The MBA application process was a lot more work and stress than I anticipated. Luckily, I had Melissa to help guide me through.

I worked with Melissa on two schools and her advice and guidance was extremely helpful. She really pushed me to think deeply about what was unique about my background, and how to best demonstrate this in my application. From the initial brainstorming session through interview preparation, Melissa always provided prompt and valuable feedback.

I was admitted to an M7 program (one of the two schools that we worked on) and will be attending this summer! I am really happy I decided to work with Melissa and would recommend her to anyone.

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I absolutely loved working with Melissa on a 2 school package. I did a lot of research on consultants, and Melissa stood out as a great fit based on mbaMission's reputation, and Melissa's professional experience and similar school selection. The biggest area she helped with was creating my story. mbaMission sends over a huge document to fill out your personal and career path, and Melissa spent 2 hours going through the document, asking probing questions, and by the end we had a consistent story that I was able to use at each school. I had an idea in mind of how I wanted my story to look, and she was able to point out the parts which might be problematic when applying, as well as the key areas to highlight when applying. We also had a school-selection discussion before this, where I was able to list what I was looking for in a school, and Melissa went through the pros/cons of each school which would be a fit. Melissa was incredibly knowledgeable and was able to provide school-specific insights that I don't think I would've been able to find myself. She was able to provide best practices in all areas of the application too, including how best to prime your recommenders, how/when to show interest in each school, and a clear timeline. One area I would like to see a bit more focus is on some of the "formatting" best practices, such as making all essays into PDF. Some of these are probably pretty self-explanatory, but I would want them to be more explicit. I was ultimately admitted to two schools and waitlisted at the third (I only applied to three schools).
Consultants are obviously very expensive, but I would 100% recommend Melissa to anyone who is looking.

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My time working with Melissa Merchant and the mbaMission team on my applications was incredibly productive and rewarding. The guidance, insight, and feedback provided the foundation for me to effectively create and submit my applications on time and with minimal stress.

Melissa did a great job of being proactive. She provided me with resources and guidelines very early on in each step of the process. This helped reduce the anxiety that comes with meeting first round deadlines for multiple schools. Also, her ability to structure a narrative about me, my career aspirations and my experience was robust and concise.

I would highly recommend working with Melissa on your application journey. She is patient, helpful, and will challenge you to put your best foot forward with your applications and interviews.

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I first spoke to Melissa the summer before applying to school for my 30-min free consultation. She definitely seemed knowledgable, but I was hesitant to spend so much money on something I thought I could figure out for myself. Well, fast-forward about 8 months and I'd only been accepted to 1 MBA program out of 9 that I applied to. Stuck on 4 waitlists, I purchased 3 hours of consulting with Melissa to help me navigate my way off 1 or 2 waitlists. She listened carefully to my questions and concerns and was able to quickly analyze what I told her and provide instant, strong, practical feedback. She helped me thoughtfully and tactfully explain major professional updates and worked with me to make sure I communicated appropriate and impactful updates to admissions offices. It made a real difference. I was immediately accepted into Johnson with a last-minute, last-round application and was accepted into both Stern and Ross after submitting waitlist update letters. My only regret is that I didn't sign up to work with her sooner!

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I had the opportunity to work with Melissa Merchant at mbaMission. I worked with Melissa starting in Spring 2017 throughout the end of R1 interviews. Throughout the process, Melissa was extremely helpful and patient; she was the primary reason I was able to get into my dream school of Northwestern: Kellogg.

For starters, I have a messy background that consisted of four different jobs in the span of six years. Melissa helped me craft a compelling and logical narrative that impressed the ad-com at both Kellogg ($$) and CBS ($$$)!

Melissa's two greatest strengths are her marketing background and her insistence on pushing for the best. After I submitted my initial stats and back-story to Melissa, she came back with 10, yes 10, different storylines to use for my essays. She has truly endless creativity. I would have NEVER thought to have written about the things I wrote about if I was completing the applications on my own. Melissa helped express my background into exciting and digestible stories, which is a testament to her background as a brand manager.

She also pushed me throughout the process. I was definitely frustrated at times when I had to submit the same essay for FIVE rounds of edits, but it was ultimately what I needed to be successful :) Consulting is not cheap, but you definitely get what you pay for and I'm thankful for Melissa and mbaMission. I would highly recommend her to anyone who is interested in traversing this difficult but rewarding process!

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Several friends recommended that I hire an admissions consultant for my apps, so I decided to give the free 30-minute consultation a try. My plan was to shop around different companies and consultants before committing, and my very first consultation was with Melissa. After the first few minutes with her, I was sold and knew that I didn’t need to look any further. After our consultation, the actual thought in my head was, “There’s literally nothing I would change about her and our dynamic, so I might as well end my search here!”

