John is AMAZING, and deciding to work with him on a 3-school start-to-finish package was perhaps the best decision I made during the MBA application process. Coming from an industry where an MBA is not the usual path, I found the process incredibly daunting. My biggest concern was how to tell a compelling, cohesive story about myself to the admissions committees – especially because I was unsure of exactly what I wanted to do post-MBA.

We first met over the phone for a 30-minute “fit” call, and it was immediately apparent that John is an amazing listener who has an innate ability to understand his clients. At first, I was concerned that working "remotely" with a consultant would be challenging (John is in Chicago and I was in NYC), but this proved to be a non-issue. Throughout the process, John was thoughtful, calm, and patient; he guided me through each step of the process in a structured manner that made it as manageable and low stress as possible.

John takes the time to truly get to know his clients, their story, and what drives them; his guidance was invaluable during the essay-writing process. After reading through my initial brainstorming document, he was able to find common threads and themes that have been prevalent throughout my life, and help me craft these ideas into a message that was effective and, most importantly, truly authentic to me. He was always positive yet honest in editing my essays, and was never afraid to say if an essay needed a fifth, sixth, or seventh round of revisions, even though I knew it would be more work for him. By the end, I was truly happy with every single essay I submitted; John helped me strengthen my story and voice in a way that I didn’t think was possible.

John always goes above and beyond, whether by getting on the phone one more time because he knew I needed a pep talk before an interview, or by responding to another draft of an essay with a tight turnaround to make sure I’d be in before a deadline. He is a great champion and partner throughout the process, and makes you feel like you are his only client at all times. Thanks to John, I was admitted to HBS in round 1 (a result that I never dreamed was possible). I truly couldn’t have done it without him!

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I started my journey for MBA admissions and GMAT prep four years ago and finally last year after lots of struggles and barriers I decided to apply to B-schools. I attended several free calls with consultants from different companies but after speaking with Nisha I believed that her professionalism and experience can really help me secure admission to a prestigious University.
She was very supportive throughout this overwhelming process and someone you can always count on for any admission related inquiries.
I truly recommend Nisha for anyone who is looking for complete support or any ad-hoc help needed.
Thanks Nisha!!

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I was fortunate to find John early on in the process. During the introductory session, John provided me with valuable feedback on my strengths and weaknesses. I shared my desire to get into Wharton MBA with him. He explained the detailed admissions process and the typical Wharton acceptance criteria to me. He then provided me with templates and a sample of documents to prepare my information. Throughout the whole process, he was there to guide me on the essays, resume, and interview prep. I was very impressed with his knowledge and expertise in the MBA admission process and his ability to guide you to achieve your goal. I am very glad to have found him, and I thank him for his guidance. I just finished my MBA from Wharton.

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Background: Econ undergrad at Ivy, Product Manager, male, over-represented demographic. Applied to MIT, CBS and Wharton. Received interviews at all schools, was admitted to MIT and CBS.

When I first began thinking about applying for an MBA, I worried about my chances because I was an over-represented demographic and felt I didn't have a unique story (I had spent 4.5 at the same company in one role). I was looking for a consultant who was honest, could help craft my story, tell me my strengths and weaknesses, and keep me on track with the deadlines. Julie-Anne was fantastic and helped in every aspect of the application, even in areas that I didn't know I would need help.

She was honest in her feedback (my qualifications, strengths, weaknesses), spent hours brainstorming with me to find a way to uniquely tell my story, and made sure I met my deadlines. She was especially helpful on the essay portion of the applications, which I found the most challenging and open-ended.

Julie-Anne was extremely responsive through every iteration of my application no matter the question or amount of times I asked. Even as I moved on to the interview process of the application, she was there to guide me along and give me advice on how to prep, knowing each school as well as the next. Julie-Anne truly cares - even after I was admitted, she was there as a sounding board to help me decide on which school I should attend. She got to know me well enough over the application process that she was able to give me actionable advice on which school would be a better culture and professional fit.

Initially, I was concerned with the cost of a consultant, but I can definitely say that Julie-Anne was worth it, and got me into my top choice!

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I’ve been accepted to two M7 schools, and I'm almost certain I would have come up empty without Julie-Anne's guidance and support.

Compared to other MBA hopefuls, I was very late to the game when I realized I wanted to pursue an MBA. As an MBA was not on my to-do list, my profile/experience wasn’t geared towards MBA admissions. My stats were average to below average for M7 standards, and my work experience doesn’t jump off the page as remarkable.

I applied to five M7 schools, and only had a short amount of time to put together my applications. Julie-Anne helped me through the entire process – from validating why an MBA is right for me, to helping understand what each school values in their candidates, to putting together tailored applications that highlight my strengths and unique selling points. We went through my work/life experiences to find unique stories and achievements, many of which I would have never even thought to include in my applications.

Julie-Anne provided very honest and detailed feedback along the way and pushed me to put my best foot forward in every aspect of my application. The admissions process can be opaque and tricky to navigate. Julie-Anne’s guidance added a lot of clarity, and I was able to submit applications with a strong sense of purpose and confidence in my candidacy for a top MBA program.

