mbaMission Admissions Consulting Reviews

I am absolutely thrilled of the impact that my consultant Michael Guttman had on my three MBA applications. I knew I needed help in getting into a top school because I do not have the most impressive work experience and my college grades are a little below average. Michael Guttman was super knowledgeable about the whole process and was able to help me with framing my story to be much more compelling. We also discussed my goals and tweaked them to be more realistic based on my background. Because of Michael Guttman, I was able to write better and more powerful essays.
He treated me like his only client from the very beginning. He was always available to have phone calls and very responsive with emails. He gave me advice every step of the way. We started with an initial brainstorming session and then worked on as many drafts of my essays and resume as necessary to make them perfect.
I received interviews at 2 of the 3 (the other school didn’t require an interview) schools I applied to, and he was a huge help in preparing me for each of my interviews. I really don’t think I would have been accepted without his help. Because of him, I was accepted into my top choice. I seriously recommend Michael Guttman to give yourself the best chance of admission.

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Devi was an outstanding consultant - She helped me manage the business school application process and was there for me every step along the way. It does not take long to work with her before it becomes apparent she has years of experience and valuable insight in the business school arena. She makes herself available and fully commits to her clients. She challenged me to think strategically about my essays in ways that enhanced my application and prepared me to take a major leap in my professional career. A friend referred me to Devi and I'm forever grateful to have had the opportunity to work with her. I would 1000% recommend Devi to anyone looking for assistance in this process.

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I decided to work with an MBA consultant after been waitlisted from Fuqua in Round 3.
It wasn’t an easy decision as it represented an important investissement without any warranty of success. I knew getting into a top bschool was necessary to give me the career change I was seeking (PMM in tech) and I didn’t want to have any regrets about not putting all the chances on my side.

I shopped around the different consultants and enjoyed my first interaction with Nisha. She quickly understood my background and profile and gave me some convincing suggestions on how I should market myself. In addition, MBAmission seemed like an excellent firm with handy resources.

During my time with Nisha, she helped me understand my previous application's deficiencies that got me waitlisted. She helped me select the experiences and achievements relevant to build a clear and coherent profile true to me. She was always very responsive, organized and available when needed. She gave me great feedback and guidance on my essay and interview practices.

As a result, I got accepted at Fuqua – my top choice, where I got waitlisted the year prior.

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I applied last April when most schools extended application deadlines thanks to the pandemic. Rachel was an incredible help to me promtly putting together a solid pitch from the ground up. We did all our communication over phone and it worked out perfectly.

1) I have an uncommon background with a CS degree. Rather than jumping right into writing essay, Rachel invested upfront a significant amount of time learning my stories beyond what is listed on my resume.
2) Rachel was very responsive and honest with her feedback. Typically, I would have my piece returned within 2 business days with detailed comments and suggestions. Rachel's journalism background really differentiates herself from peers when it comes to storytelling!
3) Rachel provided a lot of tips and more importantly calmed my nerves during interview preps. Very encouraging and supportive throughout the entire process.
4) Rachel took a genuine interest in my success and I see Rachel more as a partner rather than a consultant.

Highly recommend!

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Spark notes:

Gavi is articulate, approachable, pragmatic, and incredibly smart. She removed any intimidation I had about the application process, and helped me cement my story and goals in a way that was strategic, calculated, but also nurturing.

Working with Gavi was like working with a good friend who wants you to succeed, but is not afraid to step back and be real with an honest, third party perspective. Her knowledge of the application nuances between each school was extensive, and she was extremely accommodating and flexible throughout my somewhat accelerated (my own fault) process.

You *will not* regret working with Gavi. I could not have made it through applications and interviews - and into programs! - without her insight, encouragement, and guidance.

Full picture:

Like many others, I decided to apply to MBA programs during a period of uncertainty. I'd already taken the GRE and researched schools, but needed clarity on my story, and direction on how to holistically incorporate my experiences and ambitions. On top of that, I was starting the application process only a month out from R1 deadlines, so everything was accelerated and I was overwhelmed. 

Working with Gavi brought clarity and more - she was truly the calm within the storm in what would have been an otherwise unbearably frenzied process. My biggest obstacle was the overwhelming number of themes I was trying to incorporate, and Gavi's ability to distill them into compelling narrative was invaluable. Her clarity was particularly helpful throughout essay outlining / writing / editing, where she broke down the process into measured, achievable segments that kept me on track and on topic. Gavi has also been incredibly supportive throughout the interview process, sharing previous questions unprompted, helping me strategize, talk through themes, and brainstorm examples of past work and projects.

On top of her extensive insight and skill set, Gavi is extremely invested, caring, and supportive. She offered guidance and reassurance when I was struggling to balance a demanding full-time job with the application process, and - not only put up with, but also helped me work through - the anxiety and stress of the past 6 months. She is a fabulous MBA coach and career coach who genuinely cares about her clients’ success and happiness. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

As stated above, work with Gavi - I cannot recommend her enough.

