A few months ago, I was stressed out about applying to a Master of Business Administration program, and with Debbie's help, I was able to get into my Dream School — Haas. I came from an untraditional background, and all my close friends didn't have any experience with business school applications. At that time, I didn't think it would be possible to get into a top business program.

When I first signed up for a free consultation with Debbie, she gave me candid and constructive feedback. From that point, I decided to work with her for my application. Even though I only worked with her on the hourly package, I was able to get tremendous help on my resume and essay. We had lots of back and forth on crafting a unique story, and she pushed me, again and again, to tell this story from my voice. This personal and intimate experience was far more than the generic consultant experience I read about on various other websites.

I would say without Debbie's help. I would not be able to get into, not one, not but two of my dream programs. I highly recommend her!

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After chatting with a few other admissions consultants, I was holding out for someone who would be a few things: realistic yet optimistic, firm yet warm, and overall kind. Rachel was all of the above, and from our first call, I knew she would be a true partner in the grueling MBA admissions process.

I felt like I had decent credentials, but I was totally lost when it came to my story. I was all over the place, and Rachel really helped me narrow my focus and pick out which experiences would fit together to form a compelling narrative. In moments where I felt like my experiences weren't strong, she'd force me to dig deeper and understand how those have actually contributed to my development.

On top of really taking the time to understand me, Rachel always boosted me up when I felt down during the process. She'd help me regain the confidence I needed to convey my strengths and my goals, and she was always on my side. After an interview I thought went poorly, she immediately answered up the phone and helped me pick myself back up and move on to the next.

Ultimately, there is simply no one I could recommend more highly than Rachel. I've seen in other reviews here that she's a motherly figure, and I'd absolutely reiterate that. She is the most caring individual and the first person I wanted to call with good news about interviews and then admissions. I was admitted to my first and second choice schools - definitely in large part due to her help. You will not regret working with her!

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I worked with Debbie on a two school package during the most recent extended rounds. After an initial call I saw immediately how friendly and supportive she was compared to initial meetings I had with other competitors.

Debbie worked diligently with me to focus my application and build a targeted story - something I wholeheartedly believe I would not have been able to do on my own in four weeks.

The biggest value Debbie provided was on my essays, where she went above and beyond to read multiple drafts at a time. She helped clean up my story telling and provided critical structural feedback to make me stand out. She's also there for you - I remember after getting in we went back and forth over email at 10:30 pm at night. You can tell she really cares about her clients.

The advice she provided was invaluable in shaping my applications and I wound up getting interviews at 8/9 schools I applied to and received acceptance to multiple M7, top 10, and top 15 programs.

Granted the full package is quite expensive so I'm not sure it is fully necessary, but mbaMission is comparable in pricing to many other services available. If you do decide to go with a consultancy I'd recommend Debbie.

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Coming from a technical background in the oil industry, far removed from the business realm, I knew that an outsider’s perspective, especially one grounded in the MBA process would be beneficial to help my stories come across. (This meant ensuring that my technical resume and stories about technical projects were approached in a way that could be understood by a variety of audiences.)

Initially, upon speaking with friends who navigated the MBA process, I reached out to a competitor consulting firm and after an initial conversation with a consultant, she provided lofty claims that they felt that I would absolutely get into the top 7 schools and that given my lack of a job title change that was what needed to be focused on. The more I dug into the competitor company, I felt that it was too formulaic and I was just another applicant in their system. I wasn’t given options of who I’d work with (it felt like a very “behind closed doors” situation) or any more personal interaction aside from this short intro call, but instead was pushed a plethora of emails about their packages and links of their former success stories. While I recognize that certain MBA programs look for specific things, I wanted to ensure that my story was heard and my consultant cared about my success.

I’d read about mbaMission online, through P&Q, and it had been recommended to me by a family friend. When I reached out to have an initial conversation with the recommended consultant, she went above and beyond connecting me with 3-4 profiles of consultants who she thought I would best work with (as she was no longer working as a consultant for the time being). I ended up having another intro call with Julie-Anne ,who I felt matched my energy and was very open and honest that she aimed to highlight her clients stories in the best way possible—that the individual aspect was more important than explaining a lack of job position change. Her demeanor was very appealing as I could tell she was invested in her clients rather than just trying to snare new clients with claims of an M7 guarantee. (Note all of these conversations happened before I event sent mbaMission a single dime. I truly felt they were invested in the human side of things rather than just the commission. I think that is apparent on when you realize just how many free materials/guides that mbaMission offers, among many other aspects of their approach.)