For me, the toughest part of the app process was essay writing. There were stories that I knew I wanted to share, but I couldn’t get the messaging down myself, and especially not within the word limits. Melissa helped guide my thinking to dig deeper, and at the end, my final essays were still very much "me" -- MY stories, and in MY words – just told in a MUCH more effective way. Her guidance for my resume and interview preparation was also tremendously helpful and insightful.

Melissa is everything you’d possibly want in a consultant – she’s reliable, personable, and knows what the admissions committee is looking for. I couldn’t be happier with my experience, and she’s one of the first people I called when I got into my dream school! I truly think that I wouldn’t have been able to get into all the schools I did without Melissa on my team.

Anyone in the market for an admissions consultant -- save your time and end your search here! I recommend Melissa 100%.

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When I decided to apply to B-School, I debated whether or not to use an admissions consultant. A friend of mine recommended I give mbaMission a try for at least the free 30 minute consultation. After speaking with Melissa in that initial conversation and getting a very positive impression, I decided that I would purchase a couple of hours for a second, and professional opinion on some of my essays. This turned out to be the best decision I made during the application process. My coach/coachee relationship with Melissa snowballed from there and I continued working with her throughout the entire application process because I kept getting so much value out of her feedback.

More than anything, Melissa helped me understand my story on a deeper level and in a way that would resonate on my applications. Furthermore, she helped me discover my potential by forcing me to dig deeper on every essay, resume bullet point, interview prep call, etc. Because I could tell she cared about my dreams and aspirations for business school and beyond, I was able to trust her throughout the entire application process. The value of having a coach and loyal friend (who I knew had my best interest at heart) in my corner while navigating the challenging process of applying to business school was immeasurable.

In addition to the soft skills and intangibles she provided, Melissa is incredibly smart and energetic. Her insight, expertise, and passion provided a much needed boost to my applications. I totally (and have already) recommend working with Melissa to anyone considering applying to business school. She helped me get into my dream school and I couldn't be more excited about what she helped me accomplish. I look forward to sharing future successes with her for many years to come!

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I highly recommend Melissa as well as mbaMission.

Melissa is wonderful to work with! She is a skillful listener and communicator. She is honest and professional while still being very encouraging and positive. I felt that Melissa genuinely cared about my success and inspired confidence in me throughout the process.

She helped me be effective with my time by providing perspective on the aspects of my application on which I should spend the most time and energy.

Melissa is also patient and responsive, and always answered my questions (big or small). If she didn't know the answer (which rarely happened), she would consult others at mbaMission. It gave me comfort that a team of experienced consultants was supporting me throughout the process. This is a key reason I would also recommend the school package and believe it was worth the extra money. The process was more stressful than I anticipated --and I found that many questions arose during the process. It was a huge time-save to not have to research every question on my own.

Overall Melissa exceeded my expectations!

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I highly recommend working with Melissa and mbaMission. I started the process really late - I did not start school research or essay preparation until December, but Melissa was able to help me move very fast and I was able to meet the R2 deadlines. I especially like her candid way of communication.

The essays are from my personal experiences. But the most impressive aspect about Melissa was that she was always able to bring out the noblest/most touching aspects of those experiences. She was also very critical in examining any potential red flags in my essays which I never thought about.

Melissa was extremely responsive. She was quick in replying my emails and questions. They have the two-day policy for returning essays, and Melissa was sometimes able to return the work back to me before deadline. There was a time I needed to expedite, and for some technical reasons Melissa was a little late. She was so sorry about it that she offered to expedite a second time for me for free.

There was a time when I had a tricky question about finding the appropriate recommender, and Melissa asked other consultants in mbaMission for their opinions before giving me an answer. It was very reassuring to have collective wisdom on tricky questions.

I got admitted into my dream school – a top 10 school (to gmatclub admin: please do not disclose my school, I do not wish to disclose it. I have verified my student status.)

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Melissa Merchant at mbaMission made the MBA application process so doable. The schedules and resources that she provided me not only kept me on track, but also took away a lot of the stresses of the many moving parts that are needed for a strong MBA application. From the calls about essay prep, the essay outlines, the edits and feedback to the interview prep and general MBA questions that I had – she had a level of understanding of the process that I would have never been able to get if not for this service. mbaMission took me from an overwhelmed, nervous candidate to a highly organized, strong MBA applicant. Melissa was very objective in her feedback and kept me positive throughout the process. I feel so much more confident in myself because of it.

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