mbaMission | MBA Admissions Consultants

Working with Melissa and mbaMission was great – I would recommend the firm and Melissa in particular to anyone who looking to add a level of polish and nuance to their applications. Melissa pushed me in all the right ways but it was not hand-holding either – you have to put in the work. She helped me refine my story, my essays, and my resume to a great degree. Melissa was friendly, professional, and fun to work with. If I had to do it again – I would choose her!

Unsure and overwhelmed over the application process, as well as not feeling confident in my story or candidacy strength – Melissa provided the ideal balance of support, advice, and push that I needed to be successful. I was admitted to all 3 of my R1 schools – Darden, Tuck, and Fuqua – in what was a competitive application year.
She assessed my candidacy and encouraged me to try out the GRE (after getting a semi-below-average GMAT score), which I am convinced was the push I needed that put me over the edge at my target schools (getting just above an average GRE score).

She is a natural storyteller, taking the time to understand aspects of my background outside of just work and academics to help craft my story as a compelling candidate. With her experience as an MBA Admissions officer, she helped to identify strengths and personal anecdotes that I would not have recognized to be useful in my application. Her editing tips were invaluable, helping to cut essays down to meet nearly-impossible word limits, without changing my writing. She provides advice on tricky topics too – like the appropriate amount of detail to provide re. a job gap, etc. She always turned around edits very quickly! Which helped me to plan ahead and stick to a schedule. And lastly, she was very helpful for interview prep as well!

Overall she is great to work with – personable, friendly, casual – as well as quick and efficient in her delivery of advice in our working sessions. She also genuinely cares about her clients. She was able to handle my wavering emotions with a comforting strength and grace – providing encouragement and advice on how to handle bumps in the road. I thoroughly enjoyed my time working with Melissa and highly recommend her as a consultant. WELL worth the investment!

Melissa was a great coach throughout the entire MBA application process! I did introductory calls with 4 different admissions consulting companies but thought Melissa was by far the best consultant I talked to. I’m so glad I chose to work with her. She is very friendly and has a really positive attitude, but will still help identify areas of weakness in the application and help you craft a great story that emphasizes your strengths in order to receive admission into your dream school. Her feedback was provided in a timely manner and she was always available to answer a quick email question as well.

I was an hourly client and in 5 hours she helped with a brainstorming session, a resume review, at least one or two revisions on the different essays and short answers for Haas and Anderson, and a mock interview where we covered both schools. While I had competitive statistics (GPA and GMAT), I had little to no extra-curriculars since starting my professional career 4 years ago and come from an over-represented applicant pool so Melissa’s help with the applications was instrumental in my success. I was even able to leverage what Melissa and I had discussed to apply to Marshall on my own, although I do think the applications I submitted with her direct help were stronger. When it was all said and done, I was accepted to Anderson and Marshall and waitlisted at Hass, receiving roughly two-thirds and one-half merit-based scholarships with my acceptances. This outcome greatly surpassed my expectations and I could not have done it without Melissa.

I highly recommend working with Melissa if you are at all uncertain in the MBA application process, as I know my applications were many times better than they would have been had I gone at it alone.

I have been admitted to Chicago Booth!
Harshad was instrumental in coaching me to think through the entire application process. He helped me think through my approach to the essays that I submitted at the M7 programs I applied to. He also helped me prepare my CV and guided me in getting ready for interviews and work with my recommenders.
Harshad helped me write my essays until I got to high quality while meeting word limits and time deadlines.
Words, quite literally fail me, in sharing my gratitude for finding Harshad as a partner and mentor in my application process. He was always encouraging, always positive but at the same time very focused. He never failed to tell me when my writing was off the course. He was always candid and straight about me not responding to the essay question-stem.
And yet, he was generous, when it came to him playing his part.
I just couldn’t have made it without Harshad. His professionalism and support meant a lot and I will whole-heartedly recommend Harshad at mbaMission to anyone who is looking for help in B-school essays and CV crafting to work with him.
Best of luck!

I was overwhelmed coming into the business school admission process and I didn’t think I’d have a chance based on my nontraditional professional background — even after studying for the GMAT for over a year. Melissa eased my anxiety and was positive throughout the entire process. Her coaching, editing, and advice helped me go 6/6 in a very competitive R1 with T25 schools. Melissa takes the time to really get to know you and your story and then helps craft everything in a way that’s easily understood by admissions committees. I think this skill, along with her experience as a Director of Admissions at a T25 school, is what sets her apart from the other many admission consultants out there. She’s amazing!

I was skeptical about hiring an admissions consultant when I was considering applying to business schools in 2019. I got on the phone with Melissa and she gave me truthful, candid advice that I should hold off for a year and focus on improving my profile. I was shocked that an admissions consultant, who relies on paying students, would be so honest and candid, and I ultimately held off on applying. When I came back 18 months later to revisit my application with her, Melissa was kind and truthful again, and I decided to go ahead with her. Now, I’m heading to Wharton with 85% scholarship, and I could not have done it (both the acceptance or the scholarship) without Melissa’s help. She is so genuine, kind, and responsive – it was a phenomenal experience.

Jessica is simply amazing. I first contacted her 5 years ago but for one or another reason I could not continue with the application process.
I contacted her 4 months ago to restart the application process to YALE SOM and she was just as amazing, or even better, than 5 years ago. I decided to work with her because you instantly know when someone is going to really help you achieve your lifetime goals.
Applying to YALE SOM for the Master in Advanced Management, a dual program that you are only eligible for if you are a current MBA student of the global network was a difficult target to achieve but working with Jessica side by side gives you that confidence that you do not always have by doing things on your own.
She guided me through the essays, resume, video questions, and the interview. Through all the process she was outstanding and always adapting to get the most out of you in the most efficient way possible.

Deciding whether to hire a consultant or not is of course a tough decision at some point in your planning process, but if you ask me I would definitely work with Jessica again and again and even more knowing that I have been accepted to YALE SOM!

