Helen Summers

Without a doubt, I would strongly recommend Helen to anyone that is looking to pursue their MBA! When I embarked upon this process, I had 8 years of work experience, and I was looking at Executive Programs. Before deciding to work with Helen, I interviewed other consulting firms and individuals, and I noticed the trend of being coached toward “safety” programs that did not seem to align with my interests and long-term goals. As a result, I continued my search until I met Helen… who turned out to be the ultimate partner in my application journey! Helen provided expert advice and coaching throughout every phase of the process. She was realistic and candid, but she also encouraged me to welcome the challenge of applying to the most prestigious programs that were aligned with my career goals. Helen stretched me to showcase my very best self in every essay, short response, interview question, etc. My applications were an authentic reflection of me, and I had great confidence with each submission. I am delighted to report my acceptance to 3 out of 3 programs – Stanford GSB MSx, University of Chicago Booth Executive MBA, and University of Virginia Darden Global Executive MBA – and receipt of 2 merit-based scholarship awards!

Helen has been with me every step of the way, playing a critical role in my application journey! I am very grateful for Helen’s partnership and encouragement! She is a gem — she truly dedicates herself to her clients, and you simply cannot go wrong working with her!

Working with Helen made my business school applications possible. Applying to four schools was a daunting process but Helen was with me every step of the way! Balancing a full-time job with applications is challenging but Helen kept me on track. She is organized, responsive, and encouraging. Helen took the time to get to know me as a person which truly brought my essays to life. She helped me take my big and scattered ideas and turn them into compelling essays through direct and actionable feedback. She pushed me to make my essays the best they could possibly be, even when I thought they were “good enough”.

She offered invaluable advice on every aspect of the application process from essays to short answers, resume, interview prep, and rec letters. When interview invites and acceptance letters came in, Helen was the first person I told. She was so invested in my success and shared in my joys. Helen is an amazing, positive, and kind person and I feel so privileged to have worked with her!

Helen was very patient in guiding me through the whole process. She was super responsive to emails and I got feedback usually the same day/next day. She was also very flexible with phone calls, even if I was just perplexed or wanted a quick mock. Overall, I found Helen’s style to be encouraging, frank and not pressuring at all, which worked well for me. She really helped steer me in the right general direction and was able to spot interesting elements from my drafts to make sure I’ve highlighted them. I got into both M7 schools I worked with Helen, and definitely couldn’t have done this without her help!

I worked with Helen Summers from mbaMission on an hourly basis for my application to HBS for the Class of 2023. I’m happy to say that I was admitted, and am happy to endorse Helen and the mbaMission team. As an HBS alum herself, Helen’s perspective was instrumental in honing and framing my story throughout the entire process, from the application to the essay to the interview/reflection. Furthermore, she was professional, responsive, and incredibly supportive along the way – we’ve even kept in touch well after my acceptance. I simply could not recommend Helen/mbaMission more strongly for anyone considering a consulting service for MBA applications.

I worked with Helen for over a year and would not have been able to finish the application process without her. The brainstorming session with Helen was critical as she took the time to understand who I am as a professional and where my true passions lie. With her help, I was able to convey my “story” clearly to the admissions committees. My interview prep with Helen helped me gain the confidence needed to outperform my own expectations. I was accepted at both Harvard and Wharton. Helen is not afraid to tell it to you straight and if you’re willing to listen, your application will come out very strong. I highly recommend her.

I worked with Helen for ~3.5 months on three different b-school applications. Over this time period, I also became a first-time dad, and broke my hand, and had a large surgery on it. While these types of life occurrences happen to everyone and often derail plans and processes, Helen kept me on top of my applications and deadlines and enabled me to submit all three applications for R1. Helen was incredibly straightforward to work with and did not beat around the bush when she thought my essays / short answer questions needed work and were not up to par. Helen was excellent at providing insightful advice on how to make my application better and was super helpful for the interview processes as well. I ended up getting into 2/3 schools, including my #1 school!

When I began my coaching with Helen, I had some idea of the schools I was looking to apply to but not much insight into what details of my life my application would cover. Helen was patient, kind, and discerning. She first helped me think critically about how my own qualifications lined up with the MBA programs I was interested in. With an incredibly deep knowledge of what each program is looking for, Helen then helped me to expertly tailor my applications. She was particularly supportive in helping me write about difficult life experiences. Helen’s interview prep was realistic and helpful, she does not hold back in asking the tough questions and I felt very prepared for the real things. She also was very critical in resume review and made my resume top tier. She takes her job seriously and is many times over worth the money! I was admitted to all 4 programs I applied to, including two M7 schools.

