I had a fantastic experience with Monica Okrah’s mock interview session. I received an interview notification from HBS and thought I had done everything in my power to prepare (bought the Harbus, wrote answers for every possible question I could be asked, prepared with HBS students.) After reading about the intensity of the HBS interviews I decided to hire a consultant a few days before my interview- Although the services are expensive, it is definitely worth it in order to be as prepared as possible for the most important interview of your life!

The mock interview session was a complete game-changer. We simulated an actual HBS interview experience – Monica asked for my application materials before the interview in order to ask questions that were relevant to my application. After we went through the questions, Monica thoroughly reviewed each of my answers, carefully pointing out strengths, weaknesses, and areas of improvement. More importantly, Monica made me aware of the lack of structure in my responses and gave me feedback on how I should structure my answers in order to provide context and effectively relay the message I needed to get across in a timely manner. After my conversation with Monica, I re-evaluated my story and my brand (with her feedback in mind!) and was able to reframe my responses in a way that truly reflected my best self.

Also, going into this process I was less than confident in myself given that my GMAT score is slightly lower than HBS’ average score. Monica was so incredibly positive and reassuring, which really allowed me to walk into the interview and express myself confidently and focus on all the positives instead of any perceived negatives.

My only regret is not working with Monica sooner – she is fantastic!!

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I recently used John Sisk at MBA mission on an hourly basis for assistance with the business school application process. John is a responsive, professional, and very well informed consultant and was enormously helpful throughout the process. I chose John based on his straight forward and honest style - he tells you want you need to hear about your background and the schools you are applying to - not what you want to hear. John's insights and suggestions for my resume and essays where quite helpful, but where I found him most valuable was his knowledge of the application process and admissions committees. Applying to business school is a unique experience and one that most people don't have much background knowledge about, and John is a wonderful guide and mentor throughout the process. John was instrumental in helping me to craft a stronger application and to effectively illustrate my personal strengths on paper, and I highly recommend him.

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I did not have the best GMAT score, and I had hoped to overcome that obstacle with a strong resume and strong essays. Debbie from mbaMission helped me to write stellar essays. We worked for a couple months back and forth via emails and a couple phone calls. She helped me to get specific and concise with my experiences highlighting the stories that made a real impact. Debbie emphasized a "show don't tell" attitude in my essays. It took some time and effort, but it paid off. I ended up with multiple offers from the top schools I had applied to, each one with a scholarship or a Graduate Assistantship offer. I attribute much of my offers to the work of mbaMission and Debbie.

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I worked with Rachel Beck on my business school applications this fall, and I was accepted to all 3 of the schools that I worked on with her (all 3 are top 10 programs, 2 are top 5).

Rachel was instrumental in helping me find and tell my story. Having somewhat of a traditional business school applicant background, Rachel helped me identify my unique qualities and experiences, and worked with me to craft a story that was engaging and distinct. On top of that, Rachel was also a pleasure to work with - responsive, constructive and encouraging. She was a great sounding board throughout the process as I often bounced ideas off of her to get constructive and thoughtful feedback.

I signed up for the complete package and this was the best choice for me. By going this route, I did not feel rushed during any of our conversations and could set up phone calls as frequently as needed. This allowed me to really dive into brainstorming conversations to develop my story. I also liked that working with a consultant provided structure to the process and helped me stick to timelines, so I never felt pinched for time.

The end result of the business school application process was overwhelmingly positive for me. I have a handful of amazing programs to choose from (and many come with scholarships which may point to a potential ROI from working with a consultant).

I highly recommend working with a consultant as it provided structure and enabled me to find my story, and I would recommend Rachel to everyone. I can not imagine going through the application process any other way.

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Hello,

I retained consultant Adam Grossman for hourly services through mbaMission. I initially went with the hourly service option because the full service option at over $3,000 was above my budget, but thanks to Adam's great help, I am very confident that I made a good decision. When I reached out to Adam for assistance, I had already reached out to my recommenders and received my letters of recommendation, I had already taken the GMAT, and I had already selected the school I was going to apply to (I only applied to and got into Chicago Booth's Evening MBA program), so I primarily needed help on my essays, my resume, and the application itself. Adam did a fantastic job in each one of these areas. I had a 690 GMAT score when I reached out to Adam, which is above the mean for the Chicago Booth Evening MBA program, but my GPA was below the mean for the school, due to a bad semester. For my application, it was critical for me to be able to be direct and yet try to spin this in a positive way, and Adam did a tremendous job on both counts. He also helped me really maximize the story behind my work history in my application, as my work history is where I have really excelled, and I was able to communicate experiences at work that showed that I didn't allow myself to be defined by a bad semester in college. Not only that, but Adam was extremely efficient with regard to the hourly services, and he always kept me up to date on the amount of time we had used. I ended up using a significant number of hours, but still ended up spending less than I would have for the full service option, in large part because Adam did such a great job of efficiently using our time. I would definitely recommend Adam from mbaMission, as I couldn't have gotten into my school of choice without him. Highly recommended.

