mbaMission | MBA Admissions Consultants

At first, I was hesitant about hiring an admissions consultant, given that I had already done quite a bit of brainstorming on my story and essay topics. For that reason, I opted for hourly services and had an absolutely wonderful experience with Melissa!

It was super helpful to talk through my thoughts with Melissa as an objective sounding board. I initially purchased the 5-hour package and ended up adding one additional hour for interview prep. We met once at the start to strategize major themes across both of my applications (I was applying to two M7s in R1). From there, Melissa provided timely feedback on my essay drafts and answered all of my questions in thorough detail via email so I could best position myself in my applications. In our final hour, Melissa helped me with a mock interview to prepare for my interview with Sloan – giving me feedback on each response and making me dig deeper into areas I could explore.

As an hourly client, I 10000% appreciated the time Melissa spent above and beyond what I had signed up for, to help me tie up the loose ends even after my time “ran out”.

Ultimately, I was ELATED when I received my admission to Sloan, and CANNOT WAIT to attend next fall!!!

Melissa is an absolute JOY to work with – super responsive, transparent, friendly, warm, genuine, strategic, ALL the best qualities you’d want in a consultant! It is clear that she cares deeply about her clients – I can’t recommend her enough!

I worked with Jen on my MBA application and was immensely impressed with her work! Trust me when I say that Jen really takes the time to listen and adds a TON of value to an MBA application. I was lucky enough to get into a top global MBA program, all because of her. She did an amazing job helping me pull out the key parts of my story and helped me to craft my unique experiences into a coherent story. Without her expertise, my application would not have been as rich as it was! Jen is very responsive and was willing to answer any little question I had. I would 100% recommend Jen to anyone looking to get into a top MBA program!

I reserved 5 mock HBS interview sessions with Devi, and they were beyond valuable. As an HBS alum, former HBS adcom interviewer, and veteran MBA admissions coach, she has an insider’s perspective on how to do well in the HBS interview. Beyond that, she’s also just a lovely person who is really enjoyable to work with.

For intensive HBS mock interview prep, Devi reads all of your written application materials, prepares a set of questions, and conducts a 30-minute mock interview followed by 30 minutes of feedback on how you did. At first, I wondered if 5 sessions might be overkill but it CERTAINLY IS NOT! With 5 sessions, we were able to go deep on a different area of my application (i.e. college, job #1, job #2, etc.) each time. By the time we were done, I felt ready for absolutely anything, without being overprepared or sounding rehearsed.

Devi’s feedback after each interview session was actionable and direct. One of my weaknesses was giving shorter responses without sufficient detail, and Devi would tell me during the feedback portion what I could have added to a response to make it stronger. I was able to put this into practice and could feel myself getting better with each session. I’m more introverted and soft-spoken by nature, and Devi stressed the importance of showing up as your authentic self – albeit a more confident, polished version of yourself. Devi does a great job of providing feedback while building your confidence.

The actual interview was great – it even felt easy – and I know it’s because I was so well prepared with Devi’s help. Ultimately, I was admitted to HBS! I’d recommend Devi to anyone who wants to crush their HBS interview.

Working with Rachel Beck was an absolute pleasure, and I cannot recommend her enough. She got me into my dream school, and was encouraging, accessible, and devoted throughout the entire process. She started out by truly getting to know me, which allowed her to help me piece together a convincing narrative, strategically synthesizing my background and professional experience into a compelling application. She was by my side from my initial ideas, to outlines, to my final essays, to choosing my recommenders, updating my resume (about 100 times), to prepping me for my interviews and making a final decision.

She made a very stressful process extremely manageable with her organization skills, attention to detail, feedback, and advice. She was firm when necessary, while remaining kind and supportive. She calmed me down when there were bumps in the road and became as invested and passionate about my own process as I was. As hard as I was working to perfect my application, I felt her working just as hard, and I genuinely felt like I had a teammate every step of the way.

If you are looking for an MBA consultant and are willing to work hard and do whatever it takes to get into your top school, look no further. Rachel will push you to maximize your own potential, and you will enjoy getting to know her not only professionally, but also personally. I am so grateful for her and cannot imagine having gone through this process without her.

Kate was an amazing consultant to work through the MBA admissions experience and a reliable resource in case I had any questions, at any point up to the admissions decision, and even after for any scholarship-related questions! She very patiently offered very detailed explanations to any questions I had. She also offered highly-detailed, impactful feedback on my essays, resume, and other application materials-very promptly too! I really don’t think I could have made it through this grueling process with all its ups and downs without her. It was a pleasure to work with her and she has my highest, unreserved recommendation. Thank you so much, Kate!

Having had a negative experience working with another consultant previously from another company, I decided to reach out to Kim from MbaMission. Kim exceeded every expectation. She was kind, supportive, and most importantly INCREDIBLY thorough.

She asked all the right questions and answered thoughtfully. Helped frame my applications through the lens of my personal story, and gave me a lot of suggestions that made the difference to becoming accepted at the universities of my choice. Kim went above and beyond to make sure that I put my best self forward to the admissions committees at my university choices.

She even offered to introduce me to an executive in a company and a role that fit with my professional experience.

I couldn’t recommend Kim enough. She would truly push you from being a possible to a definite admit at the school of your choice.

Does it sound like an HBS alumna and former HBS AdCom member may be well-positioned to prepare you for the HBS interview? If it does, trust your instincts.

Devi’s interview prep is easily the best $2,500 I’ve ever spent. I had two hourlong sessions with her scheduled a week apart, and within those she created an environment practically identical to the ‘real deal’ in terms of questions she asked, conversation flow she maintained, pacing, and general demeanor towards me — which in my mind would be impossible to pull off by an admissions consultant who has never sat in on (let alone led!) an actual HBS interview (remember the part where Devi was an HBS AdCom not too long ago? That counts for something). My actual HBS interview felt like a walk in the park, and that’s not because my interviewer went particularly easy on me, but because my prep was bulletproof thanks to Devi.

The punchline is that I ended up getting into HBS and also receiving a substantial scholarship to attend Wharton, where funnily enough I also found myself relying heavily on my interview prep with Devi for HBS.

