My friends and family questioned my decision to hire a consultant given the ROI; however, I knew that I needed the guidance only a consultant could provide. After reading the reviews of various consulting firms via GMAT Club and other sites, I decided to use mbaMission. Prior to the formal start of my engagement, I was contacted by Jeremy, the owner (much to my surprise given the size of the firm!), and he assigned me to Susan Kaplan after determining what I was looking for in a consultant.

Susan was fantastic from the start! I value direct, honest feedback, and she began the engagement by explaining the process, along with my candidacy strengths and weaknesses. Once application season kicked into high gear, she was fabulous at maintaining a high level of communication, as well as providing words of encouragement (all of you know that this is a brutal process and can wear you down at times!). I was accepted into both of the programs to which I applied, including one that was considered more of a "reach" for me. My investment in mbaMission paid off 10x, and I would highly recommend anybody on the fence to go forward!!!

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Hi all! I am writing to recommend Helen with FLYING colors. Her name was sent my way by several people, both students and admissions officers who are familiar with her work. I set out to apply to one of the most competitive business school programs, the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and with Helen's help I was able to apply and got accepted in Round 1!

Helen was extremely thorough. She really leveraged the brainstorming exercise to identify key elements of you application that you should highlight. She also asked the tough questions to ensure that your story is tight and make sense. She is also very straight forward and realistic. She was not afraid to point out where the weaknesses were in my application and how we could compensate. She gave me honest feedback on my essays telling me when what I wrote was just fluff. She also continually pushed me to be better saying, "This is good but I know it can be better."

Helen is EXTREMELY experienced and qualified. An HBS alum herself she knows the process and is very blunt in letting you know what it takes. Also, she know how stressful the process can be and was very accessible when I needed her and was great about turning around feedback in very quick timing. She was also ALWAYS willing to hop on a call and talk through any questions I had on her feedback.

I can honestly say I would NOT have gotten in GSB without Helen! I hope many of you can have the same great experience I did!

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Dan was super smart, knowledgable and helpful throughout the process. He helped me brainstorm essay topics, edited and proofread my essays, helped revamp my resume and provided general guidance along the way. He helped me better understand how the admissions committee thinks and how they would view the application. This was especially helpful because I was somewhat of a nontraditional applicant. He was super responsive to my emails. And he's just a cool guy. Very genuine and easy to connect with.

At the end of the day, I'm not sure I should have worked with an Admissions Consultant at all. Not because Dan wasn't great. He was! But I already knew a lot from reading books and blogs about the process, and talking to students, alumni, and others. So I was pretty well informed. I think I could have gone through the process without a consultant and received the same results.

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For those just starting the process,

When I first started balancing the admissions process along with a full time job in financial services, I was certainly overwhelmed. I was unfamiliar with the admissions process, what would be expected in my essays, and how to differentiate myself. But with Rachel's help, the daunting process became much more seamless. Rachel was flexible, patient, and really worked tirelessly to help me discover "my story." There were countless brainstorming sessions just to get to know me, which ensured my personality/goals were properly condensed into 250-word essays.

Rachel's career in journalism certainly helped. Once we found my story, she really showed the difference between "telling" it and "showing" it. Together, we found ways for my words to "jump off the page" so the admissions committee could understand who I am without me telling them.

But aside from the brainstorming and numerous edits of my essays, Rachel became a real confidant and someone I could trust to guide me through the process. There were many panicked phone calls and late night emails, but she always responded promptly, reassuringly, and insightfully. I can't imagine how I would have gone through the process without her. After I heard that I had been accepted to my first choice, there was only one person I had to call first, and that was Rachel. I highly recommend her to those just starting out.

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I highly recommend working with Rachel Beck at mbaMission; this was the BEST decision I made during the admission process.

Rachel is innovative, dependable, organized, genuinely caring and always on time. From the start, she helped me to break down the intimidating application process and create realistic deadlines for myself. mbaMission’s comprehensive approach, to attack each school’s application with an initial brainstorm and then work on iterations of each essay was crucial for keeping me organized while applying to 7 schools. Rachel was always able to provide an answer to any question or review an essay within 2 business days—she is super organized.

By taking the time to get to know me and learn about my experiences, Rachel was able to help me think of new angles to essay topics. She always had a new idea of how to spice up or reframe a story.

Whenever I hit a roadblock—whether I was stuck on an essay topic or worried about video interviews—Rachel would take the time to talk me through the issue and find a solution. If ever Rachel did not have specific information about an application off the top of her head, she would be sure to follow up with her team to best answer my questions.

Not only does Rachel have inventive ideas about approaching applications, she provides great moral support through this trying time and helped me to keep a positive attitude.

I’ve been accepted to 4 of the 6 business schools to which I applied and also received scholarships from 3! Working with Rachel Beck was a great return on investment and true pleasure!! I appreciate all of your hard work!

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Helen Summers is amazing. When considering to use the services of an admissions consultant I was a little sceptical. I read a lot of testimonials and reviews like this very one and wondered whether the candidates behind all those with successful admission experiences actually needed a consultant to begin with. I wondered whether they were all just exceptional individuals and whether their constant made any real difference. I now know the answer to those questions and let me tell you that I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Helen is the person who got me into Booth, without her I can honestly say that I would not be heading to business school this fall. I guess the true test of Helen’s skills a consultant and her impact on my application is whether I would use her services again. My answer is categorically YES.