I have worked with Helen for my HBS interview in round 2. Helen was extremely helpful in running the mock interview. She prepared a set of questions that were pretty accurate and helped me to predict which could be the potential questions I have to deep dive and structure better.
Thanks to her I felt more prepared and confident during my interview and in the end, I was admitted!
Thank you so much, Helen, you were incredibly supportive and you truly helped me in reaching my goals!

I worked with Helen Summers for ~3 months on my MBA essays and she provided invaluable support and guidance, ultimately helping me get accepted into 4 M7 programs. Helen is honest and direct and will not BS you when your essays need work. She is supportive and consistently pushed me to dig deeper and improve upon how I got my points across in all my essays. She is extremely organized and prompt, I never waited more than 2 days for a response on a question or essay draft. She was always willing to hop on a quick call to talk through questions or hard topics. I highly recommend working with Helen on any and all parts of your MBA applications.

Choose Helen if you want multiple acceptances and multiple scholarships.

I would absolutely recommend Helen to anyone looking for an admissions consultant. If you are reading this review, you might be wondering if a consultant is worth the money. I felt the same when making this expensive purchase, but I considered it part of the entire MBA investment. In the end, it did not take long to pay off because I was admitted to several schools including Top 10 programs and the M7. I received multiple large scholarship offers and a full-tuition scholarship too.

Working with Helen was an awesome, and ultimately, very rewarding experience. Prior to purchasing the mbaMission services, I had a consultation call with Helen. She was very nice and helpful in assessing and explaining my MBA candidacy’s strengths/weaknesses.

I found Helen most helpful in my profile construction and story-telling aspect of my application. She is very skilled at what she does. Example: During a brainstorming session, I said a casual sentence to her that resonated with her in terms of importance and significance. She suggested that I make this a key theme as part of my application and essays. I built out her idea and agree that this made my application stronger and more unique.

Helen was also very helpful in keeping me on topic and did not refrain from giving honest and candid feedback. Helen pointed out that the first drafts of my essay were more style than substance. Through the iteration process, she gave helpful advice to polish and refine my essays and story (removing the fluff and focusing on the substance).

I purchased the complete start-to-finish package so I also had interview prep services. Helen gave great mock interviews that simulated what a real interview would look like. Following the mock interview, she gave feedback on all of my answers.

Overall, a great experience!

This was my second time around applying to b-school and I decided to try mbaMission. I was so glad I found Helen – she is incredibly patient, kind, smart, and honest. She worked hard to understand my story and figure out the clearest and most compelling way to tell it. She helped me realize a lot of things about myself that I wasn’t even consciously aware of and it made me a much, much stronger applicant. I also appreciated when she told me directly when any of my drafts were not on the right track because it saved me from spending a lot of time trying to salvage something that was better off being scrapped. I was admitted to Wharton, which I am absolutely thrilled about. And just as important, I’m walking away from the process more confident about myself and my story. Thank you, Helen!!!

Helen Summers is indispensable to my acceptance to top business school. She offered valuable insights on my essay and resume editing, besides the comprehensive suggestions on recommenders and all other areas of my application. She offered great help to me especially in the following areas:

1. Find my uniqueness: I had a hard time finding my uniqueness to be shown in my essay. I had some special experience/characters, but I was struggling to find the best angle to present them. My brainstorming with Helen was very effective to find the best angle to draft my essays and connect my stories to show my personalities.

2. Valuable feedback to my essays: Helen could not only see the areas of improvement in my essays but also provide valuable suggestions on how to improve them. I sometimes saw similar issues and I totally agreed with her opinions, but I wasn’t sure how to make changes before she pointed them out. With her feedback, I added a lot more details to my essays within the same word limit. I saw big improvements in every version of my essays.

Helen always replied to my questions and provided feedback very timely. We were able to complete all the application materials 1-2 weeks before the deadlines. She also respected my opinions and preference, and it was very pleasant working with her. Helen is very experienced, insightful and helpful, and I definitely recommend her!

