About 15 months ago, I was a regular high school teacher who hardly knew what an MBA was -- it was certainly never a part of my long-term plans. I had seen those three letters strung together, but I had no familiarity with the extent to which admissions was highly competitive, the opportunities this degree offered to radically transform my career, and the amount of labor that the application process would require.

After a couple of months of initial research, I knew that the MBA would be a good option for me, so I was considering whether to hire an admissions consulting service. I was at first skeptical of the value proposition and the extent to which they could ultimately improve my chances of gaining admission to my target schools. However, after an initial consultation with MBA Mission, I became certain that I wanted their help in order to maximize my chances of being admitted. Helen's background and experience speaks for itself, and the support she would give me over the following months was indispensable.

First and foremost, Helen is enthusiastic and authentic in her desire to help. During our initial brainstorming session she was warm and affable, and she really pushed me to think deeply and express myself clearly about the most subtle nuances of my personal history and experience. This primed me for success during the application process, and she would repeat these behaviors as we prepared to tackle each successive application (we worked on 4 total together).

However, do not take her kindness for weakness. Helen was a warm and enthusiastic supporter, but she never showed satisfaction when I did not deserve it. While there were some initial essay drafts for which she showed enthusiasm, there were quite a few where she frankly told me that my concept was off or my writing was inadequate. Further, she was a stickler for details -- I recall one essay for which she pushed me to write nine total drafts, several times demonstrating dissatisfaction over word choice in one mere phrase or sentence.

The process was labor intensive -- just as it should be. In applying to top MBA programs, I wanted to present myself as clearly and positively as possible so that the admissions officers could see the benefits of adding me to their program. I decided to hire an admissions consultant because I wanted the best possible chance of accomplishing that task. If there is someone better than Helen for the job, I'd be truly surprised. I thought that her advice and support throughout the process was top-notch and worth every penny.

As a result of her support, I gained admission to three top-10 programs (one being an M7), all of which offered generous scholarships. I am incredibly grateful for the support I received, and I would strongly encourage anyone who reads this review to consider her.

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I started off my MBA journey pretty naive and unsure about how to approach the process. I was impressed by mbaMission from the get-go, and I was paired with Susan Kaplan who I worked with for my 4 school package (to which I added another school in the middle of the process.)

Working with Susan was, in a good way, like being in an MBA admissions bootcamp. It was not an easy process by any means. You will need to do a lot of research on your own, and as most reviewers say, the consultant will never do the work for you (which is good!) so be prepared to work pretty hard, and be rest assured that it will pay off in the end. Susan was extremely focused on helping me get to the results that I wanted, and she wasn't afraid to dish out some tough love in order to help me achieve them.

I thought I had everything figured out for my (round 1) applications. However Susan helped me understand that a major concern in my candidacy was the lack of concrete post-MBA career goals. She pushed me to research roles I was interested in (that were realistic and achievable given my current experience) and tie them back to the resources offered at each of the schools I was targeting. I poured a lot of information into our initial brainstorming session, and she was able to extract the meaningful components that I eventually used to complete the 7 essays I worked with her on. She actually helped me learn more about myself in the process.

The essays themselves were brutal, but Susan never once missed a deadline or returned my drafts late. In fact, she occasionally even returned them ahead of time so that I would have a little extra time to work on them. She was never afraid to tell me to scrap an entire section out of my essay, in which case she would provide more detailed feedback to help me get my points across more effectively. Whether it was getting an expedited review through, or adding in a school 3 weeks before its application deadline, Susan was very accommodating and understanding of why I needed the extra help. We went through almost 10 drafts for one of the schools and she worked tirelessly to help me answer the question exactly as the school would like me to.

Susan was also very proactive with my interview prep. I had 4 interviews, and even though I felt more and more comfortable with each one, she still ensured that I had a mock interview with her for each school so that I was able to handle the questions effectively.

I ended up getting into 3 out of the 5 schools I applied to (including a top 10 school), with one of the schools offering me a substantial scholarship. I am currently waitlisted at another school, and Susan has stuck by me even through the waitlist process by helping me understand what the school needed and working with me on crafting an effective waitlist update letter. She was always one of the first people I reached out to when I received every one of my decisions, and I am certainly very happy with the results.

Overall, working with Susan was hard work but very worth it. While the sensitive side of me had some difficulty with the tough love, I knew that that was what I had hired a consultant for - someone to give me the cold hard facts so I could get through this grueling process successfully.

On a more general note - I found mbaMission to be extremely focused on the client, and not so much on giving acceptance metrics or other marketing figures to draw people in. They know that you're already shelling out a lot of money for their services, and I never perceived them trying to upsell in any way. They have excellent resources (start-to-finish guide, school insider guides, interview primers), and their newsletter is actually really helpful too. Highly recommend these guys (and Susan)!

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I worked with Krista Nannery during round one of the 2015-2016 admissions cycle on applications to four schools through a “Start-to-Finish” package.

