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Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Debbie Choy
My MBA admissions journey has been a roller coaster, and I imagine this could be the case for a lot of other people. After a disappointing 1-school Round 1, I decided I should invest in a consultant as a sounding board. I was not someone who had been planning to get an MBA since UG, and despite a lot of my own research, I still felt lost within the application process - what was the best way for me to communicate my story to admissions? I shopped around and interviewed 5 different consultants before going with Debbie -- I could tell she was personally invested in my success, and I could also tell she would be encouraging and confidence-building while also being realistic about my strengths and weaknesses. She was all of this and more. Debbie helped me sort through all of my experiences and really pinpoint a compelling narrative, something I was missing from my original application. She also was wonderful in dealing with all of my uncertainties and was always prompt in her turnarounds and responses to emails/questions. If I was unsure about something, even a response to a school, I reached out to Debbie. With her help, I now have 3 admissions out of 4 applications, all with merit scholarships (one M7 and two T10). If you’re waffling about whether or not to hire a consultant, end your search with Debbie!
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Melissa Blakeslee
Melissa really takes time to get to know me and pushes me to think deeper throughout the process, starting from the brainstorming sessions to essay editing. Melissa is great at connecting dots of my stories in ways I have not thought of. She provides detailed comments on where to improve and always turns around revisions sooner than the required 48 hours policy.
She is extremely friendly, energetic and a real cheerleader - especially during the interview prep sessions. She is very encouraging and helped me a lot with building confidence in myself. Melissa made the application process much less stressful and I would not be able to get into my dream school (Kellogg) without her. Would 100% recommend her!
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Rachel Beck
My journey with Rachel started in September. Coming from an extremely untraditional background and looking to pivot, I knew that choosing the right admissions consultant would be pivotal to my chances of acceptance. After our complementary 30-minute consultation, I knew Rachel would be the right choice for my needs.
Throughout my journey, Rachel worked diligently with me to really hone in on a cohesive story that would position me in the best way possible for acceptance. I struggled with the GMAT and her suggestion to take the Executive Assessment was a real game changer. Rachel swiftly answered any concern or question I had regarding to the process, and she acted as a much-needed sanity check during this stressful time.
Rachel was prompt with her edits and I found her insights and suggestions to be extremely valuable to my final application. Additionally, I especially appreciated the multiple calls we had throughout the process. Rachel's feedback was honest and logical, and her sincere advice was invaluable to me during the process. Our mock interview was very helpful and I felt well prepared going into the real thing.
Working with Rachel, I didn't feel like just another client. We shared a genuine connection and I had the utmost support from her during the process. When I got the admissions call, Rachel was equally as ecstatic when I shared the news. Overall, I would recommend Rachel to anyone seeking an MBA consultant; her professional demeanor, deep knowledge of the MBA admissions process, and honesty are just a few of the attributes she possesses that make her an extraordinary consultant!
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Susan Kaplan
I signed up for the complete start-to-finish package with Susan Kaplan. I cannot thank her enough as her advice and help throughout the process got me into a top 7 school!
Susan and I had several hours of brainstorming sessions. These sessions were tough and intense, and Susan would often let me know that I was not digging deep enough. However, these lengthy and honest sessions helped Susan really get to know my profile, strengths, weaknesses, etc. During these sessions, we often discussed my goals and Susan's analyses of my transferable skills really helped me identify my short- and long-term goals. After these sessions, we could easily shortlist schools and build a framework for my essays.
As a (over-represented) re-applicant for some schools, I needed to ensure that my essays highlighted a fresh profile. Susan was fantastic in mining through my experiences to find thoughtful and powerful stories for the essays. Susan's feedback was always direct and her comments were very, very detailed. I had a habit of writing long pieces, and Susan was really patient and helped me convey impactful stories within the strict word counts, without diluting the narrative. Not to mention that Susan would ensure that ALL aspects of my application tied together to provide a detailed and engaging profile. Her keen eye for detail would also often help pick-up things that you would overlook.
Susan's experience and suggestions on how to tackle the interviews were life-savers. She knew exactly what the interviewer was looking for and how to hold his/her attention.
If you are looking for someone who is easily available, honest, and practical with their advice, I would really suggest that you opt for Susan. Her several years of experience will not let you down.
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Heidi Granner
I had just finished my fourth attempt at the GMAT and was finally happy with my score, but I had a new problem. I was 6 weeks out from my first deadline. I spent a week conducting consultations and reading review after review after review - I get it, reviews seem fabricated and even one bad review must be a red flag, but TRUST Heidi.
I knew at this point I had to decide, against four other consultants and companies, I chose Heidi. In our consultation, Heidi gave me an objective perspective and didn't feed me what I wanted to hear nor disparaged me into thinking I would get into no school without her. She was direct but honest.
We hit the ground running and had several phone calls in the first two weeks, building out my story, my career vision and everything in between. There was a lot of work and self-reflection on my end, while Heidi served as a guide to bounce off questions and brainstorm the direction of my application. Heidi built me a five week calendar including, at least, three rounds of reviews per essay, though we often went closer to five. For a five week span and against four different schools, this was a lot.
