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Consultant Julie-Anne Heafey
Julie-Anne played a huge role in my being accepted to my top three choice schools, Harvard Business School, Wharton/Lauder and UVA Darden in Round 1 of the 2020-2021 Admissions Cycle. While I had all the right pieces (720 GMAT, high GPA and strong recommendations), I struggled to develop my MBA story through my essays and short-answer responses. More specifically, coming from international development, I was completely lost about how to contextualize my background and skills through a business lens and articulate how I could contribute uniquely to the classroom.
Julie-Anne exceeded my expectations on every front. She was accessible, diligent, kind and strategic. She listened closely early on to understand who I was, why I wanted an MBA and what I hoped to do, and then used that knowledge to help me strengthen my voice in my essays. She read countless drafts, jumped on dozens of brainstorm calls when I hit a roadblock (even on Sunday mornings!), and calmed my anxieties the night before my interviews. She was highly professional and knowledgeable; I always felt that she knew exactly what she was doing, whether helping to tweak my resume or determine how to conclude my essays (and the results showed!). Her expertise on what the Admissions Committee values at each particular school heightened my applications and helped me to really shine. Also, the fact that Julie-Anne attended HBS, one of my top choices, and worked in consulting, my intended post MBA career, made her a real role model for me throughout the process. I highly recommend Julie-Anne!
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Consultant Susan Kaplan
I worked with Susan on mbaMission’s start-to-finish package for 4 schools (M7), targeting Round 1 deadlines. Susan was an amazing guide through the whole process, keeping me on track to putting together applications that represented me well.
Susan has a wealth of knowledge on school-specific aspects of the application and what each school is looking for in different parts of the application. She really helped me connect the dots to craft a great narrative and taught me how to market my strengths to the admissions committee.
Susan was incredibly punctual in reviewing and providing feedback on my essays, sometimes even getting back to me ahead of schedule to help me meet my timeline. Her feedback was definitely challenging, but after working through it my application looked a lot better. She was also readily available over the phone to clarify any of her comments. My interview prep session with her was also helpful - she gave me constructive feedback on the key areas that I could definitely improve on during the days leading up to the actual interview.
It was not easy to meet the R1 timeline, even though I had started quite early. When I was falling behind, Susan didn’t shy away from giving me a wake up call and pushed me through the process. At the end of the day, I’m really happy that I got accepted to one of the programs! I highly recommend Susan for anyone looking for a consultant.
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Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Susan Kaplan
Susan has been on my business school journey with me for years, and I know that I would not have gotten to the end without her guidance and support. I started working with Susan as a college senior applying for deferred admissions programs. I knew I wanted to pursue an MBA but had no idea what the admissions process would require (I was definitely a little unprepared going in!). Working through the Complete Start to Finish Package with Susan was a complete gift – she helped me take a step back to understand my strengths and how all of my experiences fit together to tell that narrative but also where I was a little weaker and how we could strategically approach this aspect of my application. This established a great framework for the application and really helped to tell my story in a way that I was confident about. But, actually writing that story turned out to be incredibly hard. As an engineer, I had absolutely no experience writing essays or storytelling and it definitely showed! Susan really helped to transform my writing style. Her feedback is direct and she knows how much to push you to generate your best work – I went from writing long stories that were mostly “fluff” with no real content to understanding how to write strong narratives with concrete examples to really illustrate the topic. This is more than just a goal for business school applications; it is a lifelong skill that Susan helped me to build – one that has already benefited me in my career and will continue to do so in business school.
