GMAT Club

Rachel Beck Reviews

Company: mbaMission

A graduate of Lehigh University, Rachel Beck holds a master’s degree in journalism and earned her MBA from Columbia Business School, where she was awarded the prestigious Knight-Bagehot Fellowship in Economics Business Journalism. While at Columbia, Rachel was both a teaching assistant and an officer in the retail club. She also served as a resume reviewer for the MBA program’s Career Management Center and volunteered for iPrep, a program that helps the underprivileged learn and improve their interview skills. Since graduating from Columbia, Rachel has been an alumni admissions interviewer for the school. Before joining mbaMission, Rachel was the national business columnist and features writer for The Associated Press, where she covered such topics as the financial crisis and Great Recession, consumer trends, accounting issues in corporate America and executive pay. Rachel has interviewed dozens of Fortune 500 CEOs and has been featured in numerous radio and TV spots on major news events. Her award-winning columns and stories have appeared in newspapers and on online news sites worldwide.


5.0 /5 Average Rating
Based on 83 reviews
April 17, 2015
Anonymous

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Kudos: 0

Navigating the MBA application process is quite daunting, it can be even more nerve-racking when you are short of time, have a busy life style, and have targeted only top business schools. It was exactly my case when I decided to work with mbaMission. I started the application process without GMAT and recommenders. I didn’t even narrow down my school choices.

I had couple of free consultation sessions, and with no doubt, Rachel Beck stood out immediately. Rachel was a terrific help throughout my application process, and in my opinion she is not only a great consultant, but also an incredible mentor. What I loved about Rachel was her creative mind, her enthusiasm to know my personality, and her true passion about my success. Rachel has a powerful writing skill, and truly engages with your story.

I worked with Rachel Beck on a two-school package (Wharton and CBS) and I have been admitted to both schools. Rachel has a great insight into b-schools and helped me from school selection process to the interview preparation.

She took time to analyze my educational and professional background, understood my stories and emphasized those stories that clearly illustrated my strength. That was impressive to see how she linked each pieces of my application together and produce a well-written application, perfectly describing my achievements and my vision for future.

The MBA consultancy is not just about writing flawless essays, it is really about helping you to learn about yourself and to build your professional brand that will stay with you for years to come. Rachel is simply the BEST at building your professional brand.

I owe her a big THANK YOU for her guidance getting me here. I wouldn't be able to make it without her.

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March 23, 2015
Anonymous

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Needless to say applying for business school is incredibly daunting. As a potential applicant I put years...years...into preparing a competitive profile and making sure I had all the measurables necessary to be considered at some of the best schools in the country (M7s). Yet those are the basics, everyone applying to those schools has 700+ GMATs and 3.5+ GPAs with incredible work experience while finding time to volunteer and make an impact socially.

That's where Rachel made all the difference in the world. I spoke with roughly a dozen advisers - using the free 30min consults they all offer - and you should too. But after you do, you'll come to the same conclusion I did - Rachel Beck will clearly make a difference in your applications. From the beginning I felt like she took the time to understand me, my background, and how my application and story could be different and make an impact with admissions committees. She helped me succinctly explain, and in the most effective way possible, describe the unique perspective I could bring to any MBA classroom (not an easy task for someone with a finance background, and even more challenging as I didn't work at a typical M7 feeder bank/hedge fund/PE shop).

Throughout the entire application process, she was incredibly responsive, efficient, and there to answer any questions I had along the way. She provided clear guidance and critiques to my essays and also provided amazing interview prep leaving me confident that I was fully prepared when I was called back for my interviews - of which there were many, given the incredible perspective and direction she provided on my applications.

Looking back, I know I would not have been as successful without her. She simply provided the insight I needed in order to understand what admissions committees were looking for and helped frame my individual story so that I could make the best impression possible.

I got into the school of my dreams and matriculate this fall, and it wouldn't have been possible without her.

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February 20, 2015
Anonymous

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Coming into the MBA application process with a non-traditional background, a decent GMAT & GPA, and a couple of red flags on my application, I didn’t have especially high expectations for my prospects. However, from my initial consultation with Rachel she encouraged me to have confidence that my strengths overshadowed my weaknesses and that top schools were within reach. The best part about working with Rachel was that she took the time & effort to get to know ME, beyond just information I presented in brainstorming documents & resume. In doing so, she helped me flesch out unique details from my experiences that I would have overlooked, and guided me in the development of essays that truly showed my personality.

While Rachel was instrumental in helping me craft my application strategies and essay themes, the work was undoubtedly my own. As someone who takes pride in their writing skills, this was important to me as I considered signing up with an admissions consultant. With a journalism background, Rachel helped me distill my ideas & essays which is critical to the application process where you have a small amount of space to tell revealing & compelling stories. She was persistent and honest with me, and as committed to my success as I was. Several of my essays went through 15 versions, and Rachel was always willing to talk through roadblocks with me.

