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Debbie Choy Reviews

Company: mbaMission

Before earning her MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, Debbie Choy was an investment analyst with JP Morgan, and previously, a management consultant with Booz & Co. After graduating, she worked in product marketing in the medical technology industry, where she developed an expertise in the planning and execution of product launches, product line management and marketing strategy. In addition, Debbie was actively involved in recruiting business school graduates for her employer and led an MBA recruiting program for a fast-growing health care company, focusing on the top programs. She also presented at career fairs and directly interviewed candidates. Debbie is a co-founder of ALIST Magazine, which showcases Asian American corporate leaders and success stories. In this capacity, she oversaw a team of six staff writers and produced a regular column called “Women At Work” for the publication’s Web site. Debbie graduated cum laude from Vassar College with a BA in International Studies. Debbie grew up in Singapore and speaks fluent Mandarin and Cantonese, as well as conversational French.

4.9 /5 Average Rating
Based on 93 reviews
October 28, 2022
Hope22

Joined: Oct 24, 2022

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
740 Q49 V42

Debbie Truly Cares

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Looking back, I’m so glad that I chose Debbie to help me with my MBA journey. During my search for a consultant, I often felt that I was not good enough for my dream school as well as my other top targets; however, Debbie had a more optimistic approach. Having been denied at my target schools once in the past, I was worried, but she was able to look at the positives and always brought it back to my strengths. Through this process of re-applying, I can confidently say that Debbie truly cares.

She is detail oriented, on time, friendly, and constructive. She is extremely accessible and easy to work with. Even though I always had a lot of questions, she was patient enough to answer them. Through her support, I was able to craft my re-applicant story and received admission at my dream school. She was so thrilled when I got in, and I could tell how much she was invested in my success.

She would even jump on Zoom calls with me to conduct mock interviews. She is extremely honest in her assessments, and that made me fine tune my approach to become a better interviewee. For those of you considering an MBA consultant, I would easily go with Debbie. I would highly recommend her services to anyone that asks me.

Truly, I owe a debt of gratitude to Debbie!

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August 02, 2022
unicornhunter

Joined: Aug 12, 2015

Posts: 24

Kudos: 2

Verified GMAT Classic score:
750 Q50 V40

Not a great service, not worth the money

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I had Debbie Choy working with me for my application, we filed 3 applications together. Didn't get into any of the colleges. The experience was fruitful enough for me to learn what these guys do and then crack a college on my own but the package for Debbie is way too expensive for internationals. The advice I received was templated advice. Maybe get one school package and then figure things out on your own. Not worth the money. I would suggest not to engage MBA mission consultants if you are an Indian. They don't care much about you even if you don't get in. My consultant didn't even follow up post I was put on the waitlist or offered to help me with more schools which many consulting services do (Free of charge) if you don't get into the schools you worked with them on.

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September 16, 2022
mbaMissionDebbie

I am sorry, and actually somewhat surprised, to learn that you were unhappy with our work together. The MBA application process is always challenging, and you seemed to understand and accept the possibility of disappointment despite our efforts. As you said to me once in an email, “This application was my best foot forward. No worries though, everything happens for a reason.” I never got the impression that you felt your needs were not being met, and if I had, I would have certainly been happy to offer additional assistance.

I care deeply about all my applicant clients and do my utmost to increase their chances of success, so I am equally disappointed when things do not work out in their favor. You targeted very selective schools, and unfortunately, the reality is that sometimes—and especially in highly competitive seasons—even objectively deserving candidates are denied a spot.

Your description of my advice as templated is also surprising. Although we began with a common brainstorming document, we certainly never use templates. You and I worked with your unique creative inputs, and your submissions were tailored to your personal life experiences and professional goals. During our process, I helped you outline essays for your three target schools, revised each essay no less than six times, finessed your resume, supported your recommenders, and prepped you for interviews, including providing feedback on your Kellogg and Booth video essays. My records also show that we worked together extensively on your waitlist materials. I was always ready to promptly answer any application-related questions you might have and even extended my support beyond my traditional responsibilities to advise you when you were deciding between job offers!

