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Product mbaMission Hourly Services
Consultant Harshad Mali
By the time I met with Harshad, I had applied to 4 different schools, with fairly dismal results (3 rejections, 1 waitlist). While I thought I had a fairly good story, Harshad clearly spotted areas that could have been perceived as "weak" on my application and other areas that needed to be either fleshed out more or highlighted. When tackling my weaker areas, he always kept a can-do attitude and continuously encouraged me through the application. When stumped over an essay point, Harshad got me on a call and we worked through the essay prompt and brainstormed ideas for me to use!
Harshad was never afraid to tell me what he really thought, and I appreciated that immensely, even when I had to choose between the better-fit school and my dream city. Ultimately ended up in a T10 school, which turned out to be the right school for me, with so much thanks for Harshad!
Product mbaMission onTrack by mbaMission
Consultant Harshad Mali
OnTrack has truly been a one stop-shop for everything I needed to complete MBA applications. It provides a tailor-made schedule of modules based on an initial assessment. Simply completing the modules alone gave me enough insight to tackle multiple applications confidently. Since I signed up late, I was short on time and had to be selective with which modules I focused on. I would recommend signing up as early as possible to take advantage of all the content.
One of the more challenging parts of the MBA application is researching the different schools. OnTrack does a great job of covering the basics and essentials of most schools. This was a huge time-saver and gave me a solid foundation before diving into my own research.
OnTrack also provides modules on essay writing and resume preparation, including examples that help you navigate these challenging aspects of an application. I especially loved the interview prep modules. They offer an interface with a repository of school-specific interview questions, where you can record yourself answering them. Watching these recordings back helped me spot and improve any habits I didn’t realize I had. There’s no limit to how many times you can practice, which is perfect for prepping. They also provide specific questions to help you get ready for the video assessments required by some schools.
Overall, I feel OnTrack is an excellent investment for anyone working on their MBA applications. It is comprehensive and gives you a strong structure to work with.
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Product mbaMission Hourly Services
Consultant Harshad Mali
It was amazing working with Harshad with mbaMission and well worth the effort and resources. I came to him with a seemingly impossible task of a week turnaround time for an application, start to finish, but he was more than up to the challenge and approached each step of supporting me with brainstorming, essay strengthening, resume revision, and interview preparation with clear, concise, relevant, comprehensive, and manageable steps. He was direct and upfront with telling me I had good content but needed a lot of work to present it in a much clearer way and that aligned more in what the schools are looking for. He provided a good balance of a challenge to work hard to strengthen my application in very applicable and tangible ways while keep me moving forward at a pace necessary to reach the deadline. His direct and to the point guidance on where to put my effort, thoughtful feedback, and structure in the calls and emails were clear about what was well done and what needed work. He invited me to guide his support for where I most wanted to focus on. Through his support in overhauling and strengthening my application, it led me to being accepted at my top school.
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Harshad Mali
As a reapplicant, I knew I needed to take a different approach, and Harshad was instrumental in helping me achieve that. He worked closely with me to refine my story, identifying the key aspects of my life that would resonate with admissions committees. His insight into crafting a clear R1 and R2 strategy was invaluable.
Despite my struggles with the GMAT, Harshad never wavered in his belief that I could meet my target schools' requirements. His unwavering support kept me motivated. Ultimately, I was accepted into both Kellogg and Wharton.
Harshad's true strength lies in his deep understanding of the essay prompts. He has a unique ability to break them down and reveal what the schools are really looking for. This insight allowed me to answer each question with precision and focus, tailored specifically to each school.
Beyond his expertise, Harshad is a pleasure to work with. He makes the process smoother and less stressful, truly making your life easier and constantly motivating you. I couldn’t have asked for a better consultant to guide me through this journey.
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Harshad Mali
I will start by saying that Harshad and the mbaMission team / resources are phenomenal. For a bit of background, I began my MBA journey one month before R2 application deadlines. I explained my situation (MBA needed for next step in my career and targeting top 3 program). Without hesitation, Harshad agreed to the challenge and adapted his ‘typical’ working style to me. We immediately got to work crafting a story that would best position me for target school. At the same time, I needed to secure a better test score. Harshad introduced me to a private tutor and showed me how to position application around score. Throughout the process, Harshad frequently made himself available to provide feedback and discuss application strategy (even through the holidays!). When it came time to apply, I had a well-crafted application for my top school and earned admittance (with a nice scholarship)! Regardless of the outcome, I was glad I hired Harshad and the mbaMission team. I have already recommended him to numerous colleagues and friends. If you are interested in applying to a top business program, HIRE HARSHAD!
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Harshad Mali
I was a bit late into the application game, as GMAT took longer than I had expected, but also I frankly didn’t know where to start the application. When I reached out to mbaMission, I got matched with Harshad, and I was lucky to snatch up the last spot for this application cycle. I had complete confidence in him, having read numerous positive reviews from previous applicants on various portals and websites.