While Krista’s guidance and support was exceptional throughout the application process, I believe the following points would be of particular interest to individuals contemplating working with her:

1) She helped me convey my story authentically.

Prior to engaging a consultant, I found it rather difficult to assess through self-reflection what attributes and anecdotes were most important to my personal narrative. I had mentally succumbed to the notion that there was a model candidate for each school and that the unspoken goal of the application process was to spin my story to fit a specific mold. Krista as an individual and mbaMission as a firm overwhelmingly reject that philosophy.

Krista put forth great effort in our initial brainstorming session to gain a comprehensive understanding of who I am, both personally and professionally. An intent listener, she pressed me for further details on a family experience that I briefly mentioned and had not previously shared in any great detail, even with my closest friends. After continued exploration, this story provided the foundation for my application to several schools.

Krista did not hesitate to tell me when she did not believe my writing was presenting a genuine account of my complete self. In the end, she helped me truly find my voice and communicate the compelling aspects of my candidacy in a manner that was cogent and cohesive.

2) She pushed me to write concisely.

While I consider myself to be a fairly effective writer, I am often unnecessarily verbose. As such, conveying numerous and seemingly disparate stories under a limited word count was one of the most daunting challenges of the application process for me. Krista’s extensive corporate experience has left her with a keen ability to use words and structure sentences efficiently. She helped me condense my writing while at the same time making it more powerful and evocative. Essays where I thought I would only be able to relay one or two stories suddenly accommodated three or four. Consequently, I was able to paint the fullest possible portrait of myself and maximize the potential of every written component of my application, including my essays, resume and short answer responses.

3) She allowed me see the big picture.

As a self-described perfectionist, the subjective nature of the essay composition process had the potential to drive me absolutely crazy and lead to writer’s block, which would have been fatal under a schedule in which I needed to complete four applications in just over a month. Krista leveraged her past experience as an application reader to help me focus my efforts on the elements of my application that would be truly decisive from the perspective of an admissions committee. She relentlessly pushed me to improve essays and short answer responses where I wasn’t putting my best foot forward but also helped me avoid wasting time on trivial details after I had already accomplished my goal.

4) Her feedback and support was direct and consistently accretive.

Drafting applications, especially when working with a consultant, is an inherently iterative process. Every time I sent Krista a new draft of a document, she provided me with concrete strategic steps I could take to improve it. Given her quick turnaround times for reviewing documents, it was evident to me that she was constantly thinking about my application even when she didn’t have it in hand, which further demonstrates her commitment to her clients.

Krista genuinely cared about me personally and I always felt like I was her only client. Whenever we spoke, I never felt rushed and always had her undivided attention. Her commentary was thorough, encouraging, genuine and actionable. She believed in me with high expectations for what I could achieve. As much as I worked diligently on my applications to leave admissions committees with a positive impression, I also did not want to let down Krista and always strove to ensure that my efforts were commensurate with hers.


I will be happily attending Booth this fall and enthusiastically recommend Krista to future MBA applicants.

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I had a fantastic experience with the Stratus Prep team's counsellor Harold Simansky. He helped me build my story authentically and comprehensively and identify my goals through introspection exercises. He helped me ensure that my experience before b school through my story was in perfect sync with my post MBA goals. Next, I was also supported through the b school search process. Considering the number of b schools and all the varied rankings available, I felt Harold's advice was invaluable during the b-school selection stage given my specific career goals and personal inclinations. Next, when it came down to the essay editing process, his support was timely and exceptional with every edit till the final essay was ready. Harold also collaborated with his team mates whenever there was a need and I must thank Vinod for his great advice during the essay editing process. During the interview stage, I got a mock interview done with Harold which was very helpful and increased my confidence immensely. I also received a lot of questions to practice with. All in all, my experience was outstanding with the Stratus Prep team and with the counsellor Harold in particular ---the result ---I got into my first choice B school with a pretty average gmat score!

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I had a fantastic experience with Krista Nannery during my MBA application process.

I chose Krista based on her Financial Services and overall background, and I had a phenomenal free 30-minute introductory call with her.

Krista was able to quickly and efficiently distill my background and help me highlight the important achievements throughout my professional and personal career. She was extremely helpful in forcing me to identify and focus on achievements and skill sets that I would not have addressed.

This level of value continued throughout the entire application process. She consistently and succinctly provided constructive criticism through the mock interview, video interview, and application process.

For anyone considering an application consultant, I would highly recommend Krista. Not only does she perfectly walk you through the application process, but she also thinks outside the box to enhance, differentiate and improve your overall application.

I worked with Krista on one top 10 program which I was accepted to.

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I highly recommend working with Debbie Choy at mbaMission , because she is the reason I got accepted to my dream b-school.

Last year, I applied to five b-schools on my own and I got dinged from all of them even without any interview invitation. I have a successful professional resume in healthcare industry with low GMAT and I did not know how to tell my story for my application.

So this year, I decided to work with a consultant. And I found mbaMission and luckily I started to work with top-notch consultant, Debbie Choy. I applied to 6 b-schools in total and used a 2-school package.

