Having decided to pursue MBA with only few months to submit application, I decided to hire a consultant to guide me through the process of application submission. At the start of the process I knew about what all was needed e.g. GMAT, recommendations, essays etc. However, I wasn't aware of nitty gritty of each step like what defines a good recommendation, or what life stories are relevant for an essay. Through mbaMission, I met Eric. He is very professional, and works with you very passionately in order to achieve your goals. Initial questionnaire and documents from mbaMission sets you up to create an outline of your essay and forces you to think hard about your life events. I really liked Eric's approach of asking the right questions, instead of giving answers and prioritizing my life stories. His feedback on essay word count reduction and creative writing style added a lot of value to my essay. I would highly recommend Eric for your MBA essays.

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I was first introduced to Eric / mbaMission by a few of my co-workers who had used the same group when they were going through the application process last year. I spoke with Eric and a couple other consultants at other firms before deciding he was the best fit, namely due to his flexibility in service offering and specific knowledge about each school I was applying to (as opposed to making generalized statements). I couldn’t be happier with the outcome—Eric is hands down the easiest, wisest and most helpful consultant I could have worked with. I opted to use the hourly service as I felt that would be the best way to get targeted feedback on what I was working on. He was great at providing exactly what I needed and stayed within my ‘light/heavy comments’ and time limit range. I used him for a thirty minute resume review, several thirty minute essay brainstorming calls, several essay reviews and an HBS interview preparation call. Each time I would submit a draft of my essay, he would send comments back well before the 2-day deadline. The level of detail and guidance he provides in his comments/questions is exactly what I needed in order to be able to successfully refine my story and not feel as though I was left stranded each time.

My most memorable moment working with Eric was the day I interviewed at HBS. We had a quick call to go over interview techniques the week prior and he had mentioned he would stay ‘on call’ to review my post-interview reflection statement if I wanted someone to take a quick glance for general thoughts. After my interview, I hung back at Spangler (my interview location at HBS) and quickly lost track of time while working on my essay. To my surprise and delight, I received an e-mail from Eric at 9pm checking in to see how the interview went and ask if I still wanted to show him my final statement before submitting. This is an example of how Eric is extremely generous with his time and makes each client feel as though he/she is his only client at the time. He remembered my story week to week even though we only chatted for thirty minutes every now and then. He is very thoughtful and really took the time to get to know me so he could provide the best insight for how I should position myself in each essay for each school. Ultimately, I got into my top choice (HBS) and wouldn’t have been able to do it without his guidance and support along the way!

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When I first made the decision to apply to business school, I was unsure as to whether I wanted to hire an admissions consultant. Looking back, choosing to work with Eric on my applications was one of the best decisions I made during the admissions process.

From our first conversation, Eric made understanding not just my background and objectives, but also my personality, a priority. He consistently took the time to understand WHY I made the decisions I’d chosen throughout my life and my career. The effort paid huge dividends when brainstorming for the admissions essays, as Eric was able to help me choose topics that brought through my personality and accomplishments while still highlighting the aspects of my background that would be most attractive to each admissions committee. Eric’s ability to combine a deep, detailed understanding of his clients with an equally-detailed understanding of what each school is looking for is truly standout.

Another highlight of my experience with Eric was his responsiveness. My work-weeks generally average 70-80 hours; in addition, we were working on a very tight timeline (my first application was due less than 1 month after we started working together). Eric was exceptionally accommodating of my schedule and never missed a deadline, at one point even working through a wedding weekend. Eric’s responses were not only prompt, but also tremendously additive to the drafting process – each essay was returned with thought-provoking, actionable comments that kept my writing focused and on point.

Lastly, my review would not be complete without highlighting Eric’s awesome personality and demeanor. He was encouraging and supportive throughout what can be an extremely stressful process, yet never sugar-coated things; he always told me exactly what I needed to hear. Throughout the process, it was always clear that he was genuinely invested in making sure my applications were successful.

I strongly recommend Eric to anyone who is considering working with an admissions consultant – he is a thoughtful, talented and hard-working advisor. In my case, I am certain that his guidance was the difference-maker that led to my being admitted to my top-choice school (Wharton).

