Before choosing a consulting company, I had a few free sessions with various MBA Application consultants. Given the price, I wanted to make sure I felt comfortable, and confident my consultant would help me put forth my best application. Before speaking with Adam I spoke to a woman from a different company who told me it was "impossible" to get into my first choice school -Stern- because of a below average GMAT score. I was very discouraged, but went forward anyway. During my first conversation with Adam, he told me Stern was not out of reach, but I would have to work hard on my essays and get the best recommendations possible. Adam took the time to get to know me, and get to understand my history and my goals for the future. He showed me ways to emphasize my strengths throughout my application and show that despite my score I can handle a top MBA program. He helped me to clearly define my goals and experiences in a way that let my personality shine through in my essays. Most importantly, he gave me the confidence to believe that getting into Stern was within my reach. I would highly recommend Adam and MBAMission to anyone looking for an MBA consultant.

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Daniel Richards was very helpful through my MBA application process. To be brief, I'll list the ways he helped me and could help you:

Clear expectations: Dan was clear about my chances of getting into the schools I wanted, and at the same time respected my goals. Sometimes honesty hurts, but it helps. In my case it helped me pick schools that fit me.

Editing: coming from a culture that values redundancy in writing, his help cutting down my resumé and essays was great. He did this while maintaining the full meaning of what I wanted to express. He really is great helping you with your own words, as he does not do the work for you, and is clear about the ethics of his consultancy.

Non traditional background: He was great at understanding and using my background to strengthen my app. In this aspect, as an international candidate, he was also very understanding of the different scenarios and difficulties that international candidates face.

Promptness: Never missed a deadline.

Communication: very opened about discussing issues, even over the phone.

The best thing Dan did for me is help me get to the bottom of what I wanted to gain from an MBA. His feedback, questions, and insights really helped me reflect upon various aspects of my candidacy and this will have a lasting impact beyond being accepted.

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I worked with Jen Kedrowski for my EMBA application. We started with the background questionnaire and she spent around 1.5hr over phone with me probing into details on the answers I provided and highlighting key points that I should consider while writing my essays. I had 4 essays to write for my application. Her input, thought process, suggestions and edits made my essays stand out. She is very responsive and met timeline SLAs defined by mbaMission; and in some instances she exceeded expectations in meeting the timeframes. She would listen to my views and respond to my questions very patiently. There were times when we went back and forth and she was very patient in working with me to bring the best in my essays. She also helped me with resume review and overall application review.

She is always transparent on time spent supporting me as it was critical in the hourly pattern.

Overall, I strongly recommend Jen for anyone who is looking for honest and candid input in preparation to the Business School. I truly enjoyed working with her.

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mbaMission was recommended to me by one of my mentors and its ala-carte offering was just what I needed. My aim was to get into one of the top B-schools in the world and like most others, I had access to basic information and was conversant with the admissions process elements. However, no one in my friends’ circle or peer group had been to any of the top B-schools. I needed someone who had relevant experience and knew what it may take to get into one of those B-schools. Though there is no recipe or formula to get into any of these schools but the value of advice from someone who has been through the process himself/ herself and has successfully guided a lot of others should not be underestimated. Most of mbaMission consultants have done their MBAs from top B-schools and are subject matter experts of the process. Ms. Melissa Merchant, a Kellogg alumnus, was my consultant. Her dedication, commitment and involvement was commendable and extremely reassuring. I found her recommendations and suggestions spot-on and truly useful. With a full-time job, I wrote a lot of my essays in the eleventh hour. Melissa was extremely responsive and there were multiple occasions when she had to put in long spells of extra hours and with very little prior intimation. It was heartening to see this level of commitment. A lot of consultants around give generic feedback, derive their recommendations and inputs from sources that are otherwise freely available on the web and offer very little insight. Unlike these consultants, Melissa took time to understand the nuances of my profile and coached me along the way. She helped me perform to the best of my abilities and guess what, I made it to one of my dream schools. What I loved about her was that she never offered to write the essays for me or tried to change who I was. But she encouraged me to be myself and to be a better version of myself. While there are some hygiene factors that need to be in place, but what differentiates one candidate from another is not the similarities but the differences. Melissa helped me maintain my originality and helped me explore sides of myself that I did not even know existed. I guess that it is safe to say that by the end of the process she knew more about me than a lot of my closest friends will ever do. Her insights will stay with me forever and certainly transcend the MBA admission process. Each time I am asked to share my experiences or need to appear for any interview, I will remember to go through her feedback and suggestions because she did not give me a fish to eat but she taught me how to fish. Thanks a lot Melissa. :)

