Initially, I had been hesitant to work with an admissions consultant knowing that many other peers had been admitted to top business schools without any assistance. However, my opinion completely changed after working with Liza and looking back at what an amazing job she did guiding and supporting me through the entire process beginning before I even took my GMAT. I have highlighted below what I view as her most significant strengths, and could not recommend her more strongly to anyone looking for an MBA admissions consultant.

1) She is entirely invested in getting to know the ins and outs of your life and personality – what makes you tick, which is so important during the admissions process. As a result, the commentary and feedback on all elements of my application were far beyond structural and grammatical but rather unique to my qualities that she thought should be emphasized. There were even some things she picked up on and noticed about me that I hadn’t even thought of myself, but ended up coming through in various ways throughout the application.

2) She is the most enthusiastic person I have ever worked with, staying extremely positive and motivating no matter the situation. During the process I had some very rough times at work and there were many times when I didn’t think it was going to be possible to get my applications in. She was the single driving force keeping me going with her constant positive feedback and mentoring. If I didn’t know she was working with other clients, I might have thought I was the only person she was helping through the process – that is how much attention she gives to each and every one she works with. She will also make herself available to talk about anything you need at almost any time, and always managed to brighten my day and relieve some stress.

3) She is very knowledgeable about the entire process and the nuances of each school’s essays and application materials. It is very clear that she has a lot of experience in this field and most any question that I had she knew the answer to. She was also able to steer my thoughts in the right direction for brainstorming in ways that I thought got me to the correct content for each school. Plus, she is a graduate of a top program so has actually been through it herself.

4) She is so dedicated to you, and it never felt like my time was getting cut off or I was not getting what I paid for (which I have heard from other people). Often times we would go over our time limit but it is so clear that her goal is to help you in whatever way possible. She went above and beyond what I expected in terms of personal investment in my success during the process.

5) She is open, honest, and will tell you her opinion in a straightforward way. I will admit it was hard to hear negative feedback sometimes, but she was so good at being critical and at the same time still being my best friend helping me to improve the content of my application beyond what I thought I was capable of. I put a lot of value on this as I liked to be pushed to achieve the best result possible.

I can say with confidence that you will definitely not regret working with Liza, she is an incredible partner to have through the admissions process.

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Applying to school was by no means a fun process, but made all the more comfortable thanks to Liza. She was incredibly positive and encouraging, while keeping it real about my chances for each school I was looking at.

After the initial free 30min consultation, I ultimately decided I needed help with just one application, so bought 4 hours vs. the more expensive all-inclusive package. I found that this was enough for me, and (thanks to Liza’s instruction) made sure to be extremely prepared for each call to maximize my time with her. I never felt like she was trying to sell me on extra hours or needlessly waste my time. Rather, I felt like she really took the time to get to know me and my “story”, and had my best interests in mind through the end.

I had a tough time deciding which stories to go with for the 2 essays assigned, and an even harder time trying to figure out how to say anything meaningful with so little words! Liza was great at helping me dig deeper into the impactful pieces of my story while cutting out the fluff to get me to a quality finished product.

I was also really happy with her help on my resume. I thought I had an awesome draft to start, but quickly realized that a b-school resume is nothing like the resumes I had put together in the past. After reviewing my brainstorming doc, Liza helped me incorporate and expand upon aspects I didn’t even realize would be attractive to an admissions committee.

Anyone applying to business school should feel confident having Liza in their corner.

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I whole-heartedly recommend Liza as a consultant. I decided to work with her after our 30 minute free consultation. I purchased a few hours with her for resume review and essay editing. She's incisive and efficient - just the kind of support I was looking for. I've been admitted to HBS for R1.

RESUME EDITING: Liza took what I thought was an already strong resume and helped me transform it into an outstanding one by pushing me to find the "so what" for each of my accomplishments in two rounds of revisions. Investing in my resume with Liza was hands down the best money I spent throughout this process.

ESSAYS: As a last minute applicant, Liza's feedback helped me to get to the finish line faster from first to final drafts. She helped me shape my ideas into coherent narratives and let me know what was and wasn't working. I worked with her for my GSB and HBS essays.

HBS MOCK INTERVIEW: My session with Liza was pretty comparable to the actual HBS interview. Very helpful.

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If you want to get into the top business schools, you need to have Liza on your team. I met Liza during my free 30-minute consultation. Prior to that, I've already conducted 5-6 of those free consults with many other admissions consultants. What stood out to me was that Liza (1) was realistic and honest - she told me straight up I really should retake the GMAT, (2) spent almost an hour continuing to talk through my options whereas everyone else had their sales pitch 15-minutes in and wanted to wrap things up quickly, (3) knew her stuff, she had data and experience to back up every statement about what schools are looking for.

