Pursuing an MBA has been a life-long dream of mine, so I wanted to give it my 110% and work directly with an admissions consultant who could guide me through the process. I had multiple free 30-minute consultations across 6 different companies, but I felt an immediate connection with Krista from our first call. She was extremely kind, lively, and encouraging from the get-go, and I knew she would take the time to understand me on a deeper level.

Even before I paid for the school packages, she was quick to respond to emails and answer any high-level questions about the process/GMAT. To provide context, I had a below-avg GPA and GMAT score, but only wanted to apply to top 5 programs in round 2. While she was realistic in setting expectations with me, Krista was always SUPER encouraging and optimistic -- And she always made it a point to ensure I was putting the best possible application forward. In a process that could be quite stressful, you want to ensure that your consultant is always there for support...and I always felt this support and trust from Krista.

The first part of the process was filling out a brainstorming document about my life, work, projects, and aspirations. While it took me 10-15 hours (and ended up being 35 pages long...more than I knew I could write!), it served as an important element in the application process. Krista took the time to read through the whole document and help me build a well-rounded story. Rather than telling me what to write, Krista ensured that I was the author of my own essays, keeping the applications very authentic...And whenever I felt a roadblock, she would always refer back to the brainstorming doc and suggest stories that would fit well with the essays' themes/questions.

Krista was also great about keeping me on track in the Round 2 process -- She does an amazing job of sending friendly reminder emails and holding me accountable. When I felt stuck on one school's application, she reached out and asked that I send her whatever essays I've written. We then scheduled another brainstorming call to walk through some ideas and best ways to approach the essay topics, which made it much easier.

She set the right cadence for scheduling meetings, returning application drafts, and answering emails. And per the mbaMission policy, she stayed on top of the 2-day turnaround (most times, she was even faster). When I got to the interview stage, she was right there by my side to help me prep with mock interviews. Most questions she asked me during our mock interviews were eventually asked in my actual interviews...I would have been very underprepared if it wasn't for Krista, once again, holding me accountable!

Now, I'm fortunate enough to be fulfilling a childhood dream -- pursuing an MBA at a top program...And I'm thankful to Krista for supporting me along the way. Krista is extremely trustworthy and took a huge interest in learning about my family, life, personal goals and desires. She is truly an amazing friend, and I look forward to staying in touch with her in the future.

I highly recommend Krista as a consultant...she has really been a blessing for me!

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To start, Jessica takes the success of her students as truly truly her own. I was shocked by the amount of dedication and energy she brought to presenting my application in the best light, and I can confidently say she does the same for all her students.
Besides having a profound insight into what admission committees are looking for in an applicant, she made it a point to believe in me and my story, allowing me to be proud of my application, and enabling me to put my best foot forward through the entirety of the process.
I applied to H/S/W. Never in my wildest dreams did I believe I’d get into all three. Words cannot express how grateful I am for Jessica’s help – an “admission’s consultant” sure, but also a special friend and coach! If you get the opportunity to work with Jessica, you will find yourself lucky for having done so and thankful you did.

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Jessica was friendly to work with and returned drafts in a timely manner. Would recommend if you are looking for a more structured consultant. Jessica and the mbaMission consultants often work with many clients at any given time and have a process of their own to cycle through drafts and other deliverables. As a result, there is little to no flexibility on deadlines and process standards, but you will be guaranteed to receive feedback by a certain time.

I did appreciate that Jessica would always provide helpful ideas while respecting my decisions to take a different route several times. She was efficient in moving forward rather than debating when time was precious and we had different opinions. As with any process of this nature, expect to take ownership of your work and be realistic even if you are lucky enough to have additional leverage from a consultant.

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Jessica provided invaluable advice throughout the re-application process. She helped me decide which schools to focus on. Jessica was most helpful in reviewing my essays. She was quick to respond and met her deadlines. I am so glad that I got to benefit from working her. I'll be attending at top business program this fall! I would recommend that anybody work with Jessica. She has a special skill for understanding the heart of an applicant's story. As a nontraditional applicant, I felt uniquely supported by Jessica's abilities. She came from the nonprofit education world, as well. Jessica knows how to frame nontraditional stories in a way that speaks to top programs. Thank you Jessica!

