Melissa Blakeslee Reviews

I’m an East Asian male working in finance – an over-represented group in business school. Before reaching out to Melissa and mbaMission, I talked to another consulting company and was basically told that I have little chance at the top 10 given my background. While I always appreciate frank advice, I felt extremely disappointed and somewhat upset at the quick judgement since I knew people with similar background who’d made it.

The MBA process was long and stressful so it’s important for me to work with someone who’s honest but who’d have faith in me. During the initial call, Melissa showed just that. She was direct in acknowledging some potential weak spots. But rather than delving into them, Melissa pointed out other parts of my background that are unique and focused the conversation on what I could do to stand out more, starting with making my resume more result-oriented. Immediately I felt she was already on my “team”. Her positivity and problem solving (instead of problem identifying) approach made me feel a lot better going into and throughout the process. Through the ups and downs of the application season, her supports and encouraging words never failed to build up my self-confidence.

In total, we had over 200 email exchanges, and Melissa was always super-fast with her response. The two areas Melissa helped me the most with were with my essays and interview preparation.

First, Melissa understood very well the Adcom’s perspectives and helped me become more confident in bringing out my personality. I had heard the advice “be yourself” countless times; but that’s easier said than done. For example, when telling my stories, I would keep out some character-revealing details thinking they might sound too “geeky” and unimpressive. But Melissa’s enthusiasm with those stories made me realize they are more unique and interesting than I’d thought. That’s another great thing about working with Melissa. With her approach, the application process really became a self-discovery journey. I came out of this process more self-aware and comfortable with who I am than I’d ever been.

Second, Melissa was fantastic at helping me transform my long-winded essay drafts into concise and engaging ones. When I thought there was no way to cut the word count without hurting the content, she did so time and again. On the other hand, when supporting details were lacking, she asked pointed questions and helped me identify relevant examples from my experience that I’d overlooked.

I applied to four top-10 schools, got interview invites from all four, and was admitted to two, one of which is in the top-5. None of those achievements would have been possible without having Melissa as my coach, my project manager, and a supportive friend throughout this process.

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Melissa was an invaluable resource for me throughout application process, from brainstorming how to tell my story, to helping me craft compelling essays, to helping me successfully navigate the waitlist process. She knows each school inside and out - I was blown away by her deep knowledge of what differentiates each program and what each admissions committee looks for as a result!

When reviewing my essays, Melissa provided specific feedback from the perspective of the AC, whether calling out an experience that I did not explain in enough detail or helping me narrow my focus in shorter essays. She also helped me recognize how highlighting specific elements of my story created a more powerful explanation for "why Kellogg."

When I was originally waitlisted at Kellogg, Melissa guided me through the difficult process, providing me with tactical next steps about how I should approach each waitlist update strategically and continue to express my interest. Her advice proved to be accurate and invaluable - I was successfully pulled off of the waitlist and admitted to my dream school!

The perfect balance of high level feedback on my story, detailed feedback on essay wording, and moral support through what can be a grueling process - I cannot recommend Melissa highly enough!

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As I prepared for the gauntlet that is the MBA application process, I weighed the option of enlisting the services of an MBA admissions consultant. These packages, or hourly services, are a significant investment. It's important to know what you want to achieve through hiring a consultant.

One way to practically ensure you will have a good experience with admissions consulting services would be to work with Melissa Blakeslee. Melissa was an outstanding partner to me throughout the admissions process and was a critical driver of my acceptance into an M7 program.

I feel it is common for top MBA applicants to believe in their own infallibility -- I myself fall into this trap at times -- so let me spell out specifically what value Melissa brought to my process:

-Melissa helped me clarify my goals: Conversations with Melissa helped me move beyond surface-level goals and drill down with specificity into what I really wanted, what schools would fit those goals, and how to spell those goals out with impact in admissions essays
-Melissa challenged me: Like I said, lots of top MBA applicants have had success in their careers and believe in their own infallibility to an extent. When you come to realize the quality of talent in the applicant pool, it becomes clearer how an admissions consultant who will push you to perfect your application in all aspects can be a competitive advantage. For me, Melissa struck the perfect blend of cheerleader and coach -- supportive of my progress but critical of my application where I needed it.
-Melissa has a keen eye toward storytelling -- Her past as a brand marketer is evident in her work. She has a natural ability as a storyteller. In my opening call with her, Melissa was able to pick out unique stories from my professional and personal past and perfectly flesh them out into ideas for compelling essays. Absolutely invaluable.