Helen was essential in my business school application process. When I started working with Helen, I was already significantly behind the recommended Round 1 timeline, but Helen helped at every step along the way and pushed me to develop two strong applications in only a couple of months to get my application in by the R1 deadline! Helen was particularly helpful in brainstorming essay topics, thinking strategically about recommenders, generally making sure that all of my ducks were in a row come application submission time, and interview preparation / mock interviews. Helen helped me achieve my goal of getting into all of my schools of interest, and I could not recommend her highly enough!

Working with Helen was awesome! I had had experience with an independent consultant the year prior, and I can’t believe the difference. Working with a below 700 GMAT, I knew I had to tell my story very strategically in order to reach my T10 goal.

Helen was incredibly friendly, yet honest and direct when my work or approach was less than she expected of me. She also made me dig deep to find my story and even helped me have a clear sense of where I wanted to go in the future. Turnaround time was outstanding, in that, I NEVER had to wait for the turnaround policy specified on the welcome package because Helen was so responsive. She was also very patient with me considering that I often made last-minute changes or came up with new ideas for essays that had already been revised.

Helen was not only outstanding professionally, but she also made me feel like I had a new friend—she got as excited as I did whenever I received good news! But let the results speak for themselves. The year before I had applied to one M7 and didn’t even get an interview. With Helen, I applied to three other M7s and a top 10 (U.S. News) business school, and not only did I get into my top choice, but I also got in everywhere else I applied to except one M7 school, and got scholarship money everywhere I was admitted to, which I never even dreamed of! Thank you, Helen, you were an essential part of my MBA application journey!

Working with Helen was an absolute pleasure and one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. She came highly recommended to me by a close friend, and she still exceeded expectations. I primarily utilized the hourly package offering to help me with some of the items on the application that I heard often get overlooked by candidates. This included the resume, short answer questions, extracurricular activities, and job descriptions. I was amazed at how thorough she could be with her recommenders. In a firm but polite manner, she let me know where she thought I could make a section, sentence, or even a phrase more impactful. She asked me guiding questions that helped me remember better examples that I could use to show the impact that I’ve had in the past.

Another incredibly useful service Helen provided me was with my word count. I often had sections that I struggled to bring under the tight word or character limit. She was an expert at helping me make my story more concise without diluting the message (usually even making it stronger than it was when I started).

I have gone on to recommend her to my closest friends that are applying too. Like a good trainer at the gym, Helen will push you to heights you didn’t know you could reach!

Going into the application process I was on the fence on whether I wanted to use a consultant, but by recommendation of a friend who had a great experience with Helen I reached out to schedule an initial phone call. After our 30 minute conversation, the value that Helen would provide in the process was abundantly clear to me. I ended up working with Helen on a few of the schools I applied to (hey, I at least wanted to do a few on my own!) and do not regret it at all. I only wish I had worked with her on all of them! Helen helped me tell a clear and cohesive story in my apps and provided great clarity and focus throughout the process. I would definitely recommend her to others.

I decided very late in the game to apply for business school. I was hoping to apply in round 1, but after struggling to get the GMAT score I desired, I suddenly found myself with only 6 weeks to complete my round 2 applications. I knew I was a competent candidate with a strong professional background, but I was worried about overcoming my below average undergraduate GPA and GMAT score for the schools I was targeting (M7). I had some reservations about working with a consultant due to the cost, but when I considered the value of getting into a top school, I decided it was worth my while. I am so thankful I decided to move forward with Helen at mbaMission because I was able to overcome the obstacles in my application and get into my dream school!!!

Helen is someone who tells it like it is. She can be your toughest critic, but your greatest cheerleader. I really appreciated this quality because it meant I was always putting my absolute best foot forward with the schools I applied to. I worked with Helen on my resume, essays, interviews, and even my scholarship reconsideration letters. She helped me decide which schools to apply to, and ultimately which one to attend. With her help, I got into 5/7 schools I applied to (one of which was my dream school). I owe it all to Helen, and can’t speak more highly of the experience. If you want to put your best foot forward, I strongly recommend working with Helen!