Don’t leave the HBS interview prep to chance — go with someone who has both the credentials and the experience to set you up for success.

Devi is the best of the best and I highly recommend working with her and the MBAMission team on your business school applications. Devi is a thoughtful editor, gifted storyteller, and probing mock-interviewer who helped me draw novel connections in my personal and professional journey to best communicate my story. Most importantly, Devi cares deeply about her clients’ success. She takes the time to truly understand your world and is not afraid to give you honest feedback even if it means a late-stage redraft or additional interview prep. While gaining admission is no doubt the goal, working with Devi to craft your personal narrative and reflect on your journey is an experience that will serve you well whether you matriculate in business school or not. I came to Devi with the difficult task of only applying to two of the most selective MBA programs. Although I did not gain admission, I am confident that with Devi’s guidance my applications were as strong as they could have been and I am excited to embark on my next chapter with the introspection that Devi helped facilitate.

Gavi and I had about three months to put together my applications and she was great to work with. From brainstorming ideas, editing essays, to conducting mock interviews, there is no way I could have made it through this application process without her. She is a wonderful writer and was really instrumental in helping me develop a cohesive and interesting “story” for myself. She is personable, thoughtful, and very responsive. Her feedback was honest and I could tell that she really wanted me to succeed – there were times where I thought the essays were fine but she still pushed me to refine them further. Thanks to her, I’ll be enrolling at my dream school in the fall, HBS! I would definitely recommend Gavi’s services to anyone navigating the MBA application process.

It is a lie if anyone says they have achieved what they have, alone. For my admits to Columbia and now Wharton (with the Joseph Wharton Fellowship) the credit goes to Jessica.

We started this journey a year back. I had no prior experience of writing applications but was hyper-excited about the process. I had done dozen of calls with companies, counselors (India and International) but couldn’t decide on which one to go forward with. But when I talked to her it felt like I was talking to myself. She was attentive, effective, and very professional about her work. When you are a little successful in life you start dreaming about Ivy Leagues but the reality is quite different. I was overconfident and as much as I believed I would get through, I required someone who would keep me grounded and focussed on the process. Her guidelines, deadlines, notes and homework were absolutely spot on. It kept me on my toes and made sure I met deadlines.

But what was spectacular was when I started getting rejects. I couldn’t find anyone as personally invested in my failure as she was. She wouldn’t leave any stone unturned to keep sending updates, share her learnings and in no way let me give up or belittle myself.

From Essay writing where she knows how to strategically put content, not miss on any part of the profile yet not make it look like a mess to the recommendations which she diligently reviewed and was blatant to point out if they turned unprofessional. Her clarity of thought was what ran the show and I proudly say, I couldn’t have done it alone.

I was fortunate to have found the best counselor but now also a dear friend whom I cannot wait to meet in person.

I worked with Krista on an hourly basis throughout Round 1, and have only positive things to say about her and working with her. In particular, there were three facets of our working relationship Krista provided that I found especially valuable.

(1) Structure. Because I worked with Krista on an hourly basis, I was pointed and specific about how I wanted to use my time. Krista understood this immediately and worked on the parts of my application (e.g., my essays and resume) where I asked for help and didn’t waste time on other areas. For instance, I would send across agendas for our calls with times to spend on each topic, and she always willingly and happily stuck to my proposed agenda.

Furthermore, just because I was an hourly client did not mean I didn’t receive more holistic support. Krista shared many materials that helped put guardrails around the application process, as well as resources such as resume checklists, school interview guides, and FAQ lists that guided me over the past several months. Working with Krista proved to be a structured and planned-out process which I greatly appreciated.

(2) Actionable feedback. Every piece of feedback Krista gave me was critical, direct, and actionable. Every critique was reasoned through and came with a suggested remedy. This feedback made my revisions straightforward and my applications much improved. It also minimized the number of rounds of revision necessary, which I appreciated as an hourly client. This is not to say Krista was harsh by any means; rather, she gave actionable feedback, which is what you really need as a client.

(3) General and emotional support. This last part is perhaps the most valuable part of working with an admissions consultant, and Krista provided it in spades. She expertly guided me, a first-time applicant, through this process she’s navigated many times before with many other clients. She also provided emotional and moral support throughout the process – after all, she knew my MBA hopes and dreams better than anyone else. Krista truly cared about me, my goals, and my feelings throughout, and when I got into my top choice school she was as elated as I was.

Overall, I greatly appreciated working with Krista throughout Round 1, and know my applications were better for it. If you’re looking for someone to partner with you throughout the application process, I unequivocally recommend Krista.

A friend of mine who had gotten into both the GSB and HBS had recommended mbaMission, and spoke highly of his experience with one of their consultants in particular. When I reached out to mbaMission to work with that same consultant, unfortunately, she was booked up. Instead, based on my goals, they recommended that I work with Devi. At the time, HBS was my top choice and I was told that Devi was one of their HBS experts. Full transparency, I was hesitant at first: Devi didn’t have as many reviews as my originally requested consultant, and if I was going to pay the hefty price, I wasn’t sure if it would be worth it if I couldn’t work with the person I originally wanted. Long story short, I am so glad I decided to sign with Devi (the comprehensive package for 1 school – HBS) and looking back would do nothing differently. When Devi and I first started working together, it took me some time to understand her MO. Our first session together was shorter than I had expected, and at first, I worried that it was rushed – Nope! Turns out that when you’re someone who has literally worked in HBS admissions, has been coaching prospective MBAs for many years, and knows exactly what it takes, you become very streamlined in your advice and approach… And that was Devi for you! It became clear that Devi was meticulous and very thoughtful about each piece of advice she gave, even if her thought process wasn’t always openly communicated. After realizing this, I put my full faith in her and trusted the process. I started appreciating and respecting her no-nonsense approach and very much enjoyed our conversations. In particular, she was most instrumental in helping me figure out how to position the HBS essay. I believe 1 session with her saved me HOURS of time I would’ve spent trying to figure out what information was worth conveying/ what was superfluous. I also paid extra for the HBS intensive interview coaching with her and felt that it simulated my HBS interview fairly closely. In fact, I feel that her HBS interview sessions were a bit tougher, which made me feel even more relaxed during the actual interview. Ultimately, I got into HBS and believe that Devi’s coaching significantly streamlined the process for me and played a key role in helping me secure the offer. I plan on recommending Devi to anyone who reaches out for advice. I feel thankful to have met her!

