Gatehouse Admissions Consulting Reviews

I did the full school packages with Liza for my round 2 applications to HBS and GSB. I am very grateful to have been admitted to both schools (and was admitted to Wharton with a generous merit scholarship leveraging material from the other two applications). I truly could not have done it without Liza.
Though I come from what’s probably a more favorable background (top Ivy undergrad, 3.8 GPA in STEM, 760 GMAT, untraditional career experience – banking/PE/startup) – if those exist in this process – my story would not have come together had it not been for Liza. I cannot speak more highly of her and the trust she enabled us to build during our time working together. Liza displays a rare combination of attributes that may seem contradictory: the ability to provide both high-level and in-the-weeds guidance; the propensity for both professionalism and genuine kindness towards her clients.
Liza has the shrewd ability to cut through all the noise and weave together key themes in your life that you yourself were not even aware of to get to an essay topic. Liza really got to know me during the brainstorming process and I grew to trust her so that we could discuss the most personal of topics. Her help doesn’t stop at idea conception – she provided invaluable structural, grammatical, and aesthetic input during the entire essay writing process. I can’t count the number of times she posited something so insightful that I could only respond “Wow, you know me better than I know myself!”
Equally as important, Liza actually made the entire process fun (or at least not painful!). A few months in, I had a self-imposed mini freakout about my essay topics that almost derailed the writing process. Instead of getting upset that I was costing her more time or just brushing it aside, Liza genuinely cared about why I was feeling insecure and tried to address the root of the problem. Both her strength and care for me helped guide me back on track. It truly feels like she’s a supporter and rock to lean on throughout the process – from the “good luck!!” emails she’d send before interview and decision notifications to debriefing with her after every major step of the way.
All in all, I cannot imagine a better person to work with through what’s an intellectually and emotionally draining process, and I think many people including myself can truly attribute their success to Liza.

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Liza is literally an angel. I’m not sure if I could have gotten into business school without her – I truly believe that she not just boosted my chances, but helped make the whole process a lot less painful. Truly worth every penny!

In terms of my background, I am a female applicant who was accepted to HBS and Wharton, but rejected from Stanford GSB. I went to an Ivy League university with a 3.7 GPA with a 730 GMAT score. I worked at a bulge bracket investment bank and then worked in the finance department of a startup.

I started my business school application process about 2-3 months before the Round 1 deadline. When I sat down to begin drafting the application, my thoughts were pretty scattered and I found it hard to structure how I wanted to bring each part of my history together. After a free 30-minute consultation with Liza (offered through the mbaMission website), I was completely sold. In 30 minutes, she helped answer the top burning questions in my mind (Was my GMAT high enough? What were her thoughts on my initial essay outline? What were the parts of my application were “lacking”? What would be the best use of my time if I wanted to go with an hourly package?). She was upfront about the harder parts of my application (i.e. lots of bankers apply) but helped me structure what I would work on with her if I were to become a client.

I ultimately decided to go with the hourly package and therefore was very conscious of being very efficient with Liza’s time. She was great about calling out the areas of the application that I should be focusing on (and therefore have her focusing on) versus the parts that were more checkmarks. I also had many questions that came up during the process that were probably overblown in my mind but it was amazing to have Liza there as a resource to lean on and keep my neurosis in check (i.e. I had been a co-head of a club in college – should I write co-head or just head in the title? // I had gotten promoted – should I give the admissions office an update? // I know an alumni of the school whom I hadn’t asked to be my formal recommender – should I have that person write me an informal recommendation and if so, how do I go about asking for that recommendation? // What information should I be giving to my recommenders before having them write the recommendation?) Separately, she was also very diligent about my time – for example, she made sure to double check what essay or paragraph should be the priority with the remaining X hour or minutes I had left in my package.

What I also liked a lot about being her hourly client was that Liza didn’t try to sell me and push me to buy more hours just to make more money on her end. I had expressed some trepidation at times over the cost of the hourly service and she had been helpful in narrowing down essays (or interviews) that I should be spending my limited budget on (versus trying to upsell me). This came out even more so when I received an interview invitation and I had asked her to help with the mock interview: even though she could have billed more hours with me, she insisted that I mock interview with her colleague since the HBS interview was comprehensive (i.e. harder, pointed questions created with full view of your entire application) and she thought that would be the best practice to be tested on what the actual HBS interview would be like. That type of honesty truly shows how Liza is truly thinking of what’s best for her client!

