mbaMission | MBA Admissions Consultants

In 2018 I decided to apply to various MBA programs, and I wanted to an expert to help me and guide me through the process. I researched and interviewed a lot of consultants in various companies around the world, and once I had my 30-minute free consultation with Katy, I was sure that I wanted to work with her. Not only was she kind and patient, she was honest and enthusiastic.

Katy believed in my story and I can honestly say she was an invaluable in my application to GSB, my dream school, which I got accepted to! As many of us know, applying to an MBA is a complicated process. Finding the stories you want to tell was one of the most difficult aspects for me during the application. Katy patiently listened to my story and helped me identify those stories that made me unique. I was born, raised, and currently live in Colombia, so I first thought that a consultant from a different country would not understand my story as well. Katy was amazing!! She helped me realize that coming from a different country was a special part of my story.

Katy provided wonderful insights during my essays. She was VERY patient with my constant emails and questions on next steps and new ideas I had for my applications. Also, she was very supportive whenever I had doubts about myself, and once I got invited to my interviews, I felt that she was genuinely happy because she truly believed in me. To me, Katy is a consultant that truly believes in her clients and their individual stories. She was incredibly helpful in my interview prep as well, making sure I stayed true to myself.

I want to conclude by saying: Katy was spectacular! I wholeheartedly recommend her as a consultant and if I were to do it all over again, I would choose to work with her!

My time working with Melissa Merchant and the mbaMission team on my applications was incredibly productive and rewarding. The guidance, insight, and feedback provided the foundation for me to effectively create and submit my applications on time and with minimal stress.

Melissa did a great job of being proactive. She provided me with resources and guidelines very early on in each step of the process. This helped reduce the anxiety that comes with meeting first round deadlines for multiple schools. Also, her ability to structure a narrative about me, my career aspirations and my experience was robust and concise.

I would highly recommend working with Melissa on your application journey. She is patient, helpful, and will challenge you to put your best foot forward with your applications and interviews.

Start-to-finish, I worked with Katy for 11 months on a six-school package with the result being accepted at five top MBA programs and accepting an offer to attend HBS. I cannot thank her enough for all of her help nor think of a better partner throughout the entire process! I can confidently say I would not have had near the success I was able to without all of her guidance and support to help turn my disparate collection of plans and ideas in to a carefully crafted admissions story.
Coming from a non-traditional background, one of one of the areas I was most nervous about was being a burden to recommenders – neither of whom had written MBA rec letters before. For me, this was one of the most helpful areas to have Katy’s support – she not only made it an easier process on them, but also allowed me to not worry as much about this part of the application. I’ve talked to both of my recommenders since the process ended and they couldn’t rave enough about how beneficial it was to have Katy’s guidance, and both rec letters were brought up by my interviewer at my HBS interview as well.
I can’t say enough about how thankful I am to have had her help throughout this process and would recommender her to anyone embarking on the MBA application journey.

Start-to-finish I worked with Katy for 11 months on a six-school package with the result being accepted at five top MBA programs and accepting an offer to attend HBS. I cannot thank her enough for all of her help nor think of a better partner throughout the entire process! I can confidently say I would not have had near the success I was able to without all of her guidance and support to help turn my disparate collection of plans and ideas in to a carefully crafted admissions story.
Coming from a non-traditional background, one of one of the areas I was most nervous about was being a burden to recommenders – neither of whom had written MBA rec letters before. For me, this was one of the most helpful areas to have Katy’s support – she not only made it an easier process on them, but also allowed me to not worry as much about this part of the application. I’ve talked to both of my recommenders since the process ended and they couldn’t rave enough about how beneficial it was to have Katy’s guidance, and both rec letters were brought up by my interviewer at my HBS interview as well.
I can’t say enough about how thankful I am to have had her help throughout this process and would recommend her to anyone embarking on the MBA application journey.

I applied for business schools two years ago and didn’t gain admission to any of the four schools I had applied to. Needless to say, I didn’t have a very optimistic when I decided to apply again. I had also used a consultant for my prior application cycle from Veritas Prep. I didn’t have a great impression of consultants from my previous application round, i.e.: they didn’t review my application short answers, etc.

So I knew going into this round that I wanted someone who would take a holistic approach to my application. Katy went above and beyond, from the brainstorming session at the beginning all the way to making sure my short answers rounded out my application. I again applied to four programs (three from my prior round and one new one), and was accepted into three programs (Booth, Kellogg, and Tuck) this round!

Throughout the process, Katy was there to guide me through interviews, video essays, and deciding between admission offers. I highly recommend Katy to anyone looking to go to business school, especially re-applicants!

I was skeptical about paying for an admissions consultant until I visited with Katy.

I worked with Katy on a two school package – HBS and Stanford – and could not have had a more positive experience.

As a re-applicant, I was hesitant to reapply. I spoke to 10 different consulting firms and was still torn until I talked to Katy. Katy actually made me excited to reapply and explained her approach to reapplications (she wasn’t prescribing the quick “how about you volunteer for the next few weeks?” – she was rethinking how I told my story). After a few short minutes I really felt like she “got me.”

Katy was the only consultant I talked to who had real experience at both HBS and Stanford. I always considered the admissions process a bit of a black box and Katy was always there to answer my endless questions about process and strategy.

In terms of working together, Katy was incredibly quick, sharp, patient, and thoughtful. I was stumped on what I could possibly write about after already going through the process once, but Katy was extremely good at coaching me to approach this application differently. I was most surprised by how she was able to help me craft my story during our brainstorming session. Throughout the process, she took a holistic approach to my application (thinking about the essay in the context of my resume, my transcript, my short answers, etc.) and gave helpful feedback in that context. Katy made the process fun and easy.

Overall, my only regret is that I didn’t know Katy when I first applied!

I started my search for an MBA advisor about two years before applying. Searching for someone who could truly understand my story and help me come across as the person I see myself. Katy has been spot on from day one and was key to my acceptance to HBS, Wharton & Lauder, Columbia and LBS.

Being an engineer who started my career as a consultant, I was afraid I would not be able to differentiate myself from the highly qualified applicants pool. Katy was very thorough in working to truly understand my story and help me choose the best stories to reflect my profile. She was a perfect mentor and friend helping me with my numerous questions and my insecurities, for example the fact that my GMAT score was not exceptional.

Katy believed in me from the start and is today someone I truly hold dear. Coming from Brazil, being able to relate to someone even never having met in person is incredibly helpful and provides comfort to really open yourself which is key to the success of the process of working with an advisor. I am very grateful to her and have no doubt that she will be able to have the same impact in your application.