If you are targeting a top-ranked business school, I would highly recommend Harold who is an MIT Sloan alumnus. He understands the selection process of B-schools really well. He keeps you focused and positive. He helps you discover the unique aspects of your personality and work experience and helps you present the most impressive, yet authentic, version of yourself.

I hired Harold because I needed a miracle. I came from an over-represented segment in terms of geography (India) and industry (Finance). I had two breaks in my career and had changed jobs thrice. And I did not have international work experience. I did not have any direct report to demonstrate my leadership. As a working professional with two kids and a full-time job, I could dedicate only limited time to preparing my application. So when I audaciously decided to apply to MIT Sloan, a friend said – “You need a miracle. You need Harold.”
Harold spends a lot of time going through your detailed profile to first understand your background. He then breaks down the application essays into smaller sections. For each section, he gives a few questions. That takes away the pressure of directly writing essays. He then picks a few interesting events/data and asks you to elaborate on those. This process continues until he gets all the material he needs. He then sews the pieces together and your essay/application is ready. Interestingly, my essay had many aspects that I wouldn’t have considered as important. But Harold has a knack to pull out the most unique examples that highlight your strengths. I did not have a direct report. But Harold helped me pull out examples from my life that showed initiative and leadership in a different way.

The resume is an important part of B-school applications. Harold metamorphosed my resume. Earlier it had descriptions of projects, promotions and positions. Now it has more data, and examples to show the impact of my work. Harold also helped me with the video statement and the interviews. I did mock interviews with him. His feedback on both was very specific.

He is open to suggestions. He patiently listens to your doubts/fears/anxieties and helps you remain focused. He replies to emails within a day and is always accessible on phone. (I submitted my application 3 days before the deadline). I could get through MIT Sloan only because of Harold. Going beyond applications, I have found a mentor who boosted my confidence.

As an international student, I was unfamiliar with the US MBA process but Krista was my guiding light throughout. She provided invaluable guidance on which schools to target, thoughtful feedback on my application and amazing interview prep. She is a true oracle and everything she said came true, including me getting into all my target schools (HBS, CBS, Yale and NYU)! She knows this process inside out and I really couldn’t have done it without her. She is also a lovely person to work with and provided encouragement and reassurance when I doubted myself and the process. If you are considering a consultant you 100% won’t regret working with Krista!

If you need someone to help you with HBS or Stanford, look no further. Jessica is extremely pleasant, witty, sharp and very effective. With her help, I got into my dream MBA program. She helped me piece together a convincing narrative in the extremely short time we had to prepare. She was also great at refining my essays, very responsive and had very quick turnaround times. Jessica also made my application experience smoother and less stressful. I recommend her 100%.

I got an opportunity to work with Gavriella in Oct – Nov 2021 for my application to the Cornell Tech MBA Program and got accepted with a scholarship. I must say it would not have been possible without her and I give her full credit for that. I do fall into the very traditional and highly competitive pool of Indian male Engineers and a low GMAT score of 680 – another big issue. I had spoken to a couple of other consultants before and most told me my chances to get admitted were almost impossible.

When I set up my first consultation call with her, rather than giving me generic feedback like others, she took the time to patiently hear my story and my motivations to pursue the program, and which areas I would be needing help with. I was convinced that I would get personalized attention and made the decision to work with her on my application. Since I had already narrowed it down to which program I was applying to, I enrolled for the hourly service.

In our first brainstorming session, we decided that the best strategy was to dedicate most of the time to the essays. In my competitive bucket, having great essays and telling my own story in an inspiring way was my only best chance. That is what I was really banking on and she helped me deliver!

Even though I had ideas for my essay set, she encouraged me to fill in another brainstorming document which seemed very lengthy at first but it really probed me to think deeper and helped me to split my achievements and use them effectively in other parts of the application. For my essay, I decided to write the 3 most compelling stories connecting my past to the MBA program with a 1200 word-initial draft but only had a 700-word limit. At this point in time, I was convinced I would be asked to drop a story (which I really didn’t want to do) in order to adhere to the word limit. To my surprise, in the first review itself, she helped me edit the same stories in less than 700 words in the first draft in a more structured, connected, and inspiring way. She asked me to focus on the content and let her bother about the word limit. This gave me tremendous confidence in further refining the stories and totally took the pressure off me regarding the word limit. I gave her additional content multiple times for review and she helped me have the same content written within the word limit EVERY SINGLE TIME! With my experience, I can tell she is the best in the business in this aspect. It also helped me save my time and focus on other aspects of the application. 

Throughout the application I found her work to be intellectually honest, efficient and super punctual. She also totally helped me with my CV, to be much more presentable and readable which I was super impressed with and realized how clumsy it was initially. I have learned many techniques from her which I am going to remember for life. The outcome of all these efforts was that during my final submission, more than anyone else I was extremely satisfied with my application, irrespective of the results. 

She also helped me with my interview preparations and asked me how I could differentiate myself by focusing on the uncommon aspects of my work from a regular engineer. Post acceptance, she has been a real mentor in helping with my career choices and many other aspects of the MBA program. In my opinion, throughout your application review, you might be able to change and improve on other aspects of your application such as GMAT/ recommendations. But your essay gives the admissions committee an impression of who you truly are and you cannot mess with that so I highly recommend working with Gavriella in this aspect as you will never regret your time working with her.

Michael Guttman was an incredible asset to my MBA application journey. It was August 2021 and I only had 60 days until my round 1 application was due. Michael was able to quickly help me bring out the best stories to tell in my application, improve my resume and put forward great essays. Michael was very organized and professional throughout the process.

Michael helped me prepare my recommenders and they put forward great letters of recommendation. He helped me stay organized in the process and prepare for interviews. Michael has a collaborative style and is very easy to work with. We were able to uncover the best stories to tell and I was accepted to a top choice program. I’d recommend Michael to anyone looking to apply and get into top business school programs.

