I was referred to mbaMission through a friend who'd applied a few years before me. I didn't yet know anything about the MBA app process, and even before I committed to the package my (future) tutor Dan Richards took the time to lay everything out for me and explain what I could expect. Throughout the process of working with him he was patient, encouraging, and most importantly honest with me - Dan was very honest about where he thought I'd fit in and be happy, as well as where he thought I could stretch to. He also gave very concrete steps I could take to make myself a better applicant and portray my best story. Lastly, the greatest benefit I received from Dan was connections - he made sure to connect me with current or former students from my target schools, so I could learn more, feel comfortable, and have great stories to tell in interviews. Having access to former clients at top schools is a serious plus. I highly recommend Dan and have had an overall excellent experience!

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Debbie is the go-to consultant if you someone to hand-hold you through the application process. She is brutally honest and gives great constructive feedback. Yes, all consultants are expensive, but since every applicant is using one, you will be at a disadvantage if you decide to embark on this journey alone. Despite not having the best work experience, I got accepted into an M7 school and even got an interview with HBS.

Debbie was great throughout the entire process and I never felt overwhelmed. In the beginning, she literally had me write my life story out and we had a great conversation about which stories/themes I should be highlighting in my essays. She was very collaborative during this discussion. At the same time, if you are going down the wrong rabbit hole, she will not hesitate to stop you and she saved me a lot of time in that regard. Once we figured out the target schools, Debbie created a timeline for me for each school so I knew how to pace myself.

In regards to the essays, Debbie had a call with me to give me some tips on how to tackle every essay question. Next, she requested that I provided her with an outline of my essay structure. After further comments, I finally got to the essay writing part. All this prep work up front really saved me time on writing the essay. There was some back and forth after the initial essay draft and Debbie always replied within two business days. She even reviewed the extra questions in the application package.

Once I got the good news on the interview invites, she will give you a sample of questions the school usually asks in preparation for the mock interview. You really need to be on top of your game on this one because it really felt like a real interview. After each question, Debbie will give live feedback and once again, she is not afraid to tell you if your answer was way off the mark. I appreciated the honesty as that helped me focus on the subset of questions I needed to hone in on.

To summarize, Debbie was a fantastic partner in this process and I couldn’t have done it without her.

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I worked with Krista on five applications (all round 1) during the 2018-19 cycle, and was admitted to my top choice program. I started working with her fairly early in the year (March/April), which helped get school selection, visits, and resume writing done well ahead of deadlines. This helped me focus on essays alone in August and September, and finish all my applications on time without any last-minute scrambling.

Krista’s experience with the admissions process and her passion for working with clients truly came across at every stage of the process. She was incredibly responsive through the process, from turning around drafts to answering minor questions about application form details, and she usually was ahead of the promised two-day turnaround as well.

Krista helped me in three key aspects on my essays:

1. All my work experience was at a boutique consulting firm where the work is complex and difficult to explain to a layperson. As a result, my initial drafts contained a lot of detail that was not necessary for the admissions committee. Krista helped me trim this down to the essential points only, leading to a much tighter story and providing additional room to bring out other facets in my essays.

2. She helped my own story and personality come through in my essays - when my drafts lacked specificity, she helped me brainstorm original ideas to pull in, rather than shoehorn me into anything boilerplate. Some of my friends who have worked with other consultants had a bad experience on this front, where they were simply told to say certain things instead of getting support to find the ideas they believed in.

3. Lastly, going into the application process, I was a little concerned about two weak spots in my profile - some past academic issues and being on the lower end of the work experience spectrum. While I knew I would have to address these in my essays, my writing wasn’t effective in discussing any emotions or feelings in those situations. Through several discussions and rounds of editing, Krista really helped take craft portions of my essays to a more compelling story.

After application submission, I prepared for video essays and interviews with Krista as well. Aside from fine tuning the content of my responses, Krista noticed certain certain behaviors/ response patterns that I consistently fell into while answering interview questions. With her advice, I was able to avoid these during application interviews (and also improve my overall interviewing skills for recruiting in business school and beyond).

I’m thrilled to be attending my dream program soon and I’m very grateful to Krista for all her help and support through the process - I’ve already recommended her to some of my friends and would do so unhesitatingly to any other applicants!

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Daniel is extremely helpful during the process of my application to CBS. The constructive advice from him has ensured my efforts are always on the right track. His response was always on time or even before the timeline, which provided me sufficient time to work on the documents. I particularly like the part that Daniel is not afraid to make straightforward comments and feedback. If he felt the story is not good, he will directly let you know and continue to work with you on it from scratch.

I'd love to introduce him to my friends who are also preparing for application.

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Deciding to use a consultant:

During my 1.5 years prior to working with Helen, I secured a >700 GMAT, did extensive school research, and attended a dozen MBA networking events. Although I had an idea of what story and themes I wanted to share on my applications, I was unsure how to tell my story in the most effective manner. I began researching different admissions consulting firms when I discovered Helen’s bio at mbaMission.

