Start with
the end
in mind.

Most applicants pick a school and hope for the best. The right approach runs in the other direction: start with the career outcome you want, then identify the programme that actually gets you there.

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15+

Years advising MBA & graduate school applicants

MBA

Plus a decade as a business school admissions interviewer

Programmes: MBA, Master in Management and LLM applicants

1st

Priority: your career goal, not the ranking table

Duncan helped me to identify a number of objectives, and a few months later I had met with success with 100% of the ones that came to a conclusion. — Albert, Venture analyst, New York VC firm

The approach

Rankings tell you everything except what you need to know.

A school ranked twentieth globally may place more graduates into your target role than one ranked fifth — simply as a result of geography, employer relationships, or alumni network density in the sector you care about. A ranking table compresses dozens of attributes into a single number that reflects someone else's priorities, not yours.

The work starts with four questions: what function do you want to perform, in which industry, in which geography, and at what type of company? Vague answers — "something more strategic," "international business," "I'll figure it out during the programme" — consistently produce weak applications and disappointing outcomes. Specific answers produce a shortlist of schools that can be verified against real alumni data.

This isn't a philosophy. It's a method, built on fifteen years of LinkedIn alumni research, employment report analysis, and the honest question every applicant should ask before writing a single essay: do the people already in my target role have this degree, from this school?

Where I can
help you

MBA Strategy

Full-time, part-time, EMBA and online. We work backwards from your target role to identify which programmes genuinely open the doors you need — and which ones are dominated choices that cost more than the outcome warrants.

Master in Management

For early-career professionals and recent graduates, the MiM offers access to elite recruiting networks at a fraction of the MBA's cost. The school selection logic is different — and the mistakes applicants make are different too.

LLM Applicants

Law graduates considering an LLM face the same fundamental question as MBA applicants: does the credential open the specific doors you're targeting, and does it matter which school the degree comes from for the jurisdiction and practice area you want?

The method

How a consultation
works

Each session follows the same sequence. Not because it's a formula, but for the same reason a good doctor takes a history before prescribing: the right answer depends entirely on where you're starting from and where you want to go.

Goal clarity first

We define your target function, industry, geography and company type before a single school name enters the conversation. Most applicants skip this step. It's why most applicants struggle — both in the application process and after graduation.

LinkedIn alumni research

We look at fifteen to thirty profiles of people already working in your target role and identify which schools placed them there. This replaces assumptions with evidence — and often changes the shortlist entirely.

Programme shortlisting

A data-backed shortlist built around your goals, geography and budget — not a ranking table designed for a generic applicant who doesn't exist. A school ranked fiftieth may outperform one ranked fifth for your specific target.

Application positioning

With a clear goal and a researched shortlist, your essays write themselves. Admissions committees can tell the difference between a manufactured narrative and genuine career thinking — because they read thousands of both every cycle.

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What clients say

Outcomes that speak for themselves

It's very difficult to find someone who can lead you through difficult choices and expose all the pros and cons in a clear way. Results were outstanding. I could find my way after working together for just a few days.

Mauro — Project manager, Italian manufacturing

Duncan helped me to identify a number of objectives, and a few months later I had met with success with 100% of the ones that had come to a conclusion. His guidance helped with my career development as a manager and made a wide range of international options become available.

Albert — Venture analyst, New York VC firm

He was able to bring together a lot of insight about trends in management consultancy, IT, big companies and business schools. He forced me to take an honest look at my goals and to look more broadly in terms of possibility.

Former client — Career pivot to consulting

The right school for your goals

A one-hour consultation to clarify your career target, run the alumni research and build a programme shortlist grounded in evidence rather than reputation.