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Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Susan Kaplan
If you’re reading this review, you’re probably asking yourself the same two questions that I did: Is it really worth thousands of dollars to hire an MBA consultant? And if so, is Susan Kaplan the right consultant to hire? I will do my best to answer both of those questions.
As some background…
I was born and raised in a small, Midwest town in the United States. I attended a good (not great) public university, where I played a Division-1 sport and graduated with a 3.9 GPA. I turned pro after college and played for two years at the minor league level. I then spent six months as an investment banking analyst at a reputable “middle market” firm. I scored 700 on the GMAT (48 quant) and I applied to HBS and Tuck, two schools that were at the top of my range.
1. Is it really worth thousands of dollars to hire an MBA consultant?
The harsh reality is that every individual that gets into a top MBA program inevitably takes that seat from someone else. The process is highly competitive, and preparation is everything. It is also binary – you either get in or you don’t – so the reality is that outcomes determine whether hiring a consultant was money well spent. I looked at it this way: Whether a consultant provided me with 50% or 1% improvement during this process, that could very well be the difference between whether I was admitted and not. I wanted my best chance at success, leaving no stone unturned, so I hired Susan as my consultant from start to finish for both programs.
This is not a simple process that you can accomplish with little to no effort. A consultant will not complete your application for you. Quite honestly, it would be a mistake to approach it with that mindset, especially considering the financial commitment. If you have the means ($), have the foundation/resume to be competitive, and have the time and work ethic to fully commit to this process, you will absolutely benefit from working with an MBA consultant. If you are halfheartedly invested in the process, your money is better spent somewhere else because you are competing against a group of highly distinguished, fully committed applicants.
2. Is Susan Kaplan the right consultant to hire?
The short answer is, with conviction, YES. Susan was instrumental in helping me better understand the MBA application process, HBS and Tuck’s expectations, and how to best present my application to each program. Initially, we spent a significant amount of time identifying my post-MBA goals and which programs would be the best fit for me, both in terms of culture and career development. We then began to craft my story based on my experiences, tailoring this story to each program. We identified the best options for recommendation letters and then started preparing for my essays and additional responses.
Susan provided critical guidance and accountability throughout the entire application process. She provides direct, efficient feedback and is quick at responding to questions. She has “been there, done that” and, thus, makes sure you are prioritizing the appropriate tasks and staying on track with your set timeline. If you are looking for someone to coddle you, Susan should not be your first choice. If you are looking for someone who is passionate, responsive, accountable, and committed to doing what it takes to get you into your dream school, then you are in the right place. When you hit “Submit Application,” you will know that you have given yourself the best chance at success.
Final Review…
I truly believe I was able to put forth my highest quality application possible with Susan’s guidance and accountability. With that said, I look forward to attending my top choice, the Dartmouth Tuck School of Business, in the fall of 2023.
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Susan Kaplan
Susan was instrumental in helping me gain admission to my top-choice schools. I opted for the Start-to-Finish package, and Susan provided me with invaluable guidance throughout the process.
From the outset, Susan invested considerable time in getting to know me and my background. She employed a strategic approach to identify my unique strengths and determine the target schools that would best suit my profile.
Susan was adept at crafting compelling narratives that were both creative and coherent. Her ability to distill complex ideas into clear, concise language proved especially valuable, given my tendency to be overly verbose.
With Susan's guidance, I was able to construct compelling arguments that demonstrated my suitability for each of the schools I applied to. Her keen eye for detail and honest, constructive feedback helped me refine my essays until they were polished and persuasive.
I was impressed by Susan's responsiveness and the quick turnaround time she provided for feedback. Her candid approach, while challenging at times, helped me to produce my best work.
In the end, Susan's coaching proved indispensable. Thanks to her efforts, I was admitted to Kellogg and Booth with generous scholarships and waitlisted at Sloan. I wholeheartedly recommend Susan to anyone seeking a thoughtful, caring coach to guide them through the admissions process.
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Susan Kaplan
Choosing to work with mbaMission—and Susan particularly—was one of the best career decisions I could have made. She was extraordinarily helpful at every turn, and truly shepherded me through the entire process, from school selection, to deciding which round to apply in, to honing my narrative to build the strongest application possible, to the essays themselves. Thanks to Susan I was admitted to both of my target schools: Stern and Tuck.
The business school process is very much a case of "you don't know what you don't know"—there are so many components to consider and to make sure to get right. Susan was the consummate guide, helping me prioritize, keeping me on-schedule, and helping me think critically about how exactly an MBA would get me to where I want professionally, why each program was or wasn't a fit for me, why I was a fit/positive addition for those program(s), and how to communicate all of that in my essays and my resume.
I cannot recommend Susan highly enough!
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Susan Kaplan
I did the Start-to-Finish Package for two schools with Susan, Kellogg and Ross. While my work experience and community involvement were strong, my GPA was average, and my test scores were on the lower end of the range. I wanted to work with an expert who could help craft my story to overcome any hesitations that an admissions committee would have about my candidacy.
Susan is able to guide you expertly through the process of finding your greatest strengths as a candidate and then piecing together a story about you, your schools, and the fit between the two. She is completely honest and meticulous with you throughout the ideation, essay writing, resume development, and interview process with a keen eye for detail in each component.
Without Susan's help, my applications would be much worse and I wouldn't have gotten into my dream school, Kellogg, let alone Ross as well.