In terms of Liza’s working style, I found her to be the perfect mixture of encouraging (the day before my interview, she sent me an email seeing how I felt and if I had any last minute questions; the morning of decisions, she sent me a note saying that she was rooting for me!) but upfront and direct. I had spoken to friends about choosing an application consultant – they had suggested I go to a “mean” consultant who would kick my butt but I found Liza to be the perfect complement of being actually helpful but calming. She was not afraid to call out a sentence or idea in my essay that she didn’t believe worked. While others who had looked at the essay would just point to the sentence and say to fix this part without providing concrete examples, she helped me brainstorm ideas on how better to express the qualities I was trying to illustrate (for example, instead of saying I was the leader of this club to illustrate leadership, she helped me brainstorm actions I had completed as a leader to illustrate this quality). She helped to overcome many writer’s blocks on my end, making the whole process a lot more smooth. The whole process was very stressful and she was a guiding light!

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I cannot say enough good things about Liza. She truly was the best person to have by my side throughout this entire process and made a challenging process as seamless and easy as it possibly could be! When I applied, I felt like I put my best foot forward and had an application that was significantly stronger than it otherwise would have been without Liza.

In February 2017 I spoke with a number of consultants from both mbaMission and other firms. After speaking to about 5-6 other consultants, I spoke with Liza and just felt in my gut that she was the consultant I wanted to work with. From the moment I started working with Liza, she was there to answer my questions and guide me through the process. Liza helped by not only developing and drafting my essays but also by providing guidance on my resume, reviewers, applications, interviews – you name it. Even in March before the official applications were released, Liza was giving me tips for what I could do to best prepare myself as a candidate.

Liza has an uncanny ability to feel like your friend while providing direction at the same time. Before I started the process, my biggest concern about writing my essays was that I wouldn’t have anything to write about – I was a female in private equity with a fortunate upbringing and no major hardships in my life (thankfully). Throughout the brainstorming process Liza was easy to speak to and guided me to think about what I wanted the admissions committee to know about me and how I could make that into a great story. Additionally, I never felt like Liza was “telling” me what I had to write about. Rather, Liza helped me see some critical themes in the stories I was sharing with her and craft those into thoughtful essays.

When I was writing my essays, Liza’s feedback always pushed me to give that one extra detail that I believe showcased more about who I am and made me a stronger applicant. Liza would ask questions like “Can you think of another 2 examples when you did X?” or “Tell me more about Y. Why did you do it? How?” Her comments were thoughtful but also encouraged me to be more self-aware about the candidate that I was presenting to the admissions committees.

Above all, Liza was my biggest cheerleader throughout the process. I applied to four schools (admitted to 3, waitlisted at 1) and Liza not only helped me craft amazing essays for each school but also provided structure and guidance throughout the entire process. When we prepared for interviews Liza gave me honest, candid feedback while encouraging me to think positively. Without fail I always received an email right after my interview asking out it went. Choosing Liza was the best choice I made in the application process – HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

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I am an international applicant recently admitted to my dream program at my dream school, the LGO program at MIT Sloan with its amazing dual-degree offering. I was more nervous than the standard candidate because I set my heart on this program and didn't apply to any other schools. I tried out Liza's free thirty-minute consultation while still writing my application and was blown away by her friendliness and research into the program I was pursuing. The most valuable aspect of that talk was the candor with which she told me some of my ideas didn't make sense and encouraged me to revisit them. She didn’t shy from speaking the hard truth and the constructive criticism allowed me to shine. After being invited for an interview, I happily sprung for an interview prep session with Liza which really boosted my confidence and allowed me to walk into the interview without fear.
Liza was extremely methodical in her approach to helping me. She assigned me some homework and while I was focused on that, she did a thorough study of my application and my candidacy before we met for an in-person interview. During the mock, she played the role of my interviewer and afterwards, she shared her notes and provided feedback on how I could have answered the questions better. During the actual interview, I could hear her voice guiding me and reminding me the best ways to express myself. She helped me put my best foot forward to get the result I wanted.
Liza was helpful, friendly, graceful and full of positive energy. She helped me express all the passion I felt for the program in a fluid, cohesive manner. I am so grateful for this opportunity provided to me, and I could not have done it without Liza's help.

