Susan has been on my business school journey with me for years, and I know that I would not have gotten to the end without her guidance and support. I started working with Susan as a college senior applying for deferred admissions programs. I knew I wanted to pursue an MBA but had no idea what the admissions process would require (I was definitely a little unprepared going in!). Working through the Complete Start to Finish Package with Susan was a complete gift – she helped me take a step back to understand my strengths and how all of my experiences fit together to tell that narrative but also where I was a little weaker and how we could strategically approach this aspect of my application. This established a great framework for the application and really helped to tell my story in a way that I was confident about. But, actually writing that story turned out to be incredibly hard. As an engineer, I had absolutely no experience writing essays or storytelling and it definitely showed! Susan really helped to transform my writing style. Her feedback is direct and she knows how much to push you to generate your best work – I went from writing long stories that were mostly “fluff” with no real content to understanding how to write strong narratives with concrete examples to really illustrate the topic. This is more than just a goal for business school applications; it is a lifelong skill that Susan helped me to build – one that has already benefited me in my career and will continue to do so in business school.

Although my first try at business school applications did not result in an offer, it provided a great opportunity to reflect and take the time to make my application even stronger. I always knew I would reapply to business school and throughout the next few years, Susan stayed in touch and was an amazing sounding board when I was trying to round out my experiences and strengthen my story. When it was time to reapply, I chose Susan again as my consultant because not only did she know my story, but I knew she was rooting for me and would give me the push that I needed to submit my best application and one that I was really proud of. I worked on a few different schools with Susan this time and chose schools that had every type of essay and interview possible – written, video, case interviews, etc. Like the first time, Susan’s feedback was invaluable and helped me to build interview and communication skills that are applicable in the “real world” and will propel me to become a stronger student, employee and leader. But, the thing that I benefited from the most this time around (besides applications that I am so proud of) is a strong sense of what I want to do with my career and how I can get there. The Complete Start to Finish Package gives you the opportunity to dive deep into your experiences, strengths and interests (which ultimately pointed me in the direction of what I wanted to do in my career). But, it was Susan who helped me lay the foundation of what I would need to do to get there and how an MBA at my target school was a necessary piece of that puzzle. Her insistence that I do my research to understand the industry and the skills needed for that role helped me develop not only a strong application but a plan that I am excited about. This process with Susan was personally instrumental in preparing me for business school, and I feel ready to take on all that it offers.

Susan embodies the perfect balance of support and feedback. She takes the time to really understand her clients as individuals and constantly strategizes to help them realize and highlight their unique strengths. She never wavers from her goal of pushing you to do your best work, and the result is always something that you will be proud to call your own. I look back on my time with Susan and am so thankful for all of the effort because without her, I would not be headed to London Business School (my dream school!).

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I was a military applicant with a low standardized test score and an unconventional story to share. Initially, I reached out to mbaMission only for strategic advice—I thought that I had a good understanding of what information I needed to present, but I wanted a second opinion to ensure I was hitting the mark. After speaking with Julie-Anne, I immediately realized how helpful it would be to have someone guide me throughout the process. Julie-Anne was a coach, supporter, and teacher throughout the most challenging points of the application cycle. She took time to get to know my ambitions, reasoning, and most importantly, “me” as a person. Her perspective helped me improve my essays by navigating blind spots, presenting my weaknesses in a positive light, and helping me better explain my path. In advising me on how to realize my “potential,” Julie-Anne helped me get into an M7 business school (Stanford/Harvard). Julie-Anne went far beyond my original expectations and I’m so thankful for all of her help!

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All thanks to Kate, I got into my top choice MBA school with a FULL RIDE!!! She was super responsive (I don't know when she had time to sleep). Her editing skills are absolutely fantastic - she cut down my essay that was was over the world limit to the required length without sacrificing any of the messaging.

I highly recommend Kate to anyone looking for an admissions consultant. I wouldn't have gotten into my top choice schools without her responsiveness, writing skills, and brainstorming ideas! She gave me confidence whenever I started to doubt myself. Whenever I had even a minor question, I knew I could email Kate and she would provide sound advice.

Again - couldn't recommend Kate enough.

