mbaMission | MBA Admissions Consultants

I reached out to Katy to prep for HBS 2+2 interview after seeing glowing reviews online, especially for deferred admissions. She did not disappoint. She is the best deferred admissions coach to work with and had a lot of knowledge and insights to bring to the table. For the mock interview, she also thoroughly reviewed my application and created a list of questions that were centered around my profile. I was extremely nervous initially and she even offered to have a second short warm-up session before my interview which made me feel more prepared. After the interview, she took the time to chat with me about my choices. I highly recommend Katy to any applicant out there hoping for the best shot at their dream schools.

I am an Indian applicant from one of the leading tech institutes in the country, with a background in technology and computer science. I initially found the applications for HBS and Stanford GSB very daunting, and I spoke to my mentor, an HBS alumnus, about this. He shared his experience working with Katy and recommended that I work with her. From the first consultation call, I knew I had found the right fit – she was honest about the work I would have to put in and the areas in which she could support me. I was also impressed that she had taken a deep dive into my background to ensure that she had the proper context about me. Thus, I decided to work with her, even though I was a bit late with the applications, with barely two months remaining before the deadline.

Once I started working with her, I could take a structured approach to the applications of HBS and Stanford GSB. She ensured that I presented my story and gave me mindful and well-thought suggestions that significantly improved my presentation in the applications. In the end, I was confident that through the applications, I provided a holistic picture of myself and presented why I wanted to join a business school and how the deferred program would benefit my long-term goals. All this while, she was brutally honest about my chances in different schools. When I was rejected from Stanford, she gave me detailed reasons why I might have been left behind. She also provided me the confidence to reapply a few years later if needed. When I was invited to interview within a week by HBS, she went above and beyond to ensure that I would be relaxed and well prepared for the interview.

I have learned a lot about myself and have been able to discover my inner ambitions and motivations. The journey has been transformative, and having a deferred admit from HBS makes the experience even sweeter. I owe a lot to Katy for helping me through the journey, and I would recommend any serious b-school applicant to work with her.

I was initially only planning on using mbaMission’s free 30-minute consultation, but Heidi provided so much helpful insight on how to frame my planned career path during our first conversation that I decided to pay for additional hourly support. These additional hours were well worth the money and helped me substantially improve my personal essays and create an overall cohesive application. I don’t think I would have gotten into my top choice school without Heidi’s help! I would highly recommend working with Heidi!

I cannot recommend Kimberly Hoey highly enough as an MBA Admissions consultant. It was evident from our first call that Kimberly cared deeply about my application. She was patient, thorough, organized, thoughtful, and incredibly helpful to talk to. From the short to long essays to my resume, Kimberly helped me submit an application that I was truly proud of and reflected my work and personal experiences, and passions. Kimberly was relentless in her pursuit of helping me put my best foot forward during what otherwise would have been an incredibly stressful process. Cannot recommend Kimberly highly enough!

I worked with Katy for around 4 months on my deferred MBA application and I can very confidently say that she is one of the best consultants to work with. She has always been honest and upfront throughout the process and this really helped me align my expectations. Her knowledge and insights about all the M7s are difficult to find anywhere else. Her dedication to each of her clients is evident in the time and effort she puts in. She is very accommodating with scheduling time to talk and her support in every step of the process, from essays to recommendation letters to interview prep, is unparalleled. Katy’s ability to understand people and form genuine relationships was instrumental in building a powerful narrative for my application. The process can definitely get very overwhelming and exhausting but having Katy really helped me relax and enjoy the process. I was not only able to get into my dream schools, Columbia and MIT, but I also found a mentor whose advice and words shaped my long-term career goals. I wouldn’t have been able to achieve any of this without Katy’s help and working with her is one of the best decisions I made!

Melissa is one of the best consultants to work with in this business. She understands the process, communicates great, and most importantly takes the time to learn about the client to understand their strenghts/weaknesses and to develop a plan accordingly. Her experience in this field over the years is evident and she truly cares that each one of her clients succeeds. As I was working through my essays and thinking about ways to craft my story, I not only received quick feedback but also honest feedback – even if it wasn’t always what I wanted to hear. I can’t thank Melissa enough for her help and support during this process and I would highly recommend her as someone to work with if you are considering an MBA!

I cannot recommend Heidi enough. I especially recommend Heidi for those with non-traditional backgrounds. She taught me how to translate my skills and goals so they could be universally understandable – not just to someone in my sector. I had trouble expressing how it applied in a business context, and she adeptly interviewed me and highlighted how my experience could be better understood. She kept me on track and made sure my application had a consistent narrative from start to finish. The mbaMission structure was helpful and allowed me to focus on writing the application materials instead of scheduling and coordination. Above all, she was kind and supportive throughout the process.

Harold Simansky was a fantastic tutor. He gave me great insight as we worked on my essays, and his suggestions were really useful. He helped me get into almost every school on my list! He is well worth the cost of his hourly rate, and you will be in very good hands with him!

I am grateful to Debbie, who was an incredible coach throughout the application process and was patient with me as I prepared for my Gmat and slowly put together my essays.

Debbie went out of her way to fine-tune her suggestions for the individual programs to which I was applying, enabling me to hyper-target my essays to each school. For example, NYU Stern asks applicants to put together a picture essay as a means of better showcasing creative thinking and emotional intelligence. Debbie and I went through many pictures and selected those that we felt most represented the overlap between my authentic self and NYU’s values.

I am earning an MBA at Stern largely thanks to Debbie.

