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Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Daniel Richards
I worked with Dan on a 3 school package in the fall/winter of 2016-2017. From the very beginning Dan was extremely transparent and honest with his feedback and it really helped me to hone my voice and create strong, competitive applications. I was starting late, still needing to take the GMAT and apply, and with Dan's help and guidance it made it so much easier for me to get it all done. Dan gets back to you quickly, usually that day and always is looking our for the client first. I'm enrolling in one of my top picks! I'd recommend Dan to anyone wanting to apply to b school.
Product mbaMission Hourly Services
Consultant Daniel Richards
I worked with Dan on an hourly basis to get overall guidance on structure as well as some polishing touches for the essays I was stuck on. Dan came highly recommended from a colleague and he certainly didn't disappoint. I appreciated his honesty and encouragement when I was struggling to decide to retake the GMAT (no one wants to do through studying for that again) and he offered great advice to strengthen my application and profile. I also knew I could call him at any time - which is crucial when you are slightly panicked if your essays are good enough. His guidance on overall essays structure was extremely valuable.
With all the voices and opinions out there, it was great to have someone with the experience to trust. I would certainly recommend Dan!
Product mbaMission Hourly Services
Consultant Daniel Richards
After speaking with other leading MBA consulting firms (e.g., Veritas Prep, Stacy Blackman), it was abundantly clear that mbaMission, and specifically Dan Richards, had the tailored approach I needed to be successful in the admissions process.
In the first 30-minute consultation, Dan provided unique insights that were very different from the boiler plate / false-hope language that were prevalent in other free conversations. He asked targeted questions and worked with me to develop a go-forward strategy to be competitively positioned for the round 1 admissions process.
I engaged his services, and throughout the process he provided value-add, honest feedback on all my application materials. He was always timely in his response, was transparent about the quality of work (good and bad) and had an awareness of how all the submitted materials jived with my overall narrative.
With his help, I got into the one school (top 20) I applied to! I couldn't of done it without Dan's help. Highly recommend his services to anyone who has the opportunity to speak with him.
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Product mbaMission MBA Student Services
Consultant Daniel Richards
A former colleague recommended Dan because she had a good experience working with him as she applied to Columbia Business School. With CBS as my top choice, I met with Dan to discuss my plans and immediately felt confident that the investment in his services would be a great choice.
I wasn’t breaking any records with my GMAT score or GPA, but Dan helped me to put together an aggressive, but realistic approach to applying that would not only cover all the bases, but would also highlight specific pieces of my story that set me apart from other candidates – I applied Early Decision and was ecstatic when I found out that I got into my dream school!
I was extremely happy with the results I saw from working with Dan. From the beginning brainstorming sessions, he challenged me and guided me to dig into specific examples and prioritize where I would include each piece of my story in the four essays of my application. We worked very well together. His responses were always timely and supportive – however, what I found most helpful was his ability to provide tactical edits and comments that would help to shape each of my essays into more of a narrative.
My advice for working with Dan is to set up your own plan and stick to it – because he won’t let you down on his end. The hard work is all on you, but if you prepare extensively, Dan will probe you for the additional details and make sure your maximizing your opportunities to express yourself with your essays.
While I only applied to one school with Dan, upon hitting the submit button, I wasn’t nervous. Thanks to Dan, I was excited and extremely proud of the essays and overall package that I put together. He offered to help me with every detail of the application, from the optional essay to how I worded the descriptions of my extracurricular activities. He is truly gifted at wordsmithing and I found his advice and direction to be spot on throughout the process. He was also extremely efficient with both his time and my time, maintain transparency throughout… each of my essays took about 5-6 versions and Dan was quickly returning my documents to me… often times, earlier than he had to.
By the time interview prep came, Dan had me well-prepared to answer most every question that could come up. He was also extremely thoughtful as I awaited the results – checking in on me with encouragement as the 2-week process for some reason turned into 3-4 weeks… we all know how stressful the process can be and it was great to have his support.
Overall, I was 100% satisfied with the mentorship Dan provided me and I would highly recommend him to anyone applying to a top MBA program. I truly felt like he was invested in me throughout the well-thought out and executed 3-month process (just 6 weeks to submit the application), and I was grateful to have his insight as I navigated everything from brainstorming and resume editing to wordsmithing and strategic follow-up e-mails. My story to get into CBS was always there, but Dan efficiently and creatively helped me to communicate my candidacy to the admissions team.
Product mbaMission Mock Interview Sessions
Consultant Daniel Richards
Dan did a great job of setting up the interview by laying down the basics and sharing some behavioural tips for the final interview, personalized to my situation.
Dan asked me a comprehensive set of questions, including a few tricky ones. Each answer was followed by feedback on how I could improve my content, as well as my answer structure and sequence. All of this was personalized to my profile. Dan's tone was friendly and conversational.
MBAMission's pricing is a lot steeper than the consultants in my home country, but the value-add was higher. The only constructive feedback I can add is to incorporate video in the interview.
Product mbaMission Hourly Services
Consultant Daniel Richards
I was initially wary of working with a consulting service, especially after I had done a 30 minute intro call with a competing agency, and found that the person I spoke with just wanted me to cough up a sizable amount of money for services I didn't need. But I took a chance on a 30 minute intro call with Dan at mbaMission and, instead of convincing me how terrible my chances were, he rationally and expertly answered questions I had and only during the last 5 minutes did he mention what kinds of services he could provide. I knew then that I wanted to work with him.
