Prepping for the GMAT and GRE (I took both) was an exhausting process. I've always been a solid student (GPA 3.8), but I kept missing the mark on these standardized tests. I wasn't very happy with my scores, and was thinking of applying round 3, to start school in fall 2018. Melissa was instrumental in my decision to wait, get the best scores I possibly could, not rush the essays, and apply round 1, in order to start school in fall 2019. I followed her advice and will be starting school in about 6 months at USC Marshall. Her honest assessment of my candidacy was so appreciated. I don't know if I would've made the cut had I applied in round 3 last year.

When it came to essays, I didn't know where to begin. Melissa really helped me hone my focus, and again, her honesty was greatly appreciated. One of my essays was so far away from where it needed to be that Melissa declined to give notes on it, and instead suggested that I start over with a different approach (she specified the approach). I was paying hourly, so I'm very grateful that she didn't waste time correcting an essay that was so poor to begin with.

Melissa is awesome in terms of communication, time management, and giving helpful, honest feedback. I would highly, HIGHLY recommend.

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I was skeptical about working with an admissions consultant at first but a colleague of mine strongly recommended Helen Summers.

I figured my resume was already polished and I knew how to brainstorm and write essays but Helen really helped bring my application to the next level. The detailed brainstorming process was extremely helpful and after establishing the essay framework for my first school it was very easy to modify my story for other applications. Helen challenged me to be more thoughtful and concise which allowed me to highlight a more holistic view of my background. It was also a big advantage to be able to set up mock interviews with the mbaMission team.

I was accepted to all three schools I applied to and would definitely recommend Helen and mbaMission to other applicants.

One consideration for future applicants is that I felt the start-to-finish package for 1 school was sufficient to get me through my other applications.

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Katharine was critical in my preparation for business school applications! Her schedule fills up, so I locked her in as a consultant in January of 2016, when applications were not submitted until September of 2016.

In my case, Katharine's most influential interactions happened early in the process. She was the perfect river guide in self-reflection and discovery. Who am I? What people, events, and decisions have made me this way? What drives me? What do I want? I think I wrote up about 30+ pages of personal history before our first full working session. She knew more about me than most people ever do.

Because of her influence, I felt like I was able to tap into my most authentic self and write genuine, compelling essays. This led to admission to Stanford, Wharton, and Kellogg. Harvard declined to interview. I matriculated at the GSB and will graduate this year!

Give Katharine a call and see if she's a fit for you! I'm soooo glad I did.

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I come from a non-traditional background and wanted to bring on a consultant to help round out my profile. After shopping around, it was abundantly clear that Nisha not only was competent and knowledgeable, but also that she is incredibly friendly and fun to work with. It took almost no time for me to completely buy into her wealth of knowledge and trust that her input and direction was always correct for my situation. She was incredibly quick turning around essay critiques, often sooner than the company's stated 48 hour turn around time. She was also incredibly supportive along the way and judicious with her billing, which made me more and more likely to seek her advice on even the smallest matters. I applied to 4 schools and was admitted to all of them, including receiving a scholarship offer from one of my reaches. There is no way I would have been able to achieve this without Nisha. Can not give her enough stars!

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Melissa is a thoughtful, caring, and diligent consultant who will put you in the best position possible to get accepted to your dream MBA program. Melissa was able to extract insights about me and my story throughout the process that I would never have been able to surface on my own. She is an extremely talented essay editor and knows what admissions committees are looking for when they read your personal statements. Without her, my essays would have been much weaker, and I'm not sure I would have gotten the results I did.

More importantly, Melissa provides deeply caring and personalized mentorship. She was always extremely accessible and knew my story inside and out, despite working with many other clients at the same time. She is a straight-shooter and gives actionable feedback, which also means that when she tells you how awesome something is, she means it! She is very honest and pushes her clients in all the right ways. I can't say enough good things about Melissa.

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I worked with Heidi Granner during the Fall 2018 application cycle. I purchased the "start-to-finish" package for four schools and it was the best investment I have ever made.

Heidi was extremely easy to work with, always available, and turned documents around promptly - often before the official turnaround window. Her feedback was always clear and insightful. The MBA application process can be brutal, and working with Heidi made the process significantly less stressful. I am extremely thankful to have worked with her.

In brainstorming and writing essays Heidi was invaluable in helping me to clarify my thinking and find my unique stories/experiences. When it came time to interview she had me better prepared than I could have ever hoped for. Overall, Heidi was a crucial partner in my MBA journey and I absolutely could not have done it without her.

Thanks to Heidi I will be attending my dream school, HBS, this fall.

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Katharine Lewis was a joy to work with as my MBA Application Consultant! During the essay writing process, Katy was a huge help in helping me refine my story while still maintaining my unique voice. I especially recommend Katy if you're applying to Stanford or if - given her wealth of professional experience - you need extra guidance in clarifying and refining your career trajectory for your applications or in general.

