Krista Nannery - Amazing Consultant that Delivers and Cares about You!

I’ve worked with Krista Nannery for the second round of my MBA application. Words cannot describe how much Krista has helped me along the way, but I shall try. And I hope you read through this long review to understand how awesome Krista is.

Without Krista’s help, in the first round, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I have a decent profile, a good GMAT score, and I thought I didn’t need the help of an admission consultant. After all, years ago when I applied to engineering grad school, I did it myself and received admissions to all schools that I'd applied to, including household names such as Stanford/MIT/Berkeley, and some even provided me full ride. I thought applying to business school would be no different, that I would apply to a couple top schools, and some will accept me for sure.

The outcome of my first round application was disastrous to say the least. I was getting dinged left and right by top schools, and the ones that didn’t reject me outright put me on waitlist.

I knew I needed help. Applying to business school is hard. It’s more than just a good profile and good GMAT score. It’s about how you present yourself, it’s about what to put in front of the admission office with the limited amount of space, it’s about your own brand. I was lucky that I didn’t apply to one of my dream schools – Chicago Booth in the 1st round, and I started my application in the 2nd round with Krista’s help.

My essays changed drastically with Krista’s guidance. We had discussion back and forth about my experience and what to present/how to present with the limited space. Whenever I sent Krista my essay, she almost always replied in about 24 hours, even though the contractual requirement is 48 hours. Her comments are thoughtful and direct, starting from the structure and content selection of the essays, to the detail wording that would make me shine the most. You’ll be surprised by how knowledgeable Krista is about what makes the best case for the candidate, and how she helps you put your profile in the best light possible.

Indeed, the two Booth essays are the best ones I was able to put together in the entire application process. Additionally, Krista also advised me on how to better communicate with my recommenders about what might be helpful to include.

And so I received the interview invite from Booth, the first and only M7 invite I got in the entire process. Krista then helped me prepare for the interview, from my content, to my demeanor, from the traditional Why MBA/Why now/Why Booth questions, to the more specific ones for Booth from her knowledge and mbaMission’s data base. I’m confident to say that I did well in my interview.

Remember I was waitlisted in the 1st round? Krista also helped me strategized about what to do and additional material to be submitted for these waitlisted schools. But what made Krista an amazing consultant wasn’t just all the material/strategy help she provided. What set Krista apart was the fact that she truly cares about me. She cares about what I was going through, and encouraged me through the hard parts. For me, this is the most important part, because when I receive bad news in the process, I don’t want to share with my family as I don’t want them to worry. But I had no problem sharing my news with Krista, be it good news or bad news, because I knew she is my friend. I knew Krista would be ecstatic if it was good, and I knew she would give me as much support as possible if it was bad. I always felt that she was equally invested in my case, and we were in this together.

When the time came, I got into Booth! Moreover, I got off the waitlist for Haas and Yale SOM as well! Like I said, Krista has much to do with all these acceptances.

But Krista doesn’t stop here! As I said, she was truly invested in my case, and when I had trouble deciding among Booth/Haas/SOM, she even connected me with her personal connections that went to these schools so I can discuss with them! Additionally, Krista has quite an international background and a great understanding of China/Southeast Asia, and thus she was able to provide me with tremendous amount of knowledge about different schools’ resources in the international stage. If this is not caring, I don’t know what is!

Everybody says that an MBA is a life-changing experience. I haven’t gone through it yet, but I can honestly say that the application process for me has already been a perspective-changing journey. It challenges me to reflect on what I’ve done so far in my life, and what I want to do in the next phase. In retrospect, to go through this process successfully, you need hard work, you need strategy, you need preparation, and most importantly, you need supports from a friend that is equally invested in you. I can vouch that Krista has provided me with all these at the highest level and then some, and I’m lucky to have her helping me along the way!

Thank you Krista! I wholeheartedly recommend her service for future applicants!