If you are considering a top school I highly recommend that you sign up for Jessica Shklar’s free 30-minute consultation and you’ll quickly understand why I decided to hire her on the spot for the complete start to finish package. She is exactly what you need her to be when you need it – a strong critic when your work/writing isn’t your best (trust me she’ll know), a strategist providing advice on how to create rapport with admissions officers (a key differentiator for candidates when you’re applying to M7 or T10 schools), and a mock interviewer prepping you for yours at the top school you apply to. She won’t do the job for you, but will give you the guidance, suggestions, hand-on work, and be a sounding board so that you may succeed throughout every step of the MBA application process. I was not a perfect applicant but Jessica helped me maximize my strengths and address my weaknesses and the results exceeded my wildest expectations landing a spot at a top school! Simply put, she’s a true partner in your corner helping you out!

After a year and a half of working with Jessica, I am more focused in how I approach everything and a much better writer than before, both of which have me better prepared for B-school this fall at my dream school. Thank you Jessica!!!

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I have no doubt that I am attending a Top 15 school because of my work with Jessica. I did a ton of research on both consultants and companies: mbaMission in general and Jessica in particular was undoubtedly the best decision I made in the application process. Seriously: her slots will fill up quickly; lock her in as soon as you can!

I did a few 30 minute consultations, and just minutes into my talk with Jessica, I was sold. As a non-traditional candidate, other consultants did not fill me with confidence; Jessica made me feel like my story and candidacy had value – and that it was precisely what made me non-traditional that would get me into a target school. And then she helped make it happen.

She has a tremendous gift for drilling down the parts of your story that are both most compelling and that will help you the most with adcoms. The first brainstorming session - and the 20 page document she had me submit beforehand – helped me shine a spotlight on what points I want to focus on and develop a cohesive narrative of my work and personal history. To say that she’s gifted at this is not hyperbole – she truly possesses an unbelievable talent at teasing out the most impressive parts of yourself while crafting an engaging narrative.

She has so much insight into the adcoms for top schools and the best and varied ways to approach each individual app – this is info that no amount of googling will help you get and gives you the edge you need to make your app stand out.

Every step of the way, she goes above and beyond. She makes you feel like she’s genuinely interested in your success and that the relationship is so much more than transactional. When I didn’t think it possible to shorten my essays any more while preserving meaning, she did so again and again; she was a miracle worker. When I got an interview invite for a school I didn’t even work on with her, she sent me a list of common questions and was available for help. When I had an unfortunate debacle with my transcript, she polled her fellow mbaMission consultants and went out of her way to help me come up with a plan that ultimately landed me where I am today. She’s brilliant, fierce, feisty, thoughtful, knowledgeable, and compassionate – all characteristics that make her a joy to work with.

I could go on and on about her virtues and value, but trust me when I tell you this: she is the best of the best.

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I would highly recommend working with John Sisk from mbaMission. His experience in journalism and his degree from a top business school give him a unique perspective as an admissions consultant. Entering the admissions process, I had a strong GMAT score and strong enough GPA to get into a top school, but I needed help rounding out my story. That is where Johnny was so helpful. After our free 30-minute consultation, I already had a great idea of how I wanted to put my story together, and over many iterations that story came to life with John’s help.

I hesitated in spending the money to hire a consultant, but I found that I got great value from John using the hour-by-hour option. Having been accepted into the top school, I can say that I would not have done a single thing differently. John was instrumental in strengthening my voice and I cannot thank him enough.

John continually offered strong advice and was very patient as we worked through my drafts, which made him very easy to work with. He was always completely honest, telling me what worked and what didn’t, but at the same time he was very optimistic and would ensure that the process never got me down. He was also timely in getting his responses back to me within the 2-day turnaround window, which was critical in feeling confident that my drafts were in the best shape possible before deadlines.

Thanks John!

