I worked with Rachel Beck on a two-school package (CBS and Stern). I will preface my review by saying that I applied to business school from a nontraditional background (with no real “name brand” experience under my belt but interesting and unique work experience) and with stats that are not quite at the levels that CBS and Stern look for (700 with weak quant and a 3.54 from a decently ranked liberal arts college).

Rachel did an excellent job at pulling out what she thought was interesting from my profile and building my story from there. Working with an admissions consultant is quite time consuming at first because your consultant will need to get to know you on a very personal level. It is the intimate details and examples that count when you are writing your essays so be prepared for that. Rachel was really able to “get” me based on the “life story” that I put together for her and together we were able to craft my story into something that made sense from an admissions standpoint. One thing that she was able to do exceptionally well was find examples of leadership in my profile. I was having great difficulty with this and was worried that it would sink my entire candidacy but Rachel was able to demonstrate to me how my past achievements showed leadership.

Rachel will not write the essays for you but she will give you prompts to get you going in a direction that meshes well with your overall story. Rachel has a background in Journalism (MA/MBA from Columbia Journalism School and CBS and very extensive experience in business journalism) so she really knows how to say a lot with very few words. Where it would take me thirty words to say something in an essay it would take her maybe twelve tops…this was extremely helpful when she was editing my essays for clarity. This is an extremely valuable skill that very, very few people have and is of the utmost importance when writing admissions essays.

I was very worried about my interview (hadn’t interviewed for anything in about 6 years) but it really only took one hour-long phone call with Rachel to get my answers straight. It is very important that you practice the interview questions on your own and with other people – don’t depend on your consultant to hold your hand the entire way through.

One of the most important benefits of having an admissions consultant is that they will keep you on schedule and the money that you spent on the consultant will keep you very motivated to put you best foot forward.

I ended up being admitted to Columbia Business School (Early Decision) Class of 2017. It was my top choice and I couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome. Rachel and I also put together a great Stern application – won’t be spending $225 to submit that one though!

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Jessica came highly recommended from a close friend who had also enlisted her services, and she did not disappoint. Having helped the friend get into 2 top 10 MBA programs, I had confidence that I was in good hands, however, Jessica far exceeded my expectations.

When Jessica and I started working together, I was in the midst of an overseas deployment, and knew that my dealings would be a little more difficult than what she was used too - she never missed a beat. Additionally, I informed Jessica from the get-go that I would only be applying to 1 business school, at least for the first round. Where I would have expected some reservations or cynicism, given that many philosophies are to cast a wide net and if you are fortunate enough to get into multiple programs you have some high-quality problems, Jessica was absolutely willing, and even encouraged the selection of only the school I was truly interested in.

The process that mbaMission utilizes is tried and true, and I immediately saw the value-added in the organization of my resume and story into a cohesive narrative, which when completed was able to highlight the strengths and characteristics that most benefitted my application. After completing and organizing the the initial data mining, we jumped right into the essays. There was no draft limit on the number of revisions we worked with, some essays needing more work than the others, but the ability to make the story as concise and strong as possible is what I truly benefitted from. Jessica was able to weed through the chaff of my initial drafts and my finished products were 1st class essays that wasted no words. The best part of the essay editing is that while my essays were stronger because of the editing, the tone and story never changed from that of my own voice. Jessica's work was strictly edits and suggestions and never mandates or complete revisions of my thoughts. Because of this, when I submitted my final application I was proud of MY work and knew the admissions committee was meeting me as an applicant.

I highly recommend the mbaMission admissions consulting process, and if you are lucky enough that Jessica can squeeze you in as a client, don't hesitate, you will not be disappointed.

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Thought I'd give a quick review on my experience with mbaMission and in particular, my admission consultant Susan Kaplan.

Belonging to the over represented applicant pool, I knew it from start that I needed some guidance on my application to highlight my strengths. After an extensive research on various consulting firms via GMAT Club and other sites, I decided to go with mbaMission. Based on my profile, I already knew what school I wanted to apply to, so I decided to take the one-school package.

Susan was fantastic right from the start! She began the engagement by explaining the process, along with my candidacy strengths and weaknesses. During the brainstorming call, Susan made sure she directed the conversation to bring up key attributes, that I should focus on, in my application. Susan made sure she queried me on all possible details that I could have missed. We then started with the drafts and Susan was very willing to accommodate my schedule and kept pushing me to get it right. I think that's something we all need given our busy work schedule. I valued her direct, honest feedback. She guided me patiently even during the mock interview we had.

