mbaMission Admissions Consulting Reviews

This is a review for using the hourly services at mbaMission. I worked entirely with Rachel, beginning in early June, until my acceptance into my first choice school in late September. We had a kick-off call to discuss which schools I was applying to and she gave me really helpful feedback on my list, and suggested a few that I hadn't really considered.

I mainly used the hourly services for help with my essays. Throughout the writing process, Rachel gave really specific, detailed edits and feedback - I hadn't written in years, and when I wrote my first drafts, a lot of important details/aspects of my story were missing. I felt like Rachel really knew me, and knew where I wanted to go with my MBA, and so her comments and revisions were completely in line with my overall story; with her help I was able to translate my story into 250 or 500-word nuggets without losing important elements. Throughout it all, Rachel was very, very supportive but never shied from pushing me to deliver the best possible versions of my story to the Admissions Committees. She was incredibly responsive and was always willing to schedule a call if I felt like I had more questions. In the end, I was accepted into CBS early decision, and I give Rachel's guidance and coaching a lot of credit with helping me get there.

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After hearing glowing reviews from a fellow college alumni, I signed up for Dan’s help with three applications. I had done a lot of research on business schools and thought I had a strong grasp on which programs would be best for my post-MBA goals. However, my free 30 minute consultation with Dan made me quickly realize I needed to give it more thought; it also solidified Dan was the right person to guide me through the process.

If you are considering working with a consultant, I highly recommend Dan for three reasons:

1. He will push you to achieve your best application

We went through multiple rounds of essay and resume drafts. While the changes between drafts seemed small, the difference between the first and final versions was night and day. By asking detailed follow-up questions, Dan helped me cut through “the noise” and highlight my biggest accomplishments.

2. Dan is a seasoned professional

I was blown away by his knowledge of the various programs. Dan spoke at length about the pros/cons of several schools, ultimately helping me strategize on which ones would be the best fit. His knowledge also helped me craft my story to align with a niche industry, even though my professional experience in the area was limited. There is no doubt, Dan is a b-school guru.

3. You will have a real partner who wants you to succeed

Dan provided priceless insight into even my most basic application questions. He also guided me through vital decisions, such as retaking standardize testing. Dan and I tackled every aspect of the application together, making the process that much simpler.

Choosing to enlist Dan’s help was perhaps the best decision I made in the application process. I’m happy to say that all of the hard work paid off, as I was accepted by my top choice.

I wish you luck in your business school journey.

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I worked with Dan Richards on 3 school applications (CBS/Wharton/Fuqua) - CBS was my top choice and I was ultimately accepted ED.

Dan was instrumental in helping with the brainstorming/editing process. He is not afraid to be frank or push you on points where you can improve. It was also especially helpful that he went to my top choice and was able to provide detailed knowledge. I would say the mbaMission brainstorming method seems a bit daunting and time-consuming at first, but trust the method since your advisor (esp. Dan) has seen it work time and time again. It feels like a lot of upfront work even though you might instinctively want to jump straight into writing - take the pause to brainstorm with your adviser first - it's worth it. Beyond assisting with essays, your advisor will also prepare with you for mock interviews - Dan was very flexible about when we could jump on the phone to do these, and it was helpful to get into the interview mindset to see how you would perform (and how you could improve) for the real interview.

Definitely exceeded my expectations and would recommend Dan for help with applications to any top school.

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I chose to go with the hourly services so that I could spread the consulting time out over a number of different schools. I had very little traditional business experience so I really needed someone to help me frame my story and experience in a way that would speak to the admissions committee. Today I'm happy to report that I got into my TOP school, and I really could not have done it without Melissa.

From day one she was very professional. She never wasted any of my time on our phone calls and was completely transparent about the amount of time spent on assignments and emails. Not only did I appreciate this level of transparency, it helped keep the costs down by allowing me to only buy as much time as necessary. I used every minute that I paid for.

Melissa initially helped me with school selection, which wasn't easy because I was aiming for Columbia with a GMAT of 640. But when I decided to forge ahead anyway, she was nothing but supportive.

We then spent a considerable amount of time on my resume. Like other people have stated, they do not write the documents for you. But that wouldn't be authentic anyway. Melissa's guidance on my bullet points, style, and structure transformed my resume.

