I decided to apply to business school very "late in the game" mid-last summer, with no GMAT score and little direction on how to to structure myself as an applicant...but I knew I only wanted to go to a top school. Come in Jeremy Shinewald, who I have since dubbed "half friend, half my MBA consultant" after sticking with me over the past 8 months.

Considering I only finished my GMAT in December and applications were due January 3rd; Jeremy was part of the process through the ups and downs of not hitting the GMAT score we needed, to re-editing application essays (50+ times as the application story evolved) to finally being admitted to my top pick, Wharton.

Not only would I not have been able to apply this year as I was so originally "lost" in the process, I most certainly would not have been able to gain admission to a school like Wharton without Jeremy. He was dedicated and committed, talking me through the process always and was on call. He went above and beyond any consultants "job" - he took my application to heart and took my success personally.

Jeremy is the founder of MBAmission and manages a team of 20+ MBA consultants - the value of his access to this team (he brought in others on the team when needed) and his personal depth of knowledge is incalculable. I never felt like I was his second priority to his firm. In fact, I felt like I was his main priority throughout. I truly can't emphasize his responsiveness enough. It was clear that he cares very deeply for every client, as the founder of the firm and gets the micro right, letting the macro take care of itself.

When an MBA cost are high and the opportunity cost sometimes even higher, working with a company such as Jeremy's MBAmission is a no brainer in my book. Presenting yourself as the strongest applicant and bettering your chances to a top school is a long term investment I would make any day. I could not recommend Jeremy more.

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After being rejected from all the schools I applied to last year, I felt I needed some professional help to be successful and I’m happy I picked Harshad to guide me through this challenge. With his help I was able to secure 3 offers of admission from some of the top-10 schools with substantial scholarship $$$.
He was incredibly helpful since the first 30 minutes consultation when I immediately appreciated his “we’ll make it happen” attitude. He was capable to identify the weaknesses from my previous applications and provided great insights to help me reflect on my achievements, redefine my career goals and strengthen my personal brand. The opportunity to work with a person who could deeply understand me on a personal level was fundamental to my success: he was truly there to fight this battle with me.
Harshad’s encouraging consultation style helped me to grow confidence in my work, kept me motivated throughout the application and boosted my morale when I was feeling discouraged (and trust me, there will be moments of discouragement!) At the same time I appreciated his frankness in pointing out my errors and his guidance in resolving my weaknesses. He always provided clear and compelling explanations in support of his recommendations so that I could understand the thought process and develop my own critical judgement.
Overall his ability to reshape my profile and develop a customized strategy joined with a great competence as storyteller made him the ideal consultant to work with. I wish I had him on my side on the first application round to avoid the unnecessary pain of failure.

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Applying to business school is a daunting task. It’s both difficult and unnatural to compile everything about you into a neat, comprehensive package and then present it to admission committees who will be making a decision that directly impacts your career trajectory. John did an amazing job breaking down the process into manageable pieces, which both calmed my nerves, and gave me direction throughout the process. What I found most helpful when working with John was his ability to adapt as the application process unfolded. I worked with John for almost a full year, and in that year a lot of things changed in my personal and professional lives, which altered my approach to finding the right business school for me. However, John was able to adjust our process along the way, culminating in my acceptance into my dream school. I can confidently say that I would not have been able to get into my top choices without John, and for that, I’ll be forever thankful. I can’t thank John enough!

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I worked with Katy on my Round 2 applications starting in October 2017. At the time, I was weighing a couple of other options, but ultimately decided to go with Katy because of the rapport we immediately established during our 30-minute kick off call and I have been thrilled with that decision ever since!

Katy was incredibly helpful and methodical at every step in the process, and I can say without a doubt that I would not have been able to get into my top schools without her guidance. I was nervous at the beginning because I felt that I didn't have a good grasp of what the top programs were looking for and was somewhat concerned by my GMAT score (V44/Q45).

Katy gave me confidence throughout the process and helped me to refine my story so that I was able to effectively message my candidacy to a variety of programs. She quickly answered every question I had, and her feedback to my drafts was always thoughtful and productive. One thing that really made our partnership effective was how she often provided her feedback in the form a reaction rather than line-editing. That allowed me to retain my voice while at the same time sharpening the points I wanted to convey.

While several other reviewers focus on how valuable her feedback was on their essays--which are undoubtedly important--I found that she was incredibly helpful in interview prep and also served as a sounding board for one of my recommenders who was unfamiliar with the process. These attributes, in addition to her being a very kind and generous person, made Katy absolutely wonderful to work with.

