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Product mbaMission Hourly Services
Consultant Debbie Choy
I wholeheartedly recommend working with Debbie on your applications. With Debbie's invaluable guidance, I've been admitted to one of my top two choices of business schools, a top 5 institution! I've already interviewed at another two of the four schools I applied to, with final decisions still pending. I'm still in the running to be admitted to all four schools!
Debbie gave me candid and impactful advice on my personal branding - how to highlight the unique aspects of my background and show alignment with my goals. With the essays, be prepared to really engage with Debbie. She'll come at you fast and furious with seedlings of ideas, grown from the fertile soil of your unique background and story. They are merely suggestions; often it's the thinking behind her ideas that will then prompt your own inspired idea. This brainstorming process is critical to the final outcome. Trust this process and trust Debbie. It will save you much grief down the road.
Not currently working, I had plenty of time to spend not only considering and incorporating Debbie's suggestions but also independently reflecting on what other changes I wanted to make. We worked very efficiently together and generally arrived at a very polished result in three or four iterations. I feel that she adapts well to her clients - for me, as a decent writer, she focused most of her attention on structure and message, but I've seen that she also has the writing chops to refine drafts at a lower level.
We worked very closely for two of the four schools. The learnings I gained from less than 10 hours of her time then flowed naturally through the remaining two schools. Through the process I've become stronger at telling my personal stories, a skill that will help me throughout business school and beyond.
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Heidi Wiese Granner
Initially, I was nervous about the price, but it proved more than worth it. I got accepted, with outstanding scholarships, to 4 out of the 6 schools I applied to. At the beginning of the process, I was nervous because I felt I didn't even know how to articulate my goals or personal and professional experiences, but Heidi helped me and guided me through the whole process. She was always super kind and understanding and never made me feel weird or bad about any of my past experiences. Instead, she always found value in my words and helped me create excellent applications. She even helped me create a calendar to be on time with every task I had to complete and, if necessary, adjusted to my personal needs. Since I started working with her, I felt relieved and she was helping me carry the heavy weight of the application process. I do not regret having worked with Heidi for a second!.
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Harold Simansky
Harold is an amazing partner to have as you apply to business school. Through all of the chaos and stress of the application process, he provided the organization, experience, and insights that I needed.
From day one, Harold was highly attentive and able to not only decipher which experiences of mine would be the best for essays and interviews, but also help reveal stories of mine that I would have not otherwise thought about sharing. It did not matter if we were on the first draft of an essay or the fifth, Harold would not sign off until we both felt it was complete. In fact, for one essay, after a few drafts, we scrapped the entire draft completely and began anew, which I think reflects how committed Harold is to making sure his clients put forth their best applications. He responds quickly, often turning drafts in 24 hours or less (despite a 48 hour policy), and will provide support for every step of the application process even beyond the essays, such as interview prep, short answer questions, application updates, and thank you notes. I would also add that I felt there were significant advantages to working with the firm mbaMission as a whole. As needed, Harold would have a second consultant take a look at my essays with a fresh pair of eyes so that we could get another perspective from someone who did not know my full story. This led to additional tweaks that further improved my application.
What I appreciated most about working with Harold was he had the right balance of push and pull. There were times when Harold would push me to do more research on a school's website or talk to more students so that my essays and understanding of the school would be enhanced. On the flip side, when I was feeling overwhelmed with the applications, Harold provided me with the reassurance that helped me remain calm and continue pushing forward.
Overall, choosing to work with Harold was the most impactful decision I made during the entire application process. After working with Harold, I had 100% confidence that my application for each school was the very best that it could be and that is all I could ask for. I applied to five schools, received interviews for four, and was accepted at two, one of which was my top choice.
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Heidi Wiese Granner
I definitely recommend working with Heidi and mbaMission! Thank you, Heidi, for your time and guidance!
Heidi is a reliable and practical consultant who will be honest with you from the start while still being warm and encouraging. Do not fear that your essays won’t sound like your voice — Heidi is amazing at providing guidance and suggestions for strengthening essays while having you very much keep your own writing style/voice.
As someone who admittedly isn't the best with time management (especially for longer term projects/goals -- i.e. completing 4 applications over 2 months), I was open about this with Heidi from the start and asked for her support. She built me a custom calendar that had all of my deadlines -- not just when apps were due/should be submitted, but also when I needed to send her essay drafts so we'd have sufficient time to go back-and-forth on editing essays. Having her help build this structure for me made the whole process way less daunting and more approachable.
Applying to business school is an overwhelming time! I am sure Heidi hears similar anxieties/frustrations across clients during the process, but she always empathized with how I felt. I was also unsure of how I could possibly craft a “story” based on my background, and I really wasn’t sure how to form a narrative around my future goals, but Heidi was tremendously helpful in that regard, which made the process much more enjoyable.
Heidi has a strong and up-to-date understanding of what different schools look for/care about in an application. I also loved that Heidi was part of the larger mbaMission organization, as I felt that I had access to other resources if necessary. For example, I was particularly concerned about the direction I’d taken one of my essays and whether it “made sense” for a particular school. I fully trusted Heidi, but she also offered to share my essay with another mbaMission consultant -- an expert in that particular school — who affirmed Heidi’s sentiments.
I applied to 4 schools - Booth, Ross, Wharton, and Sloan. Accepted to both Booth and Ross with merit scholarships + Forte Fellowships and will be attending Booth in the fall (my top choice all along, which Heidi was well aware of!). I interviewed at Wharton but was ultimately denied, and I didn’t receive an interview at Sloan.
Again, I would definitely recommend working with Heidi!