I worked with Katy for a 3 school package, as a re-applicant. A few years ago, I scheduled an initial consultation with Katy and she gave me specific, helpful, and extensive advice about which schools would be a good fit for me, and things I could do to improve my application. I took it all in, thought that I had everything I needed to apply on my own without her help, and sent in my application, R2. I got rejected from all of the schools I applied to.

A few years later, I retook the GMAT, got a higher score, and decided not to blow it. I called Katy and asked for her help for my R1 application. It was money well-spent! I got into my top-choice, Harvard Business School.

Now, what changed between then and now? Yes, I had a higher GMAT score (went up from 680 to 710), I applied R1 instead of R2, and I had more interesting work experience. But here’s why I STILL think I couldn’t have done this without Katy.

(1) She spends so much time understanding your personal story, and helps you frame your background and accomplishments in a compelling way. The hours I spent on the brainstorming exercise with Katy were well worth it. You are, of course, responsible for writing your essays – but Katy helps you choose the subject and refine them so so they shine.

(2) She is so experienced with these applications, and has tips and perspectives there is no way I would have come to on my own. From the very specific way of briefing my interviewers, to avoiding certain subjects in short answers – she just brings valuable experience to the table that you can’t get from just reading blog posts.

(3) The interview prep was so helpful. For HBS interviews, the questions are highly targeted for your specific application. If you get an interview invite, Katy spends time looking over your entire application, and then conducts a personalized mock interview with you. I was astonished to find that 90% of the questions during my actual HBS interview matched my mock interview.

Finally, there are lots of consultants out there who can help you with your application. What sets Katy apart? Her unfailingly supportive attitude, her positivity, and her clear dedication to helping her clients succeed. I would highly suggest working with Katy if you want to maximize your chances at getting admitted to a top business school.

I had the pleasure of working with John on several essays during my Round 1 applications. John’s organization and attention to detail were sublime, and unlike others I spoke with, he consistently offered transformational advice on my writing rather than ticky-tack little changes. He challenged me to make my writing unique, innovative, and true, and I regularly walked away with new ideas after each conversation we had. If you’re looking for reliability and concrete writing improvements, John’s a perfect fit.

I have nothing but the best to say about my experience working with Jeremy. Even when my core consultant was John Sisk (also at mbaMission), Jeremy offered his time and expertise generously over a period of several months across application rounds. His acumen around the attitudes and specifications of each and every MBA program is unmatched, and every piece of advice he gives is delivered candidly and tactfully. And even when I lived far away, he made himself available via phone flexibly and on short notice. If you’re looking for a consultant who knows the programs inside and out, and one who shows 110% genuine care about you as both an MBA candidate and as a person, Jeremy is the guy for you. Thanks Jeremy!

When I considered taking the first steps in the MBA admissions process, the only word that accurately describes my feelings at the time is “intimidated.” From reading online posts about the process to talking with others who had gone through it, it felt as if everyone had some great story, some “golden ticket,” that I simply didn’t have. I didn’t come from a traditional finance or consulting background, was not sure my academics were up to snuff, and genuinely felt overwhelmed by the prospect of researching schools, writing essays, and soliciting recommendations. I decided to request a free consultation with mbaMission given that extremely positive feedback on their consultants was pretty universal.

When I met with Jen, I immediately felt at ease. I shared my general sense of trepidation, and she immediately, even during a 30-minute consultation, asked questions about my professional and personal background that forced me to understand that every person has a valuable story that is worth telling. Her natural ability to make me feel confident in the story I could tell, without creating unrealistic expectations on admissions results, was critical in my decision to work with her.

Throughout working together, from a 2.5-hour brainstorming session to (many), “Hey Jen – I’ve got a quick question” emails, Jen always made me feel like I deserved to be part of the MBA admissions process – like I deserved to participate and give it my best shot. She did this by always making time for me, by answering my questions both promptly and thoroughly and never giving the impression that I was just “one of many clients.” During our brainstorming session, for example, she asked questions that forced me to think about how very personal details of my upbringing that I had shared with her impacted the way I approached a project at work that I had mentioned. She is able to make this less-than-obvious connection and ask these types of questions because she genuinely cares about her clients as people and is committed to their success.

In terms of essay and interview preparation, Jen forced me to critically analyze each school’s essay prompts to figure out what from my story would naturally fit into what they were looking to learn about a candidate, as opposed to forcing something unnatural in for the sake of trying to impress them. Her comments on my essay and resume drafts were always precise and actionable – they allowed me to move forward and make improvements as opposed to creating additional questions for the sake of asking more questions. Her feedback on mock interviews was similar – “You discussed Topic X well – go into that more” or “Try to phrase Topic Y differently.” Her feedback was always valuable, well thought-out, and allowed me to make meaningful improvements.

Jen’s action and people-oriented approach immediately made me realize I had a worthwhile story to tell. I went into the process and applied to five schools, hoping to get interview invites from one or two at best. With Jen’s help, I received invites at each of these five, including three M7 schools. In the end, I was accepted into four of the five schools, including two M7’s (one of which was my top choice) and two others with significant scholarships. I am extremely thankful for Jen’s guidance and support and wholeheartedly recommend her for others looking to put their best foot forward in the MBA admissions process.

I had my 30 minute consultation with Rachel after reading her reviews and knew right away that I wanted to work with her. I started my school 4 package with her about 6 months before the Round 1 deadlines. We walked through my stats and timeline and she helped me map out the next few months so that I would be on top of everything.

From our first brainstorming call, I could tell that Rachel knew so much about this process that I would never have figured out. Her experience in the industry is extremely helpful and she is able to make such a hectic process run so smoothly. Through that first call, Rachel helped me figure out my story and which areas of my application I should highlight in my essays. When it came to writing my essays, Rachel already knew me so well from the brainstorming call that we were both able to quickly and efficiently outline each essay. It got to the point where Rachel would suggest using examples from my life that I hadn’t even thought of – a testament to how much Rachel works to get to know each of her clients. She is extremely punctual and often returned drafts back to me within 24 hours. She was my cheerleader throughout the entire process and I can confidently say that I would not have gotten into 3 business schools without her help. I cannot thank her enough for encouraging me and keeping a positive attitude when things did not look like they were going well. I highly recommend working with Rachel and mbaMission!

Michael was a pleasure to work with from the beginning to the end. He was able to assist with essays, resumes and overall application guidance. He was very flexible with his hours which made the experience great. He asked difficult questions which was really great to express my story. Would highly recommend!

I came across Jeremy after speaking to numerous consultants, and Jeremy stood out as he truly cared and caught up with me again after touching base. What Jeremy offers is a very direct and clear approach to the whole MBA game, that is helping you to clearly articulate your goals and aspirations. Without sugarcoating, Jeremy offered very candid assessment and advice. Clearly fighting for my cause, Jeremy helped me “stand straight” and differentiated from the rest of the crowd. Thanks to Jeremy, I have been admitted to my dream M7 school and I could not have done it without Jeremy.