During the process, Katy will be a cheerleader and a friend in addition to a supportive consultant. I found that she truly goes out of her way to help you throughout the applications and interview stages.

You want Katy on your side during the admissions process!

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I was referred to Katy by a friend who had worked with her and had a very successful outcome. From our first call, I could tell Katy was someone I wanted on my team. In that first call she gave me confidence that I could stand out as an applicant, something I didn't think likely given my overrepresented IB / PE background.

Among a host of other benefits of working with Katy, two stand out: (1) Katy helped me identify common themes in my life and helped me articulate a life mission of sorts, and (2) she was a skilled guide who helped me navigate the daunting MBA admissions process.

During our "brainstorming" call, I was shocked that she could understand me and my life experiences, motivations, and aspirations on a deep level, and then help me articulate those ideas in my essays while maintaining my own voice. All along the way, Katy was a trusted mentor, but she also gave me the frank criticism that was tough to hear.

I ended up applying to several top business schools in the US in round 1, and I was ultimately accepted to four. I think Katy's clients find that she does everything she can to help them achieve their goals. She did that for me, and I would highly recommend her!

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I was what you would consider an untraditional applicant - I didn't come from a business background and didn't know anyone who was familiar with the MBA process. I had no idea where to start and I really needed someone who would be there to guide me every step of the way. That's when I requested to work with Melissa Blakeslee, and it was by far the best decision and investment I've ever made.

I signed up for a seven school package with Melissa, which was a huge investment, but one that was worth every penny and every social outing I had to say no to over the summer. I didn’t have the most amazing stats (690 GMAT, 3.3 GPA) and I had no idea how to approach the essays, but Melissa placated all my worries from the start while still being honest about my candidacy. Prior to our initial brainstorming call, she had me complete an intense questionnaire/brainstorming doc that really forced me to think deeply about who I am, what makes me tick, and what I want out of an MBA. Melissa and I discussed my responses at length and even got into some of the more personal experiences in my life, which would ultimately serve as inspiration for many of the essays I would write. She was amazing at weaving my stories (professional or personal) into a cohesive narrative that got to the heart of every essay question. It was not easy at first – I had to delete and re-write a lot of things to really show the HOW and WHY, but it was so worth it when I had the finished product. It was almost addicting to see an email from Melissa with her thoughtful revisions. She is truly a word ninja – I have no idea how she does it, but she is an amazing storyteller. She’s also lightning fast and always available for help via email or phone. She sends revisions back much sooner than the 48 hour turnaround time, and I never had to worry about waiting to hear from her.

Of the seven schools I applied to, I applied to one Early Action and the rest in R1. I received invites to interview at five including my EA school (the remaining two did not release interview invites until much later), and Melissa was right by my side helping me prep for each interview. I was so scared and shy when it came to interview prepping, but Melissa was a rockstar and walked me through every question that could possibly come up for each school. She helped me gain confidence in myself and ultimately crush every interview.


By mid-October, I was accepted to my EA/top choice school with a scholarship! I immediately withdrew from the other schools, but did keep myself in the running for one super reach M7 school I applied to and another school that would have been close to family for me. Although I got dinged from the M7 school, I did get an acceptance call from my final school (Anderson) which was still extremely exciting!

Melissa was instrumental in not just helping me craft my story and guiding me from start to finish, but keeping me sane and positive throughout the entire process. She is totally dedicated to you and is the best wingwoman you could ask for. You will be doing yourself a HUGE favor by working with Melissa. Take it from someone who comes from a laid back, non-traditional industry who thought they had little chance of being admitted to b-school. Melissa is not just an amazing consultant, but she is an equally funny, non-judgmental, and wonderful human being as well. I’ll always be grateful to her and will think of her when I start at Fuqua this fall!

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To summarize simply, Katy is amazing. You won’t find anyone more supportive, kind, and knowledgeable. She is truly invested in your future and success from beginning to end. I was a Round 1 applicant and I, like many applicants, had lofty goals of attending some of the top schools but with the fear that I wasn’t good enough: typical finance & strategy experience, below average scores and non-pedigree state school for my undergrad.

When I filled out my “brainstorming” document, I wondered how unique I could possibly be. However, during our conversation, as she asked in-depth “Why?” questions, she got to the core reasons of why I made the decisions I had made. Katy was instantly able to pinpoint unique themes in my story – something I would have never been able to do on my own. By the end of that call, I knew that Katy was truly my friend, ally, and part-therapist.

In all, the application process is no-joke. I went through many ups-and-downs wondering if I would even get an interview at these schools, but Katy was there for it all. It’s a long process but she breaks down the marathon into clear deliverables over the course of a couple of months. Katy knows what these schools are looking for, how to position your story the right way, and what to do to prepare. She's always on call to answer any question you may have.

In the end, I was accepted to Harvard (my first choice) and two other top 5 programs. I truly am thankful for all of her help and cannot recommend her highly enough to anyone who’s looking for not only a consultant but a cheerleader and friend throughout the process.

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