My admission success (admitted to Wharton, MIT Sloan and INSEAD) would have never happened without Katherine Lewis. We have worked together for two years. The first year, I applied to two schools and did not get in. Katy did not let me give up. She not only motivated me to work harder but frequently went out of her way to help me submit six applications the following year. As a result, I got admission letters from Wharton, MIT Sloan, INSEAD with a substantial scholarship from Wharton. We are in touch till this day.

There are many fantastic things about working with Katy. But the following are probably the most important:

1. Responsiveness/always being there – Katy was really there for me whenever I needed her, even during the holidays and weekends. She was sending me revised essays within a day! She was always available to talk whenever I wanted to ask for her advice. When I was in Poland, she would literally work around the clock to make it work despite the time zone differences. I have always felt that she is as committed and engaged in the process as I was. I have never felt that she had other clients – although I know she had. She helped me to apply to 6 schools in 1 round!

2. Honesty and pushing back – I am educated in Eastern Europe. We are not used to writing essays in an “American way” and it took me a lot of time to adjust my style and understand how to tell my story. What I truly appreciate about Katy is the fact that she was always giving me an honest feedback, teaching me how to keep the message simple and learn how to “show” instead of “tell”. Her questions would make me think deeper about the underlying reasons and messages behind the story I wanted to tell.

3. Deep engagement and support – Katy frequently went out of her way to support me. I felt that she truly mentored me on the whole admission process, thinking with me on how to improve my GMAT score, which recommenders to choose ( I changed them from first year to the second one), which schools and programs to apply to. She did not have an easy time with me – I have sent her 40 pages of my bio before we started working with each other and she helped me to extract main massages. All of my essays had dozens of iterations. Katy's patience with me was incredible.

4. Getting to know you – I believe that trust is extremely important while working with a consultant. Katy made me feel since the beginning that I am important to her as a person. She made me feel that she was truly interested in my dreams, challenges, and career. Due to that, she was able to understand me on a much deeper level. Hence, my essays were much stronger, much more personal. I truly hope that we will keep in touch. And I more than recommend working with Katy to anyone!

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John Sisk was an incredible and invaluable help throughout the admissions process, breaking down the daunting task of brainstorming, writing and applying into small, non-intimidating components. I still can't believe how efficient and streamlined the process was. Sisk helped me refine my career story and shaped my application into the strongest I could make it. Due to his guidance and strategizing, I was invited to interview. And thanks to his rehearsing with me, my interview went really well, and I will be joining the Stanford GSB class of 2016. It is definitely worth working with Mbamission if you want to get into your dream school. Thank you again John!

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I had a great experience with mbaMission - as a non-traditional applicant I felt extremely intimidated by the process, but felt that my consultant, Susan, had my back every step of the way. She was particularly useful when I was in a bind to get my applications done on a quick timetable, and asked all the right questions to get me where I needed to be. She pushed me to really get my story straight as why I need my MBA to accomplish my goals, something I struggled to do on my own. She also was very accessible by email at all times. I highly recommend mbaMission for anyone - as I got into my first choice school.

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I worked with Rachel Beck on the two school package for Columbia Business School and London Business School.

I was immediately impressed by Rachel's thorough knowledge of the admissions process. I also think her background in journalism serves her well when it comes to drawing out interesting aspects of a candidate's background. When it comes to me personally, I did not have a traditional background and had a weak GPA (3.0) but a very strong GMAT (750). She dug in immediately and spent hours on the phone with me talking through my background, and the aspects that would resonate with the admissions boards of the schools that interested me.

We then set about the writing process, which began with conceptual discussions which evolved into outlines and then first drafts followed by numerous rounds of back-and-forth editing. The progress was steady and on schedule (I'm sure I would have fallen behind, if not for Rachel). Importantly, Rachel was always extremely responsive and did thoughtful work that improved my essays in a quick amount of time.

I was very happy with the finished product, because it was not only polished and tight, but also an honest reflection of the person I am. When it came to interviewing, Rachel made the process a calm exercise. She conducted mock interviews with me and didn't rest until I was fully prepared. Her approach made the (somewhat daunting) prospect of a business school interview totally do-able.

The final result was acceptance to both schools, and I don't think I could have done it without Rachel's help.

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I worked with Katy on a 4 school package and was admitted to my top choice and waitlisted at two others. When I first spoke with Katy during a free consultation I was immediately impressed with the amount of background research she had already done, really familiarizing herself with my resume and the company I worked for. She really took the time to address my questions and concerns and didn’t aggressively force a sales pitch upon me, which is why I knew she would be great to work with.

