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Harshad Mali Reviews

Company: mbaMission

With an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, a BE in mechanical engineering from the Government College of Engineering in Aurangabad, India, and an ME in mechanical and aerospace engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology, Harshad Mali has enjoyed a successful career as both an engineer and an entrepreneur. In addition to having worked in design and product development within the automotive industry for the truck manufacturer Navistar, he has traveled extensively in Europe, Asia, and South America to evaluate and create supply chains for critical hardware. After graduating from Chicago Booth, Harshad co-founded a consulting start-up to address the operational and product commercialization challenges faced by small- and medium-sized manufacturing companies. His corporate and entrepreneurial experiences have given him valuable insight into the various career paths MBAs pursue. An avid mentor and coach, Harshad has participated in university career fairs, discussing professional goals and career paths with graduating students, and has also freelanced as an MBA essay consultant.

4.9 /5 Average Rating
Based on 74 reviews
April 05, 2022
benlee08

Joined: Apr 05, 2022

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
700 Q49 V36

In Good Hands

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Harshad was instrumental to my success. I worked with him through mbaMission’s 3 school package. Not fitting the typical mold, I was very apprehensive about how to portray myself appropriately to the admissions committees. Harshad was recommended to me because he had the “heart of a storyteller”. When we first spoke, his emotional intelligence stood out amongst other qualified professionals I had interviewed for advisory. I was convinced he was the right person to guide me.

In October, I was overwhelmed with what to do. I was full of questions, but Harshad was prepared for all of my inquiries, even scheduling time with me during nights and weekends to accommodate my full-time work schedule. He always responded to my questions promptly. His responses were crisp and insightful.

We began with a brainstorming document that formed the foundation of our work going forward. Afterward, I started drafting my first essays. Harshad was direct in his feedback: several of my drafts were subpar. It was tough for me to accept this reality, but Harshad’s tact and empathy helped me move forward with the necessary changes. I re-wrote the drafts multiple times. I encountered a similar process during my mock interviews and my resume writing as well. The final products were worth it.

Applying to B-school was a critical time in my life, but having an adept, caring professional advising made a world of difference. This week, I received an acceptance from my top pick going into the process. I had hoped for my dream school, but getting in feels completely surreal. I am deeply grateful for all of Harshad’s guidance.

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April 03, 2022
shiv0522

Joined: Aug 21, 2021

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
720 Q49 V40

Look no further!

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I highly recommend working with Harshad to help you with your business school applications. Through his help and a long few months, I got into GSB, Wharton and Booth!

I actually started a little late (in November) for Round 2 deadlines but Harshad was more than up for the challenge. He set expectations upfront - we knew going in this is going to be an uphill battle.

From the onset it was clear that Harshad was highly organized and methodical in his approach. Harshad is definitely not someone who will beat around the bush and/or sugarcoat. He is direct but thoughtful which is the exact duo you will need while going through this process, especially when you get to a point where every day matters. I did this application process while working full time which definitely made my availability difficult but Harshad was very flexible and available for late nights and weekends, whenever I needed him! He is unparalleled with his turnaround time which definitely surpassed my expectations.

Part of the challenge of building out your application is not just having a good story but showing the story rather than telling the story. This is where I found Harshad to be a differentiator - he takes the time to get to know you, your interests, your passions and who you are as a person and makes sure to reflect that in his process to helping build out your application. He will steer you away when you think certain information is valuable to have but is really just fluff (which was extremely useful when trying to meet those pesky word counts!) and push you to write more impact even when you think there isn't anything left. During the mock interviews, he falls into school specific persons that allow you to really practice through different styles of interviews.

Overall, Harshad genuinely wants you to succeed and will do his best to get you to the best place you can be. I recommended Harshad without reservation and to the fullest extent!

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April 01, 2022
aespo

Joined: Apr 01, 2022

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Harshad Mali - Honest, Responsive, Knowledgeable

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Harshad was very helpful through my MBA application process. As a chemist with 8 years of work experience, Harshad used his own engineering background to position my story for success in the business world. I hired Harshad on an hourly basis and he was able to help me with essays from 5 schools as well as my resume without going over the allotted time. He was always available for a quick call, even during the Christmas holiday break. Ultimately, I was accepted at HBS, Tuck and Haas. I believe Harshad helped me sharpen my story and he wasn't afraid to redirect my focus, when needed.

