Attending an MBA program was a dream of mine for a couple years before I started working with Kate, and now it’s a reality! I’ve been admitted to multiple T20 US MBA programs, all with merit scholarships.

After a brutal year of studying for the GMAT and consistently scoring poorly, I felt it was even more important to work with a professional when applying to top business schools. I could not make the Round 1 deadline because I did not have a competitive score and didn’t want to risk having to re-apply the following year. For me, it was Round 2 or bust. After my fit call with Kate, I was eager to sign up for the Complete Start-to-Finish package for four schools.

Kate was instrumental in helping me formulate my story, building a strong resume, helping me guide my recommenders, and partnering with me throughout the entire process. As someone who has a very small MBA network and in a field that traditionally does not hire MBAs, I knew I would have tons of questions and Kate is a great sounding board for every and any question I had. As someone applying for the first time, I knew I wanted to do this right and Kate was a great partner and helped me feel confident that the applications I sent out were the best possible.

Having Kate was so important for me because I was still studying for the GMAT when we started working together. I can’t imagine the hours I would have spent mulling over my essays without guidance. Having Kate allowed me to send her drafts and receive fantastic feedback – freeing up time to study. Kate also helped me realize the GMAT was not working for me and pursue the GRE. This was a difficult decision because I had invested SO much time in the GMAT and I desperately wanted to earn a 700+ score, but I took the leap and didn’t look back. The GRE turned out so much better than I expected and I even admitted that the GRE was fun…I guess it’s fun when you do better than you expect!

Another weak aspect of my profile is my work experience. Kate helped me to formulate a story and make sense of my work experience within each organization I worked for and why I jumped from company to company (I had three jobs in the span of 5.5 years). This was helpful in my interview process and I was able to leverage my experience in a meaningful way to avoid being labeled a “job hopper”.

I really appreciate Kate’s dedication to my MBA journey. She often returned my documents well before the required 2-day turnaround time. Since she is on the East Coast and I am on the West Coast, I would always wake up to multiple documents returned and could tackle them first thing in the morning! Kate was strategic in mapping out my application timeline, based on the amount of work needed to complete the application. For example, we started with Duke Fuqua’s application due to the amount of work required. Completing this application took many iterations, but this helped establish a strong foundation to tackle other schools’ applications.

Kate is personable and someone who genuinely wants to help you succeed. I enjoyed chatting with her about current events and even life outside of work/business school! She shared her experiences at Booth, in consulting, and even helped connect me with MBA students in her network at schools I was interested in. All in all, I would highly recommend Kate as an admissions consultant. The application process was so much smoother than I could have imagined and I’m thrilled to be an MBA candidate this Fall!

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As a prospective student who had a traditional business background and a mediocre GRE score, I was worried about creating an application that would help me stand out from the competition. I was hesitant toward using consulting services at first, but once I had my initial consult and was paired with Kate, I couldn't have been more satisfied. Kate was extremely supportive throughout my entire application process and was always great about answering my questions in a timely manner. She was especially helpful in crafting my story with me by asking me questions that allowed me to dig deep and uncover my personal/career aspirations and goals. If it weren't for Kate's ongoing guidance, there's no way I would have been admitted to both Kellogg and Columbia's full-time programs!

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Kate is everything you would want in a consultant. She is conscientious, punctual, and an incredible resource. I primarily used her services for essay review and she exceeded my expectations with her level of insight and technical proficiency. The resources she provided were invaluable and the process was very smooth. We worked as a team to develop highly targeted and relevant essays that I was proud to submit as part of my MBA applications. I will be starting at Kellogg in the fall of 2020. Without her guidance, I would not be where I am today. I am so grateful for her help and highly recommend her.

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I worked with Kate using mbaMission's hourly services to apply to four schools this past fall (Round 1). Kate was amazing to work with, and I would highly recommend her to anyone looking to apply! Whichever package you decide is right for you, Kate will be a source of encouragement of guidance throughout the application process and help to bring out YOUR best story to the admissions teams.

I'd initially reached out to another admissions consulting company, and when I told her my target schools (HBS, Stanford, Wharton and MIT) they were discouraging and dismissive based on the names on my resume (I went to a state school for undergrad and work for Accenture). During my initial call with Kate, she was encouraging in pointing out the strengths she noticed (triple major, high GPA, unique project experience), while straightforward with me in identifying weaknesses I could address (like re-taking the GMAT to bump up my score slightly above average).

