Initially, I approached Angela as a career coach, not an MBA admissions consultant. My existing job was coming to an end, and I needed to figure out my next career move. The problem was that I had no idea what I wanted to do. An MBA was appealing, but I thought my situation was too complicated for me to get into a top program, since I was about to leave my job. For this reason, I wanted Angela to help me gain some personal clarity and navigate the job search.

My first assignment was to fill out a document that captured my accomplishments, failures, preferences, etc. and I exhaustively completed it. I wrote a ton and provided a bunch of supporting documents from performance reviews to journal entries to personality assessments. I totally overloaded Angela with information about me and needed her to help make sense of it all and find themes. In fact, I was desperate for thoughtful feedback. I had hit a wall personally and professionally and had been searching for answers to no avail.

A few takeaways from Angela’s response.
• Her observations resonated with me and were really insightful. She saw themes and characteristics that I couldn’t articulate. Even now, I frequently reference her comments as I continue to think about my personal brand.
• She read and went through everything I sent, even the stuff I told her not to worry about; this was significant because of how much stuff I sent her. On our debriefing call, she made reference to a random and minor comment I made in one of my “exhibits.” I was pleasantly surprised by her attention to detail and thoroughness. It demonstrated a true commitment to helping me.
• She told me that nothing was wrong with me and that I had a lot of great qualities. She was enthusiastic about what I brought to the table and incredibly optimistic about the next phase of my career. I needed to hear this, and I needed someone to genuinely believe in me. While I would like to attribute this connection to how special I am, it’s more appropriate to acknowledge how adept Angela is at finding the awesomeness that lies in everyone.
• She thought I would be a great candidate for a top business school, even if I applied while unemployed. In fact, she encouraged me to apply if that’s what I wanted. I don’t think I would have gotten similar encouragement and enthusiasm from other coaches/consultants.

I decided to apply to MBA programs, and Angela became my admissions consultant. Below are a few highlights from this experience.
• I didn’t know how to tell a compelling story in light of being unemployed. How should I spend my time off to enhance my application? What do I tell school representatives about my job when I visit? Should I write an optional essay, and if so, how should I approach it? In my interviews, how do I frame my unemployment status and what’s the right spin to put on it? We were constantly talking about these questions because I needed a lot of help controlling the narrative. With her assistance, I was able to get in front of the questions that I was scared of getting and do so in a manner that captured my own voice and followed the “formula” for application success.
• She really got to know me well. At times, I felt like she knew me better than I knew myself. For one essay in particular, the topic she suggested was the perfect direction for me to take and one that I wouldn’t have thought about on my own. It encapsulated a theme that is core to what I’m about, enabling me to highlight several unique experiences. That topic was meant for me and only me.
• Career coaching/application consulting is what she does. It’s her full time gig, and she’s approaching it with a fresh perspective that intertwines how we connect with others and how we tell a good story. I really appreciated this type of thoughtfulness and her level of expertise.
• She went well beyond just helping me with application deliverables and proved to be the ultimate sounding board. I had a lot of questions and needed a lot of guidance and encouragement (encouragement about my profile, the GMAT, and the schools that I should apply to). I was a high maintenance client, but she always exceeded my expectations. I couldn’t have done without her.

— Top 15 Business School Admit and Scholarship Recipient

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I met Jessica through a 30 minute free consultation, and was immediately impressed. She was sharp, had pointed questions, wasn't shy to point out my weaknesses, and quickly illustrated she had a game plan to help me create a strong application. I choose to work with Jessica for R#1 admission for 2 school, but found working with her so valuable and insightful that I did not hesitate to expand my package ultimately to 4 schools.

The application process seemed daunting and chaotic (especially when you have a demanding full time job), but Jessica came to the table with a structured approach that was key for success. It began with a thorough brain-storming session, where Jessica quickly honed in on accomplishments/personal stories that would stand out to the admission committee. Having seen potentially thousands of application she provided invaluable insight on what differentiated me as a candidate, things that I might have potentially overlooked. Together we formed the "story" I would tell, which we continued to refine throughout the process. Even at that point I was amazed to see how vested she was in ensuring my "story" was tight, and demonstrated all the characteristics of a successful candidate.

Next was the writing process, where I think Jessica really shines. While I would rate my writing skills as above average, with Jessica's guidance I was able to take it to a higher level. In reviewing my drafts (at all hours of the night... I swear I got emails from her at 2am), her feedback was brutally honest (i.e. this sentence bores me, or love this intro but the rest just does not deliver) and full of clear guidance. Often I found it difficult to articulate what I was trying to say, so Jessica, draft after draft, would ask clarifying questions on that section until finally the right words landed on the page. This was a clear indication of her relentless commitment to ensure I had a superb essay. Similarly, when I pointed out I wasn't 100% happy with an introduction or conclusion, she never said "no its great" but pushed me to improve upon it/offered new approaches, so to ultimately ensure that the essay was the best reflection of myself.