Throughout the process, Heidi returned essay reviews quicker than the committed mbaMission turnaround time and was always very responsive in emails. Even 24 hours before the deadline, I was sending her simple questions on the application itself and she responded promptly. Ultimately, Heidi was instrumental in helping me secure 2 admits and 1 WL among 4 M7s. As an ORM with average stats, I have been very pleased with the results.
No MBA Admissions consultant will spoon-feed you what to write or what your story should be. If that's your expectation, you will be sorely disappointed with any consultant. But, as a guide and trusted advisor through the process, Heidi excelled, and I would have no doubt repeating the process with her again.
I know choosing a consultant is scary and the cost is nothing to scoff at, but believe me when I say you can TRUST Heidi.
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Jessica Shklar
Jessica has been an amazing guide! She was recommended to me by a former MIT Sloan grad and I did not look back. I applied to only one school and started applying c. 3 weeks before the deadline - and yet I managed to get an offer.
She worked with me intensely during the application and figured out my story much better than I could put down my own story in words! I had used a different consultant in a previous application, that was cheaper, but the care and attention that Jessica provided was honestly amazing and I would definitely say, you get your money's worth.
I am quite sure that without her help, I would have not gotten in - would highly recommend!
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Melissa Blakeslee
Unsure and overwhelmed over the application process, as well as not feeling confident in my story or candidacy strength - Melissa provided the ideal balance of support, advice, and push that I needed to be successful. I was admitted to all 3 of my R1 schools in what was a competitive application year.
She assessed my candidacy and encouraged me to try out the GRE (after getting a semi-below-average GMAT score), which I am convinced was the push I needed that put me over the edge at my target schools (getting just above an average GRE score).
She is a natural storyteller, taking the time to understand aspects of my background outside of just work and academics to help craft my story as a compelling candidate. With her experience as an MBA Admissions officer, she helped to identify strengths and personal anecdotes that I would not have recognized to be useful in my application. Her editing tips were invaluable, helping to cut essays down to meet nearly-impossible word limits, without changing my writing. She provides advice on tricky topics too - like the appropriate amount of detail to provide re. a job gap, etc. She always turned around edits very quickly! Which helped me to plan ahead and stick to a schedule. And lastly, she was very helpful for interview prep as well!
Overall she is great to work with - personable, friendly, casual - as well as quick and efficient in her delivery of advice in our working sessions. She also genuinely cares about her clients. She was able to handle my wavering emotions with a comforting strength and grace - providing encouragement and advice on how to handle bumps in the road. I thoroughly enjoyed my time working with Melissa and highly recommend her as a consultant. WELL worth the investment!
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Melissa Blakeslee
Working with mbaMission and Melissa was a great experience. It allowed me to succeed and move my application process along during COVID to achieve success which was getting into a top 15 program. Melissa's greatest strength was providing thoughtful and expert guidance and nuance to my MBA story, my resume, and my essays. It was not hand holding but it was pushing me to challenge myself, giving me confidence in my applications, and making my applications all the better.
Melissa is a true professional who is fun to work with. She is timely and friendly in all her communications both via email and the phone. I would completely recommend her and mbaMission for those seeking to add a level of polish to their applications.
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Melissa Blakeslee
I was overwhelmed coming into the business school admission process and I didn't think I'd have a chance based on my nontraditional professional background -- even after studying for the GMAT for over a year. Melissa eased my anxiety and was positive throughout the entire process. Her coaching, editing, and advice helped me go 6/6 in a very competitive R1 with T25 schools. Melissa takes the time to really get to know you and your story and then helps craft everything in a way that's easily understood by admissions committees. I think this skill, along with her experience as a Director of Admissions at a T25 school, is what sets her apart from the other many adcom out there. She's amazing!
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Melissa Blakeslee
I worked with Melissa for Round 1 of the 2021 intake cycle. Coming from an over-represented pool, with a median GMAT and big four Technology Consulting background, I knew I needed to stand out. But more so, I needed to remain confident in the strengths of my application.
Melissa was the pillar I relied on to stay positive and confident. Most importantly, she was "chill" and kept conversations easy and informal. This personality trait/demeanor was different from experiences some of my friends had with their consultants who were more focused on their personal admit results and coaxed my friends to shoot lower. On the other hand, Melissa encouraged me to take my shots at the reach schools while balancing with couple of safeties. Lastly, she was open to re-working and re-editing essays that we had long seen as final, until I was perfectly happy with the submitted product - as v12 and v9 of my two Kellogg essays can attest.
She often had to play the role of a coach and a cheerleader and helped quell the feelings of self-doubt that inevitably arise reading opinions on online forums.
It goes without saying that she was always punctual sending back edits and operated well within mbaMission's the 48 business hours turnaround policy (usually much sooner).
At the end of the day, it's the results that matter and I was admitted to all 3 schools I worked on with Melissa - Ross, Kellogg and Sloan (dream school) - with a sizable scholarship at Ross and a modest scholarship at Kellogg. Moreover, I used similar stories/language on other applications as well and was admitted to 2 out of 3 of those as well.