I set up an initial 30 minute phone call that ended up being over an hour which is how I first 'met' Katy - she was patient and knowledgeable and made me feel very comfortable right away. Having talked to a few other consultants (at other companies) I signed up with Katy. I primarily wanted to work with her for getting into HBS, which unfortunately did not happen but I did get into Wharton/Booth/Kellogg and will be going to Wharton.

I bought a 3 school package and recommend everyone looking for a consulting advice should go for a 2 or 3 school package (anything more is a waste of money in my opinion).

Katy was a great consultant! She patiently helped me with my brainstorming, my profile and was there to hold my hand all through the process. She went above and beyond all through the steps, from editing my resume to doing mock interviews with me to even helping me negotiate for scholarships after I had gotten in. She is a genuinely nice person and I highly recommend her. Even in crunch times right close to the deadline, she was very helpful and able to turn around my essays far sooner than the mba mission policy.

I will add that since she went to HBS and worked at Stanford, a lot of people work with her on those schools (and rightly so) because she is particularly knowledgeable about them. That was fine with me since before applying HBS was my first choice, so I recommend that the consultant you choose either went to or specializes in your number one choice school.

Overall, I highly recommend Katy and encourage people to work with her if they are looking for a smart, patient and awesome consultant! I am looking forward to staying in touch with her at Wharton and beyond!!!

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From the outset, Katie quickly uncovered my story, the kind of story that would wind up gaining me admission to Haas, Ross, and Fuqua. I was amazed at how fast Katie was able to paint my life story. Katie is the kind of consultant that genuinely gets to know who you are and how your story fits into each schools criteria. Katie's expertise shined in her essay reviews as she understood how to convey my story in the most impactful way. Katie was quick to respond to every email and was always available - even on the weekends during tight deadlines. I ended up applying to 8 schools (accepted at 3, WL at 2, dinged 3) and Katie made the daunting process seamless and empowered me with confidence. Katie was also excellent at mock interviews - each of my mock interviews was almost exactly what I experienced live at each school. If you are looking for the admissions consultant who is going to get to genuinely know you as a person, who is invested in your success, Katie is the person to do that and help make your dreams come true.

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Let me begin by providing some background about myself. I am an Engineer working in Healthcare sector in Nepal. I had a real tough time when I began the admission process, as I did not know how to present my candidacy in the right light.
That is where mbaMission came to the rescue. Debbie, my consultant, was really helpful in figuring out how to showcase my candidacy. She took the time to get to know me well then helped me in narrating events that highlighted my strengths. She was instrumental in creating my resume and essays.
In the earlier essays when I was still getting the hang of things we went through nine revisions, which shows her dedication to my candidacy. The mbaMission consultants are straight shooters and very upfront about what they do or do not do. Remember after all it is your application and you are responsible for it.
If you are looking to put your best foot forward in the application process they are the ones to go to. I was able to get into Wharton and they were instrumental in creating the application and the preparing for interview.

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Bottom Line Upfront: when I was applying to MBA programs I just cared about peoples backgrounds, scores, and where they got into, so real quick: Decorated Army Officer (9 years), 3.7 GPA from West Point, 700 GMAT, dinged HBS, wait list Wharton, accepted Duke. Don't think I would have achieved the results (or would have had a much harder time) without Jessica.

I'm an Army Officer who wanted to go to a top tier business school through a program the Army has to send Officers to grad school. I didn't really know anything about business, and even less about business school, so I decided to get a consultant off a recommendation of several friends. One friend pointed me to Jessica, stating that she helped another Army Officer get into HBS. I signed up for the 3 school complete package.

I had already taken the GMAT and got a 700 (low for the schools I was applying to) and in my first meeting with Jessica she said I should work on getting that score up and to email her back in one year because I was starting the process WAY early, which really makes sense because again, I'm an Army Officer and I like to plan long term.

I was unable to work on my GMAT because I was in command and deployed, so a year later I emailed Jessica while deployed. She said she was looking forward to me recontacting her, and gave me a brainstorming document to work on. This brainstorming document covered a lot in your life- accomplishments, stories, awards, etc. We also briefly discussed my strategy for graduate school- that essentially I was competing against other military and I needed to make myself stick out compared to other military.

She helped me out tremendously with my resume. I've done a lot in my career, however, I didn't really know how to put it in terms that non-military people understood. This was actually the most difficult part of the entire application process for me. But we worked it out and put together a great resume that I am very proud of.

Next We had an online "workshop" with other students to talk about essays. We had to read essays before hand and talk about them. I found this really enjoyable and insightful and got to ask a lot of good questions. I was also very intimidated by the other participants- after all, I have no background in business and it seems like the other MBA applicants had a much better background than I did! I brought that up to Jessica and she said not to worry, that I had a strong background, was not at all outclassed, and in fact other applicants would probably be intimated by me. This really helped my attitude going forward. Thanks Jessica!

