As I studied for my GMAT, I often lurked on Reddit and P&Q to read up on consultant reviews. But the decision couldn’t have been more challenging when the time came. After talking to 7-8 consultants, I couldn’t find a fit with anyone. Some would often sell themselves, while others would try to sell me dreams. So, I decided to talk to more consultants. This is when I stumbled upon Harshad. An individual who was genuinely interested in my story rather than trying to sell me his services. So much so that after talking to consultants for over 2 weeks, I decided to work with Harshad the same day I spoke to him.
One thing was obvious: Harshad mentioned he is “very direct,” and he means it. He understands that time is of the essence in MBA applications, so there is no time to beat around the bush.
The process was straightforward. Brainstorming sessions, school selection, Resume, essays, interviews, etc…
While looking for a consultant, I also assessed the “firm” they worked for. This became obvious when Harshad sent me the Brainstorming document to fill out. Mbamission’s brainstorming document is long, but filling it out in its entirety allowed Harshad to really get to know me. This made our essay discussions easier because all of my stories were laid out, and Harshad could pinpoint exactly how I could approach the essays.
Things weren’t always easy. Initially, I thought that I had hired a consultant, and with his guidance, I had written my essays, and my job was done. Harshad put a stop to this in our very first essay. What I had written was nowhere close to what we had discussed. He was “direct” in his approach and quick to get on a call to re-discuss, just in case I had missed any details in our initial essay call. It again became evident that Harshad wasn’t willing to settle for less. Even if it meant additional time and resources, he went above and beyond for me to craft the best essays possible.
I also liked Harshad’s “one-school” at a time approach. With 2 months to go for app deadlines, I was wary of this and thought I couldn’t submit it on time. However, he assured me that we would meet the timeline, and we did. The time we invested in our initial essays on one school, made it easier for us on the subsequent schools.
After submitting my applications, Harshad suggested I get some rest, but the job wasn’t done. Slowly, the interviews trickled in, and Harshad quickly set up mock interviews, provided resources on Mbamission’s Ontrack, and assured me I was in the best place possible during my interviews. I enjoyed Harshad’s mock interviews because he threw hard questions at me, ensuring I could think on my feet.
From the interviews to the decisions, Harshad checked in often to ensure I was doing well. He even took the time to check in on my parents during our regular essay calls, showing genuine care and understanding of the personal challenges I had shared about their health. While he is undoubtedly direct and professional, he has a very high emotional intelligence.
I knew hiring a consultant was expensive, but I couldn’t have been happier with my decision to work with Harshad. With Harshad’s help, I was admitted to Yale (with a 50% scholarship), Tuck (with a 50% scholarship), and Darden.
Also, a special shoutout to Jen (also from the mbaMission team), who connected me with Harshad!

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I don’t think I would have been able to secure an admit to the MIT Sloan Fellows program if it hadn’t been for Harshad. At the start of my application journey, I spoke to multiple consultants and coaches across India and the US, but none gave me the conviction or confidence that I could actually get into MIT.
Several consultants in India even advised me to steer away from top U.S. schools, citing my overrepresented background as a barrier. Many of the U.S.-based consultants felt too transactional.
That changed the moment I was referred to Harshad by a former Stanford student who had worked with him. From our very first conversation, I felt a sense of clarity and confidence that he was someone who could help me put together the strongest possible application.
Working with Harshad was seamless. He was extremely organized, structured in his communication, and often reviewed my drafts well before the agreed turnaround time. He never watched the clock, our calls regularly went beyond the scheduled time, and he always ensured we had fully addressed the discussion’s purpose.
What truly stood out was his honest and critical feedback. Whether it was for my essays or my mock interview prep, he pushed me to bring out my best. Even after receiving the admit, Harshad has continued to stay in touch, offering his advice on next steps and sharing his perspective on post-MBA opportunities in the U.S. I honestly doubt many consultants would have done the same.
While I was initially unsure about the investment required to engage with him, in hindsight, it was completely worth it. Without Harshad, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve my dream of getting into MIT. I’m incredibly grateful for his support, not just as a consultant, but also as a mentor, a friend, and a brother.
I highly recommend him, and I can say with complete confidence that he will make a meaningful difference in your application journey.

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Collaborating with Harshad Mali of mbaMission was pivotal to my MBA application success. His understanding of each target school's culture and admissions nuances provided the foundation for a winning strategy.
Aiming for a combination T10 MBA/T3 real estate program, I was concerned that I would not be able to overcome my younger age disadvantage. Harshad was honest about my inexperience but skillfully addressed this by developing a unique strategy that leveraged my volunteer work and family history, positioning my background as an advantage for top-tier admissions committees.
Throughout the process, Harshad kept me on task with specific, actionable feedback that refocused every part of my application. He took the time to understand me deeply - exploring my professional ambitions, personal motivations, and family influences. With this holistic approach, he helped me build a narrative that resonated with NYU Stern’s focus on EQ and leadership.
Harshad’s strategic insights and dedicated support enabled me to secure a spot at NYU Stern T6/T2, my target program. His expertise was truly transformative, and I enthusiastically recommend Harshad Mali to any applicant targeting the top-ranked MBA programs.

