I applied to 5 top schools the previous year, got a few interviews, but didn't end up getting admitted to the programs I really wanted to go to.

When I was reapplying, I really wasn't sure what was wrong, and what I could do to improve. Was it my GMAT score? Essays? 'Story'? GPA? Extracurriculars? The way I described my current job? Rather than apply blind again, I decided to speak to five consultants who had helped friends and got their free 30 minute consultations.

Liza was by far, the best of those five conversations. Even in that initial session, she was thoughtful, insightful, and gave me actually useful feedback that I could immediately put to use. Even had I not engaged Liza further, that 30 minute free call was the most helpful advice I had received in the whole application process.

I ended up purchasing a package of hours from Liza, and I'm glad I did. She pushed me with tailored feedback on my essays, and forced me to really examine the choices I had made and why they made sense. The essays, in the end, were absolutely still mine-- I wrote every word-- but her feedback was crucial in taking them from just okay to really personal and compelling.

She also helped me prep for the HBS interview by reading through my whole application and putting together some mock questions. She helped me get into the right headspace.

In the end, I got into HBS and got waitlisted at Stanford (the two programs I applied to Round 1). Liza was great the whole way through!

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Working with Liza was the best decision I made during my business school application process. For those of you who are concerned by the cost of the school packages (I certainly was), I can assure you, it is worth it. I'm a female applicant with a financial services background, with a 710 GMAT score and 3.6 GPA. I worked with Liza on 4 schools and applied to 2 on my own, I interviewed at 4, and was admitted to 2.

Through the application process, the differences across MBA programs became apparent in the variability of applications between schools. I was most concerned with how to tell my story through the different essays/videos/cover letters requested by each institution. Liza helped me navigate this challenge with ease. She is extremely well informed about the different programs (beyond what you can discover with a simple google search), and was able to help me adjust so I put my best foot forward with each application. During brainstorming sessions with Liza, we delved into professional and personal aspects of my life, and she helped me realize consistencies across stories that I likely wouldn't have recognized on my own (for instance, the similarities in relationships I've established at work, with my family, and with my mentee). Liza helped me reflect on the things that are unique to me, and ultimately piece together a genuine narrative about my goals that was far more introspective and impactful than anything I could have imagined when I first embarked on this journey.

Liza helped me stay on track as I completed the the other, time-consuming parts of the applications (short answer responses, short videos, resume), all the while maintaining a consistent story. It is worth noting how useful it was to have Liza there to review essays and other materials several times per week, especially when balancing 6 applications - despite having supportive friends and family, there is no way they could have given my applications the same attention and care as Liza did.

I found the mock interviews to be particularly helpful as well. Liza has years of experience, which is apparent in her line of questioning - her feedback was school-specific and incredibly constructive. I believe I was as prepared as I could have been for each interview.

Since admitted, Liza has continued to guide me through my decision making process - and I'm sure she and I will stay in touch going forward. I am so thankful for Liza's guidance through the application process, and would highly recommend her to anyone considering using a consultant.

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I was originally working with a different consultant who left the firm after reviewing 2 versions of my essays. I was rather uncertain of the outcome at that time since my GMAT score of 720 wasn’t competitive in the Chinese applicant pool. I also come from a non-typical feeder background: engineering degree spending 6 years in market intelligence consulting firm serving the petrochemicals market. Oh, and did I mention I was pregnant during the application process while working full time?
Liza to the rescue! She not only reassured me that my case would be taken care of, she also offered to review my previous version of essays – I had the hourly service so I didn’t feel I lost any time with the transition of consultants. The one thing I appreciated the most during this process was that Liza was very honest when she gave comments and feedbacks, and she always offered her insight on how I could improve my essays. When there were times I was not able to capture the theme, she listed examples and expressions to help me comprehend the concept and execute. As a non-native English speaker, I found this extremely helpful. Liza also helped me prepare my video essay with Kellogg and Yale SOM, as well as my interview with Yale. After each session, I significantly improved the ways I laid out and phrase my answers. I found her feedback very useful (as I got admitted to all the programs I was invited for an interview).
Admission to Kellogg and Booth, plus scholarship from Yale SOM were perfect testimonies of how amazing a consultant Liza is. I don’t think I could have done so many schools in such a short period without Liza’s help. I will highly recommend her to anyone seeking professional help in their MBA application!