I was recently admitted to HBS, Wharton, Tuck and Kellogg and this would not have been possible without Kate’s guidance.

I worked with Kate early on to identify key themes for my essays and to craft my responses in ways that were clear, powerful and tailored to characteristics and themes relevant to each MBA program.

Kate’s insights were supportive, directive and timely. Iterating on my essays with Kate allowed me to hone my written responses and in doing so, helped me narrate my story for interviews as well. mbaMission’s school specific and interview prep materials were also incredibly helpful in my process and continue to be as I transition from MBA applicant to MBA student.

During a very stressful / time intensive process, I always felt better knowing Kate was “on my side” and felt comfortable reaching out with any question, big or small.

I would recommend Kate’s services to any MBA candidates, at any step in their process!

I was recently admitted to one of my top choice MBA programs, and I credit Michael for helping me with that. Michael and I performed a mock interview and he provided feedback during / after the session that pointed out key areas of improvement to help with my story. I highly recommend working with Michael for your MBA application pursuits!

I initially was matched with Rachel during MBA Mission’s free 30 minute consultation. She was extremely helpful at helping me develop a strategy to go about tackling the application process and I felt that her expertise would be vital to writing strong essays.

I worked with Rachel on an hourly basis where she assisted with everything from resume formatting, topic generation, and essay editing for a number of different programs. She was always on-time in providing back updates or ideas and was excellent at pushing me to take the next step in my essays.

At the end of the day Rachel was extremely helpful and worth every penny. I owe her a great deal for successfully getting into some of my top choice schools.

This review is long overdue, which is somewhat fitting as my application probably would have been too if it wasn’t for Harshad. There is not a doubt in my mind that I would not have gotten into Chicago Booth if it wasn’t for him. In fact, I may not have even applied if it wasn’t for him encouraging me and giving me the confidence through all of my self-doubt.

On a number of occasions after I made the decision to apply, I second guessed myself. Wondering if instead I should take some classes at the Graham school to show that my undergrad GPA wasn’t something the adcom needed to worry about, or if my lower end of the range GMAT and low quant score would ruin my chances of admission. Harshad helped me keep focus, reminding me that although I didn’t have the best stats, I had a unique story which he helped me shape and reiterate.

Harshad’s true strength lies in being not only an honest critic, but in being a damn good story teller. He was able to analyze my life stories and help me come up with not only an application I was proud of, but one that was good enough to get me into my dream school. If you want someone authentic who will give you structure and no BS, Harshad is the consultant for you. He’s a great judge of character and from what I’ve read about him and experienced for myself, he knows how to get people into schools that they may not feel they have a chance at.

Long story short, work with Harshad if you’re the type that tends to procrastinate and second guess yourself. Harshad doesn’t make time for any of that nonsense. If he believes in you, you better believe in you, because the man has a track record of getting people in.

Debbie is the go-to consultant if you want someone to hand-hold you through the application process. She is brutally honest and gives great constructive feedback. Yes, all consultants are expensive, but since every applicant is using one, you will be at a disadvantage if you decide to embark on this journey alone. Despite not having the best work experience, I got accepted into an M7 school and even got an interview with HBS.

Debbie was great throughout the entire process and I never felt overwhelmed. In the beginning, she literally had me write my life story out and we had a great conversation about which stories/themes I should be highlighting in my essays. She was very collaborative during this discussion. At the same time, if you are going down the wrong rabbit hole, she will not hesitate to stop you and she saved me a lot of time in that regard. Once we figured out the target schools, Debbie created a timeline for me for each school so I knew how to pace myself.

In regards to the essays, Debbie had a call with me to give me some tips on how to tackle every essay question. Next, she requested that I provided her with an outline of my essay structure. After further comments, I finally got to the essay writing part. All this prep work up front really saved me time on writing the essay. There was some back and forth after the initial essay draft and Debbie always replied within two business days. She even reviewed the extra questions in the application package.

Once I got the good news on the interview invites, she will give you a sample of questions the school usually asks in preparation for the mock interview. You really need to be on top of your game on this one because it really felt like a real interview. After each question, Debbie will give live feedback and once again, she is not afraid to tell you if your answer was way off the mark. I appreciated the honesty as that helped me focus on the subset of questions I needed to hone in on.

To summarize, Debbie was a fantastic partner in this process and I couldn’t have done it without her.

If you’re looking for a quick takeaway: Kate is amazing and you should feel absolutely confident in putting your MBA fate in her hands.

Kate was recommended to me by a colleague who had worked with her (and gotten into his first choice) last year. As my colleague had suggested, Kate was extremely helpful in vetting out good and bad ideas, providing concrete feedback without disrupting my voice in essays, and offering sound advice on all other questions or concerns I had from start to finish (and I had MANY). She gave me very detailed answers to all my 1AM emails regarding my strategy, school specific questions, financial aid, interview prep, etc. I can go on, but bottom line is having someone like Kate, who is so knowledgeable about the process really helps alleviate the stress, and it also doesn’t hurt that she’s super pleasant to work with. Plus, she got me into my first choice school as well, so that’s 2/2 from my firm!

I had the pleasure of working with Devi for Round 1 of HBS application process during the interview stage. I cannot recommend her highly enough. She is all things you could want in a consultant: extremely knowledgeable about HBS and its process (which leads to really interesting insights), gives very thoughtful feedback that you can actually work on to improve your chances, and is honest and friendly.
Devi’s interview coaching was fantastic. We set up two sessions which mimicked the real life HBS interview. Devi does her homework: she fully researches and analyzes your entire application beforehand, coming up with tailored and specific questions to interview you with, similar to how an actual HBS interview would. Devi has the benefit of being a former HBS interviewer herself and applies the same dedication and prep to the mock interview. After the interview, Devi gave really valuable feedback on everything from style, to other questions they could ask me, to the actual answers and structuring of the answers. Because her advice was really tangible, I could actually use it, improving myself and my chances by the second mock interview. And by the second mock interview, I definitely noticed a significant improvement thanks to Devi’s advice and feedback.
Another great point about Devi – beyond her knowledge, her dedication to mirroring the actual interview, her sharp and practical feedback – is that she is truly committed to making you as confident and comfortable in the process as you can be. She never capped our time because she wanted to ensure I got all my questions answered. Beyond the mock interviews, she was always prompt on email should I think of a question offline.
When it came to my actual HBS interview, I felt it was more similar to my mock interviews with Devi than my primary consultant. In fact, one question in particular she told me to watch for actually popped up in the interview! Moreover, her coaching on ‘how’ to answer a question was particularly helpful.
I can’t recommend Devi highly enough – if you want to seriously see a significant improvement before your HBS interview and want someone who knows the process inside out to coach you, definitely go with Devi.