Rachel was an incredible teammate, and I am very grateful for her support – and she is very supportive – as she helped keep my spirits up through the grueling & bewildering application process. I’ve been accepted to 3 of the 4 schools I applied to (waitlisted at the 4th) and know I would not have been so successful had I not worked with Rachel.

I’d wholeheartedly recommend Rachel & MBAMission to anyone applying to business school, it was the best decision I made during this process.

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January 21, 2015
Anonymous

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I worked with Rachel Beck on the two school package for Columbia Business School and London Business School.

I was immediately impressed by Rachel's thorough knowledge of the admissions process. I also think her background in journalism serves her well when it comes to drawing out interesting aspects of a candidate's background. When it comes to me personally, I did not have a traditional background and had a weak GPA (3.0) but a very strong GMAT (750). She dug in immediately and spent hours on the phone with me talking through my background, and the aspects that would resonate with the admissions boards of the schools that interested me.

We then set about the writing process, which began with conceptual discussions which evolved into outlines and then first drafts followed by numerous rounds of back-and-forth editing. The progress was steady and on schedule (I'm sure I would have fallen behind, if not for Rachel). Importantly, Rachel was always extremely responsive and did thoughtful work that improved my essays in a quick amount of time.

I was very happy with the finished product, because it was not only polished and tight, but also an honest reflection of the person I am. When it came to interviewing, Rachel made the process a calm exercise. She conducted mock interviews with me and didn't rest until I was fully prepared. Her approach made the (somewhat daunting) prospect of a business school interview totally do-able.

The final result was acceptance to both schools, and I don't think I could have done it without Rachel's help.

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September 29, 2014
Anonymous

Posts: 4

Kudos: 5

Self-reported Score:
710 Q47 V40

First off, I 100% recommend mbaMission to anybody who is serious and dedicated to getting into a top MBA program. The start-to-finish consulting service was clearly organized, professional, and very thorough. You absolutely get your money's worth.

With that being said, I was lucky enough to work with Rachel Beck who is not only a phenomenal writer but a fantastic story-teller. Right off the bat she was able to draw out pieces of my history and string them together into a cohesive and comprehensive story illustrating who I am and where I want to go. The entire process took a lot of soul-searching, but if you are willing to put in the time, you will absolutely reap the benefits of a clear and all-encompassing application.

Rachel was fantastic to work with and I could genuinely see that she cared about me and my future. All emails, inquiries, and drafts were promptly responded to. She also followed up at various times during the application process to check on my progress. Most important, though, was that she gave me honest feedback that helped craft a strong application about my goals going forward. She let me know what was going to work and what was going to face-plant. I'm a born critic, and have no problem calling anybody out if they are slacking or not putting in 100%. I can say with utmost certainty that Rachel put everything into helping me succeed. She is the type of person that strives to help others anyway possible. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised how much effort she put into the entire process, start to finish.

I wholeheartedly would recommend Rachel for anybody seriously contemplating a top B-School. If you are looking for a consultant with strong writing skills, an honest opinion, and a very hard work-ethic, then Rachel is your girl!

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July 25, 2014
multani88

Joined: Mar 12, 2014

Posts: 0

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Working with Rachel from MBAMission was a very smooth and stress-free experience for me, for the following reasons:

- Rachel made sure I understood the process and helped me stick to a schedule.
- She listened to me carefully and asked insightful questions that helped me build a better application
- She was a thorough professional, turning around documents ahead of time whenever possible.
- She is committed to her clients, even working through an interview prep with me despite the fact that she had laryngitis.
- She has a solid work ethic i.e. she made sure I received all of the services I had paid for (school guides, interview prep for xx number of schools, etc). I didn't have to worry about following up for these types of things.

I didn't know what to expect going into the process, but looking back, I think Rachel & MBAMission were exactly what I needed to help me bring out the best in my application.

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February 17, 2014
Anonymous

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I worked with Rachel Beck on my business school applications this fall, and I was accepted to all 3 of the schools that I worked on with her (all 3 are top 10 programs, 2 are top 5).

Rachel was instrumental in helping me find and tell my story. Having somewhat of a traditional business school applicant background, Rachel helped me identify my unique qualities and experiences, and worked with me to craft a story that was engaging and distinct. On top of that, Rachel was also a pleasure to work with - responsive, constructive and encouraging. She was a great sounding board throughout the process as I often bounced ideas off of her to get constructive and thoughtful feedback.

