Melissa was an invaluable resource for me throughout application process, from brainstorming how to tell my story, to helping me craft compelling essays, to helping me successfully navigate the waitlist process. She knows each school inside and out - I was blown away by her deep knowledge of what differentiates each program and what each admissions committee looks for as a result!

When reviewing my essays, Melissa provided specific feedback from the perspective of the AC, whether calling out an experience that I did not explain in enough detail or helping me narrow my focus in shorter essays. She also helped me recognize how highlighting specific elements of my story created a more powerful explanation for "why Kellogg."

When I was originally waitlisted at Kellogg, Melissa guided me through the difficult process, providing me with tactical next steps about how I should approach each waitlist update strategically and continue to express my interest. Her advice proved to be accurate and invaluable - I was successfully pulled off of the waitlist and admitted to my dream school!

The perfect balance of high level feedback on my story, detailed feedback on essay wording, and moral support through what can be a grueling process - I cannot recommend Melissa highly enough!

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As I prepared for the gauntlet that is the MBA application process, I weighed the option of enlisting the services of an MBA admissions consultant. These packages, or hourly services, are a significant investment. It's important to know what you want to achieve through hiring a consultant.

One way to practically ensure you will have a good experience with admissions consulting services would be to work with Melissa Blakeslee. Melissa was an outstanding partner to me throughout the admissions process and was a critical driver of my acceptance into an M7 program.

I feel it is common for top MBA applicants to believe in their own infallibility -- I myself fall into this trap at times -- so let me spell out specifically what value Melissa brought to my process:

-Melissa helped me clarify my goals: Conversations with Melissa helped me move beyond surface-level goals and drill down with specificity into what I really wanted, what schools would fit those goals, and how to spell those goals out with impact in admissions essays
-Melissa challenged me: Like I said, lots of top MBA applicants have had success in their careers and believe in their own infallibility to an extent. When you come to realize the quality of talent in the applicant pool, it becomes clearer how an admissions consultant who will push you to perfect your application in all aspects can be a competitive advantage. For me, Melissa struck the perfect blend of cheerleader and coach -- supportive of my progress but critical of my application where I needed it.
-Melissa has a keen eye toward storytelling -- Her past as a brand marketer is evident in her work. She has a natural ability as a storyteller. In my opening call with her, Melissa was able to pick out unique stories from my professional and personal past and perfectly flesh them out into ideas for compelling essays. Absolutely invaluable.

Beyond all this -- Melissa was timely, efficient, and flexible to work with. I highly recommend her and can't thank her enough for her role in helping me achieve this dream!

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I worked with Jessica for the R1 Class of 2020 application cycle. She helped me immensely, particularly with my career essay - how to make it not feel contrived, how to showcase my background as a "nontraditional" applicant. There were lots of things I wouldn't know to do that I ended up doing because of Jessica's guidance. More than this, Jessica always made me feel that my unique voice could be heard while also fitting into the "box" of what these essays could and should look like. Her editing was extremely helpful, particularly around shortening essays as necessary. Having her as a reliable and trustworthy partner in the essay writing process made me cognizant of time management leading up to deadlines. Jessica came to me through a referral from a previous client and I would absolutely recommend her to any of my friends applying.

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John was a major contributor to my recent acceptance to a top 10 MBA program. A lot of candidates have the stories and experiences to be competitive, but sculpting those stories into concise personal statements and essays that directly respond to the criteria of various admissions committees is an art – one that John has mastered.

I engaged John on an hourly basis (purchased 5 hours through mbaMission). John was referred to me by a colleague who was admitted to a top 10 MBA program and credited John for his success. I had planned to apply to Booth and Kellogg.

John initially sent me a brainstorming document with questions to help generate ideas for essays, short answers, and interview prep. We then scheduled a phone call to discuss essay questions. John’s familiarity with these schools and admissions committees was immediately evident. He provided a framework for the essay responses that leveraged my professional and personal strengths. After drafting my essays, John provided feedback to improve certain aspects of my story and focus the story to directly respond to the essay prompts. John also reviewed my resume and short answer responses to focus on my achievements and clearly state my short and long term goals.

After successfully executing and submitting the applications, John and I spent our final 30 minutes prepping for interviews. John asked me general interview questions and again helped craft responses that were focused on why the specific MBA program would help my career progression.

To anyone considering applying to an MBA program – this initial investment to improve your application is negligible compared to the overall cost of an MBA. I strongly encourage you to make the investment and engage John.

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Working with Heidi was a great experience all around. I knew my statistics were strong enough to get me into at least one of my target schools, but the final piece I needed was to strongly tell my story via essays, online applications, and short answer questions. Story telling is definitely not one of my strengths, but through phone conversations and feedback on the different drafts of my essays, Heidi got to know me very well and very effectively helped me strengthen the written portions of my applications.

Heidi was extremely prompt in responding to my emails with quick questions, as well as returning the multiple drafts of my essays.

I can happily say that I will be attending one of my target programs, and much of the credit belongs to Heidi’s assistance.

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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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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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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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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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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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