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Consultant Krista Nannery
I started working with Krista unsure if I could get into a top MBA program. I was worried about my subpar GPA and average test scores. Overall, I wasn’t very confident in myself or ability to get in. Because of Krista, I got into my top schools PLUS I landed sizeable scholarships! I’m so happy and 1000/10 recommend!
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From the first interaction, Krista was the ray of sunshine that cut through the fog and turned this murky, arduous process into something very clear, doable, and possible. She is so warm and easy to work with and so knowledgeable. Krista has an amazing process for getting key information out at every turn. The intake was key, she asked what I needed and had a clear process for me leading up to apps. She sent me the right emails at the right times and kept me honest and accountable both over e-communications and in meetings.
Essays were where I struggled most. As we went through, she helped me find the interesting, amazing nuggets and helped me focus on those as I wrote. I gained SO MUCH confidence throughout the process and felt myself growing and communicating better. The edits, ideas, redirects, and feedback Krista gave me were invaluable and she really pushed me to tell my story in a compelling way. The turnaround time for edits was also really appreciated, I knew I was pushing it toward the end of round 1 and she often delivered well before her guaranteed 48-hour window. By the end of it, I knew I had amazing applications and there would be nothing better.
Also, I really appreciated that Krista knew what I didn’t know and then would then ask me about it or nudge me into doing it. This was VITAL because applications are overwhelming and there is so much that you don’t know until it pops up (or you miss it.) Krista prepped me for each turn while also sharing AMAZING resources for anything you could conceive (coffee chats with students, school guides, visits, interviews, etc.) She also answered all my questions and connected me to opportunities I wouldn’t have known about.
One last thing - I really appreciated how Krista is so genuinely kind, pleasant, and wonderful to work with. We all need someone super qualified and good at what they do but you don’t know how much you really need someone who really cares about you, is in your corner, and is there for you on this crazy ride. That’s Krista, truly the best.
Bottom line:
Krista is an amazing coach and person. I got into my schools WITH scholarships and it was absolutely worth it. Invest in yourself. Go with Krista.
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Consultant Jessica Shklar
Summary: Jessica’s exceptional storytelling skills, professionalism, efficiency, and phenomenal mentorship and coaching, which will impact your personal and professional life beyond the MBA application process, make her the best consultant. She is undoubtedly the highlight of my MBA application process. I highly recommend contacting Jessica if you plan to apply for business school.
Jessica is an amazingly incredible mentor, coacher, motivator, and so much more than just an MBA consultant. Before my free consultation with Jessica, I spoke with a few other consulting firms. Coming from a non-traditional background, most consultants asked me to complete pre-MBA courses or study/work abroad before applying to Business School. By the time I was going to have my call with Jessica, I was already demotivated by how all the other consultants talked about my weaknesses and how I won’t be able to get admitted to any Business School without signing on with them. I was incredibly impressed by how Jessica went more in-depth, sought to understand my strengths, and helped me promote those rather than looking for my weaknesses and trying to scare me into signing on with them. I was surprised how Jessica used the 30-minute window to encourage me and give me a game plan without waiting till I signed up with her, unlike the previous consultants who always ended the conversation mid-point, prompting me to sign up with them to hear the rest. She highlighted that there is no universally accepted “ideal candidate” for a business school, and I am indeed a unique applicant, but it shouldn’t be a bad thing but a good thing. She even emailed me after our meeting explaining why she thought I should apply and even went above and beyond to share my story with a couple of her colleagues to support her feedback.
Her work ethic makes you comfortable relying on her. She reviewed some of my urgent materials even though she was on vacation. She got back to my quick questions within minutes and always gave feedback on my application materials well before the deadlines. You notice her love and passion for what she does immediately after starting to work with her. The dedication and effort she put into my application made me feel she wanted me to get into my dream school as much as I did. Sometimes I felt like I was her only client with the attention she gave me. This proves how dedicated she is to each of her clients and how exceptional she is in managing her time among all her clients to ensure no one is left behind.
