Going into the admissions process, I was hesitant to use an expensive consulting service, but all of the schools I wanted to go to were reaches, so I knew I needed help getting in. I ended up using Dan's hourly service to apply to 3 top 15 schools and ended up getting into my second choice w / $.

Dan's style is to give you honest feedback - he won't sugarcoat anything. Because of this, Dan is great at helping candidates identify and address their weaknesses. Part of the reason I initially chose him was because of his writing background. His ability to articulate an applicant's goals succinctly is remarkable. He's also highly efficient and very responsive. Lastly, his interview prep was particularly relevant: in my real interviews I ended up being asked most of the same questions that we reviewed in our interview prep.

With Dan's help I ended up getting a scholarship with a value that far exceeded the cost of the consulting services. I would highly recommend him to any prospective B school applicant. 5 stars !!!

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I got partnered up with John late into my application process and looking back am very very glad I did. Working with John was a seamless process - I was able to walk through my general thought process on application plans, school visits, interview preparation, and general story. John was thoughtful, methodical, and efficient with this consulting services. I would absolutely recommend him to other prospective business school applicants, particularly those who are looking for an organized and structured approach to applying to schools. In the end, John was able to help me get admitted to my top choice and was kind enough to do a de-brief call to reflect and also start to plan the first semester in my full-time MBA program!

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Initially I felt a little intimidated by the idea of working with an MBA admission consultant because I knew that MBA application process is all about deep self-reflection and authentic storytelling. I was not sure if I could truly open up myself to and go through the process with someone I did not know before. But because mbaMission has a great reputation, I decided to give it a try and called them for a free 30-minute consultation. That then led me to Jen, who completely shaped my MBA application experience!

Jen challenged me to go above and beyond in my applications: The very first essay draft I sent to Jen was Stanford’s classic and difficult essay. Jen sent me her written feedback in 2 days and I was totally amazed by her detailed notes and thoughtful critique. And then she called me to walk me through her notes and guided me to think deeply about the “why” part of the question. I already put some serious thoughts into the essay but Jen encouraged me to dive deeper and taught me how to do so. I knew then I had to get Jen’s help for my other schools and decided to purchase packages for all my others schools with Jen!

Jen was always there for me: I had about 2 months to finish 6 schools’ applications and each of the schools asked for something different in their essays and interviews. And as an international student, I was also worried about messing up those cultural nuances in my applications. Jen helped me with every step for every school including essay brainstorming, essay editing, resume polishing, interview preparation, and an additional scholarship application process for one of the schools. Jen was so knowledgeable, responsive, patient, encouraging and honest that I felt extremely comfortable to ask her any questions and share my thoughts/feelings/concerns. I remember I would call her before my interviews to practice some questions or just chat about the interview, and then walked into every interview feeling very confident and fully prepared. I could not imagine getting such amount of guidance and support from anyone else!

Finally I was admitted to 4 top business schools! I am so grateful for everything Jen did and she means much more than an admission counselor to me – She is a true friend and mentor.

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I first spoke to Melissa the summer before applying to school for my 30-min free consultation. She definitely seemed knowledgable, but I was hesitant to spend so much money on something I thought I could figure out for myself. Well, fast-forward about 8 months and I'd only been accepted to 1 MBA program out of 9 that I applied to. Stuck on 4 waitlists, I purchased 3 hours of consulting with Melissa to help me navigate my way off 1 or 2 waitlists. She listened carefully to my questions and concerns and was able to quickly analyze what I told her and provide instant, strong, practical feedback. She helped me thoughtfully and tactfully explain major professional updates and worked with me to make sure I communicated appropriate and impactful updates to admissions offices. It made a real difference. I was immediately accepted into Johnson with a last-minute, last-round application and was accepted into both Stern and Ross after submitting waitlist update letters. My only regret is that I didn't sign up to work with her sooner!