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Jessica is an absolute dream to work with. I was extremely impressed by her diligence, organisation and thought that she gave my application. Her input was extremely helpful and extremely timely (something that should not be overlooked, given tight timelines for schools). I think her greatest skill is her input. Not only is it extremely well thought through, but it also is extremely simple to understand and actionable. Yes, MBA applications are stressful particularly when applying to multiple schools, each with tight deadlines, but from the moment we had our introductory call, I felt at ease with Jessica and knew she would help me achieve my goal of getting into my dream school (and she did!). If in doubt, just have the introductory call and you’ll see what i mean.

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From my very first conversation with Harold, I knew he was the perfect mentor to guide me through the physically and emotionally draining MBA admissions process. For reference, I come from an extremely over-represented cohort. What really stood out for me was that he "listened" to my entire story for the first 15 mins and took into consideration all that I had to say before sharing his thoughts on how I should position my application. All the other consultants I had spoken with tried to force fit my story into a certain profile type even before I had the chance to explain the nuances in my story.
Working with Harold during the actual application process was also a breeze. He was very responsive and would provide comments on essay drafts, resume and other short answers within 12-24 hrs. He was very encouraging throughout the process and acted like more of a mentor than simply a consultant.
As is the case with most applicants, we have a tendency to solicit feedback from family/friends/colleagues - most of which can be extremely differing and confusing. Harold made sure to address each piece of external feedback that I received. What really stuck with me was that he did not diminish or belittle the external feedback but clearly explained his point of view and showed me ways I could incorporate some of that feedback into my application without complicating the overall narrative.
I was extremely happy with my experience and would definitely recommend Harold to any future applicants.

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mbaMission has a collection of resources, templates and guidelines for its consultants. Its a great company because their standardization and databasing makes it so that a consultant that simply follows instructions and pulls on archived resources would likely be quite helpful. Jessica routinely exceeds the expectations set forth in the agreement by responding faster than prescribed, tailoring the already high quality templates to your story, and straight up creating content when it makes sense. Her veteranship in this space is valuable - anecdotes about past clients and wisdom from discussions with other consultants and adcom personnel help significantly. She's talented at synthesizing what she learns about you to help you answer the questions that these applications pose

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I worked with Kate using mbaMission's hourly services to apply to four schools this past fall (Round 1). Kate was amazing to work with, and I would highly recommend her to anyone looking to apply! Whichever package you decide is right for you, Kate will be a source of encouragement of guidance throughout the application process and help to bring out YOUR best story to the admissions teams.

I'd initially reached out to another admissions consulting company, and when I told her my target schools (HBS, Stanford, Wharton and MIT) they were discouraging and dismissive based on the names on my resume (I went to a state school for undergrad and work for Accenture). During my initial call with Kate, she was encouraging in pointing out the strengths she noticed (triple major, high GPA, unique project experience), while straightforward with me in identifying weaknesses I could address (like re-taking the GMAT to bump up my score slightly above average).

I decided to use mbaMission's hourly service package for a lower cost option, and I found this to be of great value. I worked with Kate early on to brainstorm and strategize, prep my recommenders, and write essays. Kate worked with me to craft a unique and strong story that got me interviews at 3/4 of the schools I applied to (HBS, Wharton and MIT)!

I'm planning to attend Wharton next fall, and I could not have done this without Kate!!!

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A little bit of my background:
Chinese with an engineering degree and working in investment. I decided to apply for an MBA in the US to get more exposure in PE/VC. 720 GMAT, Near perfect GPA.
I could have brainstormed with a local consultant, but I believe that working with a US based consultant is a must so we can craft a story that would catch the eye of a top US school Adcom.

I started my application with another admissions firm 2 years ago, and was finally dinged without interview.

I did not lose hope and decided to have another try the year after. I was struggling between staying with the former firm or test a new one, and contacted mbaMission for a free consultation. Julie-Anne Heafey was strongly recommended to me, and she was willing to review my past application to pinpoint areas of improvement. She pointed out elements that could be presented from another perspective and I directly felt that she could strengthen my application substantially. I bought 3 schools packages and kicked that application journey off.

Julie-Anne was particularly helpful during the story draft stage. As a former consultant, she knew what questions to ask to find the root cause, all the why’s and external factors that led to any decision or accomplishment.
She really wanted me to write the story myself, so she kept introducing new questions to dig deeper.
At the end, I felt that my story was very unique and assisted me to stand out.

