mbaMission was recommended to me by one of my mentors and its ala-carte offering was just what I needed. My aim was to get into one of the top B-schools in the world and like most others, I had access to basic information and was conversant with the admissions process elements. However, no one in my friends’ circle or peer group had been to any of the top B-schools. I needed someone who had relevant experience and knew what it may take to get into one of those B-schools. Though there is no recipe or formula to get into any of these schools but the value of advice from someone who has been through the process himself/ herself and has successfully guided a lot of others should not be underestimated. Most of mbaMission consultants have done their MBAs from top B-schools and are subject matter experts of the process. Ms. Melissa Merchant, a Kellogg alumnus, was my consultant. Her dedication, commitment and involvement was commendable and extremely reassuring. I found her recommendations and suggestions spot-on and truly useful. With a full-time job, I wrote a lot of my essays in the eleventh hour. Melissa was extremely responsive and there were multiple occasions when she had to put in long spells of extra hours and with very little prior intimation. It was heartening to see this level of commitment. A lot of consultants around give generic feedback, derive their recommendations and inputs from sources that are otherwise freely available on the web and offer very little insight. Unlike these consultants, Melissa took time to understand the nuances of my profile and coached me along the way. She helped me perform to the best of my abilities and guess what, I made it to one of my dream schools. What I loved about her was that she never offered to write the essays for me or tried to change who I was. But she encouraged me to be myself and to be a better version of myself. While there are some hygiene factors that need to be in place, but what differentiates one candidate from another is not the similarities but the differences. Melissa helped me maintain my originality and helped me explore sides of myself that I did not even know existed. I guess that it is safe to say that by the end of the process she knew more about me than a lot of my closest friends will ever do. Her insights will stay with me forever and certainly transcend the MBA admission process. Each time I am asked to share my experiences or need to appear for any interview, I will remember to go through her feedback and suggestions because she did not give me a fish to eat but she taught me how to fish. Thanks a lot Melissa. :)

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After my initial MBAmission consultation, during which I gave brief descriptions of my career path, aspirations, and target schools, I was connected with Melissa Merchant. Melissa’s help has proven to be instrumental for my acceptance into Duke Fuqua. Since Melissa went to a Bschool that has a similar collaborative culture as Fuqua’s, she not only shared her experience of living and learning in such tight-knit communities but also helped me arrive at the conviction that Fuqua is the right program for me. During our brainstorming session, she gave a refreshing perspective on my past experiences and helped me understand how my strengths are aligned to the characteristics of an ideal Fuqua candidate. Her edits of my essays were absolutely outstanding: she fixed my grammar, transformed my sentence structures, and enriched my writing style. She also asked encouraging questions in her edits to prompt me to give more examples to support my point.

While working with Melissa, she was incredibly responsive: she often returned her edits to me well before the 2-day return policy. She also gave her edits back to me on Fridays so that I can re-write over the weekend.

I highly recommend Melissa and MBAmission to anyone who is applying to top MBA programs. They will guide you through the process, help you craft your best story, and offer insight that you need along the way!

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