When I first started the process of applying to business school I was really unsure if I wanted to use a consultant. Between GMAT prep class fees and travel expenses to visit schools, the cost of applying to business school adds up quickly and I wasn't sure if a consultant would be worth the cost. Since I knew people that had gone through the process of applying to business school, I had a solid understanding of the work needed to complete an application but I really needed a top consultant to help me craft my story and write strong essays...at least I thought that was all I needed.

Helen was recommended to me and after our first conversation, I knew I made the right choice. She helped me pull out the elements of my story that embodied who I was the most and pushed me to dig deeper whenever I got lazy in my writing. At times, I was so frustrated with the process I was ready to stop and Helen always lovingly brought me back on track and helped me create a plan to make the process less stressful. She provided edits and ideas very quickly and was always responsive whenever I got stuck. She also did a mock interview with me (with specific questions about my background) and coached me on how to give strong and thoughtful answers. Needless to say, many of the questions she asked me were exactly the questions I was asked in my real interview. Her mock interview was excellent preparation for the real thing.

In general, I saw Helen as more than just my admissions consultant, she was also my cheerleader and part time life coach. LOL I truly felt like she was invested in my success and because of her guidance and extreme talent in bringing out the best in people, I was admitted to several schools and will start at Stanford this fall. I couldn't be more excited! :)

I definitely recommend Helen as a top business school consultant. Thank you to her and the entire mbaMission team for helping me to achieve this dream!

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Kate greatly exceeded my expectations.
At first, I was reluctant to hire a consulting service as I was afraid of getting a cookie-cutter approach resulting in a bland application.
However, Kate took the time to understand what I wanted to say, was straight with me when I was being repetitive, and helped me suggesting edits while keeping my voice intact throughout the application. Furthermore, as it often happens, I had little time left to submit my application and was very thankful that Kate responded to all my inquiries promptly and comprehensively according to a scheduled she shared with me at the start of the engagement.
Other consultants I spoke to briefly wanted to “force” me into applying to certain schools whereas Kate helped me polish my essays to accurately show what I liked of each school and how I felt I fit in.
I am very happy with the outcome and feel proud of my applications for I know I drafted 100% of the content that got me accepted, but Kate’s input was instrumental in polishing my essays and ensuring all my messaged were received as clearly as possible.

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I genuinely enjoyed working with Kate because she genuinely cared about my unique story and encouraged me to apply for top MBA programs despite my low GMAT score. Kate laid out a structured plan to address low GMAT verbal by recommending that I take a communication class and obtain an A to demonstrate my verbal proficiency and boost my entire candidacy. Throughout the entire process, Kate was extremely phenomenal at helping me structure my MBA resume and incorporate specific and important aspects of my story into my essays, which flowed like a conversation. She will promptly return all my draft essays with detailed improvements that helped me articulate my MBA goals in a succinct manner.

I was absolutely thrilled to work with her and I ended up getting into one of my dream schools. I whole-heartedly recommend her for your MBA application experience. She is extremely knowledgeable and makes the application process easier than studying for the GMAT.

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I started working with Nisha a bit late in the game - meaning I had already taken the GMAT twice, recruited my references and I was only about 3 months out from application deadlines. I was aiming for 4 top 10 MBA programs and had high expectations. Nisha hit the ground running with me for resume and essay reviews and edits. Given that each school had their own 2-3 essay prompts, documents were flying back and forth between us daily. She really knew how to tailor each essay to the particular school and knew the inside scoop on each admission committee.

Nisha not only helped me have amazing essays, but she helped me stay true to myself so that my personal stories captured the admissions committees' attention. She is a genius at getting word count down without cutting out meaning and creativity. Beyond the written work, Nisha was amazing at making me feel confident in my applications and helped me keep a level head when it was getting down to crunch time. Her calm, collected personality was the perfect compliment to mine as I was often stressed and seriously limited for time.

Nisha was incredibly dedicated to me with time as well. She always made sure to return edits to me no later than the next day, often in the same day. She worked over the holidays with me and even on weekends. It never felt like she was just "doing her job" it truly felt like she was doing anything and everything she could to help me succeed.

