I decided to apply to business school a little later in life than (I believe) most people do. Having started to work full time early on, in the industry I have always been passionate about, I had never heard of MBA programs until I decided to make a career change. The chance of potentially studying in a top business program was a tangible path moving forward and I decided to dive in. As an international applicant with a non-traditional background, I realized I needed support along the application process if I wanted to improve my chances of success - that is when I crossed paths with mbaMission and Julie-Anne.

From the very start, Julie-Anne shared plenty of useful insights in terms of establishing a reasonable and efficient timeline for getting things ready to submit applications. As we started working on my resume, she was able to articulate feedbacks in a candid and effective way, ensuring there was always improvement after each interaction between the two of us. However, she helped me the MOST (yes, it was a lot of help) with my essays. After going through a couple of brainstorming sessions, she was able to identify specific situations and examples to be used in my essays which I would have never been able to identify by myself. After pointing me out in the right direction, she supported me with actionable feedback in every draft along the way, helping me hone each essay based on the specific prompts of each school. After the essays were ready, we worked together on short answers, and the other parts of the application process.

In my opinion, Julie-Anne’s support was instrumental to my success during application season. I applied to 6 of the M7 schools in R1, and have just accepted an offer from one of them.

Read More

Susan was a pleasure to work with. She was candid about my candidacy at The University of Michigan Ross School of Business, and she helped me develop a great plan to eventually get accepted. As someone who made the decision later in life to pursue an MBA, I was a bit out of touch with what admissions counselors looked for in an applicant. Susan was really great at detailing the most effective way to develop my application narrative based on my education and professional history, and worked overtime to make sure I told that story in the best way possible. I was extremely happy with her service and would recommend her to anyone that wants to ensure they put their best foot forward.

Read More

Strengths:

Susan is responsive, thorough, nuanced and very supportive.

Would make the product better:

Nothing

Susan is the best - I had a complicated story that needed to be told with nuance, and she helped me craft a really compelling narrative for my admissions essays in just a few weeks. She helped me to strike the right "tone", something I was worried wouldn't even be possible. She was also incredibly emotionally supportive as I was dealing with some stressful circumstances in the background during my applications. She genuinely cares about her clients, and even after I got my acceptances, she was eager to help me think through the pros / cons of each program.

Read More

Strengths:

- Knowledgeable about the process
- Ability to help craft as story in essays
- Calm and Compassionate

Would make the product better:

N/A

Susan was extremely knowledge about the MBA process but maintained a very calm demeanor throughout. She was always available for any and all questions and never made me feel stupid for asking what I thought were silly questions. Without her, I would not have been able to pull out the best version of myself to craft my narrative during the various essays revision processes. She is one of the major reasons I had a successful and fruitful MBA journey.

I can't recommend her enough for any aspiring MBA applicants, and she will very likely be a net positive for anyone thinking of applying and more than provides value for the cost.

Read More

Debbie was instrumental to my successful MBA applications. I signed up for her 3-school package, and applied to 3 schools independently. Used in conjunction with the OnTrack resource, I felt well supported in the application process for all of my applications. She was very organized and guided me through each step in the process. After each of our initial brainstorming sessions, I had the necessary guidance to start my essays for each school, and her feedback on each essay helped improve my writing clarity. I do think that in order to make the best use of these services, you need to be very committed to the process and invest the necessary time to engage with brainstorming, essay drafting, etc. With that in mind, highly recommend Debbie!

Read More

I had an absolutely incredible experience working with Debbie! I went into the MBA applications process with very little confidence and a lot of fear given my undergraduate admission experience. I had intro sessions with a few potential counselors, but after my session with Debbie, I knew she was the one I wanted to work with. I was drawn to Debbie’s positive attitude, calmness, and pursuit of excellence. Although the price seems high, Debbie, and the structure of the mbaMission package, quickly helped me gain the confidence back and kept me on track.