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From the start, Julie-Anne asked hard questions that challenged they way I thought as I wrote my application essays. As a person from big tech with a mid-tier university background (and very little extra-curricular involvement), I needed her help in ensuring I stood out. The best part about working with Julie-Anne was her ability to help me turn my background into meaningful stories. Julie-Anne spent hours brainstorming with me, and when it came to providing feedback on my essays, she was incredibly honest. She encouraged me to scrap essays and start over when needed, and also dig into the details more that I otherwise would have. Without her help, my stories would've been too broad to earn interviews at top schools.

Besides her stellar editing, Julie-Anne is personable and communicative. She met deadlines and kept me on track as well. Her frankness during interview prep was greatly appreciated and helped me get into three M7 schools that I interviewed at. It seemed like every question I had asked, we had discussed in my mock interviews.

Julie-Anne even helped where she didn't need to. She checked in frequently and offered advice for negotiations. She's super knowledgeable and definitely worth the investment (especially if you are struggling with essay brainstorming/editing).

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When I first met Jessica during my free consultation a few years ago, she provided (what felt like brutal) feedback about where I could feasibly expect to get in based on my current resume and extracurricular experience. I felt crushed at first but she knew what she was talking about and I now completely agree that I was nowhere near ready to apply to the schools I wanted to go to at that time (I thought my 730 GMAT would suffice). So, I took the free advice she gave me to round out my resume and get involved in more community activities over the next year and reached out to her again once I felt more qualified.

When we met again, she warned me she was tough on clients and, while I can see what she meant, she always provided fair and helpful feedback. She's like the strict teacher/parent who's always hard to impress but when you do, you know she means it. She also knows when to take a gentler approach; when I was laid off three weeks before my applications were due because of COVID19, she immediately called to console me and brainstorm ways we could use the ostensible obstacle to my advantage :).

I found having her throughout the application process extremely helpful to not only keep me on track but to teach me tricks and provide tips on how to leverage stories/experiences I already had to create a compelling application. It's also incredibly helpful to have someone who just met you review your essays because just like the people in the admissions offices reading your applications for the first time, she has no background information on you and will ensure your story is clear yet concise.

Beyond keeping me on track, she provided great insight into where I could expect to get in. I had been working as a social media associate at a travel company that's not very well-known and didn't think my experience could measure up to other applicants coming from big finance companies. Despite my trepidation, she named one M7 program she thought would be perfect for me from the start and sure enough, I was accepted!!!

I would highly recommend her to anyone interested in pursuing his/her MBA. I had several friends applying concurrently with me and I always felt ahead of the curve even though I was applying to twice as many schools. If I had to re-do the process, I wouldn't change a thing!

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Summary: I had a convoluted story and worked with multiple mock interviewers to prepare. Devi was by far the most prepared, gave the clearest and most actionable feedback, and seemed truly invested in my success. The HBS interview isn’t “hard” in the sense that the interviewers are warm and friendly, and generally don’t ask trick questions. During my preparation, I spoke with several people who had interviewed, both admitted and rejected; almost all of them said that they thought it had gone well. Also, most people who get an interview, especially from finance and consulting, already have experience with difficult, lengthy processes and have developed above average interview skills. That’s why it’s so important to prepare to a level far beyond what you think is necessary - the competition is not average.


HBS was my dream school, and I don’t think I would have got in without Devi. After receiving an invitation to interview, I thought that I could adequately prepare on my own. I’d made it through demanding, multi-round interview processes in investment banking before, and I figured that through extensive solo practice and preparation, I could get through the HBS interview successfully as well. After spending many hours watching videos, reading articles, writing out every example I could think of in the STAR method and practicing out loud, I still didn’t feel confident enough, and decided to work with Devi.

I approached my first session with Devi as if it were the actual HBS interview (suit and tie included). I was struck by how specific Devi’s questions were, and how intimately familiar she was with my application – there were no superficial or “fluff” questions. Some might have overlapped with things that I had seen in HBS interview guides, but Devi asked them in the context of my application in a way that I hadn’t thought of myself. When she asked me for my impression of the interview, I said that despite some wordy answers, I thought it had gone well. I’d certainly felt more confident about my performance than I had about successful banking interviews.