Although my first try at business school applications did not result in an offer, it provided a great opportunity to reflect and take the time to make my application even stronger. I always knew I would reapply to business school and throughout the next few years, Susan stayed in touch and was an amazing sounding board when I was trying to round out my experiences and strengthen my story. When it was time to reapply, I chose Susan again as my consultant because not only did she know my story, but I knew she was rooting for me and would give me the push that I needed to submit my best application and one that I was really proud of. I worked on a few different schools with Susan this time and chose schools that had every type of essay and interview possible – written, video, case interviews, etc. Like the first time, Susan’s feedback was invaluable and helped me to build interview and communication skills that are applicable in the “real world” and will propel me to become a stronger student, employee and leader. But, the thing that I benefited from the most this time around (besides applications that I am so proud of) is a strong sense of what I want to do with my career and how I can get there. The Complete Start to Finish Package gives you the opportunity to dive deep into your experiences, strengths and interests (which ultimately pointed me in the direction of what I wanted to do in my career). But, it was Susan who helped me lay the foundation of what I would need to do to get there and how an MBA at my target school was a necessary piece of that puzzle. Her insistence that I do my research to understand the industry and the skills needed for that role helped me develop not only a strong application but a plan that I am excited about. This process with Susan was personally instrumental in preparing me for business school, and I feel ready to take on all that it offers.
Susan embodies the perfect balance of support and feedback. She takes the time to really understand her clients as individuals and constantly strategizes to help them realize and highlight their unique strengths. She never wavers from her goal of pushing you to do your best work, and the result is always something that you will be proud to call your own. I look back on my time with Susan and am so thankful for all of the effort because without her, I would not be headed to London Business School (my dream school!).
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Consultant Julie-Anne Heafey
From the start, Julie-Anne asked hard questions that challenged they way I thought as I wrote my application essays. As a person from big tech with a mid-tier university background (and very little extra-curricular involvement), I needed her help in ensuring I stood out. The best part about working with Julie-Anne was her ability to help me turn my background into meaningful stories. Julie-Anne spent hours brainstorming with me, and when it came to providing feedback on my essays, she was incredibly honest. She encouraged me to scrap essays and start over when needed, and also dig into the details more that I otherwise would have. Without her help, my stories would've been too broad to earn interviews at top schools.
Besides her stellar editing, Julie-Anne is personable and communicative. She met deadlines and kept me on track as well. Her frankness during interview prep was greatly appreciated and helped me get into three M7 schools that I interviewed at. It seemed like every question I had asked, we had discussed in my mock interviews.
Julie-Anne even helped where she didn't need to. She checked in frequently and offered advice for negotiations. She's super knowledgeable and definitely worth the investment (especially if you are struggling with essay brainstorming/editing).
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Consultant Jessica Shklar
When I first met Jessica during my free consultation a few years ago, she provided (what felt like brutal) feedback about where I could feasibly expect to get in based on my current resume and extracurricular experience. I felt crushed at first but she knew what she was talking about and I now completely agree that I was nowhere near ready to apply to the schools I wanted to go to at that time (I thought my 730 GMAT would suffice). So, I took the free advice she gave me to round out my resume and get involved in more community activities over the next year and reached out to her again once I felt more qualified.
When we met again, she warned me she was tough on clients and, while I can see what she meant, she always provided fair and helpful feedback. She's like the strict teacher/parent who's always hard to impress but when you do, you know she means it. She also knows when to take a gentler approach; when I was laid off three weeks before my applications were due because of COVID19, she immediately called to console me and brainstorm ways we could use the ostensible obstacle to my advantage :).
I found having her throughout the application process extremely helpful to not only keep me on track but to teach me tricks and provide tips on how to leverage stories/experiences I already had to create a compelling application. It's also incredibly helpful to have someone who just met you review your essays because just like the people in the admissions offices reading your applications for the first time, she has no background information on you and will ensure your story is clear yet concise.
Beyond keeping me on track, she provided great insight into where I could expect to get in. I had been working as a social media associate at a travel company that's not very well-known and didn't think my experience could measure up to other applicants coming from big finance companies. Despite my trepidation, she named one M7 program she thought would be perfect for me from the start and sure enough, I was accepted!!!
I would highly recommend her to anyone interested in pursuing his/her MBA. I had several friends applying concurrently with me and I always felt ahead of the curve even though I was applying to twice as many schools. If I had to re-do the process, I wouldn't change a thing!
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Consultant Kate Richardson
I HIGHLY recommend Kate Richardson. I was extremely hesitant to use a consultant for several reasons, but I am 100% satisfied with my choice. I honestly don't know if I could have gone through this process and stayed sane without her.