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I had the pleasure of working with Hollis Kline primarily during my essay review and interview preparation process. I had a bit of time to work on my applications, and thus opted to work with Hollis using the hourly service basis (which meant I had to communicate to Hollis what I was working on and what I needed her feedback on). Overall, Hollis was very attentive/detail-oriented, approachable and easy-to-work-with. Importantly, across all aspects of the process, Hollis ensured that we were both on the same page, and that she understood what I needed her feedback on, while also giving sound advice where needed. With regards to the essays, there were two main attributes to Hollis’ approach that were incredibly helpful. Firstly, Hollis looked through every word, sentence and paragraph in my essays to ensure that all components had a specific purpose – it was great to have someone who doesn’t know my story objectively question what I am trying to say and why it is important. Secondly, Hollis was very reliable – I could always rely on Hollis to send me her comments within a specific timeframe, so I pretty much had a mental schedule in place; I knew when I needed to take some time out of my day to work on my essays in order to get comments by a specific date. With regards to the interview, Hollis and I had a mock session where she provided a range of questions (across topics and difficulty levels); this session helped me get into the right mindset going into the actual interview. In summary, I am very pleased with the entire process, and I highly recommend Hollis for anyone seeking guidance throughout the application process.

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Back in May of this year I was perusing GMAT club looking for an admissions consultant. I remember reading countless reviews of consultants who had helped applicants get into their dream schools, and thinking to myself "wow, I hope that some day I will be fortunate enough to write a review like that." Well, thanks to Hollis's support, that goal became a reality.

I picked the two school package at mbaMission, and applied to HBS and the GSB. Hollis was a tremendous asset throughout the application and interview process at both schools. Here are some specifics:

Brainstorming:
I had some high-level ideas about what I wanted to convey in my applications, but was having trouble isolating a compelling story. As part of the mbaMission process, I filled out an extensive brainstorming document. I then spent ~1.5 hours on the phone with Hollis, where she provided guidance on how to translate my concepts into concrete, b-school ready personal statements.

Essay writing:
I went through several drafts of each of my application essays. Not only was Hollis prompt in providing feedback (often responding ahead of deadlines), but her input was clear, direct, and easy to follow. This made for a smooth writing process that kept my applications ahead of schedule.

It was a great relief to be able to get unlimited essay feedback from Hollis as part of the mbaMission school package. At one point in the process, I was debating between 4 different anecdotes to include in my essays, and needed to shrink the number down to 2. Hollis did a back-to-back essay comparison in order to help me choose the best stories, and this was a pivotal exercise, helping to maximize my application essays.

Furthermore, Hollis is an absolute master of word-count management. By the time is was ~3 drafts in on each essay, I had gone well above the word limit. Finding places to cut on my own was extremely challenging given how close I was to essay content. Hollis provided the necessary third-party POV, and helped identify superfluous sections. This was also a huge asset in the application short answers as well.

Interviews:

Hollis went above and beyond in preparing me for interviews. She offered initial mock interviews for both schools, and even provided a second mock for HBS even though she was traveling in Australia at the time! Her questions and insight left me feeling prepared and confident going into both interviews.


General:

At the end of the day, applying to business school is a demanding process, and getting in will require a lot of hard work from you. Having a consultant will not guarantee you admission, as so much of the process requires deep introspection on your part. However, having a consultant like Hollis, who was always willing to answer even my most ridiculous of questions as I sought to understand the application process, is incredibly beneficial, and will help make your applications as impactful (and stress-free) as possible.

Best of luck!

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Background: female, French, main experience in food manufacturing

After talking with several admission consultants from different firms, I chose Liza mainly because she seemed to have a great energy and to give honest feedback. I also trusted mbaMission as a firm after reading their useful free guides. The only part I wasn’t very confident about was that my dream school was European and the firm advertised much more about American schools (or so was my impression).

When I started working with Liza, I had already chosen the schools I wanted to apply to but I hadn’t taken the GMAT nor TOEFL (English language test) yet and felt pretty clueless about essay material. And since it was only a few weeks away from the last round deadline, the process was quite intense!

I felt extremely lucky to have Liza. I was especially anxious about 2 things: submitting my application on the last round and not having sufficiently remarkable stories/background. Not only did Liza give me valuable advice and helped me structure my stories, she also cheered me up and boosted my confidence. She has this ability to bring the best out of you - this sometimes means being straightforward in her feedback but always in a caring and constructive way.