Thanks again Jessica for guiding me through this next chapter of my life,

Jorge

I worked with Melissa for Round 1 of the 2021 intake cycle. Coming from an over-represented pool, with a median GMAT and big four Technology Consulting background, I knew I needed to stand out. But more so, I needed to remain confident in the strengths of my application.

Melissa was the pillar I relied on to stay positive and confident. Most importantly, she was “chill” and kept conversations easy and informal. This personality trait/demeanor was different from experiences some of my friends had with their consultants who were more focused on their personal admit results and coaxed my friends to shoot lower. On the other hand, Melissa encouraged me to take my shots at the reach schools while balancing with a couple of safeties. She was also open to re-working and re-editing essays that we had long seen as final (probably pretty frustrating!) until I was perfectly happy with the submitted product – as v12 and v9 of my two Kellogg essays can attest!

She often had to play the role of a coach and a cheerleader and helped quell the feelings of self-doubt that inevitably arise from reading opinions on online forums.

It also goes without saying that she was always punctual sending back edits and operated well within mbaMission’s 48 business hours turnaround policy (usually much sooner).

At the end of the day, it’s the results that matter, and I was admitted to all 3 schools I worked on with Melissa – Ross, Kellogg, and Sloan (dream school) – with a sizable scholarship at Ross and a modest scholarship at Kellogg. Moreover, I used similar stories/language on other applications as well and was admitted to 2 out of 3 of those as well.

The best of the best. Accepted to both HBS and Stanford.

I firmly believe that I would not have gotten into HBS without Devi. I had one mock-interview included in a package I had purchased with another consultant from another firm (who helped with my written application); the difference in quality of coaching, feedback, preparation, and questions asked was night and day.

Simply put, Devi is the best of the best. If you are serious about HBS, you must work with her. Unlike other schools, HBS heavily weights the interviews, which are conducted by its Admissions Board. If you get to the interview stage at HBS, you have a 50/50 shot of getting in: how you perform will undoubtedly determine whether you get in or are rejected. As such, working with Devi means working with someone who not only knows the ins and outs of the HBS admissions process and understands the mindsets of the interviewers, but who has also lived through the experience herself. The interview is as tough as they say it is (anything in your application, essays, recommendations, industry is fair game), and there is no “winging it”—I knew, especially in this year’s virtual, extremely competitive round, that I had to take myself to the next level, and I knew Devi could help get me there.

Even after our first mock interview, I immediately noticed a difference. Devi’s coaching style is specific and targeted: she articulates very clearly what it is that I need to work on for our next session. Each time, she prepares a comprehensive set of questions uniquely tailored to my written application. Her pacing (~25 questions in 30 minutes) and the types of follow-up questions asked will prepare you above and beyond for the real deal.

Most importantly, Devi listened intently and strategized how best to shape my story in a way that would resonate most with HBS Admissions. She also taught me how to drop in “teasers” for my interviewer to “bite” on so that I could drive/steer the conversation towards the stories I wanted to tell.

Devi was not just a coach or an advisor, but someone whom I could lean on during what was an incredibly stressful, anxiety-ridden time. At one point, I had lost confidence after a combination of being (unexpectedly) grilled by my Stanford interviewer and stumbling through a one-time mock-interview with another consultant. Devi helped me brush it off and focus on my HBS interview ahead of the following week.

I had initially signed up for 3 sessions, but after seeing how much incremental value I was gaining every minute spent with Devi, I decided to upgrade my package to 5 sessions.

In the end, Devi and I had practiced 95% of what was asked in my actual HBS interview, and my conversation that day flowed naturally. Coming out, I was confident that I had nailed it. I almost never EVER say that I “nailed” anything because I am always hyper-critical of my own performance, but I can genuinely say that I have never been more prepared in my life for an interview, all thanks to Devi.

I was ultimately accepted at not only HBS, but also Stanford GSB. Devi called me the day acceptances came out, overjoyed. She is genuinely invested in you throughout the entire process and will push you to be the best version of yourself. She is someone I will continue to stay in contact with for years to come. I could not recommend Devi highly enough.

Kate was instrumental to my application – I came to her with specific needs (I had the GMAT done and some schools picked out, but really needed help crafting my story to put into essays). She adapted perfectly to my needs and was always incredibly supportive as well as responsive. She added value by pulling out parts of my story that resonated with AdComs that I wouldn’t have even thought to mention. I’m convinced the essays made the difference in one of the most competitive admit years ever. Thank you, Kate!!

Jessica is outstanding, she helped me understand that Stanford’s MSX was a great fit for me.

Applying to a top program can be overly stressful but with the support from Jessica, it didn’t seem all that hard. Mainly because she breaks it down is multiple milestones. Her process of doing exhaustive guided brainstorm, combined with 1:1 sessions to reflect before drafting anything is a key differentiator that sets her and mbaMission apart. Jessica is also a top storyteller and will help you tell the story in a way that is engaging and authentic. Also expect no delays in her turnaround, at times it’s hard to keep up, but that’s what you want when applying to a top program: a pace keeper that guarantees that the process keeps on moving.

I would strongly recommend the end-to-end school packages, it certainly worked for me.

The level of deep connection that one develops in this process with her is unique, Jessica has become a mentor, a friend, and someone I will continue to go back on advice as life goes on.

Even from the initial consultation with Katy, she was the most resourceful and friendly consultant. From the start, she was incredibly knowledgeable and understand my profile completely. As an international student, I was looking for someone who can understand my resume and give me candid advice. She not only helped me through my application process but also with my decision process. Because of her, my mba application process was very enjoyable. I would highly recommend her!

When I started looking for an MBA admissions consultant, I did the free 30 minute sessions with a few different companies. Most of them were good, but I felt like they were just saying what I wanted to hear. They were very much like cheerleaders. When I got to the free 30 minute session with Jessica (after one of my best friends from college recommend her to me), it was a completely different experience. The 30 minutes were super productive and she was very objective with my candidacy – she highlighted what I had going for me, but most importantly, she identified my areas of weakness and proposed how she would work with me to address them. It was definitely a tough session, but that’s when I realized that’s exactly what I needed for the process – Someone that would be critical of my application as that would allow me to put my best foot forward. After signing up with her for the 4-school package, I was very satisfied with the service I received. She was very responsive (48 hour turnaround system) and always answered my questions thoroughly (I had lots of questions throughout the process so I really appreciated this). When I submitted my applications, I felt satisfied that regardless of the outcome I had put my best foot forward. If you want a real coach (vs. just a cheerleader), I highly recommend Jessica. Worth every dollar.