I worked with Krista on five applications (all round 1) during the 2018-19 cycle, and was admitted to my top choice program. I started working with her fairly early in the year (March/April), which helped get school selection, visits, and resume writing done well ahead of deadlines. This helped me focus on essays alone in August and September, and finish all my applications on time without any last-minute scrambling.

Krista’s experience with the admissions process and her passion for working with clients truly came across at every stage of the process. She was incredibly responsive through the process, from turning around drafts to answering minor questions about application form details, and she usually was ahead of the promised two-day turnaround as well.

Krista helped me in three key aspects on my essays:

1. All my work experience was at a boutique consulting firm where the work is complex and difficult to explain to a layperson. As a result, my initial drafts contained a lot of detail that was not necessary for the admissions committee. Krista helped me trim this down to the essential points only, leading to a much tighter story and providing additional room to bring out other facets in my essays.

2. She helped my own story and personality come through in my essays – when my drafts lacked specificity, she helped me brainstorm original ideas to pull in, rather than shoehorn me into anything boilerplate. Some of my friends who have worked with other consultants had a bad experience on this front, where they were simply told to say certain things instead of getting support to find the ideas they believed in.

3. Lastly, going into the application process, I was a little concerned about two weak spots in my profile – some past academic issues and being on the lower end of the work experience spectrum. While I knew I would have to address these in my essays, my writing wasn’t effective in discussing any emotions or feelings in those situations. Through several discussions and rounds of editing, Krista really helped take craft portions of my essays to a more compelling story.

After application submission, I prepared for video essays and interviews with Krista as well. Aside from fine tuning the content of my responses, Krista noticed certain certain behaviors/ response patterns that I consistently fell into while answering interview questions. With her advice, I was able to avoid these during application interviews (and also improve my overall interviewing skills for recruiting in business school and beyond).

I’m thrilled to be attending my dream program soon and I’m very grateful to Krista for all her help and support through the process – I’ve already recommended her to some of my friends and would do so unhesitatingly to any other applicants!

I worked with Kate on for guidance and brainstorming on several essays for top MBA programs, and she provided great feedback throughout the process. I especially appreciated that she brought some different perspectives and frames to think about how to present my story and background. She was great to work with on a personal level, and I would recommend her to anyone considering applying!

With a somewhat scattered career trajectory, I needed someone very skilled in helping me draw out compelling career and personal narratives (the essays), and present myself in a beautiful package (the whole application). John’s previous reviews share a theme of exceptional storytelling, and he did exactly that with me. It was nice to have John as a partner who cared about the results. I was admitted to Columbia Business School!

Researching Consultants: Quantitative measures aside, the key to a successful MBA application is undoubtedly compelling career and personal narratives, which are also by far the most challenging. As I read detailed reviews of consultants, their key strengths became apparent. John’s previous reviews share a consistent theme of him helping applicants put together compelling applications and stories (he does have a journalism background after all).

Working with John: I went with the hourly package. As I think back on the application process, there were several things John did that maximized the efficiency and results:

1. With hourly services, John is very efficient with time, but most importantly, the feedback that he sends back is direct and actionable. This allowed me to make drastic improvements to my essays between each iteration. The final product was an essay that read so smooth and conveyed so, so much in 500 words.
2. John clarified how I should tackle each essay, which was so helpful given the prompts are vague and cut out the many extra drafts I would have had to do.
3. I found it super helpful to have a call with John, especially when I hit writer’s block, to bounce ideas off of him. These sessions were extremely productive in moving things along rather than spending days stuck on something.
4. Lastly, I will say that the road of an MBA application is a lonely one. John was a partner who cared about the success of my application, and his professional and calm demeanor kept me going and focused.

Result: Acceptance to Columbia Business School!

I was referred to Jeremy by my GMAT tutor as well as by multiple friends and relatives who had great success with Jeremy and were admitted to T5 MBA programs. The common theme when speaking to every single referral was that Jeremy is a magician and each individual credited Jeremy’s inquisitiveness, work ethic, honesty, and patience as a major reason why they were admitted to their respective programs. I must admit that hearing those recommendations set the bar high, but I was not disappointed! Jeremy was extremely understanding and hit the ground running since we only had 4 weeks before the application deadline. Jeremy was able to help me tell my story in a way that not only got me admitted to my top choice, but in a way that made me feel proud of my previous accomplishments and excited for my future. When my apps were submitted, Jeremy continued to push the process forward, prepping me for my interview and being a sounding board for my anxiety throughout the wait for acceptance at my T5 choice. I unequivocally recommend working with Jeremy! If you are willing to work as hard as Jeremy does, you will be admitted to your dream school as well!

A Lifetime of Difference:

As Jeremy Shinewald’s first client, I now have many years to look back on his impact on me. I applied to several schools on my own, some of which were unranked, and failed to get in. I really just did not have the proper guidance to apply appropriately. When I brought my applications to Jeremy, he pointed out missed opportunities in various places. I was showing a narrow view of who I was and my skill set. Upon discussing it with Jeremy, I changed my approach and started over with him. I applied to only one school with Jeremy and he worked with me through a long waitlist process. In the end, I was the last person admitted to Chicago GSB that year (before it was Chicago Booth). After Chicago, the doors opened at a top i-bank and then I entered the world of hedge funds. I consider myself very lucky to have had this outcome. Needless to say, it would not have been possible without Jeremy who was the creative “well” I needed and the supportive coach and friend that made a stressful process far more fun. I have since recommended him to many friends, including trusting him with a very close friend who got into several top European schools and also continues to thrive. I can’t say enough…

I was introduced to Jeremy through an acquaintance who used him for MBA applications. My daughter needed assistance with her college application essays and I asked if Jeremy would work with her. He was upfront in stating that he was an MBA admissions expert and that college application essays were not his area of specialization. However, my daughter was immediately comfortable working with Jeremy and asked if he would provide advice to her. Jeremy agreed to take this and was a valuable resource for her as well as a source of confidence. The experience of working with Jeremy was very positive for her and the outcome was successful.