Harold was amazing and very instrumental in getting me into HBS, Booth, LBS and MIT Sloan!

I went into the process with a lower-than-average GMAT score for all my target schools. Harold did an amazing job of helping me bring the different pieces of my career and life together to make for a very compelling application narrative that got me interviews with all the schools I applied to.

His turn-around time was amazing, almost always beating the two-day promised turn-around. His comments were very thoughtful and always felt like he was reading with a fresh set of eyes. I would definitely recommend Harold to anyone who’s applying to B-school.

Working with Krista and mbaMission was a fantastic and productive experience. They supported me through every step of the application process and I was ultimately admitted to Sloan, Kellogg (MMM), Tuck, and Ross. Krista will push you to produce the best possible application materials, and she is kind, collaborative, and encouraging throughout the process.
I was referred to mbaMission by a friend and had several intro calls with a few mbaMission consultants. Right off the bat, I was impressed with the openness of the consultants – they truly want to match your working style and make sure the process works best for you, while offering you the advantage of their experience and knowledge of the different schools.
From my first conversation with Krista, she was realistic about the schools that I could apply to with my test scores, undergrad GPA, and background. She also encouraged me to switch from the GMAT to the GRE and gave me suggestions about tutoring services I could use – this push was vital to me successfully increasing my test scores. Additionally, Krista was incredibly encouraging as I was studying for the GRE, often reminding me that the studying was worth it and I just need to push a bit longer.
Once I had the test scores needed and we had talked through what schools I would be applying to, Krista helped me sift through my background and brainstorm possible essay topics. She continually provided constructive feedback and pushed me to put out my best work. Her expectations of me were clear and I appreciated the structured approach she put in place.
I received interviews at 5 of the 6 schools I applied to. Not only does mbaMission provide free interview guides for each school, but Krista was also vital to my interview prep. Each mock interview was treated as a real interview, and she guided me on how to best present my answers. Ultimately I had a series of successful interviews and at each step felt extremely well prepared for the different interviews and interviewers.
All in all, working with Krista and mbaMission was one of the best investments I have made in my life and highly encourage anyone interested to reach out to their team.

Thanks to Debbie’s amazing support, I was admitted to my dream school alongside multiple M7 offers.

I signed up for hourly services with mbaMission originally looking for feedback on my essay. Debbie helped with so much more. Not only did she help me through the entire essay process: brainstorming, review, feedback, she also helped me navigate the application process as a whole. She answered all sorts of questions related to background, interviewing, etc.

Without her, I would have been completely lost. 3 months into our partnership, I’m in a spot that I couldn’t have imagined with multiple offers in hand. I would 100% recommend her to anyone looking for help in their MBA application.

I first spoke with Nisha during a 30 minute consultation call a year before I actually applied to business school. She provided invaluable and honest feedback regarding my candidacy and areas to improve on within the next year. This conversation was instrumental in ensuring that I submitted my best application the following year.
Once I was ready to apply and had chosen the schools, I opted for hourly services and Nisha was so helpful and provided thoughtful and prompt feedback to my resume and essays while patiently answering any questions I had. She is excellent to work with and I particularly appreciated her transparency, reliability, and genuine nature.

I received admission to my top choice school and I am so grateful to Nisha for providing honest and direct guidance during this process. I highly recommend her to anyone looking into business school- regardless of where you are in the process, Nisha will help make sure you are on the right track!

After being denied by my dream schools the first year I applied, I turned to Michael to guide me through the reapplication process. He is amazing – he led me through diligent brainstorming and deep reflection, and he provided me with invaluable feedback on essay drafts and mock interviews. Without Michael, I wouldn’t have been accepted to both of my top choice schools in Round 1 this year! I strongly urge anyone in need of help to turn to Michael!

I used the hourly service with Michael Guttman and it was a great choice. Michael guided me through various parts of the application and helped edit my essays. He provided excellent feedback on my essays that improved their quality substantially. He was always responsive and available for last-minute questions as well. I was also able to run through a mock interview with Michael which was incredibly helpful. Lastly, Michael guided me through various short answers on the application which ensured every part of my application was perfect. I would recommend this service to anyone applying to an MBA program.

I had started my journey of applying to business schools with a different consultant from another company but didn’t achieve any tangible outcomes. After working with Harshad, I could tell the difference in the quality of work. From the first call, Harshad provided me with great advice on how to choose the programs that would best fit my career goals. I had a broad idea of what I wanted to achieve from a macro perspective, however, Harshad helped me figure out how to narrow down my goals and bring out my life stories. He helped me organize my thinking process and structure my applications holistically. He was always very honest with his opinion and never sugarcoated my work just to make me feel better until I presented the work with the highest quality. His feedback and editing style motivated me to present the best quality of work; my essays produced terrific content and flow. Whenever I was stuck with an essay question by not tackling the point, he would schedule a meeting to make sure I would tackle that point correctly. Honestly, I wouldn’t have been able to complete the process with such quality and get into my school of choice without Harshad. I highly recommend Harshad as your consultant to ensure a smooth process to complete your application!

I was struggling with the GMAT and was losing hope in my chances at a top MBA program. I met with Harold during a coaching session, and one piece of advice Harold offered to me was to consider taking the GRE, and I took that advice seriously. I quickly pivoted and saw a point jump from 660 on the GMAT to ultimately a 690 equivalent on the GRE. It wasn’t an amazing mark, but after taking the GMAT and GRE a combined 5 times, I was willing to take the score that would at least put me in the 80th percentile for the programs I was applying to. This gave me the confidence once again to aim high and apply to the top-tier programs. I’m so thankful that I took his advice because I now have been admitted to Tepper, Foster, Ross, Haas, and Stanford GSB! I truly don’t believe I would have been able to share these successes if I hadn’t taken Harold’s advice.

I worked with Devi to prepare for my MIT Sloan interview. Hiring a consultant was a daunting, expensive step for me. However, hiring Devi was the most important investment I made during the business school application process.

During our only prep session five days before my interview, Devi was able to hone in on the key aspects of my narrative. I come from a non-traditional background, and I’m not particularly adept at marketing my achievements or aspirations. Devi coached me to be more forthcoming and comprehensive in my answers. Her guidance helped me lean into the strategic implications of my work and restructure several of my responses to classic interview questions.