Ultimately, I was accepted to 3 of the 4 schools an accomplishment that Jessica was invaluable to. I would highly recommend her to anyone looking for someone who gives honest and transparent feedback, has a structured approach to the application process, is a great writing coach and has an unwavering commitment to the success of her clients.

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I worked with Jessica for one of my applications for Round 1 of 2015. I initially selected her for my free 30 minute review because of the similar nature of our work backgrounds. After those 30 minutes, I was fully assured that she would help my story shine through in my essay.

Throughout our brainstorming and editing process, Jessica did a phenomenal job of explaining to me why she thought different elements of my background should or should not play a more prominent role. And, due to the potentially controversial nature of my essay, she took some of her own time to vett it with co-workers, eventually coming up with advice on how to better describe the learning experience I underwent. Her creativity throughout the process cannot be overstated.

I thoroughly enjoyed working with Jessica because she had (and still has) a vested interest in my success. She enthusiastically answered questions as mundane as "Is this in line with typical interview attire?" and provided a great sounding board for assuaging my initial concerns post-interview. And though Jessica is relentlessly positive, she still remains honest. She was quick to point out areas for improvement or application faux pas I was committing.

Even though Jessica and I discussed only one of my applications, I was able to use knowledge I gleaned from our talks and apply it to my other applications. As a result of our work together, I earned admittance to four of the five schools to which I applied (including the one we focused on), while earning a place on the wait list on the fifth. I have no doubt in my mind that I wouldn't have been nearly as successful without her help.

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Simply put, I would not have gotten into the GSB without Jessica’s honest, clear guidance and structured support. From our very first 30-minute consultation call, she was focused on my candidacy and how to best represent myself to each graduate program. She wasted no time trying to “sell” me any work/package. I ended up working with her on two “full school packages” from October of 2015 through March of 2016. Each time we spoke, it felt like she was 100% focused on me, my work and my questions.
Jessica’s guidance and working style is highly structured. I had no idea how to plan for and work effectively during the multi-month application process. Jessica was able to provide structure to (what felt like) chaos and guide me through each phase of the writing, submission and interview process. Jessica broke down a daunting application process into manageable phases of work, all stepping stones leading to a successful application experience!
I will also highlight that Jessica is clear and honest. When you’ve taken the GMAT many times and wonder if you should keep pushing for higher scores, she is pragmatic and honest when advising you yes/no. Whether your latest draft is not up to snuff or perfectly achieves its goal, she tells you. Her feedback is clear, constructive and actionable. She is highly responsive to emails and phone calls, and it is reassuring to know that her good counsel is just a click/call away whenever you need it!
Last, Jessica’s mentorship does not stop at the end of the application season. She has generously given me her time and focus to talk through graduate school funding, coursework advice and share her insights about many aspects of the b-school (and specifically GSB) experience.
Working closely with Jessica not only helped me get into the GSB. It continues to help me to get the most out of my time in b-school. Thank you, Jessica!

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I spent around 10 hours with John over the course of several months to work on application essays. John was fantastic during the application process. He was a great resource from providing a sounding board for essay ideas to guiding me during the interview processes.

Brainstorming: In the beginning, there were so many times when I was getting frustrated about finding a story. I knew I had a story, but I wasn't sure how to find a specific one. John was able to ask the right questions and probe my answers to help me come up with essay topics.

Essays: Since I had been out of touch with writing essays for years, he also gave me great feedback on ways to tighten my writing style and approach. I didn't think this was going to be an experience I would gain from the application process, but I learned how to communicate much more efficiently from John.

Interviews: I wish I had asked John for mock interview help, but he provided some great material on prepping for the interviews. I used those to structure my interview answers.

Waitlist: Despite my disappointment in getting waitlisted at one of the schools, John remained optimistic and helped me navigate the waitlist process. I used the tips he gave me to reach out to the admissions committee.

While we never spoke on the phone, John's response time over email was great. He usually responded within 2-3 days of my emails. John was such a huge help during the application process, and I couldn't have survived it without his support.

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When I first started my MBA process in the summer of 2015, I definitely underestimated how stressful and rigorous the whole process would be, then I found mbaMission. The whole team at mbaMission was so helpful in finding me the right consultant and I am glad that they paired me up with Krista. At first I was leaning more towards the hourly service because the school package seemed too expensive and I was being very indecisive for almost a month but thankfully Krista kept her patience and even encouraged that I take as much time needed to make the best decision for myself. And boy, am I glad that I chose the package option - it just presented so much more valuable tools and information than I could get through the hourly service.
Once that decision was made, Krista and I started the brainstorming process; she really took the time to get to know me as a person, what my interests and career aspirations are, and I felt so comfortable sharing everything about myself with her. Then we crafted application strategy that reflected all the things I wanted to communicate to schools' AdCom.
Krista lives overseas but she made herself available anytime and accommodated my schedule so I never had to worry about turnaround times. She went above and beyond what was expected of her to help me create unique application and I feel like we've built this relationship that extends beyond this application process. Thank you Krista for
keeping me sane throughout the application process and helping me get into my dream school (Haas)!
I highly recommend her!

