I was a non-traditional applicant with a liberal arts major from an Ivy and work experience in startups. I'm a female Asian-American. The weaknesses I knew I had to overcome were a sub-3.5 GPA, lack of quantitative background, and scattered work history due to the nature of the startup world.

As I searched for a consultant, the first mistake I made in the application process was seeking a consultant with a high "success rate." After all, my ultimate goal wasn't to write a bunch of essays; it was to be admitted to my dream school! When I spoke to Jessica, she made me realize that the firms that boast about their numbers push applicants towards safety schools in the interest of keeping their numbers high. She politely explained that her own success rate included having countless clients who felt as though they were her only client, glowing testimonials, and half of her business from referrals. The fact that her own incentives were in line with mine, not against them, was a refreshing break from other consultants - many of which told me straight up that I had no chance at my dream schools, so I shouldn't even try.

When I asked Jessica about my weaknesses, she was nothing but positive. Unlike other consultants, who continued to harp on the fact that it would be difficult to overcome the GPA and work history, Jessica instead focused on my upward trend in grades and how fascinating the work I did in each of my jobs was. She encouraged me to apply to my dream schools. I could feel her genuine excitement upon hearing my story. This is what sold me.

Our first brainstorming session was unforgettable. I'd prepared a 22-page document full of answers to questions about my upbringing, work history, and personal values - not just my numbers and resume points. Jessica read every single page in order to touch upon the most poignant details about my life in our conversation. She eventually drew so much "content" out of me (that I didn't even know I had!) that we were able to come up with an outline for a very personal story.

This story ended up forming the foundation of our relationship. For three months, I'd lock myself in my room to finish a draft, send them to Jessica, anxiously wait for her response, open her document full of thoughtful and honest edits that matched my own effort, and repeat. I was shocked by how far every draft progressed. In just 6 drafts, my essay went from scattered to polished. I'm confident I couldn't find another person that puts as much care into her review as Jessica does, especially considering how personal the story was to me.

In the end, I used the final essay as my main introduction for 5 out of 6 applications to Top 10 schools. I secured 3 interviews, was accepted to all 3 with Jessica's help (2 with scholarship), and I'm now at Wharton - a dream!

Before I had secured any interviews, I told Jessica that no matter the outcome, she had helped me be more introspective about myself than ever before. The story she helped me write helped me come to terms with something I hadn't had the courage to face. If you work with Jessica, you'll be getting so much more than an acceptance letter to business school.

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One of the reasons I was considering an MBA degree was that I knew I had a few fields or functions that I was interested in but I wasn't sure which was the best fit for my passion and strengths. I met Angela through an Forte Foundation event and during which she said "MBA was one of the best chance for you to do what you love to do." This really resonated with me. Angela's view on passion stuck with me and I reached out to her.

The process started with an value assessment and it asked you lots of deep probing questions about your value and experiences that requires you to think back through your life and truly reflect. It took me quite some time and efforts but it was really rewarding. This is not a light touch process. One of the values of working with Angela is that if I didn't work with her, I probably wouldn't go through the self reflection process by myself. At the end, I put in dedicated time and efforts into this process and the partnership with Angela was a big motivation. I am really happy I did as I have the end product, value inventory, which has really helped me to identify and understand my value and passion.

Another very meaningful benefit of working with Angela is her unique and thoughtful perspectives backed with her impressive and extensive academic and professional experiences. After reading through the value inventory, Angela put together two pages of her observation and thoughts on what she finds my strengths, uniqueness and what I could reach with my career. The observation and what role I can aspire to be that she came up herself independently was very insightful and inspiring. Angela's credited opinion really gave me more confidence professionally in pursuing my aspiring career goal.

If you are someone who values self-awareness, finding your true value and passion in your career, you should definitely consider working with Angela! You will find a very passionate, insightful and experienced mentor and partner.

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I can’t say enough about good things about mbaMission and the very thorough (but enjoyable) process I’ve been through in the past few months planning my MBA applications! The process can seem a bit daunting at the beginning, as Angela encourages you to do a lot of self-reflection in her “Exploring Your Experiences” document, but I can guarantee that the time spent here helps make later stages in the application process SO much easier!