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First and foremost, I truly do not believe I would be in the position of holding three admits—from HBS, Wharton, and MIT Sloan—without Harshad’s guidance and support throughout the application process. From day one, Harshad was realistic about how competitive these schools are, but also incredibly encouraging and pushed me to bring my best to every part of the process.

We started with a 20+ page brainstorming document, and while that felt daunting at first, Harshad’s approach helped me refine my story in a way I never could have done on my own. He has an incredible eye for identifying what makes someone stand out—often drawing attention to experiences or insights I had initially overlooked. What I had dismissed as “just part of the job,” Harshad helped me shape into compelling, differentiated narratives.

One of the qualities that makes Harshad an exceptional coach is his honesty and commitment to high standards. He was never one to sugarcoat feedback or just tell me what I wanted to hear. When an essay wasn’t landing, he told me directly—but he also jumped on calls, worked through the ideas with me, and never let me settle for “just okay.” That combination of candor and support is rare and exactly what I needed.

On top of all that, Harshad was incredibly responsive and dependable. With a demanding job and three top-tier applications to juggle, I can’t overstate how much it helped to have a coach I could count on for fast, thoughtful feedback—often within just a few hours.

Before I started the journey, I hesitated about making the investment in the three-school package. Like many others, I had some sticker shock. But now, on the other side with three dream admits in hand, I can say without hesitation: it was 100% worth it. I wouldn’t have achieved these results without Harshad, and I’m incredibly grateful for his partnership every step of the way.

If you’re on the fence, my advice is simple: go for it. I couldn’t recommend MBA Mission—and Harshad specifically—more highly.

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When I decided to pursue business school, I wanted to consult with an experienced expert about my chances at top schools before committing the next six months to studying for the GMAT. After thorough research, I found MBAmission to be the highest-rated company in this space. After watching Harshad's introductory video, I felt confident he would be a great fit for me. A 30-minute introductory call with Harshad solidified my decision—he was confident that my low GPA wouldn’t be a major hindrance and helped me plan my next steps accordingly.

From the start, I was impressed by how much time Harshad took to understand my personal background and unique story. The background document he guided me through was essential in shaping my narrative. Before working with him, I had a rough idea of what I wanted to convey in my applications. However, Harshad helped me refine and structure those ideas into a compelling, cohesive story that clearly communicated why I was pursuing an MBA. He also helped me infuse a personal element into my post-MBA goals, which undoubtedly strengthened my applications.

When it came to crafting my essays, I truly appreciated Harshad's candid feedback. His straightforwardness pushed me to think more deeply about my experiences and motivations. It was clear he was giving 100% effort to ensure my essays were as strong as possible. Additionally, he consistently returned my drafts ahead of schedule, which made the process much less stressful.

His mock interviews were invaluable. Harshad’s ability to simulate both conversational interviews and more formal ones (without the typical small talk) was second to none. I received interview invites from four first-round schools, and each of those interviews felt like a breeze thanks to the thorough preparation I had with Harshad.

Overall, I couldn't be happier with the outcome. While hiring a consultant is an investment, I knew I needed expert guidance to overcome my low GPA and to help me navigate my relatively narrow school list. Harshad played a crucial role in my application process. In the end, I received first-round admits to Columbia Business School, Yale SOM, and Tuck, with one school still pending in round two. I highly recommend Harshad to anyone looking for a consultant who can craft a well-defined story, provide blunt and constructive feedback, and push you to exceed your limits in pursuit of your dream MBA admits.

