School Package Reviews

In my free consultation with Harshad, it was clear that his candid and honest feedback was a match with my personality. Working with Harshad was a fantastic experience. As an American engineer working in industry, Harshad helped me portray my stories in such a way that brought out my character traits and leadership skills, and in such a way that flowed logically and smoothly. Harshad is extremely organized and professional, always editing faster than promised and responsive to questions no matter the day or time. Harshad even went the extra mile when I was unexpectedly laid off from my job a couple of months before applications were due, by serving as a mentor in the process of finding another job that would tie into my application package nicely. Overall, Harshad is a terrific person and consultant. I would 100% recommend him to anyone looking to apply at a top MBA program.

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I was admitted into one of my dream schools and I would not have been able to gain admission to an M7 program without John. I purchased a start-to-finish package with John and he was with me every step of the way – proving to be an instrumental part of my journey. As a first time MBA applicant, having John walk me through the process from start to finish was extremely valuable.

One of my favorite things about John was his positive outlook and attitude. The MBA application process can be quite a daunting task and it is easy to fall into a cycle of doubt. Having someone like John, who both inspired and motivated me, ensured my outlook remained positive. He not only reminded me to have fun and enjoy the journey, but also encouraged me to put my best foot forward, especially with regards to my essays.

Despite working with very little time to get my applications in for R1, John went through many iterations of my resume and essay reviews to ensure I had the best application possible. He was very patient and addressed every single one of my questions in detail. Not only is John very knowledgeable regarding what schools are looking for in a candidate, he also took the time to understand who I was as a person. John helped to detail my life experiences – using the process to curate and inspire essays unique to my specific journey. Even when John experienced a family emergency, he continued to work with me to ensure my applications were pristine and did not miss any deadlines. John is truly invested in the individual success of his clients.

My experience with John was AMAZING and I would highly recommend him to anyone who is looking for a great consultant!

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I’m not exaggerating when I say that working with Melissa changed my life! Melissa’s guidance, effort, and support throughout the MBA application process got me into Wharton, which was one of my dream schools and seemed like an immense reach. Melissa helped me to craft such impactful applications that after applying to ten full-time programs, I was invited to interview at nine of them, and was ultimately accepted to eight (three of which were M7s).

What impressed me the most while working with Melissa was how she was able to take a standard draft of my essay and help me craft it into a remarkable story. Comparing my first drafts to their final versions is truly night and day, and I wouldn’t have been able to write them so effectively if it wasn’t for Melissa. I even received feedback from an admissions officer that my personal essay was one of the most memorable stories she’d read in the past few years. Melissa really understands what the admissions teams are looking for at every school, which is so crucial in a consultant!

On top of her skills in tailoring an application to a specific program, Melissa is also unbelievably attentive. I expected this relationship to be very high-level since Melissa has many clients to tend to throughout the application cycle, but the amount of effort she put into getting to know me and my goals was astonishing. She really does care so much about every one of her clients!

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Melissa is incredibly reliable during the entire process – from the brainstorming period through the final decision. She always provided feedback on documents quicker than expected, she helped set deadlines to keep me on track, she vetted all of my letters of rec and coordinated directly with the writers, she gladly responded to any question I threw her way (and there were so many of them), and she gave honest guidance regarding any school that I asked her about. Given that none of my friends or family members had gone through the MBA application process before, I simply don’t know what I would’ve done without her.

It’s only been a few weeks since I wrapped everything up with Melissa, but I already have two friends that have signed with her for this upcoming application cycle. I can’t stress enough how integral Melissa was to my success – I simply wouldn’t be where I am today without her! She’s gone from being my consultant to being my friend, and I’m excited to gush over my Wharton experience with her these next two years!

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Susan has been instrumental in my MBA journey and helped me land admissions into top schools. Initially, the admissions process felt daunting, but Susan was always there to provide words of wisdom and calm my nerves. She helped connect the dots across my experiences and personal interests to draft a compelling narrative. Her initial brainstorming sessions were incredibly helpful as she sought to get to know me on a deeper level. She truly is a gifted storyteller! Susan was super flexible when I fluctuated between schools and ensured I had all the materials provided for a strong application. Despite some of my last-minute edits, she was very responsive. I loved my interview prep with Susan as I felt that it was extremely thorough, and a lot of the questions were also asked during my actual interview.