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I worked with Katy off of the rave reviews of a family friend (I contacted her as soon as I decided to apply, because she books up quickly!) and I couldn't have made a better decision. I worked on a 3 school package with her (Wharton, HBS, MIT Sloan) and I received interview invitations from all 3, accepted at Wharton, waitlist at Sloan and did not get into HBS. From the start, Katy was encouraging, knowledgable, and most importantly, honest and straightforward. We began by going through every aspect of my profile in detail and discussing target schools, as well as actionable steps I could take to strengthen my chances (recommending different volunteering opportunities to get involved in, advice for the GMAT, etc).
We extensively brainstormed and discussed a plan of action before starting any applications, and it saved me so much time. Katy is incredibly talented at "weaving" the story together- connecting examples in such a way that gets straight to the point in a powerful way. I felt so confident anytime I spoke with Katy- she really spent the time to get to know me as a person and make sure that was coming through in my application.
Editing each essay was the most time intensive part of the process. Katy made it clear that no essay was done until I was 100% confident and satisfied- we went through dozens of revisions for each essay. Every revision was returned to me extremely quickly- 1 or 2 days, impressive especially considering I was turning them around very quickly as well, often sending a revision the day back the day I received it.
When it came time for interviews, Katy coached me and prepared me for each interview individually, doing mock interviews and sending me a plethora of materials. For HBS, she prepared an entire mock interview tailored to my profile exactly like the real interview was. For Wharton, the group interview, she set me up with a practice group interview with other MBA Mission students, including feedback post-interview.
Anytime I reached out to Katy, I received a response right away. The admissions process is long and exhausting, and can be incredibly stressful at times. Knowing she was there for advice and guidance anytime I needed is what got me through this process. I never would have received the interviews I did, let alone acceptance at Wharton, without Katy. I can't recommend her highly enough!

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If you're looking for an easy route to complete your applications and for someone to write all of your essays for you, I would not use MBA Mission.

However, if you're looking for a thought-provoking, soul-searching service that makes you think critically about your career and how an MBA would help you accomplish that, MBA Mission is perfect for you.

Debbie was my consultant and she was tough in all the right ways. In no way did she write the essays for me; instead, she facilitated my own preparations for my admissions/essays. She brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table and was able to comb through all the various activities/stories/lessons I have gathered over the years, and help me identify key themes and threads that I used to weave into my writing.

In 2011, I applied on my own to full-time MBA and got dinged everywhere I applied at. in 2014, armed with a consultant who has been there before and knew what content would be relevant & interesting to admissions committees, I was accepted everywhere I applied!

I conducted free consultations with Stacey Blackman among other agencies, but MBA Mission stood out to me because of their focus on my performance - and ironically, their lack of a "guarantee" that I would get into one of the schools I would work with them on. From a business model perspective, that really resonated with me.

I could not recommend MBA Mission and Debbie enough!!

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A former Captain in the U.S. Air Force, I was skeptical (not to mention clueless!) about entering the competitive MBA space. With an undergraduate degree in engineering, a masters, and extensive project engineering experience in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Europe, my stories were endless. But where would I start? Could I be effective in telling my whole story? How could I ensure my trials and tribulations caught the AdCom’s eye?