Over the next several months, my time working with Liza has been incredible. She was like a light that guided me through the murkiness, insecurity, and anxiety that came with the application process. She was accountable and never dropped the ball. She knew every story I shared and helped me develop them into really compelling narratives. I'm someone that does not care for sugar-coated statements and needed frank feedback that will make me better. Liza was that for me. During my essays or interview prep, she was firm and constructive, but did so with a lot of integrity, respect, and positive attitude.

My results? I got into 4 of 4 top 10 schools, thanks to Liza! She's the full package: intelligent, caring, an expert, constructive, positive, and a winner!

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You know that familiar feeling - when you are certain that you want to go from point A to point B - but you are not sure which route to take? I was there - about a year back. I knew that I wanted to go for a B-School - I also knew why. But I had too much information on hand that I needed to segregate - and too many options that I wanted to filter out.

And then I heard about mbaMission and Liza (a common friend recommended her). A quick 30-minute free consultation told me exactly what I needed to know. 6 intense months later I got an admission call from my dream school - which excites me as much as the fact that I am going to be fellow alums with Liza.

Applying for a B-School is no easy task. You have the essays where you have to talk about everything in 1 sentence. You have the creative essays where you have the temptation to go overboard. And of course if you are working long hours - you need someone who is probably more diligent than you are in following up with your essays. You need a mentor, a consultant and a friend with great knowhow about B-Schools (phew!). Liza is all of those rolled into one. She is prompt with her deadlines and her replies, she is thoughtful and extremely to-the-point with her feedback and insights, and most importantly - a lot of fun to work with. Work with her - and I can assure you that you will reflect on your past achievements in a way that you never did before.

Of course mbaMission's entire process is very thorough and organized. From the detailed brainstorming session to tweaks in your resume and essay reviews to finally the mock-interview sessions - everything is spaced out in the best possible way. With Liza - the process becomes fun and life becomes easy.

Can't thank you enough Liza. Keep rocking!

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Selecting a business school consultant is not an easy process. Several organizations tout their approaches' / consultants' merits, and in perusing different firms' marketing materials, it's often difficult to parse different organizations apart. At the beginning of my business school application journey, I availed of mbaMission and Stacy Blackman Consulting's free consultations. The general approach taken by mbaMission was markedly different from Stacy Blackman Consulting--instead of adopting an alarmist tone by identifying flaws in my resume and urging me to immediately solicit their services, mbaMission took stock of who I was and paired me with someone who they felt was best suited to helping me. That person was Liza Weale.

I cannot endorse Liza strongly enough. She epitomized excellent client service, by being courteous, convivial and genuinely invested in the success of my applications. I found her input and support especially helpful, across several dimensions:

1) Work style flexibility: Liza adapted her work style to suit mine. Instead of writing lengthy, tortuous cover notes, she quickly got to the point with her feedback, in line with my desired mode of engagement. Moreover, she was willing and able to "keep up" with my high tempo of work in June and July, often completing two iterations on materials in a single week.

2) A strategist, but also an operator: I was amazed by Liza's ability to act as a thought partner on every dimension of my application. In addition to ideating on the general structure of my essays (and often coming up with better ideas than I did), Liza was also able to advise me on reframing the expression of particular thoughts within paragraphs.
Incisive, but constructive: Liza pulled no punches with her feedback. Her willingness to sharing honest feedback with me was refreshing, and essential--looking back, some of my initial ideas and ways of portraying myself were clearly off the mark. Liza helped me course-correct on multiple occasions, and earned my enduring respect for the frankness of her feedback

3) In it with me, for the long haul: Liza was, and continues to be a major source of support for me. From helping me select schools to apply to through to advising me on potential funding options, Liza has been an infallible and crucial source of support

I unequivocally recommend Liza to anyone looking to apply to business schools. I couldn't have gotten into Wharton and Booth without her.

— Wharton and Booth Admit

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Liza was an incredible asset throughout the entire business school application process. Starting with our first brainstorming session, Liza took a genuine interest in getting to know me—my strengths, weaknesses, career goals and passions. In this way, she helped me craft essays that positioned myself in the most compelling way possible. Throughout the drafting process, Liza continually pushed me to think about the question differently, add more detail, or include a certain story in order to make my essays truly shine.

The mock interviews I had with Liza were also hugely helpful. She knows exactly what business schools are looking for in a candidate’s response. She was able to help me polish my answers and determine which stories to emphasize. I felt extremely confident and prepared walking into my interviews knowing I had practiced with Liza.

