I decided to use MBA Mission consulting services fairly late in the game. I had been to many info sessions and had achieved the GMAT score I needed. Given the amount of research I did I decided to go with MBA Mission's hourly services.

I had a mediocre GPA from a top liberal arts college, a great GMAT Score, and was looking to make a transition from financial services and running my own small business part-time to full-time entrepreneurship. While my story had many elements of making a compelling story, I really needed guidance on how to tell it in the limited framework of an MBA application and interview.


I wanted someone who would be able to give me honest feedback on my application and to be very thorough with my application. Pamela Jaffe delivered on this and was key in getting me multiple interview invites as well as an acceptance at a top business school.

Many times she went out of her way in order to ensure that I met the respective deadlines of my target schools. She provides great high level strategic feedback and great line edits. She will push you to use your own voice and be efficient with your purchased time. I really felt well supported and I cannot recommend her more highly. She was a pleasure to work with and really helped me put my best foot forward from application to interview and finally acceptance at a great MBA program.

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My friends and family questioned my decision to hire a consultant given the ROI; however, I knew that I needed the guidance only a consultant could provide. After reading the reviews of various consulting firms via GMAT Club and other sites, I decided to use mbaMission. Prior to the formal start of my engagement, I was contacted by Jeremy, the owner (much to my surprise given the size of the firm!), and he assigned me to Susan Kaplan after determining what I was looking for in a consultant.

Susan was fantastic from the start! I value direct, honest feedback, and she began the engagement by explaining the process, along with my candidacy strengths and weaknesses. Once application season kicked into high gear, she was fabulous at maintaining a high level of communication, as well as providing words of encouragement (all of you know that this is a brutal process and can wear you down at times!). I was accepted into both of the programs to which I applied, including one that was considered more of a "reach" for me. My investment in mbaMission paid off 10x, and I would highly recommend anybody on the fence to go forward!!!

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Hi all! I am writing to recommend Helen with FLYING colors. Her name was sent my way by several people, both students and admissions officers who are familiar with her work. I set out to apply to one of the most competitive business school programs, the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and with Helen's help I was able to apply and got accepted in Round 1!

Helen was extremely thorough. She really leveraged the brainstorming exercise to identify key elements of you application that you should highlight. She also asked the tough questions to ensure that your story is tight and make sense. She is also very straight forward and realistic. She was not afraid to point out where the weaknesses were in my application and how we could compensate. She gave me honest feedback on my essays telling me when what I wrote was just fluff. She also continually pushed me to be better saying, "This is good but I know it can be better."

Helen is EXTREMELY experienced and qualified. An HBS alum herself she knows the process and is very blunt in letting you know what it takes. Also, she know how stressful the process can be and was very accessible when I needed her and was great about turning around feedback in very quick timing. She was also ALWAYS willing to hop on a call and talk through any questions I had on her feedback.

I can honestly say I would NOT have gotten in GSB without Helen! I hope many of you can have the same great experience I did!

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Dan was super smart, knowledgable and helpful throughout the process. He helped me brainstorm essay topics, edited and proofread my essays, helped revamp my resume and provided general guidance along the way. He helped me better understand how the admissions committee thinks and how they would view the application. This was especially helpful because I was somewhat of a nontraditional applicant. He was super responsive to my emails. And he's just a cool guy. Very genuine and easy to connect with.

At the end of the day, I'm not sure I should have worked with an Admissions Consultant at all. Not because Dan wasn't great. He was! But I already knew a lot from reading books and blogs about the process, and talking to students, alumni, and others. So I was pretty well informed. I think I could have gone through the process without a consultant and received the same results.

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For those just starting the process,

When I first started balancing the admissions process along with a full time job in financial services, I was certainly overwhelmed. I was unfamiliar with the admissions process, what would be expected in my essays, and how to differentiate myself. But with Rachel's help, the daunting process became much more seamless. Rachel was flexible, patient, and really worked tirelessly to help me discover "my story." There were countless brainstorming sessions just to get to know me, which ensured my personality/goals were properly condensed into 250-word essays.

Rachel's career in journalism certainly helped. Once we found my story, she really showed the difference between "telling" it and "showing" it. Together, we found ways for my words to "jump off the page" so the admissions committee could understand who I am without me telling them.

But aside from the brainstorming and numerous edits of my essays, Rachel became a real confidant and someone I could trust to guide me through the process. There were many panicked phone calls and late night emails, but she always responded promptly, reassuringly, and insightfully. I can't imagine how I would have gone through the process without her. After I heard that I had been accepted to my first choice, there was only one person I had to call first, and that was Rachel. I highly recommend her to those just starting out.

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I highly recommend working with Rachel Beck at mbaMission; this was the BEST decision I made during the admission process.

Rachel is innovative, dependable, organized, genuinely caring and always on time. From the start, she helped me to break down the intimidating application process and create realistic deadlines for myself. mbaMission’s comprehensive approach, to attack each school’s application with an initial brainstorm and then work on iterations of each essay was crucial for keeping me organized while applying to 7 schools. Rachel was always able to provide an answer to any question or review an essay within 2 business days—she is super organized.

By taking the time to get to know me and learn about my experiences, Rachel was able to help me think of new angles to essay topics. She always had a new idea of how to spice up or reframe a story.

Whenever I hit a roadblock—whether I was stuck on an essay topic or worried about video interviews—Rachel would take the time to talk me through the issue and find a solution. If ever Rachel did not have specific information about an application off the top of her head, she would be sure to follow up with her team to best answer my questions.