Devi’s advice is targeted, specific, and (most importantly) effective. Not only was I accepted to MIT Sloan, but I also received fellowship money. I believe my interview performance cinched that offer. You will not regret working with Devi – she is a pro’s pro.

I worked with Harold through the entirety of this year’s R1 application season and found his guidance to be indispensable.

From the beginning of the application cycle (nearly 8 months ago), Harold helped me think through school selection and which programs to target. He directed me to school resources I likely never would have found on my own, and gave me insight into the application process that put my mind at ease.

Once I began to write essays, Harold worked with me to identify the most relevant parts of my background and translate that into a compelling essay. He consistently gave quality feedback on my essays and resume (his turnaround time is very quick!), along with helpful guidance as I chose my recommenders.

Prior to my interviews, Harold and I sat down to prep for each one. In particular, the prep for the Wharton team based interview was incredibly helpful.

All said, of the five schools I applied to, I was admitted into four (including my top choices, Booth and Wharton). I am thrilled with that result and owe it in large part to the rigor that Harold put my applications through.

Finally, my experience with Harold has always been that he is a kind person who is generous with his time. I’ve enjoyed getting to know him over these past eight months and highly recommend him to anyone considering business school.

If you have an HBS interview, please consider Devi!! I reached out to Devi once I was offered an interview and it turned out to be a fantastic decision. Devi’s experience as an HBS interviewer enabled her to create a mock session that surfaced many questions that appeared on the actual day. She pressed me where my answers were warranted and created a mock that very closely mirrored the rhythm of the actual day itself. Indeed, our mock preparation was actually slightly harder than my real interview with the result that I felt much more comfortable and well prepared for the questions that eventually came my way. Devi also provided very clear and tactical guidance on how I could improve the quality of my answers. This allowed me to drastically improve the structure/depth of my answers (whilst maintaining concision) as well as suggesting which aspects of my candidacy were worth highlighting where I could. With Devi’s help, I felt like I had performed to my best during my interview with the end result being that I was successfully admitted.

If you’re anything like me, hiring a consultant seems a bit extra. I figured I could write decently well on my own, my resume was okay, and the interviews won’t be that bad. So why should I pay so much money for what I anticipated would be only marginal improvements to my overall application? Well, after working with Harshad, I can tell you exactly why.

Essays: Harshad takes a deep look at your life story (personal and professional) to pull out the anecdotes that will resonate best with the AdComs. My instincts were totally off at first, but Harshad’s knowledge of each school’s specific essays saved me from writing about something that wouldn’t hit home. After that, every round of editing was thorough. Harshad does an excellent job of trimming extra words to make the word count without trimming important content. His email responses were very fast (<1 working day normally, 2 days max).

Resume: Harshad provides an excellent resume template and knows how to rephrase bullets to make them more punchy.

Other application parts: Harshad reviewed all the short answer questions in my application too. Same treatment as the resume. Very worth it.

Recommenders: Harshad provided a thorough guide for working with recommenders. This advice is 100% worth following. He also helped me manage one recommender who had limited English writing proficiency.

Interview prep: I practiced interviewing with friends and family, but nothing was more valuable than Harshad’s mock interviews. He asked realistic questions, provided candid feedback, and tested me similarly to the real interviews. This was perhaps the most important part of the whole package.

Professionalism: Harshad responded incredibly quickly. Even when I was behind on my work with deadlines approaching quickly, Harshad always responded immediately (whether on holiday, weekends, or in the middle of the night in his time zone)! His responses were always thorough. Also, I live and work 5-8 time zones away from Harshad, but he was always flexible about scheduling meetings to accommodate my needs. Most importantly, Harshad is candid without being rude. He tells you what you need to hear.

Overall, I’m quite sure I would not have gotten into any M7s without Harshad’s help. Even if he charged double, I would still pick Harshad again.

Harshad was there for me in every step of the process, from explicitly choosing the schools with the best academic and social fit to getting interview invites from 3 M7 schools, and eventually, an admit from one.

Given the reflective nature of the MBA application, I wanted to work with someone who genuinely understood my history and vision, i.e. I wasn’t just another client for them. After talking to several consultants (who constantly suggested that I shouldn’t aim for M7 schools), Harshad was the only consultant who highlighted the positive aspects of my applications during our first consultation. After that, it was an easy choice. He and I worked on five schools, and I eventually got into the school of my choice.

Harshad believed in me, pushed me to give my best, from essays to interviews and was a constant support during the emotional rollercoaster of the application process. He went above and beyond and took calls even on the weekends as we pushed closer to the deadlines. Not once did I have any issues with turnaround time.

His stellar advocacy has exceeded my high expectations. I highly recommend him!

I worked with Jen for my three MBA school applications and received offers from all these schools. I was impressed by the results and knew I wouldn’t achieve these without Jen’s support.

During the time we worked together, she provided me with lots of guidance and advice so that I knew what to highlight in my essays. She helped me find some unique and exciting stories in my career and life that I was not aware of. The mock interviews we did for both Kira video questions and alumni interviews were super helpful. Jen pointed out my problem directly and gave me suggestions about improving them. I built a lot of confidence and felt well prepared through the process.

Besides her professional knowledge about the programs, Jen is very supportive and flexible. When I was unsure about myself or doubted my essays, Jen always had my back. She was also able to meet me at late nights or early mornings.

The application journey was busy and stressful, and I am so glad that I worked with Jen to go through it.

Before reaching out to mbaMission, I was really hesitant to apply to school this year and unsure of whether I’d be admitted to any program. Thanks to all the help from Nisha at mbaMission, I was accepted to my target school! Nisha walked me through every part of the application and answered all my questions. She helped frame my story in the essays in order to put my best foot forward in the application. Nisha was available over email and responded super promptly to all of my essay and application questions. Once my application was submitted, Nisha also helped me prep for the interview and conducted a mock interview that really helped me prep for the real one. Additionally, mbaMission has tons of guides to help in every part of the application process. Overall, I’m super happy with this experience.

