Trusting Katy to guide my MBA admission process (written application + interviews) was best decision I could have made. Uber efficient with your time and money. Do everything you can to work with her. Would do it again 100 times out of 100.

Do you know why you want to go to business school? No, why you really want to go to business school?
What about [insert city name] ecosystem makes you want to spend 2 year of graduate school studying there?
Which business school is the best cultural fit for you?
What about your first job made you see the world differently in your second job?

There is no formula here. Personal answers to these questions require conversations with many people you respect and trust; I felt this about Katy after just one call. In addition, I found Katy's MBA specific experience to be invaluable - of being an HBS student herself and seeing thousands of previous successful and non-successful people go through and come out the other side of business school. Katy cared about my success, became my go to thought partner by asking questions like these, and helped me self-discover and articulate moments in my past that make me special and well suited for a particular business school.

I have a unique perspective on MBA consultants because I actually started my journey with an MBA consultant from a different firm - The Admission Advisory Group - it was a horrendous experience DONT GO THERE!. That other consultant pushed a "formula" on me for the written application and told me to wait a year before applying and I would not get in because my application did not fit into their "formula". I was extremely demoralized after that first experience with the other consultant and knew the advice didn't sound right. Now on the other side I know there is no magic formula (don't go looking for one) to get into business school, and I am grateful I found Katy to help me help myself shine.

Lastly, When it came down to interviews, Katy knows the ins and outs of the different styles at various MBA programs. Her mock interviews with me (even on weekends) helped me shorten my answers, focus on my unique aspects, and go into the interviews with confidence.

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Applying for business schools has been of the most time-consuming and emotionally demanding endeavors I have ever set out to do. In light of this, I highly recommend getting help from a qualified, experienced professional. Early on in the process, someone who knew my background well eagerly recommended that I reach out to Katy Lewis from MBAMission. 1 year and 2 admissions offers later (one of which included a full ride and a named scholarship) I can clearly see why. When I first reached out to Katy for a free consultation, her roster for the year was already full, but we clicked instantly, as we discovered that we were both attorneys and had the same passion for business and the international arena. To avoid overfilling her roster, Katy recommended another consultant from MBAMission. In a twist of fate, however, when the other consultant unexpectedly had to withdraw for personal reasons, Katy jumped right in and picked up my case eagerly. She spent a whole weekend getting up to speed on my materials and by Monday morning she was ready to go. Throughout my admissions process, Katy remained heavily invested in my case. I felt comforted to know she really had my back. Katy paid close attention to detail in every material I sent her for review, challenging me in ways that allowed me to step out of my comfort zone and put my best self forward. She was thorough in my interview preparations, allowing me to spot my weaknesses and correct them. Working with Katy ultimately led me to complete and submit business school applications that I was proud of. I knew from the get-go that given my unusual path to business school, my candidacy was going to be a tough sell. But Katy not only saw my potential, she allowed it to flourish and really show itself to the schools. Looking back on this process, I can confidently say that there is no one I would rather have in my corner when taking on this defining period of my life.

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I initially did a free 30-minute consultation with Katy. She was very helpful during our chat so I ended up working with her further after that. There were two parts of my application she was extremely helpful with. The first one was brainstorming ideas around what my essays should be about (I applied to HBS and Wharton, and HBS has a notoriously vague prompt). She helped me decide which parts of my story would be interesting to highlight and which parts not so much. Having a third party (Katy) who was great at identifying best parts of my candidacy and working with me to highlight them was invaluable.
The second aspect Katy was extremely helpful with was interview prep. Katy did an amazing job helping me practice my interviews. I had talked to some friends who had previously gone through the interview process and the advice I was getting from them was stressing me out. Katy calmed me down and helped me practice for these interviews. If you end up working with her on your application process, make sure she is your main source of truth for the interviews and not some friends who might’ve gone through the process. As she told me “everyone attributes their success to different parts of their application/interview, it doesn’t mean they are right”. If I were to do the process over, I would practice my interviews with Katy and maybe one more trustworthy friend.
Overall, Katy really knows what she is doing and I would highly recommend her. I ended up getting into both HBS and Wharton and am Boston bound this fall!

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As a career academic and Latin teacher transitioning into sustainability management, I was not your typical MBA applicant. I was making a major career shift and I’m confident that, without Katharine’s guidance, I would not have had the success I did. In just the initial consultation, Katharine helped me create a focused and direct action plan. She guided me through the creation of a narrative that both highlighted my achievements and captured my personality.
Once the applications were in, Katharine led me through mock interviews and the development of an elevator pitch. She boosted my ability to speak with confidence and clarity about my goals. Before interviewing for USC Marshall—to which I was recently accepted!—Katharine provided me with resources for both school-specific and general information and advice. Currently, I’m waitlisted for NYU Stern and Katharine continues to provide support and aid from reviewing update emails to admissions to creating a game plan to get off the waitlist.

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I had trial consultations with three other firms and wasn’t satisfied with their processes or their overt salesmanship. Katy was the first admissions consultant who took the time to fully read and digest my resume and story of why I wanted an MBA without trying to push a package. She understood me and my non-traditional story immediately and had first-hand experience with the schools to which I was applying. So, after I was invited to interview at Berkeley Haas, I purchased a mock interview specifically with her. One of the greatest things about her is that she remembered speaking to me 3 months prior during our trial consultation and was genuinely excited that I got an interview.

