John Sisk Reviews

I would highly recommend John to anyone who wants to get into their “reach" school. I decided to get an MBA late in July and signed up for a 4 school package in November. I was so tied up with the GMAT that our work only started in late November (In hindsight, I would recommend you to start working with a consultant the moment that you decide to get an MBA). I got offers from 3 schools (one of them with scholarship) and 1 waitlist. CBS was my dream school and I'm heading there this fall!

Despite how my GMAT score was below the median, John encouraged me to look beyond it. John's greatest value is the storytelling, crafting a coherent and compelling narrative for my career transition and uncovering my unique attributes that I otherwise would have overlooked. John is extremely committed, supportive, and engaging, putting in more time and effort than contracted. Due to the time difference, our meetings are often early morning/late night, but every meeting was worth it and essay exchange was highly productive. The interview prep effectively streamlined the process and relieved the stressfulness. I had an urgent interview and we managed to scheduled the mock interview at 6AM (my time zone) with just a few hours of notice. He emphasised that it’s a “conversation” and I’m naturally good at communicating, so do not over prepare.

The school package is expensive, but I think it’s worth it because going to school is an even bigger investment and you want your 1st choice!

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In short, John earns my highest recommendation. He bears a great deal of responsibility for my success.

I worked with John on a 3 school package. I had always thought of myself as a strong writer and strong story teller (and still do!), but John truly took my applications to the NEXT level. In our first meeting where we went over my "tell me about yourself/why business school" narrative, an area where I had previously thought I was rock solid, John opened my eyes to the fact that my story was my a little all over the place. He helped me fine tune the stories about my past so that they were coherent and representative of a strong business school applicant. We continued to work on other essays and resume review; John supported me throughout the process, and we were in constant communication. In the end, I was admitted to 3 M7 schools with significant scholarships at each, and have continued to leverage John's teachings to earn an internship offer at a top tier consulting firm. Truly none of this would have been possible without John!

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I had John Sisk work with me to put together essays for two schools more than a year ago. I was told that I would have a good chance with the two schools I applied to and in fact one of the schools I applied to was a school he graduated from so I felt comfortable hiring him to help on my essays. He was pretty accessible most of the times through emails but I am really disappointed that I paid thousands of dollars to not even get a first round invite to any of these schools. In fact, I applied to another school where I didn't get any guidance in writing the essays and ended up being admitted to that school. Hiring consultants for essays are a huge waste of money and I wish I had not spent this much money on a service that yielded NO RESULTS. It would be better for you to just write the essays yourself and you will have just as much if not a better fighting chance at these schools.

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I am thrilled to share my outstanding experience with John. I purchased a three-school Start-to-Finish Package, and John helped me successfully secure a spot at a top 15 program despite a weak GMAT score.

John was able to guide me through a structured application process that took the stress out of navigating it on my own. This allowed me to stay organized and confident throughout the journey. One of the highlights of my collaboration with John was the insightful brainstorming session and his continued effort to get to know me personally. Through this collaboration, John was able to help me develop a compelling story for me to use in my essays. He was able to uncover and help me present my unique experiences, strengths, and aspirations in a compelling way. In addition, John is a flat-out amazing writer and was able to provide suggestions on how to make my essays pop.

The other key value-add that John was able to bring to the table was his deep knowledge of each of the programs that I was applying for. He gave me direction on how to write my essays for each school that would resonate the strongest with the adcom.

I wholeheartedly recommend John to anyone pursuing admission to a top MBA program.

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TLDR the brainstorming and structure of a "Complete Start-to-Finish Package" with MBAMission was useful but definitely not worth the $6,900 price tag. I went into the process thinking that using a consultant would give me an "edge" in the extremely competitive process of applying for top 10 MBA programs but found that to be not the case. Overall the consultant (John Sisk) was very nice and personable. The brainstorming session and documents at the beginning of the process were definitely helpful in coalescing thoughts and providing direction. The structured process can also be a boon to someone who is less organized but I'd say any reasonably driven individual should be able to handle organization / time management on their own.

The two primary reasons for my less-than-stellar rating are:
1) in hindsight, I believe the structured essay writing style of the consultant actually hurt my chances as they likely felt too sanitized and polished; and
2) although the consultant was friendly, I didn't feel like the consultant actually cared whether I got into a good program. I had disappointing results in Round 1 (with his complete package assistance) but didn't receive any follow-up or hear from him come decision time. As a consultant, he was keenly aware of when school decisions were released but basically if I didn't reach out to him with the news, good or bad, he likely never would have contacted me again. After getting a hold of him and telling him of my rejections in Round 1 he offered to continue helping and providing advice for Round 2 but my subsequent two emails were left unanswered. Also, case in point, he never reached out or contacted me again to ask how my MBA application process was going and still does not know which schools I got into in Round 2.

