Hollis Kline

Working with Hollis Kline was the single best decision I made in my MBA application journey. Thanks to her expert guidance, I was fortunate to gain admission to both Harvard Business School and Stanford GSB. But beyond the results, it was Hollis’s approach—deeply personal, calm, and incisive—that made the process so meaningful. She took the time to truly understand me: my goals, my values, and the nuances of my story. From that foundation, she helped me craft applications that were authentic, compelling, and strategically sharp.

For context, I’m a private equity associate with five years of combined experience in investment banking and PE. I studied finance at Indiana University and scored a 695 on the GMAT Focus. Like many applicants with a traditional pre-MBA background, I knew standing out would require thoughtfulness, precision, and depth. Hollis delivered on all three. She is personable and laid-back in a way that puts you at ease, yet she’s also relentlessly committed and unafraid to challenge you when needed. Her feedback was always sharp, constructive, and focused on making my application the best it could be.

Hollis is more than an admissions consultant—she’s a true partner and advisor. For anyone looking to rise above the noise and submit a distinctive, high-quality application to a top MBA program, I cannot recommend her highly enough.

I was fortunate enough to work with Hollis on MBA admissions for over a year and would highly recommend her services to anyone considering a consultant. She was a crucial partner in the development of my applications, which ultimately resulted in admission to my top choice schools.

We initially delved deeply into my background and together weaved threads into a coherent narrative. Hollis clarified my hodgepodge of experiences and unlocked insights that bolstered my candidacy. This upfront exploration paid huge dividends as the process developed.

As we iterated on essays and short answers, Hollis was both an exacting critic and mindful strategist. She ensured that my prose succinctly and effectively mapped to the broader themes of my application. She was also a constant source of resolve through this taxing period.

Hollis then coached me through the ins and outs of the interview process, thoughtfully critiquing responses to align to school-specific priorities.

Thanks to her exhaustive and comprehensive support, I was accepted into both HSW schools to which I applied.

Hollis is a best-in-class advisor who positions her clients for success while facilitating a manageable process. I would highly recommend her to anyone considering MBA applications.

Background
Major: History
GPA: 3.8
GMAT: 780
Industry: Private Equity

Working with Hollis Kline over a rigorous three-month period was a cornerstone of my successful transition from a military to an academic setting. As an Army service member who was stationed overseas during my work on MBA applications, I faced unique challenges in the MBA application process. Hollis’s expertise was instrumental in translating my military experiences into compelling narratives for business schools.

Her deep understanding of the nuances in my background allowed her to tailor her approach effectively. Despite significant time zone differences, Hollis was remarkably accessible, ensuring that I had support whenever needed. This was especially valuable as I juggled my commitments with application deadlines.

With Hollis’s guidance, I secured admissions to Booth, Columbia, Stern, and Yale. Her strategic input and moral support throughout the application process were crucial to my success. But even beyond the application process, the insights I gained working with her have helped me envision how my military experiences will translate into a successful finance career.

Hollis is a top-tier consultant who brings clarity and a competitive edge to MBA applications. I strongly recommend her services to anyone looking to make a significant impact on their educational trajectory.

Background:
Undergrad: USMA
Major: Engineering
GPA: 3.6
GMAT: 730
Post-military industry goal: Finance

My time working with Hollis lasted a full year, and it was an overwhelmingly positive experience. Hollis is organized, thoughtful and patient. Some essays took me over 6 months to complete and with each iteration Hollis remained optimistic and encouraging. I’ve been admitted to one of my top programs (Northwestern Kellogg) and have Hollis to thank for her guidance through the process. I especially appreciate how she was willing and able to answer every question that came to mind (and there were a lot of them). In the rare event Hollis did not have an immediate answer, she would consult her colleagues, and the added perspective was always appreciated.

Additionally, as a more “alternative” applicant working in the music industry with no proper banking or finance experience, Hollis helped me craft a compelling story that emphasized my creative strengths while identifying more quantitative components in my story as well. She really helped me thread the needle as an MBA applicant with a creative background.

I’d highly recommend working with Hollis.

Undergrad: Vanderbilt
GPA: 3.73
Major: Music, Media & Enterprise
Post-school industry: Music Business
GMAT: 700
GRE: 323

I highly recommend working with Hollis! I worked with her hourly and found her extremely easy to work with because she is easy to get along with and a clear communicator (both for planning and editing essays). Initially, Hollis was a great sounding board for coming up with essays ideas – I thought she pushed on the right threads, helping me arrive at themes that not only became great essay topics but also were very true to me. When it came to actually writing the application, Hollis gave great suggestions for areas of focus but also left plenty of room for me to maintain my own voice which was important to me. In addition, although I was only an hourly client, Hollis did a great job with overall application planning and ensuring I was in a good spot throughout the summer to finish the applications by the deadline. I know for sure my applications would have been materially weaker without her help and would recommend her to anyone looking for help on applications.

I work in finance with a 750 GMAT, 3.8 undergrad GPA and was admitted to the Stanford GSB.