While certain individuals reflect that they perhaps could have navigated the process without a consultant, by having family/ friends read their essays, I disagree. Julie-Anne knows how to navigate the process in a seamless manner and acts more than just an accountability coach, challenging you to make your essays better every single time. She also brings unbiased feedback to the table, unlike your family and friends. I think Julie-Anne Heafey was particularly helpful in helping me preserve my story while ensuring my tone was always upbeat and positive (which can be challenging during trying work stories). She also listened to my concerns that my essays weren’t coming across the way that I wanted to. She worked as tirelessly as I did to help fix that until the 11th hour—this was honestly due to my ability to preemptively work on apps due to an intensive work schedule. The difference was not only was it evident that she cared about me as an applicant, and abated my last minute concerns, she also gave honest feedback throughout the process. She was incredibly diligent and really helped me hone in not only on my stories and quantifying why specifically I wanted to go to a certain school/ dual program, but she did so in a manner that felt like I was her only client.

With Julie-Anne’s help, I ended up getting interviews at 5 of the M7 schools, including HBS. She’s an incredible asset to mbaMission and it would a mistake on anyone’s part to consider someone else or beyond those on the mbaMission team. I truly stand by this opinion and could not think of a better individual with whom I would trust my stories, concerns, and experience the MBA process with.

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Michael was an invaluable help throughout the entire application process. He gave me thorough and incisive feedback on essay drafts- both line-by-line commentary and big picture strategic direction.

Michael's suggestions for where I should apply were quite helpful as well. He met with me and did a complete mock-interview before one of my interviews, which really helped me to refine and improve my messaging. Most importantly, Michael was always prompt to respond to ad-hoc stream of consciousness questions that I had throughout the process, which was immensely valuable.

Thanks to Michael's help, I was admitted to two of my top choice business schools, Dartmouth and Yale. I couldn't be happier with how this process played out, and would recommend any other prospective applicants to use Michael's consulting.

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Hiring Melissa was easily the best decision I made during my MBA admissions cycle. She has one of the best backgrounds one could want in an admissions consultant - prev adcom director, MBA from an M7 and real-world industry experience. Pair that background up with superb communication skills, being authentic and unapologetically honest in every interaction, genuine caring for clients’ success, less than 24 hrs returns on drafts, and just being a really nice person to work with overall - what more could you ask? This deadly combination of traits makes Melissa the absolute no-brainer MBA-consultant choice.

I was late in the process and reached out to mbaMission only after R1 deadlines. I’m from an over-represented background, with avg GMAT (for my pool) and less than avg work exp. But right from my first call, Melissa was extremely positive about my candidature. I kept doubting my GMAT score multiple times, but while Melissa did suggest some options, she instilled confidence in me that since my score was at or above the avg scores for my target schools, I should focus more on my essays and overall profile strength. I took her advice and did not get a single rejection from the 6 schools I applied to in R2. I also got into both the M7’s I applied to and am headed to one of them this fall.

The way Melissa edits essays is just amazing. She didn’t spoon-feed or drastically change the story-content from her side, but rather used the knowledge she had about me from my profile and our brainstorming call, and transformed the essays into a strength for my overall profile. On multiple occasions, she not only nudged me to think harder about choosing a story, but also pushed me to dig deeper into the EQ aspects that one would have not thought about. She even helped me frame my answers succinctly to application form questions and work experience descriptions. When I got interview invites/decisions from all 6 schools, I informed Melissa even before I informed my closest family and friends - that was the level of trust and confidence I had in her. Even though I had 6 interviews lined up, Melissa went through specifically tailored interview prep for each school the week before, explaining what questions to expect, how to position myself for a particular curveball question, and what kind of aspects each school was looking at. This was tremendously helpful. And not to forget, Melissa was extremely flexible with so many reschedule requests - once in the middle of our interview prep call, my boss called for an impromptu meeting and Melissa was really nice to offer to reschedule the prep that we’d already begun that day! She is totally committed to ensuring your success and I do not regret one bit my decision to work with Melissa.

Within a period of 4-5 months, she went from being a complete stranger to being a close friend and advisor to talk to. Getting into my top choice school is a dream come true and I couldn’t have done this without help and guidance from Melissa. I wholeheartedly recommend Melissa as your admissions consultant. Trust me, you’ll thank me later!

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I got in touch with Nisha and mbaMission at the end of November to start working on applications for Round 2 deadlines. Despite how late in the game I was, Nisha wasted no time getting me up to speed. She supported me through brainstorming each of the schools we worked on, reaching out to recommenders, and getting everything submitted on time. She helped me bring out stories about my experience that I didn't even know I had. I didn't fully realize how intensive interviewing for schools would be, but Nisha was with me every step of the way through that process as well. I was fortunate to be accepted to multiple schools, and there is no way I would have made it through this process without Nisha's support. Not only did she make sure I was fully prepared for and satisfied with each step, but also she helped give me the confidence that I could be successful in the application process. I highly recommend her and know that she will be just as invested in your journey!