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Hi all,

I was very hesitant about using consultancy services when I first started investigating them. However, after completing a bunch of free consultations, it wasn't really a tough choice to choose mbaMission after talking to John Sisk.

I applied to Booth School of Business for the Chicago Business Fellow program and chose to use the hourly services of mbaMission. John was nothing less than amazing in editing my essays! I was very eager every time I sent an essay to John for review. Not a single time was a disappointment and never did I have to send it for another review! He is the best in clearly highlighting the purpose and then using our stories to build the best essay around it. He is very honest in giving feedback and encourages you to think relevant stories along with all necessary guidance.

All in all, I can say, he is the one whom you can rely upon!

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Working with Angela was such an incredible experience that it makes me want to apply to business school again. She is incredibly thoughtful and positive - helping you discover yourself, your strengths, what makes you unique, and reminding you of how great you are when you're full of doubt about the entire business school application process. Angela never tried to get me to be someone other than my authentic self, further enhancing my self-confidence and enjoyment of the process. She was attentive and available, made time to chat when I needed it, and provided invaluable feedback on my essays and overall story. I would HIGHLY recommend using Angela for anyone who's nervous or just wants a leg up in the process. And, school results: I applied to HBS, Stanford, and Kellogg, got in to HBS and Kellogg, and waitlisted at Stanford.

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In 2013 I worked with Jessica Shklar from MBA Mission on four Round 1 Business School applications to ultra-competitive programs. Although I initially hoped to complete at most two apps prior to R1 deadlines, I found that working with Jessica helped me stay consistently organized, focused and productive throughout this extremely challenging period, allowing me produce significantly higher quality and volumes of content.

Going into the applications, I felt that I had a solid background (top undergraduate, good-name finance, entrepreneurship, international experience, etc.), but my profile also contained several weak points that I knew very well could derail my applications if they were not addressed thoroughly, thoughtfully and concisely. I was an on-the-fence candidate for top programs. Overall, having the opportunity to work with Jessica was one of the best investments I’ve ever made in my future and this Fall I will join my dream school, Columbia, as a Full-Time MBA student.

To anyone who’s considering working with a Consultant focused on MBA applications/admissions, I sincerely recommend Jessica Shklar. Jessica was initially recommended to me by a good friend who worked with her, had a great experience, and was ultimately accepted into Harvard Business School (along with every other school to which he applied). Below are a few of my main takeaways from having worked with Jessica on the application process.

Knowledge of Historical Trends relating to Programs & Applicant Profiles: Aside from having worked in MBA Admissions personally, Jessica went to Harvard undergrad and Harvard Business School. She has successfully navigated challenging admissions processes in her own, has firsthand exposure to the process from an AdCom standpoint, and has also held multiple managerial roles within Fortune 500 Companies. On top of this, as an MBA consultant with many years of experience and a large, diverse client-base, she possesses a (mental) archive of applicant experiences and historical trends from basically all of the top international business schools. Being able her to ask questions about curriculums, application trends, previous applicant successes/shortfalls/mistakes/etc., financial aid options, etc. all comes in very handy. Jessica can very quickly analyze your profile and is totally honest and upfront about what she thinks you may or may not be able to accomplish in this process. It’s not always what you want to hear, but it allows you to begin self-evaluating. All this being said, the MBA application process is highly unpredictable and if one doesn’t possess a strong resume, no consultant can help them overcome this.

Time Management: Jessica helped me maintain a high level of productivity, sent me reminders if I got behind, and forced me to ask questions of myself in the early stages of my essays, and to build out specific personal detail right off the bat. Without structure, one can easily find themselves spending a great deal of time spinning wheels and focusing on the wrong aspects of the application, simply because it’s less mentally grueling to do so. Jessica pushed me to continuously think deeper about the details of my essays. This can mentally draining - but it’s invaluable - AdComs need to know who you are, and what makes you unique. Jessica helped me reflect upon my life and career much more effectively than I could have on my own, while helping me keep on schedule on all of my applications from beginning to end.

