Jessica Shklar Reviews

Working with Jessica Shklar of MBAMission is the only reason I am headed off to the bschool of my dreams this fall. From the moment I first signed on with Jessica she was nothing but focused, dedicated and enthusiastic. Jessica was instrumental in determining what schools were appropriate for me to target, leveraging both personal and professional experiences to create unique and differentiated essay story lines, editing my resume/application and keeping me on pace to complete a number of applications. Without Jessica’s help I would have had a great deal of trouble overcoming my abnormally low GMAT score. I am far from “the perfect bschool applicant” but under Jessica’s tutelage I was able to write a well balanced and well rounded application…and as I already mentioned get into the top 10 school of my dreams!

Jessica’s intellectual ability and dedication to her clients is only matched by her knowledge of the MBA process and individual business school programs. If you are serious about giving yourself the best possible chance to be accepted, get serious and hire Jessica Shklar + MBAMission.

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Please note: I am not one to write reviews. However, I feel compelled in this situation. Jessica was simply wonderful.

Background: I only applied to one school (dream school). Since the rifle approach is not exactly the smartest way to apply to school, I decided to seek counsel and hire a consultant. Jessica came highly recommended from a friend she helped in the 2012 class cycle. She is incredibly smart and hard working. She understands the process and really spends time understanding your candidacy. She is thorough and takes the time to develop a strategy and package you appropriately. Nothing deceitful – just maximizing what you have already accomplished and communicating it effectively and efficiently.
She helped me articulate why I made each career choice, placing it in the context of my broader career goal (including why B school choice was meaningful).

While hiring a consultant is expensive, I urge you to think of it as an investment in your future. Jessica gave me the best possible shot. I was admitted and I simply can’t thank her enough. She will spend a great deal of time with you; she really invests herself in your story. She cares deeply and I know finds great satisfaction in her job. Really a pleasure to work with.

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I couldn't have been happier with the services of mbaMission consulting. All my questions were answered in a timely fashion, all my requests for constructive feedback were returned in a timely fashion, and all of the inputs I received were valuable. My consultant was available for mock interviews as well, and provided valuable feedback and information regarding the interview process. The mbaMission website was also extremely valuable and contained a wealth of information about the application process. I ended up getting accepted into 3 of 6 schools that I applied to, and my consultant predicted my results with great accuracy. I am convinced that using the consulting services improved my applications and made me more competitive in the application pool.

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I initially considered hiring an admissions consultant as a result of my insane work schedule - I was looking for support during the brainstorming process and for guidance to help me streamline the application process as a whole. I reached out to two friends of mine who had both been accepted into their top schools the previous year, and each of them emphasized the value of working with a consultant and explained that they provide so much more than brainstorming and general guidance.

Coincidentally, both of my contacts had worked with Jessica Shklar and guaranteed that she would be a great fit for me - professional, responsive, and willing to push her clients. Jessica's (and I'm sure other mbaMission consultants) knowledge of each top program was beyond impressive, and the insight she provided for each of my questions (which were plentiful) was extremely valuable. Before working with Jessica, I had determined what "stories" I would focus on through my essays, but after a 2-hour brainstorming session with her early on, she did a fantastic job of teasing out additional experiences that I had not considered which provided a more holistic picture of who I am as an applicant and as a person.

While working on my essays, Jessica was extremely responsive and most often provided feedback and constructive criticism within 24 hours (company policy is within 48 hours so earlier was always a bonus). I recall times when I considered an essay complete after the second or third draft, but she pushed me to provide more articulate details - or clarify my decision making process within the essay - or scrap everything after the first paragraph and start over (that was fun!) - which resulted in a much stronger final product.

While I am confident that I had a strong application going into this process, I am certain that my presentation was significantly strengthened by working with Jessica Shklar, and do not believe I would have been admitted to my dream school (MIT Sloan) without her support. I cannot say enough to recommend Jessica, but will warn you that she hits her max # of clients earlier than most (she was at max capacity when I first reached out to her but fortunately one of her clients decided to wait until R2 so I took his/her R1 spot - lucky me!).

Best of luck to all future applicants - the letters of acceptance are worth the months of work.

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I cannot recommend mbaMission highly enough and specifically Jessica Shklar. I don't know if I could have gotten into HBS without her. To say that she was instrumental in my MBA application is a massive understatement - she literally transformed my application and my essays, made them come alive. I think the most difficult aspect of these applications is that no matter how much time, heart, and soul you pour into them, you still self-doubt and over-analyze. The amazing thing about working with mbaMission's extremely talented writers is that you can rest easy with the knowledge that you will really, truly submit your best possible application - you don't have to worry about whether you could have done something better. Not only do you get external affirmation from an expert who has read thousands of these essays, but you also will have fine-tuned it with her to the point where you feel happy with your application, and I think that this is critical to stay sane and happy throughout this process.

mbaMission, specifically Jessica Shklar, are by far the best consultants out there in my opinion. I have spoken to friends who have tried other consultants - the problem with others is that 1) they may not care as much or really give it their all...Jessica responded immediately to a million e-mails a day from me with depth, knowledge, and guidance, and every draft I got back was insightfully edited word-for-word (she entertained my debates and over-analysis of literally every single word); and 2) they are not professional writers in the way that mbaMission consultants are - Jessica is a brilliant, gifted writer who will bring your essays to life and make sure your story comes out comprehensively, compellingly, and powerfully enough to resonate with the AdCom. She framed so many of my essays into words that I was unable to get on paper myself. She has the ability to cut through a jumbled, non-sensical mess of words on the paper and say, "This is what you are REALLY trying to say. This is the crux of it, the meaning that is coming out. Try saying it this way instead..." Her suggestions every single time were so brilliant I counted my lucky stars that I had found her.

Jessica truly exceeded all of my expectations. I did not think that I could find a consultant who would be there for me as much as she was, through every single line, draft, and question. The best thing about her is that she is a straight-shooter - no bs, no nonsense, no sugar-coating. She tells you how it is and doesn't waste time. If your draft is no good, she will tell you, but then help you to improve it step by step. She will not rest or allow you to submit until you both are 100% happy with it. And she helps not just with the essays (though at essays there is no one better in my opinion), but also with the entire application, interviews, etc. Hire mbaMission and Jessica Shklar - best decision you will ever make if you want to get into the school of your dreams!!

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