I’ve worked with Krista Nannery for the second round of my MBA application. Words cannot describe how much Krista has helped me along the way, but I shall try. And I hope you read through this long review to understand how awesome Krista is.

Without Krista’s help, in the first round, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I have a decent profile, a good GMAT score, and I thought I didn’t need the help of an admission consultant. After all, years ago when I applied to engineering grad school, I did it myself and received admissions to all schools that I'd applied to, including household names such as Stanford/MIT/Berkeley, and some even provided me full ride. I thought applying to business school would be no different, that I would apply to a couple top schools, and some will accept me for sure.

The outcome of my first round application was disastrous to say the least. I was getting dinged left and right by top schools, and the ones that didn’t reject me outright put me on waitlist.

I knew I needed help. Applying to business school is hard. It’s more than just a good profile and good GMAT score. It’s about how you present yourself, it’s about what to put in front of the admission office with the limited amount of space, it’s about your own brand. I was lucky that I didn’t apply to one of my dream schools – Chicago Booth in the 1st round, and I started my application in the 2nd round with Krista’s help.

My essays changed drastically with Krista’s guidance. We had discussion back and forth about my experience and what to present/how to present with the limited space. Whenever I sent Krista my essay, she almost always replied in about 24 hours, even though the contractual requirement is 48 hours. Her comments are thoughtful and direct, starting from the structure and content selection of the essays, to the detail wording that would make me shine the most. You’ll be surprised by how knowledgeable Krista is about what makes the best case for the candidate, and how she helps you put your profile in the best light possible.

Indeed, the two Booth essays are the best ones I was able to put together in the entire application process. Additionally, Krista also advised me on how to better communicate with my recommenders about what might be helpful to include.

And so I received the interview invite from Booth, the first and only M7 invite I got in the entire process. Krista then helped me prepare for the interview, from my content, to my demeanor, from the traditional Why MBA/Why now/Why Booth questions, to the more specific ones for Booth from her knowledge and mbaMission’s data base. I’m confident to say that I did well in my interview.

Remember I was waitlisted in the 1st round? Krista also helped me strategized about what to do and additional material to be submitted for these waitlisted schools. But what made Krista an amazing consultant wasn’t just all the material/strategy help she provided. What set Krista apart was the fact that she truly cares about me. She cares about what I was going through, and encouraged me through the hard parts. For me, this is the most important part, because when I receive bad news in the process, I don’t want to share with my family as I don’t want them to worry. But I had no problem sharing my news with Krista, be it good news or bad news, because I knew she is my friend. I knew Krista would be ecstatic if it was good, and I knew she would give me as much support as possible if it was bad. I always felt that she was equally invested in my case, and we were in this together.

When the time came, I got into Booth! Moreover, I got off the waitlist for Haas and Yale SOM as well! Like I said, Krista has much to do with all these acceptances.

But Krista doesn’t stop here! As I said, she was truly invested in my case, and when I had trouble deciding among Booth/Haas/SOM, she even connected me with her personal connections that went to these schools so I can discuss with them! Additionally, Krista has quite an international background and a great understanding of China/Southeast Asia, and thus she was able to provide me with tremendous amount of knowledge about different schools’ resources in the international stage. If this is not caring, I don’t know what is!

Everybody says that an MBA is a life-changing experience. I haven’t gone through it yet, but I can honestly say that the application process for me has already been a perspective-changing journey. It challenges me to reflect on what I’ve done so far in my life, and what I want to do in the next phase. In retrospect, to go through this process successfully, you need hard work, you need strategy, you need preparation, and most importantly, you need supports from a friend that is equally invested in you. I can vouch that Krista has provided me with all these at the highest level and then some, and I’m lucky to have her helping me along the way!

Thank you Krista! I wholeheartedly recommend her service for future applicants!

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I was a challenging case: I was only able to apply in Round 3, I was coming in with a mediocre GRE (didn't even bother with the GMAT), and I only wanted to go to a top 4 school. (Wharton, Stanford, Booth, MIT.) Rachel was able to help me distill my unique, extremely non-traditional background into a coherent, compelling narrative.

She pushed me to dig far deeper into my motivations and story and asked far more difficult, penetrating questions than I would have asked of myself, which I think ended up being one of the most critical aspects of the entire process. Her skills as an editor were readily apparent as she was extraordinarily helpful in cutting out any unnecessary noise in my essays.

Finally, from a personality perspective, I found her to be a perfect fit for me. She is friendly but direct, encouraging but will not coddle you, and she is not afraid to call a spade a spade. She sent me back to the drawing board multiple times, and in the end I had a product I was extremely proud of. And most importantly, that end result was getting into the school of my dreams: Wharton.

