Without a doubt, Jessica Shklar & MBA mission are the reasons why I’m headed to b-school this fall. Jessica came highly recommended from several friends who had previously used her services, and she exceeded even their glowing recommendations.

Coming from a non-traditional background (military), I was clueless about how to navigate the b-school application process. Herself a graduate of HBS, Jessica knows first hand what it takes to get into a top b-school and how to best present oneself to the admissions committee. From the beginning, Jessica helped me clearly and tangibly articulate why I wanted to get a MBA in a way that was both logical and compelling to the admissions committees. To that end, she helped me develop a rock-star resume, helped me flesh out my most compelling stories (both personal and professional), and when the time came, helped prepare me to knock out my admissions interviews.

Throughout the application process, Jessica continually pushed me to provide hard, quantifiable data to back up my accomplishments and swiftly eliminated any “fluff” that snuck its way into my essays. As a result, each word in my essays packed a serious bunch…crucial when you consider that several of my essays had limits of only 200 words. Jessica also helped me organize my experiences into over-arching themes. This was critical as it allowed me to quickly answer the common behavioral questions that were asked during my admissions interviews, and it was much more effective than trying to memorize answers to questions that may/may not be asked. Jessica always responded swiftly to my questions and often turned around products sooner than the 2-business day maximum, ensuring I had the maximum amount of time to work on essay & resume revisions.

Extremely high professionalism and quality is what you can expect from Jessica Shklar. I could easily write several more pages about the top-notch service and insight she provided, but the results speak for themselves. With Jessica I went “3 for 3” and was accepted into Ross, Haas, & Tuck, and found myself in the “difficult” position of having to choose amongst those three top tier programs. I owe all of that to Jessica, and if you’re serious about applying to a top flight business school, you owe it to yourself to go with MBA Mission and Jessica Shklar…you won’t regret it!!

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I chose mbaMission to help me with my application to USC Marshall. The reason why I chose a consultant was because of the short time frame (1 month) I was working with. I am very glad I did and was very fortunate to have Angela Guido as my consultant.

From the get go, we set up a phone call to go over expectations and to layout the game plan. The first step was to brainstorm - work accomplishments, personal achievements, skills, strengths, weaknesses, random bits about yourself etc. It was a big giant puzzle with pieces scattered everywhere. Then with Angela's guidance, I was able to take all that information and create an outline for each of my essays. In total I wrote 2 full essays , 3 short question essays, and redid my resume. It was great to have another perspective on how to approach and answer each question.

I don't think I could have done everything in less than 30 days without Angela's help. She was extremely energetic and exuberant with an infectious laughter. The turnaround time was quick - on average the edits and revisions took about 2 business days. Through the process, I did about 4 revisions on the longer essays and 2-3 revisions on the shorter ones. The end result was top notch and I was accepted into the USC Marshall Program.

Thank you Angela and Thank you mbaMission!

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I got into my dream school with the help of Jessica Shklar (mbaMission) and I am more than happy with all her help during the entire process.

It took me a long time to decide which consultant I would work with. I spoke to several and did my research over what was posted over the internet. I had heard great things about Jessica online so I scheduled a free 30-minute consultation with her as I did with many consultants prior to that. She was busy and so my appointment was 15 days later than when I wanted it. I almost cancelled the appointment because it was so far out (in retrospect, best decision I made was not to cancel the call).

Over the course of the 30-minute call, it was clear that Jessica not only knew what she was talking about but that she actually took interest in what she did. She told me about specific things in my profile that I need to focus on and it all made sense to me when I read her post phone call analysis. I knew at that time that I have to work with Jessica to get the best out of my application.

Unfortunately, I didn't have much time before my application was due - only 25 days and there were many religious holidays in between. That's where Jessica made the difference. She worked tirelessly to make sure I got each document not only on time but well ahead of time. Once when I submitted the essay to her at midnight, she responded with edits to my essay at 10AM. If I was willing to write an essay at night to meet my deadline, she matched that by returning the essay to me the very next day. Her work ethic was great.