Without any hesitation, I'd surely recommend Susan for assistance with the application process. And yes, I did get admitted to the university I applied to.

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Choosing Jessica Shklar (and mbaMission) as my admissions consultant was the best decision I made in my application process.

After researching many admissions consulting firms, mbaMission rose to the top for two reasons: 1) the numerous outstanding reviews I read on admissions websites/ blogs 2) the recommendation from Manhattan GMAT, a company I trusted after success with their course. I combed numerous websites, and found many mbaMission testimonials that touted Jessica, so I set up my free consultation with her. I had previously completed free consults with other prominent firms, but after spending 30 minutes with Jessica, I knew I wanted to work with her. Jessica came very well prepared, having carefully studied my resume prior to our initial meeting. I was impressed by how personal she was and how she carefully tailored all her questions/ comments/ advice around the nuances that were important to my story.

Jessica’s credentials are impressive and reviews from her former clients were exceptional, but what made her distinctly valuable to my applications was her ability to help me capture who I am on paper. After brainstorming with me and reviewing some of my drafts, Jessica encouraged me to write one of my essays about a very tricky subject – my faith – because it’s a very important part of who I am. Working with a delicate topic, Jessica helped me compose a deeply personal essay that was not offensive yet remained true to what I believe. Without Jessica, I wouldn’t have even attempted to write on my faith. Yet with her help, the essay I eventually produced was outstanding because it was uniquely me. The essay Jessica helped me craft added immense depth to my application and helped me come alive from a ‘flat’ file.

The result: I was accepted – and am matriculating – to Chicago Booth with a half tuition scholarship. A year ago, I would have considered myself to be a ‘coin-flip’ decision at Wharton/ Booth/ Kellogg. With Jessica’s help, I was accepted to 2 of the 3 and waitlisted at the other.

Sure, the cost of a consultant is expensive. But against the bigger picture of spending six figures on b-school, it’s a worthwhile investment. For me, the cost of a top-notch admissions consultant like Jessica paid returns (10x), as I’m convinced I wouldn’t have received the large scholarship I did without her.

Without reservation, I highly recommend Jessica Shklar to any applicant considering a top business school.

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I signed up for a four school package with Rachel at mbaMission.

In March of 2012, I called mbaMission for a free consultation. I had just secured a high GMAT score, and while I thought it might be enough to get me into a top school, they pointed out that I was weak in my career and extra-curriculars. After hearing this, I decided to wait a year and work on these weaknesses, while seriously considering whether I wanted to sign up for one of mbaMission’s full school packages.

After a lot of research, I signed up for the service, and chose Rachel based on her background and reviews.

Rachel was the perfect choice. The most challenging part of the process for me was becoming comfortable talking about myself, but through extensive free-writes, Rachel forced me to dig deeper into my past and pull out things that would enhance my story. She never hesitated to honestly critique my essay drafts, and she helped me avoid topics that would have been detrimental to my application. The mock interview she gave me was also crucial. Some of my intuitive responses were the opposite of what an admissions committee would want to hear, and I definitely would have answered some of the real interview questions poorly without her guidance.

But none of that compares to what Rachel really helped me with – my story. For over a year, I had planned on applying to school with a finance / consulting angle, thinking that this would improve my chances of acceptance. Fortunately, Rachel caught this early and explained that the finance / consulting angle would actually hurt my chances because that pool of applicants is far more competitive. Instead, Rachel drew from my free-writes and my past and encouraged me to apply with a focus on media, which I am genuinely passionate about. Not only did Rachel improve my chances of acceptance, but she also helped me retool my career focus to something I truly wanted.

I was accepted to Columbia early decision. I recommend mbaMission and Rachel to anyone pursuing a top school.

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I started my MBA application back in June/July of 2013. I found it difficult and somewhat confusing as to how I would submit a detailed, yet concise application of who I was as a person. I had never done an application like this before!

After looking around on GMAT Club, I happened to come across mbaMission. They offered a free consultation, so I decided to give it a try - can't go wrong with that! I was setup with Debbie Choy and I found her personality very compatible with mine. She did exactly what a consultant should do - give an open and honest opinion of your chances of acceptance at certain schools. She also pointed out strengths and weaknesses in my application, but not once did she ever try to sell mbaMission to me. I never felt forced or pressured into purchasing one of their services.

