Helen Summers is amazing. When considering to use the services of an admissions consultant I was a little sceptical. I read a lot of testimonials and reviews like this very one and wondered whether the candidates behind all those with successful admission experiences actually needed a consultant to begin with. I wondered whether they were all just exceptional individuals and whether their constant made any real difference. I now know the answer to those questions and let me tell you that I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Helen is the person who got me into Booth, without her I can honestly say that I would not be heading to business school this fall. I guess the true test of Helen’s skills a consultant and her impact on my application is whether I would use her services again. My answer is categorically YES.

Helen’s skills and contribution to my application are best represented by comparing my submitted essays with my very early attempts, particularly those that I attempted prior to working with her. The difference is massive, to the point where I am now embarrassed by my initial attempts. I put a huge amount of effort into my application and Helen matched me at every step. Helen went above and beyond what she was contracted to do. She regularly sent me feedback within a few hours and worked until the early hours of the morning and at weekends. We only spent a few weeks working together but I think almost every essay had at least 10 or 11 drafts! So be prepared to work hard.

I was really impressed with how professional Helen was yet she remained so personal. She was honest, fair and not afraid to provide me with ideas and the constructive criticism necessary to improve my application. This is what really made the difference between creating an average application and the one that got me admitted. She pushed me further than I would have pushed myself, she ensured that every word of my application had meaning and maximum impact. Helen is a pleasure to work with, generous with her time and contributions. It is clear from working with Helen that she genuinely feels for her clients and wants them to succeed, not only from a professional perspective but also personal.

Not only did Helen help me create a successful application, but I learnt a huge amount about myself from working with her. I also learnt so much about the MBA application process and what schools are looking for. I have a sub 700 GMAT score and was regarded as a ‘wild card’ for Booth. But because of Helen this wild card got accepted!

Deciding to work with Helen and MBA Mission is probably one of the best investments/decisions that I’ve ever made.

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Pamela Jaffe at MBAMission played a huge role in my acceptance to my top choice school! It made the process smoother and without a doubt, much more successful!!
Here’s what makes Pamela amazing to work with:

* Her work/travel experience – Pamela has experience with a variety of industries and she has traveled extensively. My job includes lots of travel – Pamela was able to relate to my experiences ranging from Europe to Asia and the Middle East

* Pamela is incredibly direct – there’s no second guessing her feedback. She pushed me to dig deeper and write better essays. She explained why something wasn’t working or what may be missing, it was easy for me to trust her judgment!

* Pamela was always available to help - I particularly struggled with one of my essay questions, Pamela was happy to have multiple brainstorming sessions with me. She didn’t give up until we found the perfect experience to fit


*** Most important -- Pamela encouraged me to apply to ‘reach’ and ‘stretch’ schools. Although my gmat score was well below average, she suggested that my unique background could keep me competitive – and she was right!! With Pamela’s help I got into a top 10 school! I highly recommend Pamela at MBAMission!!

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As a nontraditional candidate from a nonprofit background, I was initially worried about applying to business school. I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to work closely with Susan Kaplan throughout the process. Susan not only allayed my concerns, she worked with me to clarify my goals and present them in a clear and concise manner. Through the brainstorming and writing process, Susan helped me to present my experiences creatively and in a compelling way.

Susan was a thorough and meticulous reader of my work and by working with her, I was able to hone my writing abilities and develop a clearer sense of my career goals. Beyond that, she was encouraging and very attentive throughout the process, working quickly to give me feedback.

I truly cannot recommend her highly enough. With Susan's help I was able to get into my first choice program: Columbia.

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I have spent the last two years working with Adam Grossman at mbaMission. Due in very large part to his extraordinary insight and talent, I was admitted to the top-10 b-school of my dreams.

The key factors that made my experience with Adam not only successful, but also enjoyable, are as follows.
1. Right from the start, Adam did an amazing job of candidly assessing my strengths and weaknesses, gaining a feel for my personality, and identifying the schools that were the best fit for me.
2. Since I was in the middle of a significant career transition, Adam helped me to develop a sound long-tem application strategy that significantly strengthened my candidacy.
3. Before my target school's application was available, Adam took the time to walk me through the entire application process, develop a timeline, and discuss how I could make the most of his support. I began the process with a very clear understanding not only of the steps involved, but also of the general message that I wanted to convey to the AdCom and how Adam could assist with that.
4. Once the application was posted, Adam got me started on essay brainstorming immediately. Because he had taken the time to get to know me, Adam was able to identify essay topics that I hadn't thought of and that weren't covered in depth in my resume. We outlined topics in a way that was consistent with my overall message.
5. Over a three-month period, Adam enthusiastically reviewed more than 30 of my essay drafts and provided significant opportunities for improvement with each revision. Because he had been so candid throughout the process, I believed him when he said that my essays were ready. As it turns out, he was right.
6. The interview prep was phenomenal. Adam's insight went a very long way toward easing my anxiety and helping me to craft answers that showed introspection, thoughtfulness, and fit with my target school.

