I phone screened many consultants prior to starting my application journey. I was the person who thought admission consultants were overrated and overpriced. Although a skeptic of the process, I trusted Katy to guide me through the application because I knew I had one chance and I wanted to get it right. I was not disappointed. Our brainstorming session gave me insights on not just the application, but my future career as a whole. She saw the pages of stories that defined who I am and crafted them eloquently into a cohesive package, which ultimately led to the HBS 2+2 program, DESPITE a much lower than average GMAT! She was always quick to turnaround essay drafts, even working on weekends when necessary. She TRULY cares deeply about each of her clients and will tell it like it is - which helped keep me grounded throughout the process.

These reviews were crucial in me deciding to pursue a relationship with Katy. As a lower GMAT, average stat 2+2 ADMIT, I trusted Katy and she delivered. She is able to find each person's unique story and package it into an effective profile. There were many hurdles especially with last minute recommendation cancellations and essay revisions. Katy was quick to call and helped plan out immediate next steps. She has experience that is, in my experience, invaluable. Reflecting on the entire process, what may seem like a large sum of money to pay to work with Katy, was in the long term, TRULY the best investment I ever made going through this process. You won't regret working with Katy.

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I worked with Dan on a Complete Start-to-Finish Package for two schools during the Fall of 2018. Coming from a purely engineering background, I was not very “in the know” about business schools and was looking for someone with both insight and strong written skills to help me navigate my applications. After initial calls with consultants at the main admissions consulting companies, I selected Dan because I found it incredibly easy to talk candidly with him and because I knew his background in marketing and journalism would help bring out my best “story”.
I couldn’t have been happier as I got into my first-choice school (HSW) thanks to Dan’s help. Specifically, I found Dan to stand out in a couple of ways:
Responsiveness: Despite me sending countless revisions of my essays and short answers, Dan almost always got back before the 2-day response time. He was quick to answer emails and was always able to work with me and my hectic work/travel schedule to find a time if we needed to jump on a call. His feedback was both actionable and prompt, and he held me accountable to the tight internal deadlines we set. Also, Dan was good at communicating his own travel and personal plans, so we were always aware of his availability.
Coaching: Dan helped me decide what angle to approach the applications from, hone my initial brainstorming, and was very candid about what was working and what was not during drafts and my mock interview. As application deadlines rolled near, Dan was always level-headed and let me know when I was overthinking things, helping assuage my last-minute nervousness and be confident in the applications.
Written Skills: I think this is where Dan added the most value for me since essays are really the differentiator amongst thousands of amazing candidates for top business schools. From selecting the best essay outlines and strategy, to overcoming writer’s block on a total re-write, to cutting, crafting, and rearranging minutae, Dan helped me craft and present the best version of myself and my aspirations. As an engineer, I had not written a serious essay for many years and Dan really helped to improve my writing.
I highly recommend Dan to anyone interested in applying to business schools.

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I got the multiple school package and applied to five schools in R2. I chose to go with Harshad because I thought he would be able to understand my background and help tell my story. Working with Harshad was difficult to say the least. On our essay brainstorming calls, he would go off topic talking about his other students' profiles and essays to the point of gloating about how high profile some of his clients were. While working on school essays, at one point, he made it very clear that he didn't think much of one of the schools I was applying to. This reflected in his effort as well where he refused on start working on that schools' application until a week before the due date and expressed his contempt for the school culture as well as essay prompt. To top that off he wouldn't respond earlier than the stipulated 48 hours even though we were less than a week from the deadline. He glossed over other parts of my application without any insightful feedback in spite of sending it to him well in advance. The ultimate result was that I got dinged without an interview by every school I applied to with him.
On the other hand, I applied to one school in R3 without him and got in with a scholarship. No credit to him for this one.

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I decided very late in the game to apply for business school. I was hoping to apply in round 1, but after struggling to get the GMAT score I desired, I suddenly found myself with only 6 weeks to complete my round 2 applications. I knew I was a competent candidate with a strong professional background, but I was worried about overcoming my below average undergraduate GPA and GMAT score for the schools I was targeting (M7). I had some reservations about working with a consultant due to the cost, but when I considered the value of getting into a top school, I decided it was worth my while. I am so thankful I decided to move forward with Helen at mbaMission, because I was able to overcome the obstacles in my application and get into my dream school!!!

Helen is someone who tells it like it is. She can be your toughest critic, but your greatest cheerleader. I really appreciated this quality because it meant I was always putting my absolute best foot forward with the schools I applied to. I worked with Helen on my resume, essays, interviews, and even my scholarship reconsideration letters. She helped me decide which schools to apply to, and ultimately which one to attend. With her help, I got into 5/7 schools I applied to (one of which was my dream school). I owe it all to Helen, and can't speak more highly of the experience. If you want to put your best foot forward, I strongly recommend working with Helen!

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I truly enjoyed my time working with Heidi. Applying for business school was a truly daunting and complicated task.

I come from a very non-traditional background with a mediocre GPA. Heidi helped me craft my stories as well as my identity in my essays and personal statements. She took the extra time to truly help me identify what was important to me and better defined my goals and direction. I was able to tailor my strengths, experiences into one solid story for every program I applied to. Additionally she would provide insight on what each program was looking for to not only figure out which one was a better fit, but also better create a convincing story that I would be a great fit for their programs as well.

Heidi was very patient throughout the whole process and provided much advice outside of just the MBA applications. She gave great insight into the Consulting world, and even went above and beyond to understand the unique industry that I came from to better help me tailor my application to make sense in the business world. She was always early or on time in terms of responses or deliverables, and generously found time outside of her schedule for ad hoc calls.

