School Package Reviews

I definitely recommend Michael as an advisor for applying to MBA schools. I didn’t have much time to submit my applications, but he was able to guide me through the process and work with me to revise my essays to emphasize my strong points. I applied to University of Michigan’s Ross MBA and was accepted despite not having many years of work experience and my GPA/GMAT scores not being as competitive as other applicants. I only had a month to submit my applications and within that month Michael was able to work with me to revise all my essays, rework my resume, and decide which recommenders to ask. He helped show me which aspects the admissions council would be looking at when they reviewed an applicant. Everything he said was spot on as I asked one of the admissions reviewers later what they were looking at to choose a student and every point they covered was underscored by Michael! He also helped me work on interview prep after I got the initial invite and I think my interview went pretty well as I was admitted into my top school: University of Michigan Ross. Despite not having much time to submit everything, Michael was very responsive and worked hard to get his essay comments/revisions back to me to make changes, sometimes even working over a zoom with me late into the nights and was available whenever I wanted to schedule some time to ask questions/review. (This was especially helpful as I was in Europe half the time which made the time zones all messed up when trying to meet.) The overall admissions process was less stressful and I’m happy to have picked Michael to help me with my MBA admissions. I definitely recommend him to anyone who wants to improve their applications and be a more competitive candidate!

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Hiring Rachel to be my MBA advisor was a no-brainer, and the best decision I could have made during my MBA application process. She came highly recommended to me by two close friends that both gained admission to their top MBA targets with her help and guidance.

Rachel guided me through applying to my dream school, Columbia Business School, and with her unmatched dedication and incredible expertise, I got in! She was not only a mentor to me through this process, but also a true friend that I knew I could trust and would have my best interests in mind.

She understands the MBA application process in impeccable detail. She helped me craft my application in a way that was compelling and helped bring to light all of my greatest strengths and accomplishments. Her process is methodical, highly tailored and incredibly effective, and she is there for you each and every step of the way. Hiring Rachel will maximize your chances of getting into your choice MBA program! Thank you Rachel!!

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I worked with Heidi on a multi-school package. Though the upfront cost was high, it was very well worth it in the long run, and I have no regrets. While I’ll never know if I truly needed to work with an admissions consultant to get into a top business school (I have friends who didn't work with a consultant and still got into their top choice programs), working with one made the application process a lot more streamlined, a lot less stressful, and made me feel confident submitting my applications and during my interviews. There is value to that.

Heidi took the time to understand my strengths and helped me align on career goals that made sense given my past experience and current passions. She also connected me with previous clients to discuss career paths in my focus industry, which was invaluable. Heidi was a great sounding board throughout the process and was able to pinpoint seemingly mundane stories from my past that became the core of many of my essays. Applying to business school is stressful and takes a lot of work. Heidi helped take a lot of the stress out of the process by being there for me whenever I had questions or needed help. She also created a calendar for me to follow at the beginning of the process that kept me on track to submit all of my applications in time. Heidi also provided great, constructive feedback - she pushed me to constantly add more detail and specifics, and I saw my materials get better, draft by draft. I felt confident hitting submit on all of my applications because of Heidi’s help. When interview invites rolled in, I did mock interviews with Heidi, and she provided feedback and tips that helped me approach those conversations with confidence. Finally, Heidi helped A TON when it came down to deciding on which school to attend. She provided amazing advice and asked questions that forced me to really consider what was important FOR ME.

You truly get what you put in, but you will not regret working with Heidi.

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I’m an applicant with many weakness in my application, so I reached out to someone who got admitted to one of the top MBA schools to seek advice and that person recommended that I work with Jessica. So I asked for 30 min free consultation and in these minutes Jessica was AMAZING! She spotted my weakness, how to mitigate them, spotted my strengths, and introduced me to programs that I never heard about. One day after the call I signed with her for the four schools package, I knew after the call that it was a no briner to work with Jessica.
In many of the reviews you will read about her skills, and I agree with all of them, I believe she is an artist that takes an rusted piece of steel and make it as a shining diamond, what I would like really to add that she impressed me by going over and beyond, it was like a partnership rather than a consultant providing a services. She gave a very sound advice regarding program selection, exam selection, and application strategy.
I got an interview invitation from one of the M7 and I didn’t schedule it as soon as I got the invitation due to my travels to I ended up with the first slot and had only 48 hours to prepare (and to make matters worse the 48 hours were during the weekend). I freaked out, but Jessica calmed me down and made sure I’m well prepared. With her help I got accepted to my first choice of the schools that I applied to 😊. I believe that my decision to work with Jessica led me to realize my dream to get into one of the M7.