Whether your application is due in two weeks or in two years, Adam will get to know you, candidly evaluate your strengths and weaknesses, and provide you with all the direction you need to prepare for applying to your target school. I could not recommend him more highly.

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I highly recommend using mbaMission and consultant Adam Grossman. The start to finish package was perfect for me because I was very uncomfortable with the application process and knew I would struggle writing personal essays.

First, Adam helped me identify my school list, since I was unsure how many/which schools to apply to. We then brainstormed to identify my "story". He really helped me articulate my value-adds and goals in the "why MBA" and contribution essays. I was impressed by his patience and attention to detail - one essay had 15 drafts. That said, you write your own essays entirely and must keep yourself on the various school deadlines.

I also worked with Adam to think about the non-traditional essays (NYU Stern, Booth). We came up with great ideas that reflected my individually. He shared what he saw as the unique elements of my candidacy, which I did not see myself.

I also took advantage of the interview prep for Wharton's TBD. It was very helpful to do a trial run.

The process requires a lot of work, but it was 1000 times better with Adam to help me stay focused and efficient. In the end, I was admitted to one of my top choices.

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As someone who is slightly older than the average MBA candidate, I wanted to start my MBA this coming fall. Due to my career aspirations and the fact that I had my heart set on only ONE program, I had a lot of pressure to get every component of the application right, especially since I don’t possess the perfect MBA profile. Although I have a solid professional background, after months of studying, I could only muster a 650 GMAT. 650 is way below my dream school’s average and I knew I needed to compensate that score with the rest of my application, particularly essays.

One of the smartest things I did during my MBA journey was signing up with Pamela Jaffe at MBA Mission. Pamela helped me quickly switch gears from test taking to soul-searching. She made me realize that Admissions Officers were human beings who are driven by emotions and connection. The best way, sometimes the only way, to connect with their hearts is through essays.

What sets Pamela apart from her peers is her ability to leverage her strengths and background. Pamela’s professional background is marketing, finance, and journalism. This is a very unique blend of skills that contributes to her abilities to guide an applicant. She is both creative and analytical. In my experience, Pamela’s analytical abilities came to play at the beginning of the process as she combed through all of the moving pieces and, along with the applicant, helped to develop a strong personal brand statement. Later in the process, her creative prowess came in as she helped to build your story for essays.

I must comment on Pamela’s abilities as a writer. Pamela is truly a gifted writer. She can capture the essence of a story and turn it into a beautiful piece of work. When I received the admit call from my dream school last week, the AO even made a comment saying that my essays were beautiful! However, she will not write the essays for you, but she will give you amazing pointers and ensure that you select the most appropriate story that will showcase your strengths and character.

One last thing I will mention about Pamela is her global perspective. Because of her previous work in Asia, Europe, and the U.S., she has such a smart way of viewing things. She is so experienced in the world of MBA admissions and her broad perspective allows her to think strategically and critically, truly out-of-the-box thinking.

I cannot recommend Pamela enough. I am admitted to the school of my dreams largely because of her guidance and help. If you need an Admissions consultant, you should go with the best and I personally believe Pamela is one of the best out there.

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I applied to three reach schools for Round 1 and without Dan's assistance throughout the entire process from essay writing to mock interviews - I may not have been invited to interview at any of these schools, much less all three. Dan provided me with insightful feedback and insider information to ensure that I was telling a cohesive, interesting story that would differentiate me from other candidates. I never would have been able to glean specific insights about the school or develop such a successful approach to writing essays without working closely with Dan.

Not only did Dan provide me with extremely valuable information - but he also was very flexible in working with me on a less conventional timeline. I took off a week of work to write essays since my schedule had been less than ideal and I hadn't been able to devote sufficient time to essay writing. I wrote 2-3 essays per day and Dan worked with me to provide valuable, timely feedback on a large number of essays in this very short timeframe which was much appreciated!

