Katharine was a boon to my application process, she really helped to make me a much stronger candidate with a crisp story that was attractive to my target schools. Katharine really provided value in three ways:

1) School Choice: Katharine really knows the top schools, how they are different, what they are looking for, and after spending a lot of time getting to know you, where you would best fit. She helped steer me within my top choice schools to the applications where I should spend the most amount of time based on my fit with the school. She even introduced me to programs that weren't on my radar, but should have been. She helped to take school selection beyond the ranking and dug much deeper to help me narrow my school selection and know which aspects of my profile they would most interest them.

2) Flexibility: Katharine always holds up her end of the deal, she will work around the clock (if she has to) to meet deadlines and never got a draft back to me later than promised. She also made sure that I was comfortable hitting send, even if we needed an extra phone call or skype chat rather than email in the process. Working with her was very easy and I was always comfortable when I submit my apps.

3) Story: Katharine knows storytelling and knows how to help a candidate capture their story in a way that is sincere, most compelling to target schools, and highlights the right things. She helped to identify experiences and stories to capture for AdComs that I would have otherwise glossed over or left out entirely. Her deep knowledge of the top schools helped here as well. In the process of setting an application strategy, iterating essays, and interview preparation she constantly pushed me to capture my story in the best way possible, taking me to task whenever I would drift or miss the mark. All without letting me lost my own voice and personality in my writing.

Katharine is a great consultant, if you are looking for someone to do tell you everything you should do or do the work for you she isn't for you. Working with her, you will truly get out what you put in. She is willing to do as many iterations as necessary, but it is always you doing the work.

Overall my experience was fantastic, I felt a good fit from our first discussion when she clearly outlined what I was missing and what I was trying to say in our first conversation, something that no other service/consultant was able to do in that first meeting.

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Just like the title says, Angela is really somebody who cares about getting to know you as an applicant, and not just putting together a package that she thinks the Adcom wants to see. I've heard a number of horror stories of other applicants who used lesser consultants, and ended up with cookie-cutter applications that didn't really say who they were.

Angela's process started with a lengthy consultation and questionnaire. At first I was reluctant to fill another lengthy document on top of the application that I was about to embark on, but its value was very quickly apparent. After reviewing that document and through subsequent conversations, Angela really got to the core of who I was and what motivates me. Without Angela's guidance, I certainly would have taken a much more standard approach to my application, laying out accomplishments, career points, etc. With her help, my application was tailored to who I was, and my personality came through.

On top of her guidance through the essays, it was very comforting to have someone as experienced as Angela to bounce questions off of. Every little thought that you have on the application -- even as trivial as what font should I use -- she'll have good advice for, even if that advice is "don't worry about that...seriously".

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I used the complete start to finish package from mbaMission. John not only gave me fantastic guidance and feedback but also meaningful support and encouragement. He helped to keep me on the right track during the brainstorm process, and helped me to view the application as a whole, as the admissions board would. He helped me to market and capitalize on my strengths and ensure these were communicated in my application. During the essay writing process, John asked all the right questions to direct my focus on the right topics and pushed me to perfect my essays. John also helped me tremendously during the interview process which was the most stressful part for me. He gave clear and constructive feedback, helped me to stay focused and calmed my nerves. Lastly, John was always available via phone and email for quick questions and support. I got into both of the two schools I applied to with John's assistance.(CBS and NYU) I highly recommend his services!

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After using Manhattan GMAT prep to prepare for the exam, my instructor told me she would pair me with mbaMission's best consultant, Angela Guido. I was already impressed by the strong recommendation, but during the free consultation with Angela I was further impressed with the candor she spoke of my candidacy, the concrete advice she provided me, and the fact that she did not try to push her consulting services on me. I decided to work with Angela on a 2 school Complete-Start-to-Finish Package and I would highly recommend Angela to anyone comparing MBA admissions consultants.

Before the school applications were even released, Angela worked with me through 13 revisions of my resume. She dissected every sentence and we worked through every word, "de-jargoning" my resume. I later sent my resume to a friend (and Kellogg admissions fellow whose opinions I trust greatly), and he informed me that my resume was the best he'd seen. I attribute this praise to Angela solely.

Angela, was very responsive to my correspondence, often returning multiple drafts of documents within a single day. Aside from resume prep, Angela's greatest strength in my view is her ability to pick out the aspects of my background that led to major life decisions I'd made, and subsequently articulate these insights on my application.

I can't recommend Angela highly enough. If you plan to use mbaMission, Angela should be your first choice. If you aren't planning to use mbaMission, Angela Guido should be a strong reason to reconsider.

I was admitted to Wharton, Sloan, and Booth and I know that I couldn't have done it without Angela.

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I used mbaMission for my bschool application a few years ago. I worked with the consultant Adam Grossman doing hourly consulting. We had an initial phone call to understand my background and he spent a lot of time reviewing my essays and giving me ideas. I really liked the changes he helped me change on my address and he was very easy to reach and had really fast turn around time. He brought up some good points to add to my address that I did not think of, and he helped me polish the essay to make them sound consistent.
I think his guidance really helped me succeed in my applications. I would definitely recommend them.