One year ago, I didn’t think I stood a chance at getting in my dream school. As I am about to start there this summer, I feel so grateful to have worked with Liza. I obviously highly recommend her!!!

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I am fully confident that I would not be starting at Duke’s Fuqua next fall without Liza’s partnership. Going through the application process with Liza will totally transform your perception of what a “great” b-school application looks like. Once you’ve decided to throw your hat in the ring and apply to a handful of elite MBA programs, you’ve likely already accomplished quite a lot in your academic and professional career. The key to the application process is standing out in a sea of thousands of very qualified applicants. I cannot recommend Liza highly enough in that regard. My background includes 3.5 years working in media strategy at an advertising agency (not exactly the picture of a typical applicant), and my stats were decent but certainly weren’t going to blow anyone away at top-tier programs. I worked with Liza on a multi-school package through MBAmission. Liza’s expertise coupled with MBAmission’s resources creates a dynamic combination. Not long after the initial deep dive into my personal attributes and background, I felt Liza knew me as a candidate even better than I knew myself – and it showed. She was able to highlight the experiences that would translate the best for each unique essay topic, and helped me mold a holistic picture of my candidacy throughout each application. I’ll admit, I usually felt pretty good about my first draft essays, but once Liza got her hands on them she was able to push me further than I thought possible in terms of illustrating exactly why I would thrive at each school and beyond. Like I said – she’ll transform your perception of what constitutes a great application. Beyond her knowledge of how to enhance the components of the application packet, Liza was a great partner, motivator, and coach through the daunting process. She challenged me in a manner that was always constructive, while building my confidence in my own candidacy. All in all, every time I hit the “submit” button, or walked out of an interview, I didn’t have to wonder if I’d put forward the best representation of myself because Liza had prepared me to excel in every aspect of the application.

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The luckiest thing during the whole application process is to have Liza as my tour guide as well as cheerleader!

My background doesn’t look impressive: non-top university graduated, engineering major, low GPA, over-represented Chinese, 8-year non-for-profit work experience, not much international experience. I didn’t really know which levels of school I should target at and how to make a case of myself to get in.

But Liza has her way to lighten me up. After we first talked in April, I had a clearer way of how to start. I spent nearly a month to fill in a very detailed questionnaire which helped me review my past experience and find out the special stories that I can tell.

Liza is also outstanding in controlling the schedule. Even before the application essay questions were released, she advised me how to prepare such as researching through the program websites to identify the unique resources and culture, joining webinar or offline events in the city near me, and reaching out to current students, alumni and admission officers to obtain more information and leave a good impression. All of this effort contributed a significant part in writing a relevant and touching essay for the programs I applied to.

Another amazing thing is that Liza is a seasoned professional with solid experience in both consulting and corporate. She could provide sharp insight on my career goal, pointing out the logical weakness of my appeal as well as adding her own experience to enrich my goal essay.

Besides, sometimes you need your friend to tell you your advantages that you are not aware of. Liza is such a friend in the application process. She can help you find out your uniqueness and guide you to tell the story in a more fascinating way. This process actually helped me to build confidence. On the other hand, she is also very honest. She can tell the weaknesses of my essay directly and encourage me to rework. That is important because I can feel she really wants me to work out an excellent one instead of an okay one.

More importantly, as a Chinese (non-native English speaking) applicant, I found it extremely useful to have a US-local consultant to mock interview. And you can also practice the conversation during every meeting and learn the right way to express the idea. Plus, Liza also provided with me my different school’s latest information because they do work as a team in mbaMission and exchange a lot to help applicants.

At last, with Liza’s great help, I got an offer with scholarship from Duke and WL from another M7 school! I think Liza is the very person I should thank as she did help a lot in bringing me such a wonderful result!

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I worked with Liza on an hourly basis (5hr package) and applied to three schools with her help - Oxford Said (decline), UT Austin McCombs (admit with scholarship), and Northwestern Kellogg (waitlisted and then accepted!!!).

My stats: female, brand marketing, 7yrs work experience with 2yr managerial experience, low GRE score, English undergrad degree with limited quant experience.