Devi disagreed, and provided me with very candid feedback on my approach to answering, and the depth of my answers. I had some uncommon professional experience and it was difficult to convey everything I’d done in my current position, so my natural inclination was to talk at a high level and not offer specific anecdotes. Devi taught me how to adapt my style to give a brief, high level answer, support it with multiple brief anecdotes, while making sure that I didn’t lose sight of the original question in my conclusion. It took multiple sessions to get to a point where I had truly internalized this approach, but there were substantial improvements in my performance between each successive session. It’s important to start as early as possible after receiving your interview invite so that you can properly space out the sessions and actually incorporate Devi’s feedback – it’s usually not minor advice that you can tweak at a moment’s notice!

Even if you can only do two sessions with Devi, it’s an incredibly accurate reflection of the actual HBS interview, and the feedback is invaluable in preparing. Devi is very invested in her clients’ success, and I can’t recommend working with her strongly enough, especially if your dream is HBS.

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I HIGHLY recommend Kate Richardson. I was extremely hesitant to use a consultant for several reasons, but I am 100% satisfied with my choice. I honestly don't know if I could have gone through this process and stayed sane without her.

I was so happy to get into a top-choice school, but a bit sad to not work with Kate regularly, which was an unexpected feeling! I felt extremely comfortable with Kate, especially as I had considered myself an "underdog" candidate before working with her. She instilled confidence in my abilities that I lacked before our partnership. I spoke with other consultants, and I felt a bit judged or that they wanted me to be inauthentic to myself and my story, but I never felt that way with Kate. I really looked forward to our chats throughout the pandemic - even if it meant a lot of "homework" on my end afterward. I really appreciate her kindness during a trying time.

Aside from her welcoming and approachable personality, she is EXTREMELY competent, especially with her editing skills, and her turnaround times were truly remarkable. I do not know how Kate sleeps because I would get essays and random questions answered in record-breaking time. I felt like Kate was on speed dial as a resource, and she always had a confident answer to my questions - and anxieties. 

She really helped me tell my story, and I felt authentic and supported throughout this process. Seriously don't hesitate to use Kate! 

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Devi made the daunting process of completing applications to 5 schools incredibly straightforward, personal, and organized. She helped me organize my thoughts, passions and truths into a cohesive personal story that organically flowed with my long term career aspirations. To say Devi is an efficient person is an understatement. Every minute with Devi is a minute well spent, and she is committed to helping her clients recognize their strengths and build an authentic personal story that is both true and compelling. She helped me maintain my focus on the aspects of my application and resume that should be highlighted/celebrated so that admissions teams could get a thorough understanding of what I brought to the table as a candidate.

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Debbie was invaluable in helping me with the weak points in my application: making my essays shine and polishing my interview. With her help, I applied to four schools early, got into two (including my top choice) and got waitlisted at two.

I'll admit I was not a believer in spending money on an application consultant at first but Debbie tangibly improved my essay and helped guide me through my crazy ideas for re-writes to ultimately craft a really strong and compelling essay that got me interviews at all four schools. I really appreciated her process: saving time on my five hour package by providing a quick gut feedback over email and letting me rewrite, and knowing when to give broad structural feedback versus detailed edits.

The interview prep I did with Debbie was also so well-structured and helpful, and probably the best hour I spent. Practicing with my friends alone would never have gotten me the level of polish and preparation that I realized I needed. I'll never forget her advice - no one ever sounds too prepared for a question!

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I was applying to business school late in the final round, and I had very little time to take the GMAT and prepare my application materials and essays. As such I decided to hire a consultant to help me frame my thoughts for my essays so that I could focus more on studying.
Devi was incredibly helpful even in our first, free phone consultation. I had what I believed to be significant weaknesses on my resume, but Devi was genuinely excited about my prospects and showed me that my perceived weaknesses could, in fact, be strengths. Devi also had a fantastic ability to help me outline my thoughts and put to words the message that I wanted to convey. With Devi’s help I was able to write a compelling and honest story in my essays, and her reframing of my perceived weaknesses helped me to feel much more confident in my interviews.

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