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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
December 21, 2014
mstn10

Joined: Dec 21, 2014

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

I worked with John Sisk, and he helped me get into my first choice b-school despite having a sub-700 GMAT. John was timely, professional, and best of all he was honest. I met with a few other admissions consultants who were clearly trying to pump me up to get a sale.

John's work with my essays definitely exemplified mbaMission's value prop. Because all the consultants have backgrounds in journalism, they are able to help you hone your story effectively. Since there are thousands of business school applicants with similar credentials, articulating your story succinctly and convincingly is a critical differentiator. John understands this concept, and he was spot on in directing me through my essays, and I saw the results -- just got into my top choice school! I highly recommend him, and mbaMission, if you're looking to make yourself stand out as an applicant.

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August 11, 2014
Anonymous

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

I was a fringe candidate applying to a top business school. The bottom line is that I would not have been accepted without the help of mbaMission, and specifically John Sisk. He single-handedly improved my application by advising on my resume, essays, and anything else I needed. He also helped me develop my personal story, which is a must for admissions departments. Although expensive, I view it as a necessary investment for anyone pursuing an MBA at a top business school. I enthusiastically recommend John and his services. The service is unparalleled and the quality of his advice holds weight with top business schools.

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June 21, 2014
roopalik

Joined: Jun 21, 2014

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

John Sisk was my admission consultant. I was impressed in our very first meeting - His questions came across as precise and well prepared. Post our first meeting, I was able to finish my application work in literally 2 weeks and I could not have done this without his expert advice. He does not just review your essays in isolation but intelligently thinks about the entire application. For example we finished 2 essays and while writing the third one, we realized that it was not adding anything new to my application given the first 2 essays. John brilliantly came up with a plan to re-focus the essays such that the overall application brought out my experience, education as well as personality. He is easy to work with, a good listener and very articulate in his communication. He also will go the extra mile to ensure that you meet your deadlines - staying up late in order to ensure that his reviews of my essay were done and I could update as needed. Overall I had a great experience working with him and he is simply the best!

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June 10, 2014
Anonymous

Posts: 16

Kudos: 10

Self-reported Score:
640 Q44 V34
660 Q44 V37
600 Q47 V27

This was my second time to the application rodeo. Three years ago, I applied and got dinged everywhere. I took some time off the applications process, got a new job and decided this year was the year I needed to go to school.

After 7 years post-undergrad, I felt I had a lot of stories and trouble finding the right ones. I also have non-traditional background and non-traditional career goals. On top of that, I had low GMAT and GPA. With all of these factors, I wanted to pony up for a consultant and find someone who would be a trusted advisor throughout the process.

I had my initial consultation with Rachel who, given my needs for editing support and career vision, recommended John.

John has a direct and efficient working style which I appreciated. "I'm going to take a hammer to your first draft." Go right ahead, John!

Early in the process, John picked up on an old career goal - something I thought was irrelevant. In our discussions, John showed how I could reposition a previous career goal into a strong foundation for my essays. In fact, I still use this repositioning in my networking. John's prior experience in Stern's career center really paid off here.

From the smallest grammatical detail to the larger picture we were trying to paint, John was incredibly supportive. I credit this with his journalist background. I felt strong investment from him in getting to know me and the experiences that shaped me and would make my a strong candidate for an MBA.

In researching other consulting firms, I felt mbaMission's personal touch and full-time model right for me. With other firms, I felt like I would be paying someone to walk me through a template process. With mbaMission, I felt John me truly customized service focusing on areas where I needed work and support in areas I knew I could handle on my own (interview prep). I was also weary of working with someone who was admissions consulting part-time or had a full-time day job.

In the end, I applied to four programs - all top 15 - and was accepted to two including my top choice. Profound thanks to John and mbaMission!

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March 24, 2014
Anonymous

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Self-reported Score:
690 Q48 V36

Overall, mbaMission was tremendous in helping me select/apply to business school. I downloaded most of their school guides and their start-to-finish guide and referenced them constantly throughout the process.

I worked with John Sisk and he was instrumental in guiding me through my applications. He listened to my story/goals and helped me construct a clear, focused approach to my essays.

John constantly pushed me to dig deeper on why I wanted to go back to school and why my goals made sense - my essays and applications were much better for it. He helped highlight my strengths but also didn't hesitate to point out when my essays or ideas needed work. Applying to business school can be a humbling process, and John helped me fight through those moments of uncertainty.

