I started the MBA application process, hiring Jen as my admissions consultant almost exactly a year ago, having no idea what my final list of schools to apply to would be or where I would end up! After a year of self reflection, countless essay drafts, and tons of anxiety in the mean time, I am so happy to be attending one of my top schools (Kellogg) in the fall!
Jen took the time to understand who I am and what I want out of an MBA program and career and helped me learn these things about myself as well. She is great at pulling the most compelling aspects of a candidate out through discovery sessions and helping weave them throughout your application to make a cohesive and compelling story. She knows this industry up and down and is very familiar with how to present an applicant in the most compelling way for each individual school. Many other consultants are very knowledgeable as well; however, what made Jen stand out from all the rest was her supportive and understanding nature. I felt like we were in this together and my success was her success. We had many long conversations about what schools would be the best fit for me versus what schools I was best qualified for as a candidate. We talked about options to improve my application and what parts of myself were most important for me to showcase.
I worked with Jen on a 4 school package and ended up adding on a 5th school. Most of my schools were M7s and I got rejected from a few, with Jen there to support me; however, my Kellogg acceptance made this whole process worth it! In the days leading up to Kellogg releasing their decisions in December 2020, I kept re-reading my application and the Kellogg website and I realized that everything I showcased in my Kellogg application perfectly aligned with what the school was asking for in their essays and in their students values and attributes-- I have no doubt that Jen was instrumental in me crafting an application that reflected the core values of Kellogg and made me stand out as an applicant. Admissions consultants are a big investment, one that I was nervous about but looking back, I am confident that this investment was the key to my success!

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Kate is awesome! Aside from being kind and understanding, she was so helpful and supportive throughout the entire process. With all the different elements, from essays to interviews, Kate was an incredible resource and sounding board who helped alleviate so much stress by breaking up the process into manageable pieces. She gave excellent guidance, kept me on track, and was extremely quick to respond to any questions I had.

Kate really took the time to learn about me and my goals, and she helped me to develop my story in a way that would stand out to the schools I was applying to.

I am very thankful for the support she provided throughout my MBA application journey. I definitely would have felt lost without her help. I would absolutely recommend her as an admissions consultant!

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I suspect many MBA applicants view the admissions consulting business with a fair measure of cynicism. I certainly did. The upfront cost is high, most firms market comparable services at a similar price point, and online reviews are almost uniformly positive. Yet, after my first conversation with Katy Lewis, I immediately realized she would be a valuable partner and advisor. I am now fortunate to also call her a friend.

I write this testimonial as someone who was accepted to Harvard, Stanford, and Wharton in a historically competitive admissions cycle. Even if I did not achieve these incredible outcomes, I would value Katy’s services equally highly. Katy has received dozens of testimonials speaking to her personality, work ethic, dedication, and value for interview preparation. I wholeheartedly agree with these reviews. I now want to highlight some additional facets of Katy’s work that, while less obvious, are perhaps even more important.

Katy’s education and experience seem custom-tailored to her present role. She unites the strategic thinking of a McKinsey consultant with the discerning and critical eye of an attorney. As an HBS alum and former member of the Stanford GSB admission committee, she brings a true depth of understanding to the application process. Moreover, Katy has years of experience working with clients specifically targeting the top three MBA programs in the country. Carefully read the bios of admissions consultants from other firms; buried in a sea of self-congratulatory superlatives you might find one or two relevant substantive experiences. With Katy, every relevant skillset and experience is brought into play. If you are serious about optimizing your chances, why compromise?

Katy demonstrated a sophisticated and enthusiastic understanding of my background and career aspirations. Though we do not share a similar professional background, Katy immediately and intuitively grasped the “narrative arc” uniting my educational and professional experiences. This ability allowed Katy to provide individualized, thoughtful, and nuanced advice specific to my situation. Thus, contrary to prevailing wisdom, Katy advised me to apply in round 2, which proved to be a shrewd (and very beneficial) decision. Any consultant can provide generic advice about the various components of the application (essay, recommenders, employment, etc…) Katy’s value was most evident in those ambiguous situations that ultimately come down to a matter of sound judgment.

Katy was incredibly proactive at all stages of the application process. She volunteered to reach out to my letter writers to provide some insight into the MBA admissions process. As I come from a non-traditional background, my recommenders had never written a letter of recommendation for admission to business school. Understanding the admissions criteria helped my recommenders more effectively communicate their sentiments. Perhaps most importantly, I felt like my own voice, style, and values, and motivations were clearly present in each and every application. At no point did Katy attempt to “package” my unique story into a template.

Returning to my skepticism regarding admissions consultants, I do suspect that in 99% of cases they are ineffectual or downright harmful. Katy Lewis is the other 1%.

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As many prospective students will quickly find out, top MBA programs really want to hear your story and there is no better person than Katy to help you with the introspection process. She has this unique ability to get to know you as a person and help get that authentic self across to the admissions committee. Together, we were able to brainstorm specific themes of my life, how they were important to me, and communicated those in my essays.

Through all of her help, I was able to secure R1 interviews at 6 top programs - Stanford GSB, HBS, Booth, Kellogg, Tuck, and Yale. She spent a lot of time prepping me for my interviews and provided her perspectives on each of the different programs.

Because of Katy's help, I was able to secure multiple offers and ultimately accepted my offer to attend Stanford GSB. I truly cannot recommend Katy enough as an admissions consultant and now as a friend!

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I found Helen extremely useful for soundboarding all things MBA related - from the admissions process to brainstorming to essay construction to the interview prep! Her knowledge and expertise made me feel at ease and confident in her advice. It took me several iterations before I settled on the topic of my essays but throughout the process Helen was extremely patient and able to help extract the stories that resonated most with me. Her advice never lacked clarity or reason, and I found her warm yet to-the-point style extremely helpful in making progress. Ultimately, I was accepted into both schools I applied for!