Jessica and I hit it off instantaneously in my consultation. I could tell within five minutes of speaking with her that she is deeply invested in not only her clients’ success but getting to know them personally.

Working with Jessica on all of my applications only further solidified my expectations. She went above and beyond to get to know me and what matters to me so that we could craft a unique and personal story for my applications. As someone who had no experience or idea how much work the application process was going to be, she was the best partner ensuring everything was done in a timely and organized manner. During such a nerve-wracking time, it was so great to know I had such an experienced and thoughtful person in my corner. It also doesn’t hurt that she got me into one of my dream schools!!

I had friends that applied to business school at the same time as myself that used different consulting companies, and the amount of time and effort Jessica put into helping me was above and beyond what my friends experienced. This along with all of the amazing reasons I stated above confirmed that Jessica is the best person for the job. If I had to go through this process again I would 100% utilize Jessica’s help, and thus I would recommend her to anyone and everyone!

Kate is an INCREDIBLE consultant and did a tremendous job throughout my application cycle. I first contacted her back in May and she had very few Round 1 spots left. I was lucky to have her!

I come from a Big 4 consulting background and technical undergrad. I applied to 5 M7 schools, received interviews at 3 of them, and was ultimately admitted to 1 school and waitlisted at 2.

Kate was there every step of the way. She was kind, thoughtful, and thorough. She brought out the best in my story, helped me find a logical structure to the (sometimes scattered) experiences that make up my life, and pushed me through to the end.

Kate is an incredible editor and is suuuuper patient throughout the process, even when we would go through 5-6 iterations on a single essay. She’s outstanding at both the high-level storyboarding and the granular edits that are required to get an essay to the finish line. She also is great with interview prep, helping me to hone in on the storylines that would speak best to each school.

Kate was AWESOME and I couldn’t recommend her more!

Jessica was an amazing coach helping me get accepted to Wharton. She had amazing insights into how to tell my story and position myself despite my weaknesses. Jessica is not only extremely caring and understanding but also effective and efficient. Her insights were golden and her turn-around was extremely fast without compromising on quality. She has her own system which I’ve never seen before that helps you really craft the best application possible through a guided and iterative process. She asks the right questions and her incisive mind always has you thinking long after a conversation. Jessica is able to swiftly extract your strengths and weaknesses and help craft your story in a way that will make you stand out. As an unusual candidate with a non-linear background, the approach I was going to take before consulting Jessica was completely different and probably the wrong approach. With her wisdom and advice, I was able to use my different background as strengths and craft a much more compelling narrative that I am sure made a big difference in me getting into the school I dreamed of.

Jessica is one of the most impressive people I’ve ever worked with. She is genuinely invested in her clients – the care she puts into her work is almost maternal. Her guidance was invaluable, and I always came away from our conversations feeling better equipped to handle the next step. She provided concrete, actionable steps at every stage and with her help, I truly believe I put my best foot forward. MBA applications can feel isolating at the best of times, and during lockdown especially so. Jessica ensured this was not the case, and was along for the journey every step of the way.

This was my first time applying to business schools and I was feeling a bit lost. I gave Micheal a call for a free consultation and he instantly removed any and all stress that comes with the process. He walked me through what schools look for and how to write a compelling and genuine essay. I could not have done it without him, he was the most helpful person one could ask for!

He was flexible on revisions and always had amazing feedback. He has a way of pulling out the best qualities in a candidate and is the most brilliant at conveying that. He has great experience in consulting and finance and knew exactly how to make me stand out!

He prepared me for interviews, mitigated a tough gpa and helped with my optional essay.

Hire this guy, he will not disappoint. He is the best consultant you will ever work with!

As a transitioning veteran, he was my compass on this journey. I was granted an interview and received a full scholarship to my top school!

If you are fortunate enough to get to work with Jessica, you would be making a huge mistake to do anything else. She is highly sought after by the world’s top candidates and is absolutely best in class. I applied to six of the M7 and was accepted to all six schools including one with a full tuition scholarship. From the start of working together, Jessica took the time to really get to know me. She studied my intake materials and my story in detail, spending hours on the phone to learn more, ask questions, and genuinely understand who I am as a person. This is a critical and distinctive part of the process as she sees all her clients as unique and will never encourage you to put your story into a preexisting mold. She went further to help prompt my own reflective process so that I could personally explore better what it was I want to do with my life and career, something that was critical to communicating who I was effectively in my applications. (Many consultants I spoke to seemed ready to gloss over these more intangible components of the self-discovery process and leave you telling an uncompelling, half-baked story of who you are. Jessica, on the other hand, always had time for me.) She was a great encouragement in the process, but most importantly she would provide tough love when my stories didn’t communicate who I really was and left a part of me out of what I was communicating. The last thing you want is a consultant who is not encouraging you to find and communicate the truest, most compelling version of who you are.

It is an incredibly big decision to trust someone to serve as a guide in applying to business school, a process that can have life changing outcomes. You can trust 100% trust Jessica in this role, and you will find yourself with someone who is a true partner in the process and who is genuinely invested in your success – something you won’t find from many other consultants focused on churning through a higher volume of clients. I spoke to nine consultants before deciding who to work with, including some of Jessica’s highly rated peers, and Jessica stood out meaningfully relative to the others. As someone who was in your shoes very recently, I can’t recommend enough that you work with Jessica!