Soon into my introductory call with Helen to discuss my profile, career goals, and target schools, I knew I wanted to work with her. Helen displayed her knowledge of consulting applicants in applying to top MBA programs and had experience consulting applicants with a background like mine. She was also more than ready to help me shoot for my target schools – HSW.

Essay writing:

The essay writing portion of MBA applications was my biggest challenge. I am confident in my writing abilities, however producing a common theme across multiple essays and free-form application questions requires vision and skill. This is where I needed the most help.

Helen and I held discussions to brainstorm what personal and professional experiences would be most effective to share with each school. Once we settled on a strategy, including which essays to write first and which experiences to match with what essay prompts, I began to write. Helen never once missed a turnaround deadline. In fact, I can recall more than a few occasions where she delivered one business day earlier than expected. Her comments were always detailed and constructive.

What I enjoyed most about working with Helen was how opinionated she was. When she didn’t like how a story came together, she would simply tell me why and to try again. No sugar-coating. Helen reviewed each essay, which averaged 4 – 6 drafts and provided the same rigor of feedback to my free-form application questions (an often overlooked and valuable portion of the application).

Interview prep:

Once I received interview invitations to each program, Helen quickly transitioned into mock interview mode. She conducted three separate mock interviews, each proving to be accurate simulations of what I encountered. Since one program offered a team-based interview, Helen organized for her company to conduct a virtual group interview.

Final results:

In the end, I was admitted to two programs (including my dream school) and waitlisted (and withdrew before a final decision) at the third.

If you’re looking for an experienced and talented consultant, look no further. Helen was an absolute joy to work with. I highly recommend Helen Summers.

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I could not have asked for a better person to work with than Helen Summers. She went above and beyond to help me with all aspects of my applications through every stage of the process. Whether it was helping me brainstorm, editing multiple drafts of my essays, giving me feedback on video essay recordings, preparing for interviews, and managing an incredibly long waitlist process (successfully!), Helen provided invaluable support, encouragement, and insight every step of the way.

During the writing process Helen pushed me to dig deeper and convey a message that would resonate and set my story apart. She was extremely timely with her comments and was not afraid to provide the direct and honest feedback I needed to hear. After receiving interview invitations Helen helped me practice through mock interviews and understand the different interview styles I could expect from each school.

The MBA application process is a marathon. Helen's guidance helped me navigate the process successfully and achieve results well beyond my expectations. She was there for me at every step of the way. With her help, I received interviews at all of the programs I applied to, generous fellowships from top programs, and I was admitted to my dream school!

To anyone who is hesitant about working with a consultant I would highly recommend it, especially working with Helen!!

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Nisha was everything I needed and more. She was so thorough, contentious of my time, money, and needs, and supportive the whole time. I was under a lot of pressure at work and felt really limited with my time in the application process and Nisha worked with all of my challenges. She was really good at helping me schedule and make deadlines for myself and keeping me accountable. Nisha helped me from A to Z with defining my "why" and forming my story in a genuine way that would resonate with others to guiding me through the waitlist process. She was so strategic with what information I should share and when - I would not have been able to do that part on my own. She was also so enthusiastic about my prospects and truly wanted the best for me. She was honest about my application and helped me gain perspective when needed. Nisha was so clutch in preparing for my interviews - I didn't think I was as rough as I was, and she was able to help my refine my skills and answers to typical questions. mbaMission has tons of resources to use and she was able to leverage them for me. I can't thank her enough, especially since I ended up waitlisted (and thankfully accepted) to my top choice and had more work left to do. I was so frustrated and she was really there for me and helped me through it. I am so thankfully for her guidance and working through everything with me. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Nisha!

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I signed up for the Complete Start-to-Finish package with mbaMission and Kate Richardson was my assigned consultant. Kate supported me in applying to two schools (both Top 20) and I was thrilled to have received an offer from one of them! Kate is a very passionate and caring consultant. She guided me through the admission process and was very responsive - which helped take a lot of pressure off the process. It all started with a brainstorming sheet, which enabled Kate to understand my background and my career aspirations. She was very thoughtful and always gave me advice based on the points I wrote in the brainstorming sheet, which greatly helped me in crafting my unique "why MBA" story. I would definitely recommend Kate to anyone applying to a top MBA program!

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I have been admitted to one of the best MBA programs in the world, and I would like to share my decisive experience with Stratus with you – specifically with Harold Simansky and Susan Cera, who helped me made my dream come true.

First things first. If you contemplate to apply to a top MBA program, here are some questions for you:
- Are you a great test taker?
- Do you know exactly what you want to get out of your MBA?
- Do you know which school is the perfect fit for you and can you list 5 solid reasons on the spot?
- Are you lucky enough to have relatives/friends that attended your dream school?
- Do you already have a degree from a notable university?
- Are you an excellent essay writer?
- Do you have relevant work experience?