The essay process was hell. A lot of rewrites and edits. Typically when I gave something to Jessica I'd get it back in a day or two- even when she was on "vacation"! I truly poured my heart out into these essays and put together a very satisfactory product for both HBS and Wharton. I also felt that I was in total control of my product- Jessica suggested routes to explore and go down, and help me tighten up my bad grammar and take out parts that didn't belong, but she by no means dictated what I wrote. I also got to know Jessica and I really appreciated her insight and humor.

Duke was the last school for R1 applications, so naturally I did that essay last. Unfortunately, I didn't leave myself much time because it was right before a deployment. I had to force myself to sit down in front of my computer while staying in Waikiki Beach in Hawaii and write. The first product I sent to Jessica was horrible- and I knew it. However, we quickly talked, recovered, and knocked out what turned out to be my favorite essay.

Interviews were nothing to stress about. We talked a little bit about them, but I felt I was fine. The Wharton mock interview was very helpful, especially since I had to interview while in India.

Overall, I was disappointed in myself that I did not get into HBS and got wait listed for Wharton. I knew some peers that got in with similar scores as me (or lower) and I thought my essays were top notch. However, those schools are very competitive, may have been looking for something else, and plenty of my peers did not get into Duke, which is where I finally ended up getting admitted to. However, I don't think I even would have had a chance without Jessica's help, and more importantly, she gave me confidence and kept me on track when I needed it.

I'm very happy that I ended up at Duke and would pick it over Wharton anyways. For anyone starting the MBA application process, especially if they are military, I recommend a consultant, and I couldn't imagine a better one than Jessica Shklar.

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My mbaMission's consultant was incredibly helpful throughout all stages of my application process. I got into one of the top business schools despite having a GMAT score well below the school's average. My consultant, John, helped perfect my resume, essays, and short answers. I found our brainstorming sessions to be especially helpful in figuring out what was really important to focus on in my essays. He even helped with my interview prep. John and mbaMission made the application process much less stressful and gave me the confidence that I was approaching the applications in the right way. I sincerely believe I wouldn't have gotten into any schools I applied for if it wasn't for my consultant's help. I highly recommend John and mbaMission!

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Talking to Katharine was a pleasure - from the first call, she listened to me to understand my story. She was able to pick up on small details in my life to mention in my essay that I didn't think of but that really added a lot to the overall story!

Her knowledge and familiarity with the top schools is far and away the most impressive of anyone I have talked to throughout this process (consultants, admissions officers, alumni). As an HBS alum and a Stanford GBS essay reader, she was already well prepared to be a successful consultant. But her contact with clients over the last few years has made her even more qualified – her clients made up 2% of the incoming HBS class last year! The fact that one out of every 50 students used her is the strongest testament I can see to her knowledge and skill.

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I am so happy that I was able to work with Dan! Dan not only made the application process easier, but also kept me from over-stressing about the small things. I saw my writing improve by working with Dan and have applied these writing skills beyond my applications. I really don't think I would have been as successful in my application process without Dan. I appreciate how responsive Dan was throughout the process and I could tell that he really cared about helping his clients. From my small questions to larger essay reviews, Dan was there every step of the way. I would recommend Dan to anyone!

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I took mbaMission's boot camp last summer and applied to schools this past winter. It was really a fantastic experience! Breaking it down...

There were three main reasons I took the boot camp:

1. I didn't know what an MBA essay should look / read like. I work in entertainment (TV production) and have some background in creative writing, but I wanted to make sure I was putting my best foot forward with these essays and wasn't coming across too vague or artsy.

2. I was really intimidated by the price tags I was seeing for one-on-one consulting services, and the boot camp seemed like a great deal!

3. I had the pleasure of meeting Angela at a couple of events through the Forte Foundation and knew that I had to jump at any opportunity to work with her in a small-group setting.

I really LOVED my experience with the boot camp! Another numbered list:

1. Right off the bat, you get a bunch of really wonderful written resources from mbaMission that help you brainstorm, identify and construct stories, polish your resume, and even work with recommenders.

2. The group is small enough that everyone participates, and you get the individual feedback that I feel like we're all hungry for. You get some feedback on your work during the call, and we had homework after the call that we reviewed individually with Angela. We had to draft an essay and list potential stories for other essay topics, and we got individual feedback on all of it. So awesome.

3. I learned what an MBA application should look like. There is a method to the madness and a structure that adcoms recognize and understand. Especially as a non-traditional candidate, I wanted to make sure that my application made sense to them and that I was communicating my skills and experiences in a way that they would understand. The methods I learned for essay-writing and resume polishing really helped with that.