I am the only one of my friends who applied to business school, so working and talking with a consultant was very comforting during an extremely stressful year. From the beginning, Krista helped me break down every piece of the admissions cycle into digestible pieces, so I did not feel overwhelmed at the daunting application year that I had in front of me. I was in a less-than-ideal situation, still taking the GMAT during the applications process. But throughout the year, Krista helped me understand every single option to consider, including school selection and testing options. Lastly, Krista helped immensely with learning how to tell my story concisely. There is extra work at the beginning to lay out every detail of education of professional background. But the extra work was 100% worth it when I realized how little 200 words really is.
It felt great to work with Krista because I could not have expected to replicate her experience and knowledge through google researching. At the end of the interviews and before decisions were released, I had a weird sense of content because I felt like I gave everything I had to the applications. Thankfully, that was not the case, and I could not be happier with Krista’s help.

There are many consultants who provide the same kind of cookie-cutter service to all their clients and give you the “standard” counsel and help. That is absolutely not Devi; she takes the time to truly comprehend your profile and your story, which allows her to tailor her advice especially to you. This sets her apart, making her the most valuable and professional counsel on the market, and is why I wholeheartedly recommend you invest in her services and take the time to truly heed her recommendations.

I got in touch with Devi after my HBS interview invite, and instantly her expertise shined through. After a thorough read through my file and our first mock session, she understood my profile, my strengths, and my weaknesses, and adapted the practice questions and areas of focus accordingly. Going over questions and my answers with her gave me the tools to better myself. Over the course of three sessions, we made sense of the coherence of my profile, identified which areas of my story I had locked down, which areas needed more practice and what aspects of my presentation and delivery needed what work.

It is obvious from Devi’s background and profile that she knows HBS, their admissions system and their interview style like no other, but that is not what makes her the best. What makes Devi the best is how she preps you, in your own individuality, to succeed for yourself at the HBS interview. You will truly see yourself progress and directly perceive the value of having her on your side, guiding you to being the best “you” you can be for the interview, whatever the questions that come up.

This is why I recommend a bare minimum of two sessions with her: one to set a baseline, and one to compare the progress. You will see for yourself just how much progress you will have made from doing the practice and exercises she recommends for you. She is always available for more sessions, and can even help you with the Post-Interview Reflection.

There is no better tailored service for HBS prep out there than Devi! Don’t wait up, go call her onto your team, especially if you have just received your HBS interview invitation, and earn your own spot yourself into the HBS classroom!

From the beginning of my application process, I had been hesitant about hiring a consultant for a variety of reasons, but now as I prepare to attend Columbia Business School next year, I can very confidently say that working with Gavriella was the best decision I made during the process. I interviewed five consultants and from the get-go I was confident that Gavriella was the right choice. She showed up to our meeting prepped on my background, was very candid about my strengths and weaknesses and proposed a concrete plan to move forward. The minute I knew for absolute sure that I had made the right decision occurred several weeks after we started working together. We were several turns into the all-important goals essay when Gavriella made the (at the time) very unpopular suggestion that we weren’t hitting the mark and that we should go back to the drawing board to make sure that we craft not just a good story but a great one. Most people would have said it’s good enough and forgone the extra work, but Gavriella was committed to our process and committed to my goal of getting into Columbia. She was always there for me to bounce ideas off, provided truly honest feedback, and at times just to listen to me complain about the whole process. No stone was left unturned from beginning to end and Gavriella pushed me day after day to make sure that I wasn’t just submitting a good application but a truly exemplary one. Gavriella guided me and helped create a narrative that showcased to the admissions board a full picture of who I am and what I am capable of.

Jen is a mover, motivator, and magical. There are not enough words I can use to describe how Jen was able to change my outlook and perspective on the MBA admissions process and I owe any and all success to her. When I first was introduced to Jen, my life was practically all over the place, Jen helped me put all the pieces together, craft a genuine story, made sure I was true to my person, and this game plan was what got me the results I wanted. Jen was able to make my vision of getting into my dream school come to life. Jen – if you’re reading this (which I hope you do) then I just want to let you know that you’ve been such a huge help and big part of my journey that I can say with full confidence I definitely wouldn’t have even gotten remotely close of getting into my dream school if it’s wasn’t for your guidance along the way. Can’t recommend Jen enough!

Katy provided down-to-earth guidance and a clear process to help me convey the best version of myself across my essays and throughout the application. She worked multiple weekends with me across time zones to ensure we got enough iterations to get the content tailored for GSB. Equally, Katy is street-smart and cuts to the chase spending time on the areas that I needed as opposed to a cookie-cutter approach, which I thoroughly appreciated. Thanks Katy!

Julie-Anne played a huge role in my being accepted to my top three choice schools, Harvard Business School, Wharton/Lauder and UVA Darden in Round 1 of the 2020-2021 Admissions Cycle. While I had all the right pieces (720 GMAT, high GPA and strong recommendations), I struggled to develop my MBA story through my essays and short-answer responses. More specifically, coming from international development, I was completely lost about how to contextualize my background and skills through a business lens and articulate how I could contribute uniquely to the classroom.

Julie-Anne exceeded my expectations on every front. She was accessible, diligent, kind and strategic. She listened closely early on to understand who I was, why I wanted an MBA and what I hoped to do, and then used that knowledge to help me strengthen my voice in my essays. She read countless drafts, jumped on dozens of brainstorm calls when I hit a roadblock (even on Sunday mornings!), and calmed my anxieties the night before my interviews. She was highly professional and knowledgeable; I always felt that she knew exactly what she was doing, whether helping to tweak my resume or determine how to conclude my essays (and the results showed!). Her expertise on what the Admissions Committee values at each particular school heightened my applications and helped me to really shine. Also, the fact that Julie-Anne attended HBS, one of my top choices, and worked in consulting, my intended post MBA career, made her a real role model for me throughout the process. I highly recommend Julie-Anne !

I worked with Nisha mostly on writing my essays for 3 top B-schools (HBS, GSB, and Booth), I found her guidance and help very valuable, as we started with a structured approach on how how to determine the theme of my essays, molded each essay into each school’s format, and kept me on track on important details one should include on these essays, I would’ve otherwise not included.
Nisha was very knowledgeable about the project I needed to create, and also very flexible about making sure I could guide the project to keep it my own.
In the end, I secured acceptances to 2 B-schools and I was placed on the waitlist for my 3rd application. I am sure Nisha’s support greatly helped me submit a much stronger application.