I had a great experience working with Jen. She is friendly, supportive, and easy to work with. I’m confident that without her help I wouldn’t have been able to submit a solid application. Her tips on the interview process made all the difference in me being able to showcase my true personality and my strengths.

Before Kate, I had hired 3 very famous consultants from India, which cost me thousands of dollars. I worked directly with the top consultants from those companies. But my work experience was on the lower side because I was applying young. My previous consultants knew this and decided by themselves that I didn’t have a shot at the T20 schools. So they did not even bother to give their best effort despite paying them so much. They assumed I would not get into a T20 school, so they gave their minimal time and effort. After the expected rejects from round 1 applications, I saw reviews of Kate Richardson on Poets&Quants and decided to try one last consultant.

To my surprise, Kate worked with me with complete dedication despite my profile. She was very organized, and her attention to detail helped me greatly. She went above and beyond when it came to taking the time out to help me perfect my essays.

And in the end, the essays she helped me with finally got me into a T20 school with a $70,000 scholarship!

Katy was the only advisor I used when applying to HBS 2+2, and she’s all I needed. While I was still deciding whether to apply to any programs (ie, before I even became her client), she stayed in touch – answered any questions I had about the GMAT, whether my score was good enough, and helped me decide which school(s) to apply to for deferred admissions, etc. As an HBS alumna and former GSB admissions officer, she provides key perspectives and critical info that I couldn’t have found otherwise (and I scoured all the forums for all available info) and even communicates with recommenders (if they want) to coach them on how to write a strong letter. Most of all, we did a deep dive on my key life decisions and she was able to construct a highly insightful narrative for my application – I was really impressed with how well she understood me throughout this brainstorming session; this was key to the story I shared in my essay.

Ultimately, when I didn’t get in, Katy again provided invaluable advice about how to set myself up for success over the next few years before I reapply. We talked for an hour about what strong EC profiles might look like, if/when/how I should think about moving between jobs, and when I should expect to apply again for the best chance. Though I didn’t get in, I learned a lot about the process thanks to Katy, and I believe this will help a LOT as I move forward and reapply in a few years.

Overall, Katy definitely cultivates relationships and cares about the person behind the application. She was able to accommodate me anytime I asked to meet, had follow-up questions, etc. – even on short turnaround – and helped me manage expectations and relax when I needed it. This is definitely a very applicant-driven process, and you will need to proactively reach out with any questions you have and create your own schedule, but Katy is an invaluable resource throughout the process, as long as you’re able to do that.

Thank You, Devi!!! I decided to work with Devi because I wanted someone with experience specific to HBS for my R2 interview. Devi treated our mock interview sessions very much like the real thing and I could tell she had reviewed my application in detail. The questions she asked pushed me to ensure that I was well-prepared for the real interview and the variety of questions I was likely to be asked. Devi’s feedback throughout the process was clear-cut and brief. I know the time I spent working with Devi made a huge impact on the success of my application!!

I’d like to start off this review by giving a bit of context on my background and why I chose to look for MBA consulting services. I’m a Middle Eastern female first-generation graduate who had zero knowledge (except what was available to me on forums, etc.) on how to start my MBA journey. I didn’t personally know anyone that had taken the GMAT or had pursued an MBA. I decided to look into consulting services and at first, I was taken aback by how expensive they were. However, I did my due diligence and I made sure I was putting my money where I would get the most value. Enter, the wonderful Jessica Shklar. Most consultants will offer a free call for you to assess if they’d be a good match, DO THIS!!! I knew it had to be Jessica within the first 5 mins of speaking to her. She was straight to the point, asked me direct questions, and was SO quick on her feet to come up with solutions to problems. I never felt like my time was wasted or that I was falling behind in any way. My efficiency and motivation were always on track and she was there to support me in every single way. She was always the first person I wanted to bounce ideas off and was the first person I contacted when I felt demotivated – she’d always help me get back to where I needed to be. On a more personal note, the essays were a touchy subject for me. I wanted to talk about a very personal time in my life and I often found myself shying away from it, but Jessica helped me turn those stories into essays that I’m so proud of. She brought out parts of me that I now see were crucial to mention as to why I wanted to pursue an MBA. I could not have done that without her. Despite not getting into school this year, I am extremely proud of all the work Jessica and I did over the past year and a half. I recently got recruited into a new job role I’m very happy with so I plan to reapply to schools next year, and if there’s anyone I’d work with again, it would be without a doubt, Jessica. I cannot recommend her enough.

I approached Harold on 4th August ’21, a little over a month before the deadline for most b-schools. On top of that, I am an Indian male consultant with an accounting background. While most other consultants felt that the time was too short, Harold was confident I could manage my applications given that I was going to take the next few weeks off to focus on my applications. Harold focused on the key parts of the essays and helped in the quick turnaround of high-quality essays. Harold would not shy away from expressing his contrarian views – he never gave any incorrect advice just to please me. Having worked extensively with clients who have been admitted to M7 schools, Harold has a very good sense of what will be perceived well with adcoms. Most importantly though, Harold was a great person to work with during the application process – he kept me motivated during the entire time. Eventually, I had an acceptance from Booth and a waitlist from Kellogg.

Within a few minutes of speaking to Jessica on the phone during the free consultation call, I knew I wanted to work with her. I had decided to apply R2 with only two months to write my essays and take the GRE. From our first interaction, Jessica believed it was possible for me to apply. And she never stopped believing in me and my goals throughout the entire time we worked together.

