I took a very rigorous approach in choosing the consultant I wanted to work with. I emailed most all the top firms, and few individual consultants that came recommended from my network or online reviews. In closing, I probably held about 8 informational interviews. I was fairly ready to go with another consultant, but my last call was with Angela, and I couldn’t be more grateful that was the case.

It’s easy to get sold on some other consultancies. I spoke to former admissions committee members at GSB and Wharton, and although I don’t doubt they are extremely competent, the value in an admissions consultant is derived less from their past experience and more from their ability to understand where you’ve come from, where you are now, where you want to go, and how to weave all that together in a personalized brand and story – in short, an ability to connect with you. Luckily, Angela is one of the best story tellers out there.

After five minutes of speaking to Angela it was clear that she was a foot more empathetic, understanding, and interested in my background and story than the other’s I had spoken to. But what most impressed me was the rigor with which she questioned my goals, my strategy, and my motives. You will speak to plenty of “yes people” during this process who tell you how great your profile is and how they can definitely get you into some top programs. Angela was clearly more interested in me as a candidate than having my business, as evidenced by the honest and direct manner with which Angela evaluated my application. This inspired me to work harder, have a greater understanding of myself, and not settle for an essay I wrote that was “good enough.” I can only speak for my experience with Angela, but I suspect she pushes, challenges, and is more direct with her clients than others, which is something I wanted. I suspect there are many admissions consultants who will let an average or good idea slip through to the final application – Angela is not one of those people.

After giving Angela an idea of my story and strategy for the applications, Angela made some crucial tweaks, additions, and omissions that were necessary to get the best information across with the limited word count we are all constricted to. As a disclaimer, none of these accredited firms are going to write your essays for you – that’s not how it works, or how it should work. As expected, these essays were written by me. But Angela’s thought process, guidance, insight, and challenging line of questioning pushed all my stories in a better, or different, direction that didn’t resemble my original drafts – in content, polish, effectiveness, and tone. One specific example stands out which highlights how connected Angela is to her client’s work. We had gone through about four drafts of an essay for a school that was one of my top choices. Although it was a relevant and insightful story, that may well have been good enough, Angela told me we had to scrap it and start over with a new idea. At first I was concerned that we were changing directions with three weeks until the deadline, but upon reflection I agreed - the essay just wasn’t great, and wasn’t going to ever be great because the experience I was writing about just didn’t mean that much to me. To this day I am grateful that Angela pushed me from “good to great,” as the next draft was infinitely more personal and relevant, and I was accepted into the school for which the essay was written.

Overall, I was very pleased with the results. I consider myself a “unique” candidate, as I worked a very different job right out of undergrad (it wasn’t even in the business field) and I had a GPA that was well below the average for all the schools I applied to (although I was a business major). A 730 on the GMAT probably helped my chances, but I definitely needed help in bringing my story together. I basically applied to all schools in the M7 except for MIT, Columbia, and Wharton, and then Stern as well. I got into Kellogg and Stern, and will be attending Kellogg in the fall.

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I started working with Katharine about 3 weeks before my application deadline, which I initially thought was a lot of time to review my application, but proved to be short, because Katharine had so many positive changes to suggest.
I sent the first draft of my application to her:
Essay 1: Personal statement and why I want to pursue an EMBA now?
Katharine put life into my story and beautifully complemented one fact with the other, making a firm case to the Admissions committee on why they should accept me. She carefully asked me questions about my life & career that would strengthen my application and added the same.
Even though she is from a legal background, and I work in Finance, she really made an effort to understand my work environment and animate the same in my essay

Essay 2: How will you take advantage of being at the very centre of business?
Katherine pointed out that there was overlap between what I had written in my 1st essay and this one, so she strongly suggested I come up with reasons other than Essay 1. She forced me hard to think of reasons and well research the program website.
She always kept giving me feedback from the perspective of an Admissions committee member (since she used to review applications for a little bit at Stanford), which was very useful. She made me see her how an admissions person (not from my field) would look out for in my application, at the same time making my application unique and not commonplace.

Essay 3: Tell us something that your Cluster would be pleasantly surprised to know about you
This was the hardest question for me. Katharine did a few phone calls with me and pushed me hard to think about this one. When I actually put some disparate facts together, she put it together so well, that only after that could I see a story falling in place. Being able to give your application a unique touch and doing so in an interesting yet concise way, is the least to describe Katharine's talent. She was able to understand me and make me see how I could add value to Columbia, and represent the same in my application

Finally she reviewed my entire application front to back. Her prompt reviews on my application material esp towards the end, her close attention to detail (and I can say this because I work in Finance) and her unparalleled wisdom to see someone like me in my current environment and use the same in the application to give it a unique touch proved very valuable to me. This got me into the Columbia EMBA program and I would be more than happy to recommend her to anyone I know.

The interview prep:
Katherine prepped me so well in the interview, that I felt very relaxed when I was actually at the interview. She forced me to think of examples from my life to present to the admissions counseler. I actually HAD fun at my interview and came off as a natural. Kudos to her!!