I was so happy to get into a top-choice school, but a bit sad to not work with Kate regularly, which was an unexpected feeling! I felt extremely comfortable with Kate, especially as I had considered myself an "underdog" candidate before working with her. She instilled confidence in my abilities that I lacked before our partnership. I spoke with other consultants, and I felt a bit judged or that they wanted me to be inauthentic to myself and my story, but I never felt that way with Kate. I really looked forward to our chats throughout the pandemic - even if it meant a lot of "homework" on my end afterward. I really appreciate her kindness during a trying time.
Aside from her welcoming and approachable personality, she is EXTREMELY competent, especially with her editing skills, and her turnaround times were truly remarkable. I do not know how Kate sleeps because I would get essays and random questions answered in record-breaking time. I felt like Kate was on speed dial as a resource, and she always had a confident answer to my questions - and anxieties.
She really helped me tell my story, and I felt authentic and supported throughout this process. Seriously don't hesitate to use Kate!
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Consultant Devi Vallabhaneni
Devi made the daunting process of completing applications to 5 schools incredibly straightforward, personal, and organized. She helped me organize my thoughts, passions and truths into a cohesive personal story that organically flowed with my long term career aspirations. To say Devi is an efficient person is an understatement. Every minute with Devi is a minute well spent, and she is committed to helping her clients recognize their strengths and build an authentic personal story that is both true and compelling. She helped me maintain my focus on the aspects of my application and resume that should be highlighted/celebrated so that admissions teams could get a thorough understanding of what I brought to the table as a candidate.
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Consultant Michael Guttman
I am absolutely thrilled of the impact that my consultant Michael Guttman had on my three MBA applications. I knew I needed help in getting into a top school because I do not have the most impressive work experience and my college grades are a little below average. Michael Guttman was super knowledgeable about the whole process and was able to help me with framing my story to be much more compelling. We also discussed my goals and tweaked them to be more realistic based on my background. Because of Michael Guttman, I was able to write better and more powerful essays.
He treated me like his only client from the very beginning. He was always available to have phone calls and very responsive with emails. He gave me advice every step of the way. We started with an initial brainstorming session and then worked on as many drafts of my essays and resume as necessary to make them perfect.
I received interviews at 2 of the 3 (the other school didn’t require an interview) schools I applied to, and he was a huge help in preparing me for each of my interviews. I really don’t think I would have been accepted without his help. Because of him, I was accepted into my top choice. I seriously recommend Michael Guttman to give yourself the best chance of admission.
Product mbaMission School Package
Consultant Devi Vallabhaneni
Devi was an outstanding consultant - She helped me manage the business school application process and was there for me every step along the way. It does not take long to work with her before it becomes apparent she has years of experience and valuable insight in the business school arena. She makes herself available and fully commits to her clients. She challenged me to think strategically about my essays in ways that enhanced my application and prepared me to take a major leap in my professional career. A friend referred me to Devi and I'm forever grateful to have had the opportunity to work with her. I would 1000% recommend Devi to anyone looking for assistance in this process.
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Consultant Nisha Trivedi
I decided to work with an MBA consultant after been waitlisted from Fuqua in Round 3.
It wasn’t an easy decision as it represented an important investissement without any warranty of success. I knew getting into a top bschool was necessary to give me the career change I was seeking (PMM in tech) and I didn’t want to have any regrets about not putting all the chances on my side.
I shopped around the different consultants and enjoyed my first interaction with Nisha. She quickly understood my background and profile and gave me some convincing suggestions on how I should market myself. In addition, MBAmission seemed like an excellent firm with handy resources.
During my time with Nisha, she helped me understand my previous application's deficiencies that got me waitlisted. She helped me select the experiences and achievements relevant to build a clear and coherent profile true to me. She was always very responsive, organized and available when needed. She gave me great feedback and guidance on my essay and interview practices.
As a result, I got accepted at Fuqua – my top choice, where I got waitlisted the year prior.