Over the next two months, Jessica helped me decide which schools to apply to, tee up my letters of recommendation, and brainstorm and craft my essays. I had initial ideas, but she helped me piece it all together in the perfect way tailored for each school. She also provided support as I studied for the GRE and transitioned jobs amid everything else. Working with Jessica made the process enjoyable, rather than stressful. I loved using the essay prompts to reflect on my values and goals, because that’s how Jessica sees the MBA application — not just as a final destination, but as a meaningful process.

The number one reason I loved working with Jessica is because she is quick — she can complete your sentences, think of solutions before you finish asking the question, and reply almost immediately to every follow up you have. It’s truly impressive. Her quick confidence gives you confidence.

I was accepted to my top schools, and I am so grateful to Jessica for everything! I can’t recommend working with her highly enough.

I came to mbaMission as a reapplicant. I had been struggling with grad school applications for months and was really in a tough spot. Deadlines were approaching, and I was overwhelmed with the process. Given my circumstances at that time, I made the mistake of working with a consultant based on their low rates. The outcome? Rejected by all schools and a year went by in a flash. I took my time to process everything and reflect. I realized that I took the process lightly. I admit it: my confidence in my 780 GMAT score and 338 GRE score made me overlook the importance of other aspects of my profile. I underestimated the MBA application process. I decided to give this another shot. This time, I took my time to vet the consultancy firms. I started attending webinars and setting up intro calls. I was looking for a consultant who believed in me at a time when my self-esteem was low. After speaking to a few major consultancy firms, I met Jessica. I first saw Jessica at a webinar. What immediately drew me to her and impressed me was how attentive and personal she is with everyone. I could tell from the start that she knew her stuff. I set up an intro call with her where we went through my professional goals, academics, and even personal traumas that led me to be where I am today. She sincerely wanted to understand the story of my life. What makes Jessica unique is that she asked questions that helped me find answers to what’s most important to me and my application. Why do I need an MBA? Why now? Why this specific school? What motivates me? What are my short and long-term goals? Jessica showed me pathways I didn’t even know existed and introduced me to programs that fit me better than my initial choices of programs. She was extremely patient with me throughout my application process, tirelessly editing and providing feedback on my essays. She is attuned to detail and a true caretaker of her students. She was always reachable when I had any questions. She was extremely knowledgeable and went into great detail about everything. I cannot say enough good things about Jessica. I’ve never met someone as passionate about consulting as she was. The best thing about working with Jessica is the personal development journey. The “personal clarity” I gained on this journey has helped me know myself better, which in turn has helped me have a clearer vision of what I want to achieve in life. With her mentorship and guidance, while navigating the whole admissions process, I got admitted into two Ivy League schools and multiple M7 schools. Not only did I get picked by those schools due to her mentorship, but I also received full-ride scholarships. Facing an already difficult decision, she helped me achieve my goal of getting into my number one choice!

It has been amazing working with Jessica from mbaMission! Working with Jessica was one of the best decisions I made throughout my MBA application process and I am confident I would not have been admitted to my top choice program if it wasn’t for Jessica’s guidance.

For context, I am an international applicant (Southeast Asia, non-English native) with a finance background (Big 4 advisory & local investment bank). Before working with Jessica, I took 3 free consultation sessions from three different companies and I found Jessica the most honest and insightful when discussing my background and goals.

There are 3 main reasons why I recommend Jessica as your admission consultant:

First, Jessica invested time to really understand my background and experience. Jessica made me talk about my story starting from early childhood until now, and she did an excellent job at pulling out what she thought was interesting from my profile and building my story from there. Through these discussions, she also guided me to shape my story into something each b-school I applied to would resonate with.

Second, Jessica really helped keep me on track with my application. The MBA application process is long, continuous, and tiring, Jessica set up detailed and achievable deadlines for each application part to ensure I can submit my application in time. She encouraged and kept me motivated to make progress on my application. Jessica’s response time was also incredible and she would provide detailed reviews and advice within a couple of days.

Lastly, Jessica truly cares about the people she works with. She took the time to reach out to me when my application did not really progress and asked if she can help with anything. She even stayed up late when I really needed quick feedback in the final days of my application (We have a 12-hour time difference).

Jessica’s guidance was a major value throughout my application process and I highly recommend her to anyone applying to an MBA program.

After our initial consultation call, there was no doubt in my mind that Katharine would not only be an outstanding consultant and mentor but also give me the best opportunity to be admitted to a deferred MBA program. Fortunately, my initial intuition was correct — I can directly attribute my success to Katharine’s brilliance, thoughtfulness, and deep knowledge of the process (as a former admissions officer at Stanford GSB). From the initial brainstorming document to choosing topics for my Harvard and Stanford essays to personalized mock interviews for each school, I cannot emphasize enough how instrumental Katharine was in being admitted to my dream school: Stanford GSB!

As a deferred applicant, I applied to all M7 schools. I received invitations to interview from five of the seven (Stanford, Wharton, Columbia, Kellogg, Booth) and was accepted to Stanford and Columbia (I withdrew my Wharton, Kellogg, and Booth applications after accepting Stanford’s offer). If you are a deferred applicant and are serious about being admitted to your dream school, the choice is very simple; Katharine is the best and only choice.

If you’re an underdog (science background, international, switch jobs, etc.) like me, Kate is someone you should go to for help. I talked to many consultants at different coaching programs, but they either turned me down or told me to show them the GMAT scores before they decided to work with me. Kate is different. She gave me honest opinions on my chances of getting admitted to top schools but still worked with me if I wanted to try. She guided me in tackling the tough GMAT (especially since my country was on lockdown), essays, interviews, and even after I got on the waitlists… She was generous with her time and always went the extra mile in everything. She was kind during the stressed-out time. She’s amazing! I’m so grateful to be able to go to an MBA school this fall because of her. Thank you, Kate!

