GMAT Club

Hourly Services Reviews

For those who have identified specific needs and require focused advisory services, we offer "A la Carte" services.
5.0 /5 Average Rating
5 star
553
4 star
12
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1
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Based on 566 reviews

AI Super-Summary of Customer Reviews for Hourly Services*

These reviews highlight the impactful support and guidance provided by various MBA admissions consultants, who have helped clients shape compelling narratives, optimize application materials, and ultimately gain admission to top business schools. Reviewers consistently praise the consultants for their responsiveness, professionalism, and ability to provide personalized feedback that aligns with each client's strengths and goals. Several clients succeeded in securing admissions with scholarships, and emphasize the consultants' role in addressing application weaknesses and building confidence for interviews. Overall, it's clear that these consultants have made a significant difference in their clients' educational and professional journeys.
9 users mention "Admitted"
  • "With his guidance, I went from being lost and confused to getting into fantastic schools!..." Read more
  • "At the end of the process I got into my top school (Wharton)..." Read more
  • "Thanks to Kate, I was accepted into Kellogg..." Read more
  • "in securing my place at my top-choice program - HBS!..." Read more
  • "I am thrilled to say I got into my target MBA program Darden!..." Read more
  • "I was admitted to my #1 choice, Columbia Business School..." Read more
  • "I applied to Stanford MSx program and got admitted...." Read more
  • "I was accepted into all five of the top MBA programs I applied to...." Read more
  • "I worked with Julie-Anne for the MBA program and was admitted to both Columbia and Wharton...." Read more
5 users mention "Responsive"
  • "he is very quick to respond to emails and often provides detailed and thoughtful feedback on the same day..." Read more
  • "Michael is very experienced, responsive, and knows how to highlight your unique strengths..." Read more
  • "highly responsive to my needs...." Read more
  • "She was also very responsive and I never had to wait long for feedback...." Read more
  • "I was especially impressed with her responsiveness and availability, which were crucial given my tight deadlines and demanding work schedule...." Read more
3 users mention "Scholarship Awarded"
  • "offers of admission and scholarships from all 5 other schools. The lowest amount of scholarship I got was 50% of tuition, and I even got a full-ride scholarship..." Read more
  • "Harold guided me through the scholarship negotiation process, helping me leverage offers effectively to maximize my financial aid...." Read more
  • "I was accepted to an M7 program with full tuition..." Read more
3 users mention "Top-Tier School Focus"
  • "she was helping the clarity of my application through her artful guidance and deft editing...." Read more
  • "Debbie also gave a lot useful tips and strategic comments which allowed me to be more focus on the most important things...." Read more
  • "Julie-Anne has worked on getting many students in different programs so she knew what are good areas to be highlighted in essays and characteristics of different schools...." Read more
2 users mention "Non-traditional Backgrounds"
  • "As a non-traditional applicant, applying to business school was a bit intimidating. When I first met with Harshad, I could tell right away that I wanted to work with him. He is skilled at and passionate about crafting a story that is not only compelling to admissions committees but also speaks to your unique strengths...." Read more
  • "I come from a nontraditional background and knew that seeking the help of an admissions consultant was likely the best way for me to craft the best applications possible...." Read more
2 users mention "Interview Prep"
  • "Her warm personality made the stress and tediousness of MBA applications and interview prep easier to handle...." Read more
  • "Kate was also instrumental in preparing me for the interview process...." Read more
2 users mention "Free Consultation"
  • "I started my process at mbaMission with a 30-minute free consultation with the next available consultant..." Read more
  • "mbaMission offers a variety of service package. I chose the hourly service which allowed me to use the time flexibly and wisely...." Read more
2 users mention "Career Transition"
  • "Kate took the time to understand my unique background, career goals, and personal story...." Read more
  • "I came from financial services and decided I was ready to transition into consulting..." Read more
2 users mention "Value for Money"
  • "The cost is absolutely worth it...." Read more
  • "I believe the hourly service is a great value if you are particularly seeking assistance with the essay portion of your application...." Read more
2 users mention "Supportive"
  • "having someone in my corner who genuinely cared about my success made all the difference...." Read more
  • "providing unwavering support and motivation..." Read more
1 users mention "Reapplication Success"
  • "As a reapplicant, I could easily see how she was helping the clarity of my application through her artful guidance and deft editing...." Read more
1 users mention "Low GPA Success"
  • "Despite my below-average GPA, Harold s strategic insights led to my acceptance at Dartmouth Tuck and Chicago Booth, with significant scholarships, and admittance to another T10 school...." Read more
1 users mention "Industry Specialist"
  • "my professional background is in advertising/marketing, which is where Kim spent most of her career prior to doing MBA admissions and consulting work...." Read more
1 users mention "Career Changers"
  • "provide advice that was best tailored to help me achieve my goals. She was also able to be flexible as I decided what I wanted to do..." Read more
1 users mention "Resume Review"
  • "she felt that my resume was in good shape and it would be more beneficial for her to spend time refining my essays..." Read more
1 users mention "Time Management"
  • "she is really good at pushing you to think through what differentiates you and how you can highlight yourself..." Read more
1 users mention "Essay Editing"
  • "what was unnecessary and what needed fixing, without worrying about sugarcoating something I really appreciated...." Read more
*Review summaries are AI generated from 25 latest reviews in the past 2 years.
January 28, 2018
mbapreplaav