Overall, 5 out of 5

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I worked with Adam Grossman on the entire application process for five schools. He provided great guidance throughout every step of the process - from school selection to interview prep.

Working with Adam significantly improved my applications. Through brainstorming sessions he helped my identify which of my experiences would be most interesting to Admissions Committee members. For example, I had a number of different personal experiences that I thought could be interesting to discuss in an essay, but Adam gave me direction on which exact experiences conveyed the attributes of a successful MBA candidate. Additionally, he helped me frame my narrative in a way that highlighted my strengths while still conveying why I needed an MBA. He also did a great job editing my essays.

Working with Adam took a lot of the stress out of the process. He is very knowledgeable and was very responsive to every question I had. Applicants will have a million different questions while applying to MBA programs, and it is extremely helpful to have someone you can speak with who can effectively answer any question you might have.

The only downside to working with mbadmissions is the price tag, but I feel that it was a great investment. I would recommend Adam and mbamission highly.

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I was accepted this year at HBS and waitlisted at Stanford. The day I found out, I had (stupidly) forgotten to charge my phone, and as I stared at my Harvard acceptance letter, I realized I had about two calls left before my phone was going to die. I called my family, and then I called Katy Lewis. I had to tell her there was no way I could have gotten that letter without her.

Applying to business school is confusing and intimidating, but in every way I needed help, Katy was there. Two years ago, when I first called her for a consultation, she gave me one of the most important pieces of advice I ever got, about how to craft my nontraditional “story” in a way that makes sense to a business school. She has spent time at both HBS and GSB and has actually been an admissions officer there, so she was able to explain how they would see my background and what I would need to do to make it “make sense” to them. Her insight into how these schools worked was invaluable and helped guide my entire application process.

During that first conversation, I also asked Katy if it was better to apply that year or wait till I had a chance to spend time preparing. She was unflinchingly honest, and while everyone around me was saying “oh, go ahead, do it now, you’ll be fine,” she was the voice that advised caution and pointed out the potential pitfalls of applying too soon. It was a harbinger of one of the best parts of working with Katy: she is unfailingly realistic and honest (and also inevitably right). She was the one who told me what I needed to hear about my first GMAT score—retaking it on her advice was one of the best decisions I made. She steered me away from schools that were bad fits and helped me figure out what I most wanted out of my education. And, because I knew she wasn’t afraid to tell me the unvarnished truth, I knew I could really trust her when she encouraged me to take risks. She gave me the courage to apply to top schools despite my concerns about my quant score (which she helped me mitigate) and to move ahead with a relatively unconventional personal essay. Without her encouragement, I’m not sure I would have even applied.

Occasionally I had questions that no website or friend/family member could answer, like whether it was okay for a recommender to write a letter if they had gotten fired, or whether I could integrate a clarification of a bad answer into a post-interview thank you note. Katy’s answers and advice would always come immediately, by phone or by email, reflecting her seasoned understanding of what really matters to schools and what applicants can or should do. Katy was also freakishly accurate as a mock interviewer. Her HBS practice interview style was exactly what I found when I did my real interview a week later, so much so that it basically felt like the same experience.

For two years I have relied on Katy’s judgment and been buoyed by her confidence and kindness. To someone who is starting their own application journey, I can’t say enough about how helpful it is to have her on your side.

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While studying for the GMAT with ManhattanGMAT, I participated in a mbaMission webinar about last minute applications Jessica hosted. After furiously taking notes realizing the wisdom and helpful hints she was providing, I knew instantly I had to work with her. My instinct was confirmed after taking advantage of a 30 minute free consultation with an advisor of your choice mbaMission offers when again I was impressed with Jessica’s knowledge, enthusiasm and encouragement of the application process.

I was applying to executive MBA programs and wanted to go to the best (Wharton). I knew I had the leadership experience and skills they looked for but with a low GMAT score and an average GPA from a tier 3 undergraduate university, it was going to be an uphill battle. Wharton puts such an emphasis on GMAT scores that I estimated there were about 10 spots for those who scored below 650 and the only way I was getting in was to come across as exceptional in every other aspect of my application. This is where Jessica came in. She gave me excellent feedback, ideas and direction. She’s incredibly gifted at helping applicants tell their story and gave great advise for a successful interview. She is also incredibly efficient. I worked with Jessica on an hourly basis and felt she gave me as much attention and care as she does all her clients, regardless of how many applications or hours you're signed up for. She helped me realize my dream (as I just learned of my acceptance) and I will forever be grateful. Thank you Jessica!

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John Sisk was my consultant, and from the very first phone call, he was incredibly helpful. He gave me great insights on everything - my application profile, the types of programs I was applying to, and of course, the nitty gritty of the essays. He wasted no time in giving me the information I needed quickly on our calls - which was essential given the pressure involved in writing applications, GMAT, etc - and was incredibly flexible when work made it difficult to schedule time. I joked with him about "working his magic" - he reviewed my essays thoroughly and gave insightful feedback, without losing the core of the essay or it's representation of me to the admissions committee. Just got news that I got into Berkeley Haas - my number one choice - and can't thank John enough for his help and support in this!

