I decided to apply to business schools in the middle of the pandemic, and knowing that the application season was going to be an unprecedented one, I wanted to enlist the help of an admission consultant. I spoke with a number of places (i.e. SBC, Admissionado, etc.) and went with mbaMission/Debbie not just because of Debbie's track record, but also because I felt she understood my background and motivations. Debbie was to be my "strategic project manager" - someone who could keep me on track and help me present the best version of myself.

While Debbie did her absolute best for the 4 applications that we worked on together, I was ultimately dinged by all 4 M7 schools. That said, I am still giving a 5-star rating to my experience because of the following reasons:

- I understood from the start that a consultant was not some sort of "magic bullet" who could get me into any school, especially during a crazy year like 2020/2021. I wanted a strategic project manager, and Debbie delivered perfectly
- Debbie and mbaMission as a whole had a very streamlined, well thought out and structured process when it comes to helping applicants navigate the application cycle. I also appreciate the plethora of written resource (detailed documentations about the schools, FAQs on how to work with my recommenders, etc.) that they had created
- Debbie was able to look at my blindspots and constantly provided valuable feedback that I believe strengthened my applications
- Debbie has always maintained a good spirit throughout the process, even as the rejections started to roll in
- Finally, because Debbie was able to help me finish my applications almost ahead of schedule, I had time to work on 1 additional application to a top UK program by incorporating much of the material from my 4 applications, and that is where I am headed!

All in all, I was happy with mbaMission and Debbie. This is my advice to anyone reading this: Understand what you are signing up for, and everything will work out.

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Nisha was an amazing partner in my application process. She truly took my applications to the next level! Because of her I was accepted into every business school I applied to (and with scholarships!) Nisha is personable and really helps applicants develop their own personal brand. She ensured that my voice came through in a concise manner, but that my story was engaging enough to keep admissions reading. I credit her with my cross-the-board success. If you are struggling to craft your unique voice or just want a thorough reviewer, Nisha is the consultant for you! Thank you Nisha, for your unwavering support and advocacy for candidates!

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Used Gavriella Semaya hourly services for R2 applications to 6 schools. Overall, was admitted to my top two target choices plus my two "back ups". Rejected from one reach and waitlisted at a back-up. I opted for hourly services as I thought I knew my story and more wanted a third party's review of my essays (yet knows the application process). I also chose 1-2 people (suggest a parent or a close friend) to review my essays who knew me well and what I intended to say. Gavriella helped review essays for about 6 schools - often asking questions back to me to ensure I was communicating with intent, and not just rewriting my words, which I appreciated. After submitting the applications, she gave advice on how to handle letting schools know about a promotion. Later on when I was accepted, Gavriella also helped talk through my two choices. Generally would suggest using one of them (it worked out for me).

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Nisha was really an excellent consultant. She had the unique task of working with both me and my girlfriend trying to get into the same school and she went the extra mile to ensure that we did.

Nisha was extremely attentive and knowledgable. She was also very honest and transparent about her reasoning which made the process a lot more understandable and less intimidating. She did a great job with general advice as well as the essays and helped us get into USC!! Nisha's help was really more than we could've hoped for! I would recommend Nisha to anybody beginning this difficult but worthwhile process!

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When I reached out to mbaMission, I thought of applying to Columbia, Yale, Booth, and HBS (did not really believe I can get into HBS). After a few calls with Krista, although still not sure about her arguments that GSB and HBS would love me, I decided to apply to HBS, Stanford GSB, Booth, Yale, and Wharton. We have worked hard for 5 months straight to prepare those applications. When it comes to Krista’s way of working:

- She was very precise and diligent when it comes to clearing up confusion or misunderstandings in my essays. For example, for one sentence in one my essays she kept asking me ‘But explain to me what it really means, imagine you are explaining it to someone from outside of your industry’ in 3 or 4 drafts and she would not give up until she was sure admission committee would understand it! It was so helpful!
- Her turnaround time was shorter than promised almost every single time
- She would meet up with me whenever I had doubts about any piece of my application
- Krista really wanted to get to know me to help me ‘sell’ my story and she helped me believe that my story is powerful enough to get to top schools
- Her suggestions to change something in my applications were always based on solid arguments and Krista’s previous experience
- Krista will connect you with her previous clients studying at schools of your choice – it was helpful when it comes to my decision making

I was admitted to 3 out 5 schools (including HBS and GSB) I applied to and I am sure it was thanks to Krista’s help. If you really want to get the most out of this service, open up to Krista and share your story in the most transparent way it is possible. Krista will help you structure and polish your story in a way you would never do by yourself!
Bonus: Her sense of humor will always make you laugh :)

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Gavriella Semaya has helped me with my admission application for Fuqua school of business and the result is that I have been admitted at this school. I remember one time I needed urgent help on a piece of work from her. While it was during a 2-day national holiday, she agreed to work and submitted the work in slightly less than an hour with high quality. Gavriella was amazingly helpful in rephrasing my story so it becomes genuine and compelling, removing unnecessary words and sentences to answer the question directly, and redirecting me in the areas of focus during the mock interview. She was proactively engaging with me on every step and super-responsive.