Joined: Oct 17, 2017

Posts: 6

Kudos: 1

MBA Consultant - Nisha Trivedi - Fantastic Experience

REVIEWER IDENTITY VERIFIED by school email address [?]

I am happy to write this review about Nisha Trivedi. I used MBA Mission's alacarte hourly services, and used Nisha's gudidance to review and fine tune my resume, and to brainstorm and proof read essays.

Nisha was great, and provided accurate, and honest feedback. When I spoke to her for during our first 30 minute free consultation, I felt that she really made an effort to get to know me, my preferences, and needs.

She answered emails, and returned edited essays promptly. I also found the mock interviews I did with her to be immensely helpful in preparing for the real interview.

I am happy to share that with Nisha's assistance, I got accepted at all 4 of the top 25 universities I applied to. (Booth, Ross, Tepper, Kelley).

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January 25, 2018
dkderosa123

Joined: Jan 25, 2018

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Admission Consultant - Nisha Trivedi

REVIEWER IDENTITY VERIFIED by school email address [?]

I worked with Nisha Trivedi through my entire application process. I can honestly say I would not have been admitted to these schools without her help. She does a great job at helping you combine elements into a cohesive story that anyone can understand. She also takes the time to explain her thought process and provide options when selecting statements/stories. I would recommend Nisha to anyone in the process - she can pick up at any point, work with any personality (she's also worked with two of my friends), and help you deliver the best version for each school!

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January 11, 2018
kylehutton89

Joined: Jan 11, 2018

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Accepted to Dream School ! Thanks mbaMission

REVIEWER IDENTITY VERIFIED by school email address [?]

Helen Summers was heaven-sent and instrumental in polishing my essays for Rd 1 applications. Her feedback was timely (<24 hr response) and critical when required, allowing me to refine final drafts. Her experience in the industry is clearly evident as her approach/feedback for each school was tailored accordingly. With 2 hrs of time, we were able to work on essay entries for 3 schools and complete a resume review. Helen surpassed all of my expectations. She was approachable and professional in all my interactions [called me on my BS at times too, which I needed :) ]. I highly, highly recommend working with Helen and mbaMission!

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January 05, 2018
ConfusedAdmit

Joined: Feb 28, 2016

Posts: 2

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
770 Q49 V45

Harshad Mali

REVIEWER IDENTITY VERIFIED by score report [?]

I never planned to pay for an admissions consultant - I just wanted to use the free calls to perfect my resume.

But after many calls Harshad stood out to me. He didn't hit me with a sales pitch, he quickly responded to an email with follow-up questions, and most importantly he demonstrated an interest in and understanding of my profile that the other consultants didn't.

A couple weeks before the R1 deadline I realized I needed help telling my story. I reached out to Harshad and, despite being fully booked, he agreed to take me on as a client. Working with him was as advertised: his emails were always on time (usually early) and the one time we ran into technical difficulties he responded to a 10 PM text message.

The two most valuable things he did for me were 1) teach me how to tell a story and 2) give me directional edits. I kept an open mind and found his feedback to be invaluable. By working hard and doing the leg work I felt that we were able to maximize the time I paid for.

With his help, I submitted all my applications in time for R1. Although my H/S lottery ticket wasn't drawn, I was admitted to Wharton and 100% of the M7 and T15 schools I applied to, including some significant scholarships! He even helped me draft a professional scholarship negotiation letter.

I do recommend Harshad if you're willing to put in the leg work. My advice is to be very clear on what you want from him.

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January 05, 2018
emilybk

Joined: Jun 30, 2017

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
720 Q44 V44

100% worth the investment!

REVIEWER IDENTITY VERIFIED by score report [?]