Liza was incredible to work with. She let me drive my own process given our limited time together, but wasn't shy about highlighting specific areas for focus based on my profile and needs. In the beginning, I needed some help in narrowing my school selection and she was straightforward and honest about the schools I should be targeting based on my goals and stats. She helped me craft my essays by reviewing drafts and was very specific with feedback. Once I applied her feedback to one essay, I learned how to do the rest on my own - and found myself asking, "What would Liza say about this structure?" She also helped prepare me for my interviews by picking up on specific stories I had mentioned and helping me spin them to answer a variety of questions. I was so excited to see how great of a handle she got on my experience and goals in such a short timeframe.

In terms of working with mbaMission on the whole, their prep materials are phenomenal. I got a lot out of the brainstorming document, and know I'll continue to reference my "stories" for job interviews in the future. Their school-specific guides were also detailed and helpful when I wasn't able to tap into my hours with Liza.

I can't recommend Liza enough. She has an infectious enthusiasm and is truly an expert at what she does! We immediately developed a rapport and I feel like she was incredibly invested in my journey even though I was only an hourly client. If you are looking for a truly invested "coach" through this arduous process, Liza is definitely your gal.

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The best decision I made throughout this whole MBA application process was choosing to work with Liza. I was admitted (R2) to 5 schools with scholarships at all 5, including full scholarships at 4 of the 5. I will be heading to Wharton this fall, with a full scholarship, and there is absolutely no way I could have done it without Liza.

I am a female applicant with a more traditional profile, coming from a financial services background, and with a 750 GMAT and 3.4 GPA. I started studying for the GMAT pretty late in the game, in August for round 2 application deadlines, so I was juggling GMAT stress with the need to make sure my applications were moving along. I ended up completing the two at the same time (end of December), which I highly recommend that you try to NOT do -- save yourself the extra stress and get the GMAT done early! It was all thanks to Liza though that I was able to get through it successfully; she not only encouraged me throughout the GMAT journey, but also made sure that I was getting my essays drafted/revised, my recommendations in, etc. to make sure I was producing quality work throughout the rest of my application as well.

Going into the application process, my biggest concern was figuring out how to best present my story. After reading through my initial Brainstorming document, Liza was able to expertly sift through my rambling stream of consciousness to pinpoint the key things that I had mentioned that represented essential aspects of who I am, which I hadn't even realized when writing them down. That drove further self-reflection that helped me to identify my fundamental values (and where they came from) and highlighted the things that I really care about, which is what then really made my "why an MBA" story real, and gave it meaning and authenticity.

Liza helped me transform my essays into narratives better than anything I could have hoped for going into the writing process. It was certainly up to me write all the content and make it meaningful and genuine, but Liza helped me to make sure I was picking the right topics, addressing the points that mattered, and tell the story in a way that was interesting and would catch the reader’s attention. She really challenged me to think and re-think about the things that I was writing, and revise, revise, revise. By the end product, I can confidently say that those essays are the best things I’ve ever written.

Liza also helped me make my resume really shine. When it came time for me to request my letters of recommendations, she made herself available to my recommenders to answer questions and provide thoughts and feedback, which my recommenders found to be extremely valuable. When interview invites came, I was invited to interview with all of the schools that I had applied to. Almost all of the interviews needed to be completed in the month of February, so I thought it was a hectic month for me, but it must have been a chaotic time for Liza. Never once throughout the whole process did she make me feel like I was competing with other clients for her time; she made me feel like her top priority whenever I needed her. Liza coached me through all of the interviews and pushed me to deliver my stories confidently and effectively. The toughest challenge for me, in the whole application process, was the Wharton TBD interview. About a week before the interview, I was at a point where I was feeling really discouraged and intimidated by the caliber of other applicants that I was up against. When I shared my doubts with her, Liza got on the phone with me right away, and she not only provided the support and encouragement that I needed, but also came armed with a slew of concrete suggestions, tips for responses, thoughts on topics, etc. Through that she really gave me the boost of confidence that I needed to go in and crush it. I could not have been more ecstatic with how the interview turned out, and in the end things turned out as best as they could have with not only an offer of admission, but a full scholarship as well.

I cannot recommend Liza enough. I am certain that I would not have gotten the same results without her and working with her has led me to a fully life-changing outcome. If there is anything you can do to give yourself the best chance of success through this process, it is to have Liza by your side!

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