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March 27, 2022
mahaf

Joined: Oct 28, 2021

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
660 Q45 V36

A True Mentor

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Harshad was instrumental in helping me get into the MBA programme of my dreams! His constant support, guidance and positive attitude played a pivotal role in achieving my goals. The MBA application process is an extremely strenuous one - Harshad's positivity and humour really helped alleviate my stress.

Harshad was always very organised, timely and meticulous in his editing and helped bring my story to life in my essays. I was applying alongside my twin sister and we both clicked with Harshad and decided to work with him. He counselled us both but always made sure our individuality showed through our stories and essays. He helped us both get into our dream school!

Overall, I just want to thank Harshad for all his help and support. He was a true mentor and guide during the application process. I highly recommend him to anyone about to take on this MBA admissions journey.

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March 18, 2022
ydago

Joined: Mar 18, 2022

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Review of Harshad Mali and mbaMission

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Having Harshad and mbaMission by my side during the MBA application process has been very critical: I do not think that I would have received an admission offer from my target school without his involvement.
Harshad helped me craft my resume and my essays and got me prepared for my interview in a very efficient way.
His tremendous knowledge about top-tier schools allowed me to craft essays that showcased my strengths and tied them with the school’s culture.
One of the key challenges for me was to craft three essays and a resume in a two-week timeframe to apply in the early rounds of my target school. Harshad has been very reliable, well organized, and very reactive which allowed me to meet that goal. Also, Harshad does not hesitate to go the extra mile to deliver the best output possible. He remained available at any time and helped me to answer follow-up questions from the school’s admission committee.
Without any doubt, Harshad is a great asset for any applicant targeting top MBA programs.

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March 11, 2022
pshant121

Joined: Aug 18, 2020

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Major Value Add

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As an Indian male with a below average GPA, I was doubtful about getting into a top MBA program. However, working with Harshad completely changed my opinion. From the get-go he was extremely transparent and honest. He candidly explained to me I come from an over represented demographic and will have to score an above average GRE score to compensate. After receiving my scores we brainstormed the best fit programs for me. He helped me in selecting safety schools, par schools, and reach schools. He was an incredible value add here because he was very knowledgeable about each program and could speak to their different cultures and expertise. After choosing the programs we proceeded to brainstorming. He helped me shine light on things that would differentiate myself and helped me tone down weaknesses in my story. Once I got to the essay writing stage, he would always return things in a day or under with quality edits and comments for me to work on. Overall he was immensely helpful in me getting accepted into Tepper, which is my number one option. He instilled confidence in me and helped me articulate a story that reflects the best version of myself. He is very candid and genuine and doesn’t try to sell services - he genuinely wants to see clients succeed and get into their top programs. He is extremely flexible and accessible. If I ever wanted to chat about anything out he would carve out time in his day to make it happen. His turnaround times are short too so there is no wastage of time. I found the mock interviews to be extremely helpful too since he asks tailored questions for each program. Again this just further reflects his expertise in top programs. All in all, I can confidently say that Harshad was worth every penny. He is extremely knowledgeable and helps curate the best version of yourself. His feedback during mock interviews and essays is relevant and reflects his high attention to detail. Harshad is very easy to talk to and uplifting too. Overall I would recommend Harshad to anyone. Without him I would not have been able to get into my top program of Tepper.

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February 26, 2022
AdityaSharma27

Joined: Aug 08, 2021

Posts: 1

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
760 Q49 V46 (Online)

Best Decision I Made!

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Working with Harshad has been the best decision I took during this admissions cycle. I worked with Harshad through mbaMission's four school package and his work was worth every penny. Right from the first brainstorming session, Harshad has been extremely interested and passionate about my background and goals. As we went through my applications, he has become my most trusted advisor and even a close mentor. I can always trust Harshad to never sugarcoat any advice. This has consistently ensured that my applications were of the best quality. Working with him has also made a better writer in general - even when I write reports at work, I find myself asking "What would Harshad say."

Harshad has always exceeded his turnaround time and I am actually in awe of how hard he works. Additionally, the meticulous detail of his work came through all the edits and suggestions he made for my resume and essays. He will continue editing and asking for revisions right until the draft is perfect. I also appreciated the fact that every time Harshad recommended changes, he always took the time to explain why such changes were needed.

