I worked with Kate Richardson from mbaMission for my applications. I knew a lot of people who graduated from different MBA schools, felt that I needed a person who is in the know, day to day, and could alleviate some of the stress.

I don't want to say MBA application process wasn't stressful but mbaMission team and Kate made it as easy going as possible, almost enjoyable.

My process was slightly unconventional, I had left my full time job and have been working on my own consulting gig. Kate helped me position that best for all the applications.

When it came to answering questions, Kate was extremely responsive, and thoughtful. She responded to my emails in a few hours at most, and most of the time followed up with more research afterwards.

I also had a long waitlist period, during which Kate cheered for me, always provided me with tips on how to move forward. She would keep me up to date, tell me what she have heard from other schools / places.

And on a personal note, I felt comfortable with Kate; she was very personable, clearly enjoyed the coaching process, and took time to connect on a personal level.

In the end, I got into one of my dream schools and Kate helped me a lot during that too. I can't recommend working with her enough.

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I had never used a consultant before applying to business school, but given my position as an untraditional candidate, I am not sure I would have gained entry to Columbia Business School without the expertise of Rachel Beck at mbaMission.

Despite Rachel's own standing as an alum of CBS, she knows a tremendous amount about the business school industry at large and was extremely deft at reading my own potentiality as an applicant from that first free consultation.

Before this experience, I had stereotyped consultants on being generalists under the guise of being experts, but Rachel learned my background more than any mentor even had. Even though she knew Columbia as a former student and as a consultant, she familiarized herself with minutiae of with the school's budding social enterprise club and leadership programs--two areas I was interested in.

Even though I used the "a la carte" services via mbaMission, Rachel answered my every impromptu question about the process--going beyond her job description and the services I was entitled for--and almost always she would respond within a 24 hour period to boot.

I primarily used Rachel as a consultant for honing my resume and essays, but she was instrumental in helping me prepare for informal interviews with staff and my official interview for Columbia. She was thoughtful in tailoring her responses to any question or situation for me Mollie as a candidate--I cannot emphasize this enough.

As stressful as this process is, Rachel helped me manage my own mental headspace and timeline.
Like others below, I recommend reaching out to Rachel in the early spring before your application is due. As a writer, I struggled with the composition of my written components--I was often too emotional and close to the subjects I was writing about and I was very attached to Columbia; I could not always see my deliverables objectively and that's where Rachel came in--she did not dismiss any part of my story or argument, but she helped me with an economy of language, she helped me with the "so what." We did about 7 drafts for each product and though it was humbling, I have never been prouder of an application in its completion. Speaking candidly, she can be blunt in her criticism of one's writing, but trust me: she's on the money.

In sum, Rachel Beck was a true part of my application to business school and she is part of my success in getting in.

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Jen provided really helpful feedback on essays and and my mock interview, helping me hone my story and tell it in a concise and compelling way. Our communication was mostly by email and she was always quick to respond.

If I had to offer one piece of constructive feedback, it's that I think Jen could have pushed me even harder by being more frank with her comments on the content of my essays. Her feedback on structure, wording, etc. was spot on, but I found several friends and family members who weren't afraid to tell me I had missed the mark in my response to a prompt and that I needed to alter my overall approach. In hindsight, I think Jen was a bit more forthcoming with feedback like this. (Important note, this may be a result that I was using Jen on an hourly basis, so she admittedly didn't know me as well as she might have if we were working together more extensively).

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From the first time I spoke with Katy on the phone, the chemistry between us just worked! As a college senior looking into MBA programs, Katy and I identified two major schools, GSB and HBS. Thanks to Katy's experience in consulting and process-management, I put together strong applications despite the short lead time. She listened to my story patiently and was extremely validating to my experiences, positive and negative ones alike. From my storytelling, Katy was quick to distill the essence of my personality which was later carefully weaved into my essays. We spent a significant amount of time working on a common essay body that can be applied to both schools' applications. Katy and I spent hours on the phone trying to tease out the lessons from all my stories to construct a coherent and authentic story.

What really made Katy stand out was how supportive she had been. She never put a word in my mouth. She wanted me to tell my story. Because of her empowering my own voice, the authenticity of my application led to positive results. I was ultimately admitted to HBS' 2+2 program. Thank you Katy!!!

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I recently worked with Katy on my HBS 2+2 application. I approached Katy with a rough draft of my personal statement about a month and a half prior to the application deadline. Katy was extremely helpful in her ability to brainstorm the ideas I was trying to get across and suggest ways to better articulate the themes. I was especially impressed with how she did not work from a template, but rather devoted time to understand my story and express it on paper. With her guidance, my unorganized amalgamation of thoughts came together as a genuine and expressive essay.

As a college senior who did not have recommenders that were familiar with the business school process, I relied on Katy to help me optimize the impact of my recommendations. Katy advised me on how to provide my recommenders with insightful information about the message I was trying to get across. I am confident that my recommenders would not have been able to speak as well to who I am had I not worked with Katy.

