When I considered taking the first steps in the MBA admissions process, the only word that accurately describes my feelings at the time is “intimidated.” From reading online posts about the process to talking with others who had gone through it, it felt as if everyone had some great story, some “golden ticket,” that I simply didn’t have. I didn’t come from a traditional finance or consulting background, was not sure my academics were up to snuff, and genuinely felt overwhelmed by the prospect of researching schools, writing essays, and soliciting recommendations. I decided to request a free consultation with mbaMission given that extremely positive feedback on their consultants was pretty universal.

When I met with Jen, I immediately felt at ease. I shared my general sense of trepidation, and she immediately, even during a 30-minute consultation, asked questions about my professional and personal background that forced me to understand that every person has a valuable story that is worth telling. Her natural ability to make me feel confident in the story I could tell, without creating unrealistic expectations on admissions results, was critical in my decision to work with her.

Throughout working together, from a 2.5-hour brainstorming session to (many), “Hey Jen – I’ve got a quick question” emails, Jen always made me feel like I deserved to be part of the MBA admissions process – like I deserved to participate and give it my best shot. She did this by always making time for me, by answering my questions both promptly and thoroughly and never giving the impression that I was just “one of many clients.” During our brainstorming session, for example, she asked questions that forced me to think about how very personal details of my upbringing that I had shared with her impacted the way I approached a project at work that I had mentioned. She is able to make this less-than-obvious connection and ask these types of questions because she genuinely cares about her clients as people and is committed to their success.

In terms of essay and interview preparation, Jen forced me to critically analyze each school’s essay prompts to figure out what from my story would naturally fit into what they were looking to learn about a candidate, as opposed to forcing something unnatural in for the sake of trying to impress them. Her comments on my essay and resume drafts were always precise and actionable – they allowed me to move forward and make improvements as opposed to creating additional questions for the sake of asking more questions. Her feedback on mock interviews was similar – “You discussed Topic X well – go into that more” or “Try to phrase Topic Y differently.” Her feedback was always valuable, well thought-out, and allowed me to make meaningful improvements.

Jen’s action and people-oriented approach immediately made me realize I had a worthwhile story to tell. I went into the process and applied to five schools, hoping to get interview invites from one or two at best. With Jen’s help, I received invites at each of these five, including three M7 schools. In the end, I was accepted into four of the five schools, including two M7’s (one of which was my top choice) and two others with significant scholarships. I am extremely thankful for Jen’s guidance and support and wholeheartedly recommend her for others looking to put their best foot forward in the MBA admissions process.

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I had my 30 minute consultation with Rachel after reading her reviews, and knew right away that I wanted to work with her. I started my 4 school package with her about 6 months before the Round 1 deadlines. We walked through my stats and timeline and she helped me map out the next few months so that I would be on top of everything.

From our first brainstorming call, I could tell that Rachel knew so much about this process that I would never have figured out. Her experience in the industry is extremely helpful and she is able to make such a hectic process run so smoothly. Through that first call, Rachel helped me figure out my story and which areas of my application I should highlight in my essays. When it came to writing my essays, Rachel already knew me so well from the brainstorming call that we were both able to quickly and efficiently outline each essay. It got to the point where Rachel would suggest using examples from my life that I hadn’t even thought of – a testament to how much Rachel works to get to know each of her clients. She is extremely punctual and often returned drafts back to me within 24 hours. She was my cheerleader throughout the entire process and I can confidently say that I would not have gotten into 3 business schools without her help. I cannot thank her enough for encouraging me and keeping a positive attitude when things did not look like they were going well. I highly recommend working with Rachel and mbaMission!

