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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It was wonderful working with Dan. He is truly talented at what he does. His support and insight during what has been an arduous journey has made all the difference.
After scoring lower than desired on the GMAT 3 days before the R2 deadline, I first reached out on advice regarding how to write my Extenuating Circumstances essay; it was a rocky moment, and his strategic input was spot-on. We later did mock interviews, which today I found out landed me a spot at a competitive school I'm very excited about. At key junctures I reached out to Dan and got exactly the support I needed, strengthening my sense of confidence and preparedness. And notably, even though Dan had 2 full days to respond to requests, he often responded within hours. It's obvious Dan cares about his clients, and genuinely wants them to succeed. I strongly recommend Dan without hesitation, and look forward to staying in touch with him throughout my career.

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I set up an initial 30 minute phone call that ended up being over an hour which is how I first 'met' Katy - she was patient and knowledgeable and made me feel very comfortable right away. Having talked to a few other consultants (at other companies) I signed up with Katy. I primarily wanted to work with her for getting into HBS, which unfortunately did not happen but I did get into Wharton/Booth/Kellogg and will be going to Wharton.

I bought a 3 school package and recommend everyone looking for a consulting advice should go for a 2 or 3 school package (anything more is a waste of money in my opinion).

Katy was a great consultant! She patiently helped me with my brainstorming, my profile and was there to hold my hand all through the process. She went above and beyond all through the steps, from editing my resume to doing mock interviews with me to even helping me negotiate for scholarships after I had gotten in. She is a genuinely nice person and I highly recommend her. Even in crunch times right close to the deadline, she was very helpful and able to turn around my essays far sooner than the mba mission policy.

I will add that since she went to HBS and worked at Stanford, a lot of people work with her on those schools (and rightly so) because she is particularly knowledgeable about them. That was fine with me since before applying HBS was my first choice, so I recommend that the consultant you choose either went to or specializes in your number one choice school.

Overall, I highly recommend Katy and encourage people to work with her if they are looking for a smart, patient and awesome consultant! I am looking forward to staying in touch with her at Wharton and beyond!!!

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From the outset, Katie quickly uncovered my story, the kind of story that would wind up gaining me admission to Haas, Ross, and Fuqua. I was amazed at how fast Katie was able to paint my life story. Katie is the kind of consultant that genuinely gets to know who you are and how your story fits into each schools criteria. Katie's expertise shined in her essay reviews as she understood how to convey my story in the most impactful way. Katie was quick to respond to every email and was always available - even on the weekends during tight deadlines. I ended up applying to 8 schools (accepted at 3, WL at 2, dinged 3) and Katie made the daunting process seamless and empowered me with confidence. Katie was also excellent at mock interviews - each of my mock interviews was almost exactly what I experienced live at each school. If you are looking for the admissions consultant who is going to get to genuinely know you as a person, who is invested in your success, Katie is the person to do that and help make your dreams come true.

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