Human Factor: Jessica works well with people and gets to know her applicants in a way that makes her a great sounding board for a how to approach different topics, how to phrase things. It was like having a really smart friend with super relevant personal experiences being there who was willing to take the time to hear my thoughts and give me reasons why I was or was not on the right track. She’s genuinely interested in her applicants from a personal standpoint, not solely as an applicant, and I hope to stay in touch with her going forward (just like my friend who initially referred me to me Jessica has done).

Bringing more out of you: Jessica helped me set the highest possible standards for my own quality of work. She knows how to ask the questions that will force you to recall the specific nuances of past events and will call you out if you’re taking the shortcuts and not elaborating enough – this is how you to convey the most intricate picture of who you are, and help you stand out. Having someone there prodding and not letting you off the hook with a half-baked description can mean the difference between a compelling or fluff-filled essay.

Responsiveness: No matter how busy Jessica was (she has a lot of clients), she always gave quick and thoughtful responses.

Other: Everyone has a different profile, with different concerns and questions about how their experiences might be interpreted, and Jessica has seen it all. For example, at one point I had a very specific question that I assumed was a shot in the dark and could not be answered, but Jessica replied to my email almost immediately saying she had, by chance, heard some information relating to this question through an MBA Mission colleague who had a client that attended an MBA meeting in NYC a day or two earlier and had asked several representatives from top programs the very same question. I couldn’t have attended this event since I was overseas at the time. She’s extremely plugged in, passionate about what she does, and her cumulative experiences allow her to provide guidance and perspectives in ways that I couldn't have predicted.

As a final side-note, since working with Jessica, my ability to communicate through writing has significantly improved. Even if I were to remove the goal of pursuing an MBA from my time working with her, I’d still say that my communication skills have been significantly improved - and I considered myself to be a very good writer and speaker to begin with.

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I worked with Angela in my MBA admission Journey and I got into the school that I dreamed of. Listen to my story.
She pushed me very hard to write the best story about myself. Without her help, I would not be able to do so. Not only that, she helped me find a GMAT tutor for me when I couldn’t pass the 300 level. After I finished my GMAT, she strongly advised that I study at a community college to prepare myself for the MBA since my first language is not English and she thought I would have a difficult time in my MBA. She read my personality and she advised which schools I should consider for my MBA.
She went far and beyond the scope of our contract. I felt every step of the way she truly cared about me and my success – she understood me and worked with my very very busy schedule. I knew I could always trust her advice. I tried other admission consultants, and I do not see anybody give me what Angela gave me.
I still consult her about my further study, and she still answers me without charging me. I consider her an advisor and friend for the rest of my career. Is there any reason why not to sign with Angela?

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My first introduction to mbaMission was via one of their Q&A sessions in Chicago; I took the GMAT at the end of June, and was planning to apply in fall of ’13. I really enjoyed the Q&A session and signed up for the free half-hour consultation as a next step – that’s when I got in touch with Debbie, one of mbaMission’s senior consultants. I thought that the initial call went really well; Debbie sounded enthusiastic about working with me, and provided good feedback about some of my initial questions, such as pros / cons of full-time vs. part-time programs.
I ended up deciding to go with the one-school package, and then use my initial application as a template for the other schools I was planning on applying to. From the very beginning, Debbie did a great job of encouraging me to dig deeper, and focus on what makes me unique. For example, I was initially struggling with Kellogg’s essay #1 – ‘What’s the greatest obstacle you’ve overcome’ - it was too wordy, and I was having trouble tying everything together. Over the course of seven revisions, Debbie helped me polish the essay into a statement that that I was really proud of.
I also appreciated Debbie’s help in calming me down when I was stressing out about making my R1 deadlines. I remember sending her an email pretty late at night, after having spent the whole evening wrestling with some of my essays – and feeling like there was no way I’d be ready in time. She responded the next day with encouragement – and a challenge to push myself harder. The application process can be pretty brutal, so knowing that I had an experienced coach who had been through the process many times before was tremendously helpful in calming me down.
Overall, I really enjoyed working with mbaMission in general and Debbie specifically. I would highly recommend her – but only if you’re prepared to be challenged relentlessly until your application is perfect!

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