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To the reader, I’ve sat in your shoes and faced the uncertainty of whether or not I would get any benefit from an admissions consultant after committing a lot of money upfront. I had read the horror stories online and had friends with negative experiences. I did the 30 minute free consultations with a few firms to narrow down my selection. I promise that, if you choose Melissa, you’ll have a terrific experience. I worked with Melissa on a five school package and all five schools I applied to were M7 schools. In addition I was working on a very tight timeframe – we started working together in mid-November and I hadn’t taken the GMAT. Yet with Melissa’s encouragement, support and help I was able to submit all five applications and was admitted to three M7 schools including with a significant fellowship and scholarship. I’m delighted to be attending my dream business school in the fall and Melissa was the driving force behind that. I can’t recommend her highly enough.

This is why you should hire Melissa:
1) Dedication: Melissa is completely dedicated to her clients. Given I was applying to five top schools all in the second round, Melissa and I were working right up to the early January deadlines. She was sending me edits on drafts on 26th December, New Year’s Eve and on New Year’s Day. You can ignore mbaMission’s statement that consultants reply in two days and don’t email you on holidays – Melissa replies much faster than that and is very flexible if you have deadlines. She is always happy to have calls. We had everything from two hour long brainstorming sessions to email exchanges over the wording of a 50 word short answer question. We’ve had multiple calls over school decisions and mock interviews. In short, you’re hiring someone who will partner with you through this arduous process.

2) Expertise: Her Kellogg MBA and experience as Executive Director of Admissions at Rice’s MBA program speak for themselves. She has the expertise and track record to guide you through everything from school selection to essay editing to interviewing. She will challenge you and give you frank feedback on your candidacy. She has seen it all and so can always help you.

3) Support and Encouragement: I can promise you that taking the GMAT and applying to business schools while working at a demanding job will be difficult and you will be faced with setbacks. I was concerned because I was an older candidate from a very competitive applicant pool applying in the second round to the best MBA programs in the world. Melissa gave me the encouragement and support to realise that my candidacy could stand-out and that I could be successful even on a tight timeframe. She also gave me the confidence that I didn’t need a safety school.

4) Essay Topic Selection and Editing: The essays are a key piece of the application and it’s where Melissa added significant value. She helped me select topics that showcased my unique strengths. She constantly pushed me in each mock draft I sent her to “show rather than tell” and use examples about how I could have an impact. She tailored each essay to each school I applied to. Melissa is excellent at decoding the sometimes cryptic essay questions to ensure that you’re answering in the right way.

5) Mock Interviews: Melissa is great at giving you mock interviews. I felt so well prepared going into every interview I had. Melissa even gave me a separate mock interview after a mock team based discussion to ensure I was prepared for other parts of the school’s interview. I walked out of every interview thinking I had really excelled and that Melissa had put me in a position to succeed.

In conclusion, hire Melissa. She’s going to be your best advocate in a very trying process. She has the skills and expertise to ensure you put your best foot forward. She has the dedication to meet any deadline and provide her insight on any question, no matter how great or small it is. She has the personality to encourage you to keep pushing ahead. Hiring Melissa was the best decision I made as part of the process and it will be the best decision you make.

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Applying to business schools can be a testing experience that requires a lot of self-reflection. I started using Harshad as a pay by the hour consultant to help tighten my stories. After working with him for a few sessions, I realized that I was going to need more help in coming up with my unique stories that would stand out in my applications. I upgraded to the full time package, and it was the best decision and money I spent in the application process.

Harshad has a unique ability to connect with the people he works with. We have only communicated over the phone and email, but I found myself quickly trusting him. I opened up about events in my life that I have told few people. He brought out powerful stories and emotions, some of which I had buried deep down inside myself.

Harshad will also very honest with you and is a great communicator. He will let you know if you produced a strong piece or a piece that needs more work. If he does provide constructive feedback, he does so in a way that never feels personal. I always felt that Harshad was rooting for me every step of the way.

All in all, I cannot recommend Harshad enough. He will bring out the best version of yourself and help you distill that version onto paper.

I was accepted into two great schools, and I have no doubts that Harshad was a big part of me getting into those schools.

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I had the opportunity to work with Melissa Merchant at mbaMission. I worked with Melissa starting in Spring 2017 throughout the end of R1 interviews. Throughout the process, Melissa was extremely helpful and patient; she was the primary reason I was able to get into my dream school of Northwestern: Kellogg.

For starters, I have a messy background that consisted of four different jobs in the span of six years. Melissa helped me craft a compelling and logical narrative that impressed the ad-com at both Kellogg ($$) and CBS ($$$)!