After deciding to use an admission consultant service for 2 of my R1 applications (HBS, Wharton), I did my research to identify both the company and the consultant that would be the best fit for my needs. Having taken the Manhattan Prep GMAT class, the mbaMission services came highly recommended through my instructor, previous students, and the Forté Program. I chatted with 3 other consultants prior to connecting with Helen, and Helen was by far the most lively, energetic and genuinely excited consultant I had met. From the first day we chatted through the end of our time working together, Helen was genuinely interested and passionate about telling my story and was not afraid to share harsh, direct criticism or review the same essays 6+ times to ensure we had the perfect word choice, brevity, and flow. She helped me to dig deep from the very beginning, pulling out the stories and interesting tidbits about myself that would truly help me stand out among my peers. She makes her self extremely available, offering to set up phone calls or communicate over email, and is very upfront about expectations to ensure a good working relationship. Helen and I worked on Wharton and HBS together and while I was rejected at HBS, I did receive good news from Wharton & even some money! If you’re in the market for a consultant – look no further!

I was skeptical about working with an admissions consultant at first but a colleague of mine strongly recommended Helen Summers.

I figured my resume was already polished and I knew how to brainstorm and write essays but Helen really helped bring my application to the next level. The detailed brainstorming process was extremely helpful and after establishing the essay framework for my first school it was very easy to modify my story for other applications. Helen challenged me to be more thoughtful and concise which allowed me to highlight a more holistic view of my background. It was also a big advantage to be able to set up mock interviews with the mbaMission team.

I was accepted to all three schools I applied to and would definitely recommend Helen and mbaMission to other applicants.

From day one, Helen was passionate, friendly, helpful and innovative. I’ll never forget our initial brainstorm phone call: She was well-prepared, easy to speak with, and we had an “a-ha” moment that set us off on the path towards what became my personal statement. What set her apart for me was that she helped uncover my personal story and I always felt like Helen was in the trenches with me, which was comforting when we approached the application deadlines. Helen brought her passion, experience and insights into each discussion, was always available to speak live via phone, and responded to all inquiries and draft documents in a timely fashion.

As an Indian applying to US B- Schools, I spoke to a few other consultants before deciding to work with Helen. What really caught me was her optimism and confidence in helping me put up my best foot forward in my application. While other consultants might push you to target more “safe” schools and be skeptical about targeting “reach” schools, Helen always encouraged me to go after the schools of my preference. She was EXTREMELY responsive throughout the process, which is why I never faced issues with deadlines. I also want to highlight that she will not let you put up a feeble application in any case and will keep pushing till you produce a solid output. We had hours of brainstorming calls that enabled me to really think about the experiences I wanted to present to the admission committees. I got a few admits with fellowship as a result of her efforts and have decided to attend Yale. I very strongly recommend Helen as an amazing consultant who not only will help you sail through your entire application process seamlessly, but will also constantly help you stay positive and on track.

Helen is truly the best there is. Seriously!

She consistently supported me in finding my most authentic voice and was an incredibly sharp thought-partner. As an hourly client, Helen was always cognizant of my time, and I never once felt ‘short-changed’ by any of our interactions. She always pushed the extra mile to answer questions, and never hesitated to reach out to her colleagues to offer multiple perspectives when helpful. Her interview preparation was on-point, and her ability to meaningfully instill confidence was unparalleled. Helen’s realness won my trust in an instant, and her thoughtful tough-love helped me to be my best.

Tactically, Helen’s speed and flexibility – even throughout the holiday season and peak R1 moments – was fantastic. With a complex international travel schedule, Helen and I always managed to find time to connect at any frequency and duration required. She swiftly answered quick questions, and provided well-framed, strategic answers to more complex ones. In the chaos that is the MBA application process, Helen helped me to feel in control.

Throughout this entire process, I not only got into my top choice school but also gained a true friend and champion in Helen!!

As a Canadian student applying to top business schools in the U.S., I had very little knowledge of the intense level of competition. I didn’t know anyone in my immediate circle who has successfully applied to a top U.S. MBA, so I had no reference point either.

I started the process intent on using the DIY-way, but quickly found myself completely lost – what is a “narrative” or “story”, and what matters most to me and why?

I knew I needed help. I set up 7 consultations with various companies and knew after my first conversation with Helen that she knew what she was doing. She pointed out my strengths, weaknesses, and told me some strategies to address my lower GPA. After our call, Helen sent a detailed follow-up email with free resources that I could use, regardless of whether I decided to work with her.