Nisha was everything I needed and more. She was so thorough, contentious of my time, money, and needs, and supportive the whole time. I was under a lot of pressure at work and felt really limited with my time in the application process and Nisha worked with all of my challenges. She was really good at helping me schedule and make deadlines for myself and keeping me accountable. Nisha helped me from A to Z with defining my “why” and forming my story in a genuine way that would resonate with others to guiding me through the waitlist process. She was so strategic with what information I should share and when – I would not have been able to do that part on my own. She was also so enthusiastic about my prospects and truly wanted the best for me. She was honest about my application and helped me gain perspective when needed. Nisha was so clutch in preparing for my interviews – I didn’t think I was as rough as I was, and she was able to help me refine my skills and answers to typical questions. MBAmission has tons of resources to use and she was able to leverage them for me. I can’t thank her enough, especially since I ended up waitlisted (and thankfully accepted) to my top choice and had more work left to do. I was so frustrated and she was really there for me and helped me through it. I am so thankfully for her guidance and working through everything with me. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Nisha!

I signed up for the Complete Start-to-Finish package with mbaMission and Kate Richardson was my assigned consultant. Kate supported me in applying to two schools (both Top 20) and I was thrilled to have received an offer from one of them! Kate is a very passionate and caring consultant. She guided me through the admission process and was very responsive – which helped take a lot of pressure off the process. It all started with a brainstorming sheet, which enabled Kate to understand my background and my career aspirations. She was very thoughtful and always gave me advice based on the points I wrote in the brainstorming sheet, which greatly helped me in crafting my unique “why MBA” story. I would definitely recommend Kate to anyone applying to a top MBA program!

I applied to HBS twice. The first time I didn’t use Jeremy and the second time I did. Needless to say, Jeremy was the key difference in my second application. Jeremy was very focused on letting the real me shine through my application. He did not focus on perfecting my story but rather a true genuine telling of who I am and what motivates me. Jeremy was extremely approachable. I was comfortable asking him absolutely any question. His answers were to the point and clearly from a perspective of experience. In my first application, I utilized the services of the HBS guru. He was difficult to work with and ultimately pushed me to write an application that in no way reflected my character. As mentioned, Jeremy is very focused on highlighting your authentic self – this is what HBS is looking for. Jeremy also provided a mock interview that was very helpful. I did not have to over prepare for the interview because again, Jeremy had me focus on authenticity. What’s easier than being yourself? I have Jeremy to thank my admission to HBS.

John Sisk is an outstanding MBA admissions consultant and a pleasure to work with. He really knows what he is talking about regarding each facet of the application process. From start to finish, John was highly professional, easy to talk to, and driven to help me succeed as an MBA applicant. Regarding essays, I could not have been prouder of the final drafts I produced under John’s guidance. John has such a great understanding of how to write in a clear, compelling manner, he was able to really bring out the best in me as a writer, and help me frame my story using parts of my background I would not have initially thought to use. Regarding application strategy, recommendations, short answers, resume, and any questions that came to mind about the admissions process, John also provided expert advice and insight. John’s calm, supportive style also significantly increased my confidence throughout the process. This was invaluable when it came time for interview preparation. John not only anticipated the exact kinds of questions my interviewers ended up asking, but also was able to get me in the right frame of mind going into the interview: to approach the process with an enthusiastic and positive attitude, which I think really came through in terms of making a great impression on my interviewers. This showed in the results. In the end, I got into my dream MBA program: Columbia Business School. I could not have done this without John’s guidance, and I highly recommend him to anyone who wants to gain admission to a top MBA program.

Nisha helped guide my application journey from start to finish. With her help I was able to leverage my personal story and get into my target school. What I loved about working with her is how she pushed me to dive deep into my ‘why’ behind pursuing an MBA. She helped me communicate my purpose to the adcom in a way that was efficient and descriptive. Nisha is extremely thorough. I noticed this during our introductory consultation call. Her eye for detail was present throughout the entire process. She always had a great attitude, which was refreshing since applying to B-school can be draining at times. mbaMission also has a bunch of great resources, like their guides. I HIGHLY recommend Nisha to anyone who is serious about applying to business school. I didn’t realize how badly I needed her help until I started working with her. The monetary price I paid pales in comparison to what she provided. Thank you Nisha!!!

I was in the process of making a difficult decision: I had practiced law for 6 years but knew this wasn’t my path. I wanted to refocus my career and basically start fresh, but I didn’t really know how to start the journey and in which direction I should go. Thankfully a friend pointed me to Jeremy Shinewald who was my guide on this journey. He counseled me on which schools I should be applying to. He helped me craft my story and he gave me the advice and direction I needed. I found his rates competitive with other consultants, but more importantly I felt that I was getting good value. Here was an expert who was available for me, fought for me and brought out the best in me. Jeremy Shinewald was worth every penny.

I worked with John on 2 applications. He was highly recommended by a friend and I quickly discovered why. John didn’t waste any time — After I filled out an extensive questionnaire, we instantly got on a call to brainstorm potential ideas for my essays and craft a cohesive, compelling “story” for me. I instantly felt comfortable opening up to John about my life because he’s so approachable and empathetic. I felt like I had a clear game plan after my first call with him, and that feeling was a trend throughout working with John — I always felt like I was in good hands and had a clear, actionable game plan to achieve my goals and get into a top school. John also got back to me very quickly on essay edits, and his edits were phenomenal. I particularly appreciated how he enhanced my essay while preserving my own personal voice. John also helped me greatly with interview prep. He had great feedback during our mock interviews and made me feel confident and well-prepared. I was asked a lot of the questions he prepped me for! I ended up on the wait list at Kellogg, and John helped me navigate that awkward and confusing time — he kept my spirits high and told me what I should do next, and soon after I was admitted!! He was truly a sounding board through the entire process, continued to support me with pep talks and an overall comforting presence, and was such an asset with all application and interview prep!! I highly recommend John!!!

I came to Jessica as a re-applicant and having been through the process before, I was somewhat skeptical that I needed too much more guidance other than cleaning up my story and re-purposing my prior materials. However, it became very clear from our first interaction that she could help me do so much more. During our brainstorming session, she helped bring out both professional and personal experiences that I hadn’t even considered talking about before. What I appreciated most about working with her was her uncommon ability to force me to form a story myself even as she helped me talk through several anecdotes, acting as a guide while allowing me to make my essays and overall application truly personal – this also speaks to her incredible patience. While she is a very nice person, she didn’t let this keep her from being a tough critic of my writing, and she pushed me to go through several drafts of all of my essays, without going overboard and being too picky over minute details. While she certainly helped edit my essays, she generally stayed hands-off when it came to the content, again allowing me to make the story truly mine. Her help was especially important given my background as a relatively traditional applicant coming from finance applying to the top 3 MBA programs, of which I got into one. I truly believe she helped make a difference in presenting myself in the most effective, yet honest way and would recommend her to anyone.

I am in the unique position of having had the chance to work with Heidi twice on MBA applications (once for full time programs and once for part time programs). Prior to working with Heidi, I had elected to work with a “budget” (but still not cheap) service that did not provide the high level of service I would have expected.

