Harold was amazing and very instrumental in getting me into HBS, Booth, LBS and MIT Sloan!

I went into the process with a lower-than-average GMAT score for all my target schools. Harold did an amazing job of helping me bring the different pieces of my career and life together to make for a very compelling application narrative that got me interviews to all the schools I applied to.

His turn-around time was amazing, almost always beating the two-day promised turn-around. His comments were very thoughtful and always felt like he was reading with a fresh set of eyes. I would definitely recommend Harold to anyone who’s applying to B-school.

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Harold changed my life. I was struggling with the GMAT and was losing hope in my chances at a top MBA program. I met with Harold during a coaching session, and one piece of advice Harold offered to me was to consider taking the GRE, and I took that advice seriously. I quickly pivoted and saw a point jump from 660 on the GMAT to ultimately a 690 equivalent on the GRE. It wasn't an amazing mark, but after taking the GMAT and GRE a combined 5 times, I was willing to take the score that would at least put me in the 80th percentile for the programs I was applying to. This gave me the confidence once again to aim high and apply to the top-tier programs. I'm so thankful that I took his advice because I now have been admitted to Tepper, Foster, Ross, Haas, and Stanford GSB! I truly don't believe I would have been able to share these successes if I hadn't taken Harold's advice.

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I had the good fortune of working with Harold every step of the way of my MBA application process. Since I was embarking on the ambitious journey of putting together an entire application package from scratch, in a matter of just three months, I knew I sorely needed the around-the-clock attention and targeted advice of a seasoned expert. Harold, recognizing the tight timeline I was navigating, really came through for me in playing out this exact role. Above and beyond functioning in a mentor/advisor capacity, though, Harold also came across as a close friend/supporter throughout a lengthy and arduous process. His consistent words of encouragement were much needed, especially in the inevitable moments of self-doubt as I hammered out draft after draft in a seemingly endless cycle.

With respect to the essays, Harold provided very timely (typical turnaround of 24 hours, sometimes less) and comprehensive feedback. We went through multiple (>5) iterations for each of the essays until we were satisfied with the final versions. With each iteration, I recognized a notable step-up in how the content was presented in a compelling yet succinct manner – Harold clearly understood which life examples were most salient in building out my narrative, and helped me find the optimal angle through which these examples were highlighted. Ultimately, Harold’s stringent review of the materials conferred a high level of confidence as I hit “submit” on my application packages – I could safely say there was nothing more I could have done to polish the essays.

For interview prep, Harold took extra care in considering my unique background and objectives when helping me rehearse for a fairly unpredictable stage of the application. Perhaps where he helped deliver the most value was in being a solid thought partner in anticipating questions that would be posed during the actual interviews. Harold also demonstrated a brand of professionalism in proactively recognizing opportunities for me to do mock interviews with his colleagues at mbaMission instead, if he truly felt that that was the best path of preparation for myself. This was a clear signal that he prioritized having a game plan tailored to my personal needs / situation, and was willing to toggle between “stepping in” and “sitting out” based on what made the most sense for my preparation in that moment.

Overall, I would highly recommend Harold for anyone contemplating business school. I truly appreciated his expertise and guidance through many phases of the process, which includes advice that I can still carry and apply in contexts outside of just the business school application.

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Working with Harold was nothing short of humbling. His institutional knowledge guided me through the NYU Stern MBA application with a successful result.
He had a plan of action from the start and met with me to ensure we were aligned on execution. We worked through multiple iterations of my resume and essay where Harold provided guidance on how to improve my application. The best part of working with Harold is that he understood what the result should look like but would not give away the answers. He spent time coaching me to ensure I learned as the process progressed. Harold was prompt with his responses to my emails and always made sure I was clear on the task at hand.
Harold would be my top choice if you are planning to apply to any top tier MBA programs.

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I highly recommend Harold Simansky for his hourly services. Through Harold's resume and essay reviews, I was accepted with scholarship to Booth, Kellogg, Tuck, and Columbia.

Harold was extremely timely and communicative. His reviews - even when it was busy season for round 2 - were extremely efficient. When I had an urgent request due to a upcoming deadline, Harold was understanding and was quick to prioritized my work.

In terms of the feedback, it was clear that Harold had extensive experience in reviewing essays and tailoring them to each school. The essay feedback was very helpful and prescriptive, allowing me to quickly edit and turnaround versions. Harold even shared my essays and resume with other reviewers at mbaMission for no charge. I really felt that I received more value than what I was paying for!