I used the hourly package with Dan to apply to 6 schools (2 top-15 and 4 top-10) in less than 2 months. I have a solid GMAT and GPA so I was originally hesitant to make a big investment in application prep, but Dan's help was invaluable - I wound up getting into 4 schools, with full scholarships to 2 of them!!! I really don't think I could've done it without him.

My timeline was super rushed and he was so helpful with planning, keeping me on track, and providing timely feedback. His notes were incredibly thoughtful and he's a great wordsmith. It's clear he knows what the schools are looking for.

I also really appreciated that he was thoughtful of not wasting our time together. He was very to the point on our calls and kept me in the loop on how long edits were taking him. If I sent him a draft that he thought needed significant work, he would email me to check if I wanted him to spend time on a line by line edit or if I just wanted overall feedback to try again. I had previously worked with a consultant who seemed to just run up the clock, so this really meant a lot to me and saved me a lot of money.

Compared to what I've experienced with other consultants and heard from my friends, I don't think you'll find a more professional, organized, and talented consultant than Dan. I can't recommend him enough!

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December 15, 2017
SKSKSK

Joined: Dec 15, 2017

Posts: 1

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
770 Q50 V46

Harshad is the real deal!

REVIEWER IDENTITY VERIFIED by score report [?]

I first learned of mbaMission from a close friend, who referred me to Krista Nannery. Since she was unable to take on Hourly candidates, she referred me to Harshad for a 30 minute chat. During that 30 minute consultation itself, he immediately made a positive impact on me and introduced new snippets of information even a well-informed candidate would not have access to.

I worked with Harshad mostly on essays for about 10 hours on an Hourly basis. I did not need in-depth help on other parts of the application such as interviewing, school selection or application strategy. Harshad is very honest with applicants, and I needed a lot of assistance both on content and style. I can't imagine going through this process without his constant feedback and candor. People often shy away from giving intellectually honest feedback to people asking for it, but he was always constructive and fair. Harshad deserves extra points for getting back to me in a timely fashion even when I would often send him materials minutes before the deadline.

I have secured interviews to the two M7 schools I applied to and gained admission to one. I am in perhaps the most competitive profile by any metric (nonminority, engineering, finance, male), and this speaks to his ability to help me differentiate myself with my essays.

I wish Harshad every success, and recommend him without reservation to any applicant seeking admission to a top program.

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December 12, 2017
theadventurezone

Joined: Dec 12, 2017

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Harshad Mali, wonderful consultant

REVIEWER IDENTITY VERIFIED by school email address [?]

Harshad was wonderful to work with. He was prompt, direct and helpful. While I only purchased a few hours of his time, he spent time getting to know me and my strengths. I had a terrible first draft of one essay. Harshad was direct with his feedback and have extremely useful comments about how to improve and where I should focus my efforts. We had 4 rounds of comments, and each time, I feel that my essay significantly improved. He really encouraged me to dig deep into why I was applying to school, and polity told me which paragraphs were not value adds and recommended their removal.

He was very quick at replying to my emails.

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November 13, 2017
MBAHopeful67

Joined: Jun 05, 2011

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Couldn't have done TEN applications without Debbie Choy!!!

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After working with Debbie on my applications, I was admitted to a top 10 MBA program! Debbie helped me with applying to 10 schools in only 1.5 months! I realized late in the game that I wanted to apply in Round 1, and I approached mbaMission to be paired with a consultant who could help me with my applications. I was very fortunate to have been paired with Debbie!

For my first school, I had already prepared drafts by myself. I gave these to Debbie for review and confidently told her that these drafts were “near final” and only needed a quick read before submission. To my surprise, Debbie told me that my drafts needed a complete rewrite. I was shocked but appreciated her candidness and honesty.

In the next week, I heavily relied on Debbie to provide feedback on my drafts. What I like about Debbie's style is that she didn’t sugarcoat anything, always pushed me to reflect deeper on my experiences, and provided good advice to help me be more succinct in my writing. In my essays, I sometimes found myself getting lost in the details that the writing lacked the "so what?" factor. Debbie would redirect my attention to focus on the big picture and tell me to cut content if necessary. Further, her flexibility and positive attitude helped calm me down in times of stress and focus on the execution of the applications.

After finishing my first application with Debbie, we had developed a great working relationship, and the rest of my 10 applications went rather smoothly. As a demanding client, I sent her at least 3 essays to review every day (Each school had 2-3 essays, so in total it was about 30 essays that I had sent her way). She always provided prompt, detailed and high-quality feedback. I even wondered how she was able to do all of this in so little time!