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Harshad is a joy to work with. I applied only to MS/MBA programs and, given his engineering background, he was really able to identify how I could better frame the work I did as an engineer in ways the admissions committees would understand. Beyond that, I really appreciated his directness during our conversations. He has a fantastic sense of what parts of my story, background, and future interests the schools want to hear about as well as how to give feedback that elicits that in my writing. He was always willing to point out when he didn’t think an essay came across well enough and explained his reasoning clearly. I think his willingness to have conversations like these took my essays to the next level and pushed me to write more compellingly. He was also very quick to reply and provide feedback! Overall, Harshad was great both as a consultant and as a person to ask for advice and guidance. I’m very happy with the results and can say that the investment was worth it. I ended up getting into CBS, MIT, and Berkeley with his help.

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Bottom Line Up Front: Krista's services are worth every penny and then some. Thanks to Krista's support, I was accepted into HBS, Wharton, Ross, Darden, Fuqua, and others and received considerable scholarships.

I am on the older side of MBA applicants and have spent the majority of my professional years in the military. I initially struggled with my ability to convey my non-linear career trajectory in an impactful way. Krista was somehow able to tease out the nuances of my unusual journey and help me express my story in a way that improved my confidence and resonated with AdComs.

My MBA journey was unique in that while applying for programs, I was constantly deployed on short notice, submitting applications and conducting admissions interviews from four different locations. I was extremely fortunate to have Krista augment my application process and keep my applications on track. After our initial 30 minute free session, I curtailed my consultant search and went full send on Krista's excellent services.

What I needed was structure and rapid feedback during a process that I did not much time to allocate towards. Krista provided that that much-needed timelines and quick turnaround capacity that proved critical given my limited bandwidth for MBA application management. Her approach to each essay draft was meticulous, and she was always ready to jump on a Zoom call to help organize my applications effectively. I initially had not planned on applying to any M7 programs thinking I was not a competitive applicant, but with her encouragement, I did and will be attending HBS in the Fall. I applied to 9 business schools in total, including several M7 programs, and had a perfect acceptance rate. She is humble and won't take recognition for that success rate, but I'll be the first to give her the lion's share of the credit.

Krista invested the time to thoroughly understand my background and professional achievements through an extensive brainstorming document. Be prepared to spend hours up front providing a comprehensive portrait of yourself for Krista to analyze and work her magic. This initial investment of time is crucial for her to created tailored guidance for each AdCom. Her friendly demeanor and positive attitude made our interactions a genuine partnership rather than a business transaction. You'll be hard-pressed to find a more supportive, caring, and candid MBA admission partner. I cannot recommend Krista enough for anyone who is seeking admission into their dream business school!

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I was accepted to both Wharton and Columbia Business School, a testament to the invaluable assistance provided by Gavriella Semaya. Coming from an international background, this was my first application to a U.S. school. Gavriella was always available to answer any questions about the process with patience and clarity. Working with her was a genuinely rewarding experience. She maintained utmost professionalism throughout the process and was consistently prompt and attentive to all inquiries. Gavriella excels at expertly highlighting the unique aspects of personal stories and possesses a deep understanding of what universities are looking for in candidates. She effectively bolsters confidence in one's background and abilities. Based on my personal experience, I highly recommend working with her for any MBA application.

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I had the pleasure of working with Heidi Granner during my MBA application process, and I can confidently say it was an enjoyable experience. From start to finish, the process was seamless thanks to Heidi's exceptional organization skills. Her ability to break down tasks and help me set achievable goals alleviated much of the stress associated with applying to MBA programs.

Heidi's support throughout the process was invaluable. Despite the inherent stress of applying to top-tier schools, I felt reassured knowing that she was always available to offer guidance and assistance. Her thoughtful approach and willingness to go above and beyond ensured that I never felt overwhelmed or alone.