I’ll start out by saying that I don’t think I would’ve been in the position of choosing between M7 offers if not for Krista.

When I decided to go with an MBA consultant my one and only hope was to find someone that would really champion me and who genuinely wanted to see me succeed – I got that and MORE from Krista!! We laughed, cried, and most importantly celebrated together and I couldn’t have asked for a better person to work with me on this journey.

I spoke to other MBA consultants, but once I spoke to Krista, I pretty much signed up for a package the next day. From the very first conversation, Krista was warm, friendly, and optimistic. I loved that she had clearly read through my resume in detail, and even recommended I apply to some M7 schools I had not thought of applying to.

Krista was probably the only person that could help me throughout this process. I’d say I’m someone that can be quite realistic to a fault, so much so that I cancelled out applying to some schools, thinking there’s no way I’d get in. Krista was there constantly encouraging me, even when things were not looking promising. In fact, I had said to Krista I was not applying to one specific M7 as there’s no way I’d get in. She was eventually able to convince me, and 2 months later, I received a congratulatory email from one of the top business schools in the world.

Throughout the process, Krista was always clear with instructions, paid great attention to detail, and would always get back to me exactly when she said would. She was so invested in my success that there were times she’d even remind me of things I had achieved that I could add to my applications! Her mock interviews were fantastic, and I learned so much about myself and how I interview. Krista also has a magic touch of transforming your essays, whilst still keeping your tone of voice.

Finally, Krista is extremely fun and bubbly, and we never ran out of things to talk about! Every zoom call we had, she’d always dial in with a different background photo of my country and we would end up talking about popular food spots in my city. As an International, I loved that Krista was always genuinely interested in learning more about my country and it always made our sessions feel very relaxed and informal.

My MBA journey was a wild rollercoaster. But that is where I am extremely grateful for Krista, she was always encouraging, optimistic, and supportive. I 1000% endorse Krista and could not recommend her enough. If I had to give one piece of advice to her future clients, it will be to trust her advice!!!! She really does know everything about the schools, and anything she suggests is always going to be in your best interest. So please do make sure you take her advice – you won’t regret it!

I reached out to 4 admission consulting companies and ended up choosing mbaMission and Debbie Choy in particular. I like the fact that mbaMission allows potential clients to arrange an intro call with a specific consultant, as opposed to other companies who would match you with some consultants.

I enjoyed working with Debbie. She has a very personable and cheerful personality. She helped me tremendously in terms of connecting the individual pieces of experience into a coherent, convincing story. Debbie is also an effective writer and helped me refine my essays to be more readable and interesting. Debbie often guides me to make connections back to my theme/main point in my interview answers that I otherwise would not have thought about (E.g., tying MIT Sloan’s course cross-registration opportunity in the MIT engineering school with ESG investing). There were instances where Debbie offered to go the extra mile without charging me extra, which makes me feel valued as a client.

In terms of areas of improvement, I believe the firm, mbaMission, should prepare some materials that are uniquely applicable to deferred enrollment candidates. I’m a deferred enrollment candidate myself and I feel like some of the materials that I was instructed to read did not pertain to me. Also, I believe the flexibility of the admission consulting process can be improved. I started working with Debbie in late January/early February, and the deadlines are in April. With this short timeframe, I got a bit frustrated when I was asked to read the whole 160 pages guide. I understand that the existing protocol might be appropriate for candidates with a lot of time, and hence can prepare them with a holistic view of the application process. But for candidates under time pressure, I believe there should be some prioritization guided by consultants.

Some other smaller things that could be perfected include: 1) double-checking the contents and links sent in emails, and 2) not letting clients feel rushed. There were cases where the links sent in the emails were not working, and other times the prompts for recommendation letters might not be updated. In terms of the second point, very infrequently would I feel a bit rushed near the end of the meeting.

Results-wise, I received a deferred enrollment offer from Columbia Business School, awaiting MIT Sloan and Virginia Darden. I believe that this offer from CBS would not be possible without Debbie’s help, and I’m very grateful for choosing Debbie and mbaMission overall.

Coming from a military background, Susan was instrumental in helping me gain acceptance to my top choice MBA program. She not only helped me in crafting my essays and stories, but her process helped me reflect on myself, my experiences, my values, and my business school objectives. Her process has helped me succeed in multiple interviews with behavioral questions. My MBA application timeline was hectic with many work requirements, but she took the time to understand my schedule to help ensure I was always able to meet deadlines. Her feedback is always on time, and actionable, and she was always available to talk about any feedback/questions. Susan pushes you from day one in a professional, direct way to help you achieve your goals and dreams. Susan is fully invested in her clients and with you every step of the way. I highly recommend Susan’s services without hesitation to anyone applying to an MBA program to gain acceptance and learn more about themselves. Susan genuinely wants you to succeed.

I got accepted to both Booth and Kellogg’s part-time MBA programs. Without Melissa’s support, I wouldn’t be successful.

My case was a little bit unique since I didn’t have high GMAT. Despite my efforts with two attempts, my GMATs were at the low end of the acceptable ranges for both schools. That made me feel very nervous, but Melissa calmed me down and advised me to take EA which I wasn’t aware of at that time. It was the best recommendation ever! the EA wasn’t that hard and was suitable for my working circumstance.

