Understand what you are signing up for, and everything will work out

I decided to apply to business schools in the middle of the pandemic, and knowing that the application season was going to be an unprecedented one, I wanted to enlist the help of an admission consultant. I spoke with a number of places (i.e. SBC, Admissionado, etc.) and went with mbaMission/Debbie not just because of Debbie's track record, but also because I felt she understood my background and motivations. Debbie was to be my "strategic project manager" - someone who could keep me on track and help me present the best version of myself.

While Debbie did her absolute best for the 4 applications that we worked on together, I was ultimately dinged by all 4 M7 schools. That said, I am still giving a 5-star rating to my experience because of the following reasons:

- I understood from the start that a consultant was not some sort of "magic bullet" who could get me into any school, especially during a crazy year like 2020/2021. I wanted a strategic project manager, and Debbie delivered perfectly
- Debbie and mbaMission as a whole had a very streamlined, well thought out and structured process when it comes to helping applicants navigate the application cycle. I also appreciate the plethora of written resource (detailed documentations about the schools, FAQs on how to work with my recommenders, etc.) that they had created
- Debbie was able to look at my blindspots and constantly provided valuable feedback that I believe strengthened my applications
- Debbie has always maintained a good spirit throughout the process, even as the rejections started to roll in
- Finally, because Debbie was able to help me finish my applications almost ahead of schedule, I had time to work on 1 additional application to a top UK program by incorporating much of the material from my 4 applications, and that is where I am headed!

All in all, I was happy with mbaMission and Debbie. This is my advice to anyone reading this: Understand what you are signing up for, and everything will work out.