I had never used a consultant before applying to business school, but given my position as an untraditional candidate, I am not sure I would have gained entry to Columbia Business School without the expertise of Rachel Beck at mbaMission.

Despite Rachel's own standing as an alum of CBS, she knows a tremendous amount about the business school industry at large and was extremely deft at reading my own potentiality as an applicant from that first free consultation.

Before this experience, I had stereotyped consultants on being generalists under the guise of being experts, but Rachel learned my background more than any mentor even had. Even though she knew Columbia as a former student and as a consultant, she familiarized herself with minutiae of with the school's budding social enterprise club and leadership programs--two areas I was interested in.

Even though I used the "a la carte" services via mbaMission, Rachel answered my every impromptu question about the process--going beyond her job description and the services I was entitled for--and almost always she would respond within a 24 hour period to boot.

I primarily used Rachel as a consultant for honing my resume and essays, but she was instrumental in helping me prepare for informal interviews with staff and my official interview for Columbia. She was thoughtful in tailoring her responses to any question or situation for me Mollie as a candidate--I cannot emphasize this enough.

As stressful as this process is, Rachel helped me manage my own mental headspace and timeline.
Like others below, I recommend reaching out to Rachel in the early spring before your application is due. As a writer, I struggled with the composition of my written components--I was often too emotional and close to the subjects I was writing about and I was very attached to Columbia; I could not always see my deliverables objectively and that's where Rachel came in--she did not dismiss any part of my story or argument, but she helped me with an economy of language, she helped me with the "so what." We did about 7 drafts for each product and though it was humbling, I have never been prouder of an application in its completion. Speaking candidly, she can be blunt in her criticism of one's writing, but trust me: she's on the money.

In sum, Rachel Beck was a true part of my application to business school and she is part of my success in getting in.

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Jen provided really helpful feedback on essays and and my mock interview, helping me hone my story and tell it in a concise and compelling way. Our communication was mostly by email and she was always quick to respond.

If I had to offer one piece of constructive feedback, it's that I think Jen could have pushed me even harder by being more frank with her comments on the content of my essays. Her feedback on structure, wording, etc. was spot on, but I found several friends and family members who weren't afraid to tell me I had missed the mark in my response to a prompt and that I needed to alter my overall approach. In hindsight, I think Jen was a bit more forthcoming with feedback like this. (Important note, this may be a result that I was using Jen on an hourly basis, so she admittedly didn't know me as well as she might have if we were working together more extensively).

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I recently worked with Katy on my HBS 2+2 application. I approached Katy with a rough draft of my personal statement about a month and a half prior to the application deadline. Katy was extremely helpful in her ability to brainstorm the ideas I was trying to get across and suggest ways to better articulate the themes. I was especially impressed with how she did not work from a template, but rather devoted time to understand my story and express it on paper. With her guidance, my unorganized amalgamation of thoughts came together as a genuine and expressive essay.

As a college senior who did not have recommenders that were familiar with the business school process, I relied on Katy to help me optimize the impact of my recommendations. Katy advised me on how to provide my recommenders with insightful information about the message I was trying to get across. I am confident that my recommenders would not have been able to speak as well to who I am had I not worked with Katy.

In the end, I was thrilled to get into HBS. Katy went above and beyond to always respond quickly and thoughtfully to my many, many questions. This responsiveness, in addition to Katy's strong ability to understand the college experience and relate it to business school language, makes me wholeheartedly recommend her to students applying to 2+2.

I was very happy with my result and know that much of it is due to Katy!

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Helen is truly the best there is. Seriously!

She consistently supported me in finding my most authentic voice, and was an incredibly sharp thought-partner. As an hourly client, Helen was always cognizant of my time and I never once felt ‘short-changed’ by any of our interactions. She always pushed the extra mile to answer questions, and never hesitated to reach out to her to offer multiple perspectives when helpful. Her interview preparation was on-point and her ability to meaningfully instill confidence was unparalleled. Helen’s realness won my trust in an instant, and her thoughtful tough-love helped me to be my best.

Tactically, Helen’s speed and flexibility – even throughout the holiday season and peak R1 moments – was fantastic. With a complex international travel schedule, Helen and I always managed to find time to connect at any frequency and duration required. She swiftly answered quick questions and provided well-framed, strategic answers to more complex ones. In the chaos that is the MBA application process, Helen helped me feel in control.

Throughout this entire process, I not only got into my top choice school but also gained a true friend and champion in Helen!!

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I got admitted to a top 5 MBA program after applying in round 2. And I couldn't have done it without John. I started working with John late in the application process. John has so much experience on personal statements and knows what each school looks for and guided me to the right direction for each application. I was not confident about my essays at first, but after many times of discussion and editing rounds with John, I felt confident and was ready to submit my application. Given that I also have a demanding job, John really took a lot of pressure of my shoulders. He was also extremely supportive for any creative ideas. John is very easy to work with. I highly recommend him as an MBA consultant!