She sent me prep work before our mock interview to help me understand the intricacies of the Haas interview as well as general b-school interviewing tips from her own experiences. During our mock interview, she took the time to ask me many more questions than my real interviewer would, ensuring no stone was left unturned. She actively took notes and gave suggestions on how to improve answers and what to stay away from. After the mock interview, she sent me several pages of extremely detailed notes on my own responses and all of the critical talking points we spoke about that I needed to hit. My real interview with Berkeley Haas went fantastic thanks to her prep and I was accepted to the program (as well as UCLA Anderson). I strongly recommend Katharine Lewis to anyone who needs help figuring things out or someone to practice interviewing with. She’s a true professional who actually cares about your success. I will be attending Berkeley Haas in the fall thanks to her!

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Over the past two weeks, I've just finished my MBA interviews with HBS, Wharton, and Oxford. As most of you know, each of these interviews are very different in approach and I finished each feeling very confident and also incredibly thankful that Katy Lewis had helped me prepare for each of them. Katy went above and beyond to prepare for each mock interview with me with specific questions tailored to me and based on the tendencies of my interviewer - I can point to specific questions in each of my actual interviews where I am really glad that I not only got to rehearse my answers with Katy, but also brainstormed with her to refine them.

Taking a step back, this is the second year in a row that I've worked with Katy. She has become a friend to me personally and a mentor to me beyond this business school application process. Beyond the tactical of my essays and how to work with my recommenders (which Katy has done an unbelievably great job), Katy helped nudge me toward my most transformative career decision (and self-discovery) between last year's application cycle and this year's. I am very proud of the person I've developed into because of Katy's help. Most importantly, I personally feel how much Katy genuinely cares about me and my success as a friend, from the way we chat and from how often I feel my warm appreciation of "you didn't have to do all this for me but you did!"

I will sum this up by saying - three years ago when I reached out to Katy, I was privately cynical about MBA consultants in general, but I knew an MBA is so important to me that I couldn't take the risk. BEST DECISION EVER THAT I DIDN'T EVEN FULLY KNOW THEN. Whew!

My advice - I still don't know about MBA consultants in general, BUT DO NOT MISS OUT ON KATY LEWIS! SHE IS THE BEST!

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Katharine was critical in my preparation for business school applications! Her schedule fills up, so I locked her in as a consultant in January of 2016, when applications were not submitted until September of 2016.

In my case, Katharine's most influential interactions happened early in the process. She was the perfect river guide in self-reflection and discovery. Who am I? What people, events, and decisions have made me this way? What drives me? What do I want? I think I wrote up about 30+ pages of personal history before our first full working session. She knew more about me than most people ever do.

Because of her influence, I felt like I was able to tap into my most authentic self and write genuine, compelling essays. This led to admission to Stanford, Wharton, and Kellogg. Harvard declined to interview. I matriculated at the GSB and will graduate this year!

Give Katharine a call and see if she's a fit for you! I'm soooo glad I did.

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Katharine Lewis was a joy to work with as my MBA Application Consultant! During the essay writing process, Katy was a huge help in helping me refine my story while still maintaining my unique voice. I especially recommend Katy if you're applying to Stanford or if - given her wealth of professional experience - you need extra guidance in clarifying and refining your career trajectory for your applications or in general.

During the process, Katy will be a cheerleader and a friend in addition to a supportive consultant. I found that she truly goes out of her way to help you throughout the applications and interview stages.

You want Katy on your side during the admissions process!

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I was referred to Katy by a friend who had worked with her and had a very successful outcome. From our first call, I could tell Katy was someone I wanted on my team. In that first call she gave me confidence that I could stand out as an applicant, something I didn't think likely given my overrepresented IB / PE background.

Among a host of other benefits of working with Katy, two stand out: (1) Katy helped me identify common themes in my life and helped me articulate a life mission of sorts, and (2) she was a skilled guide who helped me navigate the daunting MBA admissions process.

During our "brainstorming" call, I was shocked that she could understand me and my life experiences, motivations, and aspirations on a deep level, and then help me articulate those ideas in my essays while maintaining my own voice. All along the way, Katy was a trusted mentor, but she also gave me the frank criticism that was tough to hear.

I ended up applying to several top business schools in the US in round 1, and I was ultimately accepted to four. I think Katy's clients find that she does everything she can to help them achieve their goals. She did that for me, and I would highly recommend her!

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To summarize simply, Katy is amazing. You won’t find anyone more supportive, kind, and knowledgeable. She is truly invested in your future and success from beginning to end. I was a Round 1 applicant and I, like many applicants, had lofty goals of attending some of the top schools but with the fear that I wasn’t good enough: typical finance & strategy experience, below average scores and non-pedigree state school for my undergrad.

When I filled out my “brainstorming” document, I wondered how unique I could possibly be. However, during our conversation, as she asked in-depth “Why?” questions, she got to the core reasons of why I made the decisions I had made. Katy was instantly able to pinpoint unique themes in my story – something I would have never been able to do on my own. By the end of that call, I knew that Katy was truly my friend, ally, and part-therapist.

In all, the application process is no-joke. I went through many ups-and-downs wondering if I would even get an interview at these schools, but Katy was there for it all. It’s a long process but she breaks down the marathon into clear deliverables over the course of a couple of months. Katy knows what these schools are looking for, how to position your story the right way, and what to do to prepare. She's always on call to answer any question you may have.

In the end, I was accepted to Harvard (my first choice) and two other top 5 programs. I truly am thankful for all of her help and cannot recommend her highly enough to anyone who’s looking for not only a consultant but a cheerleader and friend throughout the process.

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