Coming from an engineering background where going to business school was a foreign concept, I decided I wanted to go with the comprehensive 4 school package. This turned out to be a great decision. As someone totally unfamiliar to the application process, the comfort of always having someone to turn to for the even the smallest questions proved to be invaluable and really allowed me to relax and focus of getting my story across. From the outset, Katy helped me narrow down the schools I should apply to based on the criteria that were most important to me, a step I feel is often overlooked. During our brainstorming sessions, she delved deep into my experiences and aspirations to really get at the heart of who I was and what I bring to the table as a candidate. Taking the time to be thorough early on really aided in essay writing and interview prep later on.

Katy was also instrumental in honing my essay writing and interview skills. In an ultra-competitive process such as applying to top B-Schools, you never know which little mistake may be the difference between acceptance and rejection. Katy helped me get my message across in a clear and concise way while avoiding the pitfalls of coming across as too arrogant, too modest, too wordy, etc. Our mock interview sessions, while exhausting, proved to be just the tune up I needed prior to my actual interviews, allowing me to walk in feeling confident and relaxed.

Overall Katy was extremely helpful through every step of the application process. She went above and beyond the “required” duties of a consultant and really built a relationship with me. I would strongly recommend Katy to any prospective students applying to top schools.

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I worked with Dan Richards in 2014 and was admitted to my top choice - a top 3 school – and received money at another. I owe Dan much credit for making those schools options of mine.

I used a consultant because my work experience is difficult to explain and I needed help presenting a cohesive story. And, I wanted a third party to evaluate and help me better each aspect of my candidacy. I sought to work with Dan because we’d met before and I trusted him instantly.

Dan helped hugely, first with my resume - using it to show achievements, put in layman's terms what I do, and cut the fluff; and second, with crafting my pitch by asking probing questions that made me think about how I could make myself a more appealing candidate at each of my schools. Put simply: Dan helped shore up gaps/inconsistencies in and contributed many good ideas to my applications.

What I liked most about working with Dan wasn’t his editing skills (and he's good!), but rather his honest and frank approach. That allowed us to spend our energy on what was actually important. Dan believes in doing things right and not just what’s most convenient, and that's where he added most value. Sometimes Dan gave feedback I didn't *want* to hear but *needed* to hear ("that essay topic is not optimal, how about you write about this?" or "that sentence seems forced, let’s cut that," etc.). I took Dan’s advice and am in the enviable position of choosing among many top schools.

Dan's a professional, thoughtful, and smart guy. Even better, Dan knows his MBA applications. I’m thankful Dan was on my side throughout this process.

Can't recommend Dan Richards enough!

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I worked with Angela Guido from mbaMission for the one-school package. I just applied to HBS and was admitted. Working with Angela was one of the smartest decisions that I made during my application process. I was very late in getting my application together for Round 1. So for me, her ability to help me work/navigate through the time crunch, yet still help me convey my true feelings was incredibly helpful. It’s fair to say that our timeline was even unreasonable, yet Angela figured out ways to make it work.

Angela’s biggest strength is her ability to help you bring out what is meaningful in your story. We spent a lot of time going through numerous stories and lessons in my self-reflection (brainstorming) doc and ultimately synthesize what was most meaningful. She helped me dig deep and recognize valuable life-lessons that I would have otherwise missed. Angela is clearly a vet – she knows what is important from an admissions perspective and can help you showcase your best qualities.

After the themes of my essays were decided, Angela continued to help me craft the perfect story. She was incredibly helpful in helping me put together a clear, fluent, well-written essay. And her editing was on-point as she managed to improve my drafts without losing my personal touch. Every time I sent her a draft, she would respond (promptly) with clear feedback and thoughtful edits.

Overall, Angela was wonderful in every category. She was thorough and helped me with each part of my application (including my resume and the post-reflection essay). She was also very responsive which was critical to me meeting the deadline. I would highly recommend Angela!

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For me, the MBA process was often very stressful, especially for the essays part. I wasn't a good writer, and I had limited time to spend on applications, out of work. Like most applicants, I also wanted some kind of assurance that if I follow some path that an admission consultant suggests, I would get into the school I wanted.

I signed up for some free consultations, and mbaMission was an easy choice among them - Jeremy Shinewald was very helpful, informed and truly sincere. Soon, I signed up with mbaMission for the school packages, and later matched me with Susan.