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Working with Krista Nannery was the single best decision I made in my MBA application journey. I am thrilled to have gotten into my dream school and I am convinced that if it wasn't for her constant guidance, support, and expertise I would not be in this position.



Essays: Her biggest strength is the environment of trust she creates. This helped me open up to her on my life-experiences during the essay brainstorming discussions - the foundation for the essay content. She always offered targeted advice and has an ability to story tell in an engaging but efficient way. This was especially important for someone like me who had lots to share but struggled to be within the word counts. She constantly went above and beyond on the number of essay drafts and never once missed her 2 day response rule - often responded within a day.



Strategy: Krista's knowledge of the overall admissions process and the specific schools was helpful throughout the process. She helped put together a target school list based on my profile and interests. When it came to strengthening my improvement areas, she had invaluable suggestions.



Mock interviews: Her questions and feedback during the mock interviews were extremely valuable. Krista recreated an interview environment in those mock interview sessions and her choice of questions depending on the school were spot on. I walked into every interview confident.



Krista was more than a consultant to me - she was a patient guide and caring friend. The application process is exhausting with lots of ups and downs. It's impossible to put a price on having someone by your side who truly cares about you and your dreams. I strongly recommend working with Krista - it’s the best investment you will make!

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I decided to work with mbaMission after the free consultation and chose Gavi as my consultant because her background in digital business exactly matched my profile. As a late-round applicant for top Asian programs, I decided on the hourly package as I only had less than a month to submit my applications. As a result, I worked with Gavi for my top 3 schools and was admitted by all of them!!

It was difficult for me to keep track of everything when working parallelly on different applications under extremely tight deadlines. I needed help to create a structured timeline and come up with the best application strategy. In that regard, Gavi provided me with the exact guidance I was looking for! She prepared a customized application plan with a timesheet for me, which was very well-thought-out. She also told me what to highlight on my CV and which aspects are the best to integrate into my essays. I especially appreciate her essay outlines (extremely helpful!) and writing style. The interview prep tips were really useful and covered over 80% of my interview questions.

As a consultant, Gavi is very responsive, kind and patient. She always delivered on the promised deadline (sometimes even earlier) and replied quickly to my emails. Whenever I had an urgent case to discuss with her, she did her best to accommodate her schedule despite the time difference. I am really grateful to have worked with Gavi, her coaching and expertise are certainly the key success factors of my application. Thank you, Gavi! :)

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I had a wonderful experience with Gavi and highly recommend her. I have an unusual background as an entrepreneur and Gavi was creative in helping me refine my story. She helped me distill what matters to me as a person and professional. There were some dark moments in my career that Gavi helped me process and frame via the combination of her experience and high EQ. She's a great writer. If she has a weakness, it is that she may be too risk averse in crafting essays and planning interviews. She is a great moderator of content, which felt slightly constraining at times, but is invaluable overall. In summary I give Gavi a strong endorsement. She helped me gain admittance to GSB and HBS, among other places (I chose GSB).


I also found Jeremy (mbaMIssion's founder) to be an amazing entrepreneur and person. While I did not work with him directly I did have two conversations with him where he was an absolute pleasure to talk to. In my first conversation he gave me perspective on why I might forego an MBA (and therefore forego mbaMission's service). He was really unbiased and was not pushing his services at all; he genuinely wanted me to figure out what's right for me. He is most passionate about helping applicants tell their story and put their best foot forward.

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I would not be going to business school this fall if it were not for Gavriella Semaya. To say she was instrumental does not come close to capturing how impactful she was in my process. Gavriella is a talented listener, remarkable editor, and incredibly thoughtful advisor. I was extremely impressed with how quickly Gavriella understood my story and helped me craft a strong and succinct narrative. She did not let me off easy; Gavriella pushed me to think about my goals and articulate how I got to where I am – she guided me down a path of meaningful self-discovery that will serve me well for years to come. In addition to her ability to help me articulate my story and goals, Gavriella has a gift with editing which significantly increased the quality of my applications. Lastly, Gavriella went above and beyond to check in after each interview, she helped me manage the waitlist process and was a valuable sounding board when I made my final decision. I am so grateful to have worked with Gavriella, I cannot recommend her enough. While I am thrilled to be going to school, I am sad that my time with her as an advisor is over!

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