I highly recommend Julie-Anne’s services to ensure that by the time you press submit, your application is as good as it can be.

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I worked with Nisha starting in June 2019. From the beginning, Nisha was extremely helpful. She was very candid throughout my entire admissions process.

Nisha really took the time to understand my background and helped me craft "my story". As a traditional applicant (Indian male from a finance background), I thought I would not be able to differentiate myself. However, Nisha provided valuable insights that allowed me to highlight my strongest qualities, both from a professional and extracurricular activities perspective.

I especially enjoyed Nisha's demeanor, which was one of cautious optimism. This type of personality is very effective in a competitive MBA admissions process. All throughout my MBA journey, she kept motivating me but also wanted me to be realistic with potential outcomes. She was also readily available and answered all of my questions in a timely manner.

I highly recommend Nisha as a consultant without any reservation! With her help, I got into all of my top choice schools (Booth, Kellogg and Yale)!

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Going into the application process being almost 30, from India and with an ok score only served to make me skeptical if this was the journey I needed to pursue over the coming months. All it took was one consultation call with Jessica for me to dive in and avail a multiple school package with her. From my end I did everything wrong as I kept extending my GMAT exam dates or couldn’t get past the dreadful score but in the end Jessica stood by patiently and kept encouraging me to put my best foot forward and trust in myself.

Heading into December and with only a month left before the round 2 applications were due, I was tremendously impressed with the roadmap that Jessica created to get me back on track be it getting LOR/ editing resumes/ having a detailed brainstorm session and last but not the least creating an extensive structure for each and every essay. Over the next month we worked arduously on getting each and every application fine tuned to perfection. To this day I wish I could get a walk through of how she manages multiple clients and yet manages to churn out everything within the deadline proscribed and with impeccable perfection.

In using her structure and creating a thought process around what my story was, I was able to apply and get admitted into 4 programs. Even though I was waitlisted for the schools I had sought her help on, I would be wrong to not admit that they were stretch schools given my profile. The fact that I am still in contention is only a testament to how far Jessica’s expertise and help came handy during the process.

I have no qualms in recommending Jessica and her expertise about the MBA application process to any prospective student.

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I 100% can say I would not have gotten into any business school without Susan's help. Although I have lived in the US for a few years for work, I was quite unfamiliar with the unique process of applying to US business schools when I first got started. My initial kick-off call with Susan was a bit of a "wake-up call" for me on this, as Susan was able to candidly and thoroughly explain the actions I would need to take to maximize my chances of admission.

When I first started thinking about the business school process I was only thinking about it at a macro level but not about the specific ways in which I should approach it - i.e., setting clear and actionable clear goals, developing an overall story, brainstorming application stories (applicable for both essays and interviews), and meticulous attention to detail in every single thing I wrote as part of my application submissions (down to even the 25 words or less mini essays).

Susan was exactly what I needed to get this done. She kept me focused, pushed me when I needed to be pushed, kept me on track despite a busy work schedule, travel and late hours in the office etc. I think the most valuable part of Susan's help (although there were obviously numerous aspects) was that she was 100% honest and direct in her feedback. When I think about this now, I realize that Susan was always doing this because she acts like your "first line of defence". If your essays and materials make it past Susan's review, then they'll be in stellar condition and will blow away any admissions committee reading them. That being said, I found working with Susan more of a partnership than her "spoon-feeding" you through the process. If you wan't to work effectively, you must be willing to put in the work and constantly striving to meet the standards she sets for you (just any good mentor or counselor would).

My time with Susan and what I learned with her extended beyond more than just putting together business school applications. The way she made me think about my own career goals and the self reflection she required of me (I think we spent the most time on the "brainstorming" process at the beginning of the package more than anything else, which was extremely valuable), continues to benefits me and has allowed me to be incredibly focused in my post-MBA career goals even now that the whole admission process is finished. I hands down would not have reached this point in my life and career without her.

In terms of results, Susan helped me apply to 3 schools (NYU Stern, UVA Darden and Duke Fuqua. I received 50% and 70% scholarships at Darden and Fuqua. The skills that Susan taught me about the application process made me feel so confident about it all, that I ended up applying to several other schools on my own (using Susan's mantras and approach), and was admitted to and received partial scholarships at Northwestern Kellogg and Dartmouth Tuck. ( was also admitted to London Business School. I ended up choosing to go to Kellogg and telling Susan about the great news was one of the most rewarding and proudest moments for me throughout the whole process!

In summary, I could not recommend Susan more highly (especially if you, like me, are someone that benefits from direct and honest feedback, as well as candid guidance and steerage if you are feeling a bit lost at the start of the whole process). I will be forever grateful for her help as it was truly life changing. Get working with her today!

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Harold is a fantastic coach and I don’t know that I would have gotten my seat at Harvard Business School if it wasn’t for the strategic role he played in crafting my narrative for business schools. Early in the application process, Harold and I talked a lot about my target schools, my background, and my experiences that could lend to a strong application at each school. He helped me mold those into a clean personal/professional story and he coached me on how to articulate those succinctly in my applications. 5 out of 6 schools I applied to gave me an interview and I know that Harold’s help crafting each application to each school was key to that success. In addition to the technical stuff, Harold is empathetic and a great partner. He provided guidance and a friendly ear throughout the application cycle and I am so fortunate to have him in my court!