Ultimately she kept me grounded throughout the whole process and I honestly look at my application materials and be proud of them. I was admitted to my two top pick Universities that eventually became quite difficult to figure out which one to attend!

Working with Heidi was a wonderful experience. If you're hesitant or am unsure about undertaking the process of applying to business school without help I would highly recommend Heidi!

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From start-to-finish, Heidi Granner has always been the most fantastic partner in navigating through the MBA application process. When I embarked on my journey, I knew I needed an Admissions Consultant to guide me along the way, and Heidi was recommended to me based on my work experience, perceived strengths and weaknesses, and style. Looking back, I would not have it any other way.

Heidi is an incredibly bright, optimistic, and caring person, personality traits that I cherished in working with her. While my background and credentials would seemingly check off general requirements at top schools, I thought it would be difficult to differentiate myself from the rather sizable pool of Asian male management consultants. Heidi helped me realize that I should focus on finding the experiences that shaped who I am as a person and not worry so much about the “uniqueness” of those stories. Starting with our first phone call, Heidi has been instrumental in pulling out the most significant aspects of my life and constructing those moments into stories that Admissions Committees found attractive.

Writing admissions essays requires a slightly nuanced perspective than traditional every day writing for work. Heidi brought in her invaluable experiences and helped me craft narratives that worked. Through every essay and iteration, Heidi provided invaluable feedback on improvements, both big and small. She truly left no stones unturned. Heidi patiently ran through practice interviews with me when we reached that stage of the process and helped me gain confidence to do well. And she was right there when decisions came out to discuss options and celebrate at the end.

It would not be the slightest exaggeration to say that I could not have navigated through the process successfully without Heidi’s guidance and support. She is also a phenomenal person whom I am privileged to now have a relationship with. I cannot recommend Heidi enough – you will be in the best of hands.

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Krista is a fantastic consultant, friend, and mentor. The whole MBA process was intimidating for me. I wasn’t around a lot of MBAs where I grew up professionally, so I wasn’t quite sure how I would fare or even where the whole process was leading me. But with Krista’s help and mentorship, I could see the entire picture-not only in what schools were right for me but also what career options were in line with my values. After our 30-minute free consultation, I knew Krista would be the perfect consultant to help me. Krista was the consummate professional during the application process-always prepared for our meetings, quick to return products (and to gently remind me to get back on track when I fell off task), and insightful in her feedback. By the time I hit submit, I was 100% confident that I had the best application possible. I had complete trust in Krista’s judgment and would recommend her to anyone who wants to chase their MBA dreams.

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A year ago, I was really not sure if I could get any offer from S16 MBA programs, especially considering my low undergrad GPA and work experiences in non-traditional industries. Jessica trusted in me and helped me discover, articulate and fully utilize my unique strengths. As a result, I got full scholarship from NYU Stern, partial scholarship from Michigan Ross and an offer from Berkeley Haas.

Jessica fully captured who I really am right at our first call. This builds a very strong foundation for our collaboration afterwards. She helped me put my best steps forward by letting my most authentic self shine through while keeping in mind what the Admissions are looking for, a balance not so easy to find. The brainstorming sessions with her before I drafted my essays were very helpful—it gave me that initial momentum to get started and a clear direction which saved lots of time and efforts. What's more, her timely feedback and response was such a great gift, especially when I was under very tight schedules.

I also learnt a lot from Jessica throughout this process—her amazing writing skills, her efficiency and effectiveness, her direct communication with empathy. I am so grateful to have her as my consultant.

As far as I know, Jessica got fully scheduled by applicants quite early. So, if you are lucky and still have a chance to invite her to be your consultant, do it now!

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I worked with Dan Richards on three schools and he was extremely helpful and professional. He made the process a lot less stressful and helped me get into my goal school and then some. I highly recommend using him. He keeps you on track and focused to make sure you are ready to submit for the deadlines but is not overbearing. Lastly, and maybe most importantly, he really prepared me for the interview stage with his mock interviews. This is a crucial step and practicing with him gave me a lot of confidence. We went through a whole list of questions and because of the mock with him, the actual interview that day was a breeze.

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Although this review is based on my personal interaction with Jessica, my goal is to keep it as objective as possible to better serve its purpose.
Before going with Jessica as my admissions advisor, I had conducted several 30-minute consultations with other consultants/companies. What made Jessica standout was twofold: (1) her ability to establish a connection with me straight away and make me feel comfortable sharing my life stories and (2) her determination to add significant value to my application process within the initial consultation even though she wasn’t sure if I was going to commit. This showed me that she genuinely loves her job and excels at it, and that she cared about the applicants she takes on.
We all know how stressful the application process can be with deadlines looming right and left, recommenders to follow-up with, essays to write, resumes to fix, etc. Jessica’s organization, guidance, and help in prioritizing tasks tremendously reduced stress and anxiety levels. I felt more and more comfortable the closer deadlines approached.
In my opinion, the best way to qualify Jessica’s work is effective and efficient, in hindsight those are the best qualities for a consultant to have in an MBA application process. By effective, I’m referring to Jessica’s keen ability to link all the right dots out of ALL your life stories to sculpt the best possible story to get you into business school. By efficient, I’m referring to Jessica’s ability to come up with the best story for you in record time, saving invaluable hours to focus more on the development and refinement of the essay and on the multitude of tedious tasks involved in the process. I developed my best story with Jessica, that got me 50% acceptance into the business schools I applied to, within the first 30-min consultation!
You can’t go wrong with Jessica, thanks again for your invaluable help in achieving my goal!

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