Once applications were submitted, Nisha helped me with interview prep, knowing not only the style of the interview but also knowing the exact questions they were going to ask. One killer resume, 10 impactful essays, and several interviews later, I am about to start my full time MBA at a top 10 program with many thanks to Nisha. I could not have done this without her!

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Working with Heidi was a phenomenal experience. Through the hourly service package, Heidi and I were able to prioritize our time to improve the areas of my application in order to gain admission into the top 25 business schools. She helped me highlight my accomplishments and prepare an application that would show who I am as a person. Heidi reviewed all my essays and resume, and her feedback highlighted the positives while giving constructive feedback. She pushed me to think about my experiences and helped me present them in the logical way. In addition, she pushed me as a writer and I learned to better articulate and show my story.

I submitted 5 applications during the round 2 deadline. I was invited to interview with all 5 of the schools. Once I received the interview notifications, Heidi helped me prepare for my interviews through a mock Skype interview.

Ultimately, I was admitted into two schools, waitlisted at two schools, and denied admission into one. Best of all, one of the schools I was admitted to was my first choice, and I will be attending that school in the fall. Heidi was truly wonderful to work with and I highly recommend her! Thank you for all of your help Heidi!

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John was a pleasure to work with and helped me manage an incredibly stressful waitlist process. After completing applications without an admissions consultant I found myself waitlisted (after interview) at Stanford GSB, MIT Sloan, and Wharton. John provided a logical and informed process to address my scenario and successfully navigate the waitlist. Even though the schools publically posted that they didn't need additional information, John helped me find ways to positively communicate with them and tip the needle in my favor. I found him to be responsive, and he always provided value added advice.

My only regret is not hiring John as my admissions consultant earlier so I could have avoided the waitlist process in the first place!

I can honestly say that without John's wisdom and coaching I'd be going through the admissions process all over again. Because of him I'll be attending Stanford GSB in the fall!

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Jessica had rave reviews from my former manager (“simply the best”), and I used her for Round 1 of the 2016-2017 cycle with 2/2 admissions at HBS and Wharton.

Both a business executive and perceptive storyteller, Jessica is unique. She outperformed at every step, packing our time with prompt, actionable feedback delivered with off-the-charts energy and humor.

In our first conversation, she quickly synthesized my profile (strengths and specifics to improve – e.g. trying the GRE) and cited information on schools I hadn’t unearthed in hours of research and calls. During our sessions, Jessica took time to understand the influences that have shaped me, and my future goals. She then drew out my most compelling accomplishments and experiences, weaving them into a memorable yet strategic narrative that stood out to my target schools.

In particular, she is an exceptional writer. She is skilled at understanding the point you are trying to communicate and crafting a succinct, accessible way to get it across. She helped me tell a very context-specific story in a way that was clear and persuasive to any reader, which I believe got me into my top school.

I worked with Jessica on my brainstorming, essay (editing again and again until every word had weight), and career goals. She also demystified the process by providing honest answers on what schools expected and how I matched up (How to use the short answers, or present a low GPA?).

My engagement with Jessica gave me the edge I needed to get into my dream school, and clarity and focus going forward. Work with Jessica – you will not regret it!!

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I would highly recommend working with John Sisk from mbaMission. His experience in journalism and his degree from a top business school give him a unique perspective as an admissions consultant. Entering the admissions process, I had a strong GMAT score and strong enough GPA to get into a top school, but I needed help rounding out my story. That is where Johnny was so helpful. After our free 30-minute consultation, I already had a great idea of how I wanted to put my story together, and over many iterations that story came to life with John’s help.

I hesitated in spending the money to hire a consultant, but I found that I got great value from John using the hour-by-hour option. Having been accepted into the top school, I can say that I would not have done a single thing differently. John was instrumental in strengthening my voice and I cannot thank him enough.