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I started evaluating MBA Admissions Consultants right after I took the GMAT and had gotten a score I was happy with. I did free intro calls with consultants at several different companies. During that first call with Kate, it was clear she was genuinely trying to get to know my background and my aspirations, rather than pitch the service, which I really appreciated. She spoke with me much longer, and in much more detail than any of the other consultants at other companies I spoke with, so she and MBAmission was the clear choice. I worked on full packages for two schools with her (everything other than GMAT prep). We started with lengthy conversations about which schools to choose based on my interests, and realistic prospects of acceptance. Kate was very upfront about my strengths and weaknesses, and how these could be viewed by different schools. Then, knowing the challenges full well, I decided I only wanted to apply to two Top 20 stretch schools. Kate assured me she would do everything possible to set me up for success, and indeed she did. She was incredibly helpful with essays and application short answer questions, helping to identify my best personal stories to use, and how best to present them. Over multiple months, we had many phone and UberConference talking over drafts, and Kate was extremely flexible in working around my schedule. When the dates came to submit, I felt confident I had done everything I could to put together my best applications possible. Then as I waited, Kate continued to strategize with me about what could be done should different outcomes occur. This frequent communication alleviated much of my stress, as it was great to know Kate had plans of how to assist further, regardless of the outcome. When the interview offer for my preferred school did come, Kate was among the first people I told. We immediately jumped into interview prep, and Kate's wealth of interview resources and experience were invaluable. When the interview day came, I again felt I was as prepared as I could be, and went in confidently and (relatively) stress-free. Afterwards, once again Kate and I discussed ideas for how to set my thinking going forward. But at that point it wasn’t necessary, as just a couple weeks after interviewing I received my offer of admission to my top choice school! Thanks for all the help Kate!

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I began working with Rachel after taking the GMAT twice and beginning the application process. I shopped around quite a bit (I spoke to 5 other consultants). Rachel was by far the most genuine - she has a way of being candid without being overly harsh.

Rachel was blunt upfront that she thought I needed to get my GMAT score higher to get into Columbia (my number one choice). But when I explained I wasn't willing to do that she didn't dwell and we immediately got to work doing all the other things we could to make my application as strong as possible.

I really liked Rachel's brainstorming method upfront. It seems like a lot of leg work but it forces you to really think through your narrative, and she helps you highlight things you might not have even thought were noteworthy.

Rachel also has great insight into what information the school actually want you to provide in your essays, which usually isn't exactly what the essay question actually asks.

Rachel always provided prompt responses and was very clear upfront about how to best work with her. My only regret is that I didn't start working with her earlier on in the process since I paid a flat fee.

In the end I got into Columbia, and I think it had a lot to do with the strong essays that Rachel helped me right. She is a journalist in training and she's an amazing editor. She also had great advice with other part of my app, like taking the HBX Core math course to boost my quant profile.

Overall, I would definitely spend the money to work with Rachel again. She was instrumental in me getting into the business school I really wanted to go to.

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This review is long overdue, which is somewhat fitting as my application probably would have been too if it wasn’t for Harshad. There is not a doubt in my mind that I would not have gotten into Chicago Booth if it wasn’t for him. I may not have even applied if it wasn’t for him encouraging me and giving me the confidence through all of my self-doubt.

On a number of occasions after I made the decision to apply, I second guessed myself. Wondering if instead I should take some classes at the Graham school to show that my undergrad GPA wasn’t something the adcom needed to worry about, or if my lower end of the range GMAT and low quant score would ruin my chances of admission. Harshad helped me keep focus, reminding me that although I didn’t have the best stats, I had a unique story which he helped me shape and reiterate.

Harshad’s true strength lies in being not only an honest critic, but in being a very good story teller. He was able to analyze my life stories and help me come up with not only an application I was proud of, but one that was good enough to get me into my dream school. If you want someone authentic who will give you structure and no BS, Harshad is the consultant for you. He’s a great judge of character and from what I’ve read about him and experienced for myself, he knows how to get people into schools that they may not feel they have a chance at.

Long story short, work with Harshad if you’re the type that tends to procrastinate and second guess yourself. Harshad doesn’t make time for any of that nonsense. If he believes in you, you better believe in you, because the man has a track record of getting people in.

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I am writing to give my recommendation to Dan at mbaMission. He is straightforward, efficient, and reliable.

He was recommended by my friend, who got into Kellogg with a big scholarship.

Dan was excellent at finding strong and unique points of my story to reflect them in my application. He is also very critical and don't expect him to sugarcoat his comments about your application, which is a good thing and I enjoyed working with him. I got accepted to Booth, Tuck, and was able to leverage his recommendation to get accepted by some other schools that I applied by myself.

I am happy with his services and would totally recommend Dan to any applicants.