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I did a "fit call" with Harshad Mali- that call confirmed to me that Harshad was the exact right consultant for me. Some points from my own experience: 1) Harshad will push you until you have a cohesive product that is the best representation of you and your story. Just a week before the deadline, Harshad and I started my Emory essay over from scratch because my previous version was not developing strongly enough. This was the best possible thing he could have guided me to do, rather than moving forward with a weak concept; 2) Harshad always provided great feedback on my deliverable and questions within a day or two. Never late. He reminded me about the coming deadlines. He pushed me to complete essays few days before the deadline. He knew when we had to push to hit key productivity gateways; 3) Harshad was a true partner in the process. Throughout the essay-writing journey, he gave me his edits to ensure that my voice was not lost before further editing/trimming was done. Harshad was with me every step of the way.

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Jessica was very patient and very knowledgeable about the application process and the programs. Throughout the process, she always made herself available and strictly adhered to the 24-hour response rule. She even provided an expedited feedback right before round I deadlines that helped me get the application in on time. I purchased a complete three-school consultation package with Jessica and added on two more – all in round one. Overall, I’m very happy with the result – I got into four top 15 schools with partial scholarships from two. I suggest putting down your deposit with Jessica as soon as you can because her time tends to get booked up really early in the process.
The biggest value add I got from Jessica was on the essay and the resume.
We did 7 rounds of resume editing and the final version was nothing like the first draft. I knew that I needed to make my resume more “results oriented” but honestly I didn’t know how. Jessica helped me in a way that she played the role of an admission officer, asking the right questions and kept pushing me if my answer wasn’t “results oriented” enough. She also helped me discovered a lot of bullet points that I didn’t think were important but from the eyes of an admission officer, they were.
We worked on a ton of essays – at least two for each school, 5-7 drafts for each essay. We started with a brainstorming call that collected all the stories that we were going to use for the essay then we put them together to make the initial draft – she made it fun, kind of putting together a puzzle. Jessica was really good at cutting down on words to without losing the original meaning of the sentence. This is super important because anyone who’s been through the process would tell you that word counts and space are you biggest enemies Pretty much every essay I gave her was 1.5 times of the word limit, and she cut them down to below limit in a concise way with ease. Moreover, Jessica knows how to tell a story in a very interesting and eye-catching way that attracts the readers, kind of like how a good journal reporter writes interesting stories. Again, not every admission consultant can do these things.
Mock interviews and the question lists that Jessica gave me were extremely helpful. I interviewed with 6 schools, and I’d say more than half of the questions were on the question lists. I also had a video essay which was nerve-wrecking but Jessica took extra time to help me prepare that so I was pretty ready by the time I got to it.
Last but not the least, through brainstorming sessions and interactions, Jessica really challenged me as an individual and got me to think about what I really want to do post-MBA and for the rest of my life, not simply for the purpose of the application. Through working with Jessica and from her candid feedback, I learned my strengths and weaknesses, my preferred working style and figured out where my passion lies. Luckily, I don’t have to go through the application process again but I’d do it again with Jessica because she made it fun and easy.

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When I set out to write my applications, my mind was a giant cloud. I had lots of ideas about why I wanted to pursue an MBA, but, as a career switcher, I didn't know much about the ins and outs of business school admissions process and what adcoms looked for. I wanted to be authentic but whenever I sat down to write, my ideas were all mixed together in a giant spaghetti ball of thought.

Jessica has a deep understanding of the application process and helped me to organize my ideas. With her direction, I was even able to understand more about myself and why I desired an MBA on the route to what I desire to accomplish. Not only was she extremely knowledgeable and affable, I felt that she genuinely appreciated my story and cared about my progress. Throughout her webinar and even the free consultation, I never felt I was being sold and received great insight from those offerings alone. That said, purchasing a couple hours to talk through my application was one of the best investments I made. Hands down, you need someone with experience with the application process and admissions to proof your entire app; I didn't know any such person, so Jessica's very professional assistance was invaluable.

