I worked with Rachel Beck on the two school package for Columbia Business School and London Business School.

I was immediately impressed by Rachel's thorough knowledge of the admissions process. I also think her background in journalism serves her well when it comes to drawing out interesting aspects of a candidate's background. When it comes to me personally, I did not have a traditional background and had a weak GPA (3.0) but a very strong GMAT (750). She dug in immediately and spent hours on the phone with me talking through my background, and the aspects that would resonate with the admissions boards of the schools that interested me.

We then set about the writing process, which began with conceptual discussions which evolved into outlines and then first drafts followed by numerous rounds of back-and-forth editing. The progress was steady and on schedule (I'm sure I would have fallen behind, if not for Rachel). Importantly, Rachel was always extremely responsive and did thoughtful work that improved my essays in a quick amount of time.

I was very happy with the finished product, because it was not only polished and tight, but also an honest reflection of the person I am. When it came to interviewing, Rachel made the process a calm exercise. She conducted mock interviews with me and didn't rest until I was fully prepared. Her approach made the (somewhat daunting) prospect of a business school interview totally do-able.

The final result was acceptance to both schools, and I don't think I could have done it without Rachel's help.

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I worked with Katy on a 4 school package and was admitted to my top choice and waitlisted at two others. When I first spoke with Katy during a free consultation I was immediately impressed with the amount of background research she had already done, really familiarizing herself with my resume and the company I worked for. She really took the time to address my questions and concerns and didn’t aggressively force a sales pitch upon me, which is why I knew she would be great to work with.

Coming from an engineering background where going to business school was a foreign concept, I decided I wanted to go with the comprehensive 4 school package. This turned out to be a great decision. As someone totally unfamiliar to the application process, the comfort of always having someone to turn to for the even the smallest questions proved to be invaluable and really allowed me to relax and focus of getting my story across. From the outset, Katy helped me narrow down the schools I should apply to based on the criteria that were most important to me, a step I feel is often overlooked. During our brainstorming sessions, she delved deep into my experiences and aspirations to really get at the heart of who I was and what I bring to the table as a candidate. Taking the time to be thorough early on really aided in essay writing and interview prep later on.

Katy was also instrumental in honing my essay writing and interview skills. In an ultra-competitive process such as applying to top B-Schools, you never know which little mistake may be the difference between acceptance and rejection. Katy helped me get my message across in a clear and concise way while avoiding the pitfalls of coming across as too arrogant, too modest, too wordy, etc. Our mock interview sessions, while exhausting, proved to be just the tune up I needed prior to my actual interviews, allowing me to walk in feeling confident and relaxed.

Overall Katy was extremely helpful through every step of the application process. She went above and beyond the “required” duties of a consultant and really built a relationship with me. I would strongly recommend Katy to any prospective students applying to top schools.

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I worked with Dan Richards in 2014 and was admitted to my top choice - a top 3 school – and received money at another. I owe Dan much credit for making those schools options of mine.

I used a consultant because my work experience is difficult to explain and I needed help presenting a cohesive story. And, I wanted a third party to evaluate and help me better each aspect of my candidacy. I sought to work with Dan because we’d met before and I trusted him instantly.

Dan helped hugely, first with my resume - using it to show achievements, put in layman's terms what I do, and cut the fluff; and second, with crafting my pitch by asking probing questions that made me think about how I could make myself a more appealing candidate at each of my schools. Put simply: Dan helped shore up gaps/inconsistencies in and contributed many good ideas to my applications.

What I liked most about working with Dan wasn’t his editing skills (and he's good!), but rather his honest and frank approach. That allowed us to spend our energy on what was actually important. Dan believes in doing things right and not just what’s most convenient, and that's where he added most value. Sometimes Dan gave feedback I didn't *want* to hear but *needed* to hear ("that essay topic is not optimal, how about you write about this?" or "that sentence seems forced, let’s cut that," etc.). I took Dan’s advice and am in the enviable position of choosing among many top schools.

Dan's a professional, thoughtful, and smart guy. Even better, Dan knows his MBA applications. I’m thankful Dan was on my side throughout this process.

Can't recommend Dan Richards enough!