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As a late applicant, I sought support from Melissa Blakeslee at mbaMission. Melissa began providing thoughtful immediate feedback during our consultation call, identifying areas of improvement for my resume structure and diction as well as overall weaknesses in my application. This first discussion was critical in guiding me to think about my essay topics and ensuring a well-rounded application.

As we began working together, Melissa's genuine interest in helping me reach my goals was evident. During our brainstorming session, Melissa asked thought-provoking questions and made meaningful connections between my stories. Melissa's ability to understand my motivations and connect the dots enabled me to develop more thoughtful essays over a short timeline.

Finally, Melissa was always available to discuss my thoughts or admission concerns. Essays, resumes, and questions were promptly answered. Melissa provided honest feedback on an array of topics related to admissions and was consistently open to sharing additional information.

Overall, I highly recommend working with Melissa Blakeslee if an applicant is seeking a COACH to guide you though the entire application process.

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I really need to sit down and think through my stories in the past year – stories that both Angela and I developed together. It was June 2015 that I finished my GMAT test and wanted to talk to a professional about my overall competency to a top MBA program. I had initial 30-minute call with two consultants, including Angela. Both of them were supportive of my ambition but with different approaches. What made me decide was the video done by Angela posted on Mbamission website. She wrapped her introduction up with a statement “I want to help people and make people successful”. It touched me because I know that we share the same value. In the next couple of months, I realized the great skills that Angela possesses – the ability to know and understand people, always approach people with supportive manner, integrate pieces of information into a complete package, summarize people’s characteristics into a high level, smells from a small story or simple statement the opportunity to elaborate and expand – innate skills that also take tremendous exercises and hard work. I remember how she captured my intuition when I saw the pictures of Booth’s essay and helped me frame up the two pages document. Beyond her pure hard and soft skills is her willingness to help me at all levels. I was hesitated to ask her to advise me on other schools which are not covered in my purchase package. But she always promptly replied with her clearly structured guidance and advice. I can’t explain how much I appreciate that she has been flexible about the line in the sand. The fruition of my application process is not only the admitted decision from my dream school built on refreshed, solid understanding of my traits and goals but also the luck to meet a coach, a mentor and a friend. So thank you Angela!!!

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I initially decided to do my free 30-minute consultation with Jen because I saw that she had done her MBA studies overseas (at Cambridge) and might possibly have better insight than other consultants with regard to my background (I had spent half my career overseas and didn't want to just come across as "the international guy"). Jen told me in that call, that any of mbaMission's consultants could help me present a solid narrative with my background, but I stayed with Jen because she came across very professionally and agreeably and came into that meeting with some great feedback prepared.

I was only applying to one program - Fuqua's Cross Continent MBA, so I didn't take advantage of any school selection or program compatibility services (Jen did advise that the program I'd chosen was a good fit, though).

I worked through the brainstorming exercises, which are used for all of mbaMission's school package consultations. The exercises were very thorough and got me to reveal to myself all the content I needed to put together my application, essays and all. After brainstorming on my own, Jen helped me explore the content I'd generated from many different angles, to create an even more robust collection of information to draw from when it came to essay writing.

Essay writing was an iterative process, where each draft and round of feedback brought my application closer to the story I wanted to tell. Each essay needed 3-6 rounds of revision and feedback, each round taking 1-3 days. I really appreciated the quick turnaround and thoughtful feedback on the essays. The extensive writing and revision process, along with the brainstorm material used as the basis, allowed for very rigorous essay creation.

Jen also advised me on choosing and reconnecting with recommendation writers, and everything went very smoothly on that front.

When it came time to interview, Jen helped me prepare for a mock interview with her, again using the brainstorm material. The mock interview gave me a chance to get my jitters out of the way and get comfortable talking about myself and keeping responses within my overall narrative. The interview with the adcom member went as smoothly as possible and I felt confident and prepared throughout.

To conclude, I hired Jen via mbaMission with a clear goal in mind - to put in as much time and energy as I needed to put together the best application I could for the program I'd already chosen. Jen was an insightful and responsive coach throughout the process and gave , me tools which were extremely helpful in telling my story. I was looking for help primarily with essays and the interview, but Jen helped me make sure my application was strong on all fronts, and I was admitted to my program with scholarship.

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I contacted Jen because I was experiencing a lot of uncertainty about my resume and admissions essays. Because I come from a non-traditional business background, I wanted to make sure I was working with someone who understood my position. Jen was incredibly helpful and very efficient. She is great at both line edits and general direction edits. She was glad to answer both vague and specific questions that I had. In addition to her technical expertise, I also found her to be genuinely positive. When I heard back about interviews, she was very supportive. I would not have been able to juggle all of the applications without her.

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