I worked on 3 schools with Debbie. Debbie knows how to identify what makes you stand out as an applicant and is extremely effective in helping translate that into your essays. She is kind, understanding, intelligent, and knows exactly what each school is looking for in their candidates. For each school, Debbie gave me highly effective and practical feedback with very impressive turnaround time. As someone who is very detail oriented, I asked so many questions and refined my work often -- Debbie guided me on every single part of each application and answered every single question right up until I hit submit. She helped me find my voice and craft applications that conveyed my best story, where I didn’t even think I had one.

I was not expecting any scholarships, but received a full scholarship from NYU Stern and $50,000 a year at CBS which was my top school. This, on top of the peace of mind that working with Debbie gave me, was well worth the price. I attribute much of this success to Debbie’s guidance and can’t emphasize enough how much I recommend her as a counselor. I felt like she was genuinely invested in my journey and was routing for me along the way!

Read More

Michael's service is exactly what you need when facing tight but aggressive timeline. He worked very hard with me on my two applications. Usually I worked early in the morning and he worked throughout the day until late night so the next day in the morning I can pick up the pace and continue. He was also very responsive, detail-focused, and patient. He holds your hands tight during the process, so stick with the plan strictly as long as you are committed to it. Eventually, I met my two first-round deadlines with a less than one-month schedule, two interviews, and was admitted to my dream program .

Read More

Strengths:

From the consultant to the company - everyone is invested in you to succeed.

Would make the product better:

None

As I studied for my GMAT, I often lurked on Reddit and P&Q to read up on consultant reviews. But the decision couldn’t have been more challenging when the time came. After talking to 7-8 consultants, I couldn’t find a fit with anyone. Some would often sell themselves, while others would try to sell me dreams. So, I decided to talk to more consultants. This is when I stumbled upon Harshad. An individual who was genuinely interested in my story rather than trying to sell me his services. So much so that after talking to consultants for over 2 weeks, I decided to work with Harshad the same day I spoke to him.
One thing was obvious: Harshad mentioned he is “very direct,” and he means it. He understands that time is of the essence in MBA applications, so there is no time to beat around the bush.
The process was straightforward. Brainstorming sessions, school selection, Resume, essays, interviews, etc…
While looking for a consultant, I also assessed the “firm” they worked for. This became obvious when Harshad sent me the Brainstorming document to fill out. Mbamission’s brainstorming document is long, but filling it out in its entirety allowed Harshad to really get to know me. This made our essay discussions easier because all of my stories were laid out, and Harshad could pinpoint exactly how I could approach the essays.
Things weren’t always easy. Initially, I thought that I had hired a consultant, and with his guidance, I had written my essays, and my job was done. Harshad put a stop to this in our very first essay. What I had written was nowhere close to what we had discussed. He was “direct” in his approach and quick to get on a call to re-discuss, just in case I had missed any details in our initial essay call. It again became evident that Harshad wasn’t willing to settle for less. Even if it meant additional time and resources, he went above and beyond for me to craft the best essays possible.
I also liked Harshad’s “one-school” at a time approach. With 2 months to go for app deadlines, I was wary of this and thought I couldn’t submit it on time. However, he assured me that we would meet the timeline, and we did. The time we invested in our initial essays on one school, made it easier for us on the subsequent schools.
After submitting my applications, Harshad suggested I get some rest, but the job wasn’t done. Slowly, the interviews trickled in, and Harshad quickly set up mock interviews, provided resources on Mbamission’s Ontrack, and assured me I was in the best place possible during my interviews. I enjoyed Harshad’s mock interviews because he threw hard questions at me, ensuring I could think on my feet.
From the interviews to the decisions, Harshad checked in often to ensure I was doing well. He even took the time to check in on my parents during our regular essay calls, showing genuine care and understanding of the personal challenges I had shared about their health. While he is undoubtedly direct and professional, he has a very high emotional intelligence.
I knew hiring a consultant was expensive, but I couldn’t have been happier with my decision to work with Harshad. With Harshad’s help, I was admitted to Yale (with a 50% scholarship), Tuck (with a 50% scholarship), and Darden.
Also, a special shoutout to Jen (also from the mbaMission team), who connected me with Harshad!