I couldn't have done it without John and I would highly recommend him to anybody else applying to business school.

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March 21, 2014
Anonymous

Posts: 22

Kudos: 10

Self-reported Score:
720 Q49 V40

After an unsuccessful attempt at getting into bschool last year, I decide this year to enlist the help of a consultant. My initial consultation was with Rachel Beck. She could tell that I was beat down by the process of a year ago and really needed a good pep talk. She was also 100% not pushing mbaMission's services and really left the decisions up to me. I was very impressed with the sales approach and eventually signed up to work with John Sisk. John was extremely helpful in getting me to get all of my ideas and experience on paper and into a few essays. Most of all, John let me tell the story I wanted to tell. A lot of other consultants had advised that if I wanted to go to bschool, I needed to tell a different story than what I actually wanted to do because I had some lofty goals that adcoms would frown upon. John let me tell that story and surprise surprise it worked. I was accepted in R2. My advice to other mba prospects is if a consultant wants to change your story for the sole purposes of the adcoms, get a new consultant - call John at mbaMission and get into bschool with the story you want to tell.

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February 19, 2014
Anonymous

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

I recently used John Sisk at MBA mission on an hourly basis for assistance with the business school application process. John is a responsive, professional, and very well informed consultant and was enormously helpful throughout the process. I chose John based on his straight forward and honest style - he tells you want you need to hear about your background and the schools you are applying to - not what you want to hear. John's insights and suggestions for my resume and essays where quite helpful, but where I found him most valuable was his knowledge of the application process and admissions committees. Applying to business school is a unique experience and one that most people don't have much background knowledge about, and John is a wonderful guide and mentor throughout the process. John was instrumental in helping me to craft a stronger application and to effectively illustrate my personal strengths on paper, and I highly recommend him.

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February 11, 2014
Anonymous

Posts: 1

Kudos: 5

Self-reported Score:
720 Q50 V35

Hi all,

I was very hesitant about using consultancy services when I first started investigating them. However, after completing a bunch of free consultations, it wasn't really a tough choice to choose mbaMission after talking to John Sisk.

I applied to Booth School of Business for the Chicago Business Fellow program and chose to use the hourly services of mbaMission. John was nothing less than amazing in editing my essays! I was very eager every time I sent an essay to John for review. Not a single time was a disappointment and never did I have to send it for another review! He is the best in clearly highlighting the purpose and then using our stories to build the best essay around it. He is very honest in giving feedback and encourages you to think relevant stories along with all necessary guidance.

All in all, I can say, he is the one whom you can rely upon!

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December 13, 2013
Anonymous

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Drafting resumes and essays that leave a positive, lasting impression is a difficult task, especially when admission to the school of your dreams is on the line. I knew a third-party, objective perspective would be crucial in crafting a successful application.

Hiring John Sisk from MBAmission was key to gaining admission to my top-choice school, NYU Stern. John understood the valuable qualities of my candidacy and how they should be emphasized throughout my application. He brought out my story, showing where I had been and where the MBA will take me. He made my statements stronger. Finally, knowing that he has been through the process himself--he is a Stern alumnus--provided the confidence that sustained me throughout the process.

I whole-heartedly recommend John Sisk from MBAmission. He assisted me in beginning the next chapter of my life.

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March 20, 2013
Anonymous

Posts: 6

Kudos: 0

Hello GMATCLUB,

I just wanted to share my amazing mbaMission experience with everyone. I pretty much applied to business school on a whim. Not knowing what to expect, I started the application process with 3 months left before the application deadline. A friend suggested I seek help from a consultant. So I contacted all the companies offering free initial consultations.

Some quick info about me: I have a sub 3.0 GPA from a not so reputable state school. I was even placed on academic probation at a junior college! I have less than 3 years of work experience in the least relevant field imaginable. I mean, my track record screams "NOT B-SCHOOL MATERIAL!"

So I was not surprised as consultant after consultant pretty much told me to not waste their time. Others never even got back to me. But John, who I was placed on a 30 minute freebie call with, was encouraging throughout our conversation. Instead of focusing on the negatives, he highlighted the positives. John was very creative and seemed to know exactly what the adcom wanted to hear. It also helped that we kept a great line of communication. He kept me on track during the entire process, and together we made sure I put forth the best application possible.

The end result was an admission to a top 20 European program. I can't thank John enough for all his help and encouragement. I would highly recommend John Sisk and mbaMission to anyone who is interested in applying to business school. Thanks again, John!!

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