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Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Jessica Shklar
If you are considering a top school I highly recommend that you sign up for Jessica Shklar’s free 30-minute consultation and you’ll quickly understand why I decided to hire her on the spot for the complete start to finish package. She is exactly what you need her to be when you need it – a strong critic when your work/writing isn’t your best (trust me she’ll know), a strategist providing advice on how to create rapport with admissions officers (a key differentiator for candidates when you’re applying to M7 or T10 schools), and a mock interviewer prepping you for yours at the top school you apply to. She won’t do the job for you, but will give you the guidance, suggestions, hand-on work, and be a sounding board so that you may succeed throughout every step of the MBA application process. I was not a perfect applicant but Jessica helped me maximize my strengths and address my weaknesses and the results exceeded my wildest expectations landing a spot at a top school! Simply put, she’s a true partner in your corner helping you out!
After a year and a half of working with Jessica, I am more focused in how I approach everything and a much better writer than before, both of which have me better prepared for B-school this fall at my dream school. Thank you Jessica!!!
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Jessica Shklar
I have no doubt that I am attending a Top 15 school because of my work with Jessica. I did a ton of research on both consultants and companies: mbaMission in general and Jessica in particular was undoubtedly the best decision I made in the application process. Seriously: her slots will fill up quickly; lock her in as soon as you can!
I did a few 30 minute consultations, and just minutes into my talk with Jessica, I was sold. As a non-traditional candidate, other consultants did not fill me with confidence; Jessica made me feel like my story and candidacy had value – and that it was precisely what made me non-traditional that would get me into a target school. And then she helped make it happen.
She has a tremendous gift for drilling down the parts of your story that are both most compelling and that will help you the most with adcoms. The first brainstorming session - and the 20 page document she had me submit beforehand – helped me shine a spotlight on what points I want to focus on and develop a cohesive narrative of my work and personal history. To say that she’s gifted at this is not hyperbole – she truly possesses an unbelievable talent at teasing out the most impressive parts of yourself while crafting an engaging narrative.
She has so much insight into the adcoms for top schools and the best and varied ways to approach each individual app – this is info that no amount of googling will help you get and gives you the edge you need to make your app stand out.
Every step of the way, she goes above and beyond. She makes you feel like she’s genuinely interested in your success and that the relationship is so much more than transactional. When I didn’t think it possible to shorten my essays any more while preserving meaning, she did so again and again; she was a miracle worker. When I got an interview invite for a school I didn’t even work on with her, she sent me a list of common questions and was available for help. When I had an unfortunate debacle with my transcript, she polled her fellow mbaMission consultants and went out of her way to help me come up with a plan that ultimately landed me where I am today. She’s brilliant, fierce, feisty, thoughtful, knowledgeable, and compassionate – all characteristics that make her a joy to work with.
I could go on and on about her virtues and value, but trust me when I tell you this: she is the best of the best.
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Jessica Shklar
Jessica was very patient and very knowledgeable about the application process and the programs. Throughout the process, she always made herself available and strictly adhered to the 24-hour response rule. She even provided an expedited feedback right before round I deadlines that helped me get the application in on time. I purchased a complete three-school consultation package with Jessica and added on two more – all in round one. Overall, I’m very happy with the result – I got into four top 15 schools with partial scholarships from two. I suggest putting down your deposit with Jessica as soon as you can because her time tends to get booked up really early in the process.
The biggest value add I got from Jessica was on the essay and the resume.
We did 7 rounds of resume editing and the final version was nothing like the first draft. I knew that I needed to make my resume more “results oriented” but honestly I didn’t know how. Jessica helped me in a way that she played the role of an admission officer, asking the right questions and kept pushing me if my answer wasn’t “results oriented” enough. She also helped me discovered a lot of bullet points that I didn’t think were important but from the eyes of an admission officer, they were.
We worked on a ton of essays – at least two for each school, 5-7 drafts for each essay. We started with a brainstorming call that collected all the stories that we were going to use for the essay then we put them together to make the initial draft – she made it fun, kind of putting together a puzzle. Jessica was really good at cutting down on words to without losing the original meaning of the sentence. This is super important because anyone who’s been through the process would tell you that word counts and space are you biggest enemies Pretty much every essay I gave her was 1.5 times of the word limit, and she cut them down to below limit in a concise way with ease. Moreover, Jessica knows how to tell a story in a very interesting and eye-catching way that attracts the readers, kind of like how a good journal reporter writes interesting stories. Again, not every admission consultant can do these things.