The process wasn’t stressful at all. Melissa explained the whole process to me thoroughly. That made me feel much more comfortable by understanding steps by steps I needed to do and knowing that she would be there for me at every step in the journey. For example, she got back to all my questions and documents review within a day and not later than 2 business days writing essays isn’t my strength, but with Mellissa’s active listening and incredible storytelling skills, I was able to transform my stories into the next level. With the strong collaboration and Mellissa’s prompt responsive timing, we were able to finish all requirements earlier than scheduled.

In general, the consulting investment is the best one ever I have made in life because I got into my dream b-school- BOOTH with a SCHOLARSHIP. So, don’t worry if your profile is not strong. As long as you are determined to pursue your dream b-school and put 100% yourself in, you can do it, AND working with mbaMission and particularly Melissa will increase your acceptance probability tremendously.

Working with Nisha was a fantastic experience. She is amazing! I decided to apply in round 3 and was just 2 weeks away from the deadlines for my target schools. Despite the time crunch, Nisha took the time to thoroughly understand my story and offered some valuable insights to perfect my resume and essays. She also completely walked me through the mock interviews, spent a lot of time evaluating my performance, and helped me strengthen my responses. Through her guidance, I was able to get admits to all the 3 schools (CMU, UC Berkeley and UCLA) that I applied to and even secured a scholarship from one of them. Nisha’s quick turnaround time- she usually sent comments and suggestions within a couple of hours of receiving the draft, attention to detail and the ability to always be there and celebrate the success of her clients is truly commendable. I am so grateful to have found her and extremely thankful for all the guidance and support she has provided.

I highly recommend Jessica Shklar and can’t imagine going through the admissions process without her! I spoke to a number of consultants at the start of my MBA journey, but I knew as soon as I spoke with Jessica that she was the right choice for me. Jessica cut through the noise and provided me with valuable insight and the confidence I needed to move forward in the daunting application process. I applied for Round 2 and started working on applications under a tight timeline in September. Jessica kept me on track by providing fast and actionable feedback and she never missed a turnaround time. During the brainstorming process, I sent her a 40 page document with insight into my background and work experience. Jessica took the time to truly understand me and she helped me focus on the most important aspects of my story. She is a masterful storyteller and helped me craft a personal narrative that was authentic and uniquely me. I also benefited from the knowledgable perspective she shared about each program and ad com, which helped me better articulate program fit. With her guidance, I gained admission to Columbia and Wharton which were two of my top choices! Thank you, Jessica!

Kate was a really helpful adviser to my application process. She has worked with so many applicants across so many applications and that experience really showed through my process. Her familiarity with all the schools I applied to helped me figure out the best way to tailor my story to each school. If she didn’t immediately know the answer to my questions, she always followed up with the answer afterward. Kate was always prepared for every brainstorming meeting and had the time to provide me feedback on the deadlines she promised or to discuss comments via Zoom. Her deep experience also showed during our mock interviews. Practicing with someone who knows the types of questions that are often asked by every school is critical. Kate always gave constructive feedback and I felt better prepared for my real interviews after every session. Work with Kate if you want someone who is deeply experienced and cares to see you succeed! I’m now Wharton bound with her help!

It was extremely late (20th of October 2021) when I decided to apply for the MBA program for the 2022 August intake. I had to apply for the R2 (January deadlines) and I did not have Gmat or Toefl taken or any MBA applications even started.

I knew I needed a great consultant to make it work and I got advice from a friend to approach Jessica. I had my first free consultation call with Jessica on the 24th of November 2021 and immediately after that I knew I wanted to work with her, because I saw creativity and a solid strategy in her thinking, and during the call and with the follow-up email that she sent, she was straight to the point, very efficient.

My stats were:
– Gmat score: 680 (took the second exam on 23 December 2021)
– EA score: 160 (took it on 26 December 2021)
– Toefl score: 112
– Work experience: 6 years
– Undergrad GPA: 3.79
– Pre-MBA Industry: PE
– Country: International (Georgia the country)

I could not afford to take any more Gmat exams because the R2 deadlines were already approaching, so I had to base my chances on the superb application and EA score, taking of which was Jessica’s idea (thank god she came up with it!). I worked on 2 schools with Jessica, I applied to 7 schools in total, out of which I got accepted to 5: Wharton, Columbia Business School (with a US$30,000 need-based scholarship), MIT Sloan (with a US$25,000 Dean’s fellowship), London Business School and NYU. Overall, we managed to curve the application in a month’s time, which was an extremely short period. Throughout the process Jessica was:
– Super fast but at the same time very thorough; I was getting answers from her faster than expected, she was considering the fact that I was on tighter deadlines; during the final days, she was answering on the same day, on multiple topics (I was rushing due to my late GMAT exam)
– She strategized with me not only on essays and the resume but on the application as a whole; she identified potential loopholes and provided solutions to them; she edited the specific texts of my application (not only the essays) based on the best parts of my brainstorming materials, which she memorized really well
– She sense-checked her ideas with her colleagues, in order to find out multiple perspectives and make sure that we were not missing anything
– She gave me emotional support, which was very important because waiting for the results and making the final decision is pretty stressful

In other words, Jessica made the impossible possible. I really couldn’t have done this without her. On top of that, Jessica is a very nice and fun person to work with, I really enjoyed working with her and would 100% recommend her to anyone!

I worked with Debbie back in 2020 for the R3 cycle, which is admittedly a tough cycle. Debbie was very approachable and was easily accessible anytime I had questions throughout the application process. Debbie encouraged me throughout the process and set checkpoints in a methodical yet achievable way. I ended up waitlisted at four schools which unfortunately didn’t convert into acceptances (thankfully because 2020!)