If you answered all questions with yes, you are unquestionably blessed, and you might not need to hire an admissions consultant in the first place (even though hiring one might make your life easier throughout the tedious MBA application process). In case you are not so fortunate (like me), you might want to hire someone to guide you through the whole process, and to make sure you will not only get those answers as straight as a die, but also will help you to get into your business school of choice.

MY BACKGROUND
I am an international student from Europe, female, average age, with around 5 years of work experience. I did not attend any Ivy League college, I attended a university that no foreigner has ever heard of, and I also did not exactly graduate with honors. In fact, no one in my family had ever attended any college before. I also had never written an application essay in my entire life. On top of this, I am the most horrible test taker. Yet, I had this ineradicable desire to attend a top full-time MBA program in the US.
It took me numerous attempts, plenty of prep hours, loads of money, and countless nervous breakdowns to finally hit a good result on my admission tests. I was very close to throwing in the towel a few times, and I had already given up on my dream and I had started to look for top 20-50 schools, and even gave up this dream altogether, but Harold managed to help me get back on my feed again. And guess what, I succeeded!

STRATUS
I came across Stratus when I watched some videos on YouTube about top MBA programs. I initially purchased some hours of admissions counselling with them, it was pretty late in the process back then, but for some reason I thought I should still give it a go. Back then, I knew I had a subpar GMAT and overall I did not believe I was the most competitive candidate. I was matched with Harold, who gave me some “homework”, which essentially required me to reflect on my whole life and my innermost ambitions. This step was one of the hardest and most time consuming ones in the whole process, but it laid the groundwork for my essays. I did not submit my application back then, and Stratus was so kind to credit the full amount of my initial purchase towards another purchase, which I almost gladly did. Yes, the fees for a school package raised my hackles, but I knew this would be an investment with a ROI beyond quantification. I knew that I needed their help, if I wanted to go to my dream business school anytime soon. I considered other companies, however, Stratus convinced me the most. Stratus’ consultants all come from top business schools across the country. Stratus has a great network, and very experienced and brainy consultants.
Whenever I brought up a school and area of interest, Harold always instantly provided me with a current student and alumni I could talk to, they all replied within a day or two.

HAROLD SIMANSKY
I perceive Harold as a very professional, ingenious and serene person. Throughout our collaboration, he was always very creative and honest. He did not sugarcoat anything at any time, which was disillusioning for me at the beginning, but it undoubtedly was vital to create my best possible application.
Harold was always very responsive and available - he often responded immediately, weekends and holidays included. I do not remember a time when it took him more than 24 hours to respond, unless he had announced it in advance. Harold also connected me with numerous people from different schools with backgrounds and experience in the field I was interested in; all of them gladly answered my questions. This was invaluable, as it was decisive in my decision to which schools I would apply at the end.
Harold is very invested, he really went out of his way to get me into the school of my dreams. In my case, it would have been much easier for him to convince me to apply to a less competitive program, however, together we managed to find and get me into the school that is the very best fit for me, and I could not be more grateful for that.

SUSAN CERA
Susan was the second reviewer of my essays and I had the chance to meet her in person to prepare for my interview. Susan is just brilliant, she is a very amiable person, very down-to-earth and yet very accomplished. She gave me many valuable insights, way beyond any information I could possibly find on the www. I really appreciated her inputs throughout the process and I cannot thank her enough for her help.

FINAL WORD
I want to stress how important it is for an admissions consultant to understand who you are and what you really want to get out of an MBA. When I stared my MBA journey, I had no idea what I really wanted. I initially wanted to apply to some M7 schools, just because. What I did not know back then was how important fit is. I probably would have never considered the school that finally became my dream school (and the absolute perfect fit for me), if Harold and Susan would not have taken the time to really get to know me, provided me with some very insightful information about that school and insisted that I take a closer look. Without Harold and Susan, I would not have already moved countries with mind-boggling elation, excited for this once-in-a-lifetime experience!

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John Sisk is an outstanding MBA admissions consultant and a pleasure to work with. He really knows what he is talking about regarding each facet of the application process. From start to finish, John was highly professional, easy to talk to, and driven to help me succeed as an MBA applicant. Regarding essays, I could not have been prouder of the final drafts I produced under John’s guidance. John has such a great understanding of how to write in a clear, compelling manner, he was able to really bring out the best in me as a writer, and help me frame my story using parts of my background I would not have initially thought to use. Regarding application strategy, recommendations, short answers, resume, and any questions that came to mind about the admissions process, John also provided expert advice and insight. John’s calm, supportive style also significantly increased my confidence throughout the process. This was invaluable when it came time for interview preparation. John not only anticipated the exact kinds of questions my interviewers ended up asking, but also was able to get me in the right frame of mind going into the interview: to approach the process with an enthusiastic and positive attitude, which I think really came through in terms of making a great impression on my interviewers. This showed in the results. In the end, I got into my dream MBA program: Columbia Business School. I could not have done this without John’s guidance, and I highly recommend him to anyone who wants to gain admission to a top MBA program.

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