As compared to the former firm’s consultants, MBAMission’s consultants are working full-time. Julie-Anne was there, supporting me, and answering quick questions on the spot and it REALLY ease the process as I also have a busy work schedule.

I also submitted application on 2 schools on my own, and was invited to interview at HBS, MIT, Yale, and Booth - was so ecstatic! Remember, I was dinged without interview prior application cycle.

A word on the interview prep:
mbaMission interview guides are updated regularly and tailored to each school, so feel free to download them for free.

Julie-Anne’s support was crucial. I rehearsed couple times before the interview prep session with Julie-Anne, but there was still room for improvement.
As she knew every details of my application - just as an Adcom would for a non-blind interview - she always prepared a list of challenging questions to see how I react. We then reviewed my performance and she provided me insightful feedbacks and ways to sound natural and not scripted.

Finally, Julie-Anne is very resourceful, and by working with mbaMission, you have the support of the entire team as well.
Working with Julie-Anne is one of my best decisions, and thanks to her, I am attending my dream school this fall!!

She helped me make the impossible possible. THANK YOU!!

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Jessica must be one of the best admissions consultants out there. I came to her after an unsuccessful application process, and over the course of the ensuing year, she helped me to drastically improve my admissions story and my application materials to tell it.

Jessica works as a consultant full-time, which I strongly recommend over part-time consultants. Jessica will be your most valuable counsel and sounding board throughout, and she will ensure every word of your application helps to present the most compelling version of yourself. Along the way, she’ll also help you clarify and focus your own goals and plans. Additionally, the mbaMission team has a wealth of resources and knowledge that are available to you. Jessica is a valuable investment and I encourage you to consider working with her on your admissions journey.

Jessica knows the business school scene like the back of her hand and can also help you with joint degree programs too (e.g., MBA/MPP). Her depth and range of expertise will be especially valuable to you. Even if you think you have your plan figured out, you may surprise yourself. When I made a pivot mid-cycle on the type of joint degree program I was pursuing, Jessica was able to pivot with me and continue to guide me. I cannot over-emphasize the value of having an all-around elite consultant to manage through the many twists and turns you could encounter.

From start to finish, Jessica brought me into her world of professional admissions coaching and support. She has an extensive, organized process that sets clear expectations for her and for you and ensures everything gets done on schedule. Your engagement with Jessica begins with a rigorous brainstorming period involving detailed questions to help you gather the stories and experiences that will inform your application, which also helps Jessica really get to know you as a person. Then, you should expect to spend much of your time going back and forth with Jessica on essays. As application deadlines and interviews come up, you’ll have specific instructions to follow in order to ensure you submit a strong overall package and that you are prepared for the next steps. Throughout, Jessica is honest and direct, while still maintaining a comfortable and trusting space for you and her to work together on your grad school undertaking.

Jessica is very knowledgable and passionate about her work — a critical combination that you should demand from an admissions consultant. She is a talented strategist who can walk you through important decisions during your application process, such as recommender choices and more. Jessica even helped me evaluate whether to accept a new job I was offered during my application process. Jessica and her colleagues at mbaMission are a great resource for the latest thinking from admissions committees and accurate news/chatter on relevant developments in the world of admissions. Having access to good counsel and intelligence will only help your applications.

Importantly, Jessica and the mbaMission team do this job full-time…unlike many consultants who do admissions consulting part-time. I strongly encourage you to select a full-time consultant, like Jessica.

For anyone on the fence about whether or not to hire an admissions consultant, I encourage you to consider all the costs that go into graduate school, and that you think about paying for admissions consulting as a (relatively small) part of that overall cost. Hopefully, it will help you get into your top school; if not, at least you won’t have lingering doubts about whether you could’ve done more. Even before receiving my admissions decisions from schools, I was very pleased with Jessica’s efforts because I knew she helped me prepare the best possible version of my application.

If you are considering hiring a consultant to help you apply to grad school, I strongly recommend Jessica — commit to her early, before her spots fill up! She is someone you want on your side. Jessica has been a true partner on my application journey. I will be forever thankful to Jessica for helping me achieve one of my dreams.

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