However, with my renewed interest in this current 2022 cycle, I used the many invaluable lessons learned previously from Debbie to apply + be accepted to the Haas EWMBA program. I don’t think my 2022 MBA application would have been successful without the prior lessons learned with Debbie. Highly recommended. Thanks, Debbie!

A friend of mine previously worked with Jessica and referred me to her. I am so thankful for that referral!
From the start, Jessica was warm and funny in our conversations. She laid out a very clear guide as to how I should prepare to write my stories and set expectations for the process which helped me time-manage accordingly. I appreciated that Jessica never sugar-coated her feedback to me. She was honest about the messaging in my essays and provided very clear feedback while noting that at the end of the day it was always my decision if I disagreed. Jessica was always quick to provide me with feedback on my work, which helped move the process along and allowed me to easily hit all of the application deadlines. She was also available to chat on the phone or quickly reply to questions via email whenever needed.
Thank you Jessica for all of your advice!

I was passed over by 2 different consulting companies when I decided to work with a consultant for business school. I was 30 when I decided to apply, and despite having a solid undergrad GPA (3.7) and achieving 740 a GMAT Score, every consultant I spoke to cross-referenced me against their ideal profile of a 25-28 year old with similar scores and decided that I wasn’t worth their time. There was no scarcity of qualified applicants, and consultants are incentivized by their track record and in their eyes, I simply wasn’t worth the time or risk. Additionally, I had in my head I was only going to apply to M7 schools because anything else wouldn’t have been worth my own time… John took a chance on me, and I thank god that he did because had he not I would not have gotten accepted into CBS’s MBA class 2024.

This story should speak not only to John’s talent but also to the character and specifically the style in which he helps his students. He genuinely cares about them, and this translates directly into his effectiveness in his role. He is thoughtful, prompt, and extremely considerate in his reviews and commentary, demonstrating an extremely personalized approach to every student. I couLd not recommend John more emphatically to anybody else with a similar dream.

John if you’re reading this, thank you.

I was lucky to find mbaMission and Kim for my business school journey – even when I wasn’t sure I was going to apply yet, Kim clearly laid out the timeline and next steps so that I could have a better idea of what I needed to do next and what I should consider doing to set myself up for success. When I began the process in earnest, I was on a very accelerated timeline for R2, but with Kim’s help I was able to take the GMAT & GRE, find the right recommenders and submit my applications all within a span of about 4 months. I got into both the T15 school and the M7 school that I applied to (with scholarships at both). I’m excited to matriculate at the M7 this fall and I couldn’t be happier that I chose mbaMission and Kim to help me through the process. I was able to craft a compelling story and had so much more confidence in my applications than I would going at it alone. Kim’s knowledge and perspective on my career will serve me in business school and beyond.

I cannot give enough kudos to Nisha for helping me throughout the application process. Not only did she provide great and detailed feedback during our consultation call but she also put me at ease as I decided to use consulting services close to the Round 2 deadline. Coming from a slightly non-traditional industry, Nisha was able to help craft my story by highlighting my strengths and amplifying my various work and extra-curricular experiences in a tight timeframe. She’s very experienced, detail-oriented, and very accessible – through mbaMission has a 2-day response guarantee, Nisha would always respond within a day. I’m confident I wouldn’t have achieved the success I received without her and ultimately received an admit to my top school.

Heidi is a superstar consultant and has helped me achieve excellent results. I was a bit skeptical of admissions consulting and mbaMission because of the fees, but after working with Heidi, I think it was definitely worth the investment and more. I started the process without having yet taken the GMAT, and so she helped me develop a comprehensive 6 month action plan that incorporated the test prep time. Heidi pushed me to brainstorm my work experience and background in a comprehensive document early on, and given her vast experience with the different schools, she helped me choose the right stories for the school prompts. When it comes to essays, Heidi was amazing at helping me sharpen my ideas and focus on what matters most in essays. She developed a deep understanding of my work experience and background which made it very easy to exchange essay ideas with her. Heidi’s support extends beyond essays and included helpful support to pick recommenders and preparations for interviews. Throughout the engagement, Heidi was very committed, cheering, and supportive. She will always return documents within 2 days (and sometimes less) and be there when you need her (did a mock interview for me even though she was on holiday). Heidi was more optimistic about my candidacy than other consultants and she was right. The results of working with her speak volumes about her caliber, I am happy to have been admitted to both Wharton and HBS. You can trust Heidi.

After talking with a few consultants, I was immediately drawn to Melissa’s kind nature and holistic approach. From the beginning of my MBA application journey, I knew I would have someone who would be honest with me throughout while giving me the encouragement I needed to make it through this long process.

Melissa was extremely helpful through all facets of the application. Her essay reviews provided thought-provoking comments that pushed me to bring out the best parts of my story, and I really appreciated how detail-oriented she was for short answers and resume building. With her advice on the best ways to communicate and provide examples of my past work, reaching out to my recommenders felt like a breeze. I also felt very supported by her when taking the GMAT/GRE, which can be quite taxing when balancing all other aspects of the apps. Melissa didn’t stop there and was an incredible mock interview partner and confidante in the final decision process.

The best part was that the whole way through I knew Melissa was genuinely interested in getting to know me and seeing me succeed. My admissions results (5 out of 6 school admissions, including 3 M7 schools and 3 scholarships) are a testament to her amazing partnership! I can’t thank her enough and am so excited to attend HBS next fall!

I used hourly services with Krista and I definitely recommend it! Even after doing a 30 minutes free trial with her, I was amazed at how valuable her advice was. After a few sessions, I actually purchased more hours as I found Krista’s support so valuable and helpful. She exceeded my expectations. In the end, I was accepted by four of the top 20 MBA programs and one with a full scholarship.