Thank you Liza for everything!

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I applied to HBS and GSB round 1 (for matriculation fall 2018) and was incredibly excited to be admitted to both schools. While I was a competitive candidate (Ivy undergrad, 760+ GMAT, upper middle market private equity), I could not have achieved such an awesome outcome on my own; I owe Liza big time for continuously pushing me throughout my journey and for helping position my applications for success.

I was connected with Liza through a friend and former co-worker who had worked with her the previous year, and I was warned in advance that while Liza was awesome and welcoming, she would not hesitate to push me and tell hard truths if necessary. One of the very first things Liza suggested (even before I formally decided to hire her) was that I retake the GMAT, even though I already had been sitting on a score I was excited about for 3 years with no intention of re-taking the test. Liza could easily have told me what I wanted to hear in hopes of getting me to sign up, but I was remarkably impressed by her honestly when it came to my candidacy, and I became very excited to work with her on my applications.

I recognized immediately how thoughtful Liza was, and she spent an incredible amount of time getting to know me and my personal story through the brainstorming process. She was genuinely interested in (and seemed to enjoy) learning more about me, and this allowed her to make thoughtful suggestions on how to weave my story and personal anecdotes into my applications and essays. She constantly pushed me to dig deeper and reflect more; when she didn't like parts of my work, she did not hesitate to tell me, but most importantly she did so in a constructive way and never failed to be both my support and motivation. I never would have pushed myself as hard as she pushed me, and ultimately I could not be happier with both the work I submitted and with the ultimate results.

Liza's work did not stop with my essays - she was incredibly helpful in selecting and prepping my recommenders, preparing for my interviews, and even helping me think through my school decision after I was admitted. Liza was always one of my biggest supporters, and I cannot recommend her highly enough!

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I was recently accepted into every school I applied to (HBS, GSB, Wharton). While I had a good background (750+ on GMAT, 3.6+ GPA from good non-ivy undergrad school, several years at a VC firm), there is no way, at all, I would have had such a great outcome without Liza working with me every step of the journey.

Let's start with how I got connected with Liza. in 2016, she came highly recommended by 2 friends who had used her and both of whom were accepted into HBS. When I spoke with Liza for the first time (prior to me even taking the GMAT), she was generous with her time and unbelievably candid. She told me, very clearly, what she thought my strengths and weaknesses were, and I appreciated that. Three weeks after our initial conversation, I notified her that I was just promoted and would not be applying to business school. She was genuinely happy for me and let me know that if I wanted to apply in the future, she would gladly work with me (so long as I gave her advance notice).

Fast forward a year: in early 2017, I decided I indeed wanted to apply to business school. I was happy with my job, but had still taken the GMAT toward the end of 2016 and scored well, so I wanted to apply to the top schools and see how things played out. When I notified Liza, she excitedly welcomed me into her group of students -- and then immediately put me to work.

Liza pushed me more than I would have ever imagined. She provided me a rigorous yet clear schedule/timeline of work, asked deep questions, made me work my butt off, and candidly critiqued every single piece of work I put in front of her. While many consultants do all of the above, there is one moment to me -- which I'll never forget -- that I think truly captures who Liza is and why she is above and beyond all other consultants.

While I was writing my Stanford essay, I started speaking with Stanford alums about the prompt. I decided to write two completely separate essays that went in 2 wildly different directions. One essay Liza loved; the other essay I loved, and the Stanford alums all agreed with me. But Liza would not give in: she was super confident that the essay she was a fan of was the "right" choice because the essay shared more about me while the other one I liked just focused on Stanford. While in hindsight it is so obvious that she was right, I was very against her thoughts in the moment. Instead of her simply giving in, she did something that is the definition of going above and beyond: without even telling me, she blindly shared my two essays with 5 other consults at her company and asked for their thoughts. Every single one sided with her. When she told me she had done that and presented me with the evidence, I was floored. I went with the essay she felt strongly about, and the rest is history.