Joined: Apr 26, 2022
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Verified GMAT Classic score:
740 Q50 V40 (Online)
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Heidi Wiese Granner
Heidi Granner was an absolute pleasure to work with. The entire MBA process is full of treacherous paths and turns; I would strongly recommend using a consultant to help guide one through this journey. Heidi helped walk me through this process, where she genuinely listened to my story and what I had to say. When you hire her, you're not just getting someone to review your essays, but you're also getting a psychiatrist who will help you clarify your thoughts and identify the strongest points you have. Prior to meeting her, I had very low expectations and I imagined myself to be a boring person. This entire process of has taught me that everyone is unique and has something to offer, and that sometimes all it takes is hearing from an outside perspective to discover that.
Heidi's passion for helping her students, extensive knowledge in MBA admissions, detailed and realistic analysis, and responsiveness are worth every penny. Not only will you do the best you can, but you will learn more about the whole process and not have to rely on conjecture from reddit :).
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Harold Simansky
Coming from a non-traditional background, I knew I needed the help of an MBA consultant. I couldn't be happier that I chose mbaMission and was paired with Harold Simansky. When I began the process, I didn't really know what my story for my essays would be or even what industry I should target. Harold was extremely helpful in helping me craft a great story and also providing me with the resources to find a good post-MBA industry/job given my background. The resources and guides offered by mbaMission are extremely informative and played a crucial part in my MBA application process.
But the school package was well worth the price as Harold was always available to chat anytime I had doubts or needed his advice. On top of that, he helped me with every single part of my application (from resume to essays to approach with letter of rec writers and finally on interviews) and was always timely with edits/suggestions/feedback. Harold also was always empathetic and understanding throughout the application process. I always felt I had someone in my corner, even during the most difficult parts of the process. Harold exceeded my expectations every step of the way. I owe lots of my success in gaining admittance and full rides to 3 top schools to the excellent service provided by Harold and mbaMission.
To wrap up, I'm now getting to attend my dream school of Haas and couldn't be happier with the outcomes of the process! I highly recommend Harold and mbaMission to anybody who is looking to gain admittance to a top-tier MBA program!
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Jessica Shklar
I was a re-applicant. I contacted a couple consultants after reading evaluations on GmatClub. Only Jessica made an impression on me right away. She and I spoke for thirty minutes during which I realized how understanding and knowledgeable she is. We got along well right away. She is well-versed in the specific prerequisites for admission to each school. To get to know me better on a personal and professional level, she arranged a meeting. She was honest in her questioning and quick to pick up on and recall the significant moments in my life that I had personally ignored. She swiftly outlined a plan on how to proceed. Jessica used her knowledge and skills to help me turn my story into beautiful artwork. She is a perfect friend and professional. I was able to get into Columbia with her assistance, and Stanford invited me for an interview.
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Katharine Lewis
I was connected to Katy through a co-worker who was a former client and who recommended her strongly (she had helped him get into HBS the year prior). I interviewed 3 other consultants besides Katy, but I felt that Katy and I had the strongest connection out of all of them. I am very happy that I chose Katy; not only did she help me drive a successful outcome (admitted to GSB in Round 1), but she made the overall process fairly stress-free through excellent planning and time efficiency.
I would highly recommend Katy’s services to anyone applying to business school.
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Gavriella Semaya
Coming from an industry where an MBA is not a common choice, I decided to rely on a consultant for my applications. I chose the 5 Schools package and I couldn't be more satisfied with it. I met Gavriella the year before actually applying, but due to low GMAT scores (also suggested by her), I decided to postpone. When I started working with her, I discovered her commitment to the process and to you. She helped me with screening business schools and suggesting where I would better fit, understanding really who I was and coming up with my story, writing the essays (she really excels at it, I couldn't have expected anything better), and processing all the background tasks the applications require. When I felt short of time, she put down a timeline to track progress and missing steps, to be sure not to miss anything. She really went above and beyond. It was clear she really cared about me and did her best to support the journey, morally and professionally. Ultimately, I was admitted to two M7 schools and 4 schools out of 5 overall. I'm sure I couldn't have done it without her.
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Jessica Shklar
My journey with Jessica started with a free 30-minute consultation back in November 2021. Notwithstanding the fact that it was a free session, Jessica did not hold back on providing helpful, direct, holistic and informative advice about my background and what was required from my end if I were to be competitive at my dream school, which is HBS.
Throughout the application process, the one thing that I value the most from Jessica is her straightforwardness. In other words, Jessica was not afraid to provide me with advice that I would not necessarily want to hear. In my opinion, consultants are there to steer their clients in the right direction, which might not necessarily be the direction that the clients would have preferred to proceed with, for various reasons. The best consultants, which undoubtedly includes Jessica, are able to guide their clients towards the right path with much encouragement and support.
It was her unflinching and direct advice which led me to apply in R1 instead of R2 (despite my initial plan to apply in R2), retake the GMAT/GRE (despite my continuous protestations to the contrary, given how difficult the whole “Prep" process had been) and tell my own personal and distinctive story (despite my lack of confidence in my own story and upbringing). All in all, it just goes on to show how Jessica is able to, via her own brand of directness, connect with her clients on a professional and emotional level to create a unique partnership between client and consultant.
As for the other typical values and traits that clients look for in consultants, Jessica has them in spades. She is an excellent story-teller while her essay editing skills are second to none (and this is coming from someone who reads, reviews and writes legal documents for a living!). She is also very knowledgeable with regards to the whole application process and her response time in connection with work deliverables is comparable to the very best who work in the professional services sector (i.e. legal attorneys and financial advisers). Last but not least, she also has the human touch that makes it very easy to approach her as a partner in this long and arduous application journey.
If you are looking for an admissions consultant, look no further than Jessica. After all, I am pretty certain that without her help, I would not have gotten into my dream school.