Mock interviews and the question lists that Jessica gave me were extremely helpful. I interviewed with 6 schools, and I’d say more than half of the questions were on the question lists. I also had a video essay which was nerve-wrecking but Jessica took extra time to help me prepare that so I was pretty ready by the time I got to it.
Last but not the least, through brainstorming sessions and interactions, Jessica really challenged me as an individual and got me to think about what I really want to do post-MBA and for the rest of my life, not simply for the purpose of the application. Through working with Jessica and from her candid feedback, I learned my strengths and weaknesses, my preferred working style and figured out where my passion lies. Luckily, I don’t have to go through the application process again but I’d do it again with Jessica because she made it fun and easy.
Product mbaMission Hourly Services
Consultant Jessica Shklar
When I set out to write my applications, my mind was a giant cloud. I had lots of ideas about why I wanted to pursue an MBA, but, as a career switcher, I didn't know much about the ins and outs of business school admissions process and what adcoms looked for. I wanted to be authentic but whenever I sat down to write, my ideas were all mixed together in a giant spaghetti ball of thought.
Jessica has a deep understanding of the application process and helped me to organize my ideas. With her direction, I was even able to understand more about myself and why I desired an MBA on the route to what I desire to accomplish. Not only was she extremely knowledgeable and affable, I felt that she genuinely appreciated my story and cared about my progress. Throughout her webinar and even the free consultation, I never felt I was being sold and received great insight from those offerings alone. That said, purchasing a couple hours to talk through my application was one of the best investments I made. Hands down, you need someone with experience with the application process and admissions to proof your entire app; I didn't know any such person, so Jessica's very professional assistance was invaluable.
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Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Jessica Shklar
I worked with Jessica while I was applying for MBA schools, and was able to get into Columbia for early decision. At the time, I was working in investment banking, and literally had no time to work on the essays and such.
During the first free consultation call, Jessica gave me real advice and the real deal while other companies whom I called gave me terrible mum answers, and told me that they wouldn't really help me until I signed up for their program. This is when I decided to go with mbaMission instead of other companies - I just felt that if the other companies cared so much about making sure that you pay first prior to helping you, then every help will be well-calculated going forward and they would not help you if they don't see an end-goal in sight.
Throughout the entire process, Jessica was very helpful in helping me craft my story. I had a few paths that I wanted go delve into (including quitting my job to start a startup), but she was direct about what she thought was a good idea and what wasn't. As I am now actually starting a startup, I've come to realize that the things which she shot down indeed were correct (she told me before that I would never have enough time to launch something given I was only 8 months away from application deadlines).
Additionally, although mbaMission has a 2-day turnaround guarantee on all products, she constantly met if not completely shattered those deadlines. Not having enough time on my plate to really focus on these applications, I would often email her questions and thoughts at 10-11pm (when I had a break at work), and she would respond within 15-20 minutes. Of note - she is very direct in what she believes, and would not give you a wishy-washy answer - even if it is something that you might not want to hear at the moment. To me, that was the most efficient method of changing/challenging my thoughts (if they were wrong). As someone who is relatively opinionated, the last thing I wanted was to have someone give me light suggestions which I could easily dismiss.
Finally, I would like to point out that the connection does not end after you get into whichever school you ultimately end up in. It has been almost 1.5 years since I last worked with her on an essay, and she still checks in on me. If you want someone who really cares and is not there just for the carrot, I highly recommend Jessica.
Product mbaMission Hourly Services
Consultant Jessica Shklar
It all started with a free 30 minute consultation which is when I realized the value Jessica would add to my application. I had tried many other consultants and none of them were bad. But this 30 minute conversation blew me away. I can assure you that no other consultant will really invest so much into studying your profile and offering you free advice loaded with value and that too for free.
Then comes the next good thing. They will never press you to purchase their services. Actually, they dont need to. I am sure any applicant will be convinced about them after a single conversation.
Jessica helped me - a true mentor, pressing me to deliver my best, and supported me with her expertise and making me delve deeper at every step to discover my true potential. I will forever be thankful for her support and inspiration.
Product mbaMission Hourly Services
Consultant Jessica Shklar
Jessica is incredible. I was very knowledgeable about the MBA process coming in, but still wanted a professional to review my essays and help with interview prep on an hourly basis. I selected Jessica based on her glowing GmatClub reviews.
