Welcome to the Dream Team

Today is a HUGE day for Sam Weeks Consulting. That’s because we welcome two more admissions consultants to the dream team.

Jon Cheng and Alex Zarganis bring MBAs from University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business and Columbia Business School, plus decades of admissions consulting experience.

For Sam Weeks Consulting, it's a transformative change. With our beefed-up team, we get more:

🌎 Time zone coverage

Since we meet clients 1-on-1 live over video call, this new change means we can cover more of the globe, offering clients meetings at times that suit them.

👨‍💼 Admissions reader experience

We perform hundreds of profile evaluations per year, giving clients a realistic and no-BS opinion of their chances of admission to top business schools. Now our team includes admissions evaluator experience from Berkeley Haas, making our profile evaluations even more robust.

🇺🇸 Focus on the United States

Both of our new joiners graduated with MBAs from top US business schools and have strong American professional experience. With MBA experience from top European and US schools, our team provides a truly transatlantic MBA perspective.

🤔 Opinions on tough application questions

No applicant profile is perfect, and most of our clients have a clear gap in their profile. Anything from low-GPA or GMAT scores to criminal records! Our members join forces on tough application questions to position every client to mitigate their weaknesses and highlight their strengths.

Now, let’s meet our new rockstars 👇

Alex Zarganis

After completing his undergrad from the University of California at Davis, Alex traveled across Europe before settling in Warsaw, Poland. Starting his journey as an English Tutor, he began his first stint in Admissions Consulting in 2008. Alex spent the first 8 years of his career building expertise in this industry, where he worked with diverse applicants ranging from high school students applying for their undergraduate degrees to MBA candidates looking to make a career shift.

After successfully establishing himself in the industry, Alex decided he wanted formal leadership training from business school. So in 2014, he applied for double degree programs at two schools: Harvard and Columbia. And guess what? He got offers from both!

After deliberating, he chose Columbia and enrolled in their double degree in Masters of Education in private school leadership and MBA in 2015. Post MBA, he returned to Poland and resumed work as the Director of University Entrance and MBA Admissions Consultant at Akademeia High School, helping candidates get into M7 MBAs.

Over the last three years, Alex set up the US operations for ‘300 Brains’ in San Francisco as the Chief Executive Officer for that region. In his spare time, he officiates American football games in Europe and US as a qualified referee.

Now he brings 14 years of admissions consulting experience and the perspective of a US native based out of Europe to Sam Weeks Consulting. Head over to his story to read more about his profile and book a chat.

Jon Cheng

Born and raised in Singapore, Jon moved to Boston for his undergraduate degree in Arts at Tufts University in 2009, where he decided to pursue a career in marketing and journalism. He spent his undergraduate years refining his writing skills and learning how to weave cold hard facts into a compelling narrative.

Upon completing his undergrad, he began his career at Ogilvy, where he worked in the agency’s Global Strategy and Brand Consulting teams in New York and London. His job was to help organizations, ranging from Fortune 50 conglomerates to small boutique startups, build their brands. Aside from his marketing career, Jon pursues his passion for journalism and has written and edited feature stories for renowned publications such as Time Out and GQ.

In 2017, Jon decided to make a pivot in his career and began working on MBA applications. After hiring two different consultants two years in a row, he got waitlisted at Booth, Tuck, Kellogg and HBS before receiving an admit to Berkeley Haas, where he later became an Admissions Reader and Evaluator.

After evaluating 500+ applications and interviewed 50+ candidates at Berkeley Haas, Jon realized that despite great scores, most applicants failed to make the cut because they lacked authenticity in their written applications.

So, two years ago, he decided to apply his marketing skills, writing ability, and vast experience as an MBA applicant, re-applicant, and admissions evaluator to other people's applications.

Now based in Minneapolis, Jon brings a US perspective to Sam Weeks Consulting. Head over to his story to read more about his profile and book a chat.

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Watch for our upcoming blog posts to read Alex and Jon's take on the MBA application journey and expert advice. Video interviews coming soon! Applying for your MBA in Round 1? Book a chat now.