Debbie is great at all aspects of the application, from helping me brainstorm ideas to outlining the actual essay and providing feedback. She was available through phone, skype, and email. I even did a mock interview with her over Skype two days before my actual interview and it made a tremendous difference. Before the interview, I was stuttering on the basic questions such as "Walk me through your resume". But she gave me helpful feedback that allowed me to structure my answers and practice effectively, which made me feel confident going into my interview.

In conclusion, Debbie is a stellar, seasoned, and top-notch consultant. Completing applications for 10 schools in 1.5 months was a daunting task, but Debbie maximized the limited time we had to help me craft stellar essays. If you work with Debbie, she will make sure that you are always submitting your best work! There were times when I submitted drafts that were weak, and Debbie held me accountable by asking me to rewrite the entire essay or think of new experiences to write about. I greatly enjoyed working with Debbie and definitely recommend with flying colors!

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October 23, 2017
aamc53

Joined: Oct 23, 2017

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
670 Q39 V42

Amazing experience- thank you to Dan Richards!

REVIEWER IDENTITY VERIFIED by score report [?]

At first, I chose to utilize the 30-minute free consultation with mbamission to get some pointers on application prep, and I quickly found their feedback to be incredibly helpful in the short amount of time that we had. mbamission wasn’t pushy like some of the other groups I had spoken to. Though the woman I spoke to was booked for consulting services, she strongly recommended Dan Richards (based on our backgrounds, my school choice, etc.) and I am SO happy that she did. I used hourly consulting services with Dan to receive guidance and feedback on my essays and resume for my top choice school in Round 1. I had about 2 months to improve my test score and write compelling essays. Dan exceeded my expectations. His feedback was always honest, direct and quick (usually within 1 day). If you decide to work with a consultant, I highly recommend that you first spend 20-30 minutes with Dan brainstorming your essay themes before diving into the writing- his feedback on my outline was valuable as it helped me to develop a structured set of essays. He worked with me to pull out important themes in my essays and helped me to tell a story about my short and long term goals. With Dan’s help, I was accepted to the one business school I applied to (top 10)! I couldn’t have done it without his guidance and support. I strongly recommend Dan’s services- he is a trusted professional with years of experience helping candidates get into their dream schools. It was 100% worth the investment- I strongly recommend him!

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October 18, 2017
tet28

Joined: Apr 11, 2014

Posts: 1

Kudos: 4

Self-reported Score:
660 Q50 V30

Improve your candidacy along cultural differences

REVIEWER IDENTITY VERIFIED by membership [?]

I totally recommend Jen Kedrowski to you to brush up your candidacy and create the best application packages.

I am a non-English native as well as a re-applicant aiming at British business schools. Before starting the collaboration with Jen, I took several free consulting sections offered several consulting service providers. Then, I found that Jen would be the best to revise my applications, and decided to choose the Hourly Services at mbaMission.

There are 2 main reasons why I recommend Jen to you as your partner.

First, she has splendid analytical and editorial skills to cover your weaknesses and stand out your strengths. It is hard for most applicants to differentiate your candidacy from others. Additionally, almost all of the candidates who attempt to enroll in business schools have piled up similar careers. So, her analytical skills will help you in finding your uniqueness, and editorial ones will strongly contribute to brushing up your applications sentence by sentence, along with each school culture. In my case, she always identified points that I had to deepen or reconsider clearly. She gave me a hand to construct stories of applications as total packages accompanying consistency in the last applications. In some cases, she asked me to reconstruct whole sentences along the latest career progress, but in other cases, she simply improved part of the essays I’d hand in the last term in order to consolidate my candidacy.

Second, you will gain experience about how cultural differences should be expressed on your essays. I live in a more high-context society than the UK and the USA. In my country, people require reading between the lines, which prevented me from writing suitable sentences or showing connections of each sentence clearly. But, through the communication with Jen, I found these were signs not only to fit my sentences to each school, but also to improve sentences to best reveal my experiences with cultural differences (I did not notice this when I asked a consultant in my country last year).

If you feel you might be the lack of confidence to create best sentences for admission committees, Jen's skills to enhance your candidacies and edit your applications will become the best to bridge the gaps.

Finally, this book will help in understanding cultural differences between countries (you and admission staff), or in improving your sentences along experiences in diverse cultures (international exposures are a key for every candidate).
"The Culture Map: Decoding How People Think, Lead, and Get Things Done Across Cultures"
http://amzn.to/2xKoZMs

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