I recently worked with Rachel on a 3 school package for Round 1 in the Fall of 2017. I would strongly recommend using Rachel for any candidate considering using an admissions consultant to guide you through the process.

Rachel made what is an extremely stressful and hectic process feel very seamless. From our first brainstorm call through submission of the applications, she helps you stay on top of all of your tasks, which can pile up as the process unfolds, while also making sure you are putting on the best impression for admission committees. For me, Rachel's guidance on the application essays was most critical. Where my essay's ended versus where they would have been had I had not worked with Rachel is truly night and day.

Now, candidates who plan to use a consultant should be aware that you still need to come prepared to work, and work hard. Rachel and other consultants can guide, navigate and keep you organized and on task, but you need to do the work.

I ended up getting into my top choice program and will be enrolling in the Fall of 2018. Surely, Rachel's help was a huge factor for my being admitted to my dream program.

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Before Rachel was recommended to me, I had interviewed two other consultants who also came highly regarded. I hadn’t been impressed with either and when I spoke with Rachel I knew instantly it was a fit. I told her my concerns: I needed someone who would respond in a timely manner and who would help me craft my story. Rachel set clear expectations from the get-go about turnaround time and she instilled confidence in me that I had a good story to share.
From a personal standpoint, I didn’t need someone who would help me research schools and programs. I had done that on my own. Rachel is unique given her editorial background and she is a journalist by nature. That is exactly what I needed. I wanted someone who would help me brainstorm ideas for essays and give me editorial help. Rachel surpassed all expectations when it came to that. I always felt she was honest and if she didn’t feel like the story made sense or the essay wasn’t quite there she was very candid. The entire process was collaborative and with Rachel a lot less dauting.
This review wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t share a personal anecdote. The GMAT was not something that came easy to me. I wound up having to take it multiple times until I received a score I felt would not hinder me from getting accepted. Just as I was about to give up after my second time Rachel was my personal cheerleader and kept me going. She helped strategize with me regarding the school’s deadline and still taking the 3rd test in time. I can say without hesitation that if Rachel was not my consultant I would have given up on the entire process. I knew I was paying for the editorial help and brainstorming sessions. However, what I received in return was so much more.
I cannot recommend Rachel enough for her creativity, her brilliance in crafting stories, and her ability to serve as a personal coach throughout the entire process in areas one might not expect!! Do not even hesitate when choosing an advisor. I can guarantee you all expectations will be exceeded with Rachel!

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I interviewed three other MBA consulting firms, but only Rachel at mbaMission clearly pointed out my weaknesses during the one-hour consultation. Her confidence, background in Journalism and being a CBS grad herself really made her stand out from others. After the consultation, I decided to sign up for the one school package with Rachel and was accepted to CBS couple months later.

Rachel was amazing to work with from start to finish. She was very organized and set up clear expectations at the very beginning. I was very stressful during the brainstorming process but it’s Rachel who helped me to pick out the most critical pieces of experience, crafted them into story and connected them throughout my application. She knows how to tackle the essays well and understands what admission officers are looking for. She is not only an phenomenal writer but an incredible story teller.

Throughout the process, Rachel was always supportive, honest and critical. She replied to emails, questions and essay drafts promptly and provided candid feedback. When it came to interview preparation, Rachel herself was once an interviewer so she was able to provide lots of useful tips. We had a mock interview over the phone and I was able to receive real-time feedback, which really helped me to succeed at the actual interview.

Overall, it’s a great experience working with Rachel and it wouldn’t have been possible without her.

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Idea generation for the essays was the hardest part of the entire application process. Rachel made it a breeze. She read through my brainstorm document in detail, and really listened to me before distilling my life stories down to a single theme. When I didn’t think I had anything special, Rachel saw the best in me and helped me pick out episodes in my life that really highlighted my strength. Thanks to her heavy lifting at the beginning, I did not feel stressed despite only starting to write the essays one month before the deadlines.

Throughout the process, Rachel was upfront but respectful, persistent but not pushy. During my moments of panic (e.g. after I thought I screwed up my interview) and self doubt, she was the one that stayed focused and helped me get back on track. She was instrumental in helping me get into HBS.

I also liked mbaMission’s systematic approach. After hearing from other friends about the services that they used, I feel like mbaMission’s framework really helped me save a lot of time throughout the process.

I highly recommend Rachel and mbaMission to anyone who considers business school!

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I had a fantastic experience working with Rachel Beck. She was easy to reach, and very clear about her expectations. To all those thinking about applying and using a consulting service, recognize that it will still be a lot of work. Ultimately, you are writing the essays. That said, Rachel did a great job of helping me organize my stories, thinking through how to structure the essays, and editing to make sure that I'm really putting my best foot forward. For me, it took out almost all of the uncertainty, and allowed me to focus on writing something that is impactful and meaningful. Totally worth it.

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I found Rachel Beck to be highly creative, responsive, eloquent, supportive and most importantly honest during my few months working with her on my applications. I recommend her to anyone applying to business school, especially those applying to top programs.