While applying to full time programs a few years ago, I worked with Heidi on an entire three school package and added two additional schools via hourly services. Heidi provided good constructive criticism throughout the process. She was quick to provide responses, positive, and extremely knowledgeable. Over the course of working with Heidi, my essays evolved immensely, creating a cohesive and compelling story. Without Heidi’s guidance, I would have never been as successful in my application process as I was (I was invited to interview at all five schools I applied to, interviewed and was accepted at one, and decided to cancel the remaining interviews). Unfortunately, due to work circumstances I decided not to enroll in a full time program.

Thus, a few years later when I decided to apply to part time programs I did my best to track Heidi down in order to build upon our past experiences and work with her again. Once again, she was prompt and provided good criticism while helping me quickly and efficiently craft new applications from my old and some new material. With her help I was admitted to both programs I applied to.

Overall, Heidi challenged me throughout the process and not only helped my applications evolve but helped me become better as well. Without her assistance, I would have never been able to develop the well-rounded applications I ended up submitting.

Let me begin this by stating that before I decided to work with Krista as my consultant, I held free consultations with a handful of other consultants/companies. I knew the application process would be long and grueling, and so I looked at it as a learning experience and a chance to grow. I really did my research to ensure I’d pick the right consultant: I wanted a consultant who would challenge me to be the best version of myself – thereby putting me in the best position to get accepted into a top business school – and who at the same time I would actually enjoy working with.

I decided to go with Krista because I felt that she would do both. And I was right.

Krista guided me through the long journey – always there to answer difficult questions (or even the most basic ones), motivate me, and provide mental support – and she really challenged me to think hard about my story and to continually improve my work – whether it was my resume, essays or interview answers. I applied to eight schools – the first four with Krista and the last four on my own – and once I worked on those first few schools with Krista, I had a great feel for the entire process and was able to do very well on the last four by myself.

Ok, so what made Krista so amazing?

1. Krista’s advice on school selection was excellent. We slightly altered my school choices based on things that came up throughout the process. In fact, I wasn’t even planning on applying to the school that I’ll be attending this Fall until Krista suggested that I apply; she knew that it was a great option based on my career goals and that I would like the school’s culture. I ended up choosing it over another school that she helped me get into that I had originally considered my top choice. I probably would not have considered the school I chose to attend had Krista not been there to offer her guidance!

2. Krista really knew which aspects of my story should be highlighted so that they would shine in front of the admissions committees. While it’s not always obvious at first, everyone has a story, or something that makes them unique – and Krista knows exactly how to pinpoint it and then come up with a plan for creatively showing this to the adcom.

3. Krista was a pleasure to work with! I knew that I was progressing every time I received her input – whether it was edits to an essay or feedback during a mock interview. But it’s not just about the results – it’s about how you get there. It was Krista’s wonderful presence that made me truly enjoy working on my applications. I would be at work and when I saw her emails come through, I’d stop everything to read her feedback – because I knew it would be enjoyable to read. And I loved chatting on the phone with her – she brought energy and enthusiasm every time we spoke.

Krista was truly invested in my success, something that motivated me to always work harder and come back stronger.

Another thing that I appreciated while working with Krista is that she never told me that I had to do something – she only gave me her advice, and left it to me to decide the best route having been told what the possible outcomes or consequences might be. Krista has worked with tons of applicants and knows the ins and outs of the process, so whatever advice she gave me I knew it was coming from years of experience.

I think the most valuable takeaway from working with Krista, however, is that not only did her expertise and guidance help me to get into top business schools, but it prepared me for business school itself and I’ll carry what I learned from her with me throughout my career. I learned how to craft my story in a convincing way and really understand which of my accomplishments to highlight in what situation, and to present myself the best way possible.

This is a valuable skill that I’ll use on resumes, cover letters, and job interviews for the rest of my career.

If I were to do it all over again, I wouldn’t think twice about who I’d choose to guide me through the process – without a doubt, it’s Krista Nannery.

I worked with Kate Richardson from mbaMission for my applications. I knew a lot of people who graduated from different MBA schools, felt that I needed a person who is in the know, day to day, and could alleviate some of the stress.

I don’t want to say the MBA application process wasn’t stressful but the mbaMission team and Kate made it as easy going as possible, almost enjoyable.

My process was slightly unconventional, I had left my full time job and have been working on my own consulting gig. Kate helped me position that best for all the applications.

When it came to answering questions, Kate was extremely responsive, and thoughtful. She responded to my emails in a few hours at most, and most of the time followed up with more research afterwards.

I also had a long waitlist period, during which Kate cheered for me, always provided me with tips on how to move forward. She would keep me up to date, tell me what she have heard from ot her schools / places.

And on a personal note, I felt comfortable with Kate; she was very personable, clearly enjoyed the coaching process, and took time to connect on a personal level.

In the end, I got into one of my dream schools and Kate helped me a lot during that too. I can’t recommend working with her enough.

I recently worked with Katy on my HBS 2+2 application. I approached Katy with a rough draft of my personal statement about a month and a half prior to the application deadline. Katy was extremely helpful in her ability to brainstorm the ideas I was trying to get across and suggest ways to better articulate the themes. I was especially impressed with how she did not work from a template, but rather devoted time to understand my story and express it on paper. With her guidance, my unorganized amalgamation of thoughts came together as a genuine and expressive essay.

As a college senior who did not have recommenders that were familiar with the business school process, I relied on Katy to help me optimize the impact of my recommendations. Katy advised me on how to provide my recommenders with insightful information about the message I was trying to get across. I am confident that my recommenders would not have been able to speak as well to who I am had I not worked with Katy.

In the end, I was thrilled to get into HBS. Katy went above and beyond to always respond quickly and thoughtfully to my many, many questions. This responsiveness, in addition to Katy’s strong ability to understand the college experience and relate it to business school language, makes me wholeheartedly recommend her to students applying to 2+2.

I was very happy with my result and know that much of it is due to Katy!

I worked with John Sisk on my applications to Haas part-time weekend, Booth part-time weekend, Anderson FEMBA and McCombs Weekend programs. I got responses and admits from both Haas and Booth so quickly that I did not even submit to McCombs and am still a month away from Anderson’s decision date.

I initially had a low GMAT score so I knew I needed to submit a stellar application to be considered by the top schools. John helped me with everything, my essays, resume, recommendation letters and interview preparation. I was worried about my choice of recommenders and low undergraduate GPA (I had a good graduate GPA), but John calmly cleared all my doubts and put me at ease. With his help, I was able to explain the recommendation process to my recommenders and obtain good recommendations. Because I had John’s help for everything related to the application, I was able to concentrate on GMAT prep, retake it and get a high enough score to set me up for success with all top programs. I would recommend John in a heart beat. He was always positive throughout my application process and was more confident in my abilities than I was which in turn helped me make a good impression on my interviewers. He knows the entire process inside out and I could not have done this without his help. I am very happy with how things have turned out for me but I am also a bit sad that I will not have the pleasure of working with John again since he’s become such a good friend in this process.

