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Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Jessica Shklar
mbaMission has a collection of resources, templates and guidelines for its consultants. Its a great company because their standardization and databasing makes it so that a consultant that simply follows instructions and pulls on archived resources would likely be quite helpful. Jessica routinely exceeds the expectations set forth in the agreement by responding faster than prescribed, tailoring the already high quality templates to your story, and straight up creating content when it makes sense. Her veteranship in this space is valuable - anecdotes about past clients and wisdom from discussions with other consultants and adcom personnel help significantly. She's talented at synthesizing what she learns about you to help you answer the questions that these applications pose
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Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Jessica Shklar
Jessica must be one of the best admissions consultants out there. I came to her after an unsuccessful application process, and over the course of the ensuing year, she helped me to drastically improve my admissions story and my application materials to tell it.
Jessica works as a consultant full-time, which I strongly recommend over part-time consultants. Jessica will be your most valuable counsel and sounding board throughout, and she will ensure every word of your application helps to present the most compelling version of yourself. Along the way, she’ll also help you clarify and focus your own goals and plans. Additionally, the mbaMission team has a wealth of resources and knowledge that are available to you. Jessica is a valuable investment and I encourage you to consider working with her on your admissions journey.
Jessica knows the business school scene like the back of her hand and can also help you with joint degree programs too (e.g., MBA/MPP). Her depth and range of expertise will be especially valuable to you. Even if you think you have your plan figured out, you may surprise yourself. When I made a pivot mid-cycle on the type of joint degree program I was pursuing, Jessica was able to pivot with me and continue to guide me. I cannot over-emphasize the value of having an all-around elite consultant to manage through the many twists and turns you could encounter.
From start to finish, Jessica brought me into her world of professional admissions coaching and support. She has an extensive, organized process that sets clear expectations for her and for you and ensures everything gets done on schedule. Your engagement with Jessica begins with a rigorous brainstorming period involving detailed questions to help you gather the stories and experiences that will inform your application, which also helps Jessica really get to know you as a person. Then, you should expect to spend much of your time going back and forth with Jessica on essays. As application deadlines and interviews come up, you’ll have specific instructions to follow in order to ensure you submit a strong overall package and that you are prepared for the next steps. Throughout, Jessica is honest and direct, while still maintaining a comfortable and trusting space for you and her to work together on your grad school undertaking.
Jessica is very knowledgable and passionate about her work — a critical combination that you should demand from an admissions consultant. She is a talented strategist who can walk you through important decisions during your application process, such as recommender choices and more. Jessica even helped me evaluate whether to accept a new job I was offered during my application process. Jessica and her colleagues at mbaMission are a great resource for the latest thinking from admissions committees and accurate news/chatter on relevant developments in the world of admissions. Having access to good counsel and intelligence will only help your applications.
Importantly, Jessica and the mbaMission team do this job full-time…unlike many consultants who do admissions consulting part-time. I strongly encourage you to select a full-time consultant, like Jessica.
For anyone on the fence about whether or not to hire an admissions consultant, I encourage you to consider all the costs that go into graduate school, and that you think about paying for admissions consulting as a (relatively small) part of that overall cost. Hopefully, it will help you get into your top school; if not, at least you won’t have lingering doubts about whether you could’ve done more. Even before receiving my admissions decisions from schools, I was very pleased with Jessica’s efforts because I knew she helped me prepare the best possible version of my application.
If you are considering hiring a consultant to help you apply to grad school, I strongly recommend Jessica — commit to her early, before her spots fill up! She is someone you want on your side. Jessica has been a true partner on my application journey. I will be forever thankful to Jessica for helping me achieve one of my dreams.
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Jessica Shklar
Before deciding to work with Jessica, I had free consultations with other admissions consulting firms. I left all these consultations disappointed - they didn't provide any valuable advice and most of the time discouraged me from applying to my dream schools. And then I came across mbamission, and immediately felt a connection to Jessica after reading her bio on their website (and the reviews on gmatclub)
After my initial, 30-min free consultation with her, I was beyond excited to work with her! The packages were way above my budget, but I took the risk of buying a 3-school package and drowning a big chunk of my savings as an international student from an emerging country. However, I'm glad I did it.
Today I can happily say that working with Jessica was the best decision that I've made in a while. She not only helped me gain admission to Wharton, but she also helped me see the worth in myself. I've now also become more skilled at articulating my thoughts as a non-native English speaker, and this has helped me greatly at work too. I've come to know myself much better, am so much more confident. It's all thanks to Jessica - she had confidence in me, and showed me that I had strengths that I wasn't even aware of before.
A few more things - Jessica doesn't sugarcoat anything, but she'll be your biggest supporter. Whatever you dream of - she'll be there to support you and make sure that you put forward the best application possible. I can't recall the times I've sent her emails at awkward times of the day, about random things that I was freaking out, and she was always there to respond! She almost most of the time responds before the 2-day deadline - I haven't met anyone as committed to her job as she is.
