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John Sisk Reviews

Company: mbaMission

John Sisk’s extensive background in journalism, advertising, and television, combined with his MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business and a career-focused mind-set, have no doubt contributed to his having earned more than 75 five-star reviews on GMAT Club—positioning him as one of the leading consultants in the industry. With a BS in journalism from the Medill School at Northwestern University, John was one of The Huffington Post’s first Chicago-focused bloggers and spent five years in the media industry, starting as a page in the NBC Page Program. After a two-year stint with NBC, he worked as a producer on VH1’s Best Week Ever before transitioning to digital media buying at Starcom Worldwide, where he planned clients’ online marketing campaigns. While at Stern, where he specialized in finance, marketing, and TMT (technology, media, and telecom), John was a vice president of the Media Entertainment & Sports Association and contributed to the student newspaper The Stern Opportunity. And as a Graduate Fellow in Stern’s Office of Career Development, he reviewed students’ resumes and cover letters and conducted mock interviews, while working with recruiters from McKinsey & Company, J.P. Morgan, Boston Consulting Group, and Amazon, along with several other top investment banks, consulting firms, and technology companies.

4.9 /5 Average Rating
Based on 69 reviews
May 12, 2024
ppatel2194

Joined: May 12, 2024

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

John Sisk is Amazing!!

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I was admitted into one of my dream schools and I would not have been able to gain admission to an M7 program without John. I purchased a start-to-finish package with John and he was with me every step of the way – proving to be an instrumental part of my journey. As a first time MBA applicant, having John walk me through the process from start to finish was extremely valuable.

One of my favorite things about John was his positive outlook and attitude. The MBA application process can be quite a daunting task and it is easy to fall into a cycle of doubt. Having someone like John, who both inspired and motivated me, ensured my outlook remained positive. He not only reminded me to have fun and enjoy the journey, but also encouraged me to put my best foot forward, especially with regards to my essays.

Despite working with very little time to get my applications in for R1, John went through many iterations of my resume and essay reviews to ensure I had the best application possible. He was very patient and addressed every single one of my questions in detail. Not only is John very knowledgeable regarding what schools are looking for in a candidate, he also took the time to understand who I was as a person. John helped to detail my life experiences – using the process to curate and inspire essays unique to my specific journey. Even when John experienced a family emergency, he continued to work with me to ensure my applications were pristine and did not miss any deadlines. John is truly invested in the individual success of his clients.

My experience with John was AMAZING and I would highly recommend him to anyone who is looking for a great consultant!

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April 21, 2024
MissMarshmallow

Joined: Nov 25, 2023

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
710 Q48 V38

Heading To My Dream School - Thank You, John!!

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I would highly recommend John to anyone who wants to get into their “reach" school. I decided to get an MBA late in July and signed up for a 4 school package in November. I was so tied up with the GMAT that our work only started in late November (In hindsight, I would recommend you to start working with a consultant the moment that you decide to get an MBA). I got offers from 3 schools (one of them with scholarship) and 1 waitlist. CBS was my dream school and I'm heading there this fall!

Despite how my GMAT score was below the median, John encouraged me to look beyond it. John's greatest value is the storytelling, crafting a coherent and compelling narrative for my career transition and uncovering my unique attributes that I otherwise would have overlooked. John is extremely committed, supportive, and engaging, putting in more time and effort than contracted. Due to the time difference, our meetings are often early morning/late night, but every meeting was worth it and essay exchange was highly productive. The interview prep effectively streamlined the process and relieved the stressfulness. I had an urgent interview and we managed to scheduled the mock interview at 6AM (my time zone) with just a few hours of notice. He emphasised that it’s a “conversation” and I’m naturally good at communicating, so do not over prepare.

The school package is expensive, but I think it’s worth it because going to school is an even bigger investment and you want your 1st choice!

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January 14, 2024
applicant234

Joined: Feb 08, 2023

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Not Just Effective -- Essential

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In short, John earns my highest recommendation. He bears a great deal of responsibility for my success.