After the free consultation, it didn't take much thought before I signed on for a school package. My experience over the next couple months was great. Debbie is very knowledgeable about the entire MBA application process and most of all, she is very detailed. There were definitely times where I felt like the resume or essay was done, but she would always find something else to say about it and we would have to do another iteration.

After my application was submitted and I got an interview, she was able to give me a mock interview that very closely simulated what I experienced on the actual day. She gave me a strategy and gave me some extra tips to succeed on the day of the interview.

Well, it looks like it worked out because I got accepted into my school of choice and I am very grateful to have had Debbie Choy as a mentor/coach through this process. Although you might think that the price of a school package is steep, let me remind you how much a typical MBA program costs - this is a small investment to push you towards your dream. Also, with a strong application, you have a very good chance of receiving a scholarship which will be a lot more than what you paid for a school package at mbaMission.

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Jessica,

As I am preparing to head toward my target school, I want to seize the opportunity to publicly thank you.

-Thank you for the incredible support you gave me above and beyond your professional duties!
-Thank you for giving me the power to believe in myself in the good as well as in the bad times.
-Thank you for the faith you placed in me and for building-up my self-confidence by uncovering the qualities and abilities that set me up apart as a truly competitive candidate.

You played a critical role in my admissions at Wharton and Harvard and I realize that none of those accomplishments would have been possible without you.

I had the chance to work with you and I could write a whole essay explaining how potent an asset you are…but most reassuring to me is that I now know that I have someone like you by my side and that I can count on you at any time.


THANK YOU

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I worked with Angela from mbaMission this year and I have to say my experience was an EXCELLENT one!! I’m extremely happy with both the result and the process!

My background is 3.10 GPA / 710 GMAT / 3 years of work experience in a field that is not common for MBA applicants. I wasn’t one of those typical superstars on paper and to be honest, before I worked with Angela, I wasn’t confident about (and sort of intimidated by) getting into top schools. But I had big passion for my professional dream and for getting into my dream school!!

Angela did a tremendous job of guiding me to realize what is unique about me and express my uniqueness and passion through every aspect of my applications. Honestly, I don’t think I could have gotten into my dream school (Johnson at Cornell Univ.) if it wasn’t for Angela!

Here are some highlights of why I think Angela was GREAT!

-Angela REALLY cared about my success!
I wanted to work with a consultant who I can truly trust and who cares about me getting in to my dream school. With Angela, I never felt like it’s a business, but I really felt like we were a team!! From the initial free consultation, she focused on making sure that we’re a good match. She even introduced me to a couple of other consultants to compare and made sure that I was comfortable making this commitment. Throughout the process, she was very generous with her time, and she was there every time I needed support and expert advice, and she took time to reply to tons of my crazy paranoid questions! (She replied very quickly. Sometimes within 10 minutes..!)

On top of that, Angela’s personality was just amazing! While I was on 4 months painful wait list, I was almost giving up... but Angela never gave up and kept encouraging me to fight till the end!! I kept sending updates to the school and I got accepted after a long wait!!!

-Expert in story telling!!
Angela was amazing at helping me see my unique stories and tell them in absolutely effective way.
We did very thorough brainstorming sessions (both general and school specific) for my stories. During the session, Angela asked many profound questions about my life events and as I thought hard of answers to those questions and we discussed them, I started clearly seeing MY STORY of upbringing, passion, goals, setbacks, why MBA, and why now, and my story became very cohesive and it just made sense. If there were any fluffs or BS in an essay, Angela didn't hesitate to point out and asked more questions to help me clarify. Every word and every sentence in my essays became well though of and very clear. By the time I applied, I was really confident and excited about my story and application! The process of brainstorming was very rewarding; Angela helped me REALLY get to know myself in depth, owe my own success, define what is unique about me, clarify my goals, and above all be confident about talking about myself and my story!

-Expert in admission process!
I had 100% trust in her expertise and I knew following her guidance and advice would give me a great result! I was placed on a waitlist (which had 10% conversion rate to admit last year) and it was very critical for me to have a strategic wait list plan. Angela gave me a guidance of what admission officers were looking for and what additional materials (some of the ideas were just outside of box that I couldn't have thought of by myself!) to send and when to send them. I followed her guidance and I did get off the list after 4 months!! Stressful waitlist process was manageable thanks to her!!

These are just a few examples but Angela truly had such a great impact on my life and I cannot thank her enough for her service!! I STRONGLY recommend her to anyone, especially for those who not only really want to get into their dream schools but ALSO want to get the most out of this application journey!! Now, looking back, I absolutely enjoyed this process and learned so much all thanks to Angela! It was a GREAT Investment!!!

