties your past and future while applying the specific schools’ values to that journey. Philippe was with me every step of the way and helped take what was just a dream and an enormous career pivot and turn it into a clear, convincing, and concise pitch. By the end of our time together, not only did I get acceptances to my top choices, I got full scholarships to two of them. I felt more than prepared and calm cool and collected at my interviews which definitely came across. Lastly, for me It wasn’t about getting accepted to the highest rank school possible, it was about finding the right fit and culture and a school that would be invested in me and my career goals. Philippe is a wealth of information and knowledge which can only be built from working on the inside and having a broad perspective. He also researches copiously all elements of all programs to help you guide you. My only regret is that I can’t take him to graduate school with me!!” —Master of Public Health, Yale University
“Dr, Barr was a mentor, friend, and confidant throughout the PhD admissions process.”
“Dr, Barr was a mentor, friend, and confidant throughout the PhD admissions process. Above all, he gave excellent advice on every aspect of the application. He informed me how to develop a statement of purpose that was personalized, relevant, and cogently constructed. He walked me through school selection emphasizing choosing programs that were the best fit for me. We even did a mock interview that more than prepared me for my actual interview. Lastly, he celebrated with me when I accepted my five-year guaranteed funding offer from Vanderbilt University. During an admission cycle that was full of uncertainty, I felt more confident and knowledgeable. All of this, I credit to him.” —PhD in Sociology, Vanderbilt
“Philippe was an invaluable resource in my pursuit of an acceptance to grad school.”
“Philippe was an invaluable resource in my pursuit of an acceptance to grad school. With his guidance, I was admitted into multiple PhD programs! With his guidance, I was admitted into multiple PhD programs! Not only is his knowledge of the admissions process vast, he also spends time and effort seeking out programs tailored to your research interests to ensure an excellent fit. He provides expert feedback on statement of purpose drafts, and pushes you to revise them until they are the best they can be. I was incredibly impressed by his dedication to and investment in my journey. ” —PhD in Sociology, NYU
“While working with Philippe he gave me continuous support and advice from the start to the end of the application process.”
“While working with Philippe he gave me continuous support and advice from the start to the end of the application process. Since I mainly struggled with how to phrase my SOPs and other essays, Philippe’s advice on these essays was extremely helpful in making me receive 5 admission offers. Also, he was always quick to respond to my emails and provide feedback that was prompt and helpful. I feel the process was made much easier and also made me less worried about the outcome since I had the help of Philippe throughout the process to ensure that the essays I wrote reflected a meaning that could enhance my application. “—Master of Public Administration, Columbia University
“I worked with Philippe on my application to Harvard University and I got accepted in the Master in Public Administration.
“I worked with Philippe on my application to Harvard University and I got accepted in the Master in Public Administration.Philippe was extremely helpful in providing relevant comments on all aspects of the application including statement of purpose, essays, resume. He provided me with proper guidance and valuable feedback in a timely manner. He was punctual, dependable, easy to work with and very friendly. I also appreciated the constructive criticism, valuable advice, and honesty in his approach. It was a wonderful experience working with Philippe, it paid off and I couldn’t be happier. Thanks Philippe for your guidance and professionalism throughout this process. “
“His timely manner on helping me select what school was best for me based on my initial selection was great”
“His timely manner on helping me select what school was best for me based on my initial selection was great, and allowed me to focus the effort in the schools that really met my criteria as opposed of applying to all the schools I thought would be good for me. His good timing for response, always replied on time with the highest quality comments. Last, always there to help where I needed in a professional way. It was great to work with Philippe and I got accepted to 2 schools of my preference. “- Admitted to Duke and UT Austin
“Thank you so much for all your help with my essays and with the application process in general.”
“Thank you so much for all your help with my essays and with the application process in general. You made the process less stressful. By helping improve my essays you really strengthened my application. I appreciate all the time you took to help me.” Admitted to Georgetown, UCLA, and NYU
“From the very start, Philippe was very kind, encouraging, and honest.”
“From the very start, Philippe was very kind, encouraging, and honest. It was amazing how he was able to help me organize my thoughts and written notes into a comprehensible Statement of Purpose. With each week, I saw my paper come alive and turn into a statement I was proud to send to top programs in the Nation. Thanks to Philippe and accepted.com, so far I have been accepted into five PhD programs, to include my top choice — UC Berkeley!! Thank you Philippe!!”Admitted to Harvard, Berkeley, UT Austin, Northwestern
“I wanted to offer some thoughts on working with Philippe through the whole process.”
“I wanted to offer some thoughts on working with Philippe through the whole process. In summary, Philippe helped me with 3/4 of my essays and a quick resume scan. I applied to Stanford, Harvard, Wharton, and MIT Sloan, and was accepted to three, waitlisted at Stanford.
I’d highly recommend Philippe across the board. Stylistically, he was exactly what I was looking for. In email communication and when I had a few follow up questions, he was very kind and personable. But, as I had hoped, his markups of my essays were not “sugar-coated” at all – he provided very direct and honest feedback. For some, this may be uncomfortable, but for me it was exactly what I needed – it helped me trust his comments and really reassess my approach when I needed to. His approach is exactly as mine would be – start with high level themes and then refine specifics/details once the structure feels good. Much more efficient.
Furthermore, in a more nuanced way, Philippe was very low-ego. Often, editors can be very stiff and inflexible – when they give a recommendation they expect it to be taken, and in subsequent versions may have difficulty accepting a rejection of their comment. I never had this problem with Philippe – when I disagreed with his comments, we discussed why, and then moved on to the broader themes of the essay. So, I felt respected as a partner and we always were very efficient. Lastly, turnaround and response time was incredible.” Admitted to Harvard Business School