I wish you the best in the future and hope that if you choose to reapply one day, you will find success.

Sincerely,
Debbie

June 26, 2022
Josephiswhere

Joined: May 31, 2022

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Debbie and mbaMission

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I am grateful to Debbie, who was an incredible coach throughout the application process and was patient with me as I prepared for my Gmat and slowly put together my essays.

Debbie went out of her way to fine-tune her suggestions for the individual programs to which I was applying, enabling me to hyper-target my essays to each school. For example, NYU Stern asks applicants to put together a picture essay as a means of better shocasing creative thinking and emotional intelligence. Debbie and I went through many pictures and selected those that we felt most represented the overlap between my authentic self and NYU's values.

I am earning an MBA at Stern largely thanks to Debbie.

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June 01, 2022
dateng

Joined: Dec 22, 2021

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
730 Q50 V40

Good experience overall

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I reached out to 4 admission consulting companies and ended up choosing mbaMission and Debbie Choy in particular. I like the fact that mbaMission allows potential clients to arrange an intro call with a specific consultant, as opposed to other companies who would match you with some consultants.

I enjoyed working with Debbie. She has a very personable and cheerful personality. She helped me tremendously in terms of connecting the individual pieces of experience into a coherent, convincing story. Debbie is also an effective writer and helped me refine my essays to be more readable and interesting. Debbie often guides me to make connections back to my theme/main point in my interview answers that I otherwise would not have thought about (E.g., tying MIT Sloan’s course cross-registration opportunity in the MIT engineering school with ESG investing). There were instances where Debbie offered to go the extra miles without charging me extra, which makes me feel valued as a client.

In terms of areas of improvement, I believe the firm, mbaMission, should prepare some materials that are uniquely applicable to deferred enrollment candidates. I’m a deferred enrollment candidate myself and I feel like some of the materials that I was instructed to read does not pertain to me. Also, I believe the flexibility of the admission consulting process can be improved. I started working with Debbie late January/early February, and the deadlines are in April. With this short timeframe, I got a bit frustrated when I was asked to read the whole 160 pages guide. I understand that the existing protocol might be appropriate for candidates with a lot of time, and hence can prepare them with a holistic view of the application process. But for candidates under time-pressure, I believe there should be some prioritization guided by consultants.

Some other smaller things that could be perfected include: 1) double checking the contents and links sent in emails; and 2) not letting clients feel rushed. There were cases where the links sent in the emails were not working, and other times the prompts for recommendation letters might not be updated. In terms of the second point, very infrequently would I feel a bit rushed near the end of the meeting.

Results-wise, I received a deferred enrollment offer from Columbia Business School, awaiting MIT Sloan and Virginia Darden. I believe that this offer from CBS would not be possible without Debbie’s help, and I’m very grateful for choosing Debbie and mbaMission overall.

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May 21, 2022
vcp

Joined: May 21, 2022

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

review

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I worked with Debbie back in 2020 for the R3 cycle, which is admittedly a tough cycle. Debbie was very approachable and was easily accessible anytime I had questions throughout the application process. Debbie encouraged me throughout the process and set checkpoints in a methodical yet achievable way. I ended up waitlisted at four schools which unfortunately didn't convert into acceptances (thankfully because 2020!)
However, with my renewed interest this current 2022 cycle, I used the many invaluable lessons learned previously from Debbie to apply + be accepted to the Haas EWMBA program. I don’t think my 2022 MBA application would have been successful without the prior lessons learned with Debbie. Highly recommended. thanks Debbie!

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April 18, 2022
aligs95

Joined: Sep 22, 2021

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
760 Q45 V51

Excellent guidance throughout entire process

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Debbie was very helpful during my application for business schools. She and the mbamission team were extremely helpful in organizing my experiences and creating a meaningful narrative from them. She was a useful resource throughout the entire application and interview process, including GMAT advice and post-acceptance. She helped me tailor specific essays for individual programs and to create a brainstorm of experiences and answers that I could draw on for essays and interviews alike.