Additionally, Liza was always available to answer any random questions I had. This made me feel much more at ease as I navigated the application process. Her expertise was always very evident and assured me I was putting my best foot forward in all stages of the application.

Finally, Liza was also one of my biggest supporters throughout the process. Although applying to business school can be daunting, she laid out the steps I needed to take and provided encouragement every step of the way. Liza’s positivity and can-do spirit was so important to me when I felt overwhelmed or unsure. I am so thankful to have had Liza on my team, rooting for me to succeed.

I highly recommend Liza as a top-notch consultant who can provide the advice, support and insights necessary to be successful in the application process.

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I highly recommend working with Liza. She is incredibly friendly, helpful, supportive, and constructive. I only worked with Liza for interview prep after being referred by a friend, but I felt like my small amount of time with Liza was incredibly valuable.

We built a friendly rapport within the first few minutes of my 30 minute consultation and after hanging up, I knew I wanted to work with her. During this consultation and the mock interview Liza was able to provide tips as well as constructive feedback that helped me prepare for several business school interviews. She followed up to wish me luck and to check in throughout the next several weeks. It was great to know I had her cheering me on. I also felt like her feedback was specific and actionable in a short period of time. I heard her suggestions in the back of my mind as I was answering questions during my interviews and I felt like it helped me take a step back and provide the most thoughtful responses.

Highly recommend working with Liza on whatever part of the process you feel you need help with!

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You want Liza on your team.

I had the good fortune of having my free 30 minute consultation (offered via Manhattan GMAT) with Liza back in June of 2014. After reading her stellar reviews, which confirmed my first impression, I decided to sign up for the Start to Finish package. Remarkably, a year and a half has passed and I’m so thankful that Liza was there every step of the way.

Liza has an uncanny ability to inspire confidence while simultaneously providing extensive constructive criticism – this is her magic. She is remarkably patient, funny, sharp and honest. When she says something is good, you can rest assured that it actually is. Surface deep doesn’t cut it with Liza; she pushes you to get to the “why.”

Regarding time management, she repeatedly challenged me to hit deadlines and to keep iterating – both things that I would have neglected without her encouragement, but that ultimately made the process far less stressful. Liza was invaluable in brainstorming broad-ranging essay topics and in reviewing the countless iterations, but she also completely turned my resume around. I’d hired others to help with my resume in the past, but Liza’s guidance was unrivaled.

Not to be forgotten: Liza’s support extends far beyond assistance with resumes and essays. She’s a consistent positive force in what will inevitably be, at times, a stressful process. For me, countless unforeseen questions popped up at various stages, and Liza was there to provide great advice on every one.

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I decided to use an admissions consultant because I knew that with my low undergraduate GPA, it'd be difficult to get into my desired schools.

I chose to go with Liza after an initial 30 minute consultation. I was extremely impressed with her insight and with her advice, I decided to change my application strategy.

I bought a one school complete package although I knew I was going to apply to several. My plan was to utilize the important aspects of the first application on the later ones.

For the most part, she laid out the process with me and met the expectations and promises with regards to turn around times.

In the beginning, I found her insights and points very good in regards to what the admissions selection committee may think and how to address certain aspects of my application. However when it came to her comments/edits on my essays, I found them lacking in substance. Most of her essay reviews seemed more focused on meeting word limits rather than making sure the essay gave the intended impact and conveyed my message. In later essays for other schools, I found myself more critical than her and suggestions from friends and family more helpful.

She did also help with my resume and prepping my recommenders. Both of my recommenders come from non-MBA backgrounds and so I strongly believe the materials she gave me to prep them helped. However, a lot of the advice for both prepping recommenders and writing good resumes are easily found online here at GMATClub or on other admissions consultants' blogs.

Ultimately, I was rejected from the school I purchased the package for, but was admitted into 2 others and waitlisted at one. It's hard to tell how much Liza contributed to those successes however I do think she helped in some part. Whether or not I would've gotten into those schools without an admissions consultant is tough to say, but I do think much of the support and help she provided could have been gotten at a much cheaper cost to me.

Looking back, I wished that I had hired her hourly for the resume writing and recommender prep, but used a specific essay reviewing company (like Essay Snark) for the essay reviews. In the end, I'm not upset that I had used her services, however I do think I spent too much money and that for me, it wasn't worth it.

Liza's a wonderful person and extremely intelligent, however for me, who already put a lot of time researching and being critical on my own application, her value was wasted and lost.

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