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Due to Kate’s help, I was able to gain entrance into my top business school selection in the M7 (HSW). She came recommended from another consultant who thought she would be better help tell my story and had experience with this particular M7 school. She was instrumental in me understanding my key strengths for my business school application, and how to hone those stories into powerful narratives in my essays that would resonate with my recommenders and the adcom. I had very specific needs when I first met Kate, and that was to strengthen my essays and also convey my story for wanting to attend business school to my recommenders. In addition to multiple brainstorming sessions to lay out a strategic roadmap and timeline for my application, Kate helped me pick out specific work experiences that aligned with the ethos of the business school I wanted to attend. I found her help to be so impactful, that I decided to also gain her help with interview prep and application review. Due to her interview prep, I was able to catch a few questions that my interviewer had for me that I had not previously prepped for. While I don’t think it would have been a disaster had I not prepped for these questions, Kate’s helpful bank of questions and how she coached me through my responses real-time I owe to how successful my interview went. I highly recommend Kate if you want someone that will be honest with you, but will help elevate your story that resonates specifically to your school and needs.

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Working with Jen on my MBA apps was an absolute pleasure. She came highly recommended, as she worked with my wife on her apps two years ago, and exceeded even those high expectations.

I had a solid GMAT score coming in, and was relatively confident in my ability as a writer, so I was very much on the fence about engaging with an MBA consultant. However, from the moment I had my 30 minute consultation with Jen, I was sold. I can confidently say, working with Jen was absolutely worth the fees (I credit working with her for a substantial scholarship I received from my top M7 choice, which paid for every penny of her fee many times over).

Jen began by talking through my MBA goals, and discussing the various schools on my list. I had a few ideas re: potential essay topics, and she walked through the pros and cons of each, along with some suggestions for how to brainstorm my story.

Once I engaged with her (i.e. after the free consultation), she set up aggressive but achievable deadlines to ensure I got my apps submitted in time, and helped keep me on track throughout. Her encouragement was invaluable as I got through the (often quite emotionally involved) brainstorming process, and her critical eye helped me focus my thoughts into several cogent essays. Right up till the moment I hit submit, she helped me fine tune my apps, with the result I could rest easy after the apps flew out the door, knowing they were as good as they could possibly be.

I engaged with Jen in mid-November, and had my apps done before Christmas. After Christmas when I found out my interviews were happening, she went well above and beyond to help prep me for my interviews and put me on the path to success. Even after I got in, she stayed in touch, helping me source pre-MBA programs run by the top firms in the field I am interested in getting into.

Jen truly was a trusted friend to me throughout the MBA app process, using her experience to quell any stress I felt at any stage of the process. I very strongly recommend speaking with her if you have any interest at all in getting into a top MBA program.

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I graduated from a non-target Bachelor's programme (uni is ranked 551-600 worldwide on QS) from a developing Asian country. I also had a months-long gap on my CV, and absolutely no idea on how to achieve my dream of breaking into the Russell Group. With just 5 hours of consulting time, she got me through multiple essay drafts, gave input on my short answers, and even gave me 1 interview dress rehearsal. From this standing start, I got into LBS.

Screw LSE and Imperial; I somehow found myself in the best UK school possible, in my context as a pre-experience student.

Jen Kedrowski is competent, knowledgeable about her domain (UK schools), and generally fair when it comes to billing her hours.

Don't trust the process; trust in Jen.

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I was very fortunate to get in touch with Krista Nannery at MBA Mission through a free 30-minute consultation. Immediately, I felt at ease because I felt like she understood where I was coming from - my background, what I wanted to achieve, and where I wanted to go with the MBA program. To be honest, I wasn't even sure if I wanted to pursue my MBA when I first got in touch with Krista and the entire MBA admissions process seemed so daunting that I thought about waiting another year to apply. After listening to my story, however, Krista helped me formulate a clear picture of my goals and helped me prepare for the application process even though I was starting just two weeks before the R2 deadlines.

Krista became the biggest advocate and cheerleader throughout the process. Having started so late in the game, I worked on some of the essays just days before R2 deadlines and somehow Krista always turned them around within a business day. The feedback she provided was so instrumental in taking my essays to another level - she encouraged me to think creatively about my experiences and to convey them in a manner that delivers the strongest message to the admissions committee. She was very knowledgable on different programs and what each school was looking for, which helped me determine which aspects of my experiences or personality should be emphasized in each application to ensure it gets presented in the best light. Krista is also an amazing writer - she will be able to pinpoint areas to enhance in your essays in subtle but such effective ways, which is so important when writing admission essays with specific word count requirements.

Most importantly, Krista was so supportive and encouraging during the entire process; sometimes I felt like she believed in me more than I believed in myself. She gave me a ton of confidence and helped me stay true to myself during a process that can sometimes be overwhelming to navigate on your own. I really cannot thank her enough for guidance and I would highly recommend Krista to anyone looking to enhance their MBA candidacy. As for results, I was accepted to my top choice program with a significant scholarship and I owe it much to Krista's help.

Thank you Krista and mbaMission!!!

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Going into the admissions process, I was hesitant to use an expensive consulting service, but all of the schools I wanted to go to were reaches, so I knew I needed help getting in. I ended up using Dan's hourly service to apply to 3 top 15 schools and ended up getting into my second choice w / $.

Dan's style is to give you honest feedback - he won't sugarcoat anything. Because of this, Dan is great at helping candidates identify and address their weaknesses. Part of the reason I initially chose him was because of his writing background. His ability to articulate an applicant's goals succinctly is remarkable. He's also highly efficient and very responsive. Lastly, his interview prep was particularly relevant: in my real interviews I ended up being asked most of the same questions that we reviewed in our interview prep.

With Dan's help I ended up getting a scholarship with a value that far exceeded the cost of the consulting services. I would highly recommend him to any prospective B school applicant. 5 stars !!!

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