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Product Gatehouse Admissions Consulting
Consultant Eric Hollowaty
Eric's coaching and essay comments helped me gain admission into the Booth, Haas, and Anderson part-time MBA programs. I leave very impressed with MBAMission, including my initial 30 minute consultation. I chose to go with Eric because his background in investment research aligned with my goals in pursuing an MBA. From the beginning, Eric offered me very direct and detailed advice. My initial goal was to get into a full-time program, but Eric helped me see that a part-time program was likely a better fit for my ultimate goals.
While he was ultimately spot-on with this initial advice, he fully supported me in pursuing both full-time programs and part-time programs. He pushed me to quickly network with current students at all the schools I applied to, which was invaluable, and helped me brainstorm my approach. I started the process later than is advisable, but Eric told me exactly the themes I needed to communicate in my application and essays. He helped me brainstorm my strategy for approaching writers of my letters of recommendation and prepare for interviews. In the essays, he did not tell me what to write, but instead coached me on what I needed to get across (proven leadership experience, fit with the programs, etc). Eric worked with me to bring out the very best of my story. His comments challenged me to either think more critically about an element of my story, explicitly make a link I wasn't making, or edit out unnecessary detail. The final applications encapsulated an excellent summary of me and my value proposition to the programs.
I chose hourly services because I felt comfortable with a transactional relationship, and given my time constraints, wasn't sure I would get value out of a package. Eric was very efficient with my purchased time. I feel like I received a great value, and found his help invaluable in gaining admission to three programs. Eric also helped me learn how to sell myself better, which I think will payoff for me in many other areas of life and career.
Product Gatehouse Admissions Consulting
Consultant Eric Hollowaty
Choosing Eric Hollowaty as my admissions consultant was the best decision I’ve made for my application – looking back I don’t regret it for a second.
I had prepared for the GMAT myself but I knew that essay writing and in general selling myself was my weakest skill. Moreover, I decided to apply to only one (!) top business school and I definitely wanted to give it the best possible chance of success. Eric is the best professional coach I’ve ever worked with – not only does his coaching helped me to submit a great application and get admitted, but it had a tremendous impact on my whole professional career. I learnt how to craft a compelling cover letter and build a strong business case in no time…
I work within a top professional services business and yet mbaMission impressed me with the top-notch quality of every bit of their work and the completely flawless service delivery. Writing wasn’t an easy thing for me but Eric was restless and didn’t stop pushing me to perfection. When I was stuck, he was always finding a way to foster my inspiration – I wouldn’t have make it without his help.
Product Gatehouse Admissions Consulting
Consultant Eric Hollowaty
I started the MBA application process late in the admissions season, having taken the GMAT in the second week of December, hoping to complete second round applications. I spoke with Eric Hollowaty at mbaMission the week after the GMAT and told him I intended to try to complete three applications to top 10 business schools in three weeks and asked for his help. Eric was eager to work with me and suggested an hourly package due to the timing of my applications.
As an individual with a finance background, I needed to really differentiate myself in order to be accepted. Through conversations and drafts of my essays, Eric was able to extract a truly unique story from my background that seemed rather mundane to me at the onset of the process. His ability to detect true differentiators in my background helped craft a perfect admissions story. Eric really pushes you to expand on all of your points to get the most out of your essays. Furthermore, Eric has deep knowledge of all of the top business schools and knows the types of people that they are interested in which helped tailor my story to each school that I applied.
Eric’s advice and guidance throughout the process enabled me to write excellent essays and tailor my resume for business school. The result is that I got in to Wharton and Columbia and couldn’t be more pleased with the services!
Product Gatehouse Admissions Consulting
Consultant Eric Hollowaty
Selecting Eric Hallowaty was one of the best decisions in my life. He was an invaluable asset and instrumental to helping me to get into several top business schools.
Going into the application process, I wanted to make sure I chose the right admissions counselor to guide me in such a significant (and stressful) few months. I spent an enormous amount of time reading through most GMAT Club reviews on admissions consultants, and ended up choosing mbaMission after doing several 30 minute free consultations. The biggest differentiating factor for me was that mbaMission is the only consulting company whose consultants work full-time for them; thus they are constantly immersed in applications and have the most expertise.
