I worked with Katy for both my round 1 and round 2 applications and was admitted to 4/5 of the schools I applied to, including HBS and Wharton. Working with Katy was a pleasure from beginning to end and a major factor in my admissions success. Throughout every step, Katy was there to answer my questions and give me the encouragement and support that’s so critical throughout this emotionally stressful process. Before I started the applications, I had no idea what my story would be or how I would approach the essays. Katy helped me find the real answers to “why” – why business school, why now, why me – which proved invaluable as I wrote my essays and went through my interviews. With Katy, you’re not only getting someone with incredible knowledge of the schools and admissions offices, you’re getting a life coach! If you want to give yourself the best shot at a top business school, work with Katy!

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Stats:
GMAT: 690 (40V/44Q)
GPA: 3.1
School: Stanford
Work: Telecom - Leadership Program + Corporate Strategy/BD
MBA Prep: Forte MBA Launch

Angela and I met through Forte MBA Launch, and she had done a few seminars on crafting your story. When I engaged her, I was just finalizing my school selections. Given my GPA/GMAT were so low, I knew I didn't hit the middle 80% GPA at pretty much any of the top 10 (my target schools) and was on the lower GMAT end with the 690. I was devastated and thought my goals were virtually unattainable. Angela's advice and encouragement helped me to believe it was possible.

I reached out to Angela, because she had such great insight and energy when she taught our courses. She and I discussed my MBA target schools choices (H/S/K/Tuck) and was very honest. She said that realistically I would need a higher GMAT for HBS/Stanford (which I was aware of) and recommended several great tutors, and then for Kellogg/Tuck I was competitive and would need to make sure to nail my story. What I appreciated about Angela's advice was she didn't shy away from the real talk I needed, but she did so in a way that she gave me options (recommended a few other schools where I would be competitive) and certainly gave me encouragement that I could get into at least one of my target schools.

I also spoke to several other MBA consulting firms - Stacy Blackman, Admit Advantage, and a few smaller private one-person shops - and all of them said target Duke, Ross and UCLA. I didn't want that, and they didn't give me any options for how to reach my goals.

Angela, on the other hand, really pulled through and made it an honest conversation. She was incredibly EMPATHETIC and PROBLEM SOLVED WITH ME! I cannot emphasize those two things enough. When I work with someone, I want them to feel that they are on the same team with me. Angela was on my team the whole time!

I am now proud to share I have been admitted to both Kellogg and Tuck, and I couldn't be more thrilled about the prospect of going back to school in the fall!!

Angela brought energy, a positive can-do attitude, and helped me believe in myself at a time when it felt like there was no chance for me to get into school. Angela's a rock star - you won't go wrong!

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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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