In terms of helpfulness, Heidi exceeded my expectations. While I initially had a clear idea of what I wanted to convey in my essays, Heidi encouraged me to delve deeper into my life experiences and goals. Through our collaboration, I found myself revisiting and refining my narrative in ways I hadn't anticipated. In the end, my essay practically wrote itself, and I owe much of that success to Heidi's expertise and support.

And the ultimate outcome speaks volumes: I was accepted into Stanford! Heidi's guidance undoubtedly played a significant role in this achievement, and I couldn't be more grateful. Without hesitation, I would wholeheartedly recommend Heidi to anyone embarking on their MBA journey. Her combination of kindness, intelligence, and insight creates a supportive environment where applicants can thrive and succeed.

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I had a fabulous experience working with Melissa. Her biggest strength is how incredibly engaged she is throughout the application process. During my journey, this meant she helped me understand the strengths of different schools, asked thoughtful questions while brainstorming my essay topics, had an impressively quick turnaround time on edits and questions, kindly kept me on track to my deadlines, and followed up after interviews to hear how they went.
The best part of working with Melissa was how thoughtfully she got to know me as a person and how loud of a cheerleader she was throughout my process. Applying to grad school can cause a lot of stress and uncertainty, but Melissa’s confidence and encouragement guided me through the most difficult times of applying. My admissions results are a testament to her skill. I’m deeply grateful for her partnership and will miss our calls while I’m attending HBS this fall!

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I found Debbie when I was panicking in mid-Oct about R2 applications. At that time, I had a subpar GMAT and not even a draft school list. I had free consultations with a bunch of firms small and large, but I felt the most confident coming out of the conversation with Debbie. In our free consultation, she gave very practical and useful feedback. She suggested what schools I can consider based on my career goals and preferences. Some schools were ones that never crossed my mind beforehand. I appreciate how she left options open depending on my upcoming GMAT retake while other consultants didn’t think I could make it which discouraged me further in this stressful moment. Don’t be mistaken, Debbie doesn’t give you false hopes.

I also appreciate Debbie’s attitude towards potential clients. She never pushed me to purchase services and offered to recommend lower-priced consultants on her team. She reminded me about mbaMission’s service contract period, so if I wasn’t going to apply for MBA this year don’t bother starting a package yet. In all my free consultations, I asked how many schools clients typically buy for comprehensive packages. Debbie said 2-3 which I felt is an honest answer (rather than pressuring you to pay more) because you can reuse a lot of the content and learnings between schools. There are plenty of consultants out there who tell you to buy as many schools as you’re applying to. Due to the timing of the year, Debbie was also very practical in telling me what’s the max number of schools I should realistically apply to, and I decided to purchase a package less than that number.

I spoke with Debbie almost every week from Nov to Mar whether it’s back and forth updates to essays, questions from me about the process, and other status updates. The cadence came naturally because there’s just that much going on! I like mbaMission’s essay turnaround time cutoff, because that schedule pushed me to send essays over at a regular schedule in order to be the most efficient with revisions. It helps us both be accountable rather than other firms that just reply “as they get to it” which can be much longer the closer we get to deadlines. Debbie generally responds quickly to non-essay emails, 1-2 day response rate. She’ll let you know in advance when she’s taking off and how that’ll affect the response time.

Debbie is great at decluttering my thoughts and pulling out pieces that are actually relevant to essays and interviews. She will tell you straight up if certain ideas send the wrong message or are incohesive with the rest of your story. This is the harsh criticism I needed. Of course, feel free to push back since this is your application, but Debbie will work with you to find a middle ground. She’s knowledgeable about what the schools prefer and what works in applications, but also understand she can’t know every single itty-bitty detail. You still have to do your homework!

Coming out of this process, I’m glad I found Debbie to guide me. I’m not the type who’s thought about getting an MBA for years and my network doesn’t have any MBAs. The idea only came to me over the summer, so I had a lot to catch up on in a short period of time. She really gave me the confidence to push through and get admits to two M7s and two T10s which I doubt I could’ve made it without her. I chose Debbie due to her personality (also happy to support Asian women) because we would work very closely together during this period. That helped me feel comfortable asking her weirder questions relating to applications. Thank you again Debbie for your patience in responding to my long emails and addressing my boatload of comments in each essay. 

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