mbaMission- Susan Kaplan

I hired Susan Kaplan to help me with my applications for the MBA class of 2021, with excellent results! I applied to 3 business schools and was admitted to 2 (HSW and another top school with $$) and waitlisted at 1 (HSW). I started working on my applications in June with deadlines in September, after I completed my GMAT. We started with a review of my target schools and Susan gave me honest feedback about my chances. She helped me go through my personal and professional history and identified ideas for effective essay topics that I wouldn’t have pinpointed on my own. Although I was largely responsible for my application timeline and keeping myself on track, Susan was always prompt with feedback and never missed her review deadlines. I am currently residing abroad and she did a good job of accommodating the time differences with our calls.
Overall, the biggest value I got out of the consultancy was the essay feedback. I come from an engineering background and Susan helped me phrase my stories and experiences in a way that someone from any field could understand. Of course I did all of the writing, but her comments were invaluable in shaping how I told my stories. She did an excellent job of finding themes that tied experiences from my personal and professional lives together. She pushed me to go much deeper into my motivations and mindset than I would have otherwise. Although I had very strong stats going into the application process, I believe it was my essays that set my application apart. I would highly recommend Susan to any applicants that are looking for open, honest feedback, but are also self-motivated and not looking for someone to “mother” them through the process. At the end of the process I felt like the applications were fully my own, with Susan providing the push and assistance to make them the best work I could produce.