I worked with Kate on two schools this year as part of the 2022 admit cycle. Kate was an incredible partner throughout the experience, from the very first consultation call, all the way to interview prep. She’s honest and direct while still being kind and encouraging. She’s also incredibly responsive and always eager to answer quick questions. As a result of my work with Kate, I got into both schools that we worked on together!

Kate was incredible to work with! I signed up for the 3-school package and found her to be very generous with her time. As a younger candidate in management consulting, I worked with Kate to identify my personal strengths that we could highlight throughout the application process.

We mainly worked on essay development/edits together, where I was always impressed by her attention to detail. With every review, we would discuss not only basic revisions but overall application strategy to deliver meaningful and impactful essays. Not to mention that she was incredibly responsive and engaged, with truly impressive turnaround times!

Kate is truly adept at taking the best of yourself and ensuring that it comes across in your application. She was a true partner throughout the entire process, and with every application sent, I felt proud of the quality of the submission.

Thanks to her support, I was able to secure admission to my dream M7 school!

It was such a smooth and great experience working with Debbie. She is very experienced in what she does having worked with a ton of applicants for different schools. She helped me narrow down on the schools that I ultimately applied to and was also very helpful with the various questions I had when I was choosing my recommenders. When it came to brainstorming and essay writing, Debbie had great feedback on the essays and helped me string my thoughts together into something that was unique to me and really showcased my own voice. I couldn’t have done this without Debbie and getting admitted to one of my dream schools! Thanks Debbie!

Amazingly helpful and always willing to go the extra mile. Provided candid and useful feedback helped me get into a top school and waitlisted at the top school! Really beleive the pointers he made had a signficant impact on my applciaitons.

Taking standardized test took me a longer time than expected. When I started working on the essays, I was running a little behind than the ideal application timing, and then I decided to work with Harold with a full package.

When we started, Harold helped me to identify a compelling career path story. My initial thought was to enter consulting after MBA. With Harold’s experience in the consulting industry and an understanding of my diverse professional background, he felt that entering the consulting industry wouldn’t be a compelling story to tell for my career goal essays. And he encouraged me to brainstorm and explore other potential career options. Therefore, I did some more research in the VC and entrepreneurship space, and was eventually able to identify something fits my background significantly better.

Once I identify the career path, and draft the initial essay. Harold was extremely good when it comes to ping-ponging different versions of the essay to polish it up. The first three versions always take the most effort. There were times where I felt lost and frustrated. I kept trying and kept writing, and was eventually able to create something that meets both Harold’s and my own expectation.

After the essay submission, there came the interviews. Harold was very helpful, especially when it comes to behavioral interview questions. Overall it’s a great experience working with Harold. I could not imagine to get the HBS offer without his guidance!

I had the great pleasure of having Kim Hoey as my MBA Admissions consultant. Coming from a non-traditional background, I knew that I needed someone strong to be on my team. Kim’s deep expertise in brand management and the CPG industry as a whole was invaluable. Kim was heavily invested in my success and would check-in frequently to ensure that I was on-track with my business school essays. In addition, she offered invaluable guidance on how to best tell my story and helped me to tie in different elements of my personal and professional life- even when I didn’t see the connection at first! Kim is proactive and always strives to her best in investing her time and energy in helping me. From my written application all the way to my initial interview preps, Kim had remained a consistently strong advocate. With Kim’s guidance, I will be enrolling at Stanford GSB this coming fall.

When I received the HBS interview, I started doing research. I quickly realized that HBS interview is a different challenge compared to interviews at other schools in two ways, 1)it’s holistic, meaning that the AdCom interviewer would have read my entire application package, 2)it will deep dive into a few of my past experience, instead of asking open behavioral questions. As a result, I could not provide the same stories that I would share for the typical MBA interview questions.

Devi was direct. I had two sessions with her. In our first session, she directly pointed out that my responses were too scripted. That was an awakening moment. Particularly when Devi demonstrated to me the difference between a “natural conversation” versus a “scripted presentation”. And during the actual HBS interview, the interviewer wants to have a natural conversation with me, because they really want to get to know me as a person.

I would recommend Devi to my friends and colleagues, 110%. Without the two mock sessions with her the week before my interview, I could not imagine that I would get into HBS.

If you want to get a sense of Devi’s instruction style. Here is a link to a great interview session she had with P&Q’s John, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYAxnp-ukps

I started working with Devi a week before my HBS interview, and all I can say is Devi is genuinely amazing. I came from a non-traditional background and hadn’t had an interview in almost 4 years. I felt rusty and needed some guidance for the interview process. After just two 30-minute sessions of Devi’s intensive mock simulation, I had the exact recipe on how to ace interviews. Not only did she prepare me for HBS’s interview, but the guidelines and frameworks provided helped me deliver successfully and confidently in all 6 interviews I had. Trust me when I tell you that her direct and experienced approach towards framing your story is key to succeeding with the interview process. Devi was crucial in helping me receive an offer from both HBS and GSB! 100% recommended if you are serious about getting to a top MBA program!

Devi was amazing to work with and brought the expertise I needed to nail my apps and get into HBS. I have a non-traditional background and a GMAT score shy of the 700s. If you get a chance to work with her, I would not pass up on it!! I worked with her on most of the schools I applied to. Devi comes thoroughly prepared and has thought through her point of view prior to every touchpoint. She is incredibly experienced and understands what to show off in your profile for each school and where in the process to best do that. She knows exactly how your app will be read, which allowed her to guide me on making very critical decisions- eg. length of my essay (we leaned longer), what part of my story to focus on (to show my work experience range). Every part of working with her is well thought through- even the school prep timeline and order.

Devi alone was sufficient for mock practice- north of 80% of what I got in my HBS interview I had prepped with her, and most areas we practiced in the mock were touched on during my interview. Expect her to know in the first question of a mock if you’re ready or not for the real deal. She does a great job of teaching you how to best repurpose your stories for different questions. Her rigor with mocks is intense and is the last step before you go for your “final”. She ensures that you are not only prepared to perfection, but also you feel confident in your execution. A fantastic coach and a true expert. Her work ethic is commendable and I learned a lot from her that I will be carrying into my career too!