Coming from a finance background, Eric was the perfect fit for me, having also worked in finance. Eric’s biggest strengths are 1) his logical train of thought and 2) his straightforward demeanor. While brainstorming, Eric has an innate ability to distill my verbose stories and anecdotes, and was immediately able to grasp the main concepts, and followed up with insightful questions. Additionally, I appreciated his honest opinion and feedback on my essays. When he didn’t think a story or an approach would work for the essay, and would lead to a dead end, he wouldn’t sugarcoat his opinions in an effort to appease me; he would directly tell me that he would approach it a different way. This allowed me to put forth my most effective essay.
Eric was instrumental in guiding me through the application process; from brainstorming the best approach to an essay to making sure my essay logically made sense, he was a true difference maker. If I had to repeat the process, I would choose Eric again in a heartbeat. I would full heartily recommend Eric for anyone applying to business schools, especially from a finance background. It’s one decision you won’t regret!
Product Gatehouse Admissions Consulting
Consultant Eric Hollowaty
As Eric says in his initial 1-on-1 meeting, he was the “Sherpa” that I needed to help guide me through the admissions process. He’s not going to hold your hand but he does everything he can to position you the best. I got the three school admissions package with Eric for round 1 admissions. With his help, I was admitted to two of my choices (Wharton and Booth). Eric helped me craft a story after reviewing my personal brainstorming document, helped structure my essays and reviewed many details of my application.
Here’s where Eric was valuable to me:
(i) He was pivotal in helping me figure out what my story would be
(ii) He was upfront and honest and set my expectations straight
(iii) He helped me figure out what schools would be the best fit for me
(iv) He had a playbook that I was easily able to use in some of my applications
(v) He was very knowledgeable about the process and the applications and was capable of answering every single one of my questions; he also helped me deal with every ambiguity I faced in the process
I absolutely recommend using Eric as he will be an invaluable resource in the admissions process.
Product Gatehouse Admissions Consulting
Consultant Eric Hollowaty
When it came to applying for business school, I was one of those crazy applicants who went all out with regards to preparation. I researched the various services over several weeks, finally settling on Manhattan Prep for my GMAT class, Stratus Prep for one-on-one tutoring, and mbaMission for consulting. Among all resources leveraged, my experience with my consultant, Eric, at mbaMission was by far the most helpful in achieving my acceptances. Eric always provided me with timely responses and honest feedback. From the initial evaluation of my target schools, to editing my many essays, Eric always helped me stay on track with realistic goals and provided valuable insight into the applications process, details I wouldn’t have known otherwise.
In addition, one of the biggest differentiator between mbaMission and other MBA consulting services is that with mbaMission you are assigned one consultant who works with you from beginning to end. With other consulting services however, you sometimes work with multiple consultants (general/school specific consultants). I much preferred working with one consultant throughout the entire application process because Eric became so familiar with my story that he was often able to suggest anecdotes from my personal and professional life (stories I hadn’t even thought of) that would be relevant to add to a particular essay. I had a great experience with mbaMission, and would strongly recommend using their services (and Eric specifically if he is available) if not for all of your schools, at least for the top contenders.
Product Gatehouse Admissions Consulting
Consultant Eric Hollowaty
I first spoke to MBAMission Senior Consultant, Eric Hollowaty in 2014 after the company had been recommended to me by Manhattan GMAT. Since that date, he has given me nothing but fantastic advice, all of which played a critical role in my eventual acceptance at my first choice school.
When I first planned to apply, Eric suggested that I wait a year. I was on the younger side and my GMAT score was low. He urged me to spend the next several months studying for the GRE (rather than the GMAT), improving my work experience, and visiting schools.
After a disappointing GRE score, I couldn’t have been happier that I followed his advice. Reading only the message boards, I should’ve been applying to schools ranked 50-60 – certainly not schools in the top 15. However, given my strong work experience and undergraduate performance, Eric helped me to determine which schools would be good fits.
