I felt like I was starting the MBA application process later than I should have, so I was looking for a push to guide my work and ensure that I would be able to put together solid applications. The boot camp sounded intense, but like it would get me on the right track while also providing personalized attention. I went for it and am very glad that I did.

Angela Guido was an extremely enthusiastic and knowledgeable consultant, and I never doubted that she knew what she was talking about or wasn't providing sound advice. But for me the best part was that the course was small so I really felt like I benefited from the personalized attention she gave to each of the participants' ideas and examples. I learned from her and the other participants breaking down the pros and cons of what I submitted, and from doing the same for the submissions of the other participants. At the end I had a one-on-one session to go over my essays and any other general questions with Angela, and that was really great. She wasn't afraid to provide honest feedback and criticism, and I am sure that the insights I gained from someone who knows the process so well will be extremely useful in improving how I approach the applications.

After the boot camp, I am very confident that I will be able to write more compelling essays, structure my CV appropriately, and focus my efforts on what's most important. To feel like this after a process that lasted less than a week is great, and exactly what I was looking for.

I'm still applying and not sure how everything will go, but I would highly recommend this course for anyone looking to kickstart their applications and quickly figure out how to approach the whole application process.

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Here is the email I sent to Angela last week:
It's been a while since we saw you first in our GMAT class and then at the mbaMission application Boot camp. I hope this email finds you well =) I wanted to reach out and say hello as well as update you on what transpired regarding my MBA applications. My boyfriend and I are moving to Cambridge Thursday!! He was accepted to Harvard and I’m off to Sloan. We are both super excited and it couldn’t have turned out any better. Thank you for all your help and support! We definitely couldn’t have done it without your guidance in mabMission's Boot Camp!!! I’ve told everyone that asks about the application process about Manhattan GMAT as well as mbaMission. Both are great programs and I think my positive perception is attributed to my experiences with you. Just wanted to share the good news and say "Thanks" again!!

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I had started preparing my applications for the top MBA programs and thought I was in pretty good shape, until I asked mbaMission's consultant Susan to have a look at my file. Boy, am I glad I did that! Thanks to Susan's impressive experience and credentials, I was truly able to raise my game to the next level. She was more than helpful, and struck a great balance in bringing new ideas vs working with my owns ideas. I'd say working with someone with good experience to help you build your case for top schools through a second perspective is a must, but Susan really surpassed any expectation I had for this. Her dedication and enthusiasm made me feel that I was really getting my bang for the buck. I would strongly recommend her to anyone thinking of applying to an MBA program.

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Angela is incredible! I cannot thank her enough for all the assistance she had provided with my NYU Stern application. My deadline was May 15th. I started in late March and finished everything in less than two months. I would never have done this myself as I was also working full time and preparing for the GMAT in these two months. Angela was very patient, she worked with my schedule and helped me in every possible way.
 
With Angela's assistance, all my essays shaped up really well. She also helped me with my resume, work history, achievements and every other aspect of the application. With her assistance I was able to present myself at my best.

The initial brainstorming session was excellent. Angela pushed me to think out of the box to come with great ideas for my essays. She helped me to extract the hidden qualities in me which I never thought existed. Also she guided me to edit the essays and point out the mistakes. Being from a technical background my essays were initially looking very technical. She helped me to correct it in a way by avoiding all the jargons so that it look friendly to the adcom.

Because of my short timeframe I received a low GMAT score, a little below the mid 600s, which was not enough being an over represented demopgrahic, but i still decided to apply with the score. I'm proud to say that I got admitted in Stern even with the low score! I'm starting school this fall :) The main reason for this is because of the other aspects of my application, especially my three essays, for which I will give the full credit to Angela. She is very open and appreciates the good work but at the same time points out things that needs improvement.

If you are really serious in getting in to a business school and you don't have enough time to do your research/study for months and months, it is good to seek some professional help. You will be amazed to see how much difference it makes especially with somebody like Angela.

