I spoke with many admissions consultants prior to meeting Katy from mbaMission. We clicked instantly. Two things about her stood out to me:

First and foremost, her honesty. Right from the start she was crystal clear about everything I needed to do in order to maximize my chances of getting into the top programs. Although some of things she asked me to do required a lot of work (like re-taking the GMAT), I am glad I listened to her. All throughout the application process, Katy was instrumental in helping me highlight the strong aspects of my profile, as well as address any potential weaknesses.

Second, her genuine care. Katy's unconditional support helped me get through the mentally and emotionally demanding MBA application process. In every step of the process - from GMAT preparation to final school selection - Katy was there to make sure I was OK and giving my very best. As a non-native English speaker, I found her essay reviews very helpful. She helped me articulate everything I wanted to tell admissions officers into concise messages. Interview preparation was also outstanding - many of the things she asked me during our prep sessions came up in the actual interviews!

The results speak for themselves: I applied to 5 different schools (Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Booth, and Kellogg) and received acceptances from all 5. I also received substantial fellowships from several schools. Katy was instrumental in helping me achieve this, I'm incredibly grateful for her support. If you are looking for an admissions consultant that will have your back through the ups and downs of the application process, Katy is your person.

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Helen was essential in my business school application process. When I started working with Helen, I was already significantly behind the recommended Round 1 timeline, but Helen helped at every step along the way and pushed me develop two strong applications in only a couple of months to get my application in by the R1 deadline! Helen was particularly helpful in brainstorming essay topics, thinking strategically about recommenders, generally making sure that all of my ducks were in a row come application submission time, and interview preparation / mock interviews. Helen helped me achieve my goal of getting into all of my schools of interest, and I could not recommend her highly enough!

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Background
I graduated from a top 10 UK university with okay grades (graduated with a 2.1). Following university I worked within financial advisory at one of the Big Four. Having grown up in the UK, I wanted to use a consultant as I was not familiar with the US system and had no real idea how competitive I would be at some of the leading schools.
Overview of experience
Kate was absolutely AMAZING, I definitely could not have gone through my process without her!! I began chatting with Kate in 2018 after signing up for the pre-application strategy service; I wanted to learn more about the US process and bounce ideas as I researched more about US MBA programs. She was readily available when I had questions and would also occasionally check in if she hadn’t heard from me in a while (she continued to check in until I finally decided in apply 1year+ later).
I choose to work with Kate as she showed a genuine interest in wanting to help me and looked beyond my statistics; I decided that I only wanted to apply to M7 schools and when undertaking free consultant consultations, a number of them focused on GMAT and employer when advising on schools.
Kate and I began officially working together in 2019. I applied to 5 schools in round 1 which was both a lot of pressure and work, however, Kate’s flexible approach allowed me to work on multiple applications seamlessly. If you are looking for someone that is really invested in you achieving your milestones, Kate is your consultant. She was very dedicated to ensuring I completed key work streams at the agreed date and times; and was always prompt in providing feedback (due to careful planning, I was able to get instant feedback at times on my essays!).
Kate was instrumental in helping me portray my story in a compelling way and showed patience (I was clear on how I wanted certain aspects of my essay to come across, which at times created extra work when it came to streamlining and trimming my essays).
Kate was supportive during the process, particularly when I got my first two dings and her encouragement kept me going. Ultimately, I ended up getting into my dream school and will be attending HBS in the fall!
I would highly recommend Kate to anyone looking for a consultant to help them on their MBA journey!!

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Background: econ undergrad to investment banking to private equity. Applied to HBS and GSB. Received interviews at both schools (GSB R1, HBS deferred R1, interview R2), and was admitted to GSB (did not take HBS interview).

I was looking for a consultant who would a) walk me through the process of the application to limit effort on my end, b) provide constructive criticism on the essays, and c) keep me on track to submit so I don't pull an all-nighter the night before. Julie-Anne certainly filled all of those roles for me. I would say that she stood out the most in regards to the essay writing, where she was extremely helpful with brainstorming constructs, as well as giving me the hard feedback of when I totally needed to scrap an essay (which with hindsight, was the right call!).

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Melissa is a ROCK STAR admissions consultant – she was absolutely fantastic, from start to finish. She walked me through the application process step-by-step, offering crystal clear guidance on our timeline and working relationship. Through the brainstorm exercise, she provided a comprehensive assessment of my profile and helped me craft a cohesive narrative around my candidacy – it was a crucial step that put me in a rock-solid position to succeed going forward. Once we winnowed down my target list of schools, Melissa helped me thoroughly understand what each school looked for in prospective students. With that in mind, we were able to further tailor my candidacy – she later provided strategic and tactical advice on my essays, helping me hone my structure, theme, and tone. The final product was airtight – clear, concise, and compelling. Melissa also helped polish me for interviews as well, providing detailed insights into who might interview me, what questions I should expect, and how I should answer them. It’s that laser-focused attention to detail that helped me prepare for softballs and curveballs in the interview process. And after I secured my acceptances, she helped me weigh my decision and tackle post-acceptance logistics (e.g. deposits, scholarships). Throughout the cycle, she was remarkably responsive, specific, and compassionate – her work ethic and interpersonal skills made the process painless. Overall, I cannot overstate Melissa’s tremendous value – she is a phenomenal resource and I’m so lucky to have been paired with her. She’s worth every penny!!

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It is my great pleasure that I enthusiastically recommend Harshad Mali to the highest degree as a MBA consultant.

