I really enjoyed working with Angela throughout my MBA application process. Angela made significant contributions to my application in three key areas:

First, Angela is an excellent thought partner. She helped me through a process of introspection to better understand myself and what made me unique as a candidate. I valued the opportunity to share ideas as I crafted my essays and could always count on her to provide high quality, honest feedback that pushed my thinking.

Angela is also a gifted communicator. She helped me to present my experiences clearly and concisely in a way that would be understandable to individuals not familiar with the technical aspects of my industry. Angela’s guidance in this area was particularly helpful as I prepared for my interview.

Finally, working with Angela removed a lot of stress and uncertainty from the process. I was able to rely on her experience and intuition to get a feel for where my essays were strong and where there we opportunities for improvement. This significantly enhanced my confidence throughout the process and allowed me to work more efficiently.

Angela was a big part of my successful application to Harvard Business School. I highly recommend Angela to anyone working through the MBA application process.

Read More

Yes, hiring a personal MBA admissions consultant is expensive. However, in the grand scheme of things and what the MBA will ultimately cost, it's money well spent and I'm glad I did it.

Dan was very helpful in the essay writing process. He helped me brainstorm essay topics before writing - and, perhaps most importantly, he pushed me to take a risk in writing about something personal.

His feedback was always very prompt, which was helpful given that I was on a huge crunch due to a late start. His feedback was honest and direct - he highlighted the good parts as well as the parts that needed work. He was also ver helpful in helping cut words to meet the word count limits.

I also did a mock interview that was very helpful. He gave me good feedback and suggestions for improvement. It was also a good dry run. I was surprisingly nervous and it was good to get through those nerves when it "didn't count".

Lastly, the admissions process can be very overwhelming. It was helpful to have someone that knows the process and to help me navigate it.

I've applied to 2 schools. I've gotten into one and am waiting to hear back from the 2nd.

Read More

The MBA process is extremely stressful and time consuming, and there is no way I could have survived it without Susan. I had a lot of ideas and thoughts on how I should approach the essays, and she really helped me brainstorm what I want to portray for the AdComm. We prioritized my key attributes and how and where I should discuss each of them in my application process to make sure I told a thorough, interesting, and unique experience. Each and every line was questioned, pushing me to dig deep on who I am and exactly what I am trying to show the AdComm. I remember thinking, "I don't know anymore! AH!" but she kept me on track and made my application reach a level I never thought it could have. I know for a fact I wouldn't have succeeded in getting into my #1 choice without her help. Thank you!

Read More

I’m a porn star. Well, technically an adult fetish model, producer, and community leader. But to anyone reading an application or resume, I’m a porn star. By day I also run my own small business in education, but it’s my other “adult” interests that were obviously my biggest concern, and obstacle in applying to business school.

Before starting the application process, I made the decision that I was going to choose to be “out” during the entire process. I didn’t want to lie to get in, and I didn’t want to live a lie at school, in constant fear of being discovered-- especially when the thing I was hiding was something I’m actually quite proud of. So I decided I was going to need help, and was hoping to find someone brave enough and bold enough to take me on as a client.

I started my journey with MBA mission through the free consultation. I chose Susan, and sent in my stats and resume, and crossed my fingers. Susan smartly decided to send my information to a few other consultants to get their opinions and insights to better help her with our first conversation. And it was at that time that Angela responded by saying essentially, “this girl seems awesome, and if she wants to hire us, I want to work with her!”

When Susan told me that another consultant had said that, I was thrilled. I felt so confident and hopeful knowing that the person I was going to be working with was not only not going to judge me and the choices I’ve made, but also was going to work hard to champion me, and was as motivated as I was to help me succeed and reach my full potential. She knew what she was up against, and she wanted the challenge.

I can say with all honesty and complete sincerity that if it weren’t for Angela, I would not have gotten in to any business school most likely, let alone my top choice (a top 15 program) with a prestigious fellowship, and a full ride to my third choice school. She was there for me during the entire process in ways that really exceeded her job description. From working holidays and extra “hand holding,” to a face to face conversation in a coffee shop about my future that I’m rather certain changed my life, Angela was there for me, pushing me to be and to do better.