Long story short: If you are considering working with Katy, you should do so. I consider her a friend and will always be grateful for her assistance in this intense process!

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My biggest concern while applying to business school was whether I would be able to communicate my story to the admissions committee in a compelling manner. This was partially due to the fact that my story (I felt) was quite unique, having had significant leadership experience in the non-profit sector. Hence rather than looking for an editor who would help me word my essays better I was looking for a guide who would truly understand me and help me present myself holistically. I found such a person in Dan.

The amount of efforts he took in understanding me: my passions, my worries, my ambitions and me as a person were remarkable. There were times I would push him to move to the "real deal" (writing essays etc.), but Dan being Dan would figure out a compelling way to convince me that there was more introspection required. This for me was the real deal breaker.

When I got to editing my resume and writing my essays, Dan helped me "cut through the crap" and get to the point. His ability to call a spade a spade and tell me very clearly what NOT to do helped me narrow my options and stay focused on my core story. He would never shy away from giving me a "Re-do" on the essay, and I found this attribute particularly refreshing, saving a lot of precious time for me. Sometimes I would not agree with him and we would debate endlessly on a line, a phrase and sometimes even the entire idea, this however made it clear to me how invested he was in this. We were in this together!

Fun fact: One of the things we debated on was whether I should apply to Kellogg. Dan was convinced that I should, I wasn't. End result: Today I'm going to Kellogg :)

The journey of applying to b schools is quite stressful and I guess everybody needs a friend who you can rely on, who can give honest feedback and be with you through the ups and downs. I found such a friend in Dan. Somebody I'll definitely keep in touch with and somebody I would highly recommend for anybody starting the b school application process for the coming years!

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I came to Jessica as a re-applicant and having been through the process before, I was somewhat skeptical that I needed too much more guidance other than cleaning up my story and repurposing my prior materials. However, it became very clear from our first interaction that she could help me do so much more. During our brainstorming session, she helped bring out both professional and personal experiences that I hadn't even considered talking about before. What I appreciated most about working with her was her uncommon ability to force me to form a story myself even as she helped me talk through several anecdotes, acting as a guide while allowing me to make my essays and overall application truly personal - this also speaks to her incredible patience. While she is a very nice person, she didn't let this keep her from being a tough critic of my writing, and she pushed me to go through several drafts of all of my essays, without going overboard and being too picky over minute details. While she certainly helped edit my essays, she generally stayed hands-off when it came to the content, again allowing me to make the story truly mine. Her help was especially important given my background as a relatively traditional applicant coming from finance applying to the top 3 MBA programs, of which I got into one. I truly believe she helped make a difference in presenting myself in the most effective, yet honest way and would recommend her to anyone.

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When I made the decision to apply to business school nearly 2 years ago, I picked up a copy of the book "How To Get Into the Top MBA Programs". It was an incredibly long book and didn't provide me much help in setting a framework around the application process. I felt lost and overwhelmed. I knew I needed help but wasn't entirely sure where to turn.

I found mbaMission and was paired with Kate. After completing the free consultation, she made me feel far more at ease about tackling the applications. Most of all, she was 100% honest with me about my program choices and what I needed to do to position myself better. It was roughly 6 months later that we touched base again and decided to move forward with a partnership. After analyzing where I was in the process, we came to the decision that the Hourly Services would be most efficient with my timeline.

Over the course of the last year, Kate has been my guide through the application process. Everything they say about it is true: it's remarkably introspective, requires a great deal of time, forces you to put your best foot forward, and is incredibly detailed and tedious. I can say with confidence that I could not have done it without Kate. At each step of the process, she provided sound advice and direct, honest feedback. This is rare. Most people will hesitate to say anything outside of praise. Kate constantly helped me evaluate everything from large items such as essay drafts to minor details such as how many GPA decimal places to include. With her help, I was able to craft the best possible applications and was invited to interview at all 4 of my program choices, was admitted to 2, and have been waitlisted at 2.

I can’t say enough about Kate. She has an intimate knowledge of the top programs, she puts in time to thoughtfully review every aspect of your candidacy, she’s efficient with her time and has a quick turnaround when you need it. But most of all, she genuinely cares about her clients. I never felt as though I was just another name on a list. Kate took the time to understand who I am, what I’m looking for, and how I can get there. By focusing on that, my voice wasn’t lost in the process – rather, it was enhanced. She provided me with a different perspective that refined my applications in a unique way.

I spent roughly $3,500 on mbaMission’s services. While I was given access to a number of guides and inside information, the real value came from my interactions with Kate. It was worth every penny! I would recommend this service to anyone looking to apply to business school.