Jessica is an astonishing storyteller and has an impeccable ability to draw out relevant information from you to create a unique essay. Once you sign up with MBAMission, you will be given the “Brainstorming” document, among other things. The brainstorming file is where you will get the chance to tell your life story. All the significant events in your life from childhood to now so the consultant you are working with will learn about you and strategize how to articulate your story to the admissions committee. After completing the brainstorming file, which was a 22-page file in my case, my stories were all over the place, and I couldn’t have been more confused about what I should write in my essays. I had so many different stories which I wanted to tell in my application, but I couldn’t imagine how all these would fit in or how the flow would be. During our first brainstorming call, I realized how in-depth Jessica had studied my story and even had many follow-up questions. The story, which I once thought was all over the place, was creatively and strategically articulated into a beautiful piece by Jessica at the end of our call. She raised many questions during the essay writing process, which prompted me to think differently and creatively. Her intelligent questions encourage you to think about your life differently, which will reflect creatively in your essays.
Don’t think twice! She’s the best MBA coach you can work with, without any doubt!
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Consultant Jessica Shklar
Before I had my initial consultation with Jessica, I met with three other admissions consulting firms. I found those sessions discouraging, as they didn’t like my chances at my target schools, but also frustrating because they based their forecasts on my outdated resume, demographic and the fact that I didn’t go to an Ivy or come from an MBA feeder company. They focused on what I didn’t have. Jessica, on the other hand, took an entirely different approach. She had researched my company ahead of time and took the time to ask me questions about my background. She wanted the consultation to be a value-add for me and took the time to answer my many questions. At the end of the session, she said that she thought I was a strong candidate for my target schools and explained her rationale.
Two days later, I signed on to work with Jessica and she was extremely helpful throughout the entire process. She had confidence in my ability to succeed, which gave me the confidence I needed. Jessica has a wealth of knowledge of all things MBA admissions. Whenever I asked her a question, I got a well-thought-out answer, informed by her experience seeing what worked or didn’t for the hundreds of applicants she’s worked with. Jessica took the time to understand my background by reading every word of my 25 page brainstorming document. She then mapped that to her wealth of experience to give me extremely valuable advice. Applying to business school is a mountain of work on top of a full-time job. Jessica kept me on course. She helped me stay organized to ensure I had time to submit my best work for each component of my applications.
I ended up getting into Stanford GSB, Booth and Kellogg and am incredibly grateful for all of Jessica’s advice throughout my MBA admissions journey.
Joined: Oct 15, 2022
Posts: 0
Kudos: 5
Verified GMAT Classic score:
640 Q46 V32 (Online)
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Consultant Debbie Choy
After rigorously interviewing nine highly-recommended MBA admission consultants (not an exaggeration), it became evident from the outset that Debbie was, by all means, the superior choice: her efficiency, support, and results-oriented approach made her stand out. She adeptly pinpointed the most compelling aspects of my narrative and professional track record, and accurately helped my find out which schools I would resonate most with.
Churning out that final draft with Debbie was no walk in the park - it was hard work but it was worth it! Debbie was always a step ahead, spotting improvements that I'd honestly never have thought of. She's got this mind-blowing expertise for finding the little tweaks that make a huge difference - did I already mention that she has a HUGE attention to detail? And each time, her suggestions were spot on, adding some serious improvements to my application. Honestly, by the time we pulled our final masterpiece out of the "oven", it was an MBA application that I felt super proud of - Which helped me get accepted into M7!
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Consultant Jen Kedrowski
The main reason I decided to get consultant service was that I felt I needed direction to prepare a strong success story and to deal with the whole process smoothly. I had 30 minutes free consultations with multiple consultants, however I easily made my decision as I realized that MbaMission and specifically, Jen was the best person to jump into this process with.