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I worked with Angela Guido from mbaMission for the one-school package. I just applied to HBS and was admitted. Working with Angela was one of the smartest decisions that I made during my application process. I was very late in getting my application together for Round 1. So for me, her ability to help me work/navigate through the time crunch, yet still help me convey my true feelings was incredibly helpful. It’s fair to say that our timeline was even unreasonable, yet Angela figured out ways to make it work.

Angela’s biggest strength is her ability to help you bring out what is meaningful in your story. We spent a lot of time going through numerous stories and lessons in my self-reflection (brainstorming) doc and ultimately synthesize what was most meaningful. She helped me dig deep and recognize valuable life-lessons that I would have otherwise missed. Angela is clearly a vet – she knows what is important from an admissions perspective and can help you showcase your best qualities.

After the themes of my essays were decided, Angela continued to help me craft the perfect story. She was incredibly helpful in helping me put together a clear, fluent, well-written essay. And her editing was on-point as she managed to improve my drafts without losing my personal touch. Every time I sent her a draft, she would respond (promptly) with clear feedback and thoughtful edits.

Overall, Angela was wonderful in every category. She was thorough and helped me with each part of my application (including my resume and the post-reflection essay). She was also very responsive which was critical to me meeting the deadline. I would highly recommend Angela!

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I used the hourly option from MBA Mission and thought Jen did a fantastic job! I did not feel that I needed comprehensive application help so the hourly option worked well for me, allowing me to focus on revising drafts of my essays and short answers. In only 4 hours, Jen was able to help me complete 4 separate applications. Jen always provided thoughtful comments that helped focus my essays and clarify potential misconceptions. Her comments were timely (even during crunch time). I was particularly impressed by Jen's ability to cut words when necessary. Overall, a great experience! Thank you, MBA Mission and Jen.

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For me, the MBA process was often very stressful, especially for the essays part. I wasn't a good writer, and I had limited time to spend on applications, out of work. Like most applicants, I also wanted some kind of assurance that if I follow some path that an admission consultant suggests, I would get into the school I wanted.

I signed up for some free consultations, and mbaMission was an easy choice among them - Jeremy Shinewald was very helpful, informed and truly sincere. Soon, I signed up with mbaMission for the school packages, and later matched me with Susan.

To be honest, two months in, something felt "off". I felt like I wasn't getting the attention I wanted, and I had no confidence in that I would succeed. Coming to think of it now, it was just a misunderstanding, but anyone can be very stressed out during the process. I confronted this problem with Jeremy and Susan, and even asked to change consultants. If they just wanted to avoid the problem, they would have done so. But Susan reassured me that changing consultants is not going to help me get the result I wanted. I think this is when I realized Susan was a professional - it proved that she really cared, and she was focused on why this process was happening.

My greatest mistake throughout the process is that I wanted to feel "safe" and to save time. No consultant is going to assure their clients 100%, because it is not only risky, but also makes the client laid back and not work as hard. Again, the admission consulting service is not a ticket to the admissions - it is a service that helps your time and effort not go to waste, which happens so often when you're not good at something. I realized this mid-process, and I have Susan to thank for it. She motivated me to the right direction, and wasn't afraid to tell me the truth. She worked really hard - there wasn't a time she was late on her comments or anything that she promised, and we went to like 12 drafts for one essay. For another essay, at draft 7, she wasn't afraid to tell me that I should scratch the whole thing and start a new one.

Thanks to Susan, I got an acceptance letter to the school I wanted. Susan is definitely the professional consultant you want if you are serious about getting in the school you want.

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Early last year, I observed Angela from mbaMission lead a seminar for MBA applicants, and I found her approach to storytelling to be very helpful. In the summer, I decided to apply to MBA programs in Round 1. After a consultation with Angela, I knew that she would help me a lot, but like many, I felt unsure of whether working with a consultant was worth the financial investment. I took the plunge because I wanted to feel that I gave my applications my all, and it was absolutely worth it.

I chose to apply to four competitive schools and started working with Angela. When we brainstormed essay ideas, I initially struggled to come up with compelling ones. I held back on discussing various experiences that I didn’t think were relevant to business or leadership. When Angela asked me to talk more about struggles, I brought up these seemingly disparate experiences, and she was able to connect them to reveal an evolution in how I approached my work. She helped develop a framework to write my first essay using these experiences, which made it easier to execute. This helped me get on a roll in crafting all of my essays and made me view my experiences in a new way. I wouldn’t have written about some of the professional experiences that affected me personally if Angela had not helped me realize I could do so appropriately and artfully.