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Hi,

I would like to recommend Daniel Richards from mbamission. I started working with Dan early on during the application process for top schools such as Columbia and UCLA Anderson. From the first introductory call I felt very comfortable working with Dan. He is not only a professional and expert on the MBA application process, but he was very honest from day 1 without making you feel bad for any shortcomings, to the contrary he helped me find my strengths and how to make those strengths shine through in my application. Additionally, writing essays has never been my forte, especially in English that is not my first language, Dan has a gift for ensuring that what I wanted to say came across polished and ensuring the reader felt something while reading my essays. If it wasn't for Dan and his strategic and smart advice I would not have gotten an interview invitation from UCLA, trust me my GMAT score was way below their average. I understand mba consultants services are not cheap, but working with Dan was worth every penny. Specially if you are a busy professional without any time to waste during the stressful application process. He responded promptly to all my questions, even when there deadlines nearby and he was busy with many clients. Thank you Dan for all your help during this process.

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As an applicant with a non-traditional background, I knew that I was going to need all of the guidance I could get on the business school application process. I decided to enlist mbaMission’s services, and the company’s founder highly recommended Susan. Working with Susan was the best decision I could have made. She gave me invaluable advice and asked me all of the right questions that I had no idea I needed to be prepared to answer.
When I started with Susan this past fall, I was very late in the admissions process. I intended to apply to schools for round 2, but was still studying for the GMAT and deciding which schools to apply to at the same time. Right off the bat, Susan helped me set realistic expectations for studying/working full time/applying to schools in a short time period. She helped me cut down my school list to schools that would be a good fit for me and that I could realistically get into. She advised me to stick with previous GRE scores (and helped me realize that these scores would get me into b schools) so that I would not waste any more time studying for the GMAT and actually start focusing on working on my applications.
Susan also made sure that every single minute of my time with her was spent wisely. For example, during our first brainstorming call, Susan realized that I needed to do more research on my short term and long term post- MBA career goals; specifically, how my target school would support me in these goals, before we could proceed any further. She stopped the conversation short so that we would not waste any more time, and gave my guided questions to think about as I did my own research on these topics.
Susan never missed a deadline and usually returned any items I sent to her for feedback early. Susan’s feedback was always thorough and insightful.
Susan provides very blunt criticism (as others have touched upon), but without her help I know I would not have gotten into my top choice school. She makes you work really hard, but it will pay off immensely!! She sincerely wants to make sure that you have the best application possible. I am a better business school candidate because of working with her.

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I worked with Melissa Blakeslee on a 4-school package and it was a phenomenal experience overall. I started the process extremely early, signing up with Melissa months before essays were even released. Beginning with the free consultation, I could immediately tell that she was focused on giving me as much value as she could. I felt that we immediately clicked because of her passion, knowledge about the programs, and sincerity.

Melissa coached me through the GMAT process (I scored a 710, and one month later a 740) and was very honest about how my score would play a role in my overall application profile. Once I hit a 740 she candidly told me the time investment to score higher would not be justified for the returns it would get me and we focused our efforts elsewhere.

Throughout the school selection process we spoke at least twice a week via email (frequently more), and Melissa was always extremely responsive to phone call requests. We weighed each school's pros and cons as they related to me and my personality. She even set up phone calls to go over each school after I visited them and learn what my impressions were. That was truly the best thing about Melissa - she took the time to learn who I was and what I wanted. And to be perfectly frank, I didn't even know what I wanted. We figured it out together.

As we worked through essays Melissa was a fantastic resource. Her edits were concise and thoughtful. We probably went through 4-6 iterations of the first essay, and then really flew through the next ones as I learned the process. We had an hour long brainstorming session for each one (did I mention how available she was?) that really focused on crafting a compelling story for each school. Melissa has a deep understanding of what each school is looking for.

As I received interview invites Melissa also scheduled mock interview phone calls that were very helpful. I've always been great at interviews but she gave me tips and tricks to really hit the points interviewers are looking for. Despite those tips being a huge help, I would say the best thing Melissa did was talk me off the ledge as I got nervous beforehand. Her calming reassurances showed that she truly cared about me and my success.

I could go on and on about how great Melissa is, but just sign up with her already. The results speak for themselves. I was accepted into every school I applied to (Kellogg, Ross, Darden, and Tuck) with significant scholarship offers at all but Tuck. I'll be attending Kellogg in the fall and could not be happier about my decision to hire Melissa. As great as she is at her job, she's also a fantastic person that I am still in frequent contact with and consider a great friend. If you want more than just an essay editor or someone who reiterates advice you can freely find online, choose Melissa!

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