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I wanted to take the opportunity to discuss my experience with Krista Nannery as I navigated the MBA admissions process. Obtaining an MBA had always been a personal goal of mine but as an applicant with almost 15 years of substantial work experience across multiple products within my field, attending a top 10 business school would be the only way that I would receive a long term benefit of investing my time and money. I knew that I would have some challenges that I needed to address through the application process, and this is where I sought the help of mbaMission.
Initially I was skeptical whether the payoff of working with a consultant would be worthwhile but I can honestly attest that collaborating with Krista Nannery was well worth the investment.
Krista was instrumental in helping me strengthen my applications for the three schools I had initially targeted. I say initially because as I finished up my second application, Krista was able to leverage her previous experience as an admissions director at a top school to recommend a program at a fourth school to research. Given my work experience and ultimate career goals, this fourth school is where I will be matriculating in the next few months. I can not thank Krista enough for suggesting this program.
As an hourly client, the majority of my time with Krista was focused on essay and resume editing. In that arena, one of Krista’s key strengths is that she is able to get to the heart of the story you are trying to tell in a succinct manner that really impacts the reader, even if that person is unfamiliar with the industry or experience that you are discussing. In one instance where I chose to write about a workplace leadership experience that had happened quite some time ago in my career, Krista suggested to choose a more recent story. Due to that feedback the resulting essay was significantly stronger and more relevant to the admissions committee. Because of her prompt turnaround time I was able to finish the bulk of my essays for three schools in about two weeks, which is no small feat when each application has between 2-3 essays. For one program in particular, there was a video essay component which I had filmed and sent to Krista while she was on vacation. Even half way across the world, she provided great comments that enabled me to reshoot the video to allow the viewer to learn more about me on a personal level. Also, as a more untraditional applicant, Krista really helped me leverage all components of the application to ensure the admissions committees of each school obtained a holistic view of my work experience, impact I have made in the workplace and community, what I was seeking to obtain through a MBA program, and most importantly what I would contribute to my peer set if admitted. With a lengthy two page resume filled with professional accomplishments and community and workplace involvement outside of my day to day role, a resume review one was of the most challenging aspects of the application process for me. Krista was up for the challenge – she was able to leverage her resources and really help me consolidate my best and most pertinent highlights on to a one page resume document, which is an amazing accomplishment.
Upon entering the interview phase of the application process, Krista was a great resource during our mock interview phone call. Prior to that call, Krista and I had only communicated via email which was no issue given her extremely clear notes and great communication skills. I had not had a formal interview in quite some time so the mock interview call was invaluable preparation because it really helped me refine and better articulate my message.
On a personal level, Krista is a real pleasure to work with. She always exhibits a positive attitude but is also someone who will provide real feedback that ultimately strengthens an applicant’s admissions package. I really felt she had a vested interest in my success, and because of the time and effort she put into working with me, I can confidently say she was a key factor in my success.

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I decided I wanted to work with Katy after reading her reviews in both Gmat Club and mbaMission website. I was impressed by how everyone said she was amazing and also, I realized most of her clients were accepted to the schools I wanted to apply. Today, after working with Katy during the whole admission process, I can understand the reason behind such reviews, Katy is truly an outstanding coach!

The thing I liked the most about working with her is how during the whole process she makes you feel like you are the one writing everything, and coming up with the ideas… because in fact you are. She is just so good in drawing the boundaries and guiding you into what are the most compelling stories for each school, but other than that you feel like her edits are mostly grammar related. That gives you a sense of authenticity during the whole process that for me was invaluable. I truly felt like the applications I submitted were 100% my input. The other great thing about Katy was that she helped me in all the aspects of the application. From the brainstorming session (which was really good and insightful) to the interview process. Even if in some subject she was not an “expert” she lets you know and shares material that is very helpful. She even got in me in touch with students from different schools when I was deciding where to apply.