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As a nontypical applicant (social science undergrad, career in nonprofits, gap in my work history) I recognized that I needed a consultant to partner with for the business school application process and my friends had recommended mbaMission. After exploring consultants online, I knew I wanted to work with Kate because of her experience and interest in working with those from nontraditional backgrounds, which proved to be invaluable. She helped me craft my personal story to cater to the unique aspects of each program, and identified key points to highlight my strengths and enable me to condense my essays to fit the strict word limits. Most importantly, she was the level-headed cheerleader I needed during this demanding process. She set realistic expectations, provided constructive criticism, celebrated achievements both big and small, and eased video essay and interview-related anxiety. Kate also worked with my three references (colleagues and mentors in the nonprofit sector who had never written business school recommendations) to ensure they successfully conveyed my potential as a future business leader. In the end, I was accepted to two out of the three M7s I applied to, including my first choice program. I doubt this would have been possible without Kate’s expert guidance. Applying to the top MBA programs can be a confusing and grueling process, so if you are wondering whether to hire Kate to support you, the answer is yes!

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From the moment I spoke to Rachel, I was convinced that she was the counselor for me. After having engaged many MBA consultants from a diverse array of companies, I was left disappointed and discouraged. In the short 30-minute calls or 1-hour free consultation service offered by other companies, I received countless lectures from different consultants who rambled about their “impressive credentials” or “track-record”. But, none were truly interested or cared enough in hearing about my candidacy and my struggles as a reapplicant. However, what made Rachel different from the rest was that she actually listened to my story and, during our introductory call, Rachel willingly offered valuable advice on how I can strengthen my application to my dream school—Columbia Business School (CBS). A perfect fit. She was direct yet encouraging. She helped me to see my strengths in a new light and provided me with the tailored strategies I needed to craft a compelling application—one that eventually led me to success. It was the beginning of a productive and sincere partnership.

Rachel was instrumental in every segment of the application process. Day one, Rachel reached out with well-organized and informative materials that broke down the daunting application process into manageable pieces. Brainstorming documents, resume templates, and the list goes on. It was apparent to me from working with Rachel that she takes the time to get to know her clients, understand their unique background and goals. She helped me structure and refine an authentic essay that I was proud of. Rachel was meticulous and went above and beyond in reviewing my application materials, providing detailed constructive feedback. When my interview invite came around, Rachel knew exactly what questions would be asked and prepared me well for my “break it or make it” moment on CBS’s Super Saturday. Because she prepared me to a T, I was unwaveringly confident and truly believed that I belonged at CBS throughout my interview. All in all, Rachel gave me the tools I needed to turn my dream (CBS) into reality. What I was most grateful for, and what meant to me most was that she also helped my husband gain admittance into CBS in the same year! Keeping our family together in the same vicinity.

THANK YOU RACHEL!

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I was in a severe time crunch when I decided that I wanted to apply to a business program. I had 3 weeks before the round 4 deadline and I was also getting married a week after the deadline. I originally did not have plans of reaching out to an admissions consultant as I had used one for my Master of Science degree and had had a bad experience working with one. Owing to the time crunch situation that I was in, I decided to reach out to an admissions consultant. I read through a few reviews, did my research before picking a firm and a specific consultant. The most important thing that I learnt in this research process was that the connection with the consultant was very important. Hence, I signed up for a few 30-minute trial sessions with different consulting firms to gauge my connection with different consultants. I finally ended up going with Heidi Granner from mbaMission. She gave me realistic advice taking into consideration my unique situation (I have a fairly non-traditional background though I’m from an Over-represented demographic) and background. The process was very streamlined with a lot of focus on introspection and self-discovery. Note that in my experience, the student does most of the leg work and the consultant’s core purpose is to point the student in the right direction. If I had not hired Heidi, I don't think I could have picked the appropriate experiences and subsequently crafted a well-rounded story. Heidi is a skilled storyteller, a great listener, and an empathetic consultant. I only applied to two schools but still got into a top tier – European business school. I’m more than happy that I picked mbaMission and particularly, Heidi as my consultant!