Here’s the punchline: if you’re like me and want to walk away knowing that you did absolutely everything you could to put forward the best application, work with Devi. If HBS is your dream school, there is seriously no comparison.

Deciding to work with a consultant is a big step, and it’s really hard to tell who the right person to work with is. I spoke to friends and did extensive research on many consultants, and Devi’s track record and experience as an HBS alum, HBS interviewer, and as part of HBS admissions were clearly unparalleled – so I went all in and decided to work with her from start to finish.

By far, that was the best thing I did. Others who had worked with consultants told me that, comparatively, Devi’s commitment to this was much, much greater than what they had experienced. Devi actually understands what business schools are looking for at the deepest level, so she’s not trying to force you to come up with false pretenses to fit what many might assume the schools care about. Instead, she works to bring out your most authentic self, drawing out the stories and experiences that say the most about you in a way that is highly captivating. She will also be brutally honest, which is important. Particularly, she helped me create an overarching theme that tied my experiences together, allowing me to tell a clear, cohesive and deeply interconnected story about what really matters to me. In fact, the first draft of my essay was pretty much what I ultimately submitted because we had so extensively brainstormed and set the foundation in advance.

Devi also predicted how the interview would go to a tee. I felt 100% prepared. There was one specific distinction Devi called me out on in our mock and it ended up being an important discussion point in the interview – there is a reason why she is the HBS interviewer in residence!

Lastly, Devi is just a wonderful and kind person to work with! She was one of the first people I told about my HBS admission and I could tell she held such genuine happiness and excitement for me – I’m so thankful to have had her on the journey!

I did my research when selecting a consultant to help me navigate the MBA admissions process. I read many positive reviews on mbaMission’s Kate Richardson. If this review helps you choose Kate, then I will feel as if I paid it forward!

Kate Richardson is among the best, if not the best. Never did I feel alone during the daunting MBA admissions process. Kate has the unique ability to make you feel like her only client. Kate, of course, provided invaluable feedback during the resume reviews, essay edits and interview prep. But, where I found Kate’s guidance most helpful was with the intangibles. For example, no question about logistics or timeline was too small or unimportant for Kate to answer. It was really important for me to have a clear picture of expectations and a manageable schedule to complete all the steps of the application. Kate was a great partner in this. I found Kate was always encouraging while providing a realistic perspective. Kate is a serious bright spot throughout the MBA application process. If you want an advocate who will help you realize your goals, look no further than Kate!

I worked with Devi to prepare for my HBS interview. I had two 1-hour sessions with her, and it was amazing how Devi was able to get to know me so quickly and provide valuable coaching within such a short amount of time. She reviewed my full applications beforehand, and I feel that she simply cares about getting to know who I am/what I do/why I do what I do/etc/. She is also extremely dedicated to giving me personalized advice by providing actionable things to work on even though interview prep can be ambiguous and overwhelming. Most important of all, Dev is incredibly encouraging and she expressed so much excitement when she saw my gradual improvement from my first to the second session, which truly inspired me and instilled in me lots of confidence going into my actual HBS interview. I’m so thrilled to find out that I got into HBS last week, and I feel grateful for Devi’s coaching.

Now looking back at this journey, I truly believe what Devi said about her passion for coaching and helping aspirational candidates get into their dream school. I really enjoyed working with her on the HBS interview prep and I learned a ton from her. I highly recommend working with Devi based on my own experience!

Working with Devi for interview prep was the best thing I could have done for my HBS interview. I was already working with Jessica on my applications and she recommended I do a session or two with Devi for my interviews. Not only that, Devi is incredibly supportive and truly someone who wants you to succeed. She is on your team from day one. When I got my acceptance, she called me and congratulated me immediately – she cares so much for her clients and it shows. In my actual interview, because of Devi’s incredible skills of pulling out the information that was important, I actually really enjoyed it and had answered some of the questions I got in the real interview with Devi.

Devi is incredible. She is so motivating, supportive, and I truly looked forward to every single conversation with her. I learned so much from her, and she is so meticulous in her detail. In every 30-minute conversation we had, she does not miss a single thing you say. She picks up on everything, from your mannerisms to even the smallest word, and she transforms the way you think and speak about yourself in such a short, compressed amount of time and does so with incredible knowledge. She teaches you to tell your story with all the information you want to share in a very succinct manner, and more importantly, teaches you to talk business – which was the key for me as I came from a non-business discipline. During our practice sessions, when I said something new, exciting, or interesting, she motivated me so much to do things like that and really expressed her excitement. You can tell she understands people so well. She is the most supportive person I could have ever asked for, she’s truly on your team, cares so much about your success, and puts her heart and soul into helping you tell your story in the best way possible.

Although I was so nervous after my real interview, Devi’s words of advice and comfort left me feeling so much better than I otherwise would have. She raises your interview bar so high, that even if you mess up a bit, there’s a buffer for that. She spends so long reading through your whole application, and marks down every single thing to talk about — you can tell she is just so good at what she does, and getting mock interviews from an ex-HBS interviewer is really a dream.

I could not have asked for a better partner or team member than Devi, and I am so grateful that I was able to work with her and have her support and guidance along the way.

Working with Jessica was my highlight of not only this whole process but my year. Jessica takes an incredibly stressful, arduous, and long process, and simplifies it into something that is so manageable and easy to follow. Going into working with a consultant, I had no idea what to expect, but Jessica makes you feel so comfortable and right at home from the moment you pick up your first phone call for the 30-minute free consultation. Just after those 30 minutes, I knew that she was the right person to work with. We connected so easily, and she really expresses her excitement and enthusiasm from the moment you meet her. She is a gold mine of knowledge of every school, and really understands the intricacies of each application and what to highlight to make you shine. I can say without a doubt that I would not have made it to this point without her.

Jessica listens to your story, understands the smallest details, and knows how to ask the right questions to really dive deep and get to the core of what’s important. She also never tries to change your story, she only works towards getting every detail out so it sounds as strong as possible. As someone applying on the younger side, I was a bit worried but Jessica was so motivating and encouraging along the way that I really never felt that it was a weakness in my profile. She had encouraging but honest answers to every question I asked, and even was there for me to get me back on track when I was lagging behind in the early stages of essay writing.

