I started off my MBA journey pretty naive and unsure about how to approach the process. I was impressed by mbaMission from the get-go, and I was paired with Susan Kaplan who I worked with for my 4 school package (to which I added another school in the middle of the process.)

Working with Susan was, in a good way, like being in an MBA admissions bootcamp. It was not an easy process by any means. You will need to do a lot of research on your own, and as most reviewers say, the consultant will never do the work for you (which is good!) so be prepared to work pretty hard, and be rest assured that it will pay off in the end. Susan was extremely focused on helping me get to the results that I wanted, and she wasn't afraid to dish out some tough love in order to help me achieve them.

I thought I had everything figured out for my (round 1) applications. However Susan helped me understand that a major concern in my candidacy was the lack of concrete post-MBA career goals. She pushed me to research roles I was interested in (that were realistic and achievable given my current experience) and tie them back to the resources offered at each of the schools I was targeting. I poured a lot of information into our initial brainstorming session, and she was able to extract the meaningful components that I eventually used to complete the 7 essays I worked with her on. She actually helped me learn more about myself in the process.

The essays themselves were brutal, but Susan never once missed a deadline or returned my drafts late. In fact, she occasionally even returned them ahead of time so that I would have a little extra time to work on them. She was never afraid to tell me to scrap an entire section out of my essay, in which case she would provide more detailed feedback to help me get my points across more effectively. Whether it was getting an expedited review through, or adding in a school 3 weeks before its application deadline, Susan was very accommodating and understanding of why I needed the extra help. We went through almost 10 drafts for one of the schools and she worked tirelessly to help me answer the question exactly as the school would like me to.

Susan was also very proactive with my interview prep. I had 4 interviews, and even though I felt more and more comfortable with each one, she still ensured that I had a mock interview with her for each school so that I was able to handle the questions effectively.

I ended up getting into 3 out of the 5 schools I applied to (including a top 10 school), with one of the schools offering me a substantial scholarship. I am currently waitlisted at another school, and Susan has stuck by me even through the waitlist process by helping me understand what the school needed and working with me on crafting an effective waitlist update letter. She was always one of the first people I reached out to when I received every one of my decisions, and I am certainly very happy with the results.

Overall, working with Susan was hard work but very worth it. While the sensitive side of me had some difficulty with the tough love, I knew that that was what I had hired a consultant for - someone to give me the cold hard facts so I could get through this grueling process successfully.

On a more general note - I found mbaMission to be extremely focused on the client, and not so much on giving acceptance metrics or other marketing figures to draw people in. They know that you're already shelling out a lot of money for their services, and I never perceived them trying to upsell in any way. They have excellent resources (start-to-finish guide, school insider guides, interview primers), and their newsletter is actually really helpful too. Highly recommend these guys (and Susan)!

Read More

For the first several weeks of my MBA application process, I went through it thinking that I would be able to get through everything without third party help. While this was true for most aspects of the application, I grew concerned about the quality of my resume and essays at the 11th hour. So less than a week before the deadline, I decided to bite the bullet and purchase two hours of consulting services from mbaMission to have someone look at my application materials.

I was paired with Susan Kaplan and she was absolutely great. I sent her my resume and three essays, which were swiftly sent back to me, albeit with more red marks than I was expecting to see. The commentary was excellent. I spent the next several nights taking her advice into the wee hours of the morning, practically rewriting everything from scratch. I finally submitted my materials the night before the deadline.

A month later I received my acceptance letter from Columbia, my first choice school. Things probably would not have worked out as well for me if I hadn't had Susan look at my application materials. I would absolutely recommend her services to anyone looking for an extra set of eyes on their application. My one piece of advice would be to do it a bit longer in advance than I did!

Read More

Honestly, I would have never been able to craft my most compelling story with the same conviction without Susan Kaplan's guidance. She was incredibly pleasant and had a knack for pushing all the right buttons to bring out the very best in me. In hindsight, I should have just purchased the entire package deal because I trusted her and sought her input every step of the way in the application process.

With Susan as my coach, my work became more efficient and targeted! And, when I strayed, she was not afraid to bring me back on point. I was so confident with the strength of my final application,and subsequent interview, that I decided to apply only to my top school and wait for a decision. I was accepted – Ivy League Executive MBA!

Read More

Thought I'd give a quick review on my experience with mbaMission and in particular, my admission consultant Susan Kaplan.

Belonging to the over represented applicant pool, I knew it from start that I needed some guidance on my application to highlight my strengths. After an extensive research on various consulting firms via GMAT Club and other sites, I decided to go with mbaMission. Based on my profile, I already knew what school I wanted to apply to, so I decided to take the one-school package.

Susan was fantastic right from the start! She began the engagement by explaining the process, along with my candidacy strengths and weaknesses. During the brainstorming call, Susan made sure she directed the conversation to bring up key attributes, that I should focus on, in my application. Susan made sure she queried me on all possible details that I could have missed. We then started with the drafts and Susan was very willing to accommodate my schedule and kept pushing me to get it right. I think that's something we all need given our busy work schedule. I valued her direct, honest feedback. She guided me patiently even during the mock interview we had.

Without any hesitation, I'd surely recommend Susan for assistance with the application process. And yes, I did get admitted to the university I applied to.

Read More

I started drafting my essays alone and took the free 30-minute consultation to ask for a few hints. I ended up using many hours of my consultant's time, Susan Kaplan. Susan was simply incredible: she really put her vast experience to profit by helping me transform my essays, with a turn-around time for her comments that was more than I could ask for. I could not have done it without her.

Read More