The mock interview was also critical in the overall success of my application journey. I thought I was well prepared for an interview until Dan reviewed several potential questions with me and I was unable to respond with well thought out answers. Over the next two days, I focused on answering several of these questions and ultimately most of them were asked during my MIT Sloan interview.

Lastly, Dan was a pleasure to work with! He was extremely encouraging and positive and made the business school application process significantly less overwhelming and stressful. His services were absolutely critical in the success I experienced - I couldn't have done it without him! I've already highly recommended him to several of my colleagues and would do the same to anyone looking for a collaborative, flexible and insightful MBA consultant.

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I signed up with mbaMission because it was recommended by my GMAT course - Manhattan GMAT. Previously, I did not know anyone who had done an MBA so I was unsure of the entire process and Daniel's advice was very beneficial when it came to filling out my application. He made the process for me a lot less stressful.

Certainly, his advice for my resume and my application essays was extremely valuable. I was also writing my gmats at the same time as trying to manage resume revisions and essays - we developed a good work-back schedule to accommodate all so that I could apply for first round at my first choice school (which I did receive an offer of admission from).

Additionally, I could email him whenever I wanted and he always got back to me within 1 day for questions (e.g. interview support, open house etiquette, etc.)

I greatly appreciated his candid remarks and I would certainly recommend his services. In particular, the word count for my essays was very limited, so having Daniel read over my essays and ensure there was a concise storyline that exemplified my own skills/strengths was very good. It is difficult to find a family member or friend who will read through your MBA essays over and over with a critical eye.

Overall, I am really happy I chose mbaMission. I only gave 4 stars out of 5 because I would say that the prices are very expensive, though there is true value to mbaMission and their consultants. If I had to do it over again, I would still chose to move forward with mbaMission.

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I would highly recommend mbaMission, in particular Dan, for anyone who is looking for additional support to help craft and execute their business school applications. Although I was first reluctant to get a consultant because of the cost, I ultimately decided that I wanted to work with a consultant because I didn’t have the support at work or outside of work to help me develop and refine my story. After having a few consultation calls with other firms, I decided to go with mbaMission with a comprehensive package, and couldn’t be happier with my choice.

I had my mbaMission consultation call with Dan and immediately knew that I wanted to work with him. I was struck by Dan’s candidness as we talked about my background and where I could play within the top ten schools. I wanted a consultant that was going to be critical of my overall application so that I knew where my strengths and weaknesses were relative to my peers. Dan was spot on about what were my strengths and weaknesses and was able to use those characteristics to my advantage in my application. He was immensely helpful at all points of the process, including crafting my story/strategy, resume and essay writing, and recommenders and interview prep, and was extremely responsive (always ahead of timelines).

I recently received the good news that I got into a top ten program and know that the process wouldn’t have been as successful or as relatively stress-free if it wasn’t for Dan. I had also initiated additional applications with Dan after I had fully completed one package, which is a testament to how useful I thought the services were, but didn’t need to pursue them since I got into my top program! I would strongly recommend Dan – he was a great partner throughout my business school application process and truly instrumental to my success.

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One of the things I loved about working with Angela was how she helped me articulate what I really wanted to do and the unique skills and experiences I would bring to an MBA. After a conversation I had with her about the eclectic activities I had been involved in on campus, my various internships, and what I like to do, Angela was very quick in identifying a pattern in everything I had done so far.

While she was spot on, I had never seen that there was indeed a common string to everything I had done, and I am grateful to her for finding this common thread-- which is to bring people together. Working with Angela helped me bring out my most meaningful stories and more deeply understand myself and my greatest passions and accomplishments. She always had creative ideas and helped me articulate my ideas in a much better way. Angela also checked my letter of recommendations and provided feedback to my recommenders so that they would add to my application and express their ideas in the best possible way-- it was much better than me telling them what to write.

Angela is also incredibly fun and thoughtful. Not only were our conversations always lively, encouraging, and exciting, but she was also very kind and would regularly check up on my work and encourage me when I was frustrated with the process or the essays. She made the entire process much more manageable and enjoyable than going through it alone! Even after the process was over she wrote to me a few times to see how I was doing-- she knows me so well now and I am sure we will keep in touch, she genuinely cares about her clients. I'm so glad I was matched with her!

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