When we worked on the essays every draft I got back from her had lots of helpful edits. Additionally, Melissa was particularly good at turnaround - I got most of my documents back in 36 hours or less, and everything definitely before 48. Again, the level of professionalism here was top notch.

After a lot of back and forth I ended up with a very strong application. I feel that mbaMission helped me communicate my story in the most relevant and convincing way possible. I would have ended up with a totally different set of documents had it not been for their guidance. When the time came, I felt very confident hitting "submit".

Then when I got an interview request, Melissa made time for me even though it was last minute. We spent an hour on the phone to prepare and the next day I interviewed extremely well.

Overall, I felt that Melissa was genuinely interested in my progress. It was especially great to get encouraging emails when I was struggling with the GMAT! I would definitely recommend hiring mbaMission. Even if you are someone who has been through graduate school admissions before, MBA admissions is a totally different game. You need someone who "gets it" to look over your documents and steer you in the right direction.

Finally, yes they are very expensive. But so is business school. A little investment upfront might make all the difference in how your tuition dollars are spent. It most definitely did for me.

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When I first started considering working with an admissions consultant, people around me warned me that my consultant will persuade me to apply to safe schools only because they care so much about their own track records. But my experience with Angela was exactly the opposite.

I got admitted to my dream school, but ended up not going, because Angela helped me get into an even better one. It's not like I was only aiming for the safe options. My GMAT, GPA, work experience is all below my school average. It's only because Angela gave me the confidence to go for it that I ended up getting into this school.

Angela is not in it for herself. She genuinely cares for your success. That's why she will push you to aim higher, work with crazy deadlines and still make sure you have the best outcome, and remember the tiniest details about you that even you yourself don't remember.

She will keep you grounded through the crazy process and keep you focused.

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I decided to hire a consultant because writing was my weakness (I had done poorly in some classes in college due to my inability to complete decent enough papers on time). On top of that I was also hoping to apply to 7 schools with only 2 months left till the Round 2 application deadlines, so I was looking to add some structure to the process that would help me avoid feeling overwhelmed. I bought a two-school package and selected the toughest applications from those 7 for Monica. Here are all the ways in which she helped me:

1) Monica helped me structure the writing process. She explained the number of drafts i would need to go through to write good essays, as well as how much time she needs to get her comments and edits back to me. I planned my essay writing around that, leaving enough time for multiple drafts before the deadline. The number of drafts is not limited by mbaMission so while some essays i finished in just 3-4 drafts, other essays took me 7-8 drafts! Realizing that i would go through so many drafts lowered my stress about the first few drafts - they did not need to be perfect. I knew i just had to put some thoughts on paper and move forward in baby steps. In the end, I had some seriously good essays!

2) Monica helped me move forward when I was stuck. A few essay topics (I am looking at you, MIT Sloan!) were really confusing and hard to relate to my own experience. I felt stuck, but I knew that I had to quickly find a way to proceed in order to complete the applications by the deadline. Monica helped me think through some ideas and find themes to my essays that could relate to my experience. At other times she suggested how to re-structure my story to make it more interesting to read.

3) Monica helped me improve my essays by asking me very good questions about the details of my stories. When i expanded on some of those details, my stories came to life.

4) Monica provided moral support and for me this was the most important part! A few times during the process i panicked and doubted myself. I thought that i should apply to some lower ranked schools instead of the top schools i was targeting. I had some flaws in my background (a lower GPA, and no brand name employment). Monica told me that it was OK, and that I did not have to be perfect to make it into a top school!!! She praised my unique accomplishments since undergrad, and assured that admissions could forgive a few mistakes if the rest of the application is solid. She helped me write the optional essay to explain the circumstances. Her kindness helped me move forward.

From the beginning my own application strategy was clear to me - I knew what in my background I wanted to highlight, and what i needed to explain in my applications.
Of course I knew my stories better than Monica or anyone else, so my best essays were the ones for which I had my own creative idea. I worked with Monica on telling this story better and became a much better writer throughout the process. Just learning from Monica how to write and tell my story was worth the money. I learned more from working with Monica than in all my college writing classes!!!

I mostly used the same essays that i worked on with Monica for all schools, (adjusting them slightly to school specifics). I applied to 7 top schools, interviewed at 5 and got accepted at 3. I am starting at my dream M7 school in the fall.

Overall Monica was AMAZING to work with and I am very grateful for her hard work and for her kindness. I highly recommend her! She will be your biggest cheerleader!!!!