I used 5 hours of Gavriella’s services to help support reviewing/editing my applications. She really took the time to get to know me and my motivations. She was then able to provide concrete feedback on how I could increase the clarity of messaging across my application. Furthermore, Gavriella was able to offer valuable input on what admissions committees would be looking for.

I had a highly personalized experience where I felt she was truly invested in my success. Not to mention the quick turnaround times to review materials. I ended up getting into my two top choices (GSB & HBS). Gavriella was a key contributor.

Julie-Anne was a huge help throughout my application process. She constantly provided guidance on what admission officers value and in turn aspects of my candidacy to highlight. Julie-Anne was helpful in brainstorming ideas and crafting my essays. She also helped me write strong short answer responses and ensure all aspects of my application were additive. The interview prep was also incredibly helpful. One point worth noting is MBA Mission’s SLA and 2 business day turn around time for essay editing, which JA stuck to fairly strictly.

Throughout the application process, Jen was a fantastic resource and supporter that was key to my acceptance into several programs. She is thorough and detailed in her responses and helped me to craft my personal story that reflected in my essays and interviews. She spent the time to understand my ambitions and goals and tailored her guidance and corrections to meet my requirements. I have no doubt that she was a major factor in my application successes. I would absolutely recommend her to an MBA applicant targeting top programs.

I worked with Susan on mbaMission’s start-to-finish package for 4 schools (M7), targeting Round 1 deadlines. Susan was an amazing guide through the whole process, keeping me on track to putting together applications that represented me well.

Susan has a wealth of knowledge on school-specific aspects of the application and what each school is looking for in different parts of the application. She really helped me connect the dots to craft a great narrative and taught me how to market my strengths to the admissions committee.

Susan was incredibly punctual in reviewing and providing feedback on my essays, sometimes even getting back to me ahead of schedule to help me meet my timeline. Her feedback was definitely challenging, but after working through it my application looked a lot better. She was also readily available over the phone to clarify any of her comments. My interview prep session with her was also helpful – she gave me constructive feedback on the key areas that I could definitely improve on during the days leading up to the actual interview.

It was not easy to meet the R1 timeline, even though I had started quite early. When I was falling behind, Susan didn’t shy away from giving me a wake up call and pushed me through the process. At the end of the day, I’m really happy that I got accepted to one of the programs! I highly recommend Susan for anyone looking for a consultant.

Susan has been on my business school journey with me for years, and I know that I would not have gotten to the end without her guidance and support. I started working with Susan as a college senior applying for deferred admissions programs. I knew I wanted to pursue an MBA but had no idea what the admissions process would require (I was definitely a little unprepared going in!). Working through the Complete Start to Finish Package with Susan was a complete gift – she helped me take a step back to understand my strengths and how all of my experiences fit together to tell that narrative but also where I was a little weaker and how we could strategically approach this aspect of my application. This established a great framework for the application and really helped to tell my story in a way that I was confident about. But, actually writing that story turned out to be incredibly hard. As an engineer, I had absolutely no experience writing essays or storytelling and it definitely showed! Susan really helped to transform my writing style. Her feedback is direct and she knows how much to push you to generate your best work – I went from writing long stories that were mostly “fluff” with no real content to understanding how to write strong narratives with concrete examples to really illustrate the topic. This is more than just a goal for business school applications; it is a lifelong skill that Susan helped me to build – one that has already benefited me in my career and will continue to do so in business school.

Although my first try at business school applications did not result in an offer, it provided a great opportunity to reflect and take the time to make my application even stronger. I always knew I would reapply to business school and throughout the next few years, Susan stayed in touch and was an amazing sounding board when I was trying to round out my experiences and strengthen my story. When it was time to reapply, I chose Susan again as my consultant because not only did she know my story, but I knew she was rooting for me and would give me the push that I needed to submit my best application and one that I was really proud of. I worked on a few different schools with Susan this time and chose schools that had every type of essay and interview possible – written, video, case interviews, etc. Like the first time, Susan’s feedback was invaluable and helped me to build interview and communication skills that are applicable in the “real world” and will propel me to become a stronger student, employee and leader. But, the thing that I benefited from the most this time around (besides applications that I am so proud of) is a strong sense of what I want to do with my career and how I can get there. The Complete Start to Finish Package gives you the opportunity to dive deep into your experiences, strengths and interests (which ultimately pointed me in the direction of what I wanted to do in my career). But, it was Susan who helped me lay the foundation of what I would need to do to get there and how an MBA at my target school was a necessary piece of that puzzle. Her insistence that I do my research to understand the industry and the skills needed for that role helped me develop not only a strong application but a plan that I am excited about. This process with Susan was personally instrumental in preparing me for business school, and I feel ready to take on all that it offers.

Susan embodies the perfect balance of support and feedback. She takes the time to really understand her clients as individuals and constantly strategizes to help them realize and highlight their unique strengths. She never wavers from her goal of pushing you to do your best work, and the result is always something that you will be proud to call your own. I look back on my time with Susan and am so thankful for all of the effort because without her, I would not be headed to London Business School (my dream school!).

I was a military applicant with a low standardized test score and an unconventional story to share. Initially, I reached out to mbaMission only for strategic advice—I thought that I had a good understanding of what information I needed to present, but I wanted a second opinion to ensure I was hitting the mark. After speaking with Julie-Anne, I immediately realized how helpful it would be to have someone guide me throughout the process. Julie-Anne was a coach, supporter, and teacher throughout the most challenging points of the application cycle. She took time to get to know my ambitions, reasoning, and most importantly, “me” as a person. Her perspective helped me improve my essays by navigating blind spots, presenting my weaknesses in a positive light, and helping me better explain my path. In advising me on how to realize my “potential,” Julie-Anne helped me get into an M7 business school (Stanford/Harvard). Julie-Anne went far beyond my original expectations and I’m so thankful for all of her help!