That is just one example that stands out. Overall, Liza was unbelievable to work with. She cares deeply, is willing to make time, and will be (sometimes painfully) candid. But that last piece is super important -- because you need to know how to play to your strengths in this process, and Liza does just that.

If it's not obvious at this point, I couldn't give Liza a stronger recommendation. I'd work with her 12 times out of 10 and will (and already have) recommended her to close friends, family, and others. She is a star, and is the best person to have on your side throughout this daunting process.

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I was very hesitant about spending the money on a consultant for business school. I was working in private equity, had a strong GMAT score & had a solid sense of who should do my recommendations; so, I questioned the value of a consultant for me (especially since I was only planning on applying to 1-2 schools w/ just a few essays). I am still not sure any other consultant would have been worth it, but Liza was absolutely incredible & I cannot imagine having done the applications without her.

At the end of the day, the business school apps are not that long – which means presenting your story in a genuine yet convincing manner is of upmost importance. Liza spoke with me on the phone, read through my brainstorm documents & seamlessly seemed to understand me. She pushed me on reflecting on my experiences, what motivated me & how that translated to my future goals. Without Liza, I think I may have submitted draft 3 of my essay and felt pretty good about – but with Liza’s third party perspective & guidance, the essay was able to get to a much deeper place (think draft 30!) to the point where I felt emotional as I read the essay over again, as I am not sure I have written anything that so truly captured me & my goals. I got into both of the schools I applied to (HBS and GSB) and I honestly am not sure I would be in either without Liza’s guidance.

Liza is fun, welcoming, and understanding, but gives sharp, pointed feedback – which turns into the perfect mix for a mba consultant, you enjoy every moment you work with her but also get real results (in an incredibly efficient way!). Can’t speak more highly of her & the experience I had. Far exceeded expectations and would highly recommend anyone to use her.

(Few more specifics – Liza did more than just the essays. She was also a great resource on helping frame my recommendations, aligning my short stories w/ my essays, and mock interview prep when I received interview invitations. The full end-to-end service! She tailors her feedback with school specific insights which were spot on)

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Not only would I not have gotten in to HBS without Liza’s help, but I wouldn’t even have applied!

I started with Liza in May 2017, shortly after writing my GMAT. I had scored a 720 combined score and at that point started to think I might actually have what it takes to take a run at some of the top American schools. I came from a non-traditional stream of engineering and had a 3.3 GPA from a top Canadian university. Evaluating my own profile, I thought I had a legitimate shot at the top 10 MBA programs – but probably skewed towards the bottom of that group.

Enter Liza!

What originally drew me to working with Liza was her warmth. Frankly, I already knew the process was going to be a grind after studying for the GMAT for 4 months. As I started focusing on essays, the last thing I wanted was to work with someone that wasn’t going to laugh through the pain with me. She was my first call, and I didn’t bother interviewing anyone else. We got along fantastically as Liza helped me start thinking about target schools and the reasons for applying to each. This required quite a bit of research on my part. As a Canadian, I hadn’t been exposed to a lot of American schools/programs before – and Liza was happy to give recommendations based on what I said I was looking for AND what she thought was best for me!

Working with Liza, what I began to realize is that all the numbers (that everyone always seems transfixed on) are really table stakes when you’re applying to the top programs. Yes, you need a good GMAT. Yes, you need a decent GPA. Those are what get you past the initial sniff test and allow the adcom to take a legitimate look at your application.

We brainstormed, and discussed my background and experience in detail. At the same time we thought of strategies to explain it. Going through the process with Liza I began to realize what really set me apart was my history of leadership roles and having a tangible impact on my business. With that in mind, Liza recommended an application to HBS; I was initially reluctant. Reading profiles of successful HBS applicants online felt like reading stories about people who were soon to be canonized. Thankfully Liza knew what it would take. I trusted her and we went for it.