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I used John during the essay & short answer portion of my application process. He was very diligent and thorough with his feedback and insights on building the best narrative that would draw the attention of the AdComm. John would not only edit my essays but also offer ideas on the structure of my story to make it efficient and effective. He was very timely in his responses as we worked through 3-4 versions of each essay. From the first draft to the final submission, I saw an incredible improvement in my story that I honestly would not have achieved otherwise. Highly recommended and worth the investment.


responding within 48 hours

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First off, mbaMission allows you to read up on bio's of the many consultants they have on their team. This is great because it allows you to choose someone who may have similar experiences to your own and makes it easier to connect with one another. That's why I chose to go with mbaMission and it worked out perfectly.

My experience with Helen Summers met all my expectations and in fact exceeded them (more on that below).

I used an hourly service and went in with a particular goal. I had my application to HBS fairly complete. I wanted Helen to essentially review my full application as if she were an admissions counselor at HBS. Based on the premise of not having any other information other than what I have provided in my application - what would her take be? Understanding that we'd be missing the recommendations component, how could I improve the overall application and chances to get to the next interview stage?

Helen provided amazing feedback on my application which helped guide me towards my final submission. Where she exceeded my expectations was that I originally asked to receive this feedback while anticipating that all my paid for hours would be used up with that round of feedback. However, Helen provided feedback on my HBS application and still left more time which allowed me to get her take on another school's application! She doesn't waste any of your precious time paid for!

In the end, I got into HBS - the school of my dreams!

Thanks Helen. And best of luck to future B school prospects!

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I read every review on GMATClub prior to deciding on an admissions consulting service, and therefore, I feel obliged to give back my share.

HBS was my dream school but without much resource or friends attending the school, I knew I needed some support. I signed up for comprehensive school packages with Monica Okrah.

I had a lot of doubts about timing of my application, story plots and most importantly, I lacked confidence. With her extensive experience with HBS admissions, Monica answered all my nitpicking questions, which really helped to calm my nerves and stay focused. Monica was instrumental in all parts of application but particularly stood out in the following three:

1) Letters of recommendations: Both of my recommenders didn’t have much (if at all) experience writing letters of rec for MBA admissions. MBA Mission’s templates really helped to guide and prep my recommenders. Monica provided directional feedbacks, which were especially critical for my recommenders and pushed them to provide deeper reflections.

2) Essay: Ultimately, I was in full charge of my own stories but Monica was a great sounding board and steered me to the right direction. I applied to two schools and first worked on the HBS essay. After about 4 draft exchanges with Monica, I started on essays for the other school and suddenly felt the urge to change my HBS essay similar to the second school essay. I’m really glad Monica stopped me from trapping myself in the wrong path. It took about 7 exchanges until we marked the HBS essay final. When I re-read my essay, I feel it truly represents who I am and I wouldn’t have made it without Monica’s guidance.

3) Mock interview: I would recommend working with Monica for interviews (especially HBS), even if you don’t work with her on the application. Her interview preparation was remarkable. We had our mock interview two weeks prior to the real one. We did 45 minutes interview with set of questions Monica prepared unique to my profile. After, we went through each question one-by-one discussing ways to improve and she gave couple extra questions to chew on. She also helped to answer my questions for the post interview reflection so there are no surprises!

With undergrad degree in business, MBA was a natural next-step. Monica and MBAMissions was the best investment I made to help me get admissions to my dream school. Wishing everyone best luck.

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Hello all -
I highly recommend using mbaMission and specifically I worked with Adam Grossman as my consultant. I was applying to Duke CCMBA program - Class of 2016 start date 07/15. I read reviews on GMAT club just like everyone else. It was probably one of the best decisions I could have made for myself. I contacted several consulting services but i didnt get an honest feedback. I am someone whose GMAT score was lower than an ideal candidate, but i had a good gpa for my undergraduate studies and professional experience that showed progress. Adam really helped to identified my gaps and strength. I only had a little over a month to work with him. He was really quick at getting back in terms of revisions, answering all of my concerns all the way through the process. It was a pleasure working with him. He helped me edit my resume, brainstorming and revising two essays and interview prep. I got in!!!!

Those that know which schools they would like to go - hourly services works. You dont need a full package. It worked for me. Also, I didnt have enough time to spend time going through the full package as I was also studying for my GMAT.

Five stars :)

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