In walked Jessica Shklar. A distinguished graduate from HBS, Jessica was also accepted into Stanford, Kellogg, and Yale. Her resume spoke for itself but I wondered, “Could she help me”? The moment of truth came during my free 30 minute consultation. Starting at 5 pm, our conversation was an interactive and intense self-analysis. In just 30 minutes Jessica gave me a critical but uplifting review of my candidacy – all for the price of FREE. She didn’t pressure me to pay for her services; she only provided incredible feedback and outlined a plan for my future. Why? Because she cares. That’s her priority. Jessica, first and foremost, wants you to succeed. She will challenge you and she will drive you, all in the name of excellence. The moment you sign her is the moment you start your journey towards business school acceptance.

It should come as no surprise that Jessica is the best at what she does. Jessica has helped potential MBA candidates like you get into their dream schools for seven years. Jessica was an expert at pulling experiences from my past and highlighting my goals. Throughout my essays she helped me articulate key points that kept my stories concise yet relevant. Are you wondering how you’ll ever convey your total life experience in two 500 word essays? Stop wondering – hire Jessica. Are you wondering if your resume can compete in a highly competitive environment? Stop wondering – hire Jessica. Are you wondering if your essays in fact answer the essay question? (many don’t!) Stop wondering – hire Jessica.

Why am I writing this? Because Jessica transformed my voice; she was my consultant and my friend. I used Jessica’s services for three schools but I didn't submit any applications. A less than stellar GMAT score coupled with a few personal issues hindered my application. Who guided me through these troubles? Jessica. Who offered alternatives, advice, and still helped me complete three stellar applications for 2015? Jessica. You’re not just hiring a consultant for getting into business school. You’re hiring a lifetime mentor who just happens to be the best in the business at helping MBA candidates gain acceptance into the school(s) of their dreams.

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I applied to HBS and the Stanford GSB with the support of Adam Grossman from mbaMission. I started using his services after completing GMAT but before starting on any brainstorming for essays.

After providing a useful brainstorming template, Adam helped me think carefully through my application strategy and gave me the confidence to truly bring out my individuality in my application.

We then moved on to essays, where he was extremely helpful. He is a professional writer and thus provided expert input on each iteration of my essays, all the while showing great integrity by making sure that the essays remained my own. Similarly, he helped me with some of the short answers, where there is a premium on being concise. He always helped me get the message across in as few words as possible (important for me because I tend to be long-winded).

Adam replied within 24 hours for almost all queries, and was very helpful throughout the process.

I strongly recommend Adam to you if you want to attend business school.

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I started the MBA application journey quite blind to the process and would have been lost without the help of Jessica Shklar from mbaMission. I first met Jessica on the recommendation of a friend who was just admitted to HBS and quickly scheduled a free consultation with her. In this consultation we discussed my background and career aspirations with her giving me tips on target schools and ways to improve my profile before admissions season began in earnest. I knew the moment I hung up the phone that this was the person I needed to get me where I wanted to go. I purchased the start-to-finish package with Jessica and it was the best decision I could have made.

Jessica is incredibly knowledgeable on the MBA admissions process and after filling out a brainstorming document at the start of the process she was able to package my life story far better than I could hope to. Perhaps the greatest benefit of hiring a consultant of Jessica’s caliber is the ability to tie together all of the wonderful and sometimes disparate accomplishments of your life into a coherent and logical path that leads directly through your dream school to your dream job. Jessica and I conducted brainstorming sessions on all the essays from the schools I was applying to. Her ability to quickly cut to the essence of what I needed to articulate on each essay was incredible and provided a much needed starting point to avoid writer’s block. After I tailored my brand and story to each school’s brand and choice of essay I could count on Jessica to quickly respond to each draft in an astoundingly quick manner, providing the feedback I needed to hear on each. She enabled me to articulate my point in a succinct manner, saving valuable space on my word count to tell more of my story (in fact if she had reviewed this post it would already be over). Jessica was able to ensure what I wrote fit not only my brand and the school’s, but also that it answered the question of the essay. Not satisfied with just two sets of eyes on my essays, Jessica would seek out the advice of her colleagues on my essays, who would invariably provide another selling point of my existence that I had not thought of. I cannot stress enough the importance of a consultant’s role as another set of eyes on each revision. For those thinking of going it alone realize how easy it is to become wedded to your hard work on an easy that does not land in the same manner with the adcom. Jessica was there for me through countless revisions each essay, each time giving me immediate feedback that made the essay a little bit better. You are not just purchasing a consultant, but also a network. Jessica provided me with former clients at each school I was applying to. Each one was more than willing to talk over their experiences at the school and their own takes on the admissions process which proved immensely helpful.