It took us about a month and a half to finalize the HBS essay. An iterative process, we went through countless versions – many of which looked very different than our finished product. It was a quest of sorts, to tell my story with an authentic voice that tried to get a few laughs along the way. She even fended off the last minute doubt after some critical feedback from a family member (brothers are the worst). In that time I added a few more schools to our list which officially consisted of HBS, Kellogg and Sloan.

From interview prep, to advice during the post interview crises (yes more than one!), and then through the unbearable waiting period; Liza was with me the whole way. After all that we’d done enough, and I was in.

I owe a lot to Liza. She is an exceptional consultant and person. If you’re in the market for a consultant, and maybe even a friend, give her a ring.

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Liza was an absolutely amazing mentor and cheerleader throughout the MBA application process and I’m seriously so grateful for all the guidance and support she provided.

Background: female, engineering undergrad, average GPA/ lower GMAT, four years of work experience in healthcare operations, looking for career transition into management consulting

Before working with Liza through the start-to-finish package, I had already heavily researched which schools I wanted to apply to, honing in on four schools that met my regional and metropolitan preferences. However, after taking the GMAT for the first time and starting to read through schools’ essay topics I realized I was going to need some help navigating what at the time seemed like a daunting process. I didn’t have any close friends or coworkers that had gone to business school, so what drew me to mbaMission initially was the extremely helpful free resources they provided (blog, school insider guides, webinars) that gave me insight into what to expect during the application process.

After an incredibly helpful conversation during my free consultation with Liza, which included choosing between retaking the GMAT or taking the GRE and potential highlights from my resume to use in my target schools’ essay questions, I knew this was going to be a great partnership. Throughout the application process Liza provided insightful suggestions and was patient with me through every step. She would often help me trim down my overly wordy essays to meet word counts and practiced interview questions with me until I felt 100% confident about nailing my interview. She also really took the time to get to know me and my personality and as a result was able to help me highlight qualities about myself that I didn’t even know would be seen as strong attributes to an admissions committee. But above all else, my favorite part about working with Liza was all of the little things she would do to make me feel like I had someone who was truly invested in my success. From emails wishing me luck on test days to helping me put things into perspective while anxious about application results, I knew I always had someone to turn to and time after time Liza always made herself available to chat.

I can honestly say that at the beginning of this journey I was just hoping to get into one of my target schools, but thanks to Liza’s partnership and pushing me to put my best self forward I was able to get into several great programs and my top choice school with a scholarship. Choosing to work with Liza was definitely one of the best decisions I’ve ever made and I would enthusiastically recommend her for anyone who is looking for a consultant who is going to go above and beyond and be with you throughout the highs and lows of the MBA application process. I really am going to miss her infectious positivity and enthusiasm but I know we’ll definitely be keeping in touch in the future.

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Based on my personality and my budget, I knew that I wanted to do most of my own research on the application process. I was initially resistant to hiring a consultant. However, I have a pretty standard background (banking then mid-market PE, white male, east coast city, mid-20s), and I wanted to make sure I put my best foot forward. MBAMission’s a la carte hourly services and Liza were a good fit for me. I choose the company after going to a seminar hosted by the company founder Jeremy, reading their free school guides (they’re so helpful – go download them), and doing my free consultation. I liked the company’s philosophy of trying to make your story come through as best as you can. The way I figure, that’s all an essay can really do. Other consultants were more pushy/salesy and tried to act like they were the magic snake oil to get into every school. Plus, the hourly structure allowed me to ask Liza to focus on areas I knew I needed help, for several schools, all while making it affordable (and hey, with my scholarship money to several schools, it was really a net positive for me).

Liza reviewed my resume and my top school essays over the course of a few hours. She offered helpful suggestions that resulted in me changing the whole narrative structure of one of my stories. By the time I submitted “v32”, it was a much more powerful essay and more clearly reflected who I am. However, by far the most helpful part of working with Liza was my mock interview (with her) and my mock team based discussion (with a colleague of hers). Admission interviews are very different from professional ones, and I frankly did much worse during my (practice) first iteration of each format than I did during the real things. I feel like working with Liza filled in the gaps in what I would’ve been able to learn on my own through the internet and cold emailing current students. She definitely helped make sure I feel like I gave my best effort in applying, and I have a result with which I’m very happy.

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