I can't recommend her enough to anyone considering working with an admissions consultant. Jessica will always make you feel as if you're her only client, and will be your best friend throughout this tough process!
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Jessica Shklar
I worked with Jessica to prepare a R1 application via a 2 school package. The free consultation in the beginning before I even signed up for the package was what sold me. Right from the beginning, she was very straightforward in terms of evaluating my application, and I felt that she was earnest in trying to really give a me a free consultation as opposed to making a sale. She went straight to some crucial questions, and provided insightful initial feedback. Throughout the process, Jessica made the application process much less stressful in the following ways:
1) Very professional and organized, made the 2-business day turnaround with every single e-mail or piece of writing I sent her, no matter how small
2) Multiple edits of an essay until I felt like it was the best expression of my story and message that I could make
3) Insight into applying to b-school from a unique background. Preparing my application with Jessica made me feel confident in my chances despite my background.
4) Review of nearly every single word that I submitted in my application, I truly felt I had another pair of eyes working with me throughout the entire process
5) An extremely helpful mock interview that was very close to the real interview. Provided insightful but realistic advice prior to my interview
6) Extremely supportive throughout the entire process, from creating a story, preparing the rest of the application, the interview process, and the waitlist process. It was always comforting to receive check-in emails throughout the process, including anxiety-ridden days like the day before application submission, day before interview invites, day of interview, waitlist period.
I was waitlisted at my top choice in R1. While discouraged, I received support from Jessica throughout the next grueling few months. She helped me craft an update letter that ultimately led to an acceptance off the waitlist at HBS!
Overall, Jessica was instrumental to my success in this application cycle, and I cannot imagine going through this process without her. I highly recommend applicants to at least schedule a consultation with her to see for yourself the ways that she may be able to help augment your application process. In the grand scheme, the school package was definitely worth it, as it made me feel that she was always on my side working with me to get the best application possible.
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Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Jessica Shklar
I cannot understate how important Jessica was to the success I had applying to top programs. Even beginning from our first brainstorming call, I knew she was deeply invested in my success and took the time to get to know me and really understand my story.
Her knowledge of the nuances of individual programs was immensely helpful, and I felt that together we really tailored all of my apps to individual school values. Jessica is an excellent storyteller/writer/editor and really helped me sharpen my narrative. Her edits, which were often returned ahead of schedule, were always crisp and insightful. I have no doubt that the applications I eventually submitted were far more professional as a result of working with her.
I feel Jessica really stands out in the level of mentorship/support she provides to her clients. Whenever I had a random question about a program or was feeling uncertain about a portion of my app, she would provide thorough guidance via email or pick up the phone at a moment’s notice to guide me.
Overall, I was admitted to 5 M7 programs, including numerous scholarship offers. I firmly believe I would not have had that success if it were not for Jessica and her expert guidance.
I highly recommend working with her. You will not be getting some general, unspecific advice—you will be getting highly tailored, individualized guidance from someone who has an unparalleled amount of industry knowledge and cares deeply about the success of her clients.
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Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Jessica Shklar
I worked with Jessica for 2020 intake and I can confidently say that was the best decision I could’ve made in my MBA journey. She saw promise in someone who didn’t necessarily see it in themselves. Now, I’ll be attending my dream MBA program this fall and I am incredibly thrilled!
A little background on my profile – 3.0 GPA from an average international university with 3 years experience in the world of finance (middle-office for a trading desk). My target school was a very competitive M7 program. In my mind a longshot. In Jessica’s mind, quite doable if I put forth the necessary effort.
From the initial call, we began to strategize as to how I could position myself best for upcoming applications. She provided support and guidance through the initial steps of GMAT and building out a more robust profile. Once it came time to start on applications, Jessica’s insight and guidance were key. There are two key insights that she brings via experience – what experiences/things AdComs look for in an application, and, most importantly, how to tell your story in a gripping and unique manner while also showing them your authentic self.
Additionally, her directness forced me to be honest with myself and her energy consistently motivated me to be and do better. She was quick with valuable feedback and if she needed a second opinion, she would not hesitate to ask a colleague to aid in the process.
When I was accepted to my target program, I walked away from the experience thinking how lucky I was to have had the chance to work with Jessica. I guarantee, if you choose to work with Jessica and put in the level of effort she requires, you’ll walk away with an unparalleled experience and the knowledge that you could not have put forth a better application.
No question, if I had to redo the process, I wouldn’t change a thing - thanks Jessica!
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Jessica Shklar
Jessica was an invaluable ally and friend throughout the MBA admissions process. She always provided thoughtful and candid feedback, critical insight about the application process, and friendly reminders about the myriad of deadlines when balancing multiple applications. It was evident even from my first free consultation that Jessica cared deeply about each client and really focused on getting to know each of them. If you are considering an MBA consultant, schedule a free consultation now before she books up, you won’t regret it!