My resume was always going to be a tricky endeavor since it was the first one I had created in my life. I entered the military right after college, and had six years of work experience that read like jibberish to the average reader. Jessica was indispensable in her ability to take each bit of jargon on my resume and turn it into something the adcom can understand and appreciate. Trust me if you are coming from a non-traditional background, just because you know what a term means that does not mean the people deciding your future will. This holds true for recommender letters as well, as Jessica will speak to anyone who is willing to guide them through the process of how their letter should read (crucial for those unfamiliar with MBA recs). Jessica will make sure the best version of you is put before the adcom. Her unremitting diligence through numerous iterations of my resume made it into something I never could have created on my own. In fact as I hit submit on my last application, the first thought that hit me was “I could have never done that without Jessica.”

After receiving interview invites, I realized that I had only won a battle and not the war. Once again, Jessica was there for me for interview prep. She gave me incredible tips on how to present myself in the interview and how not to come off as over-rehearsed. In fact her best advice was to “not over prepare,” which she told me repeatedly and thankfully I listened to. She will give you the topics you need to prep for while keeping you from becoming a robot that no school wants to admit. The package I purchased also included a mock interview for each school, with another mbaMission consultant (great to get a fresh perspective as your interviewer will not be the consultant who has known your story for 6 months on interview day). This was especially helpful for my Wharton interview, which has a unique format you will need a mock session for. As a result of Jessica’s uncanny abilities to present the best representation of my story, I was admitted to Yale, Booth, Kellogg, and Columbia while being placed on the waitlist at HBS and Wharton after interviews. I know if it were not for Jessica’s help throughout the process I would have been rejected at these and more schools.

Throughout this strenuous, stressful, and at times confusing process, Jessica was like a light that guided me through the wilderness to business school. She provided advice, encouragement, and when necessary a spur to work harder toward my goals. She became more than just an advisor but a friend. She is the best investment in your future you can make.

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Coming into the MBA application process with a non-traditional background, a decent GMAT & GPA, and a couple of red flags on my application, I didn’t have especially high expectations for my prospects. However, from my initial consultation with Rachel she encouraged me to have confidence that my strengths overshadowed my weaknesses and that top schools were within reach. The best part about working with Rachel was that she took the time & effort to get to know ME, beyond just information I presented in brainstorming documents & resume. In doing so, she helped me flesch out unique details from my experiences that I would have overlooked, and guided me in the development of essays that truly showed my personality.

While Rachel was instrumental in helping me craft my application strategies and essay themes, the work was undoubtedly my own. As someone who takes pride in their writing skills, this was important to me as I considered signing up with an admissions consultant. With a journalism background, Rachel helped me distill my ideas & essays which is critical to the application process where you have a small amount of space to tell revealing & compelling stories. She was persistent and honest with me, and as committed to my success as I was. Several of my essays went through 15 versions, and Rachel was always willing to talk through roadblocks with me.

Rachel was an incredible teammate, and I am very grateful for her support – and she is very supportive – as she helped keep my spirits up through the grueling & bewildering application process. I’ve been accepted to 3 of the 4 schools I applied to (waitlisted at the 4th) and know I would not have been so successful had I not worked with Rachel.

I’d wholeheartedly recommend Rachel & MBAMission to anyone applying to business school, it was the best decision I made during this process.

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