Hollis was incredibly helpful throughout my application process and I would highly recommend her services. She is a tremendous writer and is very user-friendly/creative when it comes to crafting the best story of yourself.

After conducting a few free consultations with other MBA consultancies, I ultimately chose to work with Hollis from mbaMission due to her supportive, thoughtful, and holistic approach to advising and providing feedback. Having made good headway on my applications in early summer, I ultimately decided to pursue the hourly service with Hollis to really focus on developing the structure and content of my essays and spend time fine-tuning my resume.

From our initial call together, I was extremely impressed by Hollis’s genuine investment in my success. There were a few things that really stood out to me. First, Hollis never shoehorned drastic changes to the content or story that I was trying to tell through my writing, allowing me to stay true to the work that I had done and the experiences that I was trying to share. Instead, Hollis focused on ensuring that my story made sense to the reader and came through in the most impactful, thoughtful, and genuine way possible. At points throughout my essays, Hollis would ask me to answer probing questions, which not only challenged me to provide unique detail around my experiences, but also made for fresher, more interesting, and much more compelling pieces of work. Second, Hollis is a master editor – she continuously spent time meticulously examining every word, comma, and period to ensure that it not only added meaning but also enhanced the quality of my work. Finally, I was enormously grateful for Hollis’s reliability, promptness, and efficiency throughout the process. Whether it was providing feedback well before the expected turnaround time, answering a silly question from a late-night email, or brainstorming an effective essay approach, Hollis was impressively efficient, supportive, and motivating, the combination of which contributed to my success.

If you are considering applying for a top business school program, I highly recommend that you work with Hollis!

I had the pleasure of working with Hollis Kline primarily during my essay review and interview preparation process. I had a bit of time to work on my applications, and thus opted to work with Hollis using the hourly service basis (which meant I had to communicate to Hollis what I was working on and what I needed her feedback on). Overall, Hollis was very attentive/detail-oriented, approachable and easy-to-work-with. Importantly, across all aspects of the process, Hollis ensured that we were both on the same page, and that she understood what I needed her feedback on, while also giving sound advice where needed. With regards to the essays, there were two main attributes to Hollis’ approach that were incredibly helpful. Firstly, Hollis looked through every word, sentence and paragraph in my essays to ensure that all components had a specific purpose – it was great to have someone who doesn’t know my story objectively question what I am trying to say and why it is important. Secondly, Hollis was very reliable – I could always rely on Hollis to send me her comments within a specific time frame, so I pretty much had a mental schedule in place; I knew when I needed to take some time out of my day to work on my essays in order to get comments by a specific date. With regards to the interview, Hollis and I had a mock session where she provided a range of questions (across topics and difficulty levels); this session helped me get into the right mindset going into the actual interview. In summary, I am very pleased with the entire process, and I highly recommend Hollis for anyone seeking guidance throughout the application process.

Back in May of this year I was perusing Poets&Quants looking for an admissions consultant. I remember reading countless reviews of consultants who had helped applicants get into their dream schools, and thinking to myself “wow, I hope that some day I will be fortunate enough to write a review like that.” Well, thanks to Hollis’s support, that goal became a reality.

I picked the two school package at mbaMission, and applied to HBS and the GSB. Hollis was a tremendous asset throughout the application and interview process at both schools. Here are some specifics:

Brainstorming:
I had some high-level ideas about what I wanted to convey in my applications, but was having trouble isolating a compelling story. As part of the mbaMission process, I filled out an extensive brainstorming document. I then spent ~1.5 hours on the phone with Hollis, where she provided guidance on how to translate my concepts into concrete, b-school ready personal statements.

Essay writing:
I went through several drafts of each of my application essays. Not only was Hollis prompt in providing feedback (often responding ahead of deadlines), but her input was clear, direct, and easy to follow. This made for a smooth writing process that kept my applications ahead of schedule.

It was a great relief to be able to get unlimited essay feedback from Hollis as part of the mbaMission school package. At one point in the process, I was debating between 4 different anecdotes to include in my essays, and needed to shrink the number down to 2. Hollis did a back-to-back essay comparison in order to help me choose the best stories, and this was a pivotal exercise, helping to maximize my application essays.

Furthermore, Hollis is an absolute master of word-count management. By the time I was ~3 drafts in on each essay, I had gone well above the word limit. Finding places to cut on my own was extremely challenging given how close I was to essay content. Hollis provided the necessary third-party POV, and helped identify superfluous sections. This was also a huge asset in the application short answers as well.

Interviews:
Hollis went above and beyond in preparing me for interviews. She offered initial mock interviews for both schools, and even provided a second mock for HBS even though she was traveling at the time. Her questions and insight left me feeling prepared and confident going into both interviews.

General:
At the end of the day, applying to business school is a demanding process, and getting in will require a lot of hard work from you. Having a consultant will not guarantee your admission, as so much of the process requires deep introspection on your part. However, having a consultant like Hollis, who was always willing to answer even my most ridiculous of questions as I sought to understand the process, is incredibly beneficial, and will help make your applications as impactful (and stress-free) as possible.

Best of luck!