I certainly had to do all of the work, but Eric spent hours helping ensure that my application properly showcased my strengths and unique qualities (plus he could always spot when I was tired and resorted to filler).
Throughout the process Eric was always up front and honest with me. It was clear that he believed in me and felt that I can handle top programs but he also never lied to me about my chances of getting into certain (score focused) schools. In the end, he played an invaluable role in my ultimate success and I cannot thank him enough for that.
If you are in a situation in which you have a weakness in your application, but are an overall strong candidate, and want to get into a top program, I’d absolutely recommend working with Eric/MBAMission.
Product Gatehouse Admissions Consulting
Consultant Eric Hollowaty
First some personal background: I am a 28 year old, former strategy consultant, and have never considered an MBA to be a make or break part of my life or my career. I always viewed the degree as a means to an end. The trouble was, I was beyond the standard application age of my fellow consultants, and I had already been promoted beyond the post-MBA level. In short, I had a lingering feeling that the standard, youthful, “spray and pray” application strategy wasn’t going to suit me.
When I finally decided that I wanted to make a run at an MBA, I wanted to do it the right way. To fulfill that need I turned to the “McKinsey” of the field: mbaMission. As the saying goes, no one gets fired for hiring McKinsey. I knew my application strategy was a little outside the norm, and didn’t want to have any regrets about quality.
I heard about Eric Hollowaty and mbaMission from a friend who had been admitted to HBS. I reached out to Eric and let him know my situation. He challenged some of my hypotheses (in a good way), verified others, and helped me set a strategy that fit my goals.
In the end, that strategy was to go for broke on just two schools. Eric and I agreed that either of those schools would invariably change my life, and that a backup option, while attractive, probably wouldn’t add as much value as I thought I needed. In my mind, getting the strategy verified was worth the full fee.
After we set the high level strategy, Eric helped me craft an essay that fit the bill perfectly. My whole application was a hail mary, and I needed an essay topic to match. Without revealing too much, Eric helped me write an "edgy" essay that maximized my chance of winning admission, given my less than perfect odds going in. It would have been impossible to write it without him.
In the end, the strategy fell a little short, and I wasn’t accepted to either of my schools. Though naturally disappointed, it was an easy lump to take because I knew I had submitted the best package possible. I wrote Eric directly and told him that even in defeat, mbaMission had been worth the cash.
If you’re serious about doing an MBA application right, I don’t know why you’d go anywhere else.
Product Gatehouse Admissions Consulting
Consultant Eric Hollowaty
Prior to applying to business school, I spoke with a number of my friends who are currently students at some of the top business schools (HBS, GSB and Wharton) for advice. More than half of them used admissions consultants and spoke highly of the benefits. Although I was initially skeptical, I can say with absolute certainty now that working with an admissions consultant was invaluable throughout my b-school application process and ultimately helped me get into my top choice b-school.
After "shopping" around for admissions consultants, I decided to work with Eric (HBS alum) on an hourly basis, focusing primarily on my essays. Eric is amazing - he would challenge me and really push my writing to the next level. For example, instead of just laundry listing resources that a school had in my essay, he pushed me to dig deeper and connect the dots as to why those resources are important to me and my goals. He helped me bring out the best in my essays without rewriting anything and still keeping my authentic voice.
Eric was also great at getting revisions back to me at lightning speed. This was crucial when it came close to deadlines. Even though we worked together on an hourly basis, Eric was super helpful in answering all sorts of questions via e-mail without ever "deducting" from my hourly time, which I really appreciated.
Result: accepted to my dream school, HBS! Highly recommend Eric.
Product Gatehouse Admissions Consulting
Consultant Eric Hollowaty
The school package was very in line with my expectations. I was given the most relevant and value added information in a short amount of time, allowing me to create stellar applications without much headache or rework. The process was stressful but extremely necessary. If you're looking for a proofreader for grammar mistakes I can say this isn't for you, but if you want someone to examine your application with the same critical eye as adcom, and drill down to the focal points of your experiences - mbaMissions certainly does the trick. I highly recommend this service to any MBA applicant that wants to put their best foot forward. You only complete one MBA in a lifetime, I don't know why you would have it any other way.