4. This boot camp made me get my butt in gear! Angela makes you write during the boot camp, like live during the webinar. I was really nervous about the essays and was TOTALLY procrastinating, but I was forced to start writing in class, and it really helped make the essays seem less intimidating.

5. Angela is awesome!! Seriously, she's so great. She also knows a whole lot about storytelling and screenwriting, so if you don't have a lot of experience telling stories, she's an amazing asset. For me, as someone working in entertainment, was wonderful to work with someone who knows about my industry.

So, this is a long review, BUT I do want to tell you guys how my admit process is going so far. I applied to five schools (Stanford, Kellogg, Anderson, Stern, and McCombs) and have been accepted with significant scholarships to Kellogg and Anderson, have an offer from McCombs, and have an interview invitation from NYU.

For me, this workshop was the start to a months-long process of introspection and intense MBA application grind. And it was the RIGHT start to that process. This class touches on all aspects of your application, from understanding the adcom to building your goals, to of course essays and resumes, which are the main focus. I found it so valuable, especially since you do get individual attention from your instructor.

I hope this review was helpful, and good luck to you during your MBA journey!! You got this!

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Needless to say applying for business school is incredibly daunting. As a potential applicant I put years...years...into preparing a competitive profile and making sure I had all the measurables necessary to be considered at some of the best schools in the country (M7s). Yet those are the basics, everyone applying to those schools has 700+ GMATs and 3.5+ GPAs with incredible work experience while finding time to volunteer and make an impact socially.

That's where Rachel made all the difference in the world. I spoke with roughly a dozen advisers - using the free 30min consults they all offer - and you should too. But after you do, you'll come to the same conclusion I did - Rachel Beck will clearly make a difference in your applications. From the beginning I felt like she took the time to understand me, my background, and how my application and story could be different and make an impact with admissions committees. She helped me succinctly explain, and in the most effective way possible, describe the unique perspective I could bring to any MBA classroom (not an easy task for someone with a finance background, and even more challenging as I didn't work at a typical M7 feeder bank/hedge fund/PE shop).

Throughout the entire application process, she was incredibly responsive, efficient, and there to answer any questions I had along the way. She provided clear guidance and critiques to my essays and also provided amazing interview prep leaving me confident that I was fully prepared when I was called back for my interviews - of which there were many, given the incredible perspective and direction she provided on my applications.

Looking back, I know I would not have been as successful without her. She simply provided the insight I needed in order to understand what admissions committees were looking for and helped frame my individual story so that I could make the best impression possible.

I got into the school of my dreams and matriculate this fall, and it wouldn't have been possible without her.

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I am an incoming student at H/S/W for the class of 2017. I felt obligated to post my amazing experience working with Monica Okrah at mbaMission.

I first contacted Monica two years ago, because I was starting to think about applying to MBA programs. Monica was recommended to me by a coworker who was leaving to attend an M7 program along with her husband, both of whom worked with Monica throughout their MBA applications. At the time, I decided to delay my applications to business school, because I wanted to gain more work experience and leadership experience in different extracurricular activities. Monica stayed in touch with me every few months providing free advice.

Last June, I officially hired Monica to work with me on applying to three MBA programs in the M7. Monica immediately began working with me on picking the right schools; strategizing around my career goals, strengths, and weaknesses; and finding the best stories I would tell in my applications once they were released later in the summer.

Once the applications were released, I worked with Monica on my essays and short answer questions on a daily basis. We held weekly calls and Monica was very responsive to all of my emails. Monica's comments were always insightful and she provided tons of examples to back up her suggestions. I significantly improved my essays thanks to her probing questions and feedback. I previously thought writing was a strong point of mine. I read all the time, I scored an 8/8 on the writing portion of the GMAT, and I previously scored 800/800 on the SAT writing exam. However, Monica repeatedly proved that I could improve with constructive criticism and helped me to think of how to make my essays come alive with interesting, poignant stories.

I soon found myself with interviews at two of the M7 programs. I was ecstatic. I honestly never thought I stood a chance at most of these schools. Monica worked with me throughout the entire interview process doing multiple practice interviews for each school. I was provided lots of helpful resources such as sample questions at each school. Both of my interviews went smoothly, because I was prepared and confident. I had rehearsed many of the questions I would be asked before. I was surprised leaving both interviews, because I had expected much worse.

In the end, I was fortunate enough to be accepted to two M7 MBA programs. Monica was instrumental in helping me tell my "story" and true career aspirations rather than trying to come up with what I thought MBA programs wanted to hear. Monica helped me to differentiate myself among the crowded white male in finance crowd. While I was initially skeptical of working with an admissions consultant, I think Monica provided tons of value to me. From crafting my story to keeping me on track to interview preparation, Monica was incredibly helpful.

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