I started working with Jen in November for R2. We were preparing the whole applications for 2 B-schools. Each of our sessions was very productive and helpful. Working with Jen was very nice and comfortable, she provided all the materials I needed during the process, she was open to answer any questions and to discuss any topic together, which was really helpful for me to make some decisions during the process. She has always been considering of my timeline and offered a flexible timeline for meetings. She was responding to all my emails and was returning all the documents we worked together on time, within the agreed timeline, which is essential, especially when you have so many things to do concurrently in a short period of time. Jen helped me to prepare for interviews. I think our mock interviews were super helpful and really close to the real ones. She gave very specific tips and made the preparation process much more easier. Her rich experience in this field, coupled with her motivation and hard work to deep dive into my story, helped me achieve the results, I could not even imagine. Thanks to Jen, I was admitted to both schools (one of them was my dream Business schools, LBS) and got scholarships from both of them.
Besides all the professional things, I think she is a very honest and super kind person. I felt her support and cheerleading on each step. It was great pleasure to work and communicate with her. Having MBA consultant during the application journey is an important investment, however it is totally worth it.
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Consultant Jessica Shklar
I started the application process very, very late (late October/early November for Round 2) relative to what seems to me to be the standard timeline most take, so I knew I needed help (and maybe a little bit of discipline/tough love). Additionally, I come from a non-traditional, albeit international, niche family business background, so I had hesitancy around how to tell my story and describe why I wanted to pursue an MBA, even though I intrinsically knew.
After our first introductory call, Jessica had already broken my life story into 3 big themes, each of which had their own subplots--as if my life was a novel. (It is evident Jessica is a total bookworm, which I think contributes her remarkable ability to tell a great story--where you are the protagonist.) From there, Jessica helped me build my story as it should be best told in essay(s) form, giving me optionality along the way.
Jessica does not make you fit an "ideal" MBA candidate mold; there is no shoehorning you into one of X buckets. Rather, Jessica makes the essays and your profile on paper fit who you really are at heart.
Bluntly, without Jessica I am wholly skeptical that I would have had the opportunity to attend HBS this fall. And even if I had been rejected from every school, I at least would have been able to sleep at night knowing I gave it my best shot. Thank you Jessica!
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Consultant Kate Richardson
Kate is truly an exceptional consultant/guide/advisor. The MBA application process is very daunting and one of Kate’s many strengths was helping me manage all of the moving parts that go into an application. From our initial consultation, Kate helped me identify areas of my profile that needed attention while helping me identify schools/programs/career paths that would fit well into my profile and story. As an applicant from a nontraditional background (engineering/STEM), Kate was invaluable in guiding me to hit the sweet spot of showcasing my skills and experience without sounding like an engineering textbook. Something that I think really helped with my application was having Kate review my letters of recommendation. Kate worked directly with my recommenders to help them better understand what areas needed to be highlighted in their letters. It made me feel much better knowing that someone as experienced as Kate was reviewing the part of my application that I had little control over. Additionally, Kate helped me prepare for interviews (which I highly recommend) and acted as a sounding board for when I had to choose where to enroll out of the 4 amazing programs I was admitted to. I would not be where I am today without Kate. Thank you so much!!!
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Consultant Gavriella Semaya
Gavi was so incredible to work with! She really spent time getting to know me and cared about my outcomes. Something that stood out to me was the amount of care and attention she gave to me, so I never felt like I was one of many clients. She was also able to keep me focused in a pretty overwhelming process whilst being extremely responsive. Her ability to hone into details and aid you in crafting your story is unparalleled. I got into a top MBA program and in the end I felt like she genuinely cared about my success!
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Consultant Katharine Lewis
Giving a sporting analogy – if you aim to maximise your chances at world level competition, you need a professional coach. Katharine Lewis is not just a business school advisor. Katharine is that professional coach and, in my opinion, she is one of the best in the world.