After I evaluated my past experiences, core values, and what I want to gain from my MBA, Angela helped me evaluate my specific candidacy and select a mix of schools that fit my profile. Angela emphasizes “aiming for the stars while keeping your feet on the ground,” and I’m confident that I’ve selected a good mix of schools (reach, near reach, fit, etc.) based on my background.

Another incredibly helpful tool is the MBA Resume Protocol (http://careerprotocol.com/mba-resume) since your MBA resume will look very different than your ‘normal’ one. I had no idea how different they were until reading this document, so the detail here was awesome!!

Finally, we also spent time focusing on various facets surrounding the MBA application essays - including how to craft a career game plan and how to tell effective, inspiring, and uplifting stories. The essays definitely seemed like the most daunting part to me, but after learning about mbaMission’s strategy I feel confident that I’ll be able to write stellar essays that are true to me.

Actually, that is my favorite part about working with Angela at mbaMission - she encourages you to BE YOURSELF. Really. A lot of the other consultants I’ve talked to encourage ‘branding’ or packaging yourself and your ‘story’, and while Angela encourages careful reflection of which facets of yourself that you want to emphasize, she wants your application to reflect your true passions and goals, which makes things so much easier!

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Angela is amazing and has the best resources! Her MBA Resume Protocol is incredible (check out the career protocol website) and she helps you think through your essays in a way that will make them compelling and a true reflection of yourself.She also helped with my Career Game Plan – the long term vision, medium term strategy, and short term tactics needed to fully share my goals with the MBA program to admissions committee. I'm thankful for all her resources and advice - she is always willing to take the time to answer any questions and is so positive about everyone's experiences.

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Working in investment banking, I did not have time and was unfamiliar with the MBA application process. I selected MBAMissions because of their affiliation with ManhattanGMAT, a company that I have trusted through my GMAT preparations. Further, I selected Jessica because of her outstanding reviews, in addition to the 30-minute free trial. I evaluated several consultants at the time and, after talking with Jessica, I felt that she was the right person. In the 30-minute free session, Jessica genuinely tried to help me instead of selling me on her products as many other consultants whom I spoke with had done. I purchased the 3 school start-to-finish package and was accepted into Columbia Business School through its early decision program. Looking back, Jessica was the best option for me. Below are the key features that I would like to highlight about Jessica:

1. Genuine care – throughout the process, Jessica not only cares about your essays (which she demands excellence from, as per other reviews), but she also genuinely cares about her clients’ paths and progress. This showed throughout the essays, as it made them that much more personable and real. To this day, Jessica still reaches out to check on my progress.

2. Rapid response and patience – I have asked Jessica a thousand questions throughout my MBA application process (and afterwards as well), and she has always responded within the agreed-upon timetable, often times well within the timetable (in less than an hour for quick questions). Having had long hours, I would often email her at 10-11pm only to see a new reply from her 10 to 15 minutes later. If you want someone who puts your needs first and takes her job seriously, Jessica would be the person.

3) Direct and authentic – Jessica is a no-nonsense person who will let you know the truth, a characteristic which I found to be the most efficient and rewarding. It provides me with the ability to make my decisions without thinking whether she filled it up with fluff or not. With her guidance, I was prepared for exactly what to expect – no surprises.

As such, I would like to strongly recommend Jessica. You need experts who can look into your stories and express independent opinions. It is an investment, and ensures that you don’t look back and question whether you gave the opportunity your best shot.

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Last year I applied to four top 15 programs in round one using hourly services with mbaMission's Heidi Granner.

I applied to programs last year following 7 years of work experience in the US military and government. While my undergrad GPA was high and my work experience was solid, my degree was from a relatively unknown regional school and my GRE score was below average for the schools I was targeting. I chose mbaMission because it had been recommended to me by several other veterans who had successfully navigated the admissions process.

Heidi was critical to my admission to my number one pick school. My work experience was a melange of jargon and acronyms that straddled both active duty military and reserve jobs--confusing to say the least. Heidi's unbiased outside perspective enabled me to make my work experience easier to understand for those outside the military/government, and to highlight my unique experience in my resume and essays.