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MBA application process always scared me up until I met Jessica. I first attended online essay-writing webinar she hosted. The key points she highlighted would never come to my mind as important aspects of effective essay writing. Even though she was hosting the webinar to many people, I felt like she was talking to me with her friendly tone and spot-on advices. Then, I immediately arranged 30 minutes free consultation session with her. She asked me great questions and uncovered so many hidden stories in my life that I would have never discovered on my own. We agreed to start one school package and add other schools later on.
As a sales manager in global IT company, I had hard time arranging my timetable: meetings, GMAT studies, essay drafting..etc. But Jessica helped me organize myself by setting certain deadlines for each application step and sending me little reminders that I really needed to go extra mile. Not only she helped me organize but she also motivated me when I felt down and lost at some stages. She reminded me that my story and background had so much to tell to business schools and that I would be great fit to top ones.
Above all, I think Jessica`s most remarkable strength is empathy. At each session we had, she truly put herself in my shoes and dug deeper in my life story. Sometimes I felt that she believed in me more than I believed in myself. That is Incredible!! In the end I applied to 4 top business schools with Jessica`s consultation and I felt absolutely satisfied with every bit of data I submitted. She made me feel that I did my absolute best and presented myself in most unique way.
Finally I have been admitted to one of my dream schools and it would not have been possible without Jessica.
I recommend Jessica to anyone who has big dreams! Because big dreams are achieved with BEST people in business!

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Katy Lewis is great! She gave me invaluable support and advice throughout my admissions process - from overall brainstorming to providing tactical advice on how to choose and approach recommenders. I've worked in a pretty technical and specific line of work, and she helped me translate my background into a compelling story for an admissions committee that doesn't know the field.

I applied to five top-tier schools and was accepted to four schools with generous fellowship funds. For the waitlisted school, Katy continued to coached me on how to approach the admissions office with any steps I could take to improve my chances at getting off the list. (Still waiting to hear, but I had a great meeting with the admissions director following her guidance.)

Equally important: Katy makes you laugh and keep things in perspective! It might sound minor, but I can't stress enough what a difference this made. When I was up late working on the finishing touches on my essays, her support and sense of humor was invaluable!

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Stats:
GMAT: 690 (40V/44Q)
GPA: 3.1
School: Stanford
Work: Telecom - Leadership Program + Corporate Strategy/BD
MBA Prep: Forte MBA Launch

Angela and I met through Forte MBA Launch, and she had done a few seminars on crafting your story. When I engaged her, I was just finalizing my school selections. Given my GPA/GMAT were so low, I knew I didn't hit the middle 80% GPA at pretty much any of the top 10 (my target schools) and was on the lower GMAT end with the 690. I was devastated and thought my goals were virtually unattainable. Angela's advice and encouragement helped me to believe it was possible.

I reached out to Angela, because she had such great insight and energy when she taught our courses. She and I discussed my MBA target schools choices (H/S/K/Tuck) and was very honest. She said that realistically I would need a higher GMAT for HBS/Stanford (which I was aware of) and recommended several great tutors, and then for Kellogg/Tuck I was competitive and would need to make sure to nail my story. What I appreciated about Angela's advice was she didn't shy away from the real talk I needed, but she did so in a way that she gave me options (recommended a few other schools where I would be competitive) and certainly gave me encouragement that I could get into at least one of my target schools.

I also spoke to several other MBA consulting firms - Stacy Blackman, Admit Advantage, and a few smaller private one-person shops - and all of them said target Duke, Ross and UCLA. I didn't want that, and they didn't give me any options for how to reach my goals.

Angela, on the other hand, really pulled through and made it an honest conversation. She was incredibly EMPATHETIC and PROBLEM SOLVED WITH ME! I cannot emphasize those two things enough. When I work with someone, I want them to feel that they are on the same team with me. Angela was on my team the whole time!

I am now proud to share I have been admitted to both Kellogg and Tuck, and I couldn't be more thrilled about the prospect of going back to school in the fall!!

Angela brought energy, a positive can-do attitude, and helped me believe in myself at a time when it felt like there was no chance for me to get into school. Angela's a rock star - you won't go wrong!

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I am not the type of person to usually post reviews online but I wanted to make an exception for my experience with mbaMission. I would highly recommend the program for anyone needing guidance on their B school applications. I personally worked with Helen who I though did an amazing job of helping me along the process. They have a tested and proven method for all stages of the application process and I thought they did a great job of giving me a step by step guide of how to go about the process and what kind of information to try to present to the admission committees. Helen helped me put my best foot forward and form a specific story regarding each school. If you do the work and listen to their advice and feedback it will be a beneficial service. I would do the free 30 minute consultation and then go from there. I also think the earlier you start the program the better so you are able to get the most out of the service and have as many drafts and exchanges as needed with your consultant to prepare the best application possible.

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