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Harold Simansky Reviews

Company: mbaMission

A graduate of the MIT Sloan School of Management, Harold Simansky offers his clients more than five years’ experience as a dedicated MBA admissions consultant, in addition to several years helping his colleagues complete their business school applications. His clients have been accepted at more than 30 different institutions, including all the top U.S. and international MBA programs. Among his success stories are applicants who “ran the table” and were granted admission to every school they targeted, as well as candidates with distinct backgrounds for whom Harold found programs that uniquely suited their personalities and needs. At his graduation from MIT Sloan, Harold received the highly selective Martin Trust Community Fellowship before joining the private equity group at Bain & Company, where he worked on the largest media merger of all time. Upon leaving Bain, Harold founded a series of companies in such sectors as financial services, real estate development, green energy, online rewards, and print media. He also spent time consulting to a private equity firm in the building materials space. Outside of work, Harold has kept busy as a member of his town’s government, a Little League coach, a board member for a nonprofit organization, and father to three lively young sons.

5.0 /5 Average Rating
Based on 70 reviews
April 02, 2020
shadow123

Joined: Nov 29, 2019

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
700 Q50 V34

Experienced Mentor, Insightful Motivator, and Awesome Friend

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I only had one month left to write my essay before the application deadline. I was so fortunate to have Harold to go through the process with me. Harold can understand my profile quickly and transform it into a story that appeals to the admission committee of my dream school. Whenever in doubt, I can always arrange a call with Harold and e-mail him. His quick response and accurate answer assure me that I did not waste my time and I was on the right track. The application process can be very stressful. However, there is nothing better to have a mentor, motivator, and friend like Harold who is dedicated to ensuring you have the best version of yourself in the application and get admitted to your dream business school.

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April 01, 2020
mjgrady4

Joined: Apr 01, 2020

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
740 Q49 V41

Very Helpful!

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Harold was extremely helpful throughout the application process. I appreciated that he could focus on the fundamental building blocks of an application (short-term/long-term goals, program fit, etc.) rather than get bogged down in minutiae. He helped me focus my story from a slew of different ideas.

This was my second year applying, and I found his advice to be invaluable around what to change from the prior year application. He was able to make a time-condensed hectic process more straightforward. Overall, he is very conversational and a pleasant person to work with. Would recommend to anyone going through this process.

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April 01, 2020
pte5

Joined: Sep 08, 2018

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
730 Q47 V44

Savvy and Insightful

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When I started considering my applications for business school, I knew I needed to not only flesh out my story but also position and deliver a meaningful message. Harold was integral in both the brainstorming and composition of my application profile both of which helped to round out my message and overall candidacy.

I think one of Harold's best traits is his ability to understand your background and help you conform your story into a tight narrative. This was evident to me during our first correspondence in which we brainstormed all of my experiences I could potentially draw from. I appreciated all of his assistance and guidance and would definitely recommend him to a peer.

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March 28, 2020
ECHO008

Joined: Mar 28, 2020

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Dedicated, Professional and Insightful...You Get Amazing Results!

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I decided to apply for my EMBA at Sloan really late in round 2. I started my application process late November and I engaged Harold one month before the dateline and I don't think I would have made it and finish my application without having him coaching and preparing me for the admissions process.

Harold was an amazing mentor and consultant. He helped a lot during the brainstorming stage of my application and walk me through the different aspect of how I should position my submission. He was detailed in his approach, provided tons of feedback, reading materials (he has a lot of good tips) and was always on time with his reviews and comments. He gave tremendous amount of insight to the admissions process and got me to focus on what mattered the most in a short period of time.

One thing I really appreciate about Harold is that he is always available to me when I needed him. I live in Asia and being in a different time zone he was always accommodative and offered to work with me so that it fits my schedule.

During the interview process, he worked with me closely to do several mock interviews. His interviews questions got me mentally ready for my face-to-face with Sloan.

I think the whole admissions process would have been extremely daunting if not for Harold. Harold is also really patient and works well with clients remotely and in different time zones. I would highly recommend him. (and yes, I got admitted).

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March 23, 2020
ecgoldstein

Joined: Mar 21, 2020

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Knowledgeable, Empathetic and Straight Forward Mentor

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Harold was an excellent advisor during a very stressful time. He was very clear on expectations of what he needed from me to do his job which made the process go very smoothly. I felt that he genuinely cared about my progress and was there for me via email and phone call if necessary. When we got to crunch time and submission deadlines were approaching he put the extra time to accommodate my needs and was an invaluable asset. He has incredible industry knowledge and provides objective/specific feedback on how to tell your most effective story. From the school selection process to the essay writing he was realistic and supportive and made this incredibly stressful process much more manageable.