I worked with John on a 3 school package. I had always thought of myself as a strong writer and strong story teller (and still do!), but John truly took my applications to the NEXT level. In our first meeting where we went over my "tell me about yourself/why business school" narrative, an area where I had previously thought I was rock solid, John opened my eyes to the fact that my story was my a little all over the place. He helped me fine tune the stories about my past so that they were coherent and representative of a strong business school applicant. We continued to work on other essays and resume review; John supported me throughout the process, and we were in constant communication. In the end, I was admitted to 3 M7 schools with significant scholarships at each, and have continued to leverage John's teachings to earn an internship offer at a top tier consulting firm. Truly none of this would have been possible without John!

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December 19, 2023
Rukia

Joined: Jun 11, 2019

Posts: 50

Kudos: 31

Self-reported Score:
590 Q28 V28

Totally not worth it

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I had John Sisk work with me to put together essays for two schools more than a year ago. I was told that I would have a good chance with the two schools I applied to and in fact one of the schools I applied to was a school he graduated from so I felt comfortable hiring him to help on my essays. He was pretty accessible most of the times through emails but I am really disappointed that I paid thousands of dollars to not even get a first round invite to any of these schools. In fact, I applied to another school where I didn't get any guidance in writing the essays and ended up being admitted to that school. Hiring consultants for essays are a huge waste of money and I wish I had not spent this much money on a service that yielded NO RESULTS. It would be better for you to just write the essays yourself and you will have just as much if not a better fighting chance at these schools.

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August 06, 2023
Kristov

Joined: May 19, 2022

Posts: 1

Kudos: 0

Thank you, John!!

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I am thrilled to share my outstanding experience with John. I purchased a three-school Start-to-Finish Package, and John helped me successfully secure a spot at a top 15 program despite a weak GMAT score.

John was able to guide me through a structured application process that took the stress out of navigating it on my own. This allowed me to stay organized and confident throughout the journey. One of the highlights of my collaboration with John was the insightful brainstorming session and his continued effort to get to know me personally. Through this collaboration, John was able to help me develop a compelling story for me to use in my essays. He was able to uncover and help me present my unique experiences, strengths, and aspirations in a compelling way. In addition, John is a flat-out amazing writer and was able to provide suggestions on how to make my essays pop.

The other key value-add that John was able to bring to the table was his deep knowledge of each of the programs that I was applying for. He gave me direction on how to write my essays for each school that would resonate the strongest with the adcom.

I wholeheartedly recommend John to anyone pursuing admission to a top MBA program.

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July 08, 2023
pike43

Joined: Mar 06, 2022

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Useful for brainstorming but school package not worth it.

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TLDR the brainstorming and structure of a "Complete Start-to-Finish Package" with MBAMission was useful but definitely not worth the $6,900 price tag. I went into the process thinking that using a consultant would give me an "edge" in the extremely competitive process of applying for top 10 MBA programs but found that to be not the case. Overall the consultant (John Sisk) was very nice and personable. The brainstorming session and documents at the beginning of the process were definitely helpful in coalescing thoughts and providing direction. The structured process can also be a boon to someone who is less organized but I'd say any reasonably driven individual should be able to handle organization / time management on their own.

The two primary reasons for my less-than-stellar rating are:
1) in hindsight, I believe the structured essay writing style of the consultant actually hurt my chances as they likely felt too sanitized and polished; and
2) although the consultant was friendly, I didn't feel like the consultant actually cared whether I got into a good program. I had disappointing results in Round 1 (with his complete package assistance) but didn't receive any follow-up or hear from him come decision time. As a consultant, he was keenly aware of when school decisions were released but basically if I didn't reach out to him with the news, good or bad, he likely never would have contacted me again. After getting a hold of him and telling him of my rejections in Round 1 he offered to continue helping and providing advice for Round 2 but my subsequent two emails were left unanswered. Also, case in point, he never reached out or contacted me again to ask how my MBA application process was going and still does not know which schools I got into in Round 2.

I was ultimately successful in getting into a top 10 MBA program on my own in Round 2 (writing essays in my own style rather than the vanilla structure he recommended) so all is well that ends well but I simply cannot recommend spending so much money for this service.

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June 17, 2023
ahey331

Joined: Jun 17, 2023

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

John Sisk...Quite Literally the Best There is!

