I had the pleasure of working with Krista during the 2022-2023 application season. She supported me through the essay writing, interview, and decision-making process. When I think back on my MBA application journey, one of the best calls I made was hiring Krista.

There are a few qualities that make Krista stand out:

1) Krista is a great editor – Krista had an uncanny ability to transform essays without changing the underlying tone or meaning. Some of my initial drafts were vague and not specific enough. Krista rejiggered them and made them more concrete. When my initial drafts were strong, Krista added details here and there that really pushed them to the next level. She would turn “solid” essays into “exceptional” ones.

2) Krista’s timeliness – I paid for Krista’s hourly services and was told that work would be returned within a 2-day timeframe. In the nine months that I spent with her, she never missed this window once. I knew when I sent in an essay, résumé, or org chart that it would be returned ASAP. In some cases Krista would even get back to me within 24 hours. I was particularly impressed by this because I knew she was juggling multiple clients at once. She did a great job of making each candidate a priority and getting back to people in a timely fashion.

3) Krista’s breadth of knowledge about MBA admissions – After my applications were submitted, throughout the interview phase and beyond, I would frequently ask Krista one off questions about next steps (e.g. what to wear to an interview, whether to do an interview virtually or in-person, how the employment verification process works, etc.). She was able to answer every question thoroughly, accurately, and promptly. She would even go above and beyond and provide me with links to resources off the Internet or at mbaMission that would give me a more in-depth explanation to a question that she had already answered. If I was in doubt, I knew Krista would be able to help.

Most importantly, though, with Krista, I never felt that I was going at this journey alone. The MBA application process is draining, mentally, physically, and emotionally. While it can be helpful to have family and friends there to support you, in my view, it is even more critical to have an expert who is well-versed with MBA admissions so that you can feel as prepared as possible for anything that may come your way. I felt that I had all of that in Krista and more.

In the end, I was admitted to four of the M7 programs, including my #1 choice: Wharton HCM. I know that it would not have been possible without Krista’s support. I cannot recommend her highly enough. If you are looking for expert help and guidance throughout the MBA application process, choose Krista. She was faultless from start to finish.

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In the short amount of time I've known Gavriella through this MBA process my life changed. While this statement may sound hyperbolic, it's not. As a coach, Gavriella really helped me make some critical life choices I had to face when applying to graduate school. I really experienced growth in my essay writing, enhanced my interview skills, and even had a more clear vision for the direction of my career. She made our conversations a safe place with no judgement. I was able to gain more confidence in this process which was conveyed in my application and led to an acceptance in my top school. Gavriella really cares when coached me -- she took a deep holistic dive and pushed me in a positive, constructive way. I am blessed to have had her as my coach.

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Working with Krista Nannery from mbaMission was the best decision I made during my MBA application process. Krista helped me to create the best application I could by really taking the time to understand my story and my strengths. I felt really seen and supported by Krista. She regularly beat expected turnaround times on drafts I sent her, and her edits and comments were always spot on and thoughtful. The MBA admissions process is tough, and Krista was my rock throughout it!! I am thrilled to have been accepted to my dream school, and I truly don't think I would have gotten here without Krista. I can't recommend her more highly!!

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I cannot recommend Kim enough. She truly cares about her clients and she goes above and beyond to help them achieve their goals. Kim has a breadth of knowledge about top programs and can help candidates understand their strengths and opportunities. Kim helped me asses my profile and identified areas of opportunity for me. She also reviewed my essays for one of my top programs, and helped me with interview preparation. Kim's feedback and direction helped me improve significantly and she was always cheering me on and rooting for me. I am fortunate to have gotten into all of the schools I applied to and I could not have done it without Kim's help!

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I would highly recommend Gavriella from MBA Mission for the hourly service! I believe I purchased 5 hours of her time and that was the perfect amount. After an initial conversation, all of our communication from there was via email so it was easy with my busy schedule. She was really easy to communicate with and always turned around my documents within the tight time frame we agreed. I felt like she really helped to enhance my essays in a way that was really productive and helped tell my story better. She was incredibly helpful and exactly what I needed to push my application further.

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Having Harold's services was like having a map to the black box of business school applications. He is consistently available for all your questions from A to Z. He puts sign posts up every step of the way to keep the process on track, did multiple rounds of edits for each application, and seemed invested in my candidacy. He has expert knowledge of the each school and their personalities. You will put your best foot forward with every application. Once applications were submitted, Harold and his colleagues did an excellent job preparing me for each disparate interview. It was a pleasure to work with him.