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To set the scene: It was mid-October. I had just taken the GMAT for the first time and was uninterested in repeating the ordeal. I had not yet opened an application much less determined to which schools I would apply. I also had neither a resume nor a solid narrative as to exactly why I needed to attend business school, yet I was adamant about applying in Round 2 - some 10 weeks later - and to some assortment of top tier schools no less. I realized quickly that I was ill-prepared.

Enter Angela.

Angela provided the necessary candor and experience to appropriately set my admissions expectations and to focus my list of schools. She diligently culled through my life story to help me develop my "why business school" narrative and accentuate my unique characteristics that set me apart from other applicants - both of which allowed me to gain a better sense of self. She aided my choosing appropriate essay topics (which is more difficult than one expects) and perfecting those stories through countless drafts. She instilled a greater confidence and speed in my writing, qualities that I had always lacked. She helped me pull together a resume from scratch in under 24 hours, coached me on interview questions, and answered countless paranoid e-mails. And when I was initially waitlisted at seemingly all of my schools, she enthusiastically motivated me to continue fighting for admission until I achieved just that.

The cost might be steep, but one is not gaining just an advisor in Angela. One is gaining a coach, a psychiatrist, an editor, a mentor, a confidant, a cheerleader, and a friend. And I truly needed all of those to have gained admission to a Top 5 school - my dream school, no less.

Thank you, Angela. I hope others will benefit from your exceptional, all-in-one skills as I did.

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When I started my application process, I was uncomfortable with my lack of experience and my “unconventional” application. I was in the process of vetting several consultants when I spoke to Jessica for a free consultation. I was instantly sold. She offered me more insight into the application process during that thirty-minute phone call than the rest of the consultants that I had been vetting combined.

From the very beginning, Jessica was invested in me, my story, and perhaps most importantly, how to help me present the very best version of myself/story. I can honestly say that during EVERY step of the process, Jessica went above and beyond what was required of her. Her knowledge base, attention to detail, and just overall brilliance, helped me to create what I viewed to be a perfect admissions package. She was so personally invested in my story that as far as I was concerned, I was her only client. She immediately responded to my emails and was always available.

What makes Jessica so special is her palpable excitement and energy throughout the process—and her unbelievable concern for and investment in my success. If you are at all concerned about the potential costs, Jessica’s insider knowledge and familiarity with the process, to me, in many ways, was priceless.

Overall, though, the most important thing about Jessica is how remarkably clear it is that she is always giving you her very best in every aspect of her work. I can honestly say, that if you decide to hire Jessica, I am absolutely convinced that you will be hiring the best. I am happy to say that because of Jessica’s help I will be attending Harvard’s Kennedy School in the fall, and Stanford’s Graduate School of Business the following year.

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Looking back, it was a bold move to go after 3 out of the top 5 MBA programs with no safety schools behind, especially during a time when I just took on a challenging project at work. With 60-80 hour work weeks in addition to time needed for GMAT study, despite my strong desire for a top MBA, I would not have survived the grilling 6 months – hitting all the key milestones and finally matriculating to one of my dream schools, if it weren’t for Monica’s push, strategic guidance, and frequent encouragement along the way.

Monica is awesome, personally and professionally. With an MBA from HBS and a range of diverse and impressive experience, she speaks with credibility. On top of that, she is patient, relatable, incredibly insightful, and very compassionate, wonderful qualities of an outstanding admission consultant. The easiness to talk to her helped me open up myself and, in return, allowing her to help me identify the best examples of my life for the essays. She impressed me with her ability to introduce fresh perspectives and, more importantly, magically transform my drafts and breathe life into my stories, again and again. She tirelessly looked for ways to smartly package my life experience into persuasive and attractive presentations. Throughout the application process, Monica constantly challenged me to think outside the box, leading me to uncovered strengths and shining points I was never aware of, and helped me stay focused and on track during rough times.