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I worked with Liza on an hourly basis because I was not sure how many schools I wanted to apply to. My applications would not have reached their full potential with Liza’s help. Simply put, Liza’s services are well worth the price. She not only helped me with the applications directly but also consulted on which schools to apply to. Without Liza’s help I would not have known of Cornell’s strengths in the finance space. I could not have asked for a more creative, compassionate, and responsive consultant. Without Liza, I would still be stuck in my current role with no future in sight. Now, I am on my way to a successful MBA career. Working with Liza has been a pleasure.

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Simply put, Liza’s input improved the quality of my applications and interview prep to a point it would not have reached if I only relied on my friends/family and myself.

I worked with Liza on an hourly basis since I decided to engage a consultant late in the application process. I was skeptical of the value of a consultant given the support I had from both alumni and family. However, even on the short 30 minute intro call, it was clear that Liza brought a professional lens I needed. As a former management consultant herself, she could relate to the story I was trying to tell and suggested straightforward ways to improve my reasoning behind ‘why an MBA’ to make it resonate with schools. Throughout our engagement (email back and forths on apps, essays, and a couple mock interview sessions), I found her feedback to be tactical, easy to implement, and she always made it clear how her suggested edits could improve my application. The feedback was also prompt and she made it feel like we were a team that had the same priorities.

In addition to the nuts and bolts of the application, working with Liza gave me the confidence I needed throughout the process. She made me feel more prepared, which was a difficult task given the amount of constructive feedback she gave :). In the end, I got into my first choice school and I don’t think that would have happened without her support.

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Selecting Eric as my admission consultant is one of the wisest moves I made in my business schools’ applications. From the first call, he was so well-prepared that he suggested potential schools and programs that perfectly matched my career goals and profile. Eric is truly detailed-oriented; he brainstormed with me on every single essay question, drawing all my attributes and strengths mentioned in the questionnaire I had done in the very early stage of the consulting processes. When it came to the mock-interviews, he gave me invaluable feedback on each of my draft answer to the simulated interview questions, improving and broadening my views significantly. Working with Eric is extremely efficient and comfortable; he kept on his high performance while maintaining his cozy conversations.

Having been through the application processes, I realized that the admissions committees look not only for the most qualified but also for the best-fitted applicants. While the former attribute is simply shown in the GMAT score and GPA, the latter attribute must be communicated through the essays, which are usually done without sufficient effort. Admission consulting service, in my opinion, is a worthwhile investment, representing only a small portion of the total educational investment. And as in any investments, picking a correct “choice” is crucial. If you are reading my testimonial, I suggest that you just pick Eric, and I guarantee you that it will be one of your most profitable investments.

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I applied to 3 top American business schools with MbaMission's support and I got an offer from 2 of those. I think that being supported by a specialized consulting firm like MbaMission is fundamental to be accepted into different top business schools. Here what I liked about working with MbaMission:
1. It is a very structured company (you are followed step-by-step during the entire application journey)
2. It provides you with a lot of material
3. It has parent companies that can help you after the admission (financing your MBA and career development)
And now what I liked about Hollis:
1. She is very creative (she came up with a lot interesting ideas on how to present thoughts at best)
2. She is very patient in reading your essays as many time as you need
3. She is pleasant to work with

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I worked with Hollis on an hourly basis to polish up my application to 3 top ten business schools. At first I was hesitant to invest such a large sum in 60 minutes of a person's time. However, I went on to buy not one but six hours of Hollis's time, and can confidently say that every minute we worked together was the best possible use of my time and money.

Hollis was an excellent consultant for a number of reasons, here are some of my favorite characteristics:

- Prompt: Hollis always returned my material within the allotted time (48 hours), and often in half that time. This made me feel like my work was a priority to her, and it was also immensely useful to turn around final drafts and submit material in time for the Round 2 deadlines.

- Positive: All of Hollis's efforts were geared towards helping me present my best self, and that extended even to the tone and nature of our communications. She constantly encouraged me, while also giving the detailed feedback I needed to improve my application.

- Clear: Gone are the days of illusive feedback from professors about how to improve your English essays. The feedback Hollis gave on my personal statements was always very clear and easy to integrate, without losing my personal tone. This really helped me understand what the AdComs were looking for and significantly improved my statements as a result.