Because of Debbie’s help, I came out of the application process feeling confident and armed with much clarity. Debbie really helped my story stand out.

Her turnaround for essay reviews was so fast, and she pointed out weaknesses that I could not have noticed before. Because I am an international applicant, it was hard for me to figure out what to say during my interviews. Mock-interviews I had with Debbie were hugely helpful for me, she addressed flaws and weaknesses that helped me polish my answers and determine which stories to emphasize. Her help and feedbacks for interviews will be helpful for my future job interviews, as well.

After all my applications were submitted, I got into 4 b-schools with scholarships. Most importantly, I received an interview to my top choice program and was admitted with a scholarship and an assistantship.

I am pretty sure that I would not have gotten into my program without Debbie’s help. I have been extremely pleased with mbaMission’s services. And I would HIGLY recommend–Debbie Choy- to anyone who wants to work with enthusiastic, creative and experienced consultant, and who makes the application process enjoyable.

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I had a wonderful experience working with my advisor at Stratus prep, Harold Simansky. Harold not only helped me pick the best schools to fit my background and career goals, but also showed me how to tell my “story”. I got into two great schools Owen and Olin and I can honestly say that I don’t think I could have done it without his guidance. Harold always responded in a timely manner and provided the support and encouragement I needed to get through this process. Harold helped me change the course of my life and I am forever grateful.

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I first met Angela through the Forte Foundation where her webinars really stood out as having uniquely practical, actionable, and smart advice. In the saturated space of MBA admissions consulting, it was refreshing to hear Angela present with her signature amount of energy and drive. When I ultimately decided to apply to school and to select a consulting firm, Angela and mbaMission was the obvious choice. Working with Angela is undoubtedly one of the best investment decisions I have made to-date, and it not only made my MBA application process stress-free and fun, but also a great opportunity to truly reflect on myself and my goals.

In the end I was accepted to both of my top choice schools: Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, and UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.

A few notes on what made this journey with Angela fantastic:

How did you get here? Where are you going?
Angela’s ability to bring out the best in her clients is a natural talent. Out of a million different ways that I could have told my story, Angela helped guide me towards the one that felt most authentic and genuine. I came out of the essay writing process feeling confident, grounded and armed with a much greater clarity of my own narrative.

Brevity is the soul of wit
Editing – everything from essays to resume to short answer questions – is by far the toughest, but most critical task and Angela was incredibly helpful in providing constructive criticism tailored to each piece of the application and each school. Trimming down your work from “could this qualify as a novel?” to “YES 450 WORDS EXACTLY” is daunting, but quick, clear, and laser-focused feedback from Angela can calm even the most frayed nerves.

Details, details, details
Beyond the application there are a lot of small details you don’t really think about until you are in the thick of things and panicking. Whether it’s questions/emails for the admissions office, scholarships, deposits, the decision-making – everything could have an impact on the admissions process. I tend to get mired in the small stuff, and being able to send Angela a quick question knowing I will receive a reliable and fast response made all the difference in my confidence that I did the very best I could in my applications to business school.

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I will say this without equivocation and for the world to hear: Melissa Blakeslee at MBAmission is the reason I got into a top 5 B-School. How can I say that with such certitude? Because it sure as stuff wasn't my 690 GMAT. And my inconsistent, all-over-the-map work experience didn't exactly help either.

Melissa knew how to bring out my story and how to frame, share and ultimately sell that story to an admissions counselor. Over the course of several months, Melissa skillfully guided me through the process. Melissa was patient and eager to bring out my best work. We brainstormed about my experience, my background and my upbringing working together to genuinely figure out what my contribution to an MBA program would be (that’s ultimately what you’re selling – what do you bring to their table.) Don’t get it wrong. I did the work. You will write, you will rewrite, you will roll your eyes and rewrite again… and by the end, the final product is undeniable.

And she was always available. When things got dicey, she quickly hopped on the phone and talked me off the ledge. Here's what happened - I was sloppy on my resume and botched a date pretty badly. Well, after I got accepted I started reading about background checks and realized the school would probably catch the mistake and potentially revoke my acceptance. Was I overreacting? Maybe. Doesn’t matter. Melissa totally talked me through it meeting my concerns with her admissions knowledge and experience.

Looking back, Melissa made it look so easy. During the course of our engagement, she effortlessly glided from consultant to advisor to mentor to counselor to friend depending on what I needed. Thanks, MB. Lucky to have you in my corner.

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Melissa Merchant at mbaMission made the MBA application process so doable. The schedules and resources that she provided me not only kept me on track, but also took away a lot of the stresses of the many moving parts that are needed for a strong MBA application. From the calls about essay prep, the essay outlines, the edits and feedback to the interview prep and general MBA questions that I had – she had a level of understanding of the process that I would have never been able to get if not for this service. mbaMission took me from an overwhelmed, nervous candidate to a highly organized, strong MBA applicant. Melissa was very objective in her feedback and kept me positive throughout the process. I feel so much more confident in myself because of it.

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