While working on my resume, Jessica went back and forth multiple times and made sure everything was absolutely perfect. She helped me change every single bullet point I had on my first draft. These were all meaningful changes and ones that made my resume very powerful. At the end, I got something very different than what I started with - it was a great resume that I'll be using for sometime to come. After I got done with the resume, I thought I had got most of my money's worth.

However, it was the essays where Jessica really helped me shine. There were stories from the past that I did not know how to weave into my essays. She helped me brainstorm over the phone and gave me an essay map of how I should structure my essay. Every single edit that she sent back made my essay much much better. Jessica was very thorough with her work and knew what an impressive essay entailed. When I was done with the essays, I looked at them and saw that I was more than just my stats on paper. If someone had the same stats as me, I felt really good about my chances with the essays that I had worked on.

Jessica is also very honest and upfront - she's all about straight talk and this really helped through the whole process. In the end, I highly recommend Jessica because she gets it. She knows the whole process inside out, is well prepared and works hard. My essays turned out phenomenal, I got into my dream school and I think her help was the difference that made the difference.

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When I started my application process, I found it very overwhelming. This was partly because I was taking the GMAT at the same time as I was completing my application. I realized very quickly that I needed a plan to apply to my 5 schools and put my best foot forward.

I learned about mbaMission through my GMAT prep course (Manhattan GMAT) and had a discount to take the essay writing bootcamp with Angela. In the bootcamp, Angela helped me think about all of my experiences, personal and professional, and how they may fit the different essays. The brainstorming exercise alone was one I hadn't gone through or thought of, taking the time to take stock of EVERYTHING, big/small, significant or insignificant. She helped me really understand what adcoms were looking for with each essay they were asking as well. I started to really understand how to map each story for each essay, and understand what the essays were really asking, therefore what I really wanted to tell them.

Part of the bootcamp was writing a first draft to one essay and getting a chance for her to read it and provide feedback. It was in that phone call that I realized I wanted Angela to read and critique all my essays. As an objective third party, specializing in helping people get into b-school, she was able to ask me questions that forced me to dig deeper into what I was trying to convey, and tell me when I sounded arrogant (it's easy to do when you're talking about yourself!), or when I was telling versus showing (the hardest thing to do).

You may be reading this review and say to yourself, "yes, I see the value, but it's a lot of money." I thought the same thing, but then looked at the total cost of the next two years and where I wanted to go. I knew I was committing to $100K+ over the next two years and I only wanted to go to a top 10 school, so I knew the competition would be really strong. I decided spending the money upfront to get into the best program where I'd be happy was a small price in the grand scheme of business school.

Another note on cost, I feel I actually got a return on my investment. After getting into the school I wanted, I decided to put my hat in the ring for a scholarship. While I didn't use Angela for this essay, I took the principles I learned from her, show vs. tell, to write my scholarship essay. I ended up getting it! Almost a full year of my program is now paid for!

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Hello GMATCLUB,

I just wanted to share my amazing mbaMission experience with everyone. I pretty much applied to business school on a whim. Not knowing what to expect, I started the application process with 3 months left before the application deadline. A friend suggested I seek help from a consultant. So I contacted all the companies offering free initial consultations.

Some quick info about me: I have a sub 3.0 GPA from a not so reputable state school. I was even placed on academic probation at a junior college! I have less than 3 years of work experience in the least relevant field imaginable. I mean, my track record screams "NOT B-SCHOOL MATERIAL!"

So I was not surprised as consultant after consultant pretty much told me to not waste their time. Others never even got back to me. But John, who I was placed on a 30 minute freebie call with, was encouraging throughout our conversation. Instead of focusing on the negatives, he highlighted the positives. John was very creative and seemed to know exactly what the adcom wanted to hear. It also helped that we kept a great line of communication. He kept me on track during the entire process, and together we made sure I put forth the best application possible.

The end result was an admission to a top 20 European program. I can't thank John enough for all his help and encouragement. I would highly recommend John Sisk and mbaMission to anyone who is interested in applying to business school. Thanks again, John!!