For a bit more insight I’d highlight a few things:

1. Her high-level guidance helped me better position myself and leverage my strengths. She definitely knows a lot about the process and what schools are looking for. Applying to the top MBA programs is a challenging process and often you might feel lost. However, even after a few minutes with Krista, I felt like I knew exactly what I had to do and felt a lot more confident.

2. She has small tips for your interview that I think make a big difference. Her mock interviews were amazing! I think I had good answers prepared but she helped me make them perfect.

3. She is very well-organized and has a structured approach. She tells you her schedule and turnaround times from the beginning and follows it very carefully. This was a very stress-free approach for me and I appreciated it a lot.

4. She is a great person, attentive, and truly cares about the applicant. She has been extremely supportive and I always felt like she really cared about me. She helped me be more confident throughout the process.

When I first started working with Krista, I had a lot to figure out. I didn’t know where exactly I wanted to apply, how good of a candidate I was, what my story in my applications could be, etc. Krista helped me figure out absolutely everything and navigated me flawlessly through the very strenuous process of applying to business school. I think I would have been a very average business school candidate without Krista’s help and she turned me into a great candidate.

I’m so pleased with my results after working with Krista. She not only got me into a top school, but she also got me a significant merit scholarship. There is a slight chance I could’ve gotten into this school on my own, but I am 100% certain I would not have gotten the merit scholarship without Krista’s help. In that regard, hiring Krista was an incredible investment for me because her services actually ended up saving me money!! And I don’t think it’s possible that I could’ve received the same or better results with another consultant. There was nothing she could’ve done better and her guidance was spot on every step of the way. She is professional, she responds to everything super quickly, she will keep you organized, she will make sure you are doing everything possible to maximize your chances at any given school, and she will work tirelessly until every aspect of your application is as good as it can possibly be (I think we did over 15 edits of my resume alone). My only regret in working with Krista is that I did not follow her advice more closely at times.

I’m so thankful to have had the privilege of working with Krista. She is not only incredible at her job, but she is also a great person. I give her my highest possible endorsement and can’t say enough about her.

If you are looking for someone to help you take your profile to the next level, look no further than Melissa! The energy and care that she brings to her role are obvious from the very first meeting. She takes the time to really get to know you and understand your story and goals at the outset of the relationship. This pays dividends throughout the process, as she is adept at helping her clients present themselves authentically and holistically and is quick to push back on anything that doesn’t live up to this standard.

Melissa is highly responsive in her communications, especially as deadlines approach. She was quick to answer any question or concern I had, no matter how small.

Looking back on the process now, I can’t imagine going through it without Melissa’s guidance. She helped me see the through line in my own story and ensured that I was able to put my best foot forward when it came time to apply. At the outset of our time working together, I would have been happy just to gain acceptance to my target schools. With Melissa’s help, I was able to achieve not only that but, in some cases, receive substantial scholarship money as well.

TLDR: Melissa is a consummate professional who will take the time and go the extra mile to understand you and your story. If you are looking for an admissions consultant, then look no further. Absolute A+, 5/5.

I was able to get into one of the M7 schools thanks to countless working with Heidi. She helped me understand the entire application process on a whole new level. I wouldn’t have succeeded without her wealth of experience, patience, commitment, and most importantly, her passion for helping me develop my own story.
Throughout the application process, Heidi was extremely attentive to every detail that mattered. She was always responsive and honest with me whenever I had any questions or concerns. She constantly pushed me to think deeper about my narratives, essays, and even short questions in the data form. Even in the days leading up to the submission deadline, she really stretched herself to allow me a couple more revisions until I could not find anything further to add or change in my essays. The mock interview for MIT which I had with Heidi was a real confidence booster, and I loved that it was tougher than the actual interview and the practicality of her advice made me a lot more prepared. Without Heidi, such a daunting mission wouldn’t have been so easily broken down into a list of doable tasks with detailed guidance from her every step of the way. I sincerely appreciated having such a supportive partner along the at-times stressful and difficult journey.
Thank you, Heidi! Anyone would be lucky to have you as their admissions consultant.

Overall, I enjoyed Heidi’s services and am very pleased to see results as someone coming from a non-traditional industry. Heidi has always been very responsive and friendly throughout this application process. Her comments on my essays provoked many of my own deep thoughts and recollections that are critical yet otherwise might have been missed if not for her editing. The whole process is fairly structural with good timing for each step of the way. I paid for a 3 school package and DIY’d 2 on my own. Heidi was also able to provide me with lots of help on the additional schools while she can.

Like many other consulting services, Heidi’s support would still rely on my own good tracking of progress and time management. I think that’s fair but she would certainly send a reminder if I was ever too far behind. I would highly recommend Heidi if you are looking for a responsible and knowledgeable consultant.

Heidi was integral to my MBA application process, and I truly could not recommend her enough. When I first met with her, I was very lost on where to begin with my essays and she provided several exercises to get me going. From there, I was able to find a thread throughout my life/career that felt true to who I am and where I’m going. Without her, I am positive that I wouldn’t have come out with such a strong essay.

Heidi was also very helpful in preparing me for interviews by conducting a simulated mock interview where she asked some tough questions and gave honest, constructive feedback. I know I wouldn’t have been as well prepared without her.

Finally, she played a major role in my decision-making process. I was very torn between 2 schools, and she not only offered her own advice, but also sourced thoughts from her network to help bring in additional data points. I felt confident with my final decision thanks to Heidi, and I intend to stay in touch with her throughout business school and beyond.