My story was already mostly developed by the time I started working with Dan, so I signed up for hourly services, and we worked together on the applications for four schools. He was, at all times, extremely responsive, insightful, and efficient. He was able to coax my absolute best work out of me so that I put together an application I was proud to submit to the schools of my choice.
At times when the process was stressful, and we were emailing drafts back and forth 3-4 times a day, he was always in good spirits and manage expectations and anxiety brilliantly.
I would recommend Dan to anybody. He was always conscientious about how he used my time, and proved himself again and again to be an invaluable resource throughout the process, whether I was freaking out about something I read on a forum or wasn't sure how to describe at length a future that's always subject to some sort of change or preparing for my interview at my top choice school.
Dan's greatest strength is his ability to be blunt yet kind, and never suggest you spin your application into such admissions speak that it doesn't feel like you anymore. He was the best kind of editor in that he was able to consistently push you to the absolute best version of the idea you already had, and make sure you conveyed it clearly and concisely within word limits.
Now that I'm admitted, thinking back, I know that I can't vouch for all admissions consultants, but I would happily vouch for Dan to anyone at anytime. I would work with Dan again in a heartbeat.
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Daniel Richards
As I was researching admissions consultants, I felt overwhelmed so I'm going to try and make this as useful and to the point as possible. Dan is a fantastic consultant. He's professional, organized, knows what he is doing and will go the extra mile to help you craft the best application possible. I was on the fence about hiring a consultant as I thought I would be able to write some pretty decent essays myself. How wrong I was. There were many instances in which Dan helped me re-think my essays. I appreciated his direct style of working and to-the-point feedback. Dan also allowed me to push back on certain areas where I thought his edits didn't fit with my 'voice.' He was supportive in this. If you're someone who is a hard worker and just looking for that extra edge, Dan is your guy. I really can't think of anything critical to say, other than sometimes I felt he was rushed during some of our conference calls. On the other hand I appreciated that in retrospect. Back to his style, I think this is a good thing as well.... He kept me focused on the goal. In the end I learned a ton, created an admissions package I would not have been able to develop on my own and got admitted to my top school of choice. If you'e on the fence, just do it. In the grand scheme of things the cost is a drop in the bucket in the overall investment in the MBA, but will pay off in big ways. I interviewed every major consultancy out there and within about 5 mins of being on the phone I had a gut feeling he was the right consultant for me. I'd suggest you do the same.
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Product mbaMission MBA Student Services
Consultant Daniel Richards
I began the MBA admissions process in April, when I conducted a bunch of 30 minute free consultation calls with several consultants. I instantly connected with Dan - he had carefully reviewed my resume and within 30 minutes, was able to articulate what he thought were the key strengths in my profile and where he thought I would have to work harder.
I did not regret choosing Dan and mbaMission, even for a second, as my advisors through the admissions process. I initially signed up for a three-school package, but decided to add two additional schools given how happy I was with Dan's mentorship.
Applying to five schools in R1 is a daunting task, and I would never have been able to finish it without Dan's adept guidance. We formally began our engagement with a rather long brainstorming call that dug deep into the annals of my life, and helped Dan understand the most interesting aspects of my story. From there on, we methodically worked through resumes, letters of recommendations, essay drafts, applications and subsequently interview prep. I admired Dan's timeliness, professionalism, steadfastness and his constant desire to push me towards excellence.
Over and above everything, what I appreciated most about Dan was his honesty. Dan would never hold back his feedback or mince words to placate me - black was black and white was white. There were several instances where I would be extremely proud of an outline or a first draft, only to be respectfully told by Dan that I required a total re-write. It was hard to question his sagacity and listening to him turned out to be in my best interests. What was even more amazing was Dan's mastery of taking my simple, often verbose language and turning it into something crisp and sophisticated - definitely a place where his editing background proves to be immensely useful.
Long story short - I would recommend Dan Richards and mbaMission to anyone without a hint of hesitation. Go for him - you will most likely end up at your dream school, just like I did!
Product mbaMission Hourly Services
Consultant Daniel Richards
It was so helpful to have Dan Richards' insight throughout the bschool application process. Sometimes the hardest thing is to begin writing, and it was a great motivator for me to be able to report back to him on my progress. Dan was direct and insightful - I was glad to be working with someone who has had so much experience, and came highly recommended. There were a number of times during the essay editing process that it felt like he magically knew how to phrase what I was struggling to convey. I was also impressed by the quicker than expected turn-around time on feedback. Crucial if, like me, you're up against a deadline! Mom and Dad may be the best cheerleaders, but Dan helped get me to the finish line! Was it worth the money? 100%
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Daniel Richards
I worked with Dan on a 3 school package, two of my schools were a stretch due to my low GMAT score, which made me doubt if i should even apply. I was also nervous about spending a ton of money hiring a consultant only to not get in anywhere. After talking with Dan he pointed out that the rest of my application was strong and to attempt the GRE to see if that would ease my application. We worked through essays interviews and even through the wait list approach when I was wait-listed at my top two schools. I am happy to say that in the end I was accepted to all three programs I applied to and I wouldn't have been if it weren't for Dan's support and advice through this process. My money was well spent! If you have any doubts in your application I would recommend hiring a consultant they help you from start to finish all essays interview prep etc. and more importantly help you find the right way to make your application stand out.