mbaMission Admissions Consulting Reviews

Harshad is a wonderful consultant for any kind of person. He is dedicated to drive out the greatest story from you and align your story with your strength in application. We talked for two hours during the kickoff session and framed up all essays, super efficiently. His excellent skills in essay editing will help you a lot in language especially if you are not a native speaker. He also helped me on my interview. He arranged a face to face mock interview since I am a local candidate. He pointed out my strength and weakness in the mock and it greatly mitigated my risk to screw up real interview. I would highly recommend Harshad to anyone who is interested in any MBA programs.

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I worked with Jessica while I was applying for MBA schools, and was able to get into Columbia for early decision. At the time, I was working in investment banking, and literally had no time to work on the essays and such.

During the first free consultation call, Jessica gave me real advice and the real deal while other companies whom I called gave me terrible mum answers, and told me that they wouldn't really help me until I signed up for their program. This is when I decided to go with mbaMission instead of other companies - I just felt that if the other companies cared so much about making sure that you pay first prior to helping you, then every help will be well-calculated going forward and they would not help you if they don't see an end-goal in sight.

Throughout the entire process, Jessica was very helpful in helping me craft my story. I had a few paths that I wanted go delve into (including quitting my job to start a startup), but she was direct about what she thought was a good idea and what wasn't. As I am now actually starting a startup, I've come to realize that the things which she shot down indeed were correct (she told me before that I would never have enough time to launch something given I was only 8 months away from application deadlines).

Additionally, although mbaMission has a 2-day turnaround guarantee on all products, she constantly met if not completely shattered those deadlines. Not having enough time on my plate to really focus on these applications, I would often email her questions and thoughts at 10-11pm (when I had a break at work), and she would respond within 15-20 minutes. Of note - she is very direct in what she believes, and would not give you a wishy-washy answer - even if it is something that you might not want to hear at the moment. To me, that was the most efficient method of changing/challenging my thoughts (if they were wrong). As someone who is relatively opinionated, the last thing I wanted was to have someone give me light suggestions which I could easily dismiss.

Finally, I would like to point out that the connection does not end after you get into whichever school you ultimately end up in. It has been almost 1.5 years since I last worked with her on an essay, and she still checks in on me. If you want someone who really cares and is not there just for the carrot, I highly recommend Jessica.

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I entered the Round 2 application process this year with a 680 GMAT score, professional experience in the entertainment industry and a lack of understanding of how best to use this to aid me in obtaining my MBA from a top tier school. I hesitated to even apply this year because of my sub-700 GMAT score. Many people including other MBA consultants told me I was better off in Round 1 of next year and that I should stay focused on boosting my GMAT score. While the GMAT is a very important metric for admissions officers and consultants, my success in being accepted by my number one program can serve as a testament to the true “holistic” approach and to the advantage you can have in teaming up with the right consultant.
I came to mbaMission through Manhattan Prep, where I had a positive experience with their GMAT materials and private tutor. My concern in hiring a consultant was I would just be another client to them, which I couldn’t afford when I needed to really stand out in my essays and applications in order to have any chance of acceptance. I also knew that I was facing an audience whose understanding of my industry and my experience may be very limited.
mbaMission really worked to match me with the best consultant who suited my needs in every way. I had a preliminary 30 min call with John Sisk and we not only hit it off from a personality standpoint, but John had previously worked in entertainment and really understood how to best approach framing my essays and complete application. Following that call, I purchased the Complete “Start-to-Finish” Package - Three-School Package.
I found the entire mbaMission process to be extremely organized, thoughtful and streamlined. From our initial brainstorm to the final essays, John was very strategic about where we started so we could eventually use the content and stories from our first essay and mold it into every essay for each school, thus maintaining my essence and personal story throughout my applications. Looking back, John made the difference in truly unlocking the best story I could tell, and I honestly believe I would not have told the same impactful and compelling story if I chose to go it alone.
John’s approach to writing essays made my entire experience less stressful, more organized, and very streamlined. Additionally, the straightforward delivery schedule and holiday considerations in the mbaMission organization made it very easy for me to plan ahead and around holidays.
In the end, I was accepted into HBS in Round 2. Having made it through the application process, I would strongly urge future applications to not only trust in the holistic process of compiling a complete application but also to strongly consider teaming up with a consultant to help you tap into your best story and position. In my case, I know John made a huge impact in my applications that was exponentially more valuable than the price.

