Katy Lewis from mbaMission is excellent

The email that I wrote to Katy after submitting my applications summarizes how I think about my engagement with her.

----------------------------

Katy,

With all submissions behind us, I want to take a moment to reflect on our engagement so far.

When we started in June last year - I had already spend some time brainstorming, and was lugging this 25 page memoir that I had written and a pile of post it notes/ideas/stories. What I desperately needed was a channeling force - to help shape what my restless mind was conjuring into something meaningful. Katy, you became that channeling force to me.

Irrespective of the outcome, I want to take this moment and thank you for all your support in the journey so far.

Here are the highlights of our engagement:

-Your first green signal - "You are really ready to start writing your first draft' was pivotal. As someone who over-prepares, I had not been able to say this to myself. Seeing the first draft gave me the confidence to keep the ball rolling from then on.

-Your patience was incredible. There were so many backs and forths, but I didn't see your enthusiasm waning at any point. It is so easy and enjoyable to work with you - and your humor adds a lot. Your signature smileys :) in every email and a distinct warm and lively writing style is always such a delight to read.

-Your approach of making a clear suggestion, yet never coming across as pushy created a very respectful and collaborative space. All through the process I felt you were on my side, and really wanted me to succeed. At so many times your 'I LOVE this essay', 'I think your story is great' - gave me that right boost.

-You sharing your understanding of the DNA / culture of various schools during our phone conversations helped me develop a clearer picture of every school I was applying to. While this really helped during application write-ups, I now have a greater visibility into which school is a closer fit to my needs/goals.

-Thank god for your sanity checks. "Fashion makeovers" - that's a first! I have laughed so many times on this one :)

Thank you so much once again for being a wonderful coach - who now I can call a friend! :)