I worked with Devi to prep for my HBS interview and she completely rewired my interview performance. If HBS is your dream school then I would not hesitate to work with Devi she is amazing and will be a great investment on your journey to Cambridge.

The MBA application process can be difficult to navigate. It requires thorough self-reflection, high-quality essay writing and a resume that helps highlight your accomplishments and show your career impact. This becomes even more important if you have an atypical career path like myself, where I have worked on both the investing and operating side of business across 5+ industries.

I’ve had a number of friends who have completed MBA programs, and most of them utilized an admissions consultant to help work through the application process. I took the admissions consultant decision very seriously, and conducted a number of 30-minute phone screenings that many services offer. After speaking with Julie-Anne Heafey at mbaMission, it became abundantly clear that she was the ideal consultant to work with throughout the MBA application journey.

In my opinion, Julie-Anne has a number of traits that make her a fantastic consultant:

* She is professional and direct. With hourly services or a full-scale package, you want an admissions consultant who gives you candid feedback and pushes you to improve every item of the application. Julie-Anne did just that. Whether we had phone calls or exchanged comments via email, she got to the point quickly and made sure we worked through comments in an efficient manner.

*She is very responsive. Whether I had one-off questions or needed additional clarification on her comments, Julie-Anne responded quickly to ensure we stayed on track with application deadlines.

*She is truly invested in your success. This is not just a transaction for Julie-Anne. She cares deeply for her clients and will check-in throughout the process (and after) to see what else she can do to support you.

I had two aspects of my application I was concerned with: (1) my lower than average GMAT score and (2) my above average age. Julie-Anne helped me overcome these issues to submit strong applications that resulted in me being admitted into 4 out of the 5 top 10 programs that I applied to, including my top choice of Wharton. I cannot recommend Julie-Anne enough.

Julie-Anne was an incredible consultant. She guided me every step of the way and gave me candid feedback that enhanced my application. I was accepted to all three programs I applied to, and do not believe I would have been able to achieve that without her help. Coming from a very traditional finance background (Ivy League undergraduate, investment banking, private equity) I thought there was a magic formula for entrance and Julie-Anne steered me clear of that assumption. She helped me bring out my unique attributes in my essays and brain storm what it was I really wanted to get out of business school. So very thankful for Julie-Anne!

From the start, Julie-Anne asked hard questions that challenged the way I thought as I wrote my application essays. As a person from big tech with a mid-tier university background (and very little extra-curricular involvement), I needed her help in ensuring I stood out. The best part about working with Julie-Anne was her ability to help me turn my background into meaningful stories. Julie-Anne spent hours brainstorming with me, and when it came to providing feedback on my essays, she was incredibly honest. She encouraged me to scrap essays and start over when needed, and also dig into the details more that I otherwise would have. Without her help, my stories would’ve been too broad to earn interviews at top schools.

Besides her stellar editing, Julie-Anne is personable and communicative. She met deadlines and kept me on track as well. Her frankness during interview prep was greatly appreciated and helped me get into three M7 schools that I interviewed at. It seemed like every question I had asked, we had discussed in my mock interviews.

Julie-Anne even helped where she didn’t need to. She checked in frequently and offered advice for negotiations. She’s super knowledgeable and definitely worth the investment (especially if you are struggling with essay brainstorming/editing).

Summary: I had a convoluted story and worked with multiple mock interviewers to prepare. Devi was by far the most prepared, gave the clearest and most actionable feedback, and seemed truly invested in my success. The HBS interview isn’t “hard” in the sense that the interviewers are warm and friendly, and generally don’t ask trick questions. During my preparation, I spoke with several people who had interviewed, both admitted and rejected; almost all of them said that they thought it had gone well. Also, most people who get an interview, especially from finance and consulting, already have experience with difficult, lengthy processes and have developed above average interview skills. That’s why it’s so important to prepare to a level far beyond what you think is necessary – the competition is not average.

HBS was my dream school, and I don’t think I would have got in without Devi. After receiving an invitation to interview, I thought that I could adequately prepare on my own. I’d made it through demanding, multi-round interview processes in investment banking before, and I figured that through extensive solo practice and preparation, I could get through the HBS interview successfully as well. After spending many hours watching videos, reading articles, writing out every example I could think of in the STAR method, and practicing out loud, I still didn’t feel confident enough and decided to work with Devi.

I approached my first session with Devi as if it were the actual HBS interview (suit and tie included). I was struck by how specific Devi’s questions were, and how intimately familiar she was with my application – there were no superficial or “fluff” questions. Some might have overlapped with things that I had seen in HBS interview guides, but Devi asked them in the context of my application in a way that I hadn’t thought of myself. When she asked me for my impression of the interview, I said that despite some wordy answers, I thought it had gone well. I’d certainly felt more confident about my performance than I had felt about successful banking interviews.

Devi disagreed, and provided me with very candid feedback on my approach to answering, and the depth of my answers. I had some uncommon professional experience and it was difficult to convey everything I’d done in my current position, so my natural inclination was to talk at a high level and not offer specific anecdotes. Devi taught me how to adapt my style to give a brief, high level answer, support it with multiple brief anecdotes, while making sure that I didn’t lose sight of the original question in my conclusion. It took multiple sessions to get to a point where I had truly internalized this approach, but there were substantial improvements in my performance between each successive session. It’s important to start as early as possible after receiving your interview invite so that you can properly space out the sessions and actually incorporate Devi’s feedback – it’s usually not minor advice that you can tweak at a moment’s notice!

Even if you can only do two sessions with Devi, it’s an incredibly accurate reflection of the actual HBS interview, and the feedback is invaluable in preparing. Devi is very invested in her clients’ success, and I can’t recommend working with her strongly enough, especially if your dream is HBS.

I HIGHLY recommend Kate Richardson. I was extremely hesitant to use a consultant for several reasons, but I am 100% satisfied with my choice. I honestly don’t know if I could have gone through this process and stayed sane without her.