Most importantly, it is abundantly clear that Harshad truly cares about getting the best outcome for me. With his help, I got into a truly amazing MBA program and I would highly recommend him to anyone starting out on their MBA journey.

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February 12, 2022
nishantjayaswal

Joined: Jul 30, 2020

Posts: 1

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
740 Q51 V39 (Online)

Harshad will bring out your best application

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I had decided to submit my applications early in the cycle and hence started researching and talking to consultants. I spoke with few of the highest rated consultants but the level of comfort I felt after my conversation with Harshad stood out. Considering the genuineness of the conversation with Harshad, I decided to work with him.

Coming from a highly over represented demographic, I was worried about standing out as an applicant. Harshad understood my story very well and helped me bring out my uniquenesses and my strengths. There were many occasions when I was satisfied with my content but Harshad felt we could do better and pushed me to submit the best possible application. Harshad’s style of reviewing documents and giving feedback is highly organised and this ensured that we stayed highly productive at all times. Harshad’s turnaround time was excellent throughout the process and he made sure we stayed on track throughout the process and submitted all the applications before the deadlines. Later, Harshad also took my mock interviews for all the schools from where I was invited for the interview and this helped me build further confidence before my interview day.

As a result, I got into one of my dream schools. I am sure that I couldn’t submitted such high quality applications without Harshad’s help. I am really grateful to him for being a partner in my MBA applications journey.

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December 23, 2021
Karimharb

Joined: Nov 22, 2018

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Harshad is definetly the best!

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I had started my journey of applying to business schools with a different consultant from another company but didn’t achieve any tangible outcomes. After working with Harshad, I could tell the difference in the quality of work. From the first call, Harshad provided me great advice on how to choose the programs that would best fit my career goals. I had a broad idea of what I wanted to achieve from a macro perspective, however Harshad helped me figure out how to narrow down my goals and bring out my life stories. He helped me organize my thinking process and structure my applications holistically. He was always very honest with his opinion and never sugarcoated my work just to make me feel better, until I presented the work with the highest quality. His feedback and editing style motivated me to present the best quality of work; my essays produced terrific content and flow. Whenever I was stuck with an essay question by not tackling the point, he would schedule a meeting to make sure I would tackle that point correctly. Honestly, I wouldn’t have been able to complete the process with such quality and get into my school of choice without Harshad. I highly recommend Harshad as your consultant to ensure a smooth process to complete your application!

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December 21, 2021
Drucifur

Joined: Jun 23, 2021

Posts: 25

Kudos: 39

Verified GMAT Classic score:
760 Q50 V42

3.3 GPA and Poor ECs makes M7

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If you're anything like me, hiring a consultant seems a bit extra. I figured I could write decently well on my own, my resume was okay, and the interviews won’t be that bad. So why should I pay so much money for what I anticipated would be only marginal improvements to my overall application? Well, after working with Harshad, I can tell you exactly why.

Essays: Harshad takes a deep look at your life story (personal and professional) to pull-out the anecdotes that will resonate best with the AdComs. My instincts were totally off at first, but Harshad’s knowledge of each school’s specific essays saved me from writing about something that wouldn’t hit home. After that, every round of editing was thorough. Harshad does an excellent job of trimming extra words to make the word count without trimming important content. His email responses were very fast (<1 working day normally, 2 days max).

Resume: Harshad provides an excellent resume template and knows how to rephrase bullets to make them more punchy.

Other application parts: Harshad reviewed all the short answer questions in my application too. Same treatment as the resume. Very worth it.

Recommenders: Harshad provided a thorough guide for working with recommenders. This advice is 100% worth following. He also helped me manage one recommender who had limited English writing proficiency.

Interview prep: I practiced interviewing with friends and family, but nothing was more valuable than Harshad’s mock-interviews. He asked realistic questions, provided candid feedback, and tested me similarly to the real interviews. This was perhaps the most important part of the whole package.

Professionalism: Harshad responded incredibly quickly. Even when I was behind on my work with deadlines approaching quickly, Harshad always responded immediately (whether holiday, weekend, or the middle of the night in his time zone)! His responses were always thorough. Also, I live and work 5-8 time zones away from Harshad, but he was always flexible about scheduling meetings to accommodate my needs. Most importantly, Harshad is candid without being rude. He tells you what you need to hear.

Overall, I’m quite sure I would not have gotten into any M7s without Harshad’s help. Even if he charged double, I would still pick Harshad again.

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