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Susan Kaplan
Coming from a military background, Susan was instrumental in helping me gain acceptance to my top choice MBA program. She not only helped me in crafting my essays and stories, but her process helped me reflect on myself, my experiences, my values, and my business school objectives. Her process has helped me succeed in multiple interviews with behavioral questions. My MBA application timeline was hectic with many work requirements, but she took the time to understand my schedule to help ensure I was always able to meet deadlines. Her feedback is always on time, actionable, and she was always available to talk about any feedback/questions. Susan pushes you from day one in a professional, direct way to help you achieve your goals and dreams. Susan is fully invested in her clients and with you every step of the way. I highly recommend Susan's services to anyone applying to an MBA program to gain acceptance and learn more about themselves. Susan genuinely wants you to succeed.
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Susan Kaplan
I worked with Susan on 4 schools, targeting a Round 1 deadline (and only starting ~2 months ahead of deadlines). Susan was an incredible partner in guiding me through a daunting process.
Susan did a fantastic job in pushing me to put forth my best to really enhance my applications. She was always extremely punctual with her feedback on my essays and other deliverables. Her feedback would be tough at times, but it was exactly what I needed to really excel in the process. She was able to pair her knowledge on each of the programs with my story and background to help craft a great narrative for each of the schools I applied to. I really appreciated her effort to truly get to know me in order to provide the best personalized counseling for my process.
Finishing all of my applications in such a short time frame was difficult, and I know I wouldn't have been able to do it without Susan. But with her help, I was admitted to HBS, Wharton, Booth, and Kellogg. I am very grateful to have worked with Susan throughout this process, and I would highly recommend her to anyone looking for a consultant.
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Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Susan Kaplan
When I began working with Susan, I was skeptical I could get into an M7 business school on my first try. I had a good GMAT score and a reasonable GPA but at 24 years old and with only 3 years as a Deloitte consultant, I felt I needed real help to stand out.
From the get go, Susan pushed me to look into why I wanted to go to B School and to dig into my post MBA career goals. The process was extremely organized, clearly cut out, very well tailored for people like me who have slight OCD and a touch of anxiety and need to know exactly what will be expected of them. Susan had a wealth of experience, recommended I apply to MIT Sloan based on my criteria and communicated a wealth of material so I could adequately do my research. She reviewed each of my essays about 7 times and minutely went over each aspect of my application. In the end, I got interviews to HBS, CBS and MIT Sloan, all 3 schools I had applied to Round 1!
After the interview, I ended up not getting into HBS but I was accepted to CBS and MIT, MIT with an 100k scholarship. The outcome was unreal. Thank you Susan so much for your help and support during this process, 10/10 recommend for a very professional and successful b school consulting experience.
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Susan Kaplan
Susan helped me hone in on four schools that specifically catered to my goals of learning advanced financial modeling, private equity fundamentals, and entrepreneurship. She was always completely professional, timely, direct, insightful, friendly and understanding. She pushed me to write effective essays by staying succinct and answering the questions that were being asked. Her process taught me a great deal about myself and helped me to solidify my professional goals. Because of Susan, every bit of my time, effort, and money was well spent with mbaMission - and I even got into my top choice! I have already recommended (and will continue to recommend) her services to anyone who tells me they are applying to MBA schools.
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Susan Kaplan
I signed up for the complete start-to-finish package with Susan Kaplan. I cannot thank her enough as her advice and help throughout the process got me into a top 7 school!
Susan and I had several hours of brainstorming sessions. These sessions were tough and intense, and Susan would often let me know that I was not digging deep enough. However, these lengthy and honest sessions helped Susan really get to know my profile, strengths, weaknesses, etc. During these sessions, we often discussed my goals and Susan's analyses of my transferable skills really helped me identify my short- and long-term goals. After these sessions, we could easily shortlist schools and build a framework for my essays.
As a (over-represented) re-applicant for some schools, I needed to ensure that my essays highlighted a fresh profile. Susan was fantastic in mining through my experiences to find thoughtful and powerful stories for the essays. Susan's feedback was always direct and her comments were very, very detailed. I had a habit of writing long pieces, and Susan was really patient and helped me convey impactful stories within the strict word counts, without diluting the narrative. Not to mention that Susan would ensure that ALL aspects of my application tied together to provide a detailed and engaging profile. Her keen eye for detail would also often help pick-up things that you would overlook.
Susan's experience and suggestions on how to tackle the interviews were life-savers. She knew exactly what the interviewer was looking for and how to hold his/her attention.
If you are looking for someone who is easily available, honest, and practical with their advice, I would really suggest that you opt for Susan. Her several years of experience will not let you down.
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Susan Kaplan
I worked with Susan on mbaMission’s start-to-finish package for 4 schools (M7), targeting Round 1 deadlines. Susan was an amazing guide through the whole process, keeping me on track to putting together applications that represented me well.
Susan has a wealth of knowledge on school-specific aspects of the application and what each school is looking for in different parts of the application. She really helped me connect the dots to craft a great narrative and taught me how to market my strengths to the admissions committee.
Susan was incredibly punctual in reviewing and providing feedback on my essays, sometimes even getting back to me ahead of schedule to help me meet my timeline. Her feedback was definitely challenging, but after working through it my application looked a lot better. She was also readily available over the phone to clarify any of her comments. My interview prep session with her was also helpful - she gave me constructive feedback on the key areas that I could definitely improve on during the days leading up to the actual interview.
It was not easy to meet the R1 timeline, even though I had started quite early. When I was falling behind, Susan didn’t shy away from giving me a wake up call and pushed me through the process. At the end of the day, I’m really happy that I got accepted to one of the programs! I highly recommend Susan for anyone looking for a consultant.