Having Harold's services was like having a map to the black box of business school applications. He is consistently available for all your questions from A to Z. He puts sign posts up every step of the way to keep the process on track, did multiple rounds of edits for each application, and seemed invested in my candidacy. He has expert knowledge of the each school and their personalities. You will put your best foot forward with every application. Once applications were submitted, Harold and his colleagues did an excellent job preparing me for each disparate interview. It was a pleasure to work with him.

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Harold is an amazing partner to have as you apply to business school. Through all of the chaos and stress of the application process, he provided the organization, experience, and insights that I needed. 

From day one, Harold was highly attentive and able to not only decipher which experiences of mine would be the best for essays and interviews, but also help reveal stories of mine that I would have not otherwise thought about sharing. It did not matter if we were on the first draft of an essay or the fifth, Harold would not sign off until we both felt it was complete. In fact, for one essay, after a few drafts, we scrapped the entire draft completely and began anew, which I think reflects how committed Harold is to making sure his clients put forth their best applications. He responds quickly, often turning drafts in 24 hours or less (despite a 48 hour policy), and will provide support for every step of the application process even beyond the essays, such as interview prep, short answer questions, application updates, and thank you notes. I would also add that I felt there were significant advantages to working with the firm mbaMission as a whole. As needed, Harold would have a second consultant take a look at my essays with a fresh pair of eyes so that we could get another perspective from someone who did not know my full story. This led to additional tweaks that further improved my application.

What I appreciated most about working with Harold was he had the right balance of push and pull. There were times when Harold would push me to do more research on a school's website or talk to more students so that my essays and understanding of the school would be enhanced. On the flip side, when I was feeling overwhelmed with the applications, Harold provided me with the reassurance that helped me remain calm and continue pushing forward.

Overall, choosing to work with Harold was the most impactful decision I made during the entire application process. After working with Harold, I had 100% confidence that my application for each school was the very best that it could be and that is all I could ask for. I applied to five schools, received interviews for four, and was accepted at two, one of which was my top choice.

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Coming from a non-traditional background, I knew I needed the help of an MBA consultant. I couldn't be happier that I chose mbaMission and was paired with Harold Simansky. When I began the process, I didn't really know what my story for my essays would be or even what industry I should target. Harold was extremely helpful in helping me craft a great story and also providing me with the resources to find a good post-MBA industry/job given my background. The resources and guides offered by mbaMission are extremely informative and played a crucial part in my MBA application process.

But the school package was well worth the price as Harold was always available to chat anytime I had doubts or needed his advice. On top of that, he helped me with every single part of my application (from resume to essays to approach with letter of rec writers and finally on interviews) and was always timely with edits/suggestions/feedback. Harold also was always empathetic and understanding throughout the application process. I always felt I had someone in my corner, even during the most difficult parts of the process. Harold exceeded my expectations every step of the way. I owe lots of my success in gaining admittance and full rides to 3 top schools to the excellent service provided by Harold and mbaMission.

To wrap up, I'm now getting to attend my dream school of Haas and couldn't be happier with the outcomes of the process! I highly recommend Harold and mbaMission to anybody who is looking to gain admittance to a top-tier MBA program!

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I purchased hourly services with Harold who went above and beyond in my MBA journey. I started with a free session with Harold, who was able to look at my data points / story and recommend programs that I didn't even know existed. When I purchased hours with Harold, we spent 1 on 1 time finalizing my list of programs, crafting my story, and then writing essays. When it came to essay preparation, Harold went above and beyond. He provided insights I would've never known about on my own, he always turned around documents very efficiently, and was extremely respectful of my hours purchased and the limit of those. Ultimately, I applied to 5 programs with the help of Harold, and got accepted into my dream / reach school of Columbia. Harold is the best and I would highly recommend him for anyone who has taken the GMAT and is stuck on next steps (i.e. where to apply and how to write essays and fill out applications)!

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I came to the application process very concerned. I am from an over-represented demographic, being a male Chinese engineer, and I was out of work.

Harold was not thrown by any of this. Right from our first conversation he was reassuring, and I felt completely supported and understood. He always listened, and he helped me think realistically about my goals, pushed me to consider schools that I had yet to consider, including some reach schools and more likely schools and he was always an encouraging voice. He was very thoughtful in his approach and his attention to details was second to none. Throughout the process, his ability to break each step down into manageable and meaningful pieces helped bring me closer and closer to polished applications and helped assemble a storyboard true to myself, stories that I was able to paint with pride and confidence. In the end, I got into my three top schools including UNC, USC, and Cornell. I got $100,000+ at both UNC and USC and could not be more thrilled with the outcome. Teaming up with Harold for my applications was the best investment I ever made and is already changing my life. Use Harold, it could be life-changing for you as it was for me.

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Harold was an integral part of my MBA application process and I highly recommend him for any applicant who is considering a competitive business school program.