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I worked with Daniel Richards and had an incredibly positive experience. Working in banking, I needed someone to help keep me on track and give continuous feedback at short turnarounds - all of which Daniel did really well. I had several moments of complete panic when I didn't know what direction I was heading in and Dan not only provided specific guidance and honest feedback, but also made me feel a whole lot better about the application process.

I chose Dan because we connected well on the introductory call and I thought his background in journalism/ editing would help in crafting my story and tailor it to audiences not in finance. I was from Country A, had studied in Country B, and was working in Country C, so I had to find a way to weave that narrative into my essays. We spent a considerable time on each essay going back and forth, disagreeing on certain ideas, and eventually coming up with compelling stories. Some of the edits were incremental, some were drastic, but all resulted in a better output.

Dan never missed a deadline and responded even when he was on vacation. He was really nice to work with and made an effort to understand me as a person, going out of his way for some of my requests.

Overall, I am very satisfied with my experience and think the investment was worth it.

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To work with Angela Guido is to have an MRI performed on your soul.

After a 30-minute consultation with Angela, I was stunned by the accuracy with which she summarized my motivations, character, and potential. Other consultants took one look at my stats (3.1 GPA, mid-ranked public university, ~600 practice GMAT score) and either steered me towards 2nd & 3rd tier schools or ignored me altogether. Not so with the MRI of Souls.

During our consultation, she saw right through my unimpressive stats and assured me that I was a strong and differentiated applicant for a top program, then provided evidence for this assertion by highlighting the strengths of my candidacy. Where other consultants were hesitant to provide too many details for free, Angela was generous: She gave me a specific GMAT goal, a short list of top schools with which she thought I was a fit, and guidance on when to apply, all during the FREE call. She was professional, affable, and direct. I knew that I had to work with her when, in one sentence, she summed up my post-MBA aspirations more precisely and succinctly than I had ever stated them myself – to her or anyone else, for that matter.

I was sold and signed up for a 3 school complete package. Given my budget, she assured me that after we worked together, I would understand the process and be able to complete additional applications on my own. We decided to work on Harvard Business School (HBS), Wharton, and a Master’s in Public Policy application at the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) together. I applied on my own to MIT Sloan and Yale SOM.

It became clear how lucky I was to work with Angela during our first brainstorming call. She had me complete a lengthy questionnaire in advance – I was sure she would need me to clarify a few things, but I was wrong; She already had me completely figured out. She has this uncanny ability to channel the essence of who I am. She thought the way I thought. She understood my voice. She could articulate things about me that I hadn’t fully realized myself.

This was particularly useful in my case because I have an unusual amount of varied experiences in my background and needed help choosing the most persuasive stories to tell. She noticed this (of course) and identified several experiences in my life that were formative, interesting, or revealing. She then suggested a few different narrative arcs that I could use to tie those experiences together into an essay, and left me to my own devices to pump out a draft.

Working with Angela is wonderful, in part because she teaches you the process as you go through it. There is always an overarching strategy, and she will explain the tactics as she guides you through the process. She will not write anything for you, and because she knows what your best effort is, she will reject sloppy substitutions for your best work. The process is demanding, but it is a lot of fun. She roots for you. She’s in your corner. She pushes you in a direction that she knows will be authentic for you. She will give you a pep talk whenever you need one, and in the end you really want to make her proud.

I eventually got my GMAT score up to 720 and submitted all my applications in Round 1.

And what were the results?

I was admitted to Harvard Business School – My dream program! I was also admitted to MIT Sloan with a Dean’s fellowship (1 ½ yrs tuition: ~ $107,000). I was dinged without an interview at Wharton, Yale, and HKS.

HBS & Wharton were no surprise to Angela – She’d told me all along that I was a strong HBS fit but wasn’t the Wharton “type”. Yale made sense to me – I didn’t have a clear rationale to go there. HKS was a surprise, but it wasn’t our fault: The essay that she pushed me to write was a masterpiece. I could not have made a stronger case and never would have gone in that direction on my own. So if that application didn’t get me admitted, nothing could. I’m fine with that.

I’m sure that a number of consultants could have helped me get into HBS, but Angela Guido’s services stand out because in addition to helping me submit the strongest possible applications, she’s also given me a bonus gift: A deeper understanding of myself than I’ve ever had before. This self-awareness leads to incredible confidence and is a tremendous competitive advantage.