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Aged 31, and having taken the GMAT more than 6times with a final score at middle 600s, I took the decision to hire an admission consultant rather easily despite the huge cost of taking a 6school pack.

I conducted my market search, and spoke to many consultants through the 30minutes free consultation. Most of them discouraged me to apply to a top MBA program due to my “difficult” profile.

Well, not so many consultants have studied philosophy at Yale -thus have mastered the art of rhetoric – and graduated from a top MBA program –thus knowing what it takes to get in-. Angela believed in my profile and encouraged me not only to follow my school selection but also to apply to more competitive ones.

We had a great cooperation… and I assure you that I am a difficult – and stubborn - client!
Angela helped me sell my-self in a more “sexy” way, something really hard for a hyper analytical finance guy like me. She helped me see the experiences that really make me unique – things I didn’t think were important. What I liked most, was that she did not copied-pasted success stories from previous clients but shaped our strategy on my background and future goals. Because I was a finance manager in a large company, I had acquired an austere way of expression, which many time mistakenly sound like arrogance. Occasionally, we fought because I was trying to make myself sound like what the schools wanted, but Angela argued that it was not true to who I am. She always won the arguments. Angela transformed my story telling…but without changing a thing from what I wanted to say! Moreover I liked the fact that she was a true professional. Many times she reviewed my essays prior to deadline giving me more space to ameliorate my job.

But most importantly, I love Angela because she is a “motivation” machine. She taught me the art of self-exploration and the digging out of my strong parts -the most difficult part of MBA essays writing- and………… BE MYSELF!!

I finally got in 4 out of my 6 MBA programs (all in top 15) selection and most importantly to my dream school…with scholarship!

Ps. In the schools that I did not get in...I did not have the time to follow her advice to the letter…Do the math!

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Thought I would briefly share my consultant experience with the GC community:
• Last year I applied to only 1 school (outside of top 30). My stats were: 3.3 GPA/650 GMAT/4Yrs WE/Extensive EC. Result: Dinged w/o interview
• This year, I raised my GMAT to 700 and got a consultant through MBAmission. Result: Admitted to 4/8 Top-15 programs (possibly 5 depending on how the Wharton WL goes)
• My thoughts on why my consultant helped so much:
1. She knew where the land mines are in the application
2. Helped me NOT say stupid, arrogant, offensive, or other app-killing things. Believe it or not, this is SO VERY easy to do if you don't have proper guidance
3. Helped my story stand out and not be cliché.
4. Helped me recall stories that I had not even thought of using.
5. Assisted me in framing my stories in a concise and powerful way (She literally showed me how to take a 200 word paragraph and condense that down to about 30 words without losing any of the impact, incredible really).
6. Aided me in tying the entire application together (essays, resume, LOR's)
7. Provided this same kind of feedback to my recommenders (who thankfully took her advice)

Occasionally, the issue of the ethics of using a consultant to aid in the app process emerges. My thought is that if professional writers use professional editors, why would someone applying to b-school, not use the resource of a consultant? Baffling to me why more people don't use them (and why I didn't use one sooner!).
That said, those that are going to invest in a consultant need to know a couple things from the outset:

1. An admissions consultant will help you organize your "raw materials" into something eloquent and grand. However, if you don't have the "raw materials" such as leadership experience, relevant work experience, etc, the best consultant on the planet will not be able to help you get into your schools. If you find yourself in this category, my advice to you would be to postpone b-school apps and go get the leadership/work experience you need instead. Come back and apply when you have the "raw materials". You will be far better off in the long run.

2. DO NOT EXPECT them to do all the work for you. I applied to 8 schools. At an average of 4 essays for each school x on average about 7 drafts per essay = 200+ Drafts by the time everything is said and done. "but why not recycle the same essays for all schools?", you ask. In my opinion, one of the marks of a great consultant is that they perceive the subtle differences in the questions/ school culture and will help you re-frame the same (or different) stories to best answer the question and woo the adcom. If you are cutting and pasting, that is your first red flag. In short, having a consultant to help you will not lighten your work load in the app process, but it WILL make it way more efficient.

As far as recommending a specific company, I really can't comment on anyone other than the company I have used, MBAmission.com. I have been EXTREMELY pleased with their services, results and promptness in responding to all of my inquiries. I would highly recommend them to anyone who is serious about breaking into a top tier school.

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