To be honest, two months in, something felt "off". I felt like I wasn't getting the attention I wanted, and I had no confidence in that I would succeed. Coming to think of it now, it was just a misunderstanding, but anyone can be very stressed out during the process. I confronted this problem with Jeremy and Susan, and even asked to change consultants. If they just wanted to avoid the problem, they would have done so. But Susan reassured me that changing consultants is not going to help me get the result I wanted. I think this is when I realized Susan was a professional - it proved that she really cared, and she was focused on why this process was happening.

My greatest mistake throughout the process is that I wanted to feel "safe" and to save time. No consultant is going to assure their clients 100%, because it is not only risky, but also makes the client laid back and not work as hard. Again, the admission consulting service is not a ticket to the admissions - it is a service that helps your time and effort not go to waste, which happens so often when you're not good at something. I realized this mid-process, and I have Susan to thank for it. She motivated me to the right direction, and wasn't afraid to tell me the truth. She worked really hard - there wasn't a time she was late on her comments or anything that she promised, and we went to like 12 drafts for one essay. For another essay, at draft 7, she wasn't afraid to tell me that I should scratch the whole thing and start a new one.

Thanks to Susan, I got an acceptance letter to the school I wanted. Susan is definitely the professional consultant you want if you are serious about getting in the school you want.

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Early last year, I observed Angela from mbaMission lead a seminar for MBA applicants, and I found her approach to storytelling to be very helpful. In the summer, I decided to apply to MBA programs in Round 1. After a consultation with Angela, I knew that she would help me a lot, but like many, I felt unsure of whether working with a consultant was worth the financial investment. I took the plunge because I wanted to feel that I gave my applications my all, and it was absolutely worth it.

I chose to apply to four competitive schools and started working with Angela. When we brainstormed essay ideas, I initially struggled to come up with compelling ones. I held back on discussing various experiences that I didn’t think were relevant to business or leadership. When Angela asked me to talk more about struggles, I brought up these seemingly disparate experiences, and she was able to connect them to reveal an evolution in how I approached my work. She helped develop a framework to write my first essay using these experiences, which made it easier to execute. This helped me get on a roll in crafting all of my essays and made me view my experiences in a new way. I wouldn’t have written about some of the professional experiences that affected me personally if Angela had not helped me realize I could do so appropriately and artfully.

So far, I've received admission to HBS and Wharton, 2 out of 4. It may become 3, as I'm still waiting to hear back from one school. Even if I had not gained admission, I think I would have still felt that working with Angela was beneficial, because the skills you hone are applicable beyond MBA applications. You may not have to write another essay about a time you worked in a team, but you will have to maintain a resume, interview, articulate your value, and be able to tell your story for the rest of your life. Going through this process with Angela improves your ability to do that. You will come out with better self-awareness. The MBA application process can be an intense journey, and it’s nice to have a knowledgeable, supportive friend along the way.

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I engaged mbaMission after vetting a few other companies and was matched with Debbie Choy (note I chose her out of 3 potential matches). I was looking to submit applications to 3 very top schools in the first round, and engaged Debbie about 6 weeks before the first app was due. Below is more detail on the key things she helped with:

-Debbie provided a brainstorming document, which I then spent a long time filling out. We had a 1.5 hour call where we discussed all kinds of stories about me. This is where Debbie helped me identify what was important and what we wanted to convey to the admission committees.
-I personally think this is beneficial outside of the application process because you learn more about yourself and what really matters to you, and Debbie forces you to think about what you honestly want to do for a career.

-Debbie also helped me create a resume (B School resumes are a bit different than work resumes, so I had to create a new one). She helped with wording, formatting, and deciding what to include/exclude.

-Then we started on the essays, and Debbie first helped me structure the essay (I was very impressed at how quickly she could pull together an effective structure after just getting to know me), and then I would create a more detailed outline based on the agreed upon structure.

-Once we finalized an outline (sometimes this took one attempt, and other times it took a few revisions), I would write the first draft. Debbie would review and provide comments, questions, suggestions, better syntax etc. and ultimately we would go back and forth until we both liked the essay.

Overall, I completed the 3 applications on time and got into one school, and got interviews or am still in process at the others. Debbie helped me from beginning to end (even after I was accepted). Debbie is rock solid on all aspects of MBA consulting, but I also think her true value comes from her ability to quickly understand someone and then provide legitimate personal and professional advice. Highly recommend Debbie!

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