I came to Katharine with a low GPA, unsure about the future and thinking that getting into a top 10 school would be highly unlikely. By the end of our cooperation, I was at the best shape of my life, knowing exactly what drives and motivates me, having a clear vision of where I want to be in the next 5-10 years and as a result presenting my best self to top business schools. Katharine, as a true coach, honestly identified my strengths and weakness, helped plan strict “training” schedule, set realistic targets and most importantly supported me at the times of failure. Furthermore, years of experience at the highest possible level allow her to understand what each individual school is looking for and thus help you structure your game plan accordingly.
The application process, just like training for the competition, is not always fun and is often demotivating, but Katharine understands her “athletes’” potential, believes in them and genuinely wants them to win. In my particular case, I retook GMAT 5 times and then got rejected from the first school I applied to. I was very close to giving up but Katharine reached out herself and proved to me that I could do better if I kept on going. As a result, I was accepted with scholarship to world’s top business school. To be honest, even more important than the eventual application success are the self-improvement and self-growth that occur through your work with Katharine. These translate into not just a successful business school application but personal growth in work and life in general. I would like to go as far as saying that this cooperation was a life changing experience and apart from advising working with Katharine to my friends, I will be trying to find new challenges on which to collaborate with Katharine again in the future.
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Consultant Melissa Blakeslee
I had the absolute privilege of working with Melissa during a time of immense turmoil in my life, and her unwavering support and expertise proved to be instrumental in my journey towards securing my place at a top 20 business school. I got the 6-school package and from start to finish, she exceeded my expectations and I cannot recommend her enough.
I met Melissa through a former client who was a friend/professional connection who had nothing but incredible things to say about her. After our intro call, I knew that she was going to be perfect for me. Her personality, capabilities, and experiences were exactly what I was looking for in someone to guide me through this process.
One of the standout qualities of Melissa was her exceptional ability to craft a compelling narrative that effectively showcased my strengths and unique experiences. Her experience as former Admissions Director at Rice Jones means she knows what schools want and how to package yourself to best market yourself to admissions committees. I had good scores and grades from undergrad but I hadn’t worked traditionally in years as I had been at home working in a stressful situation at home taking care of a loved one suffering from health issues. While I KNEW this experience was the right thing to do I felt that I had undermined my chances of success by taking such a risk so early in my career. Melissa being the expert at her craft that she is took the time to understand my personal and professional background, and her insights helped me articulate my story in a way that resonated with admissions committees. Her guidance was invaluable, ensuring that my application still stood out among fierce competition while remaining authentic to myself and my story.
It is easy to forget that Melissa is a dedicated Mother and an extremely popular consultant. She delivered feedback and edits well ahead of schedule, allowing me ample time to review and make necessary revisions. Her organization and attention to detail instilled a sense of confidence and peace in me throughout a process that can be discouraging and hectic. I never once felt that I was competing for her attention or that her focus was anywhere else but on me during our times of working together. Her recommendations were never generalized and instead all felt like they were tailored for my personality and situation. It was easy to remain calm knowing Melissa was sweating the details as much as I was.
What further sets Melissa apart from others is her ability to create a safe and non-judgmental environment. Despite the insecurities and self-doubt that accompanied this process, she never made me feel judged or inadequate. Her warm and supportive approach made it easy for me to open up and share my ideas or concerns. What is great about Melissa is that she is also going to tell you exactly what you need to hear even if it isn’t what you want at the time. It’s tempting to think your first draft of an essay or initial answer to a practice interview question will be perfect but it is often not and far from it. And Melissa helped ensure only the very best essays and answers to interview questions will be presented when the moment comes. Because of the trust and relationship we developed it was very easy to absorb tough feedback without feeling a need to be defensive. You can TELL just through both her actions and words that she genuinely cares about your success and worked tirelessly to help me achieve my goals.
Working with Melissa was an absolute pleasure, and I cannot recommend her highly enough. If I had to repeat this process I’d hire her all over again without a second thought! She will be the best thing to happen to you in this process.