Beyond all this -- Melissa was timely, efficient, and flexible to work with. I highly recommend her and can't thank her enough for her role in helping me achieve this dream!

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Melissa Blakeslee was AMAZING!!! At first, it felt like a lot of money to spend on a school package - but let's be honest, it's a drop in the financial abyss that will be business school and couldn't have been more worthwhile.

She immediately zeroed in on my most pivotal stories (professional and personal) from the 20-page brainstorming document and our first few conversations then fit them into unique essay structures, helping me shape applications that were compelling for each particular school. In working together, expect to gain an incredible resource who definitely pushes you and is also your biggest cheerleader. Melissa was not only incredibly professional/responsive and always turned drafts around early, but was SO much fun to work with and definitely made me more confident as an applicant and person. I couldn't have gotten through the process without her!!

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When scoping out admissions consultants, I had only one simple criteria – someone that cared and would serve as an advocate and a friend throughout the process. In the saturated landscape of admissions consulting, Melissa is someone who will go the extra mile for her applicants. Her relationship with clients is not transactional, but vicarious. I can readily attest to Melissa’s empathy and care for her clients, along with her deep knowledge of the admissions world from her own experience as an admissions director.

Working with Melissa was a fantastic experience. She was always responsive, reliable and speedy with turning over reviewed documents. She made constructive and meaningful suggestions to my personal statements, and helped me prioritize the most important qualities to highlight for each of my target programs. Beyond the logistics, she helped to bring a sense of ease and comfort with her upbeat personality to an otherwise daunting application process. I remember a specific instance where Melissa offered her assistance to prep me for interviews even though it meant running over the remaining hours available– that is how much she invests in her applicants. Melissa also provided career insights from her rich experiences, which is something I did not expect from an admissions consultant.

With Melissa’s valuable support and guidance, I was able to gain admission to Kellogg, HBS, and Wharton!

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I was a skeptic of MBA consultants before the application process began, but having got through the process intact I can say with confidence that Melissa was well worth the investment. Here's some takeaways from my experience:

1) Melissa's professionalism and service completely exceeded my expectations. I read a lot of horror stories on these message boards, especially with hourly clients. I was worried that I might get treated like a second class customer, but if anything, I got more than I was billed for. Melissa was ALWAYS available, responded quickly, was MORE than fair when it came to billing and helped me get the most out of my money. More importantly, I always felt like Melissa genuinely was interested in my application. I never got off a call with her and thought "well I could have just googled that," she always had advice or insight that was specific and useful to me. I think she really cared about where I got in - sometimes she was even emailing me for updates on my applications!

2) To me, one of the most helpful aspects of having a consultant was that it helps set expectations throughout the entire process. Melissa's personal experience on an MBA admissions committee was extremely helpful, as she was able to give specific, personal advice on how to approach each step and what to expect. I also felt completely prepared for interviews - not just what questions would be asked and how I would answer, but also the atmosphere and the overall experience.

3) Melissa was extremely helpful when it came to deciding how I would frame my story. In the first couple weeks of talking with her, I completely reshaped how I was going to tell my story. She suggested I include a ton of information I was going to leave out, and I really feel like the things she pushed me to include in my app (mostly extracurricular type stuffI never would have included without her advice) really helped stand out and were huge talking points in interviews.

4) Maybe the biggest reason to have a consultant is just to have a "voice of reason" throughout the process. I could throw any random question I had her way and she would always give me an honest and really helpful answer. It's great to have an EXPERT review your essays and resume and get tangible advice.

For me, the bottom line is that this was well worth the investment and it made my entire experience better and less stressful. It's certainly possible to submit a decent application without a consultant, but if you are serious about getting into a competitive program then I would highly recommend working with Melissa or another consultant.

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I went into the b-school process early, but totally blind. I heard about mbaMission through Manhattan GMAT and decided to set up a free 30 min consultation. I could not have been more impressed with Melissa from the start. She provide a valuable framework for how to think through the process early on and help me decide if this was the right time for me to apply. She got me thinking about all the right questions early on and helped me identify potential weaknesses in my application and worked with me on a strategy for overcoming those.

