Ask yourself, why would an HBS MBA grad do admissions consulting. The work is neither challenging not impactful. I worked with Helen in 2018.

mbaMission promises that they'll get back to you within 24-48 hours with feedback. Whenever I would receive feedback, it would not be tangible and would really miss on the key characteristics that the question is asking for. As a result, my essays were horrible and I got rejected. I later took Fortuna Admissions in 2020 and as a reapplicant got accepted though I still didn't manage to get into my top choice because of my history as a reapplicant. mbaMission has more than a thousand good reviews but that also means that each consultant is looking after 20-30 clients and not really spending the time you need them to. I would not recommend Helen or mbaMission.

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When I began my coaching with Helen, I had some idea of the schools I was looking to apply to but not much insight into what details of my life my application would cover. Helen was patient, kind, and discerning. She first helped me think critically about how my own qualifications lined up with the MBA programs I was interested in. With an incredibly deep knowledge of what each program is looking for, Helen then helped me to expertly tailor my applications. She was particularly supportive in helping me write about difficult life experiences. Helen's interview prep was realistic and helpful, she does not hold back in asking the tough questions and I felt very prepared for the real things. She also was very critical in resume review and made my resume top tier. She takes her job seriously and is many times over worth the money!

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I had considered pursuing an MBA for some time before embarking on the journey, so I had accumulated quite a bit of knowledge about the overall process and some of the specificities of the different schools I was applying to. However, my background and professional advancement made the pursuit of an MBA harder to justify, so I needed to aim high and be very on point in applying to the top US and European schools. Helen supported me through this ambitious goal.
Helen proved to be instrumental in my acceptance to one of my target schools. She helped survey my entire background and find gold nuggets where I would not have suspected. Her advice and thoughts were also very helpful in methodically building my story narrative and distilling the content in a clear and concise, yet impactful way. For example, it becomes very easy to try to stuff a lot content that appears meaningful and significant to oneself, when in fact putting the spotlight on fewer and targeted aspects is much more effective and compelling.
One of the great value-adds was that Helen will challenge your work in a constructive and polite way (i.e. no sugar coating or complacency): if what you're saying is weak, unclear or unconvincing, she will tell you and she will ask the right questions to help you improve or consider a better approach.
Beyond the essay drafting, Helen's knowledge and judgment were a reassuring force : from strategy to video-essays, to video interviews, to cv crafting and questionnaires, she provided reasoned advice and suggestions.
All in all, what made my experience with Helen so delightful is simply that she is passionate (from my very first conversation with her, she overflowed with positive energy!), dedicated, supportive and incredibly astute. A+

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I worked with Helen Summers for ~3 months on my MBA essays and she provided invaluable support and guidance, ultimately helping me get accepted into 4 M7 programs. Helen is honest and direct and will not BS you when your essays need work. She is supportive and consistently pushed me to dig deeper and improve upon how I got my points across in all my essays. She is extremely organized and prompt, I never waited more than 2 days for a response on a question or essay draft. She was always willing to hop on a quick call to talk through questions or hard topics. I highly recommend working with Helen on any and all parts of your MBA applications.

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I was so happy with Helen as my consultant. I was reapplying to a couple schools this year and decided to use Helen to help craft my story. I found her when I was struggling with my story the most, unsure of how to cohesively weave my background, work experience, and goals into one story. Helen was incredibly resourceful in digging deep to my story and understand what drives and has shaped me and how I can make an impact in the future. She gave me confidence in my story while also being honest about what needed to be cut - somethings were better off being discarded than salvaged and I really appreciated her honesty in the process. In the end I was accepted to Wharton, which my family and I are thrilled about. Thank you so much, Helen!