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My first encounter with Nisha was through one of mbaMission’s free online workshops. I was quickly drawn to Nisha’s bright personality and her passion for helping applicants realize their MBA aspirations. As I listened to Nisha present, it became clear to me that she had extensive knowledge of the application process and experience working with many different types of candidates.

Shortly after the session, I decided to purchase the Start-to-Finish package and I’m so grateful that I chose Nisha as my MBA consultant. Right from the start, Nisha provided great insight into the application process and worked with me to come up with a detailed game plan for my applications. I was very impressed with how much time and effort Nisha put into getting to know me and understanding my background as well as my motivations for pursuing an MBA.

Nisha always came well prepared to our discussions and it was very easy to have an open conversation with her. I really appreciated how Nisha pushed me to dig deep and self-reflect on my experiences, helping me to make the most of my stories. She gave targeted feedback throughout the essay writing process and was extremely responsive, answering any questions that I had along the way. Nisha was also incredibly helpful in my interview preparation; she advised me on the different types of interview styles that I could expect to see and ran me through mock interviews that closely simulated my actual interviews. Practicing my stories with Nisha and incorporating her feedback helped me feel confident and much more comfortable during my live interviews.

Overall, Nisha far exceeded my expectations and I highly recommend working with her to any applicants beginning their MBA journey. With her guidance I was able to get into one of my top programs and I can’t thank her enough for all her support throughout my applications!

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I first started with Jessica for CBS and Wharton. The best part about working with her is the first Brainstorming Session. After this session, your more or less in great shape for your essays.

Ultimately, I got accepted to both schools in Round 1. With a scholarship from Wharton!

Because of my confidence in getting into two schools, I thought I would apply to HBS myself in Round 2. Big Mistake! The essay was the most challenging, especially when there is no word limit. I was too verbose and was losing the plot.

I decided to take her up one last school with literally a month to go for my deadline. She was really accommodating to take on this application despite her prior commitments. She mentioned " I always have time for my clients", which was really sweet. Her advice was exactly what I needed and ultimately led to my acceptance.

In short, pick Jessica at mbaMission as she is a great listener and at the end of the day, you want someone to hear you out completely before they advise you on structuring your application.

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Helen was very patient in guiding me through the whole process. She was super responsive to emails and I got feedback usually the same day/next day. She was also very flexible with phone calls, even if I was just perplexed or wanted a quick mock. Overall, I found Helen's style to be encouraging, frank and not pressuring at all, which worked well for me. She really helped steer me in the right general direction and was able to spot interesting elements from my drafts to make sure I've highlighted them. I got into both M7 schools I worked with Helen, and definitely couldn't have done this without her help!

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TLDR: Do yourself a favour, choose Jessica Shklar and forget everything else.

First Impressions:
Meeting Jessica via the free consultation (4-school package for R2 apps) sold me on working with her. I had had preview sessions with two other top firms, but those felt cold and artificial compared to Jessica’s style. At the time, I was in the process of studying for my GMAT and one other firm was unwilling to start working with me until I completed the exam. I was running out of time for R2 apps, and Jessica understood that the application process more often than not is a messy and haphazard process. Coupled with experiencing her deep insight over the 30-minute call, Jessica accommodating the real-world circumstances of busy applicants was yet another mark of her competence in my opinion.

Consultation process:
She was extremely organized which was key in knocking down 4 B-school applications to M7 schools in the period of 4 months, while also providing morale support as I studied for the GMAT. There were established rules in place to maintain the organization and flow of essay reviews, brainstorming chat etc, but when it mattered, she was willing to go above and beyond, working day and night and even with at one point with a badly sprained wrist (on her dominant hand)! And she came through more than once.
Regarding essays, Jessica is not merely an editor - she is storyteller and muse. Initially, when you do try your best to describe your own life, you realize how it pales in comparison to the final draft. This is not because it is embellished or anything like that; it’s because she helps you tease out your motivations and cogent reasons behind the key plots in your story and stitches it in a way that is amazing. I know she is a habitual reader (sometimes finishing books in a single day) and so story telling isn’t just a job - it’s part and parcel of who she is, and this benefit is reflected in the essays she helps you with.

Conclusion:
One of the first things she helps you with is review any pre-existing school choices you’ve made. She gets to know you and then accessed for compatibility with your POST-MBA goals, your dreams and your personality. Clearly, she isn’t just trying to crank out essays, or maximize admit rates for her firm. She genuinely wants to mold your application to represent the best version of yourself. She cannot guarantee outcomes (no consultant can), but you leave with a feeling of extreme satisfaction in the effort put towards application. I got into one of them, but it was not my dream school unfortunately. But the fact that I still write this review is testament of the positive force that is Jessica Shklar. I gained more than just an elite application package; I also gained a renewed understanding of myself.

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When I first started looking for a consultant I had many different phone chats with different consultants at different companies and most felt so cookie-cutter & scripted or scorched earth and interested in bending my story to fit what they thought would combat my overrepresented background of white male / private equity.

Immediately upon chatting with Melissa I knew she would be my pick. She genuinely take a deep interest in understanding your whole story and is great at helping you find a way to authentically tell it while also focusing on the aspects that will be most impactful to the adcoms.

Working with Melissa made what at baseline is a grueling process that much better. She kept me on my timeline, was always super encouraging and helped me tell a story in my essays that we both felt strong about. With that said, she also wasn't afraid to stand her ground and tell me when she thought I needed to change something, which was very helpful.

I would not have gotten into HBS and Wharton without her help!!

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