Background: 730 GMAT; 4 years experience at a boutique investment bank; 3.4 GPA at a state school

When I decided to apply to business schools in the first couple months of 2013, I reached out to a few MBA application consulting firms for free consultations, and I immediately clicked with Jessica Shklar from mbaMission. During our 30-minute call, she was able to point out parts of my resume that I was understating and suggested a few schools that she thought would be good fits for me.

I signed up for mbaMissions start-to-finish package and once essay questions began to be released, my first brainstorming session with Jessica was a complete success. Even though my brainstorming document was about half the length of typical clients, she was able to ask all the right questions about my background and experiences to piece together a coherent and compelling "story" for me that I never would have thought of on my own.

After that call, I reviewed my notes and began drafting my first essay. Upon submitting my first draft, Jessica promptly reverted back to me thorough and extremely helpful comments while also making sure that I continued to write in my own voice by always being open to discuss any questions or concerns. She also kept me on track and periodically checked in on my progress given that the two schools I was applying to (HBS & Booth) had relatively earlier deadlines. Even my recommenders had nothing but compliments for her style of input. Once the time came to submit my applications, we did one final review of the entire application for each school, including all the short answers, and I was very proud of the applications I was able to produce.

If you are looking for someone that will truly make the grueling application process enjoyable and less stressful, please give Jessica a call, as she was always genuinely invested in my success all the way from school selection to essay drafting to interview prep and even post-admission advice. There was no way I would’ve gotten into Booth without her wonderful advice.

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First off, I 100% recommend mbaMission to anybody who is serious and dedicated to getting into a top MBA program. The start-to-finish consulting service was clearly organized, professional, and very thorough. You absolutely get your money's worth.

With that being said, I was lucky enough to work with Rachel Beck who is not only a phenomenal writer but a fantastic story-teller. Right off the bat she was able to draw out pieces of my history and string them together into a cohesive and comprehensive story illustrating who I am and where I want to go. The entire process took a lot of soul-searching, but if you are willing to put in the time, you will absolutely reap the benefits of a clear and all-encompassing application.

Rachel was fantastic to work with and I could genuinely see that she cared about me and my future. All emails, inquiries, and drafts were promptly responded to. She also followed up at various times during the application process to check on my progress. Most important, though, was that she gave me honest feedback that helped craft a strong application about my goals going forward. She let me know what was going to work and what was going to face-plant. I'm a born critic, and have no problem calling anybody out if they are slacking or not putting in 100%. I can say with utmost certainty that Rachel put everything into helping me succeed. She is the type of person that strives to help others anyway possible. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised how much effort she put into the entire process, start to finish.

I wholeheartedly would recommend Rachel for anybody seriously contemplating a top B-School. If you are looking for a consultant with strong writing skills, an honest opinion, and a very hard work-ethic, then Rachel is your girl!

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I signed up with Dan in May for a three school package, unsure if I would be a great candidate for top 10 business schools. By September I had gotten into my top choice (and a top 10 business school). I highly recommend Dan for several reasons.

First, he is extremely knowledgeable and helps de-mystify the process for you. I had done my research on schools through forums and blogs but I still had a lot of questions and Dan was willing and able to answer all of them. He also helped me set a schedule to keep me on track and get my applications done on time. In fact, I was able to get my application to my top school submitted one month before I had planned! This definitely helped my chances since I was applying to a rolling admissions school.

Additionally, my essays would not have been nearly as strong without his help. He knows what the admissions committees are looking for. Several times I figured my essays were good enough but Dan would push me to keep re-writing until I had an excellent essay. He definitely will tell it like it is and provide honest feedback which you might not get if just a friend or family member is reviewing your essays.

Furthermore, Dan really helped me articulate my story and journey to getting an MBA. He was able to help me determine which parts of my story to highlight that would make me a unique and strong applicant. Dan helped me weave this story into my responses during our mock interview which ultimately allowed me to nail my actual interview. I had done several behavioral interviews before, but the MBA interview is different and Dan was a great coach.

I truly would not have been as strong of a candidate without Dan’s help. He played a critical role in my applications and interviews.

For those who are hesitant due to the price of the services – this is a small price to pay compared to the tuition of business school. Spend the money now to give yourself the best shot of getting into the schools you want. You won't regret hiring Dan and mbaMission!

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I'm really grateful to Jessica and mbaMission for helping me craft the most compelling story and for being great support during the incredibly difficult MBA admissions process. Jessica helped me understand my strengths and weaknesses as an MBA candidate, and she gave an objective opinion every time. Now that I'm in the first couple weeks of business school, I am finding that the consulting sessions are still paying dividends. The resume that I'm now using to get internship opportunities has been edited and crafted with Jessica's help. But most importantly, I continue to use the narratives Jessica helped me uncover now that I'm looking for internships.