Not only does Rachel have inventive ideas about approaching applications, she provides great moral support through this trying time and helped me to keep a positive attitude.

I’ve been accepted to 4 of the 6 business schools to which I applied and also received scholarships from 3! Working with Rachel Beck was a great return on investment and true pleasure!! I appreciate all of your hard work!

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I worked with Pamela Jaffe from mbaMission for London Business School MBA application. Looking back, I am extremely happy that I decided to work with her. I have an admit letter from LBS to show for it!

Initially, I was a bit skeptical whether I really needed a consultant. But looking back, I can say with confidence that it was a great value-add. Here is what I found:

- Pamela was very professional, never pushed me into purchasing services and always gave me as much time as I needed.

- Her feedback after brainstorming sessions and essay reviews included several actionable items to point me in the right direction.

- She focused on making my career goals water-tight on an overall level and once we had nailed that down, she was equally good at the detailed review.

- She was great at bringing out my real motives behind an MBA and motivated me to pursue them. This was most impressive to me.

- Coming from an engineering background and not having sold myself much, I tended to be too modest at times in my application while overcompensating at other times. She made sure that I struck the right balance.

I think Pamela really has great insights into the admission process. Her comments are very honest but at the same time she makes sure to keep you encouraged.

Finally, I would say that experience with a consultant depends a lot on the applicant as well. I made sure I was proactive in asking for suggestions, writing essays etc. Don’t sit back and leave everything on the consultant. The more you ask the more you will get.

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I worked with Pamela Jaffe at MBA Mission for my applications to business school. I used the hourly service that is offered by MBA mission. I had very little time (about 2 weeks) between me signing up for the service to the actual application deadlines.

Pamela was extremely helpful right from the start, from our initial phone conversation (which she accommodated over a weekend) to submitting the application she was always available. She even worked over the Thanksgiving Holidays in order to ensure that I would be able to meet the deadlines.

I remember sending my first set of essay points to Pamela before our initial phone conversation and how after talking to her, she was quickly able to show me how the essay points that I had sent her did not highlight the many of my unique experiences. With her help, I was able to highlight these achievements and improve the quality of my essays. It was night and day between my first essay drafts to my final essays.

I was also impressed with how Pamela effectively managed time such that I was able to get all the help that I wanted within my budget.

I was admitted to both schools that I applied to and have decided to attend Duke, my top choice. I highly recommend her services.

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Helen Summers is amazing. When considering to use the services of an admissions consultant I was a little sceptical. I read a lot of testimonials and reviews like this very one and wondered whether the candidates behind all those with successful admission experiences actually needed a consultant to begin with. I wondered whether they were all just exceptional individuals and whether their constant made any real difference. I now know the answer to those questions and let me tell you that I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Helen is the person who got me into Booth, without her I can honestly say that I would not be heading to business school this fall. I guess the true test of Helen’s skills a consultant and her impact on my application is whether I would use her services again. My answer is categorically YES.

Helen’s skills and contribution to my application are best represented by comparing my submitted essays with my very early attempts, particularly those that I attempted prior to working with her. The difference is massive, to the point where I am now embarrassed by my initial attempts. I put a huge amount of effort into my application and Helen matched me at every step. Helen went above and beyond what she was contracted to do. She regularly sent me feedback within a few hours and worked until the early hours of the morning and at weekends. We only spent a few weeks working together but I think almost every essay had at least 10 or 11 drafts! So be prepared to work hard.

I was really impressed with how professional Helen was yet she remained so personal. She was honest, fair and not afraid to provide me with ideas and the constructive criticism necessary to improve my application. This is what really made the difference between creating an average application and the one that got me admitted. She pushed me further than I would have pushed myself, she ensured that every word of my application had meaning and maximum impact. Helen is a pleasure to work with, generous with her time and contributions. It is clear from working with Helen that she genuinely feels for her clients and wants them to succeed, not only from a professional perspective but also personal.

Not only did Helen help me create a successful application, but I learnt a huge amount about myself from working with her. I also learnt so much about the MBA application process and what schools are looking for. I have a sub 700 GMAT score and was regarded as a ‘wild card’ for Booth. But because of Helen this wild card got accepted!

Deciding to work with Helen and MBA Mission is probably one of the best investments/decisions that I’ve ever made.

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Pamela Jaffe at MBAMission played a huge role in my acceptance to my top choice school! It made the process smoother and without a doubt, much more successful!!
Here’s what makes Pamela amazing to work with:

* Her work/travel experience – Pamela has experience with a variety of industries and she has traveled extensively. My job includes lots of travel – Pamela was able to relate to my experiences ranging from Europe to Asia and the Middle East

* Pamela is incredibly direct – there’s no second guessing her feedback. She pushed me to dig deeper and write better essays. She explained why something wasn’t working or what may be missing, it was easy for me to trust her judgment!

* Pamela was always available to help - I particularly struggled with one of my essay questions, Pamela was happy to have multiple brainstorming sessions with me. She didn’t give up until we found the perfect experience to fit


*** Most important -- Pamela encouraged me to apply to ‘reach’ and ‘stretch’ schools. Although my gmat score was well below average, she suggested that my unique background could keep me competitive – and she was right!! With Pamela’s help I got into a top 10 school! I highly recommend Pamela at MBAMission!!

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