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I was juggling multiple things at once when applying for business school (work, GRE prep, online masters program) under a pretty tough deadline. From day one, Gavriella was the most helpful and supportive consultant I could've asked for. She truly understood me and was hands on from the very start.
She was realistic in her recommendations and always had unwavering faith in me, which at the time, was more valuable to me than actually getting through the application process. She was very detail oriented, prompt and constructive. She gave me great guidance in amplifying my highlights, knowing which experiences to highlight and how to successfully showcase my story. Her industry knowledge regarding what business schools look for was invaluable.
Gavriella was friendly and assuaged me of my fears - something that I did not expect from this whole process. I couldn't recommend her enough to anyone looking to start the business school application process - she is amazing!

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Krista understood my story and what I’m passionate about. She helped me showcase who I am in a very practical, descriptive, and consistent way across all of my MBA applications - and I got into 11/11 business schools (including Harvard, Wharton, and Stanford) with nearly $1M in offered scholarship money.

Some things that stand out about Krista:

1. Helped me maximize the time. From the very beginning, Krista advised me on how best to use the hours that I purchased from her. We regularly exchanged materials with very detailed instructions on where/where not to focus her review time - and she stuck to it every single time. This made me feel like she prioritized me and what I needed vs. running down the hours (which can be a concern for hourly services in any space). She also suggested what I could do on my own as well (e.g., grammatical reviews), so that she could focus on higher-value feedback for the money that I spent. Krista always tailored her approach to me, which made me feel cared for as a whole person during what can be an incredibly vulnerable process.

2. Invested in me holistically. Even with me being an hourly client, Krista still offered other materials (e.g., school guides and FAQs) and ongoing support (e.g., check-in emails the day of acceptance days) that made me feel like she cared about me holistically. Another way Krista showed her investment in me was by always keeping up with my storyline across all 11 of my applications. For example, Krista offered very targeted suggestions of what I should pull into one of my applications from an earlier application based on the prompt and what my story may have been missing. This helped me focus my efforts, use my hourly services more efficiently, and made me feel heard and seen - Krista truly believed in me and what I could accomplish.

3. Believed in me from the beginning. From our initial conversation, Krista believed in my applicant profile and what I could bring to every MBA program that I applied to. I had concerns about my test scores, which Krista did provide support for me to increase slightly, but I knew I needed my application to stand out in other ways. Not only did Krista help me strengthen my narrative, but she provided endless encouragement along the way. She gave me so much praise on my materials (when it was warranted) and regularly reminded me of how much I’ve accomplished in my career (and as a person) to get me to this point. Krista’s support had an incredibly positive impact on my entire MBA application process and kept me going when times were difficult.

Krista came recommended to me by a very close friend - and now I’ll recommend Krista to everyone I know. Although I’ll never know why these schools accepted me, I’m confident that my applications were better because of Krista.

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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.

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Hire Melissa. It’ll be the best decision you make. As another reviewer mentioned, Melissa is in a class of her own. I’m going to Kellogg because of her!!!

After reading reviews of 40+ consultants and interviewing 9 different consultants, I did not hesitate to hire Melissa. She combines her direct work experience of leading an MBA admissions committee at Rice (Jones) with her lived experience as a Kellogg alum. Additionally, after going through the whole process, I can tell you that her approach is incredibly distinct, not just something off the MBAMission shelf. It was clear from the start that Melissa saw me as a person with a distinct and important story, not just another client.

Most consultants told me to apply to 6-8 schools because my GMAT was below average, and I was an older applicant. Melissa worked with me to avoid the “spray and pray” approach, but instead, helped me select schools that aligned most closely with my personal narrative/preferences. We ended up selecting four top-10.

From there, the writing process flowed very naturally. Her feedback was always on time and to the point. She successfully identified when I was drifting from my story or adding “fluff” that makes adcoms fall asleep. Being able to write essays alongside Melissa was a complete gift. Without going into too much detail, Melissa helped me discover parts of myself that will impact my life far beyond the application process. And for that, I am beyond grateful.

To wrap up, I ended up getting into my dream program (Kellogg’s MMM program) and will be headed up to Evanston this year!

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