The process of applying to mba programs can be very overwhelming, so I decided to take advantage of a free consulting session with mbaMission. While I originally was unsure if I wanted to invest in such a service, after the session, it was evident this would be beneficial. While the consulting service was still an investment, the hourly service helped me to I opted for the hourly services as I was apprehensive to spend a lot of money up front. I thought this worked well for me. Together Dan and I prioritized what parts of my applications needed the most work as well schools.

While the burden of the application still fell on me, I felt the consultant helped ease the process. Here are the areas where I thought the consultant was very helpful:
- Helping me determine how many schools to apply to
- Deciding which schools I should apply to based on my personal and professional goals; also very candid about how he thought my chances of admittance were based upon my GMAT score, GPA and work experience
- Stay organized and on schedule to meet important deadlines
- Determine which stories/experience to focus to highlight my unique strengths
- Essential in making my essays stand out
- Helpful in condensing my essays without sacrificing content

Dan was involved and supportive throughout the entire process and beyond. It is evident he takes a personal interest in his clients beyond what is necessary. I know it is easier said as I am pleased with the results but even if it had been different his support during this process was just as helpful as the insights and feedback he provided on my applications. If anyone were applying to MBA programs in the future I wouldn't hesitate to refer Dana.

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Before committing to mbaMission, I explored some other high-priced consultants through the 30-minute free consultations that many of them offer. I was disappointed with how the other consultants used the time to provide vague and generic advice. Because of this, I doubted that I would use a consultant, but Katharine Lewis at mbaMission really wowed me in our first meeting with her specific suggestions about what I should highlight in my essays. She was realistically honest, but confident in my abilities saying, "If you can convince Berkeley-Haas that you really want to go there, I think you have a great shot."

Katy ultimately helped me craft my personal story by probing me with insightful questions and challenging me to think about why I do the things I do. She helped me identify my strengths and experiences that would specifically resonate with my top choice, Berkeley-Haas, and was very knowledgeable about what they were looking for.

With Katy's guidance, I was able to convince Berkeley-Haas that I really wanted to go there and was recently accepted. I am so excited and grateful to Katy.

Sign up for a free consultation today! There really is no risk at all and I am confident you'll be impressed.

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As a prospective MBA student 10 years removed from writing essays for applications, I knew applying to Wharton's Executive and Berkeley's EW program would be a challenge. What I didn't realize was that the application process was so much more than simply writing essays. Thankfully I met Katy, and she helped lay out a plan for tackling the applications.

Specifically, these are reasons why I would recommend Katy and MBA consultants in general.

- She facilitated a discussion to help draw out themes that would be highlighted in my application. Spend the $ on the brainstorming session, it's worth it.
- She explained the differences between MBA programs from a perspective I hadn't thought of.
- She introduced me to current students in the program.
- She was very good at helping create a clean narrative from my own prospective and with my own style.
- She could answer the one-off odd questions that invariably arise during the application process (the ones you can't really ask the adCom).
- A word to the wise, if you plan to use hourly service do some research first and have an idea of what you are looking for as far as assistance goes, otherwise the per school cost makes more sense.

Thank KL!

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Admission consultants are expensive. Probably too expensive. But I got to the point where I had read so many books, blogs and school website that I wasn't sure which way was up anymore and needed a little bit of help. I used the hourly service because I wanted someone to confirm that I was going in the correct direction and to help refine my essays to make them as clear and articulate as possible. Rachel did just that (mostly because I told her that's what I wanted). I would recommend getting a very good handle on the process before shelling out the cash for a consultant. Figure out where your weakness are in the apps and then ask someone for help with that. Be careful that they don't take away from your voice though (Rachel was good but many consultants walk the line). She tells you everything in a very honest way. If you like that kind of talk, Rachel is the lady for you.

Good luck!