In the end, I was thrilled to get into HBS. Katy went above and beyond to always respond quickly and thoughtfully to my many, many questions. This responsiveness, in addition to Katy's strong ability to understand the college experience and relate it to business school language, makes me wholeheartedly recommend her to students applying to 2+2.

I was very happy with my result and know that much of it is due to Katy!

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Helen is truly the best there is. Seriously!

She consistently supported me in finding my most authentic voice, and was an incredibly sharp thought-partner. As an hourly client, Helen was always cognizant of my time and I never once felt ‘short-changed’ by any of our interactions. She always pushed the extra mile to answer questions, and never hesitated to reach out to her to offer multiple perspectives when helpful. Her interview preparation was on-point and her ability to meaningfully instill confidence was unparalleled. Helen’s realness won my trust in an instant, and her thoughtful tough-love helped me to be my best.

Tactically, Helen’s speed and flexibility – even throughout the holiday season and peak R1 moments – was fantastic. With a complex international travel schedule, Helen and I always managed to find time to connect at any frequency and duration required. She swiftly answered quick questions and provided well-framed, strategic answers to more complex ones. In the chaos that is the MBA application process, Helen helped me feel in control.

Throughout this entire process, I not only got into my top choice school but also gained a true friend and champion in Helen!!

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I signed up for 2 schools with Dan, without having much of an idea how to get started. Dan was very helpful in structuring the entire process and working with me from start to finish. From picking schools, to crafting my story, waitlist guidance, and interview prep, Dan was immensely helpful all the way through. Although the process was stressful at times, Dan was always there with guidance and made the overall application process much easier, helping me gain admission to a top 20 program. For anyone considering applying to any of the top rated programs I absolutely recommend consulting services, and if you can definitely go with Dan. He is the best in the business.

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I got admitted to a top 5 MBA program after applying in round 2. And I couldn't have done it without John. I started working with John late in the application process. John has so much experience on personal statements and knows what each school looks for and guided me to the right direction for each application. I was not confident about my essays at first, but after many times of discussion and editing rounds with John, I felt confident and was ready to submit my application. Given that I also have a demanding job, John really took a lot of pressure of my shoulders. He was also extremely supportive for any creative ideas. John is very easy to work with. I highly recommend him as an MBA consultant!

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Due to Kate’s help, I was able to gain entrance into my top business school selection in the M7 (HSW). She came recommended from another consultant who thought she would be better help tell my story and had experience with this particular M7 school. She was instrumental in me understanding my key strengths for my business school application, and how to hone those stories into powerful narratives in my essays that would resonate with my recommenders and the adcom. I had very specific needs when I first met Kate, and that was to strengthen my essays and also convey my story for wanting to attend business school to my recommenders. In addition to multiple brainstorming sessions to lay out a strategic roadmap and timeline for my application, Kate helped me pick out specific work experiences that aligned with the ethos of the business school I wanted to attend. I found her help to be so impactful, that I decided to also gain her help with interview prep and application review. Due to her interview prep, I was able to catch a few questions that my interviewer had for me that I had not previously prepped for. While I don’t think it would have been a disaster had I not prepped for these questions, Kate’s helpful bank of questions and how she coached me through my responses real-time I owe to how successful my interview went. I highly recommend Kate if you want someone that will be honest with you, but will help elevate your story that resonates specifically to your school and needs.

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I signed up to work with Melissa for round 2 applications for a 5 school package with the intention of applying to 8 schools. Melissa was amazing throughout the entire process.

At first, as I was pretty clueless of the process and quickly became overwhelmed. Melissa was always available to walk me thought the unknown and help me organize my thoughts. She advised me on which 5 schools out of the 8 she thought would be best for me to include in my package. We initially started with the background questionnaire that helped me explore every area, accomplishment and goal that would be relevant for my application.

During the essay writing process, Melissa helped me select the best experiences to use for my essays and guided me to tell these stories effectively. She was always ahead of time returning her revisions, which I truly appreciated especially during the holidays. Thanks to her dedication and quick turnaround, I was able to get through all the schools I was applying to before the deadlines.

Melissa went above and beyond to ensure I was presenting the best work. One of my essays subject was a little on the controversial side and I wanted to ensure my tone was not angry. I asked her if she thought it sounded angry. She mentioned it was difficult for her to interpret what I had written as angry because she knew me too well by then and could not read the essay impartially. She then reached out to a colleague and had her read the essay to get another person’s perspective.

Melissa was great prepping me for interviews. One of the people interviewing me even mentioned to me that I was the most prepared out of the 6 people he had already interviewed.

Melissa really was AMAZING! A true advocate. She is friendly and easy to talk to, but also honest, forthright and willing to give constructive criticism when necessary.

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