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I had considered pursuing an MBA for some time before embarking on the journey, so I had accumulated quite a bit of knowledge about the overall process and some of the specificities of the different schools I was applying to. However, my background and professional advancement made the pursuit of an MBA harder to justify, so I needed to aim high and be very on point in applying to the top US and European schools. Helen supported me through this ambitious goal.
Helen proved to be instrumental in my acceptance to one of my target schools. She helped survey my entire background and find gold nuggets where I would not have suspected. Her advice and thoughts were also very helpful in methodically building my story narrative and distilling the content in a clear and concise, yet impactful way. For example, it becomes very easy to try to stuff a lot content that appears meaningful and significant to oneself, when in fact putting the spotlight on fewer and targeted aspects is much more effective and compelling.
One of the great value-adds was that Helen will challenge your work in a constructive and polite way (i.e. no sugar coating or complacency): if what you're saying is weak, unclear or unconvincing, she will tell you and she will ask the right questions to help you improve or consider a better approach.
Beyond the essay drafting, Helen's knowledge and judgment were a reassuring force : from strategy to video-essays, to video interviews, to cv crafting and questionnaires, she provided reasoned advice and suggestions.
All in all, what made my experience with Helen so delightful is simply that she is passionate (from my very first conversation with her, she overflowed with positive energy!), dedicated, supportive and incredibly astute. A+

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Krista was a tremendously supportive and encouraging influence throughout the whole admissions process. I started out targeting top 40 ranked programs, but Krista helped me realize that I really was capable of being more selective and aiming for top 15 schools. Krista was so consistent with her positivity and energy - this attitude tremendously reduced the stress that is inherent in the admissions process. From essays, to short answer questions, to interview prep Krista really pushed me to craft the most impactful, meaningful story possible. All of her feedback was clear and never She was always willing to answer even the most "in the weeds" questions that I had - there was never a "dumb" question. I highly recommend working with Krista for anyone who is looking to maximize their profile in the MBA admissions process. At the end of the day, I know that the materials and preparation that Krista helped me with were a huge difference maker in my admissions success. I would not have had the same result without her help! The whole experience with Krista and the mbaMission package definitely exceeded my expectations.

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Approximately three weeks out from my London Business School (LBS) MBA interview in February, I was feeling extremely anxious. Although I had prepared responses to typical MBA interview questions, it felt unnatural for me to practice out loud in front of a mirror or webcam. After several conversations with my partner and family, it became apparent to me that getting help from an expert could go a long way towards being accepted at my target business school.

I had already approached Krista prior to Christmas for a free 30-minute consultation. In that time, Krista provided me with invaluable advice on my application materials and it was clear to me that Krista had come to the meeting thoroughly prepared. Although I did not engage her services during the application season, I was convinced that I could not find a better person to help prepare me for the LBS interview.
Prior to our practice interview session, I used the very informative LBS-specific interview guide which Krista provided. Our session was scheduled approximately 2 weeks prior to the actual interview. I was visibly nervous as I answered Krista’s first question which required me to walk her through my resume. Krista was extremely constructive with her feedback but more importantly, she constantly asked me how I could have improved my response to a given question. With every question, I felt that my speaking style and response improved. Since I was concerned about the impromptu case question, Krista devoted extra time to run through two different case questions. I could already see a difference in my approach to the second case question after taking on Krista’s feedback from the first case question. At the end of our session, I felt more relaxed about the whole interview process and Krista was instrumental in helping me realise that I should treat the interview as a conversation with someone who is interested in knowing more about me as a person and professional.

I used the feedback from my session with Krista to prepare for the actual interview. By the day of the interview, I felt relaxed as I walked into my interviewer’s office in London. As Krista predicted, the interview was conversational and I really got the sense that my interviewer genuinely wanted to get to know me. This allowed me to speak in a calm but confident manner as I approached both the interviewer’s questions and the case-study.

Two weeks before the decision date, I received a more than pleasant surprise- an email from the LBS Admissions office saying that I had been accepted to the MBA Class of 2022! I couldn’t believe my eyes and it took a while for the news to sink in! Along with my family and friends, I made sure I informed Krista because she was pivotal in helping me reach this position. I am truly grateful for her constructive feedback and ongoing support with countless questions relating to both the interview process and my decision to take the GRE before the admission decision was made.

To all future MBA applicants thinking of engaging an admissions consultant in their interview preparation, I highly recommend Krista Nannery!

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