Brilliantly, Angela made me take the GMAT. I had a strong score on the GRE, and had intended on simply using that score. But Angela thought it was important that I didn’t give anyone any reason to doubt my abilities, and she felt confident that I would do well on the test. So with some prodding, and some guidance on prep, I took the test, and scored a 750, which I know lent credibility to my overall application and allowed me to put my best foot forward. I didn’t want to take the test, but listening to her on that was one of the best decisions I’ve made.

Angela also worked exceptionally hard to help me write my optional essay. We decided early on that that would be the place I explained my life—who I am and the choices that I’ve made. It was always a big ask. I needed to strike the perfect tone; the just right balance of being proud but not defensive, and understanding but not apologetic. We did over a dozen drafts of that essay, and Angela sent versions around to other consultants, getting second, third, and fourth opinions from people who didn’t know me as well to make sure that we hit that tone. In the end, those 250 words are some of the best “I’ve” ever written.

Personally, Angela is one of my favorite people ever. She’s witty and smart, passionate and opinionated, and she’s fun to talk to and be around. She worked hard for me and made me want to work harder for her. She believed in me when not very many people would have, and was prouder when I got in than just about anyone else.

I’m beyond thankful to have gone on this journey with Angela, and wouldn’t want to have done it with anyone else. Together what we achieved is pretty close to miraculous, and at the end of it, I’m thrilled to have worked with someone who I now like to consider a friend.

Read More

A little less than a year ago, I was dreading the entire business school application process. I had taken my GMATs the year before, but I had no idea how to tackle the essay questions or how to make my resume stand out. Because of this, I came to mbaMission, and to Dan specifically. Looking back now, I can honestly say it was the best decision I made in the process.

From day one, Dan really worked to understand my story and help crystalize the parts that would make me stand out among a sea of applicants. We worked through my resume line by line through countless hours to make each task I did at work come alive.

Additionally, Dan helped me brainstorm unique experiences outside of work I can bring to my application. By the end of our brainstorm sessions, I felt like he knew me better than my best friends. The process not only made my essays come alive, but also helped me realize exactly what I want to do post-business school. It was a very tiring, but ulitmately unbelievably rewarding experience.

Dan was also extremely patient with me during my application process that lasted well over 6 months since I applied in both R1 and R2. Sometimes I would blast him 5 emails at 2:00AM freaking out about every little detail. He always replied promptly and always managed to calm me down.

As a side note, mbaMission's mock interview for the Wharton TBD was also extremely helpful. I went into the real interview feeling like I know what to expect and the two experiences were very similiar.

With Dan's guidance, I was admitted to Wharton in R2 and MIT Sloan and Columbia in R1. I will most likely matriculate at Wharton this fall - thank you Dan!!!

Read More

I was never really good with portraying all my thoughts on paper. So even though I knew exactly why I wanted to go to a top business school, writing it all down in a concise yet clear format was hard for me.

I applied to a couple top b schools for R1 earlier this year but did not even get any interviews. These were my top choices at that time (since these were local to where I live). So for round 2, I knew I had to revise my strategy. I started to look for consultants and reached out to several different organizations and had chats with a few consultants.

My chat with Daniel went really great. He had already read my resume (unlike some other who never did) and could right away point out several things on my resume which needed to change. From the beginning, Dan was very honest and to the point. He pushed me to achieve my potential and think about different approaches for the same essay. To give an example, he would help me clear my thoughts on essays I would send him, but many times also leave open ended questions to push me to think outside the box.

The other thing about Dan which I must point out is that he was always there. I remember sending him essays really close to Christmas break and even though he was on vacation he would return my essays back as soon as he could. I found Dan's working style very friendly in spite of being so professional. Also, Dan always replied back to emails really quickly if I ask him a question or two. He is very considerate of the timelines.

I also did interview prep with Dan and I found it SO useful! Mock interview with Dan really helped me stay calm during the real interviews because I had already discussed the various points which I must talk about. My interviews went really well and I got admitted to all the schools I interviewed for in R2- Kellogg, Tepper and McCombs.

I strongly suggest you to look up Daniel Richards from mbaMission. His writing, work ethic and honestly is exactly what got me into business school when I had almost lost all the hope!

Last piece of advice which I learnt the hard way: initially the consulting services may seem expensive but it is well worth if you get into your dream school! I wish someone had told me about Daniel when I was applying for R1! I would have saved on so much time and anxiety!