Harshad exceede my expectations. From brainstorming (crafting my overall story) to detailed edits and providing emotional support when Round 1 didn’t go as planned, he was there to guide, encourage, and help me push through. As a full-time professional, it was crucial for me to use my limited time efficiently for applications and essays. Harshad had ample experience and he knew exactly how to tackle different prompts and when not to go overboard or overkill on one essay. Different schools emphasize different qualities, which can be difficult to discern from websites or conversations with current students and alumni. Harshad’s years of experience helped him understand what works best for each school. Remember this is a marathon (application process can take as a year), and Harshad is a great pacemaker by my side. I was able to get into multiple M7 schools!
Moreover, I really appreciated how he was super responsive despite tight deadlines and the fact that he may be working with multiple candidates at a time. He was always on top of his stuff. I hope to continue this friendship even after I matriculate into a school, as I genuinely like him as a person.
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Harshad Mali
Harshad is a joy to work with. I applied only to MS/MBA programs and, given his engineering background, he was really able to identify how I could better frame the work I did as an engineer in ways the admissions committees would understand. Beyond that, I really appreciated his directness during our conversations. He has a fantastic sense of what parts of my story, background, and future interests the schools want to hear about as well as how to give feedback that elicits that in my writing. He was always willing to point out when he didn’t think an essay came across well enough and explained his reasoning clearly. I think his willingness to have conversations like these took my essays to the next level and pushed me to write more compellingly. He was also very quick to reply and provide feedback! Overall, Harshad was great both as a consultant and as a person to ask for advice and guidance. I’m very happy with the results and can say that the investment was worth it. I ended up getting into CBS, MIT, and Berkeley with his help.
Product mbaMission Hourly Services
Consultant Harshad Mali
As a non-traditional applicant, applying to business school was a bit intimidating. When I first met with Harshad, I could tell right away that I wanted to work with him. He is skilled at and passionate about crafting a story that is not only compelling to admissions committees but also speaks to your unique strengths. On top of that, he is very quick to respond to emails and often provides detailed and thoughtful feedback on the same day. With his guidance, I went from being lost and confused to getting into fantastic schools!
If you are applying to business school, do yourself a favor: work with Harshad!
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Harshad Mali
I remember telling Harshad mid-way during applications that I was very thankful I worked with him irrespective of the outcome. A few weeks later, receiving interview invites from almost all schools I applied to, we had exceeded my expectations. Today, after receiving an admit with scholarship from my dream school, all I can say is I am glad I worked with him.
When I started the application process, I was anxious about applying in R2 as an applicant from the overrepresented pool of Indian consultants with an engineering background. While many admissions consultants either said "round doesn't matter" or "You have no chance", Harshad was honest in his views on the matter - presented facts, nuanced perspectives without judgement. I knew he was the right fit and trusted him as my advisor.
He was not just my consultant, but became a trusted friend in the process. He was always available, gave me his honest feedback, helped me brainstorm, ensured I met all the deadlines, but most of all helped me portray my authentic self, was thoughtful and considerate in bringing out my life experiences through my essays. He understood my background, my passion, and my goals and together, we built my applications. Right from selecting schools, to essays, to choosing and managing recommenders, to additional forms. He mentored me so I understood the application process, presented his nuanced views on various aspects empowering to make decisions in my narrative. He went above and beyond to support my business school endeavors! In addition to all of this, we would have insightful and fun conversations that kept my morale high throughout the process.
You can't go wrong with choosing Harshad for your BSchool applications :) I am more than happy to answer any questions that prospective applicants have about his working style. Feel free to DM on LinkedIn.
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Harshad Mali
Harshad was an invaluable resource during my MBA application process. His knowledge of what each business school was looking for in particular and how to connect that with my professional experiences and post mba goals in a concise and elegant way, was critical in me being accepted into my 2 of my top schools: Fuqua (with scholarship) and Tuck. He also helped me get an interview with HBS but unfortunately, I didn’t interview well enough to gain admission. Harshad pushed me to write the best essays I possibly could and therefore put my best foot forward.
Since Harshad and I were both engineers prior to business school, he has a personal understanding of the strengths and weaknesses I currently have, how I will add value to business school communities, and what I will gain from business school. He has also been more helpful than anyone else when it comes to developing and refining both my short- and long-term career goals.
Harshad’s feedback style is open, honest, and direct which is a perfect match for me. However, my favorite part about Harshad is that genuinely cares about me, my well-being, and success during business school and beyond. It is challenging to balance the MBA application process with work and everything else in life, so having someone like Harshad to support me was priceless. He went above and beyond his responsibilities on several occasions and was rooting for me the entire time. He was worth the money and then some, my scholarship offer covered the cost by far.