I am confident that without Krista, I would not have experienced even close to the level of success in my business school application process, let alone been accepted into my dream school.

I graduated from a top 30 undergrad university with a 3.6 GPA and applied to business schools with a 710 on the GMAT. I applied R2 to six schools: four with Krista’s help (Wharton, Booth, Kellogg, Stanford) and two without (Sloan, Haas). I received offers from Wharton, Booth, Kellogg and Sloan and will be attending Wharton.

I was initially on the fence about hiring an admissions consultant because of the price, but now that I’ve completed the application process, I am extremely glad that I did – it was worth every penny. I picked mbaMission because my friend applied to schools during R1 and got into her top choice. She had great things to say about her consultant, so I decided to give it a shot. After speaking to Krista on an intro call, I was very impressed with how professional, straight-forward and organized she was. My main concerns were 1) relatively low GMAT score and 2) starting the application process late (I had my initial call with her in mid-November and apps were due the first week of January). Krista helped me set proper expectations in terms of the schools I wanted to apply to and was able to reduce my concerns about timing by very clearly laying out the steps of the application process.

Krista was an absolute whiz at helping me figure out my story. One of the first things I did after signing up with her was fill out a background memo on myself. I spend a few hours answering the questions (some of which seemed random at the time). After hopping on a call, however, we were able to piece together my story which I hadn’t even realized existed in my answers. She found connections that I never would have recognized, and I was able to leverage her insight and suggestions to write my essays.

Krista is also exceptionally organized and never missed any deadlines to return her edits to me. Her comments were very helpful and I knew that I could count on her to provide perceptive answers to my questions (regarding relevance, flow, sentence structure, word choice, among others). She would push me to explain the reasoning or meaning behind my words which resulted in me writing better essays. Every time I spoke with her, we set a timeline of when I should send the next deliverable to her, and it made staying on top of all my applications effortless.

By the end of my process, I felt like Krista knew me better than I knew myself. She could have easily answered any interview question better than I did during my interviews. She was incredibly invested in my success, very timely in her responses and an absolute pleasure to work with. I strongly recommend Krista as an admissions consultant!

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Nisha was extremely helpful with every step of the process, breaking down what seems to be such a daunting task into digestible steps and pieces. Even knowing that I wanted to pursue an MBA and having a target list of schools, there still was a great deal of guidance and support which only comes from experience that Nisha provided in terms of best practices and strategies. From school selection, to research and brainstorming, to application crafting, to essay writing and editing, and to decision strategies, Nisha was greatly beneficial, and I am very appreciative for her support along the way.

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Katharine was instrumental in helping me in my goal of getting into Haas. Over the course of two years we worked together to find not only the best time to apply, but also the best way to apply. Katharine consulted me on all things about Haas, and the most important areas I would need to improve on in order to get in. The biggest factor for me though was the confidence that she instilled in me during the process. No hurdle was too big, no blemish on my application too damning. She always was there to be my biggest supporter and fan. Without her I could not have gotten into school, that I am sure of.

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As a member of an over-represented group (white male in financial services), I found Katy’s keen insight and expertise to be particularly helpful. With only a 720 GMAT (weak on quant) and a 3.7, I would not have been admitted to Kellogg (and potentially Booth!) without Katy’s brilliance. Here’s what I found helpful in list form:
– Right off the bat, Katy helped me figure out what I want from my MBA with our brainstorming sessions
– She helped me create a plan for which schools to apply to and when I would need to execute each step
– Her expertise really shined on the resume and letters of recommendation. These are without a doubt the most overlooked part of every application, and I think she’s the best in the industry at it. None of my friends applying to M7 programs got anywhere near as acute of advice as Katy gave me.
– She knew how every program interviewed and helped me prepare for each interview based on the school’s specific style
– She has an insanely high hit rate on getting clients admitted from waitlists and navigated me through the waitlist process at Kellogg and Booth.
– Her coaching has been paramount as I’ve negotiated for financial aid

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I initially was unsure whether to use an admissions consultant at all. Looking back, I'm so glad I found Katy and decided to work with her through this process -- I couldn't be happier after having been admitted to my two top choice programs, HBS and GSB. Katy truly "got" my story from day 1 and guided me through the entire process to help me put my best foot forward while staying completely true to myself -- and coaching me through a number of broader life and career choices along the way! Highly recommend for everyone, especially for others who may have very busy day jobs -- the resources and experience Katy was able to bring to bear really made the process as smooth and efficient as it could possibly ave been. Could not be happier with Katy and mbaMission.

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I first heard of Katy when a friend who had worked with her mentioned how generous she was with her time during the initial consultation, going beyond what he had expected from a free consultation. I had the opportunity to see her work in action as we teamed up for an application to my dream school. From basic questions that I'd email off to her at a moment's notice, to long and thorough interview prep sessions, Katy wowed me. She always went above and beyond, never failing to provide timely and discerning feedback and even going so far as to connect me with some of those in her personal network to help me attend a particular class on campus. Her Stanford/Yale/Harvard/McKinsey credentials don't even do her justice. She's a true expert in every sense of the word.

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I wasn't a very easy case. I'm 36 with a low GPA from a non-feeder school. Melissa still helped me get into a top 10 school and I made the interview round at one H/S/W program and one other M7 program. I can tell you looking at my first essay drafts to the finished product, I would not have gotten in on my own because I wasn't selling myself the right way at all. Melissa helped me shape and develop ideas for essays and helped me decide how to think about these essays in a way that let me be effective.

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Katy was an incredible partner in this process. From the brainstorm document, which was a vital tool in crafting my story, to the essays, Katy was an incredible partner in this process and made it significantly easier to pursue. She was great at providing insight into the process and what to expect, and she was a valuable resource for interview prep and waitlist management. One of the key aspects of this was better understanding where my strengths were and how I could manage any weak points of my application. She was an incredible partner to have, and I am immensely grateful for her help. Signing up was one of the best decisions that I made

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Kate was instrumental in my MBA application journey from start to finish. She was extremely insightful, helpful and resourceful. When I was struggling with GMAT, she suggested various strategies for me to break out of the plateau stage and referred great tutor to help me. When I was brainstorming essay ideas and got stuck in difficult situations, ranging from not having enough ideas to having too many ideas, she was always there and ready to share wisdom and guidance. Kate struck a perfect balance between being an independent consultant and being resourceful.  

Additionally, she was extremely responsive throughout the whole process. Whenever I had a question, she responded right away via email or phone call. Even during the rare days when she took time off, she gave more than adequate advance notice. During this challenging process with hair greying and weight loss effect :), it was so comforting to know that Kate always has my back.

If I were to do this again, I would choose Kate again in a heartbeat. Good luck to everyone looking to embark on this journey! Besides hard work, luck, and support from family and friends, Kate is the other invaluable and critical player to complete your dream team.

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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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