I came to Jessica as a re-applicant and having been through the process before, I was somewhat skeptical that I needed too much more guidance other than cleaning up my story and repurposing my prior materials. However, it became very clear from our first interaction that she could help me do so much more. During our brainstorming session, she helped bring out both professional and personal experiences that I hadn't even considered talking about before. What I appreciated most about working with her was her uncommon ability to force me to form a story myself even as she helped me talk through several anecdotes, acting as a guide while allowing me to make my essays and overall application truly personal - this also speaks to her incredible patience. While she is a very nice person, she didn't let this keep her from being a tough critic of my writing, and she pushed me to go through several drafts of all of my essays, without going overboard and being too picky over minute details. While she certainly helped edit my essays, she generally stayed hands-off when it came to the content, again allowing me to make the story truly mine. Her help was especially important given my background as a relatively traditional applicant coming from finance applying to the top 3 MBA programs, of which I got into one. I truly believe she helped make a difference in presenting myself in the most effective, yet honest way and would recommend her to anyone.

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Jessica Shklar is an amazing advisor.

- She helped me elevate my story and application. I thought I knew it going in - but she helped me really interrogate my goals, arguments, and narrative. She never directed me on what to write - rather, her wealth of experience about the application process helped me identify what to emphasize and what was missing based on what each school is looking for. She sharpened and refined, helping me present to each school the best version of myself.

- Hugely effective use of time. She's incredibly efficient both in the hourly services, but also in writing editing. She didn't just elevate my work - she taught me how to be a crisper, more effective writer in general. Hard to overstate how important that is for business school applications.

- Most importantly, Jessica is a kind, thoughtful person and made me feel good about my candidacy. B-school apps are tough and there are lots of people ready to tell you why you won't get in or play down your goals and expectations for yourself. Though I wasn't confident about myself going in, Jessica helped me embrace my strengths and be confident in my overall candidacy. I actually think this is a necessary factor in being successful. Your consultant should be your cheerleader!

I will now be attending a top 5 b-school in the fall. So, so grateful for her support. Working with Jessica was the best investment I made this year and 100% confident it wouldn't have happened without her.

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I chose Jessica because, after phone calls with several other consultants from other companies, she—easily—made the best use of the time on the call and had the strongest impact. I was really impressed and inspired and felt confident that she was someone who would provide the most value added. She did not disappoint and was consistently helpful throughout the contract. Even though I was rejected from all seven schools (the most selective, was waitlisted with one of them) that I worked on with her, I would still highly recommend her services, as I was able to take the application materials that I worked on with her feedback, and leverage them successfully for multiple other selective schools. Jessica is professional, gives you honest, experienced, and objective feedback and I believe that her services helped me get accepted to a top choice of mine and with excellent scholarship opportunities at multiple schools. If you have the money, Jessica can help keep the application stress to a minimum which will help keep your work performance and relationships (because of less stress) healthy. Working with her and mbaMission provides a structure that will help you balance work, applications, volunteer work, and your social life. Jessica was always quick to respond to questions and was reliably committed to the two business day turnaround in mbaMission’s contract. Jessica is an intelligent and experienced professional and was a strong asset to have on my team when it came to putting forth the best version of my self during the application process. In hindsight, partnering with Jessica made my application process more deeply introspective, objective, fun, memorable, and meaningful.

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I was on the fence about these consultancies generally. I studied/took the GMAT on my own and, confident in my own story, felt I could do the same with essays/applications. Ultimately I decided to go for it as I connected well with Jessica on our initial consultation and didn't want to miss out on a leg up other applicants may have.

I'm glad I did. Without Jessica's guidance, I would have produced a much weaker application. If you really nail a question - she's there to help smooth out the details. If you miss on one, she won't hold back; she'll let you know you have to throw it away and start over. And she's right. Working with Jessica gave me confidence in taking risks with my essays that I otherwise wouldn't have taken. She was there every step of the way, using all the resources available to her (including other consultants at the firm whose expertise was helpful in specific scenarios) to make sure your application is the best it possibly can be.

Don't skip out on this crucial tool during the application process. Relative to the amount of money you'll spend on your MBA in it's entirety, a consultant fee is a drop in the bucket.

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I worked with Jessica for the R1 Class of 2020 application cycle. She helped me immensely, particularly with my career essay - how to make it not feel contrived, how to showcase my background as a "nontraditional" applicant. There were lots of things I wouldn't know to do that I ended up doing because of Jessica's guidance. More than this, Jessica always made me feel that my unique voice could be heard while also fitting into the "box" of what these essays could and should look like. Her editing was extremely helpful, particularly around shortening essays as necessary. Having her as a reliable and trustworthy partner in the essay writing process made me cognizant of time management leading up to deadlines. Jessica came to me through a referral from a previous client and I would absolutely recommend her to any of my friends applying.