I worked with Harold over the course of nearly 9 months. We spent introductory calls discussing my post-MBA goals, my expectations regarding school selection, and my plans to take the GMAT. We formulated an action plan for each stage of this process.

In particular, Harold was especially helpful in helping me think through my "narrative" for business school, and reflect that narrative across my resume and essays. Harold read, reviewed, and provided feedback on all of my essays...through this back and forth we developed very strong essays that were well targeted for each school on my list.

Throughout the process, I was appreciate at Harold's listening ability. I felt that he listened to my goals & circumstances, and used this to provide tailored mentorship and guidance.

I was fortunate to receive interviews to four of the five schools I applied to, and Harold helped me prepare for each interview (the Wharton team based interview Mock prep with other potentially applicants was especially helpful).

At the end of the day, I was thrilled to be accepted to all schools where I interviewed, including Wharton and Booth. I am confident that my time spend with Harold was a big difference maker in the quality of my application, and I would 100% recommend him to anyone about to undertake this process.

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Taking standardized test took me longer time than expected. When I started working on the essay I was running a little bit behind in the ideal application timing, then I decided to work with Harrods with the full package.

When we started Harold help me to identify a compelling career path story. She was able to brainstorm with me on a few different options. With his encouragement I was able to do more research on different industries and eventually identify one that fits my background well.

Once I identified my career path interested the initial essay Harold was extremely good when it comes to ping-pong ring different versions of essay to polish it up. The first three versions always took the longest effort. There were times where I feel lost and frustrated. I kept trying and kept writing and was eventually able to create something that meets both of our expectations.

After PSE submission there can’t interviews hero helpful especially when it comes to behavioral interview questions. I could not imagine to get into my dream school without the guidance!

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If you are targeting a top ranked business school, I would highly recommend Harold Simansky, who himself is an MIT Sloan alumnus. He understands the selection process of B-schools really well. He keeps you focused and positive. He helps you discover the unique aspects of your personality and work experience, and helps you present the most impressive, yet authentic, version of yourself.
I hired Harold because I needed a miracle. I came from an over-represented segment in terms of geography (India) and industry (Finance). I had two breaks in my career and had changed job thrice. And I did not have an international work experience. I did not have any direct report to demonstrate my leadership. As a working professional with two kids and a full time job, I could dedicate only limited time to preparing my application. So when I audaciously decided to apply to MIT Sloan, a friend said - “You need a miracle. You need Harold.”
Harold spends a lot of time going through your detailed profile to first understand your background. He then breaks down the application essays into smaller sections. For each section, he gives a few questions. That takes away the pressure of directly writing essays. He then picks few interesting events/data and asks you to elaborate on those. This process continues until he gets all the material he needs. He then sews the pieces together and your essay/application is ready. Interestingly, my essay had many aspects that I wouldn’t have considered as important. But Harold has a knack to pull out the most unique examples that highlight your strengths. I did not have a direct report. But Harold helped me pull out examples from my life that showed initiative and leadership in a different way.
Resume is an important part of B-school applications. Harold metamorphosed my resume. Earlier it had description of projects, promotions and positions. Now it has more data, and examples to show impact of my work. Harold also helped me with the video statement and the interviews. I did mock interviews with him. His feedback on both was very specific.
He is open to suggestions. He patiently listens to your doubts/fears/anxieties and helps you remain focused. He replies to emails within a day and is always accessible on phone. (I submitted my application 3 days before the deadline). I could get through MIT Sloan only because of Harold. Going beyond applications, I have found a mentor who boosted my confidence.

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Harold was amazing and very instrumental in getting me into HBS, Booth, LBS and MIT Sloan!

I went into the process with a lower-than-average GMAT score for all my target schools. Harold did an amazing job of helping me bring the different pieces of my career and life together to make for a very compelling application narrative that got me interviews to all the schools I applied to.

His turn-around time was amazing, almost always beating the two-day promised turn-around. His comments were very thoughtful and always felt like he was reading with a fresh set of eyes. I would definitely recommend Harold to anyone who’s applying to B-school.

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Harold changed my life. I was struggling with the GMAT and was losing hope in my chances at a top MBA program. I met with Harold during a coaching session, and one piece of advice Harold offered to me was to consider taking the GRE, and I took that advice seriously. I quickly pivoted and saw a point jump from 660 on the GMAT to ultimately a 690 equivalent on the GRE. It wasn't an amazing mark, but after taking the GMAT and GRE a combined 5 times, I was willing to take the score that would at least put me in the 80th percentile for the programs I was applying to. This gave me the confidence once again to aim high and apply to the top-tier programs. I'm so thankful that I took his advice because I now have been admitted to Tepper, Foster, Ross, Haas, and Stanford GSB! I truly don't believe I would have been able to share these successes if I hadn't taken Harold's advice.

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