I was ultimately successful in getting into a top 10 MBA program on my own in Round 2 (writing essays in my own style rather than the vanilla structure he recommended) so all is well that ends well but I simply cannot recommend spending so much money for this service.

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John was meant to be an MBA Admissions Consultant. His level of care and how committed he is to each client is unparalleled. He communicates feedback thoroughly and in a timely manner. He makes sure to check in and has a ton of patience when working with you. I had a bit of a quick turnaround and he made sure to let me know on a regular basis that we were pacing well and that all will be alright. He really develops a rapport with you and helps you see a clear way to tell your story. I could not be where I am at today without John.

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I recently had the pleasure of working with John on three full-time MBA applications (2022-2023 application cycle, start-to-finish package, all M7 programs), and could not be more pleased with my experience. John is the ultimate professional – thoughtful, responsive, knowledgeable, and encouraging – though what struck me the most was his ability to extract crucial details from various (seemingly unrelated) personal and professional experiences, and distill those into a concise, cohesive narrative that perfectly highlighted my strengths and potential at business school and beyond. It is worth noting that prior to engaging with John, I actually applied to a fourth program during R1, and the differences between my unassisted application and the applications that I worked on with John are startling. Most importantly, the narrative that John and I crafted together is actually more authentic and compelling than the story I was able to tell on my own. Because of this, I truly feel that I put my best foot forward with each program, and I strongly doubt that I would be in the position that I am without John’s guidance and support.

Despite working under a slightly compressed timeline, John helped me prepare three very thorough / polished MBA applications in advance of various R2 deadlines, ultimately resulting in my admission to both CBS and Booth. Though a difficult decision (which John thoughtfully helped me navigate), I eventually / excitedly accepted my offer from CBS, who also offered me a very generous (and unexpected!) merit-based scholarship. I could not be more thrilled with this outcome, which I firmly believe would not have been achievable had John and I not worked together.

TL;DR: my experience with John was overwhelmingly positive, and I would HIGHLY recommend him to anyone considering this type of service. Thank you, John!

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John helped me navigate the challenging process of applying to four of M7 business schools, resulting in being admitted to Booth and waitlisted at Wharton despite below-average test scores for a private equity applicant applying in R2.

What sets John apart is his ability to truly listen and understand unique backgrounds and experiences. In my case, I had a unique life story that included numerous setbacks and challenges. For years, I was unsure how to reconcile various stories and experiences to showcase my strengths in a coherent story that ties them all together. However, John took the time to identify the key experiences and focus areas and helped me develop a compelling narrative that highlighted my resilience, leadership skills, and ability to overcome adversity in personal and professional contexts.

Furthermore, I struggled with standardized testing and despite trying several times, had below-average GMAT/GRE scores that initially made me doubt my chances of admission. However, John was able to help me focus my application on other strengths of my application that demonstrated my academic abilities and potential for success in business school.

John has a rare talent for helping applicants uncover their unique strengths and tell their stories in a compelling and authentic way. Not only did he help me gain admission to the best business school, working together foremost helped me understand myself better.

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I was passed over by 2 different consulting companies when I decided to work with a consultant for business school. I was 30 when I decided to apply, and despite having a solid undergrad GPA (3.7) and achieving 740 a GMAT Score, every consultant I spoke to cross-referenced me against their ideal profile of a 25-28 year old with similar scores and decided that I wasn't worth their time. There was no scarcity of qualified applicants, and consultants are incentivized by their track record and in their eyes, I simply wasn't worth the time or risk. Additionally, I had in my head I was only going to apply to M7 schools because anything else wouldn't have been worth my own time....John took a chance on me, and I thank god that he did because had he not I would not have gotten accepted into CBS's MBA class 2024.

This story should speak not only to John's talent but also to the character and specifically the style in which he helps his students. He genuinely cares about them, and this translates directly into his effectiveness in his role. He is thoughtful, promit, and extremely considerate in his reviews and commentary, demonstrating an extremly personalized approach to every student. I cou;d not reccomend John more emphatically to anybody else with a similar dream.

John if you're reading this, thank you.

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John is absolutely fantastic — I could not have gotten admitted to my top choice (HBS) without his guidance. I can confidently say that partnering with him was the best decision I made when applying to business school. He took genuine interest to get to know me, my background, and my stories well so that he could help best position my application and essays. John always provided prompt yet still thoughtful edits to my writing, bringing out my voice. I especially appreciate the fact that he was always honest and didn’t hesitate to say what needed to be said. I walked away from the process thrilled with the state of my application and essays because of John.

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