I got admitted to a top 5 MBA program after applying in round 2. And I couldn’t have done it without John. I started working with John late in the application process. John has so much experience on personal statements and knows what each school looks for and guided me to the right direction for each application. I was not confident about my essays at first, but after many times of discussion and editing rounds with John, I felt confident and was ready to submit my application. Given that I also have a demanding job, John really took a lot of pressure of my shoulders. He was also extremely supportive for any creative ideas. John is very easy to work with. I highly recommend him as an MBA consultant!

Kate really helped me organize my thoughts and bring out the most out of my profile. I really enjoyed working with her and she even went above and beyond to expedite essay draft turnaround times when the deadlines were tight. I knew from the beginning that my work experience was going to hold me back despite decent academics and a good test score. She really opened my eyes to how to explain my accomplishments to the best of my ability, which will carry me far – even beyond the MBA program that she helped me get into! I highly recommend Kate to anyone who wants to apply to any top 20 MBA program, especially if you have to put together 5 or more applications in a two month span facing a time crunch.

I signed up to work with Melissa for round 2 applications for a 5 school package with the intention of applying to 8 schools. Melissa was amazing throughout the entire process.

At first, as I was pretty clueless of the process, I quickly became overwhelmed. Melissa was always available to walk me thought the unknown and help me organize my thoughts. She advised me on which 5 schools out of the 8 she thought would be best for me to include in my package. We initially started with the background questionnaire that helped me explore every area, accomplishment and goal that would be relevant for my application.

During the essay writing process, Melissa helped me select the best experiences to use for my essays and guided me to tell these stories effectively. She was always ahead of time returning her revisions, which I truly appreciated especially during the holidays. Thanks to her dedication and quick turnaround, I was able to get through all the schools I was applying to before the deadlines.

Melissa went above and beyond to ensure I was presenting the best work. One of my essays subject was a little on the controversial side and I wanted to ensure my tone was not angry. I asked her if she thought it sounded angry. She mentioned it was difficult for her to interpret what I had written as angry because she knew me too well by then and could not read the essay impartially. She then reached out to a colleague and had her read the essay to get another person’s perspective.

Melissa was great prepping me for interviews. One of the people interviewing me even mentioned to me that I was the most prepared out of the 6 people he had already interviewed.

Melissa really was AMAZING! A true advocate. She is friendly and easy to talk to, but also honest, forthright and willing to give constructive criticism when necessary.

I started working with Nisha a bit late in the game – meaning I had already taken the GMAT twice, recruited my references and I was only about 3 months out from application deadlines. I was aiming for 4 top 10 MBA programs and had high expectations. Nisha hit the ground running with me for resume and essay reviews and edits. Given that each school had their own 2-3 essay prompts, documents were flying back and forth between us daily. She really knew how to tailor each essay to the particular school and knew the inside scoop on each admission committee.

Nisha not only helped me have amazing essays, but she helped me stay true to myself so that my personal stories captured the admissions committees’ attention. She is a genius at getting word count down without cutting out meaning and creativity. Beyond the written work, Nisha was amazing at making me feel confident in my applications and helped me keep a level head when it was getting down to crunch time. Her calm, collected personality was the perfect compliment to mine as I was often stressed and seriously limited for time.

Nisha was incredibly dedicated to me with time as well. She always made sure to return edits to me no later than the next day, often in the same day. She worked over the holidays with me and even on weekends. It never felt like she was just “doing her job” it truly felt like she was doing anything and everything she could to help me succeed.

Once applications were submitted, Nisha helped me with interview prep, knowing not only the style of the interview but also knowing the exact questions they were going to ask. One killer resume, 10 impactful essays, and several interviews later, I just finished my first year of a full time MBA program at a top 10 program with many thanks to Nisha. I could not have done this without her!

Working with Jen on my MBA apps was an absolute pleasure. She came highly recommended, as she worked with my wife on her apps two years ago, and exceeded even those high expectations.

I had a solid GMAT score coming in, and was relatively confident in my ability as a writer, so I was very much on the fence about engaging with an MBA consultant. However, from the moment I had my 30 minute consultation with Jen, I was sold. I can confidently say, working with Jen was absolutely worth the fees (I credit working with her for a substantial scholarship I received from my top M7 choice, which paid for every penny of her fee many times over).

Jen began by talking through my MBA goals, and discussing the various schools on my list. I had a few ideas regarding potential essay topics, and she walked through the pros and cons of each, along with some suggestions for how to brainstorm my story.

Once I engaged with her (i.e. after the free consultation), she set up aggressive but achievable deadlines to ensure I got my apps submitted in time, and helped keep me on track throughout. Her encouragement was invaluable as I got through the (often quite emotionally involved) brainstorming process, and her critical eye helped me focus my thoughts into several cogent essays. Right up till the moment I hit submit, she helped me fine tune my apps, with the result I could rest easy after the apps flew out the door, knowing they were as good as they could possibly be.

I engaged with Jen in mid-November, and had my apps done before Christmas. After Christmas when I found out my interviews were happening, she went well above and beyond to help prep me for my interviews and put me on the path to success. Even after I got in, she stayed in touch, helping me source pre-MBA programs run by the top firms in the field I am interested in getting into.

Jen truly was a trusted friend to me throughout the MBA app process, using her experience to quell any stress I felt at any stage of the process. I very strongly recommend speaking with her if you have any interest at all in getting into a top MBA program.

My goal going into the application process was to be accepted into a top business school (M7). I spoke with several advisors before Katharine. Each advisor prior to Katharine told me I should shoot for either a part time program, or a school that was ranked outside of the top 10.

I chose to work with Katharine because she listened to my entire story, and believed that someone with my profile could get into one of my top choices. She had confidence in her ability to shape both the positive aspects and negative aspects of my story in order to achieve my goals. I was also drawn to Katharine because of her positivity and deep knowledge of all of the top MBA programs.
After working with Katharine for several months, we were able to surface pieces of my work experience, volunteer experience, and extracurriculars that represented who I am in the best light. She then helped guide me through each step of the application process. We worked together to decide what I should write about in each of my essays, prepare my recommenders, and fill out my applications. She did an incredible job weaving pieces of my background throughout my applications, and making sure I had a well-balanced story when I applied. Her strong knowledge of what each school was looking for enabled me to curate my story to match each school’s desired student profile. In the end, I was admitted to the M7 program of my choice.