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If you want the short version, Harshad is the best! You should absolutely hire him if you are serious about wanting to be accepted to a top MBA program!
If you want the long version, please read on. When I made the decision to apply to business schools, my target schools were very ambitious. I wanted to be accepted to a program that could be truly life changing. I was mainly targeting M7 programs and was not even considering any MBA programs outside of the top 25. I come from a nontraditional background and knew that seeking the help of an admissions consultant was likely the best way for me to craft the best applications possible. During my initial consultations with several other consultants, they expressed concern about the programs that I was targeting - then I had my consultation with Harshad. I remember asking Harshad, "Which school's application is your favorite?" He responded, "I like helping people with applications for schools that are difficult to get into." At that point, I knew I had found the right person. I was confident that Harshad was going to push me and give me the best chance to help me achieve my lofty goal. Throughout the application process, Harshad was structured and efficient, but also very personable and kind. Harshad's engineering background came across in the best way when I worked with him. The way he approached topics and explained information was very structured, which made it easy to follow. I found this structure extremely valuable when I felt overwhelmed by the application process (which was frequent). Harshad was also very efficient, always providing essay feedback on time or early. I appreciated this aspect increasingly as the application deadlines drew closer. Lastly, Harshad is just a great person. I felt that he truly wanted me to succeed. Whenever I felt stuck, Harshad would offer to hop on a brainstorming call with me to get the ball rolling again. He helped me recall stories from my life that shaped who I am. His essay feedback was very insightful and actionable. Harshad also had a knack for helping me trim my essays down to fit within the word count limits. When I received invitations to interview, Harshad helped me prepare by walking me through a plan for how to navigate them. Once the dust had settled, I was accepted to an M7 program with full tuition! I feel truly humbled by this incredible opportunity and feel that Harshad played a big role in my success. If you want your wildest MBA dreams to come true, I believe that Harshad is the best person to help you do that.
P.S. If you enjoy sports, Harshad is a former athlete and has a very interesting sports background.

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OnTrack has truly been a one stop-shop for everything I needed to complete MBA applications. It provides a tailor-made schedule of modules based on an initial assessment. Simply completing the modules alone gave me enough insight to tackle multiple applications confidently. Since I signed up late, I was short on time and had to be selective with which modules I focused on. I would recommend signing up as early as possible to take advantage of all the content.

One of the more challenging parts of the MBA application is researching the different schools. OnTrack does a great job of covering the basics and essentials of most schools. This was a huge time-saver and gave me a solid foundation before diving into my own research.

OnTrack also provides modules on essay writing and resume preparation, including examples that help you navigate these challenging aspects of an application. I especially loved the interview prep modules. They offer an interface with a repository of school-specific interview questions, where you can record yourself answering them. Watching these recordings back helped me spot and improve any habits I didn’t realize I had. There’s no limit to how many times you can practice, which is perfect for prepping. They also provide specific questions to help you get ready for the video assessments required by some schools.

Overall, I feel OnTrack is an excellent investment for anyone working on their MBA applications. It is comprehensive and gives you a strong structure to work with.

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It was amazing working with Harshad with mbaMission and well worth the effort and resources. I came to him with a seemingly impossible task of a week turnaround time for an application, start to finish, but he was more than up to the challenge and approached each step of supporting me with brainstorming, essay strengthening, resume revision, and interview preparation with clear, concise, relevant, comprehensive, and manageable steps. He was direct and upfront with telling me I had good content but needed a lot of work to present it in a much clearer way and that aligned more in what the schools are looking for. He provided a good balance of a challenge to work hard to strengthen my application in very applicable and tangible ways while keep me moving forward at a pace necessary to reach the deadline. His direct and to the point guidance on where to put my effort, thoughtful feedback, and structure in the calls and emails were clear about what was well done and what needed work. He invited me to guide his support for where I most wanted to focus on. Through his support in overhauling and strengthening my application, it led me to being accepted at my top school.

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By the time I met with Harshad, I had applied to 4 different schools, with fairly dismal results (3 rejections, 1 waitlist). While I thought I had a fairly good story, Harshad clearly spotted areas that could have been perceived as "weak" on my application and other areas that needed to be either fleshed out more or highlighted. When tackling my weaker areas, he always kept a can-do attitude and continuously encouraged me through the application. When stumped over an essay point, Harshad got me on a call and we worked through the essay prompt and brainstormed ideas for me to use!

Harshad was never afraid to tell me what he really thought, and I appreciated that immensely, even when I had to choose between the better-fit school and my dream city. Ultimately ended up in a T10 school, which turned out to be the right school for me, with so much thanks for Harshad!

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As a reapplicant, I knew I needed to take a different approach, and Harshad was instrumental in helping me achieve that. He worked closely with me to refine my story, identifying the key aspects of my life that would resonate with admissions committees. His insight into crafting a clear R1 and R2 strategy was invaluable.

Despite my struggles with the GMAT, Harshad never wavered in his belief that I could meet my target schools' requirements. His unwavering support kept me motivated. Ultimately, I was accepted into both Kellogg and Wharton.

Harshad's true strength lies in his deep understanding of the essay prompts. He has a unique ability to break them down and reveal what the schools are really looking for. This insight allowed me to answer each question with precision and focus, tailored specifically to each school.

Beyond his expertise, Harshad is a pleasure to work with. He makes the process smoother and less stressful, truly making your life easier and constantly motivating you. I couldn’t have asked for a better consultant to guide me through this journey.

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