Overall, for my 3 schools, she edited well over 90 iterations of my essays and applications. And I can’t remember how many my times I sought last minute feedback and she was able to quickly turn around her revisions.

From the start, I knew I needed a strategic adviser and accountability partner for my MBA application journey, end-to-end. Truth being told, I would not have got into one of the best business schools in the world, without Monica’s help. She pushed me to make my dream come true. :)

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Monica played an instrumental role in my admission to the school of my dreams, HBS! Not only is she an incredibly warm, upbeat, and patient person, but she also has an uncanny knack for pulling out the "common threads" amongst various life stories - those recurring themes that bring out the "aha" moments in an essay. It probably helps that Monica is an HBS alum herself, which I felt gave me unique insight that other consultants may not have been able to provide. At first glance, I had a fairly typical applicant profile, but Monica was able to help me to convey my unique qualities and experiences that differentiated myself from other similar applicants.

I signed up for mbaMission's all-inclusive school package, which entitled me to a brainstorming session, a few school guides, unlimited essay reviews, recommender strategy, and interview prep. While this package is sizable investment, I absolutely got my money's worth, and then some. If I had gone the hourly route, I probably would have spent more.

Monica, like any good consultant, did not write my essays - rather, she provided a mix of insightful high-level and specific comments. Monica's turnaround time was excellent, and she also made herself readily available for follow up calls. It was so helpful to have Monica to bounce ideas and get that needed boost of confidence at the 11th hour. I strongly recommend Monica to all applicants!

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I think it's safe to say that anyone seriously considering a top school is probably competent enough to write a decent essay (or two or three). With that in mind, it's tempting to unknowingly write off admissions consulting as an essay-editing service.

Admittedly, I too was unsure as to the value of hiring a consultant. It's not inexpensive, and it definitely adds a third party to an already complex and stressful journey. But I was fortunate to work with Angela Guido from mbaMission, whom I had known after having taken her GMAT and LSAT prep courses -- and she really made a world of a difference in my applications.

Keep in mind, I was a less-than-ideal candidate: decent but not stellar GMAT, strong but not save-the-world-type work experience, white male from the 'burbs. Oh, and a sub-3.0 undergrad GPA. The deck was stacked against me in some really big, important ways.

Angela's strength -- which turned into my advantage -- was to help me craft an entire narrative about myself. To uncover strengths that I didn't realize I had. To articulate the differences I had made in the lives of others. To really get to the heart of what challenges, motivates, and perplexes me. Angela helped me through a lot of introspection that enabled the true "me" to translate within my entire application "suite" -- my resume (don't underestimate the importance of this!), essays, interviews, and more. I can barely recognize my initial drafts against my finished products, and I have her to thank for that.

Angela also kept me on track. I'm a serial procrastinator, and being accountable to an agreed-upon schedule ensured we had ample time to bounce ideas off one another, draft essays, and prepare for interviews. She was always available, whether by email (the easiest for both of us) or frequent calls. Even with what felt like dozens of items on my plate, she made my life easier by being a sort of "advocate" along my way.

In short, I emerged a far more confident applicant than I ever would have been without this help. And in the end, this humble 2.79-GPA-er was accepted to Ross and McCombs; waitlisted at Booth and Johnson; and will matriculate with nearly full scholarship at Kelley. I don't think any of this could have happened without Angela's guidance and support.

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When I initially began working with Angela, i had vague ideas about what I wanted to get out of an MBA, but what Angela really helped me with was translating my ideas into a concrete story with clear short term and long term goals. Instead of just creating the story for me, Angela asked questions that allowed me to develop the story myself and highlight what I was truly passionate about. After these initial brainstorming sessions, Angela's comments on my essay drafts were not just simple grammar corrections, but were rather insightful and challenged me in a way that resulted in strong, cohesive essays. My essays (and applications) would not have been the same without her help. I enjoyed working with Angela and would recommend her services to anyone!

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