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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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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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I worked with Helen Summers as my mbaMission consultant over the summer while I applied to Harvard, Stanford and Haas (all in Round 1). I’ve been accepted at Stanford, which was far and away my top choice, and I absolutely know that I couldn’t have done it without all the help I got from Helen! I had already taken the GMAT so I mostly worked with Helen on my essays, resume and short answers. Helen helped me both with brainstorming stories and themes for my essays, as well as tons of proofreading and draft revisions.

Helen was an absolute dream to work with. Helen is extremely personable and friendly, which made me feel totally comfortable talking to her about more personal essay topics or the struggles I was having through the process. I really felt like she was genuinely invested in me and rooting for me on a personal level the whole time. She also was very efficient and organized, always getting back to me quickly and clearly, so I felt that every single minute of my consulting time was maximized. Finally, the advice she gave was invaluable. Helen was very direct and gave honest, unbiased feedback about my essays — when something wasn’t working, she wasn’t afraid to tell me, which is exactly what I needed! However, she always gave feedback in a constructive way so I felt like I had a very clear, actionable idea of what I needed to change.

When I look back at the first draft of my essays compared to the final applications I submitted, they are absolutely worlds apart, and so much of that is thanks to Helen. I recommend her and mbaMission unreservedly!

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I just thought I would take a minute and review my experience using MBA Mission. From the beginning, my consultant was very patient with me and took the time to understand my background, my reasons for applying to business school and gave me honest positive feedback along the way.
I would love to say that I don't procrastinate but that is not always true. When you are working 80 hour weeks, studying for the GMAT and writing applications, sometimes you end up waiting till the last minute. My consultant was very understanding of my commitments and she was prompt about replying back to me within a couple of hours.
My work background is very different from your typical business school applicant and she helped me overcome that barrier very easily. She was also kind enough to guide me through the interview process and getting in touch with the alumni.
I truly feel that hiring a good admissions consultant is key in getting through the tough admissions process and I would not have made it without her.
Thanks a lot KL

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I worked with Katharine Lewis of mbamission to apply to business school.

Services used: hour overall consultation (complementary through manhattan gmat) & hourly package (3 hours)

Overall Consultation: KLewis listened assertively to my story and was able to provide incredible advice on short term and long term ways I could improve my candidacy for business school. She provided insightful strategic advice for my overall plan, as well as tangible tactical things I could implement into my day to day.

Examples of the tactical advice: community service organizations I could join that aligned with my interests, advice on my professional direction (staying in my current career path/what sort of role I would move jobs for etc), and courses I could take at continuing study programs to complement/plug in weaknesses in my application.

Hourly Package:
- KLewis provided all the initial DIY materials that could allow me to hone in on exactly what to work on with her in our hourly sessions so that I could gain the most out of them. I opted for focused help on: resume and essay.

- Generally, her communication and responsiveness throughout the process was fantastic. I was consistently able to rely on her to respond to my questions throughout the process as well as trouble shoot queries and provide insightful helpful advice throughout. In addition, she researched the school and provided helpful advice on what they were looking for in a candidate.

- Essay, she provided incredible hands on advice on how to shape the essay so it aligned with my message as well as key edits to make it concise. Her understanding of my goals and what the bschool was looking for in a candidate made her advice incredibly valuable.

- Resume, This was where KLewis made the most impact for me. She was able to provide guidance that improved my resume substantially, making it have a clear tight message (getting it down to 1 page and culling any erroneous information) as well as changing the tone of the language to be focused much more on meaningful outcomes in my career as opposed to a task list as well as removing redundancy in messaging btw community svc to career to education entirely.

KLewis is a fantastic advisor.

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When I first started my graduate applications, I was so aimless, and panicked that I won't pull off those essays. I referred to mbaMission complete guide to start off, and consulted Mrs. Monica Okrah, who helped me to find my strengths and highlights of my application. We brainstormed together and Monica was extremely knowledgeable in inspiring me about my career goals. Subsequently, she offered insights to streamline the essays and finally polished the style and language to make my essays flow. At the end, I received the multiple offers from Syracuse, University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins. I would recommend mbaMission to everyone I know, you just can't go wrong with them.

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