So for anyone out there who isn’t sure about Angela Guido, you should be. A 30-minute call with her two years ago changed my life forever. It just might change yours, too.

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My stats: 740 GMAT/3.3 GPA/5 years WE in tech. I applied late in the game (took the GMAT end of Otc, applied for Round 2 to 5 schools starting in late Nov).

I took the Manhattan Prep course and they recommend mbaMission so I signed up for the 30 minute free consultation with Monica. She was absolutely on-point, pointing out weakness in my EC and providing feedback on my target schools. It was such a productive session I signed up for a package deal for hourly consulting. Given the price of business school, the price of consulting seems absolutely worth it, especially given the potential pain and price of having to apply again if you don't get in to a target school.

I worked with Brian Eng, who was really helpful in a number of key ways:

1. He listened to my story, helped me understand and reflect on what exactly I wanted, and how I could fine-tune my goals and express continuity from where I was to where I wanted to go. He didn't re-write my story or push me to change anything so much as say something to the effect of "it sounds like you want to be involved in X in the long term, why not spell that out as your long term goal?"

2. He provided very pointed feedback about line items in my essays as well as general thoughts on gaps I needed to fill or directional issues in my essays. This was always according to my asks however. I would generally request either high level review to start with, and then ask for more line item reviews when I got to a later draft.

3. He would match my quick pace during phone calls so we could get the most out of our time. I really appreciate that because there were some essays I would have a lot of questions about and others I would have just a few pointed questions about. Some of my questions were really broad e.g. of these 5 ideas, which one do you think best addresses this prompt and shows a new side of me? He was great at getting to the point and moving quickly from topic to topic as per my request.

4. He helped me figure out what each essay questions was really trying to "get at" in terms of what schools wanted to find out about me. Rather than telling me what kind of stories to use, he would point out that certain essays were better answered with personal rather than professional anecdotes, or constantly explain how much more school-sspecific and tailored I would need to make my essays. Ultimately the big questions are why b school, why now, why this one, short term goal, long term goal. And Brian helped me determine which essay or place in the application I would be best served putting each answer since it's not always possible or advisable to answer all those items in one prompt.

If I had any constructive feedback, it would be that I was expecting a touch more hands-on help in terms of help brainstorming essay ideas and responsiveness, but those were both mostly driven by the fact that I was in a time crunch and very stressed. That said, it was fairly minor and I appreciated that he encouraged me at every turn and mentioned he had been in a similar situation when he applied for schools. Ultimately, he helped me get accepted to 2 top 10 schools, both my top choices.

In terms of how "worth it" the service is, I definitely think from a price perspective it is worth it given how much you're already paying for business school and applications. The best way to optimize the service's worth is to brainstorm questions and ideas before calls/emails and hit all your concerns at once. From an application management perspective, it's absolutely worth it if you don't have a lot of people who have previously applied to help you out. I also really appreciated all the free school guides the website provides!

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The first decision in choosing an MBA consultancy package is determining which company to use. After interviewing approximately ten firms, I went with mbaMission on account of its simple, sober approach. Importantly, mbaMission won’t railroad you into working with a consultant of its choosing. Be sure that the firm you pick allows you to have a detailed conversation with the consultant to whom you’ll be assigned. Many didn’t offer this option, instead trying to convince me to sign-up for a package prior to be given this information.

During my initial interview, the contact person from mbaMission (not Dan) didn’t make any grandiose claims, but affirmed that with hard work and effort on my end, the consultant I worked with would be able to guide me successfully through the process. Additionally, she affirmed that if I chose mbaMission, she’d be thrilled to work with me, yet completely understood if I wanted to work with someone else on the team (I sense that mbaMission has more camaraderie than some of the other major players).

After reading countless reviews and holding a few calls, I chose Dan. He is prompt, straightforward, and congenial. Throughout the process he expertly walked the line between coach and teammate. When I needed a boost of motivation, he was there to help cheer me along. When I needed someone to confer with regarding which school offer I’d choose, he counseled with a smoothness that only comes from years of practice. His background is creative writing is an invaluable skill that separates him from the pack.

In choosing an MBA admissions consultant, assess candidates with this criteria in mind: 1) the confidence and wisdom to hold you to a timeline 2) the writing proficiency and creativity to help hone your essays 3) a strong understanding of the MBA application roadmap to help match your expectation to reality.