I decided to use mbaMission's hourly service package for a lower cost option, and I found this to be of great value. I worked with Kate early on to brainstorm and strategize, prep my recommenders, and write essays. Kate worked with me to craft a unique and strong story that got me interviews at 3/4 of the schools I applied to (HBS, Wharton and MIT)!

I'm planning to attend Wharton next fall, and I could not have done this without Kate!!!

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Background
I graduated from a top 10 UK university with okay grades (graduated with a 2.1). Following university I worked within financial advisory at one of the Big Four. Having grown up in the UK, I wanted to use a consultant as I was not familiar with the US system and had no real idea how competitive I would be at some of the leading schools.
Overview of experience
Kate was absolutely AMAZING, I definitely could not have gone through my process without her!! I began chatting with Kate in 2018 after signing up for the pre-application strategy service; I wanted to learn more about the US process and bounce ideas as I researched more about US MBA programs. She was readily available when I had questions and would also occasionally check in if she hadn’t heard from me in a while (she continued to check in until I finally decided in apply 1year+ later).
I choose to work with Kate as she showed a genuine interest in wanting to help me and looked beyond my statistics; I decided that I only wanted to apply to M7 schools and when undertaking free consultant consultations, a number of them focused on GMAT and employer when advising on schools.
Kate and I began officially working together in 2019. I applied to 5 schools in round 1 which was both a lot of pressure and work, however, Kate’s flexible approach allowed me to work on multiple applications seamlessly. If you are looking for someone that is really invested in you achieving your milestones, Kate is your consultant. She was very dedicated to ensuring I completed key work streams at the agreed date and times; and was always prompt in providing feedback (due to careful planning, I was able to get instant feedback at times on my essays!).
Kate was instrumental in helping me portray my story in a compelling way and showed patience (I was clear on how I wanted certain aspects of my essay to come across, which at times created extra work when it came to streamlining and trimming my essays).
Kate was supportive during the process, particularly when I got my first two dings and her encouragement kept me going. Ultimately, I ended up getting into my dream school and will be attending HBS in the fall!
I would highly recommend Kate to anyone looking for a consultant to help them on their MBA journey!!

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Kate was incredibly instrumental in easing the application process. From the our first conversation when we discussed target schools and brainstorming, she was the ultimate professional. She helped me bring out the best aspects of my profile in order to put my best foot forward when it came time to apply. She was the ultimate professional, keeping me on task as the application season progressed and always available for an email or chat whenever I felt bogged down. I felt Kate went above and beyond to make sure I was satisfied with my application prior to submission. I would highly recommend Kate to all future applicants!

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Kate's guidance and support throughout the admissions process was second to none. I was offered admission to Booth, Kellogg, and Tuck, each with scholarships, and I couldn't have done it without Kate!

Kate led me in developing and communicating my personal brand by guiding me through a process of self-discovery (many phone calls and Skype sessions of brainstorming and questions). She helped me see patterns within my interests and education and work experience that enabled me to tie together my story, why I needed an MBA, and why now. By being straightforward about the weaknesses in my application (a shorter work history and somewhat jumpy resume), Kate helped me address these weaknesses within my written application and prepared me to answer questions around them in interviews.

As I built my resume, short answers, and essays to tell a cohesive story, Kate's feedback was exceptional. Always timely and professional, Kate understood what I was trying to convey and made suggestions that helped me best articulate it. She was so thoughtful, remembering (and reminding me!) of small details from our prior conversations that, once incorporated, brought my essays to the next level. Another big value-add was Kate's in-depth knowledge of each program and its students/culture. While sometimes I used similar anecdotes for essay questions and/or short answers, no two answers were the exact same, as each was adjusted to fit the school's values. Kate was key in helping me show how I was a good fit at each particular school. The same held true when it came down to interview preparation: Kate helped me prepare for each school's interview, quizzing me on questions she typically sees asked at specific schools and giving me tips on how to make my responses less cookie-cutter and more unique to the values of each school. I attribute my interview-to-admit success rate to Kate's help in preparation.

After receiving the calls with good news, Kate was one of the first people I told because I was so appreciative of her help. She saw me at my best and my worst, and she was a great sounding board for all things MBA-related (and some things less-MBA-related like a potential company switch pre-MBA). I highly recommend working with Kate to anyone applying – she is the absolute best and will help you find success in the application process!

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Background:
I knew I wanted an admissions consultant to help: (1) synthesize my story and goals succinctly to stand out from the crowd, (2) provide insight into which schools were targets/reaches based on my ambitions and risk-tolerance, and (3) answer one-off/random questions + ease my nerves throughout this marathon of a process.