The thing I want to highlight is how Jessica’s diverse set of experiences makes her the perfect sounding board as you assemble your application. First, she earned her undergrad in anthropology, which opens up a whole new dimension of perspectives as you discuss your experiences and goals. Second, she is an HBS graduate, who clearly understands what it takes to be admitted and succeed at a top tier MBA program. Finally, after HBS she volunteered to help public school students with their college applications, which shows you this is truly her passion.
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Jessica Shklar
I really don t know where to start from, I have so many wonderful things to write about Jessica.
I’m an Indian engineer, working in my family business in the manufacturing sector. My sister had worked with Jessica a few years ago and recommended that I speak with her, when I decided that I wanted to go to Business School. I had a lot of concerns before my 30 minute call with Jessica - applying from an extremely competitive pool, a low undergrad GPA, an average GRE score. But Jessica in those 30 minutes made me look at the positives in my profile and immediately made me feel like my dream of getting an MBA from one of the M7 schools was possible. After the call I signed up for a 4 school complete package.
Jessica is an amazing storyteller, she helped me craft interesting stories by highlighting aspects from my profile in a way that I had never thought of before. Jessica really helped me prioritize and get things done. She was with me throughout the process, from looking at each and every word in my essay to helping me prepare for the interviews. She’s extremely patient, she worked with me on essays till I was happy with the outcome, I remember going over 10-12 drafts for almost every essay for the 4 schools that I applied to. Because of all of Jessica’s inputs and honest feedback, I was extremely happy with the way my applications looked when I hit submit. Jessica was always available, because of the time difference I remember sending her emails with doubts at weird hours but almost always received instant replies.
I can say confidently that I was admitted to Columbia Business School only because of Jessica’s help. She made my otherwise far-fetched dream possible.
If you’re thinking of applying to Business School, I highly recommend working with Jessica!
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Jessica Shklar
Bottom Line Up Front: Jessica turned my long-shot application into an acceptance letter from my dream school.
As a 30+ year old military applicant w/ <55% GRE and an average undergrad GPA, I had a steep hill to climb when it came to gaining admission to top MBA programs. Even though I knew my applications were a reach she always kept me focused on what mattered: bolstering strengths, mitigating weaknesses, and continuing to push through the marathon that is the grad school application process. Her people/communication skills are excellent. Whether I needed a shoulder to lean on or a swift kick in the rear, her tone and approach flexed to accommodate whatever I needed most on any given day. Critiques were always returned to me either early or on time. One night while “burning the midnight oil” on an application, I wrote her a fairly detailed question around 10pm her time. Even though it was outside her normal work window, within the hour she selflessly provided actionable feedback and never made a fuss about it.
Jessica is a more than just a competent professional that gets results. She genuinely cares about the people she works with...and it shows. If you’re looking to maximize results on MBA applications, you’ll definitely want her on your team!
//SIGNED//
A grateful client and Duke MBA Candidate
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Jessica Shklar
I used the Complete Package for one school with Jessica and really regretted buying that. I chose her because of all the amazing reviews posted here, but now I doubted how many of the reviews really came from real happy clients. I got dinged with no interview for the school I had her help with the application, but I got nearly full scholarship for the school I built the application myself. Both schools are top schools so it is somehow fair enough to compare. For anyone intends to use Jessica's service, please really consider my experience with her:
PROs:
- On-time turnaround
- Helpful with 1-2 first review of the essay
CONs:
- I received far less customized advice than I expected from a ~$5K package. For example, when I send the application form (not the essay), I will received the reviewed document with most of the revisions related to wording or grammar. But those wording and grammar revisions will not help me get admitted. It should be the advice such as with all the information I gave her about me, which info I should or should not choose to put in the application. Or if I showed myself as an entrepreneur, I should be aware that the valuation of my start-up is the key for the school to judge, etc. I never got her advice on the important details to make my application become a stronger one even after I tried to ask several times. All I could get was just revisions on essay, but the essay I wrote myself got me nearly full scholarship anyway so that kind of support from her was really not that helpful for me. I was very disappointed that her service is just similar to or even worse than what I got from my friends' help.
- No point using the complete package which is a big investment. I found the helpful thing she gave is mostly about 2 first reviews for my essay. For other tasks in the process, I was very disappointed. My mock interview with her is only 20 min long (and I can only have one mock interview with that package). Her comments for that was something like I did well already, no need for much improvement. That kind of comment was terrible, seriously I did not spend ~$5K for that. I found out that the mock interviews I had with other MBA students were extremely far more helpful and customized to my case than from her.
In general, I found that Jessica's service was totally not worth my investment. If you intend to choose her because of all the flattering reviews here, please be more skeptical.