So far, I've received admission to HBS and Wharton, 2 out of 4. It may become 3, as I'm still waiting to hear back from one school. Even if I had not gained admission, I think I would have still felt that working with Angela was beneficial, because the skills you hone are applicable beyond MBA applications. You may not have to write another essay about a time you worked in a team, but you will have to maintain a resume, interview, articulate your value, and be able to tell your story for the rest of your life. Going through this process with Angela improves your ability to do that. You will come out with better self-awareness. The MBA application process can be an intense journey, and it’s nice to have a knowledgeable, supportive friend along the way.

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I engaged mbaMission after vetting a few other companies and was matched with Debbie Choy (note I chose her out of 3 potential matches). I was looking to submit applications to 3 very top schools in the first round, and engaged Debbie about 6 weeks before the first app was due. Below is more detail on the key things she helped with:

-Debbie provided a brainstorming document, which I then spent a long time filling out. We had a 1.5 hour call where we discussed all kinds of stories about me. This is where Debbie helped me identify what was important and what we wanted to convey to the admission committees.
-I personally think this is beneficial outside of the application process because you learn more about yourself and what really matters to you, and Debbie forces you to think about what you honestly want to do for a career.

-Debbie also helped me create a resume (B School resumes are a bit different than work resumes, so I had to create a new one). She helped with wording, formatting, and deciding what to include/exclude.

-Then we started on the essays, and Debbie first helped me structure the essay (I was very impressed at how quickly she could pull together an effective structure after just getting to know me), and then I would create a more detailed outline based on the agreed upon structure.

-Once we finalized an outline (sometimes this took one attempt, and other times it took a few revisions), I would write the first draft. Debbie would review and provide comments, questions, suggestions, better syntax etc. and ultimately we would go back and forth until we both liked the essay.

Overall, I completed the 3 applications on time and got into one school, and got interviews or am still in process at the others. Debbie helped me from beginning to end (even after I was accepted). Debbie is rock solid on all aspects of MBA consulting, but I also think her true value comes from her ability to quickly understand someone and then provide legitimate personal and professional advice. Highly recommend Debbie!

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I came into the application process knowing I wanted to work with a consultant, and chose Daniel Richards at mbamission because of his candidness and efficiency. The choice definitely paid off, I was admitted to one of my top choice schools with a significant scholarship. I would highly recommend Dan, who was especially great in several areas:

1. Condensing essays--with essays becoming shorter and shorter, it was extremely helpful to have someone streamline my writing and at times make choices to cut. After a few rounds of editing content, I would have 550 words that Dan would be able to get to 500, without losing any of the information.

2. Choosing themes--I have a rather unique personal background, and the initial brainstorming left me uncertain what to focus on. As an outsider and a expert in the process, Dan was able to hone in on things I should highlight. I ended up writing about an experience I otherwise wouldn't have.

3. General advice giving--from choosing schools, to application strategy (which round to apply), to the dreaded wait, Dan was often the voice of reason, providing insight into the opaque process and many times just reminding me of things I knew but was overshadowed by the panic and uncertainty.

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I was struggling with whether or not to work with a consultant. Would it be worth the money? After hours of work on my essays and only minimally helpful feedback from my parents and friends, I decided to work with John from mbaMission to help get my essays to a better place. John was able to provide very specific and helpful feedback from the perspective of someone in an admissions office. Because he didn't know me as well as many of my friends, he was able to point out parts of my narrative that were confusing or didn't speak for themselves. He didn't have all of the back story, only what was written on the page. This objective, outside point of view was extremely beneficial. In some cases, it caused me to rethink my essay topic all together which, while painful at the time, was worth it in the long run. In other cases, it encouraged me to continue with a train of thought and make it even better. This December, I was admitted to two of the three programs I applied to and received merit scholarships from both. I don't think this would have been possible without John's support. The one thing to keep in mind is that mbaMission has certain turnaround times so make sure you plan ahead and lead plenty of time for edits. Ultimately, yes, it was worth the money and was very encouraging and helpful throughout the process. It was great to know you had an 'expert' on your side.

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