Kate's Approach:
I had an intro call with Kate to determine 'fit' and in that call, I walked her through the main reasons I wanted an admissions consultant. I felt confident Kate would meet those goals, and after a few weeks into working with her, she surpassed all of them! We started working together in May 2019 with my resume and brainstorming my story/goals. Her turnaround time was always within the 2-business day policy of mbaMission, and at times, even sooner. What I loved about her approach was that she: (1) is flexible (including setting up last-minute calls or answering emails quickly) (2) genuinely listens to my comments/questions/concerns and (3) is happy to review any/all materials related to schools' applications that we were working on together (I got the end-to-end package for multiple schools).

Overall Review of Kate:
I highly recommend Kate to anyone seeking an admissions consultant. In addition to the reasons I listed above, I also believe she has patience, detail-orientation and dedication to see her clients succeed. She's genuinely interested in her client's success and I definitely felt that way while working with her. For anyone considering an admissions consultant, I recommend understanding why you feel that you need one and set those expectations upfront with your consultant as I did with Kate -- It helped us form an easy, trustworthy relationship that, I believe, ultimately aided in securing admission at two T15 schools! Thanks, Kate, for your incredible guidance!!

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Deciding to work with Kate was easily one of the best decisions I made during my MBA application process! Kate and I worked together for over a year, and she was fabulous, responsive and incredibly helpful the entire time. As a non-traditional applicant, Kate expertly helped me to see and succinctly explain my strengths, frame my career path narrative, and craft a polished, professional application package. Furthermore, Kate made me feel confident and supported from the very beginning and working with her made the application process a fun and introspective experience, allowing me to let go of the inherent stress, enjoy the process and learn a lot about myself along the way. She is an incredible brainstormer, and talking through essay ideas with her helped me to tell my story in an engaging and interesting way. She gave me great advice along the way, including taking MBAMath, which I believe strengthened my application and preparedness for school. Her advice to connect with as many current students and alumni as possible, to attend webinars and chats, and to speak with people in my desired career, allowed me to understand and articulate why each program I applied to was a strong fit for me, and what value I would add to each program. I ultimately was admitted to both Kellogg and Tuck, my two top choice programs, and truly believe she was integral to my acceptances! Finally, Kate is professional, respectful, kind and genuinely cares for her clients - I would recommend her to anybody!

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After a demoralizing experience with the GMAT that lasted for about 7 months, I looked for admissions consultants to provide the guidance and expertise needed to tell my story best and make my application stand out in the best possible way. I did extensive diligence (spoke with more than 5 counselors from several companies) and finally decided to take my chances with Kate Richardson from MBA Mission.

From my initial discussions with her, I instantly realized that I had taken the right decision. She was extremely helpful, professional and kind. As an applicant which checked all of the boxes for the elite schools I wanted to apply to except for a lower-than-average GMAT score, Kate was honest and straightforward with me in regards to my strengths and weaknesses. Nevertheless, she was extremely motivating and positive about the application.

Kate’s expertise on each particular program and their ‘unique personalities’ allowed us to decide on the best possible strategy on how to approach each university. We worked together to identify the key aspects and stories of my professional and personal life that I wanted to highlight on the different components of my application (resume, essays, rec letters, short answers, etc.). I found it reassuring to be receiving guidance from someone who really understands the admissions process and the expectations of each admissions team. As an international student who speaks English as a second language, she was also great on giving me advice to structure my ideas and concisely articulating my story, but at the same time staying true to my own voice.

Kate was structured and organized, which was particularly useful for my tight timeframe (I had to write nine essays for four different programs in about two months). I asked her to keep me on a tight schedule and remind me of my pending to-do’s and overall timeline constantly. She always met MBA Missions’ document return policy and sometimes even returned my essays earlier than what she was supposed to. During the last 2 weeks before the deadlines, she was extremely adaptive to my schedule and even pushed me for extra rounds of comments for my essays until we both felt 100% comfortable with them.

Another very important factor which I came to realize later on was MBA Mission’s multiple resources. From multiple university guides to tailored mock interviews, I was able to take advantage of it all and definitely feel that it was a game changer in the last mile of the application process. I felt fully prepared for my three interviews, particularly at HBS and Wharton, which differentiate from the traditional blind-interviews of other programs.

I was eventually accepted to my top choice and dream school (HBS) and Kate was literally the first person I called after my parents. I am grateful of having had her in my corner throughout every step of the way and couldn’t be more thankful with her!!

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