There are three aspects to know about Harshad:

1. Harshad knows the MBA process on an intimate level. Regardless of what question I had about the GMAT, business schools, application process, essays, etc, Harshad always had the right answer for me. He has true expertise and a deep knowledge pool that he wants to share with his clients.

2. Harshad will bring out the best in you. Like all great coaches, Harshad does not try to change who you are. Rather, he brings out your best traits and works with you to highlight them in your MBA application and put you in the best position to be accepted to the school of your dreams. He knows how to "check all the boxes" that business schools look for, while making sure you stand out from your competition.

3. Harshad is a person of the highest character. His communication is direct and honest, always pushing you to be the best version of yourself. Most importantly, he cares to a profound degree. Your success is his success and it is tangible in his interactions.

If you view an MBA as an investment and want to ensure you give yourself the highest chance of admittance, I highly recommend you stop what you are doing and reach out to Harshad. Harshad is exceptional!

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Working with Helen was awesome! I had had experience with an independent consultant the year prior, and I can’t believe the difference. Working with a below 700 GMAT, I knew I had to tell my story very strategically in order to reach my T10 goal, and Helen helped me do exactly that.

Helen was incredibly friendly, yet honest and direct when my work or approach was less than she expected of me. She also made me dig deep to find my story and even helped me have a clear sense of where I wanted to go in the future. Turnaround time was outstanding, in that I NEVER had to wait for the turnaround policy specified on the welcome package because Helen was so responsive. She was also very patient with me considering that I often made last minute changes or came up with new ideas for essays that had already been revised.

Helen was not only outstanding professionally, but she also made me feel like I had a new friend—she got as excited as I did whenever I received good news! But let the results speak for themselves. The year before, I had applied to one M7 and didn’t even get an interview. With Helen, I applied to three other M7s and a top 10 (U.S. News) business school, and not only did I get into my top choice, but I also got in everywhere else I applied to except one M7 school, and got scholarship money everywhere I was admitted to, which I never even dreamed of! Thank you Helen, you were an essential part of my MBA application journey!

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Going into the application process I was on the fence on whether I wanted to use a consultant, but by recommendation of a friend who had a great experience with Helen I reached out to schedule an initial phone call. After our 30 minute conversation, the value add that Helen would provide in the process was abundantly clear to me. I ended up working with Helen on a few of the schools I applied to (hey, I at least wanted to do a few on my own!) and do not regret it at all. I only wish I had worked with her on all of them! Helen helped me tell a clear and cohesive story in my apps and provided great clarity and focus throughout the process. I would definitely recommend her to others.

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I did the Start-to-Finish Package for two schools with Susan, Tuck and Yale. I also applied to HBS, Ross, and Foster on my own. Coming from a non-traditional background I was daunted by the MBA world and wanted to be sure I was able to tell my story authentically, but in a manner that would resonate with MBA admissions committees. Ultimately, I was admitted to Tuck and waitlisted at Yale. I also receive admission to Ross with a full-tuition scholarship and Foster with a moderate scholarship. While Susan and I only worked together on Tuck and Yale I know without a doubt that my other applications also benefited from our work together. I would 100% recommend working with Susan.

Susan is often characterized as “tough”. I don’t believe this to be a completely accurate characterization. Susan was relentless at making sure I put my best foot forward, while also being a deeply empathetic and supportive colleague. The MBA admissions process is tough and requires you put in the work, Susan makes sure you do it. She helps you to find your story and paint a clear picture of who you are and what you bring to the school. There were times when I got frustrated because I thought I was addressing a comment, but she would say I hadn’t gotten it yet. This can feel tough, but it was absolutely essential in pushing me to be as effective as possible in my essays. She knows what it takes to succeed and was invested in my success.

I deeply appreciated all the time Susan put into to get to know me during the brainstorming process and beyond. During the brainstorming Susan identified themes that I hadn’t thought of based on the information I sent her about my experiences. She was spot on and I was surprised how someone I barely knew could so quickly get at the heart of who I am. Additionally, after writing a few drafts of my first essay I didn’t feel fully comfortable with the direction. We spoke about it at length and finally it clicked for both of us what the thesis of the essay really should be. This extra time she spent to make sure I got my message just right was incredibly helpful and it was also the moment I knew Susan would keep working on a problem as long as it took to get it right.

My applications also required video components, which I was originally terrified of doing. Susan showed me how to master them with ease and after our practice sessions I felt completely calm and prepared.

Finally, Susan was always on time with her responses and provided thoughtful, detailed comments on my numerous draft essay and other materials draft.

I highly recommend Susan! It was so reassuring knowing she was on my team and I could go to her with any question at any time. I’m thrilled about schools I got into and couldn’t have done it without her!

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From my initial consultation to preparing for interviews, Melissa was easy to work with, genuine, and always gave me the impression she really cared about my outcome.
As a foreigner entering the business school application process without any experience in the US college system, I found the whole thing intimidating to say the least – and the decision of which consultant to use even more stressful. After completing a free session with Melissa I was immediately confident in my choice; her extensive experience in the field, both in the university system itself as well as in a consulting capacity, was very evident. She was honest in pointing out the weaker aspects of my background, but also overwhelmingly positive about where we should focus to provide me the best chance.
Over time as we worked together, she was instrumental in helping me construct and communicate my narrative effectively. I found the brainstorming session particularly helpful for this. During the essay writing (hardest part for me), she provided quick, actionable feedback, which was always constructive and positive in nature, and made me feel like I was on the right path.
I was ultimately accepted into my first preference, a school I had initially thought was a big reach. I can confidently say this would not have been possible without Melissa’s amazing help, and so cannot recommend her enough to prospective business school applicants!

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