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Dan is fantastic. First off, even before I had engaged him as a paid client he gave me very honest feedback about what I could expect and whether or not the schools I was considering were right for me both in terms of fit and the strength of my application. I also love how rather than holding your hand to craft an “ideal” cookie-cutter application for the schools you’re applying to, he puts a bigger focus on helping you to tease out what your own compelling story really is. His feedback was always insightful and his easygoing manner made him a pleasure to talk to and work with. Highly recommended.

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Working with Rachel from MBAMission was a very smooth and stress-free experience for me, for the following reasons:

- Rachel made sure I understood the process and helped me stick to a schedule.
- She listened to me carefully and asked insightful questions that helped me build a better application
- She was a thorough professional, turning around documents ahead of time whenever possible.
- She is committed to her clients, even working through an interview prep with me despite the fact that she had laryngitis.
- She has a solid work ethic i.e. she made sure I received all of the services I had paid for (school guides, interview prep for xx number of schools, etc). I didn't have to worry about following up for these types of things.

I didn't know what to expect going into the process, but looking back, I think Rachel & MBAMission were exactly what I needed to help me bring out the best in my application.

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I knew I would benefit from using a MBA consultant but what I received was far more than what I had expected. Angela Guido was my consultant and I knew I would be a good fit after our initial complementary call. Coming from non-English background, I wasn’t particularly confident in writing essays. For this, I had expected her to “fix” my essay to make it more “glamorous”, but instead she guided me to write my essays on my own that would have my unique colors. At times, she would barely tell me to revise my essay even though I thought it sucked, and the other times, she would tell me to completely scrap my essay even though I thought it was a decent draft. Yes, my essays might have had some grammar errors here and there but they truly sounded like my own work. And Angela did a fantastic job guiding me to making that final product. From constructing good stories and a stronger resume to preparing myself as a professional interviewee, she was always there for me. She made me realize who I am, how much I have achieved and what I really wanted to do after business school.

The results were phenomenal: I applied to 8 schools from so-called top 15 schools (I did 5 schools with MBAMission) and I got interview invitations from 7 schools, waitlisted by 3 schools and accepted by 3 schools. I got off the waitlist from one school in the end. I also received $40k scholarship from one school and that’s where I am headed this fall. I was again impressed how Angela kept in mind of my success for the additional 3 schools I did on my own. She was genuinely happy when she heard the great news.

I don’t know if I would have had to same results had I done all these on my own but I highly doubt it. I would highly recommend Angela Guido and MBAMission to anybody considering going to the B-School. You won’t be disappointed by your return on investment. $10k does sound a lot but hey, you’re going to need to spend around $200k during your MBA and an additional $10k can really get you far.

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At first I was very hesitant to sign up for a school package. I had heard about admissions consultants and thought that I would be able to get the same amount of valuable insight from forums online without paying the money. I ended up doing the free thirty minute consultation with Helen and realized I needed to sign up for a school package.

Helen is a perfectionist and is a great person to have on your side throughout the admissions process. She works with you to figure out how to make you shine and helps you convey your story in the best way possible. She goes above and beyond, constantly proofreading drafts and always giving really insightful feedback. She has a very fast response rate and I never felt like I was waiting for her to get back to me. It actually felt like she was keeping me on schedule! On top of it all, she is honest and gives feedback in a way that does not seem critical or judgmental. Applying to business school is stressful, but I always felt like I had an edge with Helen. I know I would not be going to a top program (with a fellowship) if it wasn't for all of her help and guidance.

Ultimately, I only wanted to apply to business school once. I wanted to be sure that I was selecting schools that I could see myself going to, but that I also had a good shot at getting into. I knew that if I didn't use a consultant and ended up not getting in anywhere, I would be really disappointed knowing I'd have to wait another year to re-apply. I decided I wasn't okay with wondering "what if" and so I bit the bullet and signed up to work with Helen. I couldn't be happier!

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Katherine is more than an essay consultant; she is a true mentor and adviser. Not only did she exceed my expectations - helping me craft my essays, but she continued to help me craft e-mails to admissions staff, current students and alumni, which is what I believe sealed the deal. More importantly, she was a constant source of support and advice thought out what was a very stressful time.

I would have not gotten into my top choice school if it wasn't for her and I know my co-worker (who referred me) feels the same way. In fact, I recommend her to all my friends and wish I could still pick her brain as I apply for summer MBA internships.

I cannot imagine an admissions consultant better than her and I give her my highest recommendation.

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I'm very excited to to say that I will be attending Wharton this fall and I couldn't have done it without Helen's help! Before working with Helen, I felt like I had a solid understanding of my answers to the major b-school application questions - why b-school, why school X, why now - and that I just needed a second opinion on my essays. Helen provided that and SO much more! She was the candid and honest voice that I needed to help my writing be genuine, clear, and impactful. She helped me dig deeper into my experiences to ensure I was bringing all relevant examples to the forefront of my application. She asked the tough questions and gave the hard-to-hear feedback when needed. And above all, she got to know me and gave me the opportunity to get to know her which tremendously benefited our working relationship that lasted a few short months. Her vibrant personality paired with her utmost professionalism made her a pleasure to work with and I hope that she continues to impact many future MBA candidates!

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