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Ask yourself, why would an HBS MBA grad do admissions consulting. The work is neither challenging not impactful. I worked with Helen in 2018.

mbaMission promises that they'll get back to you within 24-48 hours with feedback. Whenever I would receive feedback, it would not be tangible and would really miss on the key characteristics that the question is asking for. As a result, my essays were horrible and I got rejected. I later took Fortuna Admissions in 2020 and as a reapplicant got accepted though I still didn't manage to get into my top choice because of my history as a reapplicant. mbaMission has more than a thousand good reviews but that also means that each consultant is looking after 20-30 clients and not really spending the time you need them to. I would not recommend Helen or mbaMission.

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I cannot thank Nisha enough for her guidance throughout the entire application process. I say with confidence that working with Nisha was the best decision I made.

Nisha was quick to respond - faster than prescribed - which I found extremely helpful, given the tight timelines for application. She has always been kind to provide guidance/ clarification via email or phone call whenever needed, even outside her normal work hour.

Also, Nisha has a special skill for understanding the heart of an applicant’s story, which, I believe makes her edits crisp and insightful. Her questions/ feedbacks helped me craft interesting stories and highlight unique aspects which I had not thought of.

Lastly, during the mock interview, Nisha provided very detailed feedback on each question & answer. She also asked/ helped me prepare for questions that were not in the mbaMission guidebook – which I found really helpful!

Overall, I am thankful for being able to work with Nisha. I am glad that I met her to get into my dream school – top tier MBA program.

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My consultant, Debbie, was very helpful at every part of the application process. She took time to understand my background, strengths, and goals, and we worked together to tell a compelling story through my application. She responded to my emails promptly, and she did a very thorough review of all parts of my application. Debbie also guided me in brainstorming themes for my essay, and she edited my essay extremely thoroughly. She preserved my voice in the essay, while also ensuring that the essay was concise and hit all of the points that business schools are looking for. The mock interview with Debbie allowed me to practice my answers to common questions and feel confident as I went into the actual interview.

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I definitely recommend Debbie to anyone looking for an ally in the application process. From our first conversation to getting admission decisions, Debbie believed in my candidacy and calmed my anxieties. She was instrumental in helping me craft a story that was unique to me. I started with a basic goal statement that she poked and prodded until it was a compelling and achievable. She took all the ambiguity out of writing my essays. She provided structure to follow and key points to hit while always insisting on quality - no matter the number of revisions. Having an expert’s opinion and guidance throughout essay writing process was essential for me to feel confident about my essay topics and how they were conveyed. I’m very proud of the essays I wrote and I know they were instrumental to my entire application package. Thanks to Debbie, I was admitted to a top business school with a FULL scholarship!

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I had a wonderful experience with Krista Nannery – who helped me navigate every step of the MBA admissions process – and get me into my #1 choice. The experience Krista brought the table was clear: she has a successful corporate background and years of MBA admissions consulting. She was a value add at every step of the process.

My undergrad was from a non-target school and I currently working in a ‘niche’ industry – so I wanted to partner with an experienced consultant who could help me put my best foot forward. I spoke with several other firms – but felt like I was solely in a sales pitch. In contrast, in my first meeting with Krista Nannery we were down to business! We did a resume review, goal discussion, and began our game plan. After our intro, I partnered with Krista on a 3-school start to finish package.

In our first few meetings, Krista spent time to really get to know me and my goals. Through our brainstorming exercise, she worked closely with me to review prior experience, undergrad background, and involvement to help form a cohesive story and find areas worth highlighting in MBA applications. Krista also gave tangible, near-term recommendations for ways to bolster my ‘outside of work’ involvement. As part of the package, Krista shared the full library of mbaMission materials (i.e., detailed school overviews, interview guides, etc.).

A less glamorous, but important part of the MBA process was the GMAT. Krista worked with me by reviewing my practice scores for each section, and ultimately recommending a switch to the GRE (the right choice for me!). She gave specific advice on a study plan / where to spend my prep time to get the scores into the ‘sweet spot’ for my target schools (hint – worth taking the real test more than once).

Coming into the process, I was most nervous about the essays. Fortunately, this was one of Krista’s strongest areas. For each school, we had a full hour discussion to talk through the prompt and form initial views on the essay / stories to highlight (each school looks for different elements and need to be tailored). Krista approached this exercise in a highly structured manner – which helped me think about what was most important and how could I convey my strongest areas (without missing any critical elements). In every draft / iteration, it was clear Krista puts significant thought into her feedback – and she consistently challenged me in areas where I could add more detail or enhance elements of my essays. There is limited ‘real estate’ in the MBA applications (essays & short answers) so every word matters – Krista truly challenged me to use the space wisely and her input was critical in forming the final product.

After receiving interview invitations, Krista was hands on in the preparation and we had mock interviews for each school. She prepped me with details from her prior applicants, predicted specific questions I might get based on my application (correctly!), and gave personalized feedback on interview style. She focused on how I could communicate my story in a concise and effective manner.

The MBA admissions process can be long and complicated (and can be stressful while working a busy job). Having Krista as a partner through the process helped keep me on track and reduce a lot of stress. At every step of the chain, Krista was highly responsive and always adding value. Krista was kind and genuinely wanted to see me succeed – and I have been thrilled to directly recommend Krista to my close friends who are applying for MBA programs this year.

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