Melissa's two greatest strengths are her marketing background and her insistence on pushing for the best. After I submitted my initial stats and back-story to Melissa, she came back with 10, yes 10, different storylines to use for my essays. She has truly endless creativity. I would have NEVER thought to have written about the things I wrote about if I was completing the applications on my own. Melissa helped express my background into exciting and digestible stories, which is a testament to her background as a brand manager.

She also pushed me throughout the process. I was definitely frustrated at times when I had to submit the same essay for FIVE rounds of edits, but it was ultimately what I needed to be successful :) Consulting is not cheap, but you definitely get what you pay for and I'm thankful for Melissa and mbaMission. I would highly recommend her to anyone who is interested in traversing this difficult but rewarding process!

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Several friends recommended that I hire an admissions consultant for my apps, so I decided to give the free 30-minute consultation a try. My plan was to shop around different companies and consultants before committing, and my very first consultation was with Melissa. After the first few minutes with her, I was sold and knew that I didn’t need to look any further. After our consultation, the actual thought in my head was, “There’s literally nothing I would change about her and our dynamic, so I might as well end my search here!”

For me, the toughest part of the app process was essay writing. There were stories that I knew I wanted to share, but I couldn’t get the messaging down myself, and especially not within the word limits. Melissa helped guide my thinking to dig deeper, and at the end, my final essays were still very much "me" -- MY stories, and in MY words – just told in a MUCH more effective way. Her guidance for my resume and interview preparation was also tremendously helpful and insightful.

Melissa is everything you’d possibly want in a consultant – she’s reliable, personable, and knows what the admissions committee is looking for. I couldn’t be happier with my experience, and she’s one of the first people I called when I got into my dream school! I truly think that I wouldn’t have been able to get into all the schools I did without Melissa on my team.

Anyone in the market for an admissions consultant -- save your time and end your search here! I recommend Melissa 100%.

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I was recently admitted to the MIT Sloan Fellows Programme. I am an Indian entrepreneur with 11+ years of work experience and a 740 GMAT.

Taking this opportunity to review Harold Simansky, I would like to appreciate his support through out my application process. He has the following advantages that proved invaluable -

1. Extremely quick to respond and available 24x7. He often replied to my mails within minutes.

2. Is adaptable and understands the applicant's needs and story quick. I was running on tight deadlines for completing my application. Harold was flexible in his approach and fortunately able to work within my timelines due to which I could balance the application process with my work commitments easily.

3. Has great clarity of thought and solves queries instantly. As an entrepreneur with significant experience, I had many leadership experiences that I would have liked to share. Harold was quick to give me a feedback and help me remain focused on what I wanted to convey.

In addition, I would also like to thank Salma Qarnain from Stratus Prep, who helped me introspect during the application process. It was truly a rewarding experience working with her as well.

Thanks Harold and Stratus Prep for all the support !!
Ambuj

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When I decided to apply to B-School, I debated whether or not to use an admissions consultant. A friend of mine recommended I give mbaMission a try for at least the free 30 minute consultation. After speaking with Melissa in that initial conversation and getting a very positive impression, I decided that I would purchase a couple of hours for a second, and professional opinion on some of my essays. This turned out to be the best decision I made during the application process. My coach/coachee relationship with Melissa snowballed from there and I continued working with her throughout the entire application process because I kept getting so much value out of her feedback.

More than anything, Melissa helped me understand my story on a deeper level and in a way that would resonate on my applications. Furthermore, she helped me discover my potential by forcing me to dig deeper on every essay, resume bullet point, interview prep call, etc. Because I could tell she cared about my dreams and aspirations for business school and beyond, I was able to trust her throughout the entire application process. The value of having a coach and loyal friend (who I knew had my best interest at heart) in my corner while navigating the challenging process of applying to business school was immeasurable.

In addition to the soft skills and intangibles she provided, Melissa is incredibly smart and energetic. Her insight, expertise, and passion provided a much needed boost to my applications. I totally (and have already) recommend working with Melissa to anyone considering applying to business school. She helped me get into my dream school and I couldn't be more excited about what she helped me accomplish. I look forward to sharing future successes with her for many years to come!

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