Work with Melissa!

After taking the GMAT twice, I knew I wasn’t going to score better than a 700, which was in the range of the schools that I was looking at attending but on the low end. I knew that I needed to put together the strongest application possible, so I reached out to mbaMission to work on a 4-school package.

Before talking with Melissa for our free 30-minute consultation, I knew that I wanted to apply to Kellogg but I wasn’t sure what other schools would be realistically in my range. Melissa talked to me about what I was looking for in terms of class size, instruction style and culture and told me to consider Fuqua and Ross. She was encouraging yet realistic and having her help me narrow down what schools to realistically look at and prepare for was incredibly valuable.

I originally started off working on Kellogg, McDonough, Fuqua, and Ross with Melissa. I was going to apply to HBS myself because it was a reach so I thought I would do it alone and have Melissa help me with McDonough as a safety net. After finishing the essays for Kellogg, I was so proud and confident of the application I was putting together that I asked Melissa to help me with HBS instead. Shoot for the stars! In the end I got into Kellogg, Fuqua, and Ross with incredibly generous scholarships to each. In the end I did not end up applying to McDonough because I was confident in my applications to Kellogg, Ross and Fuqua and that paid off.

Melissa is brilliant at helping you find your unique story to distinguish you from other applicants yet highlight your fit with the school’s mission and culture. One way she does this is through the brainstorming doc that she asks you to fill out when you start working together. This is just a document that asks you numerous questions and allows you to share any relevant stories including setbacks, learnings, critiques, passions, etc., I invested a lot of time in the brainstorming doc and that investment completely paid off because Melissa got to know me very well and was able to weave together a narrative made up of disparate and individual stories that I had written about, tie them together, and then package them in a way that would appeal to the different schools I was applying to. The way she brought different parts of my life and experiences together that I never would have was creative and natural.

Other than essay writing, the most game-changing thing about working with Melissa was that she revealed the strategy to applying to businesses school in general and to each one individually and together we crafted a strategy for each school. Anyone can write the essays, do the application, and attend an interview, but it’s hard to make sure that every single interaction you have with a school is cohesive, well thought-out and intentional and Melissa helped me with that. She helps you attack the application process so that you are comfortable presenting yourself in the most authentic, confident, and appealing way.

Melissa was a godsend throughout the brutal b-school application process and if there is anything that I would advise applicants and prospective applicants to do in order to achieve the best results is a) work with Melissa and b) spend serious time on the brainstorming doc. Throughout working together Melissa was understanding, encouraging, and realistic. At the end of the day there is luck involved in who gets admitted where, but I encourage everyone applying to schools that they think are out of their reach to apply and work with Melissa to put together the best application possible. I can't recommend her enough!