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As non-traditional student with very few personal MBA connections, the application process seemed incredibly daunting. After being recommended Jessica by another non-traditional applicant who received admission at Wharton, I was undoubtedly impressed by what she brought to the application process. Not only was I accepted to the school of my (and my wife's) dreams, Jessica brought a layer to the application process I would have never discovered on my own. The sheer magnitude of self-discovery, through her method of consulting, not only helped me evaluate what I wanted from a school and how to write my applications accordingly, but what I want to accomplish both during and post-MBA. Her insights not only helped me receive admission, but helped me draw a better picture of how I want to market myself in my job hunt. I would strongly recommend Jessica to anyone wanting to apply to a top MBA, especially non-traditional candidates.

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I did a tremendous amount of research and spoke with over a dozen consultants before I was very luckily referred to Jessica. After our first conversation, I knew she was the consultant I wanted to partner with. Jessica genuinely supported my goals to apply to the top MBA programs and was dedicated during the entire process.

Jessica is efficient and effective – she provided an agenda at the beginning of our talks, and we discussed and tackled those items during each session, spending additional time at the end for my specific questions. The resume support was tremendous. We went through six or seven iterations, and the final product was a complete transformation from the first draft in format, language, and theme. As a military veteran, I really struggled talking and writing about myself. Thankfully, I had Jessica to discuss my stories with and bounce ideas off of. After each of our brainstorming sessions, she helped me to identify the most defining, powerful, and compelling stories from my background, and we strategized how to approach questions for each school. As I worked through essays, Jessica provided honest, specific feedback and very fast turnarounds. Not only was she the mentor and coach that I needed, she is also an excellent teacher, and I learned to become a much better communicator through this entire process.

I applied to GSB, HBS, Wharton, Kellogg, Haas, and CBS. I received interview offers at five of the schools, was accepted to four, and waitlisted at one. There is no way I would have accomplished my dreams without Jessica.

On a closing note, going into the application process, as an older candidate with a low GPA, I felt my goals were lofty and my chances, realistically, were slim. However, I didn’t want to leave anything on the table. Regardless of the outcome, I knew that this investment was going to be worth every penny. It has proved to be so much more than I would have ever thought. Not only did the start-to-finish packages and mock interviews prepare me for the business school application and interview process, it has also prepared me for pre-MBA summer program and internship applications. All the tools that I learned to use when writing my essays and preparing for interviews have been invaluable even after acceptance to business school.

Make the investment to work with Jessica. It is hands down the most helpful thing you can do to prepare for business school applications AND beyond.

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One of the best decisions I made in the application process was getting a consultant, and Jessica is by far the best and most knowledgeable consultant I spoke to. Starting off the MBA process and being a non-traditional candidate, I was unsure on how to sell myself to top MBA programs; however, Jessica guided me through the application process and gave me the confidence to excel. Ultimately, I was accepted into my dream school, which I highly contribute to Jessica’s thoughtfulness and patience throughout the process.

A few reasons I think Jessica is the best in the industry:
--She gives honest feedback, and pushes you to stay on-track. I really appreciated this quality, especially when writing each of my business school essays.
--She has a gift for story-telling. During each call and essay edit, Jessica helped me extract and build upon the most important ideas of each story, which was very helpful. When writing about ourselves, we often think every aspect of our story is vital to write down; however, Jessica is a master at helping you condense but still answer the essay questions thoughtfully.
--She is very timely, and turns around work quickly. I was so impressed with Jessica’s ability to turn very high-quality work around fast.

Jessica is amazing, and I highly recommend her to anyone applying to business school.

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Jess was wonderful to work with! I had the pleasure of working with her for two years, and throughout the entire process, Jess was incredibly supportive, knowledgeable and thorough.

Jess really worked with me to identify key differentiating points of my skills and experience and then clearly communicate my story in the admissions essays and interview. She is a fantastic writer and helped me articulate ideas in a very succinct way.

I ended up getting into my dream school and I thank Jess over and over for all of her insight and hard work to help me achieve my goals! I would definitely recommend Jess for your MBA application experience! Simply the best!

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Jessica had rave reviews from my former manager (“simply the best”), and I used her for Round 1 of the 2016-2017 cycle with 2/2 admissions at HBS and Wharton.

Both a business executive and perceptive storyteller, Jessica is unique. She outperformed at every step, packing our time with prompt, actionable feedback delivered with off-the-charts energy and humor.

In our first conversation, she quickly synthesized my profile (strengths and specifics to improve – e.g. trying the GRE) and cited information on schools I hadn’t unearthed in hours of research and calls. During our sessions, Jessica took time to understand the influences that have shaped me, and my future goals. She then drew out my most compelling accomplishments and experiences, weaving them into a memorable yet strategic narrative that stood out to my target schools.

In particular, she is an exceptional writer. She is skilled at understanding the point you are trying to communicate and crafting a succinct, accessible way to get it across. She helped me tell a very context-specific story in a way that was clear and persuasive to any reader, which I believe got me into my top school.

I worked with Jessica on my brainstorming, essay (editing again and again until every word had weight), and career goals. She also demystified the process by providing honest answers on what schools expected and how I matched up (How to use the short answers, or present a low GPA?).

My engagement with Jessica gave me the edge I needed to get into my dream school, and clarity and focus going forward. Work with Jessica – you will not regret it!!

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