I signed up for the complete package and this was the best choice for me. By going this route, I did not feel rushed during any of our conversations and could set up phone calls as frequently as needed. This allowed me to really dive into brainstorming conversations to develop my story. I also liked that working with a consultant provided structure to the process and helped me stick to timelines, so I never felt pinched for time.

The end result of the business school application process was overwhelmingly positive for me. I have a handful of amazing programs to choose from (and many come with scholarships which may point to a potential ROI from working with a consultant).

I highly recommend working with a consultant as it provided structure and enabled me to find my story, and I would recommend Rachel to everyone. I can not imagine going through the application process any other way.

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January 22, 2014
Anonymous

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Rachel was an invaluable resource for me. When I first started the process, I was unfamiliar with it and concerned that my GMAT would hurt my chances at my top schools. Rachel made me aware that it’s not just test scores that matter, but it’s your whole package and how you tell your story—and that’s where Rachel was incredible.

Through several brainstorming sessions, Rachel took the time to get know me, my experiences and career goals so that she could work with me to craft stories in my own voice. Her willingness to listen combined with her journalism background made her a vital asset to me. She’s excellent at identifying your strengths and then leveraging them in creative ways to liven up your essays and really bring your candidacy to life.

When it came time to prepare for interviews, Rachel was again immensely helpful. We did mock interviews in which she asked me most of the questions that I received in my interviews. When I answered a question poorly or even average, she provided constructive feedback on how to better answer the question. Rachel is also great at explaining to you why they ask the questions they ask and what specifically they are looking for when they ask those questions. This enabled me to better prepare because I knew what points to touch on in my answers even for the unexpected questions that popped up in the interviews.

Over the course of the process, Rachel became someone whose advice I trusted completely and someone I could go to with any question or concern about my applications. Not only is she great when it comes to telling your story in the essays and in the interviews, but she’s also a great cheerleader. Her support and belief in my candidacy motivated me to work harder and push myself to put together the best possible applications. Thanks to her help, I got into my top three schools. I would recommend her a million times over to anyone who is looking to apply to business school.

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January 13, 2014
Anonymous

Posts: 2

Kudos: 5

Self-reported Score:
710 Q44 V44

Admission consultants are expensive. Probably too expensive. But I got to the point where I had read so many books, blogs and school website that I wasn't sure which way was up anymore and needed a little bit of help. I used the hourly service because I wanted someone to confirm that I was going in the correct direction and to help refine my essays to make them as clear and articulate as possible. Rachel did just that (mostly because I told her that's what I wanted). I would recommend getting a very good handle on the process before shelling out the cash for a consultant. Figure out where your weakness are in the apps and then ask someone for help with that. Be careful that they don't take away from your voice though (Rachel was good but many consultants walk the line). She tells you everything in a very honest way. If you like that kind of talk, Rachel is the lady for you.

Good luck!

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January 12, 2014
Anonymous

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I highly recommend working with an admissions consultant at mbaMission. I have been admitted to a top five MBA program, the school of my dreams. I have applied twice to this school however, once on my own (and got dinged), and the second time with the help of an admissions consultant. Therefore, I feel like I can speak from experience on what a world of difference it makes to work with a professional admissions consultant and, ultimately, what is the decision maker on whether you get in or get dinged. The first time I applied, I was dinged without an interview. I was absolutely devastated and a friend recommended contacting mbaMission. I was set up with consultant Rachel Beck. Rachel was amazing, right from the start. After examining my application, Rachel pointed out the mistakes I made during my first application, and brought to my attention some aspects of my profile which I did not even know were interesting from an admissions point of view. Rachel worked with me on my re-applicant strategy and on repositioning my application in a way that I still presented the same facts about my candidacy during my second application, however this time around by following Rachel's advice I was highlighting the aspects of my candidacy which the admissions committee finds truly interesting. The results spoke for themselves, within three weeks of my application I was invited to interview. Rachel then worked with me on prepping for the interview, and we even did a mock interview session with Rachel which was extremely helpful. During the mock interview session Rachel asked me all the interview questions which I ended up getting at the actual interview. She also helped me rehearse my responses and, again, the advice that Rachel gave me was brilliant. I felt like my actual interview was extremely easy-going and I felt very confident about my responses to the interviewer. Shortly after, I received news that I got into the school of my dreams. I know for a fact that I couldn't have gotten in without Rachel. Rachel knew exactly what a top business school is looking for in applicants, she helped me find the strong points in my candidacy, and she really helped me believe in myself and in my chances of getting in. I also really enjoyed the actual work process with Rachel, she was always so helpful and responsive, and all our sessions were very productive and fun at the same time. I am extremely grateful to Rachel for helping me make my dream of attending a top MBA program come true. I highly recommend mbaMission and working with Rachel Beck, trust me their advice can make a world of difference for the success of your application.

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