A few things to highlight about my experience working with Helen:

• Responsive: Helen never missed a 2-business-day turnaround deadline, and often returned edited drafts to me sooner. I started working with Helen in Mid-October with one application due in November. It was quite a short turnaround since I was very naive about the intensity of the process, but Helen’s responsiveness made it more than manageable.
• Your personal cheerleader: Helen gave me her vote of confidence on my target schools and told me to go “full throttle” on the applications instead of suggesting that I apply to “safeties”. While some consultants suggested that I apply to lower-ranked programs or schools that weren’t a great fit, I’m glad that Helen pushed me to apply for my dream schools.
• Thorough and thoughtful: I did no less than 10 drafts for some essays and Helen always had good feedback and pushed me to push my own thinking. Even if I was happy with a draft or a sentence, she gently guided me towards a path of constant improvement.

I applied to 4 schools in total (H/S/W and a Top 10 program) and worked with Helen on 2 school packages. I was accepted at one of the schools we worked on together and one program where I did the application myself. However, even though we didn’t work on that app together, I believe I wouldn’t have put forward such a strong application if I didn’t have all the back-end work that I did with Helen on the other application.

I’m off to my dream program this fall, and I would highly recommend working with Helen Summers and mbaMission.

When I think of Helen, five words that come to mind are honest, responsive, blunt, personal, and strategic. My goal was to gain acceptance to Harvard, and I purchased mbaMission’s “Start-to-Finish” package after a free consultation with Helen.

Brainstorming
Regrettably, I have never been an introspective person. Helen sent me an extensive brainstorming document that forced me to be thoughtful about my past, present, and future on a professional and personal level. When we had our one-on-one brainstorming session, it was obvious she had taken time to think critically about my life story. This was demonstrated by her asking very pointed questions about my upbringing, academic/career decisions, and transition points. At the end of our long call, I was certain about the story I wanted to tell HBS. To be very clear, Helen never told me explicitly what I should tell HBS. She encouraged me to be thoughtful about communicating what was truly important to me. She pushed me to make the final decision.

Essay, resume, and short answers
I purchased the “Start-to-Finish” package because I wanted to iterate each part of my application until I was satisfied. Helen was meticulous and blunt when reviewing my essay: “This isn’t clear”, “This doesn’t gel with what you said earlier”, “I like how you said this”, “Try to use less words”. Each draft progressed in flow, efficiency, and style. It was very rewarding because I maintained my distinct voice and the final product was 100% authentic. Helen never forced her thoughts on me. Helen took this same approach to my resume and short answers. She never missed a deadline and was sometimes well ahead of schedule.

Interview
I had 10 mock interviews (Helen, current students, alumni, friends) before my official HBS interview. My session with Helen was closest to the real thing. My interview preparation with Helen gave me confidence and calmed my anxiety about the interview.

Overall, Helen enhanced my application process in every way. She was pivotal to helping me achieve acceptance to HBS. Have no reservations about working with her.

Helen was honest and ended up being very accurate about my chances of admissions for the schools I was looking to apply to. She is easy to talk to and has a tough love approach which pushed me to put forward the best application possible. I also had a low undergrad GPA and Helen knew how I could shape my application to put my best foot forward.

She was extremely timely with her responses and it was easy to set time with her to ask any question I had throughout the process. She always had answers and never steered me wrong!

A few HUGE value adds stand out to me:

1. During the brainstorming sessions, when I would get stuck, she always had ideas and examples that got my brain churning. She was honest with feedback about stories and experiences that I came up with which really helped me shape my essays.
2. For interviews, she had great advice on how to prepare, tweak my answers and make a good impression. With her help, I was confident for the in person interviews which, I believe, made a big difference.
3. Throughout the time I was wait-listed, I was in constant communication with admissions. She helped me come up with talking points for in person admissions meetings and she helped me approach every email and update. All of this really helped me get noticed and I quickly came off the wait-list.

All in all, I don’t know if I would be starting at my dream school in the fall without her and I am so thankful. I recommend Helen to all that are hoping to get into a top business school and want to present their best selves to admissions!

I worked with Helen Summers as part of a successful Round 1 admissions cycle for three top-tier schools. I made the decision to apply rather late (end of July) and Helen helped me cull my list to my top schools so I could dedicate the appropriate amount of focus to them, worked with me to find my story, told me the blunt truths about my essay drafts, and assisted my preparation for the interviews. She was tremendously fun to work with and did not shy away from providing tough advice, which is exactly what is required. It was an excellent experience. I enthusiastically endorse Helen for any potential MBA applicant.