Read More

I am a straight Asian male in finance. I am also a triple HSW interviewee who committed to the Stanford GSB Class of 2027 this week. Katharine Lewis is the bridge between those two statements.

When I started my MBA journey, I was intensely focused on finding “the best” MBA consultant to work with. Having heard stories about nightmare consultant experiences from other friends, I compiled a list of the Top 25 consultants I could find and “interviewed” most of them. Katy stood out as the singular consultant who best understood my story, allayed my fears around being an “ORM” candidate (what a ridiculous term), and had the most outstanding reviews. I hope to add this review to her existing pool of glowing testimonials – there is no doubt in my mind that I made the right choice. She is simply #1.

When we first began our essay writing process, I brainstormed and essentially sent her my life biography. While others might have balked at such a large amount of information, Katy simply took it in stride and read the entire thing. During our first session (she even met me in person), she sat down and immediately said, “What stood out to me was XXX theme.” At the risk of sounding cheesy, I heard her suggestion, which I hadn’t thought about myself, and it instantly resonated with me. I stuck with this essay topic for all three school applications, and the results speak for themselves. Just this session alone would’ve been worth the money.

During the actual application process (3 months this summer), I interacted with Katy more than any other human being. By all accounts, I was probably a nightmare client, filled with constant anxiety, self-doubt, and indecisiveness. Through my daily questions, pings, calls, and late submissions, Katy was my emotional bedrock of calmness, strategic advice, and brutal honesty. Katy brooked no bullshit – as a coach, she had a really good sense for when to light a fire under my ass and manage ME, and when to scale back to be patient and understanding. Her advice and edits were always thoughtful and value-additive, without feeling like they were stripping me of my own voice. It was clear she spent real time thinking through my questions and my work, never just offering cursory and generic platitudes.

The day of the Stanford submission deadline, I still had one entire short essay to write that I hadn’t touched. I finished a draft that morning and sent it to Katy, well after our agreed upon final review deadlines. If she had ignored me, I would’ve understood. It was my fault we were in this position to begin with. Instead, Katy spent the entire morning and afternoon iterating with me on this final essay. I submitted my final application at 3:59PM, one minute before the deadline. Katy believed in me when I didn’t even believe in myself. She never wavered in her commitment, even up until literally the last minute. I never once questioned that she was genuinely rooting for my success, well beyond the call of duty.

Then came the interviews – Katy prepared custom mock interviews for each of my three schools. Her mock questions probably covered 75%+ of the actual questions I was asked in each interview. I felt well prepared and confident stepping into the real things. When my decisions came out, Katy was my first call, even before my family and my friends. She was with me through thick and thin, and my successes were just as much hers as they were mine.

Katy is a not an essay copyeditor (although she is good at that too). She is so much more – a strategic advisor, an expert storyteller, a life coach, a therapist, and a friend. Deciding to work with Katy was easily one of the best decisions I made during my MBA process. Coming from someone who was deeply suspicious of paying for MBA consulting, I can tell you that Katy’s services were worth every penny – I could not possibly give a higher recommendation. I simply couldn’t have done it without her.

Katharine Lewis is the Stanford of MBA Admissions Consulting.

Read More

Strengths:

See review.

Would make the product better:

None.

I worked with Michael Guttman at MBA Mission to prepare MBA applications and he was excellent in every dimension. Michael is very experienced, responsive, and knows how to highlight your unique strengths in applications so you are a standout candidate beyond the numbers (ex. GPA, Test Score). MBA Mission also has a lot of excellent resources that he is able to share with you to read in advance of working with him. The cost is absolutely worth it. At the end of the process I got into my top school (Wharton) which I was thrilled with. I'd highly recommend working with Michael Guttman at MBA Mission.

Read More