I was so happy to get into a top-choice school, but a bit sad to not work with Kate regularly, which was an unexpected feeling! I felt extremely comfortable with Kate, especially as I had considered myself an “underdog” candidate before working with her. She instilled confidence in my abilities that I lacked before our partnership. I spoke with other consultants, and I felt a bit judged or that they wanted me to be inauthentic to myself and my story, but I never felt that way with Kate. I really looked forward to our chats throughout the pandemic – even if it meant a lot of “homework” on my end afterward. I really appreciate her kindness during a trying time.

Aside from her welcoming and approachable personality, she is EXTREMELY competent, especially with her editing skills, and her turnaround times were truly remarkable. I do not know how Kate sleeps because I would get essays and random questions answered in record-breaking time. I felt like Kate was on speed dial as a resource, and she always had a confident answer to my questions – and anxieties. 

She really helped me tell my story, and I felt authentic and supported throughout this process. Seriously don’t hesitate to use Kate! 

Debbie was invaluable in helping me with the weak points in my application: making my essays shine and polishing my interview. With her help, I applied to four schools early, got into two (including my top choice, HBS), and got waitlisted at two.

I’ll admit I was not a believer in spending money on an application consultant at first but Debbie tangibly improved my essay and helped guide me through my crazy ideas for re-writes to ultimately craft a really strong and compelling essay that got me interviews at all four schools. I really appreciated her process: saving time on my five hour package by providing quick gut feedback over email and letting me rewrite, and knowing when to give broad structural feedback versus detailed edits.

The interview prep I did with Debbie was also so well-structured and helpful, and probably the best hour I spent. Practicing with my friends alone would never have gotten me the level of polish and preparation that I realized I needed. I’ll never forget her advice – no one ever sounds too prepared for a question!

I am absolutely thrilled of the impact that my consultant Michael Guttman had on my three MBA applications. I knew I needed help in getting into a top school because I do not have the most impressive work experience and my college grades are a little below average. Michael Guttman was super knowledgeable about the whole process and was able to help me with framing my story to be much more compelling. We also discussed my goals and tweaked them to be more realistic based on my background. Because of Michael Guttman, I was able to write better and more powerful essays.
He treated me like his only client from the very beginning. He was always available to have phone calls and very responsive with emails. He gave me advice every step of the way. We started with an initial brainstorming session and then worked on as many drafts of my essays and resume as necessary to make them perfect.
I received interviews at 2 of the 3 (the other school didn’t require an interview) schools I applied to, and he was a huge help in preparing me for each of my interviews. I really don’t think I would have been accepted without his help. Because of him, I was accepted into my top choice. I seriously recommend Michael Guttman to give yourself the best chance of admission.

Devi played an instrumental role in my acceptance to HBS. She is the DIFFERENCE MAKER! We did 2 sessions together preparing for my HBS interview and Devi approached these meetings having done her homework, and perfectly customizing her feedback to ensure my success in the interview. Her feedback was candid, clever, and informed by her many years of experience helping successful applicants. I came from a non-traditional employer for HBS, and Devi was critical in helping me to best explain my story, break down what I do at work, the successes, and challenges I’ve faced, and packaging all that into a great story for the interview. I highly recommend Devi for any applicant and believe she is a true difference-maker in my success and the success for so many candidates.

I decided to work with an MBA consultant after been waitlisted from Fuqua in Round 3.
It wasn’t an easy decision as it represented an important investissement without any warranty of success. I knew getting into a top bschool was necessary to give me the career change I was seeking (PMM in tech) and I didn’t want to have any regrets about not putting all the chances on my side.

I shopped around the different consultants and enjoyed my first interaction with Nisha. She quickly understood my background and profile and gave me some convincing suggestions on how I should market myself. In addition, mbaMission seemed like an excellent firm with handy resources.

During my time with Nisha, she helped me understand my previous application’s deficiencies that got me waitlisted. She helped me select the experiences and achievements relevant to build a clear and coherent profile true to me. She was always very responsive, organized and available when needed. She gave me great feedback and guidance on my essay and interview practices.

As a result, I got accepted at Fuqua – my top choice, where I got waitlisted the year prior.

Nisha was extremely helpful from minute one. She responded faster than expected to essay drafts, and knew exactly what it took to get accepted into my dream school and I did! 10/10 would recommend.

Harold was the first admissions consultant I spoke to that made me feel confident and excited about the application process. He helped me to distil a complicated career path into a coherent story, and re-fashion what I had initially seen as application weaknesses into that narrative. He was calm and assured throughout the entire process, but also great about reaching out to me if I ever dropped the ball and hadn’t been in touch for a little while. When it came to turnaround times, he never over-promised but regularly over-delivered. I was ultimately offered a place at my first-choice school, one which another consultant had told me I was ‘not the right candidate for’. Harold’s encouragement and support were integral to that achievement.

I highly recommend Nisha Trivedi from mbaMission. From the very first conversation, Nisha set me at ease with her commitment to getting to know my story and made an overwhelming process much less stressful with her experience and expertise of the MBA programs I was applying to. In addition to her incredibly quick turnaround (almost always getting back to my questions/essay edits within 24hrs), she would often reach out and provide opportunities (such as good alternative transcript courses to consider) that would help improve my application further. I recently received admission to my target school with a significant scholarship.

Nisha convinced me that I had a story worth telling and helped me craft an application that was uniquely me. Again, I would highly recommend Nisha for anyone looking for a dedicated, supportive and insightful MBA consultant. Thank you, Nisha!

Spark notes:

Gavi is articulate, approachable, pragmatic, and incredibly smart. She removed any intimidation I had about the application process, and helped me cement my story and goals in a way that was strategic, calculated, but also nurturing.

Working with Gavi was like working with a good friend who wants you to succeed, but is not afraid to step back and be real with an honest, third party perspective. Her knowledge of the application nuances between each school was extensive, and she was extremely accommodating and flexible throughout my somewhat accelerated (my own fault) process.

You *will not* regret working with Gavi. I could not have made it through applications and interviews – and into programs! – without her insight, encouragement, and guidance.