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I was referred to mbaMission through a friend who'd applied a few years before me. I didn't yet know anything about the MBA app process, and even before I committed to the package my (future) tutor Dan Richards took the time to lay everything out for me and explain what I could expect. Throughout the process of working with him he was patient, encouraging, and most importantly honest with me - Dan was very honest about where he thought I'd fit in and be happy, as well as where he thought I could stretch to. He also gave very concrete steps I could take to make myself a better applicant and portray my best story. Lastly, the greatest benefit I received from Dan was connections - he made sure to connect me with current or former students from my target schools, so I could learn more, feel comfortable, and have great stories to tell in interviews. Having access to former clients at top schools is a serious plus. I highly recommend Dan and have had an overall excellent experience!

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Debbie is the go-to consultant if you someone to hand-hold you through the application process. She is brutally honest and gives great constructive feedback. Yes, all consultants are expensive, but since every applicant is using one, you will be at a disadvantage if you decide to embark on this journey alone. Despite not having the best work experience, I got accepted into an M7 school and even got an interview with HBS.

Debbie was great throughout the entire process and I never felt overwhelmed. In the beginning, she literally had me write my life story out and we had a great conversation about which stories/themes I should be highlighting in my essays. She was very collaborative during this discussion. At the same time, if you are going down the wrong rabbit hole, she will not hesitate to stop you and she saved me a lot of time in that regard. Once we figured out the target schools, Debbie created a timeline for me for each school so I knew how to pace myself.

In regards to the essays, Debbie had a call with me to give me some tips on how to tackle every essay question. Next, she requested that I provided her with an outline of my essay structure. After further comments, I finally got to the essay writing part. All this prep work up front really saved me time on writing the essay. There was some back and forth after the initial essay draft and Debbie always replied within two business days. She even reviewed the extra questions in the application package.

Once I got the good news on the interview invites, she will give you a sample of questions the school usually asks in preparation for the mock interview. You really need to be on top of your game on this one because it really felt like a real interview. After each question, Debbie will give live feedback and once again, she is not afraid to tell you if your answer was way off the mark. I appreciated the honesty as that helped me focus on the subset of questions I needed to hone in on.

To summarize, Debbie was a fantastic partner in this process and I couldn’t have done it without her.

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I worked with Krista on five applications (all round 1) during the 2018-19 cycle, and was admitted to my top choice program. I started working with her fairly early in the year (March/April), which helped get school selection, visits, and resume writing done well ahead of deadlines. This helped me focus on essays alone in August and September, and finish all my applications on time without any last-minute scrambling.

Krista’s experience with the admissions process and her passion for working with clients truly came across at every stage of the process. She was incredibly responsive through the process, from turning around drafts to answering minor questions about application form details, and she usually was ahead of the promised two-day turnaround as well.

Krista helped me in three key aspects on my essays:

1. All my work experience was at a boutique consulting firm where the work is complex and difficult to explain to a layperson. As a result, my initial drafts contained a lot of detail that was not necessary for the admissions committee. Krista helped me trim this down to the essential points only, leading to a much tighter story and providing additional room to bring out other facets in my essays.

2. She helped my own story and personality come through in my essays - when my drafts lacked specificity, she helped me brainstorm original ideas to pull in, rather than shoehorn me into anything boilerplate. Some of my friends who have worked with other consultants had a bad experience on this front, where they were simply told to say certain things instead of getting support to find the ideas they believed in.

3. Lastly, going into the application process, I was a little concerned about two weak spots in my profile - some past academic issues and being on the lower end of the work experience spectrum. While I knew I would have to address these in my essays, my writing wasn’t effective in discussing any emotions or feelings in those situations. Through several discussions and rounds of editing, Krista really helped take craft portions of my essays to a more compelling story.

After application submission, I prepared for video essays and interviews with Krista as well. Aside from fine tuning the content of my responses, Krista noticed certain certain behaviors/ response patterns that I consistently fell into while answering interview questions. With her advice, I was able to avoid these during application interviews (and also improve my overall interviewing skills for recruiting in business school and beyond).

I’m thrilled to be attending my dream program soon and I’m very grateful to Krista for all her help and support through the process - I’ve already recommended her to some of my friends and would do so unhesitatingly to any other applicants!

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Daniel is extremely helpful during the process of my application to CBS. The constructive advice from him has ensured my efforts are always on the right track. His response was always on time or even before the timeline, which provided me sufficient time to work on the documents. I particularly like the part that Daniel is not afraid to make straightforward comments and feedback. If he felt the story is not good, he will directly let you know and continue to work with you on it from scratch.

I'd love to introduce him to my friends who are also preparing for application.

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