For context, I have a somewhat traditional finance background, IB and Corp Dev, and am a white male so differentiating myself was going to be key for creating a successful application. Other stats: >730 GMAT and >3.7 GPA from a state school.

When I started the application process I interviewed three consultants from three different companies. Rachel stood out because she conveyed solid ideas off the bat and understood & summarized my background very well. Her experience as a Columbia MBA, MBA consultant and business writer shined through.

I tend to be organized and process driven and treated my applications as such. Rachel set expectations around our process - essay turn around, organizing calls and email response - and kept to her word. She executed drafts consistently; I would often wake up with new drafts in my inbox sent at 530AM EST whenever there was a draft to be processed. I found this particularly helpful because I work long hours and did much of my edits at night.

Not only did Rachel do a great job with execution, but she also offered unique insights and strategies into my essays and short answers. I organized many calls to discuss her thoughts and ideas for essays knowing that she would almost always go back to my brainstorming documents to approach my background with a variety of perspectives. I appreciated that extra leg work. Additionally, she wasn't afraid to use the mbaMission brain trust and experience from other consultants often sighting their input when communicating her ideas or confirming mine.

Rachel did very well with interview prep. Having herself interviewed for CBS, she knows how to frame the conversation as an interviewer would, simulating the experience well. She offered excellent framework for responding to certain tough questions and pointed out areas of weakness.

Finally, I would be remiss not to address her supportiveness throughout. Rachel's calm demeanor and practical approach kept me cool when I received interviews and as deadlines approached. You’d be surprised how important this is.

Again, I 100% recommend Rachel Beck as a consultant to anyone interested in applying to business school – I know I wouldn’t have gotten into Wharton without her help. She is clearly top tier.

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I had a lot of anxiety going into the MBA application process. My work experience is in a field where not a lot of people go to business school, so I was worried about how admissions committees would view me. With Rachel’s help, I was able to tell my story in a compelling way and effectively convey my leadership and teamwork skills in the applications.

Rachel was there every step along the way to provide helpful feedback, from our brainstorming calls to the many versions of my essays, my resume and all the short answers on the application forms. She helped me prepare outlines of my key accomplishments at work to guide my recommenders, who had never written MBA recommendations before. She was also hugely helpful in preparing for interviews, helping me tailor my responses to each school and giving me a much-needed confidence boost in the days leading up to each interview.

I can’t thank Rachel enough for all her help in the application process and helping me get into my dream school! I highly recommend her!

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Rachel is an extremely engaging and really good at helping you find a good "spin" for your MBA stories. She will not only help you honing in on worth-while stories to tell–but how to create those attention grabbing phrases that really lure the reader in, and make for an MBA essay that will stand out to the adcom who reads through dozens of essays a day. She is also extremely clear and diligent in getting her comments and edits back to you in a timely manner. Honestly, there are a lot of good stories out there, and it really is just a matter of how you tell the story–Rachel is fantastic at this. After working with Rachel I am now going to a top 10 program with a scholarship.

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CBS was my top choice. I was extremely happy to get an invite to interview. At that point, CBS felt like it was so close and yet so far. I decided I would do all I can to prepare for the interview. I spoke with friends that were alumni, they shared their thoughts. But at the end of the day, you need someone that knows the school, was an interviewer so knows what they are after. I was stressing about structuring my answers the perfect way. This is where Rachel came in. She stressed and stressed again that this is a fit interview. That was a game changer for me because it gave me an authoritative source about they way I should approach the interview. I could focus all my energy on one approach. She prepped me through the key questions, which was great. Patiently pointing out strengths and helping me on weaknesses. She was very flexible in terms of times at when to meet, splitting our 2 hours into 2 sessions: one on a Saturday morning since it worked best for me and another the day before the interview. She was excellent and I would hire her again for interview prep. Thanks for your help Rachel! A few weeks ago, I got admitted and I'm extremely excited to be heading to CBS.

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This is a review for using the hourly services at mbaMission. I worked entirely with Rachel, beginning in early June, until my acceptance into my first choice school in late September. We had a kick-off call to discuss which schools I was applying to and she gave me really helpful feedback on my list, and suggested a few that I hadn't really considered.

I mainly used the hourly services for help with my essays. Throughout the writing process, Rachel gave really specific, detailed edits and feedback - I hadn't written in years, and when I wrote my first drafts, a lot of important details/aspects of my story were missing. I felt like Rachel really knew me, and knew where I wanted to go with my MBA, and so her comments and revisions were completely in line with my overall story; with her help I was able to translate my story into 250 or 500-word nuggets without losing important elements. Throughout it all, Rachel was very, very supportive but never shied from pushing me to deliver the best possible versions of my story to the Admissions Committees. She was incredibly responsive and was always willing to schedule a call if I felt like I had more questions. In the end, I was accepted into CBS early decision, and I give Rachel's guidance and coaching a lot of credit with helping me get there.

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