Full picture:

Like many others, I decided to apply to MBA programs during a period of uncertainty. I’d already taken the GRE and researched schools, but needed clarity on my story, and direction on how to holistically incorporate my experiences and ambitions. On top of that, I was starting the application process only a month out from R1 deadlines, so everything was accelerated and I was overwhelmed. 

Working with Gavi brought clarity and more – she was truly the calm within the storm in what would have been an otherwise unbearably frenzied process. My biggest obstacle was the overwhelming number of themes I was trying to incorporate, and Gavi’s ability to distill them into compelling narrative was invaluable. Her clarity was particularly helpful throughout essay outlining / writing / editing, where she broke down the process into measured, achievable segments that kept me on track and on topic. Gavi has also been incredibly supportive throughout the interview process, sharing previous questions unprompted, helping me strategize, talk through themes, and brainstorm examples of past work and projects.

On top of her extensive insight and skill set, Gavi is extremely invested, caring, and supportive. She offered guidance and reassurance when I was struggling to balance a demanding full-time job with the application process, and – not only put up with, but also helped me work through – the anxiety and stress of the past 6 months. She is a fabulous MBA coach and career coach who genuinely cares about her clients’ success and happiness. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

As stated above, work with Gavi – I cannot recommend her enough.

My consultant, Debbie, was very helpful at every part of the application process. She took time to understand my background, strengths, and goals, and we worked together to tell a compelling story through my application. She responded to my emails promptly, and she did a very thorough review of all parts of my application. Debbie also guided me in brainstorming themes for my essay, and she edited my essay extremely thoroughly. She preserved my voice in the essay, while also ensuring that the essay was concise and hit all of the points that business schools are looking for. The mock interview with Debbie allowed me to practice my answers to common questions and feel confident as I went into the actual interview.

I definitely recommend Debbie to anyone looking for an ally in the application process. From our first conversation to getting admission decisions, Debbie believed in my candidacy and calmed my anxieties. She was instrumental in helping me craft a story that was unique to me. I started with a basic goal statement that she poked and prodded until it was a compelling and achievable. She took all the ambiguity out of writing my essays. She provided structure to follow and key points to hit while always insisting on quality – no matter the number of revisions. Having an expert’s opinion and guidance throughout essay writing process was essential for me to feel confident about my essay topics and how they were conveyed. I’m very proud of the essays I wrote and I know they were instrumental to my entire application package. Thanks to Debbie, I was admitted to a top business school with a FULL scholarship!

I had a wonderful experience with Krista Nannery – who helped me navigate every step of the MBA admissions process – and get me into my #1 choice. The experience Krista brought the table was clear: she has a successful corporate background and years of MBA admissions consulting. She was a value add at every step of the process.

My undergrad was from a non-target school and I currently working in a ‘niche’ industry – so I wanted to partner with an experienced consultant who could help me put my best foot forward. I spoke with several other firms – but felt like I was solely in a sales pitch. In contrast, in my first meeting with Krista Nannery we were down to business! We did a resume review, goal discussion, and began our game plan. After our intro, I partnered with Krista on a 3-school start to finish package.

In our first few meetings, Krista spent time to really get to know me and my goals. Through our brainstorming exercise, she worked closely with me to review prior experience, undergrad background, and involvement to help form a cohesive story and find areas worth highlighting in MBA applications. Krista also gave tangible, near-term recommendations for ways to bolster my ‘outside of work’ involvement. As part of the package, Krista shared the full library of mbaMission materials (i.e., detailed school overviews, interview guides, etc.).

A less glamorous, but important part of the MBA process was the GMAT. Krista worked with me by reviewing my practice scores for each section, and ultimately recommending a switch to the GRE (the right choice for me!). She gave specific advice on a study plan / where to spend my prep time to get the scores into the ‘sweet spot’ for my target schools (hint – worth taking the real test more than once).

Coming into the process, I was most nervous about the essays. Fortunately, this was one of Krista’s strongest areas. For each school, we had a full hour discussion to talk through the prompt and form initial views on the essay / stories to highlight (each school looks for different elements and need to be tailored). Krista approached this exercise in a highly structured manner – which helped me think about what was most important and how could I convey my strongest areas (without missing any critical elements). In every draft / iteration, it was clear Krista puts significant thought into her feedback – and she consistently challenged me in areas where I could add more detail or enhance elements of my essays. There is limited ‘real estate’ in the MBA applications (essays & short answers) so every word matters – Krista truly challenged me to use the space wisely and her input was critical in forming the final product.

After receiving interview invitations, Krista was hands on in the preparation and we had mock interviews for each school. She prepped me with details from her prior applicants, predicted specific questions I might get based on my application (correctly!), and gave personalized feedback on interview style. She focused on how I could communicate my story in a concise and effective manner.

The MBA admissions process can be long and complicated (and can be stressful while working a busy job). Having Krista as a partner through the process helped keep me on track and reduce a lot of stress. At every step of the chain, Krista was highly responsive and always adding value. Krista was kind and genuinely wanted to see me succeed – and I have been thrilled to directly recommend Krista to my close friends who are applying for MBA programs this year.

In spring 2020, I declined five acceptances to MBA programs due to COVID-19. Although I was accepted to my dream school, Wharton, I hoped to reapply and earn a scholarship. With Round 1 deadlines quickly approaching, I questioned whether I should also throw my hat in at Harvard. During my first call with Heidi, she helped me unpack my story, dig deeper, and uncover a side to myself that I had been afraid to share. She assured me that we could create two compelling packages for HBS and Wharton within a few weeks. Her support gave me the confidence to apply to both schools.

When I submitted my essays to Heidi for review, she responded quickly and provided feedback that was tangible and in-line with my personal message. Her comments never took away from my authentic voice and enabled me to create two applications that I was incredibly proud to stand behind. I was accepted to HBS and received a full-tuition scholarship to Wharton!

I could not have accomplished this feat without Heidi’s support! In addition to being an excellent admissions consultant, Heidi is a wonderful human being. Her positivity and thoughtfulness are unmatched. I am so grateful for her help and HIGHLY recommend her!