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Background:
I highly recommend choosing mbaMission, and Harold specifically. To provide some context, my application was an unusual one and Harold rose to the occasion remarkably. I’m from the Middle East. I have an engineering background and I have recently switched from Private to Public sector, and my goal from graduate school is to obtain a degree (or a dual degree) that focused on both policy and business. I started a bit late in the process. I submitted an application for MPA/ID program at HKS in December. Then, I decided to apply for MIT Sloan, to be a dual degree with the program from HKS. To hedge my bets, I also wanted to apply for the Master in Computational Analysis & Public Policy (MSCAPP) from the University of Chicago. Here was my challenge at the time: after I submitted my application to HKS in December, I was not very happy with my application and my test scores (high quant and not-an-impressive verbal). Furthermore, the deadline for both MIT Sloan R2 and Chicago MSCAPP were at the same day. I freaked out and realized I needed serious professional help if I wanted to increase my odds. Enter mbaMission. At first, I had a free session with Jessica. In only 30 mins, she gave me a lot of great advice! After some thinking, I decided to go with Jessica. She was unfortunately busy at the time to take on new clients. So, she suggested that I have another free session with Harold, given that he is an MIT grad and had previous clients from my region. I had another free session with Harold that extended for more than 30 mins. By that time, I already had free sessions for well more than an hour with mbaMission. I decided then to go with Harold, and I’m really glad that Jessica has recommended that we work together. I got excited to work with Harold so I took the start-to-finish package for both MIT and Chicago. Even though Chicago was a policy degree and not a business one, I still asked Harold to help me with it given that both schools were important for me to be admitted to, in addition to the fact that both were due at the same deadline.

Why go with Harold?
1. Crafting the right story:
o Laying the groundwork: Harold took enough time to understand my convoluted background and my aspirations in life. Like many who are seeking graduate school, not everything was a clear cut for me. I’m still figuring things out. In that sense, the process of understanding my story was a lot of work for both of us, but it was not a mechanical one.
o Drilling down on the important stories: After the brainstorming session, I uncovered parts of my story that I didn’t think they were worth speaking of in the first place. For example, I had a frustrating terrible experience with my start-up that I was not proud of to tell the truth. However, Harold advised a new angle on how to use this story in a way that reflected humility and growth, we are humans and not perfect creatures after all :).
o The right writing style while maintaining authenticity and your own voice: When writing something deeply personal I tend to be super conversational. While that’s good, maybe, some level of professionalism is still required. Harold was super helpful in pointing out when I went a little overboard with my style. That also meant that I often tend to exceed the word limit to get my point across (similar to what I’m doing now :)! ). As he puts it, he has a super power for cutting unnecessary sentences.

2. Navigating the nuances of the application process:
o Test Scores: As I explained earlier, I was not sure about my test scores. Balancing my test scores with my story, as well as being conscious of the limited time have, Harold advised me to maintain my current score and use the time I have to prefect my essays. This turned out to be a very pivotal advice as it allowed me to really focus on my essays. This was very bold of Harold to say, and counter to what many who knew my scores have advised. I trusted him and went with his recommendation (despite any outcome of the application process, his rationale made sense to me and it was all about prioritization of effort. It was still my decision to follow this advice or not!)
o Selecting recommenders: I had some difficult choices to make for determining which recommenders I should go with. Harold gave me great insights on how to set my strategy for recommenders (guess what, it worked!)
o How to engage with admissions team: Before meeting Harold, I was often not sure on how to approach certain topics with the admissions team. I didn’t want to on-the-nose with admissions. I thought it might backfire. However, Harold was super helpful in letting me know which types of communication with admissions are acceptable. He even helped in looking at some of the emails that I was about to send!

3. Interview prep:
o By far this was one of the most aspects I benefited from using Harold’s services. He prepped me really well for the interview. I walked to the interview with much more confidence compared to what would’ve been the case had I done it myself. The style of the interview and the questions he asked me was very close to what I got in the interview.

4. Making an incredibly concise and powerful CV
Important final note: When soliciting professional help for your applications, know that not one consultant would have a wand that would magically get you admitted. It’s really hard work form your part. The consultant will guide you every step of the way, but it’s your own application, your own voice and above all else, your future. As helpful as Harold was to me, I had to put in a lot of effort and make sure we were always on top of things and on schedule. A great advantage of Harold’s help was the constant guidance. In my previous experience without Harold, I would always get bogged down into very minor details that would make me lose track of the big picture. After using Harold’s help, he acted as a true anchor for me during the application process. Of course lets address the elephant in the room, this is not a cheap service! So this is a personal choice that depends on your financial situation, how badly you want the MBA and how comfortable you felt in the free session. Chemistry is important with the consultant! So use your free session wisely and only go when comfortable. If we go back in time, I would go with Harold every single time, regardless of being admitted or not!

Final result: Full disclosure, I got admitted into both MIT Sloan and Chicago . I opted to go with MIT (in addition to HKS, where I will start at next fall hopefully)

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