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I found my experience with mbaMission to be incredibly rewarding and it absolutely helped me to be admitted to my top choice business school. My consultant was always available and her comments and critiques helped build my essays and resume into the best possible version.

Rachel, the consultant I worked with from mbaMission, was instrumental in my successful application to business school. Through conversation and email, I felt that she truly understood the story I had to tell and the reasons why I wanted to go to business school and then she pushed me to write the strongest versions of that story. Rachel was especially helpful at cutting to the core of thoughts and helped me cut paragraphs down to sentences - a vital task when the essay can only be a limited number of words.

I felt like she was my partner in the entire application process and would recommend her to anyone seeking admission to a top tier business school.

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I was introduced to mbaMission through the Manhattan GMAT test prep program. I called and did the initial 30 minute session and ended up purchasing a two school package. I asked them who they thought would be a good fit as someone who wants to get into the financial industry and they placed me with Rachel.

Rachel was great throughout the process. She was very responsive, provided great feedback and really helped me tell my story effectively. She also was a great sounding board for different ideas that I had and was an extremely critical asset once I hit submit. She completely exceeded my expectations and I would definitely recommend her--even giving me assistance on schools that were not on the package I purchased.

She pushed me to work as hard as I could and and some of my essays went to v14. It even went beyond essays, including the resume, short answer sections, interview prep and recommender assistance. If I wasn't happy she wasn't happy.

While I didn't get in to my dream school I got into my #2 and couldn't be happier. My one thing of advice is if you have/want very specific career assistance it's probably better to reach out to a current student or alumni in the field you want to get into.

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I started thinking about working with an MBA consultant in June for round 1 applications. I had a 700 GMAT so I knew that I needed to really stand out on the essays to get into my dream school. I had lots of ideas on what I could write about but was looking for someone who can help me decide which stories are the most compelling. I was looking for thought leadership, a direct communication style and someone who really clicked with me. I reached out to friends, colleagues and even my GMAT instructor for consultants they have used and would recommend. I spoke to 8-10 different essay consultants before deciding to go with Angela Guido.

She was someone who really wanted to understand me and help present my stories in the best light instead of just treating me like a client. From the beginning, I felt like Angela was somewhat of a best friend, mentor and epic story evaluator. She was the one my GMAT instructor recommended and I was delighted that she was making time for me in her busy schedule.

Angela was very easy to work with. We spent a lot of time upfront brainstorming and talking about my entire life story. I did most of the hard work on my own (i.e. filling out brainstorming documents, writing drafts of essays/resumes, scheduling time with her to chat, bringing ideas to the table) but we did the all the creative thinking and structuring together. We started with essays for my top choice school. The first one was the toughest one. I think we had a total of 4 or 5 drafts, including one where I had to re-write the entire essay. Angela was very prompt with her feedback and her notes were very clear with thoughtful questions, insightful suggestions and a knack for keeping the big picture in mind. Sometimes, I would have ideas on what I wanted to talk about but had no idea how to approach it. This is where Angela was the most helpful. She could boil down stories to the most important essence and help me recreate it in writing. She never “wrote” anything on my behalf and she trusted that I would be on top of all my applications. I was in charge of the whole process which made our working relationship very positive.

List of what she helped me with:
- Brainstorming – thinking about who I am and how I could differentiate myself
- Essays – at the beginning we did everything together, but by the end I was doing essays on my own without too much iteration
- Applications – including short form answers, I had everything in a word document and she reviewed
- Recommender brainstorming – I ran my recommenders by her and what they were going to write about so she had the “whole application” in mind
- Interviews – we spoke about them but didn’t do a formal practice interview
- Resume
Other things she can help with that I didn’t take advantage of (did it myself, but she could’ve been very helpful):
- Mock interviews
- Read recommendations from recommenders

I sincerely feel like I had a better end product because I worked with Angela. She brought out the best in me. She was so great that I referred many of my friends to her. One of my friends let me read her essays before submitting them for her round 2 application and I was pleasantly surprised that her essays were very different from mine. This was one of my fears of working with a consultant. This just goes to show that Angela really tries to stay true to her clients and does not impose any “molds” or “common guidelines” for them. Everyone remains an individual.