Jessica is truly your champion, and supports you like no other. She holds your story and profile so close to her heart and you can see the time, effort, and care she puts into making it become the best it can possibly be. She is tough at times, and is very direct and candid with her feedback — but this is what I was looking for in a consultant and what I believe made my work the best it could be.

If you want someone who is truly on your team, who supports you through all the highs and lows of the process, and really cares about you, Jessica is all of this, and more. There is no end to what I could say about how great of a consultant, and even more than that, person, she is.

From our very first phone call, Harshad was genuine, motivating, direct, and candid. With our common background in manufacturing, we immediately hit it off and I felt like I’d known him for much longer! Given my path to enter my family’s business, he suggested a program that I ultimately am now attending. It would not only allow me to return to my family business on a faster timeline but I am now attending a program in the top 10 schools. He showed me how to highlight areas of strength that I didn’t even recognize but also how to strengthen the weaknesses of my application as well. His direct advice on the path I needed to take in the next year pushed my application to the next level.

When the time came for applications, he suggested edits to my resume that really transformed the way my accomplishments were showcased. Similarly, he gave me excellent guidance on the interview process and how to approach communication after being waitlisted.

At first glance, Harshad really knows how to approach the entire MBA application process. When the panic sets in, he is more than timely in his responses when any question comes up. As you dive deeper into conversations with him, he is empathetic and is one of the people you really want on your team during this process. We worked together for over a year and I’m so grateful.

I know I wouldn’t be attending the program I am in today without him!

I worked with a different consultant for my applications but felt something amiss even after completing their mock interview. I attended a P&Q webinar with Devi and her background, confidence, and experience with HBS’ process really appealed to me. I took a risk and purchased her two-interview package because getting into HBS was my lifelong dream.

Just five minutes into my first HBS mock interview session with Devi and I knew I was exactly where I needed to be, and in safe hands. It was clear that Devi had spent ample time reading my application and understanding my story. She helped me realize and focus on the most important parts of my application. I was over-explaining things, but Devi helped me be succinct. She fixed my language, making it more business-oriented rather than technical. She also helped make my content interesting, relevant, and practical. Practicing my interviews with her became fun, and I ended up adding sessions to polish my skills even further.

When I did the actual interview, it turned out that Devi had predicted EVERY SINGLE QUESTION. Long story short, I was on a different planet before I met Devi, and she got me exactly where I needed to be to get into HBS. Not just that, she became my friend and that’s something I will always cherish.

Get this straight – I am an Indian engineer (based in India), 28, Male, non-IITian who got into the extremely competitive (especially for my demographic) MS/MBA joint degree program that only admits 30 students from across the world. If that doesn’t speak for her skills, nothing else can. You can hire her without a second thought, and you won’t regret it.

I worked with Devi to prepare for my HBS interview. We had two sessions and these two hours were very efficient and helpful! Here are objective descriptions about the process, no exaggerations.

I have a non-traditional background. Devi is very experienced and knows exactly how HBS admission would read my application. In the first session, Devi went through an HBS-type mock interview and identified a couple of major areas that needed improvements, including 1. topics that I did not know how to deliver in a clear but impactful way, and 2. answers that need to be structured. Devi gave me homework to work on those areas for a week. The second session was a fine-tuning process. Devi really GUIDED me to dig into my application, from achievements to career goals, and helped me put these pieces together and deliver them in a concise and logical way. What I mean is that besides the information/argument in career goal essays, I was able to tell why I chose this SPECIFIC role and what I would do differently from the current industry manner and why. During the session, Devi not only pointed out what I did not do well, but also gave me a chance to practice multiple times until both of us felt comfortable about the answer. Devi also motivated me to think of a couple of main pieces of information I would want to communicate during the interview and figure out how to incorporate those into the answers to different questions.

My actual interview contained 50-60% information (of course asked in different ways) that Devi helped me clear out, including career highlights. With Devi’s challenging questions, I was calm and comfortable answering those unexpected questions.

I would highly recommend Kim to anyone on the fence about hiring an admissions consultant, or unsure of which consultant to work with. I took a chance on Kim and mbaMission after a brief phone consultation, and will be forever grateful that I did. Kim invested an extraordinary amount of time and energy into getting to know me as a candidate (and person) and channeled that understanding into helping me craft an incredibly well-packaged narrative highlighting my strengths and personal brand. Kim guided me through the admissions process every step of the way, acting as a coach, cheerleader, and teammate in one from our kick-off call to the day I received my acceptance letter from CBS. Most importantly, Kim clearly believed in me as a person and cared deeply about my success. As a result, the application I submitted was distinctly my own, rather than a contrived attempt at following some prescribed “CBS formula,” and this fact gave me a great deal of confidence going into my interview. Overall, working with Kim was an overwhelmingly positive experience, and it is safe to say that I would not be headed to my dream school next fall were it not for her guidance.

One final note: I myself was a skeptic of admissions consulting prior to working with Kim and mbaMission. After all, how much value could a consultant really add on top of what I would gain from completing a “self-guided” tour of the latest admissions literature and MBA applicant forums? As it turns out, a great deal. For example: I was by no means the perfect applicant, and had a gaping hole in my application in the form of a 710 GMAT score with a 40 on the quant sub-section (yikes). Although I had decided to hang up my cleats on the GMAT after several failed attempts at improvement, Kim talked me out of testing retirement for one last Hail Mary on the Executive Assessment. After two weeks of brush-up studying, I took the home version of the EA and walked away with a 95th percentile score. Instantly, the biggest weakness of my application transformed into a strength; not only did my EA score represent an improvement on a percentile basis, it also enabled CBS to focus on the other, stronger aspects of my profile, since EA scores aren’t factored into school rankings. Despite the confidence I placed in my own “self-guided” admissions research, I had somehow missed this incredible opportunity that ironically exists somewhat uniquely for CBS (that is, applying with the EA for the full-time program). That Kim was familiar enough with the school to catch this technicality (along with the fact that she was able to coach a very reluctant standardized tester back into the game) speaks volumes about her abilities as a consultant. If you were initially skeptical about bringing in outside help for your applications, I hope that I’ve now convinced you.