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March 19, 2020
mkoniares

Joined: Mar 19, 2020

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Couldn't have done it without Harold!

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I got a late start to the MBA application process after spending more time than I had planned preparing for the GMAT. Harold helped me stay on track for round 1 by helping me prioritize my top schools and created a plan that enabled me to get all applications done on time. The most difficult part of the process for me was finding the time to write essays with a busy work schedule. Harold was instrumental in helping me organize my essay topics so I could make the best use of my time. He encouraged me to keep sending him drafts even when far from perfect form. Harold’s insightful feedback and knowledge of the application process led to a final product I felt confident submitting. I ended up getting into my first choice school and couldn’t have done it without Harold. I would highly recommend his services to anyone starting this process.

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March 19, 2020
mbaprep101

Joined: Jan 08, 2019

Posts: 40

Kudos: 6

Self-reported Score:
730

Outstanding Consultant and Experience!

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Harold has been an indispensable resource for my application journey to HBS. The time and care that Harold spent to understand my candidacy was above and beyond my expectations and was instrumental in providing tailored advice that took my application to the next level. His holistic understanding of the MBA application process, his unparalleled knowledge of each program and the time spent knowing my strengths and weaknesses were crucial for my success. I would have not been accepted to HBS without his counseling, guidance and overall direction. A must if you are serious about applying to business school or even if you want career advice!

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March 17, 2020
cWong889

Joined: Jan 26, 2019

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
700 Q47 V38

Everything you need from a consultant!

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My experience with Harold exceeded my expectations. I hired Harold as my consultant to help me through the admissions process because I was short on time. Initially, I was having trouble with the GMAT and once I got a satisfactory score, I had about two weeks to get my applications in. Harold really helped make this process as seamless as possible. He was both realistic and professional. Before we got started, he outlined what I could expect from him and didn't oversell me, which is something I could really appreciate. He was very good on his time with me and was very prompt with his responses, considering I was going into the weekend to get my application in.
Harold helped me with resume editing, articulating my responsibilities (especially important if you work in a relatively small company wearing multiple hats) , the application process, and interview prep.
Harold is really an expert at really help you put into words ideas that you have trouble expressing, which is especially important in the essays and interview. If you have trouble with this, I cannot recommend him enough.
I was also able to get some face to face time with him during our interview prep and I can say that he is very friendly and genuine. During our prep, he really tried to steer me in the right direction of the things I should and should not talk about. I can say that the interviewers were quite impressed with some of the ideas we came up with.
Overall, Harold doesn't have many reviews but I can attest to the fact that he is a very well-rounded consultant and I can recommend him without any reservations.

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March 17, 2020
bc364

Joined: Mar 16, 2020

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
750 Q49 V42

A Needed Mentor, Insightful & Direct

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Harold was a fantastic mentor and consultant throughout the MBA applications process. Coming from Private Equity, I knew I needed to have a unique story to stand-out amongst the other, plentiful finance applicants. Harold helped me hone my life story to something concise and digestible for the AdCom. He often provided insights and suggestions that were the exact catalysts I needed to round out my application. I applied to a handful of schools and Harold was able to give me unique feedback on each that helped put my applications "over-the-top". I would definitely recommend and use Harold again, he is truly a great consultant.

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March 16, 2020
Throwaway123456

Joined: Feb 16, 2020

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Got into every school I applied for - Thank you Harold!

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I had always wanted to do an MBA, but I knew I had several weak areas in my application: I had bombed the GMAT twice, I had several gaps in my work experience, and I came from a field that wasn't overly analytical or quantitative. I knew that in order to realize my dream, I needed some professional guidance. I decided to work with Harold based on a recommendation from a friend, and it was one of the best decisions I've ever made.

Harold instantly recognized that I had a fascinating story to tell and helped me develop it. We started off brainstorming my life and career trajectory, and Harold worked with me to highlight the best and most relevant parts of my story. Harold recommended me to switch to the GRE given my learning style and even provided the names of some tutors to help me prepare for the exam. Harold helped me address my weaknesses in the application and provided additional resources and courses I could take to improve my quantitative abilities. Whether through essays or interview prep, Harold was readily available with feedback and support to help me along the MBA application process. I ended being accepted to every school I applied for and even received some scholarships. I could not have done this without Harold's guidance!

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