Helen’s skills and contribution to my application are best represented by comparing my submitted essays with my very early attempts, particularly those that I attempted prior to working with her. The difference is massive, to the point where I am now embarrassed by my initial attempts. I put a huge amount of effort into my application and Helen matched me at every step. Helen went above and beyond what she was contracted to do. She regularly sent me feedback within a few hours and worked until the early hours of the morning and at weekends. We only spent a few weeks working together but I think almost every essay had at least 10 or 11 drafts! So be prepared to work hard.

I was really impressed with how professional Helen was yet she remained so personal. She was honest, fair and not afraid to provide me with ideas and the constructive criticism necessary to improve my application. This is what really made the difference between creating an average application and the one that got me admitted. She pushed me further than I would have pushed myself, she ensured that every word of my application had meaning and maximum impact. Helen is a pleasure to work with, generous with her time and contributions. It is clear from working with Helen that she genuinely feels for her clients and wants them to succeed, not only from a professional perspective but also personal.

Not only did Helen help me create a successful application, but I learnt a huge amount about myself from working with her. I also learnt so much about the MBA application process and what schools are looking for. I have a sub 700 GMAT score and was regarded as a ‘wild card’ for Booth. But because of Helen this wild card got accepted!

Deciding to work with Helen and MBA Mission is probably one of the best investments/decisions that I’ve ever made.

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Pamela Jaffe at MBAMission played a huge role in my acceptance to my top choice school! It made the process smoother and without a doubt, much more successful!!
Here’s what makes Pamela amazing to work with:

* Her work/travel experience – Pamela has experience with a variety of industries and she has traveled extensively. My job includes lots of travel – Pamela was able to relate to my experiences ranging from Europe to Asia and the Middle East

* Pamela is incredibly direct – there’s no second guessing her feedback. She pushed me to dig deeper and write better essays. She explained why something wasn’t working or what may be missing, it was easy for me to trust her judgment!

* Pamela was always available to help - I particularly struggled with one of my essay questions, Pamela was happy to have multiple brainstorming sessions with me. She didn’t give up until we found the perfect experience to fit


*** Most important -- Pamela encouraged me to apply to ‘reach’ and ‘stretch’ schools. Although my gmat score was well below average, she suggested that my unique background could keep me competitive – and she was right!! With Pamela’s help I got into a top 10 school! I highly recommend Pamela at MBAMission!!

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As a nontraditional candidate from a nonprofit background, I was initially worried about applying to business school. I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to work closely with Susan Kaplan throughout the process. Susan not only allayed my concerns, she worked with me to clarify my goals and present them in a clear and concise manner. Through the brainstorming and writing process, Susan helped me to present my experiences creatively and in a compelling way.

Susan was a thorough and meticulous reader of my work and by working with her, I was able to hone my writing abilities and develop a clearer sense of my career goals. Beyond that, she was encouraging and very attentive throughout the process, working quickly to give me feedback.

I truly cannot recommend her highly enough. With Susan's help I was able to get into my first choice program: Columbia.

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I have spent the last two years working with Adam Grossman at mbaMission. Due in very large part to his extraordinary insight and talent, I was admitted to the top-10 b-school of my dreams.

The key factors that made my experience with Adam not only successful, but also enjoyable, are as follows.
1. Right from the start, Adam did an amazing job of candidly assessing my strengths and weaknesses, gaining a feel for my personality, and identifying the schools that were the best fit for me.
2. Since I was in the middle of a significant career transition, Adam helped me to develop a sound long-tem application strategy that significantly strengthened my candidacy.
3. Before my target school's application was available, Adam took the time to walk me through the entire application process, develop a timeline, and discuss how I could make the most of his support. I began the process with a very clear understanding not only of the steps involved, but also of the general message that I wanted to convey to the AdCom and how Adam could assist with that.
4. Once the application was posted, Adam got me started on essay brainstorming immediately. Because he had taken the time to get to know me, Adam was able to identify essay topics that I hadn't thought of and that weren't covered in depth in my resume. We outlined topics in a way that was consistent with my overall message.
5. Over a three-month period, Adam enthusiastically reviewed more than 30 of my essay drafts and provided significant opportunities for improvement with each revision. Because he had been so candid throughout the process, I believed him when he said that my essays were ready. As it turns out, he was right.
6. The interview prep was phenomenal. Adam's insight went a very long way toward easing my anxiety and helping me to craft answers that showed introspection, thoughtfulness, and fit with my target school.

Whether your application is due in two weeks or in two years, Adam will get to know you, candidly evaluate your strengths and weaknesses, and provide you with all the direction you need to prepare for applying to your target school. I could not recommend him more highly.

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I highly recommend using mbaMission and consultant Adam Grossman. The start to finish package was perfect for me because I was very uncomfortable with the application process and knew I would struggle writing personal essays.

First, Adam helped me identify my school list, since I was unsure how many/which schools to apply to. We then brainstormed to identify my "story". He really helped me articulate my value-adds and goals in the "why MBA" and contribution essays. I was impressed by his patience and attention to detail - one essay had 15 drafts. That said, you write your own essays entirely and must keep yourself on the various school deadlines.

I also worked with Adam to think about the non-traditional essays (NYU Stern, Booth). We came up with great ideas that reflected my individually. He shared what he saw as the unique elements of my candidacy, which I did not see myself.

I also took advantage of the interview prep for Wharton's TBD. It was very helpful to do a trial run.

The process requires a lot of work, but it was 1000 times better with Adam to help me stay focused and efficient. In the end, I was admitted to one of my top choices.

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