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I was hesitant to hire an admissions consultant, but a good friend who got into HBS highly recommended Angela so I did a trial call. I quickly hired her.

I could speak of how she overhauled my resume – still 100% accurate but much more impressive, or how she understood me so quickly and what to highlight for my story, or the quality of her feedback that helped me shape my essay into the masterpiece I feel it is (my HBS interviewer told me “I love the way you write”). Yet I feel the most telling example is when Angela told me she woke up in the middle of the night and realized we HAD to add back a portion of the essay we just removed. That’s the kind of person you want to work with.

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Applying to business school was an overwhelming experience for me. I was a non-traditional applicant and struggling with how to present myself. I knew what I wanted schools to know about me, but wasn’t sure how to express all of that eloquently in essay form. When I contacted mbaMission, I specifically requested a consultant who would be comfortable working with an unconventional applicant, because it was important to me that I stay authentic to myself throughout the process.

Working with Kate was such a pleasure from day one. She is incredibly insightful and knowledgeable when it comes to what various schools are looking for, and is an outstanding editor. I applied to a giant number of schools (a total of seven in round one). She was extremely organized and kept me motivated while I was nearing the finish line, especially given all those different deadlines and essay topics. Kate was full of very honest and straightforward feedback, while still managing to be kind and encouraging. Most importantly, Kate was really able to draw upon my strengths to create compelling applications, and asked me all the right questions while I was working through the essays. After submitting each application, I was certain that I had put my best foot forward, and that confidence in myself and in my story would not have been possible without Kate’s help and expertise.

I am 100% convinced that I would not have had the same successes in being admitted to top business schools if I hadn't worked with Kate on every application. I’ve already recommended Kate to friends of mine going through the business school application process right now. Kate is such a gem for anyone applying to business school, and it was truly a pleasure to work with her.

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I had a wonderful experience working with Jen Kedrowski. I believed the weakest aspect of my application was my work experience and Jen worked very hard to help me highlight my accomplishments and address my weaknesses. We also spent many productive hours preparing for interviews, of which I had six in a two week period. I chose Jen because she received her MBA from Cambridge and I was most interested in LBS, but this does not mean that she has limited knowledge of the American schools. Jen helped me get accepted to Booth, Yale, and Cambridge, and waitlisted at Dartmouth and LBS. If you are looking for a consultant who is very diligent, enthusiastic, reliable, and detail oriented, I would highly recommend Jen Kedrowski at mbaMission.

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I worked with Angela on a two school package for both HBS and GSB.

What really impressed me right away was how she read into my personality so well. After reading through my initial brainstorming materials, and doing an 30 minute call, it felt like Angela had known me for years.

She was tremendously helpful in helping me brainstorm essay ideas and helping me frame my life story and interests in a convincing way! I was very happy with the end result of my essays and felt they really reflected who I was.

Angela was quick to respond to any questions I had over email, and always got drafts of my essays back to me in a timely manner.

Although I did not end up getting into either of my top choices, I was able to leverage the work I did on both schools into an application to Wharton and was admitted! Angela even helped me in my interview even though it wasn't one of the two schools I was working with her on. Talk about going above and beyond!

If anyone is on the fence about hiring a consultant, I highly recommend you spending 30 minutes (free consultation!) on the phone with Angela!

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Before I ever met Melissa Blakeslee, I was excited to work with her because of her experience working on the other end of the admissions process, as an executive director of admissions at Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business. More than helping me craft essays and applications that would appeal to the admissions officers though, Melissa helped me build an authentic application because she was completely committed to getting to know me. Equal parts therapy session and brainstorm, our first meeting was a 1.5 hour call where we talked about everything from my upbringing to my work experience. During our next brainstorming session, she continued to bring up ideas that evolved some of the topics we had discussed 2+ months earlier.

When it came time to practice for my interview, Melissa was the ultimate resource because she knew me as well (if not better) than I knew myself. She suggested answers that I hadn’t considered and reminded me of experiences that I had forgotten. In the end, I was perfectly set-up for an interview that told one cohesive story, rather than a series of disjointed, one-off answers.

More than anything else though, in searching for an admissions consultant, I was looking for a real partner to guide me through a pretty overwhelming process. Someone who’d be as invested in my success as much as my mom or dad might be. In Melissa, I found exactly that. When it was crunch time, I was incredibly grateful to have Melissa with me in the trenches. She provided feedback on my essays quicker than I could edit them and was the only reason I got everything in on time. After a poor interview, Melissa gave me some much-needed perspective, helping me parse the emotional from the rational. And when I found out I had been admitted to my dream school, Melissa was my third call (after my parents and grandma). If I could go through it all over again, I wouldn’t do it with anyone else but Melissa.

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