I recommend Dan without any reservation. If you seek an MBA admissions counselor to guide you along the path to MBA acceptance, Daniel Richards from mbaMission is your person.

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I hired mbaMission for a two school package, and Debbie is my consultant. I only applied to two schools and was admitted to my dream school. I wouldn’t be able to achieve that without Debbie’s guidance.

Why mbaMission?
After talking to all top MBA consultant firms I could find, I decided to go with mbaMission because mbaMission truly puts my interest first and cares for its consultants. This is the reason why the firm does not offer money-back guarantee, promise unprovable results, and offer discounts or sales. (Read: https://www.mbamission.com/about/?display=faq). I also like how I am paired with one consultant who will spend time to understand me, be my friend, and be with me throughout the whole process.

Why Debbie?
Besides all the great qualities that Debbie has a MBA consultant, I specifically asked Debbie to be my consultant because of the similarities in our backgrounds. I felt she could guide me to articulate my stories to the schools better, and it was the best decision I have ever made.

Here are a few reasons why I highly recommend Debbie:
1. During the brainstorming process: Debbie helped me prioritize my stories that would highlight my strengths and differentiate me from the rest of other applicants who are from the same industry. She also gave me advice on how I can arrange these stories so my essay will have a logical flow.
2. During the writing process: Debbie is very generous with feedbacks and willing to ask tough questions. These questions allowed me to think more strategically and improve my essays significantly. She continued to challenge me until we are both happy with the essays.
3. Throughout the process: Applying to top MBA programs is hard, and there were times I felt like giving up and thought I might not make it. Debbie never gave up on me. She was always there to support me and helped walk me through the process. This is why I really appreciate the one-on-one working relationship that mbaMission offers.

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I would definitely recommend mbaMission and specifically John. He was always timely with his edits to my essays and provided in-depth commentary & edits to every draft. For me, it was helpful to know someone who is an expert in the space had viewed my documents, almost giving them a seal of approval before sending off to schools. Since I applied Round 2, my essay writing/reviews fell over the holidays but John was still checking emails and communicative about drafts etc. Last, mbaMission has so many helpful documents and white papers to help you navigate the process - I found them really helpful and reassuring as I faced each step of the admissions process.

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From the very beginning of the experience, mbaMission treated me with exceptional courtesy and respect. After the free 30 minute consultation, I did a "fit call" with Harshad Mali- that call confirmed to me that Harshad was the exact right consultant for me. Things to know about Harshad: 1) Harshad has detailed knowledge of school statistics, and an understanding of broad admissions trends. Harshad helped me get my game plan together to apply to four schools in short order and provided me feedback on historical trends of acceptance rates by round, by school. He even gathered other consultant opinions on my resume; 2) Harshad will push you until you have a cohesive product that is the best representation of you and your story. Just a week before the deadline, together Harshad and I started my Ross essay over from scratch because my previous version was not developing strongly enough. This was the best possible thing he could have guided me to do, rather than moving forward with a weak concept; 3) Harshad seamlessly understands scheduling, priorities, and the "admissions tempo". Harshad ALWAYS provided great feedback on my deliverables and questions within 48 hours or less. On New Year's Eve, we exchanged essay versions by the hour. He knew when we had to push to hit key productivity gateways, and let me have time to breathe between each of my applications, with consideration to the ones on which we were not partnered. When a hurricane destroyed my car and residence, Harshad was completely empathetic to my situation, urging me to focus on my life adjustments, and was encouraging throughout. He genuinely cared; 4) Harshad was a true partner in the process. Throughout the essay-writing journey, he gave me his edits to ensure that my voice was not lost before further editing/trimming was done. I had ultimate stylistic control, though Harshad proved to be the master of grammar! Also, when at the last minute I decided to partner on Harvard instead of Stanford, Harshad was in complete support and immediately started focusing our efforts on that best possible essay and short answers; 5) Harshad's candid feedback, support, and knowledge will give you confidence in the entire process, from choosing schools to after the interview, and receiving offers. Harshad was with me every step of the way. The price tag on the school packages is a hefty one, but my experience with Harshad and mbaMission exceeded my expectations and helped me bridge the gap and translate my military career into something of value to the admission committees. As a result, I was admitted to my top two choices, the Ross School of Business and the Stanford Graduate School of Business (decisions, decisions)! Applying to an MBA program and making the transition can be grueling and daunting, so don't do it alone. I recommend Harshad to anyone.

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