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Initially, I was nervous about the price, but it proved more than worth it. I got accepted, with outstanding scholarships, to 4 out of the 6 schools I applied to. At the beginning of the process, I was nervous because I felt I didn't even know how to articulate my goals or personal and professional experiences, but Heidi helped me and guided me through the whole process. She was always super kind and understanding and never made me feel weird or bad about any of my past experiences. Instead, she always found value in my words and helped me create excellent applications. She even helped me create a calendar to be on time with every task I had to complete and, if necessary, adjusted to my personal needs. Since I started working with her, I felt relieved and she was helping me carry the heavy weight of the application process. I do not regret having worked with Heidi for a second!.

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Harold is an amazing partner to have as you apply to business school. Through all of the chaos and stress of the application process, he provided the organization, experience, and insights that I needed. 

From day one, Harold was highly attentive and able to not only decipher which experiences of mine would be the best for essays and interviews, but also help reveal stories of mine that I would have not otherwise thought about sharing. It did not matter if we were on the first draft of an essay or the fifth, Harold would not sign off until we both felt it was complete. In fact, for one essay, after a few drafts, we scrapped the entire draft completely and began anew, which I think reflects how committed Harold is to making sure his clients put forth their best applications. He responds quickly, often turning drafts in 24 hours or less (despite a 48 hour policy), and will provide support for every step of the application process even beyond the essays, such as interview prep, short answer questions, application updates, and thank you notes. I would also add that I felt there were significant advantages to working with the firm mbaMission as a whole. As needed, Harold would have a second consultant take a look at my essays with a fresh pair of eyes so that we could get another perspective from someone who did not know my full story. This led to additional tweaks that further improved my application.

What I appreciated most about working with Harold was he had the right balance of push and pull. There were times when Harold would push me to do more research on a school's website or talk to more students so that my essays and understanding of the school would be enhanced. On the flip side, when I was feeling overwhelmed with the applications, Harold provided me with the reassurance that helped me remain calm and continue pushing forward.

Overall, choosing to work with Harold was the most impactful decision I made during the entire application process. After working with Harold, I had 100% confidence that my application for each school was the very best that it could be and that is all I could ask for. I applied to five schools, received interviews for four, and was accepted at two, one of which was my top choice.

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I definitely recommend working with Heidi and mbaMission! Thank you, Heidi, for your time and guidance!

Heidi is a reliable and practical consultant who will be honest with you from the start while still being warm and encouraging. Do not fear that your essays won’t sound like your voice — Heidi is amazing at providing guidance and suggestions for strengthening essays while having you very much keep your own writing style/voice.

As someone who admittedly isn't the best with time management (especially for longer term projects/goals -- i.e. completing 4 applications over 2 months), I was open about this with Heidi from the start and asked for her support. She built me a custom calendar that had all of my deadlines -- not just when apps were due/should be submitted, but also when I needed to send her essay drafts so we'd have sufficient time to go back-and-forth on editing essays. Having her help build this structure for me made the whole process way less daunting and more approachable.

Applying to business school is an overwhelming time! I am sure Heidi hears similar anxieties/frustrations across clients during the process, but she always empathized with how I felt. I was also unsure of how I could possibly craft a “story” based on my background, and I really wasn’t sure how to form a narrative around my future goals, but Heidi was tremendously helpful in that regard, which made the process much more enjoyable.

Heidi has a strong and up-to-date understanding of what different schools look for/care about in an application. I also loved that Heidi was part of the larger mbaMission organization, as I felt that I had access to other resources if necessary. For example, I was particularly concerned about the direction I’d taken one of my essays and whether it “made sense” for a particular school. I fully trusted Heidi, but she also offered to share my essay with another mbaMission consultant -- an expert in that particular school — who affirmed Heidi’s sentiments.

I applied to 4 schools - Booth, Ross, Wharton, and Sloan. Accepted to both Booth and Ross with merit scholarships + Forte Fellowships and will be attending Booth in the fall (my top choice all along, which Heidi was well aware of!). I interviewed at Wharton but was ultimately denied, and I didn’t receive an interview at Sloan.

Again, I would definitely recommend working with Heidi!

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