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At first, I was hesitant to use an admissions consulting service, but after my first chat with Harold, I knew it was going to be worth it. Harold was genuinely invested in me, and wanted to give me the tools to succeed. He gave incredibly helpful insights into what admissions committees might be looking for - for instance, he provided me with lists of clubs and offerings that set certain programs apart so that I could incorporate them into my essays. Harold's guidance on my essays made me feel all the more comfortable before I pressed "Submit" on my applications.

I would highly recommend Harold to anyone who is looking to bring their application from "good" to "great". I was admitted to HBS, Stanford GSB, Booth, and Kellogg, and I know that I could not have gotten to this point without Harold's expertise.

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I really enjoyed speaking with Harold and appreciated his expertise in many areas of preparation for my MBA application. While it can be a stressful process, it really helps to have someone on your side who knows the process inside and out. Harold is very responsive and provided advice that was tailored to my situation. He provided great feedback on my application materials, and I believe that this contributed to a successful outcome - I was thrilled to receive admission offers from multiple top schools. His perspective also helped me make an informed decision at that point, understanding the pros and cons of each option.

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I had the pleasure to work with Harold throughout my MBA application process. Harold is extremely kind, proactive, and helpful. I spoke with a few other consultants before choosing Harold but felt that Harold really took the time to personally understand my story and that he would be the best to help me on my MBA process.

During our process, Harold was supportive, timely, and invaluable. He was very quick to get back to me and was happy to hop on the phone if I had questions or concerns. I ended up doing a final push for rolling admissions during COVID, and Harold would immediately get back to me and help me meet my last-minute deadlines. His feedback on essays and overall applications was extremely helpful. He had great attention to detail, and really knew the schools inside and out.

Ultimately I was accepted to UVA Darden and am excited to attend! I know I couldn’t have done it without Harold and am extremely grateful. I would highly recommend Harold to anyone (in fact I’ve already referred one of my friends)!

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It might be easy to stand at the end of this process, having turned down a scholarship at my #3 school for a place at my #1 school, and say that “everything works out for the best”. I would say instead that things have worked out – better than I would have dreamed – despite waitlists, late nights, dreaded GREs, thousands of corrections, and many tears. I have countless stories that I could recount about calling Harold at off-hours in a puddle of self-doubt, where he managed to re-assure and motivate me to continue putting one foot in front of the other. Things worked out, because I was lucky enough to have Harold as my consultant.

I started working with Harold soon-after taking my GRE for the first time. From then on, he helped me weather some early insecurities about my lack of quant background. At a certain point, we shifted strategy from re-taking the GRE yet again to focusing on telling my story in my application. I am truly indebted to him for the tactical and emotional support he provided me with throughout this early part of the process.

Landing on an actual list of schools to apply to was yet another arena in which Harold’s expertise was invaluable. Though I had thought that I had already identified schools that were a good fit, he continued to push me to consider a few more options. His counsel helped me land on a list of schools that fit with my goals and personality. I’ll particularly emphasize that he was so supportive of the schools I had initially fallen in love with, but remained grounded in challenging assumptions that may have been guiding my preferences.

Settling on a strategy of applying to my dream two schools round 1 and a number of others round 2, Harold steered me through a forest of essay questions. He was so prompt with his responses, always leaving me with plenty of time (and work!) to remain on track. He always kept my best interests at heart, making sure that I was producing essays that told my story, resonated with specific cultures of the schools, and clearly defined my hopes and dreams. Though challenging to receive an email from him telling me to completely scrap an essay for the second time, it made clear to me just how invested he was in my success.

From essays to interviews to final decisions, he was there every step of the way.

I really cannot over-state how absolutely fantastic it was to work with Harold throughout my application process. From start to finish, he was a trusted advisor, effective coach, brilliant editor, and – when times got tough – fantastic motivator. I truly do not think I could have ended up with an acceptance to my dream school without him.

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I could not be more grateful for working with Harold. I approached him as an unconventional candidate, at nearly the 11th hour before deadlines. But Harold was at the ready. He assured me he was all-in for the final push across the finish line, and he was certainly a man of his word. Harold responded nimbly, providing a clear plan of action, ample encouragement, and generous availability.

While working on my essays, Harold maintained a tight turnaround and constantly sharpened the content with specific and incisive notes. He had a firm grasp of each school and knew how to tailor my story to the personality and principles of each program. If I ever I had a question, he was ready to jump on the phone as soon as possible. And his expert knowledge helped me identify specific points of connection between my goals and the unique offerings of each school's curriculum and clubs.

Because of Harold's smart and supportive guidance, I was admitted to two Top 10 MBA programs and received a substantial scholarship offer.

In short, Harold was a hero that came to the rescue. I highly recommend him!

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