Goodluck to you all out there.

Read More

mbaMission was incredible in helping me apply to school. I am a joint-degree candidate, who was interested in only HBS and I was able to work with a joint-degree holder from HBS, Katharine Lewis. That in and of itself is unique. But Katharine was above and beyond fantastic. My application was very last minute and she took on the case because of an obvious interest in my story and love for her job. She was always available, be it weekends, or two days before the deadline.

Katharine worked with me in reviewing my application and in my mock interview. Because I was interested in only one school, Katharine’s “insider baseball” knowledge was really useful and comforting. In addition, her feedback was insightful and helpful in shaping my story and improving my candidacy.

Working with Katharine was great not only because of the work we produced, but also because she is really on the ball. You can tell she is just an incredibly sharp person (in additional to her killer resume at McKinsey, Stanford, etc.) who likes working with applicants. As a result, I felt like my two hours went an incredibly long way—definitely a solid investment.

I should note that I came to Katharine after an incredibly negative experience with someone from MBA Exchange who literally called me by the wrong name in all of our email exchanges, despite the fact that she had read my resume, spoken to me on the phone ,etc. Do NOT just go with any consultant who has worked in admissions at your target school, because they are not all made the same. Katharine is clearly just sharper and doing this consulting because she likes it and finds it interesting as opposed to “hey, I used to interview for a top school so I’m probably qualified.”

Read More

Consultant: Adam Grossman (mbaMission)

Personal Profile:
Undergraduate School: Brown
Undergraduate GPA: 3.3
GMAT: 670
Work Experience: 4+ years

Package purchased: 4 School Start-To-Finish

Schools Applied to and Results:
Duke Fuqua: Admitted
UVA Darden: Rejected
Northwestern Kellogg: Admitted
UCLA Anderson: TBD

Review:
Adam was absolutely invaluable in taking the mass of raw material and disorganized thoughts and ideas and helping me turn them into a clear and concise vision to present to admissions committees. From the start, Adam was a partner in the process from start to finish. He helped me finalize a list of target schools based on my interests, strengths, and weaknesses.

I identified Kellogg as my first choice and we went after that first. We customized each essay for each school taking into account each school’s individual characteristics. Adam had great perspective on how to uniquely position myself for each school. He was very responsive to questions and helped provide excellent edits. I never lost my voice throughout the essay writing process and he helped me with every single detailed question I had. Adam was always there to support and always had good answers.

He was a no nonsense guy which is incredibly important in the process. His feedback was always direct and constructive. We worked efficiently and productively together improving both my abilities and our output after each meeting.

I would highly recommend Adam and mbaMission. As a result of our work together, I got into my top choice school even with below-average GMATs.

Read More

Overall, mbaMission was tremendous in helping me select/apply to business school. I downloaded most of their school guides and their start-to-finish guide and referenced them constantly throughout the process.

I worked with John Sisk and he was instrumental in guiding me through my applications. He listened to my story/goals and helped me construct a clear, focused approach to my essays.

John constantly pushed me to dig deeper on why I wanted to go back to school and why my goals made sense - my essays and applications were much better for it. He helped highlight my strengths but also didn't hesitate to point out when my essays or ideas needed work. Applying to business school can be a humbling process, and John helped me fight through those moments of uncertainty.

I couldn't have done it without John and I would highly recommend him to anybody else applying to business school.

Read More

After an unsuccessful attempt at getting into bschool last year, I decide this year to enlist the help of a consultant. My initial consultation was with Rachel Beck. She could tell that I was beat down by the process of a year ago and really needed a good pep talk. She was also 100% not pushing mbaMission's services and really left the decisions up to me. I was very impressed with the sales approach and eventually signed up to work with John Sisk. John was extremely helpful in getting me to get all of my ideas and experience on paper and into a few essays. Most of all, John let me tell the story I wanted to tell. A lot of other consultants had advised that if I wanted to go to bschool, I needed to tell a different story than what I actually wanted to do because I had some lofty goals that adcoms would frown upon. John let me tell that story and surprise surprise it worked. I was accepted in R2. My advice to other mba prospects is if a consultant wants to change your story for the sole purposes of the adcoms, get a new consultant - call John at mbaMission and get into bschool with the story you want to tell.

Read More