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Krista was tremendous to work with throughout the MBA process. She was patient and took the time to understand both my educational and career goals. She was helpful in identifying programs that would be a strong fit for me, and provided me with the tools to be successful. More specifically, she responded rapidly to any questions I had and gave me the confidence to succeed. Furthermore, she has gone through the MBA application process herself, which sets her apart. I would highly recommend Krista for anyone who is pursuing an MBA. He breaks the process down into steps that are digestible and easy to follow.

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I was referred to Nisha from two friends, both of which had great experiences and got into their desired schools. I had already progressed a bit on my applications, but wanted specific advice on certain things, as well as a sanity check to make sure I was avoiding any major missteps. Nisha exceeded my expectations - she helped me feel more comfortable with my essays and really hone my message at a high-level. She provided concrete and actionable feedback, and always did so while keeping my expectations and requests in mind – in other words, staying within the scope we discussed, but making sure that the right pieces were there to make my application fit together as best possible. I ended up adding a few more hours than I originally thought, because I felt her contributions were so valuable. If my budget had been a bit more flexible, I really would have enjoyed using her for interview prep. All-in, I would highly recommend using Nisha for your MBA applications!

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Picking an MBA advisor is a major decision that can shape the rest of one’s future. As I began to research different advisors, Nisha stood out immediately. Watching her introduction video and reading about her background I could feel her passion and sincere desire to help students reach their MBA goals. From the first few minutes speaking with her I knew I made the right decision. She is so knowledgeable about the MBA process and what top schools look for in applicants. With her extensive knowledge and skill I had complete confidence in her that I would be accepted into my top school. Nisha is always so responsive and helpful every-time we spoke. I would send her a draft in the evening and I would have it back by the next morning with detailed edits, questions to clarify, and suggestions. She is always available to speak on the phone and is very responsive via email and phone. In addition, Nisha is extremely easy to work with and makes you feel comfortable to ask questions. She really took the time to get to know me and my goals to ensure understand where I came from and used that knowledge to help me shape my personal statements. Pepperdine was my 1st choice and I was accepted into both programs I applied. Without Nisha’s help and guidance I wouldn’t be where I am now. I am very thankful for Nisha and I highly recommend her!! She set me up for success and now I’m attending my dream school! Thank you Nisha!!

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I've done a number of consultations with different coaches and Katy by far stands out. I did a free consultation with Katy after I was admitted and wanted some guidance on weighing a new career opportunity versus attending business school in the fall. She thoughtfully listened to my conflicting feelings and helped me to feel confident in either decision. She took away the feeling of now or never--I got in this year and we could work together next year to make it happen again next year. She also made me feel comfortable forgoing the career opportunity and gave me the permission to pursue what I really wanted: to attend school now. I'd highly recommend speaking with Katy--she knows admissions inside and out and is a great career coach to boot!

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I applied to MBA programs of 3 schools: Peking, Tsinghua, and Fudan University. So far, I got accepted into both Peking Guanghua School of Management and Fudan IMBA. Tsinghua's interview is in just a few days.
Needless to say, I am very pleased with my application results. Peking Guanghua School of Management probably has the best MBA program in all of China, and it is my top choice.
I am very grateful for Michael's flexibility in giving feedback on multiple essays when I was in a time crunch. He knew all the right things to include. Despite my essays being way over the word limit, Michael patiently helped me cut my word-count, while still giving detailed feedback.
I was most thankful for Michael's genuine willingness to help. Frankly, I went over-time with both phone consultation and mock interview, but he didn't mind at all. Speaking of mock interview, I was definitely surprised when the questions he prepared were almost the exact same as the ones Peking Admissions asked me.

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I can't imagine going through the application process without Nisha. I was lost, I didn't know exactly what each school was looking for, and I was uncertain of how I should answer all those essay questions. Nisha helped me hone in on my narrative, kept everything in my application(s) on-message, and was a phenomenal help when it came to revising essays. She always responded as quickly as she could and was only encouraging. For a person with not-so-high test scores, it is a miracle that I'm going to one of the best business schools in the world and I owe it to Nisha.

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Dan Richards worked with me on interview prep and waitlist responses for two top 15 schools. In short, he was a straightforward yet optimistic cheerleader who gave me clear answers and kept me from coming undone, during this very stressful period. He was so pointed with his recommendations that it left me little to figure out on my own. He also prepped me to succeed in a brutal 2 hour business school interview so I think he really knows his stuff. He answered emails in a timely manner and never left me hanging. He was also unafraid to volunteer his own MBA experiences to help me navigate the application process. Therefore, in summary, I couldn't recommend Dan enough.

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I worked with Krista from mbaMisssion on an hourly basis. She really took the time to get to know me as a person, which gave her a full understanding of my profile. Her feedback led to stronger essays and a more powerful resume. She responded timely and was available for scheduled skype calls. She also had knowledge of the process and good tips for the application and interview. The service is expensive, but it really helps put your best foot forward and is worth the cost is worth to get you into a strong MBA program. Sign up for your free 30 minute consultation before starting any applications to talk to Krista, she can provide guidance and direction.

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