John continually offered strong advice and was very patient as we worked through my drafts, which made him very easy to work with. He was always completely honest, telling me what worked and what didn’t, but at the same time he was very optimistic and would ensure that the process never got me down. He was also timely in getting his responses back to me within the 2-day turnaround window, which was critical in feeling confident that my drafts were in the best shape possible before deadlines.

Thanks John!

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When I set out to write my applications, my mind was a giant cloud. I had lots of ideas about why I wanted to pursue an MBA, but, as a career switcher, I didn't know much about the ins and outs of business school admissions process and what adcoms looked for. I wanted to be authentic but whenever I sat down to write, my ideas were all mixed together in a giant spaghetti ball of thought.

Jessica has a deep understanding of the application process and helped me to organize my ideas. With her direction, I was even able to understand more about myself and why I desired an MBA on the route to what I desire to accomplish. Not only was she extremely knowledgeable and affable, I felt that she genuinely appreciated my story and cared about my progress. Throughout her webinar and even the free consultation, I never felt I was being sold and received great insight from those offerings alone. That said, purchasing a couple hours to talk through my application was one of the best investments I made. Hands down, you need someone with experience with the application process and admissions to proof your entire app; I didn't know any such person, so Jessica's very professional assistance was invaluable.

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I wanted to take the opportunity to discuss my experience with Krista Nannery as I navigated the MBA admissions process. Obtaining an MBA had always been a personal goal of mine but as an applicant with almost 15 years of substantial work experience across multiple products within my field, attending a top 10 business school would be the only way that I would receive a long term benefit of investing my time and money. I knew that I would have some challenges that I needed to address through the application process, and this is where I sought the help of mbaMission.
Initially I was skeptical whether the payoff of working with a consultant would be worthwhile but I can honestly attest that collaborating with Krista Nannery was well worth the investment.
Krista was instrumental in helping me strengthen my applications for the three schools I had initially targeted. I say initially because as I finished up my second application, Krista was able to leverage her previous experience as an admissions director at a top school to recommend a program at a fourth school to research. Given my work experience and ultimate career goals, this fourth school is where I will be matriculating in the next few months. I can not thank Krista enough for suggesting this program.
As an hourly client, the majority of my time with Krista was focused on essay and resume editing. In that arena, one of Krista’s key strengths is that she is able to get to the heart of the story you are trying to tell in a succinct manner that really impacts the reader, even if that person is unfamiliar with the industry or experience that you are discussing. In one instance where I chose to write about a workplace leadership experience that had happened quite some time ago in my career, Krista suggested to choose a more recent story. Due to that feedback the resulting essay was significantly stronger and more relevant to the admissions committee. Because of her prompt turnaround time I was able to finish the bulk of my essays for three schools in about two weeks, which is no small feat when each application has between 2-3 essays. For one program in particular, there was a video essay component which I had filmed and sent to Krista while she was on vacation. Even half way across the world, she provided great comments that enabled me to reshoot the video to allow the viewer to learn more about me on a personal level. Also, as a more untraditional applicant, Krista really helped me leverage all components of the application to ensure the admissions committees of each school obtained a holistic view of my work experience, impact I have made in the workplace and community, what I was seeking to obtain through a MBA program, and most importantly what I would contribute to my peer set if admitted. With a lengthy two page resume filled with professional accomplishments and community and workplace involvement outside of my day to day role, a resume review one was of the most challenging aspects of the application process for me. Krista was up for the challenge – she was able to leverage her resources and really help me consolidate my best and most pertinent highlights on to a one page resume document, which is an amazing accomplishment.
Upon entering the interview phase of the application process, Krista was a great resource during our mock interview phone call. Prior to that call, Krista and I had only communicated via email which was no issue given her extremely clear notes and great communication skills. I had not had a formal interview in quite some time so the mock interview call was invaluable preparation because it really helped me refine and better articulate my message.
On a personal level, Krista is a real pleasure to work with. She always exhibits a positive attitude but is also someone who will provide real feedback that ultimately strengthens an applicant’s admissions package. I really felt she had a vested interest in my success, and because of the time and effort she put into working with me, I can confidently say she was a key factor in my success.

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