This Fall I will be attending Stanford GSB, a school I almost didn't apply to because it felt so far out of reach. I'm confident that Hollis played an instrumental role in elevating my application to the status that helped it get noticed and, ultimately, accepted by my dream business school.

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I had known for a while that I wanted to apply to business school – specifically, to some of the most competitive programs out there. Since the application process seemed so daunting, I decided early on to use a consultant. A friend and mentor of mine introduced me to mbaMission, and I had a 30 minute consultation with Jeremy Shinewald. Jeremy paired me up with Liza Weale, describing her as an “excellent consultant” and someone who is “very personally invested, taking each client deeply personally”. After nearly a year of working with Liza, I wholeheartedly agree.

From the moment I met Liza, I could tell that she was truly passionate about her work and took the application process very seriously. She was enthusiastic and energetic, and I was excited to begin the process together. Our first task was brainstorming – helping me to rack my brain for stories, anecdotes, experiences, etc. that I might turn into my essays. Liza helped me to craft my story, stringing together my experiences in a way that painted a true picture of who I was as a professional and as an individual. I was immediately impressed and felt much more at ease.

Liza was incredibly helpful in editing and tweaking my essays (as well as helping me with the short answers, preparing me for interviews, etc). Her comments and edits weren’t just “word smithing” – she gave thoughtful feedback with concrete suggestions for how to improve the idea/flow. She knew my “story” so well that she often suggested adding anecdotes to strengthen my essay that I hadn’t even thought about! On some of my essays, we went through 20+ iterations – and she worked just as hard on the last iteration as she did on the first.

But, it was much more than essay help. Trust me – the process can be stressful, defeating and tricky. Liza was my therapist, confidant, and strategist all in one! She ALWAYS made herself available to answer to my questions (and calm my fears) – and I had a lot of them!

Liza always went above and beyond to streamline my story and really push me to put forth top-notch applications. Perhaps my favorite part about working with Liza was how proactive she was – she didn’t wait for me to ask a question or raise a concern, but instead continuously brought things to my attention that I should consider. For example, she didn’t hesitate to suggest a re-write of my essay (taking a completely different direction), even if it meant more work for her. And often, I would get emails to the effect of “I was thinking more about XYZ, and even though my gut reaction was to do X, I think we might want to consider doing Y. Here’s why…” Liza’s dedication to her role was infectious and second to none. I felt as though she was working just as hard as I was, and really took my applications as seriously as I did. While I’m sure she had a number of clients, I always felt like I was getting her undivided, personal attention.

I owe a great deal of my success in the B-school process to Liza. I got into my dream school (HBS)! I’ve already recommended her to my friends and co-workers. If you’re serious about business school, don’t hesitate to work with mbaMission – and more specifically with Liza! It’s definitely worth the investment.

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I was a top student from a top school. I had a GMAT score above the average of the top 10 MBA programs. I had decent work and community leadership experience. Yet I was rejected from all of the schools I applied to – rejected without even an interview.

This is what led me to mbaMission. I started with a free consultation, and right away, I knew mbaMission was the right fit for me. I spoke with Liza Weale and had a great 30-60 minute conversation on whether I was targeting the right schools, the development areas in my profile, and how mbaMission could help me as a reapplicant. I came away impressed that I wasn’t being sold on mbaMission but rather given genuine, helpful guidance.

Once I decided to finally make the leap and give business school another shot, I reached out to mbaMission and signed up for a three-school start-to-finish package. On Liza’s recommendation, I was paired with Eric Hollowaty. Eric was recommended to me based on my background, school choices, and who among the consultant staff would be best able to help me.

Eric was the perfect man for the job. Working in a demanding job, and with only a few weeks to the application deadlines, I needed someone who could work with me on my schedule. I needed someone who could provide direct, succinct, actionable feedback. And I needed someone who could help me think out loud in crafting my personal statements – steering me away from dead ends and towards promising ideas and stories, without commandeering the creative process. Eric checked all those boxes and more. Every exchange – every email and every call – with Eric was time well spent.

The result was interviews with two out of the three highly competitive programs I applied to, and ultimately acceptance to a top five school. The road to MBA admission was extremely challenging, but thanks to mbaMission and Eric Hollowaty, it is one I will look back on fondly. I would highly recommend mbaMission, and Eric in particular, to all prospective applicants, especially reapplicants struggling with the decision to reapply.

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