To date, I have not met anyone with my background applying to MBA programs. Heidi gave me perspective on what schools I should target and which schools would be reaches. This greatly increased the efficiency in which I could complete my applications.

Early on in my search for admissions consultants I thought about reaching out to consultants (former military themselves) that specialize in military applicants. However, my personal opinion is that admissions consultants that are former military can sometimes be biased and assume certain work experiences are easily understood by others outside the military. Most adcom members and recruiters are not former military members, and I decided to use a consultant whose experience was the same as what I hoped to achieve after an MBA. Heidi greatly helped me "civilianize" my resume and make it easily understandable.

Ultimately, I got into my first choice and withdrew my other applications. mbaMission and Heidi Granner exceeded my expectations and I would highly recommend them.

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mbaMission's materials and advising take the gut-wrenching uncertainty out of the complex and competitive MBA application process. Their materials break down the strategy behind each aspect of the application.

mbaMission provided succinct lessons and materials that sprung me into action, even when exhausted after work. I worked with Angela in particular, and without reservation can say she is truly committed to the success of her applicants. Angela was able to speak to so many of the issues I encountered in the MBA application process and provide specific solutions and advice.

One of the most elements in the Boot Camp that saved me the most time was the "Exploring Your Experiences" worksheets, which was a guided reflection on my personal and professional experiences that left me blooming with rich, thoughtful ideas for my essays. I often shyed-away from soul-searching, but this worksheet made it comfortable for me to talk about my accomplishments and what mattered to me.

Aligning my resume with impact was never conveyed to me prior to MBA Resume Protocol, so the information completely changed what a reader would know about my experience. I previously struggled writing about my accomplishments because my experience was in consulting, however Resume Protocol addresses this issue head-on and suggests amazing verbiage that still conveys impact.
(here is the link if you are interested: http://careerprotocol.com/mba-resume/)

I strongly recommend the mbaMission services and materials for anyone who is looking for guidance and inspiration!

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Angela Guido from mbaMission led several webinars for the Forte Launch Program and provided a number of resources to help us on our journey. One of my favorite resources was the MBA Resume Protocol. It helped me format my resume, organize my experiences effectively, and convey impact. I've received compliments on my resume which was based on the MBA Resume Protocol template.

One of my favorite webinars led by Angela was about writing effective essays for a MBA application. She discussed who our audience was (the AdCom) and what they are looking for. She explained the types of applications (multiple essays vs. single essays), narrative theory, the importance of vivid moments to start a story, and presenting challenges to reveal authenticity.

Her insight has been extremely helpful during this process and enjoyed all of her webinars. Thank you Angela!

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The arduous application process for MBAs takes its toll on us all after a time. Just as I completed one portion (a resume, the GMAT) the next obstacle rose in front of me and exposed my self doubt. Could I really pull this off? Is it possible all of these pieces will come together to create a desirable profile for admissions officers?

Angela's guidance at every step was not only encouraging, but she laid out an achievable framework for completion. While working on the resume, we listed all accomplishments and divvied up the "real estate" between resume and essays where these might shine. While crafting compelling stories, the tactics proved solid groundwork for interview prep. Most of all, Angela's humor resonates both in person and virtually, putting me at ease in getting to work. An MBA application is just that: work, but Angela's comprehensive process will inspire confidence in your personal brand without bragging, leaving no story left untold.

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Angela's program is incredibly helpful for anyone who is starting the application process and doesn't know where to start. The Explore Your Experiences document helped me delve into the areas of my personal and professional life that mean the most to me and represent a wholistic view of myself. It is LONG but so worth the investment of time. All of her workshops are worth watching as well-Angela is incredibly knowledgable and has insight that changed my view of the application process. The resume workshop in particular was eye-opening; there is so much more to this process than I thought. Knowing that she has a history of success made me so much more confident in the direction I will be taking my application.

Greatest strength-the content. Greatest weakness...I'll let you know once my schools get back to me!

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