I learned a lot about myself through the application process. The process allows you to dig deep and think about who you are and what you want to do later in life. Katharine helps guide you through that journey, and I think that is something very special about her that sets her apart from other advisors. Ultimately, she and I put together a story that was very genuine and represented exactly who I am and what my future goals were. I believe admissions really “got” me, that that’s why they admitted me. I’m certain that Katharine can bring that out in you as well.

I was very fortunate to get in touch with Krista Nannery at MBA Mission through a free 30-minute consultation. Immediately, I felt at ease because I felt like she understood where I was coming from – my background, what I wanted to achieve, and where I wanted to go with the MBA program. To be honest, I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to pursue my MBA when I first got in touch with Krista and the entire MBA admissions process seemed so daunting that I thought about waiting another year to apply. After listening to my story, however, Krista helped me formulate a clear picture of my goals and helped me prepare for the application process even though I was starting just two weeks before the R2 deadlines.

Krista became the biggest advocate and cheerleader throughout the process. Having started so late in the game, I worked on some of the essays just days before R2 deadlines and somehow Krista always turned them around within a business day. The feedback she provided was so instrumental in taking my essays to another level – she encouraged me to think creatively about my experiences and to convey them in a manner that delivers the strongest message to the admissions committee. She was very knowledgable on different programs and what each school was looking for, which helped me determine which aspects of my experiences or personality should be emphasized in each application to ensure it gets presented in the best light. Krista is also an amazing writer – she will be able to pinpoint areas to enhance in your essays in subtle but such effective ways, which is so important when writing admission essays with specific word count requirements.

Most importantly, Krista was so supportive and encouraging during the entire process; sometimes I felt like she believed in me more than I believed in myself. She gave me a ton of confidence and helped me stay true to myself during a process that can sometimes be overwhelming to navigate on your own. I really cannot thank her enough for guidance and I would highly recommend Krista to anyone looking to enhance their MBA candidacy. As for results, I was accepted to my top choice program with a significant scholarship and I owe it much to Krista’s help.

Thank you Krista and mbaMission!!!

I was extremely busy at my work during the admission season, and knew very little about admission process when the application deadline was only around 3 months away. So I chose to get Debbie Choy’s help. I summarized some most important insights from Debbie as below, which turned out to be very true and helped me to be very efficient during the process.
1. Recommendation of what schools or programs suit me best;
2. What the admission offices are looking for from applicants, and what makes the applicant different from others;
3. How to write essays that present yourself better;
4. Debbie controlled the application schedules very well. She always gave responses within the time as she promised, and would also check in me when I was a little behind on things that needed to be done;
5. Debbie also had a mock interview with me, which turned out to be very similar to what I experienced in real. It made me very prepared and confident during the inte rview.
Overall speaking, Debbie has a very clear, easy and sense-making process for you to follow in order to complete the admission process. I felt it was just a matter of time and process to get admitted by your dream school, as long as you follow her process. I strongly recommended you to use Debbie’s help if you would like to maximize your acceptance possibility, and make your process as easy as possible.

Harshad is a wonderful consultant for any kind of person. He is dedicated to drive out the greatest story from you and align your story with your strength in application. We talked for two hours during the kickoff session and framed up all essays, super efficiently. His excellent skills in essay editing will help you a lot in language especially if you are not a native speaker. He also helped me on my interview. He arranged a face to face mock interview since I am a local candidate. He pointed out my strengths and weaknesses in the mock and it greatly mitigated my risk to screw up real interview. I would highly recommend Harshad to anyone who is interested in any MBA programs.

To the reader, I’ve sat in your shoes and faced the uncertainty of whether or not I would get any benefit from an admissions consultant after committing a lot of money upfront. I had read the horror stories online and had friends with negative experiences. I did the 30 minute free consultations with a few firms to narrow down my selection. I promise that, if you choose Melissa, you’ll have a terrific experience. I worked with Melissa on a five school package and all five schools I applied to were M7 schools. In addition I was working on a very tight timeframe – we started working together in mid-November and I hadn’t taken the GMAT. Yet with Melissa’s encouragement, support and help I was able to submit all five applications and was admitted to three M7 schools including with a significant fellowship and scholarship. I’m delighted to be attending my dream business school in the fall and Melissa was the driving force behind that. I can’t recommend her highly enough.

This is why you should hire Melissa:
1) Dedication: Melissa is completely dedicated to her clients. Given I was applying to five top schools all in the second round, Melissa and I were working right up to the early January deadlines. She was sending me edits on drafts on 26th December, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. You can ignore mbaMission’s statement that consultants reply in two days and don’t email you on holidays – Melissa replies much faster than that and is very flexible if you have deadlines. She is always happy to have calls. We had everything from two hour long brainstorming sessions to email exchanges over the wording of a 50 word short answer question. We’ve had multiple calls over school decisions and mock interviews. In short, you’re hiring someone who will partner with you through this arduous process.

2) Expertise: Her Kellogg MBA and experience as Executive Director of Admissions at Rice’s MBA program speak for themselves. She has the expertise and track record to guide you through everything from school selection to essay editing to interviewing. She will challenge you and give you frank feedback on your candidacy. She has seen it all and so can always help you.

3) Support and Encouragement: I can promise you that taking the GMAT and applying to business schools while working at a demanding job will be difficult and you will be faced with setbacks. I was concerned because I was an older candidate from a very competitive applicant pool applying in the second round to the best MBA programs in the world. Melissa gave me the encouragement and support to realise that my candidacy could stand-out and that I could be successful even on a tight timeframe. She also gave me the confidence that I didn’t need a safety school.

4) Essay Topic Selection and Editing: The essays are a key piece of the application and it’s where Melissa added significant value. She helped me select topics that showcased my unique strengths. She constantly pushed me in each mock draft I sent her to “show rather than tell” and use examples about how I could have an impact. She tailored each essay to each school I applied to. Melissa is excellent at decoding the sometimes cryptic essay questions to ensure that you’re answering in the right way.

5) Mock Interviews: Melissa is great at giving you mock interviews. I felt so well prepared going into every interview I had. Melissa even gave me a separate mock interview after a mock team based discussion to ensure I was prepared for other parts of the school’s interview. I walked out of every interview thinking I had really excelled and that Melissa had put me in a position to succeed.

In conclusion, hire Melissa. She’s going to be your best advocate in a very trying process. She has the skills and expertise to ensure you put your best foot forward. She has the dedication to meet any deadline and provide her insight on any question, no matter how great or small it is. She has the personality to encourage you to keep pushing ahead. Hiring Melissa was the best decision I made as part of the process and it will be the best decision you make.