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I first called for a free half hour consultation two years ago and was immediately impressed with the amount of work that Jessica had already put into reviewing my candidacy. Twice after that, my job situation changed in a way that caused me to re-evaluate my business school timeline. Both times Jessica provided me with support as she identified factors that I had not yet considered, even offering career advice. This was truly service above and beyond as I had yet to sign up for any mbaMission package.

When the right timing came along for me to sign up for business school, I did not hesitate to contact Jessica and signed up for a three school package. I was thrilled to work with her and was impressed throughout the whole process of how well she seemed to know me. You can tell by the energy that she puts into her work that she is invested in the future of her clients beyond the application process.

While working with Jessica and mbaMission, I appreciated that I never felt that I was being packaged in a way that was not authentic to who I am. The final essays were still my stories, my experience, and my voice, but presented with a polish that would have required countless hours (that I did not have to spare!) for me to achieve on my own. Beyond that, the materials provided by MBAmission were invaluable during the process. They gave me an efficient framework in which to tackle the application process, which I desperately needed as I was applying during one of our company’s busiest times of year.

When choosing a MBA consultant, choose someone you feel comfortable with, as you will likely be discussing with them intimate details of your life. For me, Jessica gave me the support and confidence to bring out stories from my past that were difficult to tell but important in defining who I am. This type of reflection not only led to an admittance at my top choice of Stanford, but enabled me to learn a lot about myself during the process.

I would absolutely, without hesitation, recommend Jessica to anyone considering an MBA consultant.

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As someone who has used a different consulting firm in the past (and had a much different result) I can tell you a little bit about what makes MBA Mission, and Rachel specifically, that much better. First, just to give you a sense of my profile: I work in management consulting for a very small firm, was graduated from a mid-tier undergraduate university with a 2.9GPA, have 5 years of work experience, and a 740 GMAT.

I decided to work with MBA Mission at the recommendation of a friend and couldn’t have been more pleased with the result. Rachel was an incredible asset throughout. She was able to help me compartmentalize the overwhelmingly large process into small manageable chunks and tackle each one effectively. From crafting my ‘story’ all the way through interviewing, she was there to provide great advice and guidance. I can say with near certainty that I would not have been accepted a top 5 school without her help!

The biggest thing that sets Rachel apart is her candor. It’s nice (and feels good) to have someone tell you how great you are, how perfect your essays are, and how big of a ‘shoe-in’ you are for whatever your top school is; but, that doesn’t get you that coveted acceptance letter. In retrospect, my previous consultant did a pretty poor job of managing my expectations (and helping me craft my application). This was definitely not the case with Rachel – she was blunt (but tactful and friendly) in telling me where I was weak and where I was strong all throughout the process. While it may have been a blow to my ego to hear that my essays weren’t perfect as written the first time (or the 10th), it is that kind of honesty that is really necessary to put together the best possible application and maximize the chances of acceptance. She was integral in helping me shape my story into one that would stand out amidst the pile of other applications and in a way that grabbed the reader’s attention quickly. She was particularly great at identifying elements of my profile, and my story, that I had completely overlooked but that the ad-com would love.

She was also a tremendous help with interview prep. A lot of people (and I was one of them) think that you can enter your interview without much preparation and just ‘wing it’ – Rachel was quick to change my thought process when, after doing rather poorly on our mock interview, she told me bluntly ‘you’re not going to get accepted unless you improve your answers to these questions.’ And then she proceeded to tell me exactly how I should improve. Her suggestions proved to be vital as I encountered many of the same questions she asked in the actual interview!

So, would I recommend her? Yes! A thousand times yes! Sure, working with a consultant is expensive; but, it is nothing when you consider the increase in your earnings potential for the rest of your life should you get accepted to a top school. The process is more complicated and potentially overwhelming than most people realize. A great consultant can really help you put your best foot forward and Rachel is certainly that. Work with her. You won’t regret it.

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