I looked at 4 MBA admissions consulting firms and chose mbaMission for several reasons: I had a few friends who had used them (and all got into M7 schools), and because my initial conversation with Heidi was very positive.

Heidi has lots of admissions experience in general and with candidates with a similar profile to myself (having not come from a more traditional career path). Heidi was extremely responsive over email throughout the process, and I always felt supported and clear about my timeline. Even when my first few GMAT attempts did not go according to plan and we needed to change the timeline, she was able to draw up a new calendar and I did not feel rushed or behind the ball.

Heidi was instrumental in making me feel prepared through her essay edits (which she turned around very quickly), mock interviews, and general advice on school selection. While MBA admissions consulting firms are very expensive, I feel like I got a great value working with mbaMission and Heidi!

I decided to work with Heidi because I needed someone to work through my essays with me and help me to understand the best way to craft my story for business school. Heidi delivered on all of this and more by making the process enjoyable and helping me to think about what I wanted the schools to know about me. She was very good at asking questions to understand where I wanted to go and helping me to come up with concrete examples that would demonstrate my claims. She was also very accessible and always willing to help when I needed it. I would absolutely recommend that anyone applying to business school work with Heidi.

I was hesitant about investing in an MBA admissions consulting firm because of the price tag, and looking back I have no regrets in investing in the hourly services package with MBAmission. Every minute spent with Heidi was SO SO valuable – she helped me get into every school that I wanted to get into and clearly directed me/answered all of my questions. Whether it was my resume review, outlining my essays, or even random questions about my application goals. She understood how I wanted to spend my time and never wasted a minute working with me. I could not have done it without her!!!!

I had the opportunity to work with Krista throughout my long MBA application process, and I couldn’t have done it without Krista by my side at every step of the way.

Starting in the 2020-2021 cycle, I applied to several programs, and even though I received a generous scholarship from a program last year, I ended up postponing my MBA for another year given that I received a big work promotion and wanted to gain hands-on management experience. When I decided to reapply in 2021, Krista provided me with extra support at no additional charge. She was there for me when I needed a mock interview partner the second time around and was generous with her time. Her resourcefulness helped me to always put my best foot forward.

What I appreciated about Krista was her tireless dedication and communication style. She sets clear expectations upfront and is very responsive. If you put in the work, Krista will help get you into your dream school(s). For me, that was MIT Sloan. She truly goes above and beyond for her clients, and I highly recommend Krista to future MBA candidates looking for a partner throughout this process.

I worked with Heidi in preparing 4 round 1 applications for 2021/2022 admissions cycle (i.e., for spots in the class of 2024) and she was the most amazing resource as I completed my essays and prepared for my interviews. I could rely on her to provide helpful, constructive feedback without undermining my confidence and she was a stellar communicator — always being clear about when I would hear back from her and what to expect. I was on the fence about using an admissions coaching service and I am SO beyond glad that I did. Heidi was such a wonderful resource for me and I credit her with helping me to have such a successful application experience.

I enquired about mbaMission following a year of studying and 5 unsuccessful GMAT attempts. The pressure of getting a test score that I was comfortable with was all-consuming. I hadn’t even begun to think about the application process with round one deadlines only a few months away.

Working with Heidi immediately lifted the weight of the world off of my shoulders. With years of experience helping aspiring MBA students get admitted into the schools of their dreams, Heidi put together a comprehensive game plan to ensure that I met all of my deadlines. It felt like Heidi was truly invested in my success throughout the process, providing detailed feedback and guidance on every component of my application.

Heidi took a genuine interest in learning about my background and career aspirations, which proved to be invaluable in helping to craft my story. I learned a lot about myself throughout the admissions process and truly cannot thank Heidi enough for all of her guidance and support along the way. Heidi is the best of the best!!

Overall, I had an excellent experience with Devi and was accepted to a top-choice program! She was incredibly efficient, knowledgable, and pleasant to work with throughout the application and interview process. She really helped me reflect on my experiences and stories to draw out the most powerful anecdotes, and her approach was very pragmatic. I would strongly recommend her to anyone looking to work with a consultant.

I came into the application process pretty late in August and was all over the place till I found Nisha. She has a knack for picking out the important elements from your stories and ensuring that you put your best foot forward. I truly appreciated her patience given the short time we had for the deadlines and was highly impressed with her quick turnaround time. Additionally, her feedback on my mock interview was highly beneficial as I prepared for the real deal. If you are looking to ace the application process, look no further – Nisha is the one. Thank you for all your help, Nisha!

I decided to apply to B school just 1.5 months before R1 deadlines and Gavriella made the process seamless, taking out much of the stress I would’ve had without her! From setting a schedule for deliverables (making the whole process much more manageable), the in-depth brainstorming, to multiple revisions of my HBS and GSB essays, and brainstorming & editing for the short answer prompts as well, she showed her prowess as an advisor, writer/editor, and storyteller. She also knew many of the MBA programs so well and was able to help me curate my story to uniquely fit each one. She was invaluable in my preparation for my HBS interview, conducting a mock interview, giving me helpful feedback, and sharing other potential questions that could come up. She also courteously gave me feedback on a couple of schools’ essays that were not included in my package, which I am extremely grateful for!

Gavriella made me feel comfortable and confident in my experience and story, ultimately making the admissions process alone an enlightening journey. I’m happy to share that with her help, I was admitted to my dream school, HBS, and Wharton! I would highly recommend working with Gavriella, she was so easy to work with and provided quality feedback. I’m confident I put my best foot forward with my applications and I would not have been able to get them there without her!