I applied to 5 M7 schools Round 1 in Fall 2016, interviewed with 3, accepted to 2 (waitlisted at 1). Due to my schedule, I was unable to begin working on my applications until July. Jessica's targeted insight into what adcoms and specific schools were looking for helped me develop a roadmap for the two months before applications were due. She's also very gifted in helping you realize the best stories and themes to showcase in your applications. Jessica is honest in all of her feedback, which is invaluable, yet supportive in making you feel like you have a real shot at your reach schools.
Jessica is very conscientious of helping you get the most out of your time with her. Even during her busiest periods, she often turned around essay edits before the standard MBA Mission 48-hr response time and responded to any questions within 1-2 hours. When I added an application to my list with less than two weeks before the deadline, Jessica worked with me to do three reviews of the essay in just over a week.
Ultimately, I was admitted to Chicago Booth, Columbia, and waitlisted at MIT. I can't thank Jessica enough for her help and highly recommend her to any aspiring MBA applicant!
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Jessica Shklar
Like many of you, I started doing an extensive research to select the best consultant in the industry. I have a PhD degree in engineering, 5 years of professional experience and GMAT score of 670 and my goal was to attend one of the top prestigious MBA schools to pursue a career in finance. I was 32 years old and knew that this was the last year to do a full time MBA in my life. I spent countless hours reviewing the biography of more than 100 consultants and talked to consultants from 6 different companies until I found Jessica Shklar. She had an impressive resume and she impressed again when we had our 30 minutes trial session. I stopped my search after that call ! I just knew that she was the right consultant for me.
Overall I had a great experience with Jessica. She helped me uncover my best stories She actually impressed me by telling me my own stories. Somehow she knew my stories better than I did!!! :) She also rightfully advised and later convinced me to retake the GMAT to improve my chances to get into my desired schools. She really cared for my success and went above and beyond what I was expecting ( and I normally expect a lot for my money). She helped me get prepared for the interview process and then helped me stay patient which actually, believe it or not, was one of the hardest part of the whole process. I did 4 interviews and finally got admitted into one of my top choices and can't be happier today. She is one of the best in the industry. If I were to do it again, I wouldn't want to do it with anyone else.
Product mbaMission Hourly Services
Consultant Jessica Shklar
Jessica was an outstanding admissions consultant and her effectiveness, guidance and straightforward counseling gave me the confidence and support to put my best self forward during the admissions process.
I decided to try out a free half-hour consultation with MBA Mission and picked Jessica - in the half hour that we spoke, I gained more insight and guidance in my candidacy as an MBA applicant than I had gained from anybody else combined. She provided feedback on my career goals and told me I needed more specificity, explained what about my background was unique, and shared gaps that she felt could use improvement.
I decided to buy an hourly package from Jessica and spent two hours - one on my resume, and one on my dream school essay. For my resume, Jessica helped my achievements shine through recommendations for a format and how to bring out and articulate impact that I had in my work, as well as helping me consider what helped me stand out next to my peer group. Her resume editing help was second to none, and it truly helped distinguish me from other candidates during the application process AND the interview process, because I had a resume to talk about that I was so excited about!
And for essay feedback - WOW! In only one hour of essay feedback, Jessica was able to help me bring out the best parts of my story through her thoughtful questions and suggestions. I truly believe that her expertise and, truly, her GIFT is in helping you see the best parts of your writing and ideas and bringing that out.
Did I mention how fast Jessica is? She packs SO much knowledge and insight into every single interaction and every single email. She helped me move quickly at a time for me when every hour was crucial - she went above and beyond to get back to me quickly.
I ended up with over $160K in scholarships from two top 5 schools and an admission to my #1 dream school. I couldn't be happier with my experience. Thank you Jessica!
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Jessica Shklar
Jessica was incredibly fast, responsive, and detail oriented. She was patient to work me through more drafts than normal to get to clean and concise stories for my resume and essays. She was also dedicated to creating the best outcome, even if it meant starting an essay over with a new story.
The process was less stressful than it would have been alone, but unfortunately I was not accepted by any of the R1 schools we felt comfortable about, so I had to apply to more than I was planning to in R2. I don't hold Jessica responsible for selection, but perhaps we could have done better there or landed on better stories to include in those essays. The additional applications did add to the stress, but I was very happy about the acceptances I received in R2.