After deciding that I was going to apply to schools R1, I signed up for the hourly package. Melissa would hop on a phone call with me right away and quickly responded to all my emails. She calmed me down when I would get overwhelmed with the process and would talk me through anything that I was stressing about.

I decided to apply to 4 schools all of which I felt could have been a stretch. Melissa gave me great tailored advice for each school and was extremely quick at getting my essays back to me. Her feedback was always clear and concise, and most importantly, very specific to each school. The resume guidance I received was particularly valuable.

When I got into 3 of the 4 schools (dinged at HBS), Melissa was there to talk through my decision with me. She was such a reassuring, calming presence throughout this whole process.

I felt that Melissa always wanted me to succeed and was doing whatever she could to help me achieve my goals. I could not have been more pleased with my consulting process with both Melissa and mbaMission.

I am going to my dream school and am so excited for what is to come!

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I was late to the application process and was applying to only one school 3rd round, shooting for the moon knowing the odds were against me. And I honestly don't think I would have gotten in without Melissa's help on my essays.

I had the "stories" of both of my essays down, but what Melissa helped me with was to consolidate and focus/expand on what I viewed as details in the story, but actually were distinguishing factors for who I am as a person and applicant, rather than the overall "story". Her point view coming directly from the seat of the AdCom is invaluable to be able to highlight these character qualities I would have glossed over, instead focusing on the overall story. For example, my original essay said: I tried new things. Melissa helped me to turn that into: swimming across shark infested beaches, traveled to several third world countries, and signed up for new running clubs. By reframing what I was trying to say and extracting these descriptive details she was able to highlight my passion for adventure, exploration, and fearlessness and show more of who I am and what I would bring to campus. She was able to extract at least three adjectives to describe me when my original sentence gave zero.

I know my essays would not have fully shown who I am as a person and what sets me apart from the rest of the application pool without Melissa's guidance and ability to more effectively demonstrate what I was trying to convey. I would recommend her to ANYONE for any part of the process and was actually excited to work with her the following year had I not gotten accepted!

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As a late applicant, I sought support from Melissa Blakeslee at mbaMission. Melissa began providing thoughtful immediate feedback during our consultation call, identifying areas of improvement for my resume structure and diction as well as overall weaknesses in my application. This first discussion was critical in guiding me to think about my essay topics and ensuring a well-rounded application.

As we began working together, Melissa's genuine interest in helping me reach my goals was evident. During our brainstorming session, Melissa asked thought-provoking questions and made meaningful connections between my stories. Melissa's ability to understand my motivations and connect the dots enabled me to develop more thoughtful essays over a short timeline.

Finally, Melissa was always available to discuss my thoughts or admission concerns. Essays, resumes, and questions were promptly answered. Melissa provided honest feedback on an array of topics related to admissions and was consistently open to sharing additional information.

Overall, I highly recommend working with Melissa Blakeslee if an applicant is seeking a COACH to guide you though the entire application process.

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I started working with Melissa on a 4-school package but ended up adding a 5th school based on my positive experience with her. From helping me think through what schools I would apply to and encouraging attendance of various MBA info sessions to interview prep and follow-up, she was there every step of the way. I was able to hone my story and get an objective perspective from someone with experience working in b school admissions. I had 7+ years of work experience when I started working with her, so I often had competing ideas for what direction to take my essay responses. She gave pointed feedback on what worked and what didn't, helping me create better and more focused applications in the process.

A sample of some of the other things Melissa helped me with:
-help in turning my resume into something that highlighted results instead of responsibilities
-mock interview prep, particularly in helping me highlight certain areas that may not have come through in my applications. She wasn't just asking sample interview questions. As someone who had become very familiar with my background, strengths, weaknesses, etc., she was able to give great feedback on how I responded.
-set deadlines for me. I am a procrastinator, so Melissa offered to set deadlines. I managed to turn in my applications early, which still amazes me.
-helped me address some of the deficiencies I had in extracurriculars. It's not as though she could have retroactively made me participate in more organizations outside of work, but she helped me think through how I could present my hobbies/interests in a compelling manner.

Overall, I had a great experience working with Melissa that definitely exceeded my expectations, and I would recommend her to anyone looking for help throughout the application process.

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