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John was meant to be an MBA Admissions Consultant. His level of care and how committed he is to each client is unparalleled. He communicates feedback thoroughly and in a timely manner. He makes sure to check in and has a ton of patience when working with you. I had a bit of a quick turnaround and he made sure to let me know on a regular basis that we were pacing well and that all will be alright. He really develops a rapport with you and helps you see a clear way to tell your story. I could not be where I am at today without John.

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June 06, 2023
ValtteriGoattas

Joined: Sep 28, 2021

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

MBA Application Success – Thanks, John!

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I recently had the pleasure of working with John on three full-time MBA applications (2022-2023 application cycle, start-to-finish package, all M7 programs), and could not be more pleased with my experience. John is the ultimate professional – thoughtful, responsive, knowledgeable, and encouraging – though what struck me the most was his ability to extract crucial details from various (seemingly unrelated) personal and professional experiences, and distill those into a concise, cohesive narrative that perfectly highlighted my strengths and potential at business school and beyond. It is worth noting that prior to engaging with John, I actually applied to a fourth program during R1, and the differences between my unassisted application and the applications that I worked on with John are startling. Most importantly, the narrative that John and I crafted together is actually more authentic and compelling than the story I was able to tell on my own. Because of this, I truly feel that I put my best foot forward with each program, and I strongly doubt that I would be in the position that I am without John’s guidance and support.

Despite working under a slightly compressed timeline, John helped me prepare three very thorough / polished MBA applications in advance of various R2 deadlines, ultimately resulting in my admission to both CBS and Booth. Though a difficult decision (which John thoughtfully helped me navigate), I eventually / excitedly accepted my offer from CBS, who also offered me a very generous (and unexpected!) merit-based scholarship. I could not be more thrilled with this outcome, which I firmly believe would not have been achievable had John and I not worked together.

TL;DR: my experience with John was overwhelmingly positive, and I would HIGHLY recommend him to anyone considering this type of service. Thank you, John!

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May 18, 2023
loodik1

Joined: May 12, 2022

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Headed To Top Business School - Thank You, John!

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John helped me navigate the challenging process of applying to four of M7 business schools, resulting in being admitted to Booth and waitlisted at Wharton despite below-average test scores for a private equity applicant applying in R2.

What sets John apart is his ability to truly listen and understand unique backgrounds and experiences. In my case, I had a unique life story that included numerous setbacks and challenges. For years, I was unsure how to reconcile various stories and experiences to showcase my strengths in a coherent story that ties them all together. However, John took the time to identify the key experiences and focus areas and helped me develop a compelling narrative that highlighted my resilience, leadership skills, and ability to overcome adversity in personal and professional contexts.

Furthermore, I struggled with standardized testing and despite trying several times, had below-average GMAT/GRE scores that initially made me doubt my chances of admission. However, John was able to help me focus my application on other strengths of my application that demonstrated my academic abilities and potential for success in business school.

John has a rare talent for helping applicants uncover their unique strengths and tell their stories in a compelling and authentic way. Not only did he help me gain admission to the best business school, working together foremost helped me understand myself better.

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May 20, 2022
mbellissimo

Joined: Sep 26, 2021

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
740 Q46 V46 (Online)

Thank God for John Sisk

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I was passed over by 2 different consulting companies when I decided to work with a consultant for business school. I was 30 when I decided to apply, and despite having a solid undergrad GPA (3.7) and achieving 740 a GMAT Score, every consultant I spoke to cross-referenced me against their ideal profile of a 25-28 year old with similar scores and decided that I wasn't worth their time. There was no scarcity of qualified applicants, and consultants are incentivized by their track record and in their eyes, I simply wasn't worth the time or risk. Additionally, I had in my head I was only going to apply to M7 schools because anything else wouldn't have been worth my own time....John took a chance on me, and I thank god that he did because had he not I would not have gotten accepted into CBS's MBA class 2024.

This story should speak not only to John's talent but also to the character and specifically the style in which he helps his students. He genuinely cares about them, and this translates directly into his effectiveness in his role. He is thoughtful, promit, and extremely considerate in his reviews and commentary, demonstrating an extremly personalized approach to every student. I cou;d not reccomend John more emphatically to anybody else with a similar dream.

John if you're reading this, thank you.

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