Her guidance on the entire process, as well as school-specific tips and advice, helped me gain acceptance to multiple M7 schools with scholarship offers. I believe the mbamission consultants made a big difference in the quality of my applications and maximized my chances for acceptance.

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April 18, 2022
josedavidgonzalez

Joined: Apr 18, 2022

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Great results!

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Working with Debbie was very enriching since she always has the best way to convey the ideas of past experiences. You are often clear about what you want to share, but it becomes complicated if you do not find the right words; it is very easy to find the right words with Debbie. Also, the way of working is delightful; it is pleasant and sincere, which is very important for these processes.

My experience was extraordinary, and everything happened according to plan. I got admitted to one of my first options, and I also got a scholarship! So I'm very happy with the excellent results and our work together.

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April 08, 2022
Shuwei

Joined: Sep 26, 2019

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

highly recommend Debbie

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Debbie helped me apply for a few MBA programs. It was a truly amazing experience working with her and eventually I got the admission offer from Stanford GSB, my dream one and simply the top on my wish list. It wouldn't have been possible without Debbie's help.

Debbie was a good listener and she quickly got to know me as a person during the brainstorming session. She never made stories for me, but conversations with her were inspiring and they did help me find myself, and excellent essay writing was naturally a result of it. Application was a long, and sometimes, easy-to-lost process. Debbie was not only inspiring but strategic. Her suggestions on time arrangements, test preparations, key points in writings, etc., were practically useful. Her mental support also helped me go through this challenging period.

It wasn't purely the good result that led me to leave this review, but it is really about her professionalism and inspirations during the process which I truly respect and highly recommend.

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March 30, 2022
by888

Joined: Mar 30, 2022

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
740 Q48 V44 (Online)

Recommend MBA Mission and Debbie Choy

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I applied in Round 2 in fall 2022 for the Class of 2024 and bought MBA MIssion's 5-school package. I was admitted into my top choice school, Wharton and accepted their offer of attendance.

I did my free consulting session with Debbie Choy, and knew immediately that she would be a great fit as my consultant. I told her on the spot that I wanted to sign up with her. However, at the time, I hadn't taken my GMAT yet. Debbie encouraged me to wait until I took the GMAT before paying for the consulting package because it is non-refundable. Debbie even offered to hold my spot with her until after I took the GMAT. That action showed me that Debbie (and MBA Mission) really care about what is best for me, and not just collecting my money. I ended up signing up immediately anyways because I was tight on time before deadlines, but that action was very meaningful to me.

Debbie really took the time to understand who I was and what makes me a strong candidate. Many times throughout the process, I asked her if specific topics would be suitable for essays or short answers. My concern was, maybe these topics were too common or "not what the school is looking for". Debbie always encouraged me to be myself while giving me tips on what parts of my story I could highlight to strengthen my application (while still being authentic)!

With her many years of experience, Debbie is a fantastic and knowledgable consultant. I highly recommend her!

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March 29, 2022
yolo1111

Joined: Feb 03, 2022

Posts: 20

Kudos: 3

Verified GMAT Classic score:
740 Q50 V40

Debbie is an amazing consultant!

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I have researched for nearly all the consulting services providers online and shortlisted three of them. After the in-depth calls with each, I chose Debbie to be my consultant and signed a 5-school package with her.

She is very responsive, super knowledgeable, and have guided me through every step of the applications. In the beginning, I have not decided which schools to apply, so we began with discussing the school selections. Debbie understood my background and my desired career path so well, and thanks to that, I get admitted to the B-school (and it’s one of the M7!) that she recommended but I did not plan to apply in the first place.

Not only the fact that I get admitted with a scholarship, but also that after my interactions with the alumni and current students, I found that I love this school the most, and it actually fits in me the best (the culture, career goal and strength, etc.)

I would say the timeline for my applications is quite tight – I only started in end of September while super busy with work. Debbie helped manage the timeline so I did not get too rush when the deadline for R2 is near. Instead, I managed to have time to apply for two more schools.

All in all, the journey with Debbie is super fun, no stress, but very productive. Emotionally, Debbie also eased my anxiety a lot. I emailed her every question I have (even very tiny ones), and she would respond with patience. I am really grateful!

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