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Helen was essential in my business school application process. When I started working with Helen, I was already significantly behind the recommended Round 1 timeline, but Helen helped at every step along the way and pushed me develop two strong applications in only a couple of months to get my application in by the R1 deadline! Helen was particularly helpful in brainstorming essay topics, thinking strategically about recommenders, generally making sure that all of my ducks were in a row come application submission time, and interview preparation / mock interviews. Helen helped me achieve my goal of getting into all of my schools of interest, and I could not recommend her highly enough!

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Working with Helen was awesome! I had had experience with an independent consultant the year prior, and I can’t believe the difference. Working with a below 700 GMAT, I knew I had to tell my story very strategically in order to reach my T10 goal, and Helen helped me do exactly that.

Helen was incredibly friendly, yet honest and direct when my work or approach was less than she expected of me. She also made me dig deep to find my story and even helped me have a clear sense of where I wanted to go in the future. Turnaround time was outstanding, in that I NEVER had to wait for the turnaround policy specified on the welcome package because Helen was so responsive. She was also very patient with me considering that I often made last minute changes or came up with new ideas for essays that had already been revised.

Helen was not only outstanding professionally, but she also made me feel like I had a new friend—she got as excited as I did whenever I received good news! But let the results speak for themselves. The year before, I had applied to one M7 and didn’t even get an interview. With Helen, I applied to three other M7s and a top 10 (U.S. News) business school, and not only did I get into my top choice, but I also got in everywhere else I applied to except one M7 school, and got scholarship money everywhere I was admitted to, which I never even dreamed of! Thank you Helen, you were an essential part of my MBA application journey!

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Working with Helen was an absolute pleasure and one of the best decisions I've ever made. She came highly recommended to me by a close friend and I quickly saw why. I primarily utilized the hourly package offering to help me with some of the items on the application that I heard often get overlooked by candidates. This included the resume, short answer questions, extracurricular activities, and job descriptions. I was amazed at how thorough she could be with her recommenders. In a firm but polite manner, she let me know where she thought I could make a section, sentence, or even a phrase more impactful. She asked me guiding questions that helped me remember better examples that I could use to show the impact that I've had in the past.

Another incredibly useful service Helen provided me was with my word count. I often had sections that I struggled to bring under the tight word or character limit. She was an expert at helping me make my story more concise without diluting the message (usually even making it stronger than it was when I started).

I have gone on to recommend her to my closest friends that are applying too. Like a good trainer at the gym, Helen will push you to heights you didn't know you could reach!

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Going into the application process I was on the fence on whether I wanted to use a consultant, but by recommendation of a friend who had a great experience with Helen I reached out to schedule an initial phone call. After our 30 minute conversation, the value add that Helen would provide in the process was abundantly clear to me. I ended up working with Helen on a few of the schools I applied to (hey, I at least wanted to do a few on my own!) and do not regret it at all. I only wish I had worked with her on all of them! Helen helped me tell a clear and cohesive story in my apps and provided great clarity and focus throughout the process. I would definitely recommend her to others.

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I decided very late in the game to apply for business school. I was hoping to apply in round 1, but after struggling to get the GMAT score I desired, I suddenly found myself with only 6 weeks to complete my round 2 applications. I knew I was a competent candidate with a strong professional background, but I was worried about overcoming my below average undergraduate GPA and GMAT score for the schools I was targeting (M7). I had some reservations about working with a consultant due to the cost, but when I considered the value of getting into a top school, I decided it was worth my while. I am so thankful I decided to move forward with Helen at mbaMission, because I was able to overcome the obstacles in my application and get into my dream school!!!

Helen is someone who tells it like it is. She can be your toughest critic, but your greatest cheerleader. I really appreciated this quality because it meant I was always putting my absolute best foot forward with the schools I applied to. I worked with Helen on my resume, essays, interviews, and even my scholarship reconsideration letters. She helped me decide which schools to apply to, and ultimately which one to attend. With her help, I got into 5/7 schools I applied to (one of which was my dream school). I owe it all to Helen, and can't speak more highly of the experience. If you want to put your best foot forward, I strongly recommend working with Helen!

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