mbaMission Admissions Consulting Services – Debbie Choy

My first introduction to mbaMission was via one of their Q&A sessions in Chicago; I took the GMAT at the end of June, and was planning to apply in fall of ’13. I really enjoyed the Q&A session and signed up for the free half-hour consultation as a next step – that’s when I got in touch with Debbie, one of mbaMission’s senior consultants. I thought that the initial call went really well; Debbie sounded enthusiastic about working with me, and provided good feedback about some of my initial questions, such as pros / cons of full-time vs. part-time programs.
I ended up deciding to go with the one-school package, and then use my initial application as a template for the other schools I was planning on applying to. From the very beginning, Debbie did a great job of encouraging me to dig deeper, and focus on what makes me unique. For example, I was initially struggling with Kellogg’s essay #1 – ‘What’s the greatest obstacle you’ve overcome’ - it was too wordy, and I was having trouble tying everything together. Over the course of seven revisions, Debbie helped me polish the essay into a statement that that I was really proud of.
I also appreciated Debbie’s help in calming me down when I was stressing out about making my R1 deadlines. I remember sending her an email pretty late at night, after having spent the whole evening wrestling with some of my essays – and feeling like there was no way I’d be ready in time. She responded the next day with encouragement – and a challenge to push myself harder. The application process can be pretty brutal, so knowing that I had an experienced coach who had been through the process many times before was tremendously helpful in calming me down.
Overall, I really enjoyed working with mbaMission in general and Debbie specifically. I would highly recommend her – but only if you’re prepared to be challenged relentlessly until your application is perfect!