I was fortunate enough to meet her personally before starting with the essays and she is a great person! Very friendly, always available (with normal restrictions) and always willing to help in more ways than she is “supposed” to. I know that I will be contacting Katy again for job related questions and I know she will be available to help me in the coming years, because even after the formal process has ended, after working with Katy, you feel more like a friend of hers than a client.

I definitely and highly recommend Katy to anyone looking for an admissions coach. She is amazing and extremely helpful, and her results are impressive!

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Working with Krista was an absolute joy and almost made applying to business school an enjoyable task, which is not easy to do! I started the process late due to poor planning on my part and worked on 3 applications with her. We completed each application early within a 6 week time frame. Her energy and passion kept me motivated from the beginning and she clearly explained what needed to be done step-by-step to ensure that we would stay on track and expectations would be met. Ultimately, I was accepted to all 3 schools and I am happily attending CBS in the fall. The one school I did not even get an interview at was the one application that I did not work on with Krista - I can't imagine that is a coincidence!

I think there are three main points I would like to highlight about Krista:

1) She listened to me & enhanced my writing: Krista really understood me and allowed my voice to come through in each essay we worked on. She challenged me to be concise but helped me in structuring my thoughts more clearly. There was one essay that wasn't coming well together for me. I e-mailed her on a Friday afternoon and she responded within minutes and offered to get on the phone. We spoke for an hour hammering out what was holding me back in the essay and created a much more cohesive outline. This was above and beyond! Her comments were clear & constructive and I never left a conversation confused.

2) Her response time was always quick. There were a few times I admittedly pushed the envelope on getting my work back in time for a deadline. She never complained but would e-mail me with bits of encouragement and get me closer to where I needed to be. With CBS, applying earlier is important. Krista knew it was my top choice, so she pushed me to get my application done well but also early. I can't thank her enough for that.

3) She communicated clearly. I had a close friend working with a consultant from another firm. Our experiences were night and day. While my friend probably had over a dozen drafts per essay, Krista and I did 3-5 drafts per essay - though she would have done more if necessary! I attribute this to our calls where we diligently outlined the best way to tell my story. Krista also set expectations. She realistically spoke to me about my chances as a candidate and explained my strengths and weaknesses. Because of this, I think I did a better job communicating my story well to school. She even helped me figure out a plan for Round 3 applications (which was above and beyond!) if my 3 applications did not end in an acceptance. I feel like above being a consultant, she was intimately familiar with the admissions process and openly shared any data points she could to help me understand where my chances were better or worse. This advice proved invaluable and was something my friend did not experience at the other firm he worked with.

I do not have enough space to type out all the wonderful things I have to say about Krista. I cannot imagine going through this process without her and simply cannot thank her enough for all her hard work.

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I came to Heidi as a true "wild card" candidate for BSchool having had a truly humanities-based education and work experience. My GMAT score was fine, but definitely didn't fully compensate for my lack of quantitative background.

I knew from the very beginning that this was a worthwhile investment as Heidi recommended actionable steps to strengthen my application, and we went through a brainstorming process that wound up providing content for every application question and essay prompt I encountered. Her thoughtful and thorough feedback really helped me to feel confident hitting submit (and I hit it well before the deadline, rather than waiting until the very last, panicked moment!). After submitting, I felt completely sure that my application showcased my best self. As a total worrier and second-guesser, the peace of mind that working with Heidi gave me was truly priceless.

Not only did I get into my top choice school, but I got into the other four schools I applied to as well (most with varying scholarship awards). I attribute this to my application and resume being in perfect order, and having a clear story -- all things Heidi helped me with.

And her work didn't stop there! When I agonized over which school to attend (I'm a terrible decision maker as well...), Heidi provided helpful advice as to which school would be the best fit for me. Having an objective, incredibly knowledgeable, sounding board throughout this piece of the process was invaluable.

Thank you, Heidi! I highly recommend working with Heidi and mbaMission.

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