Debbie Choy Reviews

I found Debbie when I was panicking in mid-Oct about R2 applications. At that time, I had a subpar GMAT and not even a draft school list. I had free consultations with a bunch of firms small and large, but I felt the most confident coming out of the conversation with Debbie. In our free consultation, she gave very practical and useful feedback. She suggested what schools I can consider based on my career goals and preferences. Some schools were ones that never crossed my mind beforehand. I appreciate how she left options open depending on my upcoming GMAT retake while other consultants didn’t think I could make it which discouraged me further in this stressful moment. Don’t be mistaken, Debbie doesn’t give you false hopes.

I also appreciate Debbie’s attitude towards potential clients. She never pushed me to purchase services and offered to recommend lower-priced consultants on her team. She reminded me about mbaMission’s service contract period, so if I wasn’t going to apply for MBA this year don’t bother starting a package yet. In all my free consultations, I asked how many schools clients typically buy for comprehensive packages. Debbie said 2-3 which I felt is an honest answer (rather than pressuring you to pay more) because you can reuse a lot of the content and learnings between schools. There are plenty of consultants out there who tell you to buy as many schools as you’re applying to. Due to the timing of the year, Debbie was also very practical in telling me what’s the max number of schools I should realistically apply to, and I decided to purchase a package less than that number.

I spoke with Debbie almost every week from Nov to Mar whether it’s back and forth updates to essays, questions from me about the process, and other status updates. The cadence came naturally because there’s just that much going on! I like mbaMission’s essay turnaround time cutoff, because that schedule pushed me to send essays over at a regular schedule in order to be the most efficient with revisions. It helps us both be accountable rather than other firms that just reply “as they get to it” which can be much longer the closer we get to deadlines. Debbie generally responds quickly to non-essay emails, 1-2 day response rate. She’ll let you know in advance when she’s taking off and how that’ll affect the response time.

Debbie is great at decluttering my thoughts and pulling out pieces that are actually relevant to essays and interviews. She will tell you straight up if certain ideas send the wrong message or are incohesive with the rest of your story. This is the harsh criticism I needed. Of course, feel free to push back since this is your application, but Debbie will work with you to find a middle ground. She’s knowledgeable about what the schools prefer and what works in applications, but also understand she can’t know every single itty-bitty detail. You still have to do your homework!

Coming out of this process, I’m glad I found Debbie to guide me. I’m not the type who’s thought about getting an MBA for years and my network doesn’t have any MBAs. The idea only came to me over the summer, so I had a lot to catch up on in a short period of time. She really gave me the confidence to push through and get admits to two M7s and two T10s which I doubt I could’ve made it without her. I chose Debbie due to her personality (also happy to support Asian women) because we would work very closely together during this period. That helped me feel comfortable asking her weirder questions relating to applications. Thank you again Debbie for your patience in responding to my long emails and addressing my boatload of comments in each essay. 

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mbaMission offers a variety of service package. I chose the hourly service which allowed me to use the time flexibly and wisely. I applied to Stanford MSx program and got admitted. I picked Debbie after I read others' review and her own video which largely aligns with what I want from a consultant: have experience with Stanford GSB admission and a Stanford GSB alumni is a bonus, easy to communicate, give specific comments (rather than high-level conceptual comments) which where very easy to take action on. Debbie also gave a lot useful tips and strategic comments which allowed me to be more focus on the most important things. She was also very professional and strictly followed the turnaround time. The entire process is very efficient and effective. I really enjoyed it. I highly recommend Debbie to anyone who wants someone to understand you and help you build your story and make it a compelling application.

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With Debbie’s help, I was accepted into 5 top MBA programs (including 4 M7s) all with scholarships! With less than two months until the application deadline and not yet at my desired GMAT/GRE score, I was panicking and needed a partner who could help me cross the finish line. Debbie was a partner I could trust who never doubted me for a second. We worked on two schools together and she helped shape my unique story, polish up my essays, and ensure that every part of my application was as strong as possible. What makes working with Debbie special is that she can quickly identify what makes you stand out as an applicant and ensures that your authentic voice shines through. Applying to business school is an intense process, so having the right support system is crucial. I never in my wildest dreams could have imagined such amazing outcomes. If you put in the work under Debbie Choy’s guidance, you cannot go wrong!

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I approached Debbie in October 2023 for interview training. Unlike some consultants who prefer to read a script of the “walk me through your resume” answer, after reading my application materials, Debbie asked me to do a mock-up right away. The first mock-up certainly felt stressful, but I found myself making progress very quickly after the first session. After 3 sessions with Debbie, I believed I was fully prepared for the interviews.

What I truly appreciate about Debbie’s work is her detailed feedback - I have done multiple mock-ups with current students but often their feedback are way too general. Debbie’s feedback, on the other hand, ranges from the structure of my answer to my facial expressions. She truly pays attention to my performance and gives useful advice that are also beneficial for my job interviews in the future.

More importantly, whenever Debbie pointed out a problem, she almost always suggested her solution. I also had worked with a freelancer to prepare for my essays and resume before I found Debbie. My freelancer consultant charged me a lot less compared with Debbie. However, I would spend a lot more hours with her than with Debbie. In a word, I understand that Debbie, at her level, charges more than many other consultants, but it is absolutely worth it. Debbie’s feedback and suggestions are always very sharp, constructive and on-point.

For example, I struggled to put my story together as someone with an engineering degree and an art degree, and Debbie suggested that I position myself as someone who prefers to use both sides of her brain - right hand side and left hand side, meaning quantitative and qualitative. And a weakness (lack of cohesiveness) suddenly became a unique strength of mine. There are a couple of other similar examples, and I benefit so much from Debbie’s solutions.

I was eventually admitted to Ross with 20k scholarships. In addition, I was admitted to Tepper and Johnson with half scholarships, and Darden and UNC with full scholarships.

In the zoom call where I received the great news from Ross, the AdComs specifically mentioned that the interviewer (a Ross alum) gave high praises on my interview performance. Obviously I performed well because Ross was my second last interview, but I also could never have done it without Debbie’s professional instructions and continuous support.

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When I was looking for an admissions coach, I was immediately drawn to Debbie's candor, her commitment to excellence, and her positive and pragmatic attitude. As an Asian-American female pivoting out of finance, I also connected with Debbie at a personal level given her background, and I believed she would best understand and help me craft my unique story. Reflecting on a highly stressful and exhausting year-long process (April 2023 to April 2024), I feel EXTREMELY FORTUNATE AND HAPPY (CAPS LOCK REQUIRED) to have worked with Debbie. Debbie truly partnered with me and rooted for me every step of the way, pushing me to put my best foot forward while always providing a safe space for me to be honest and authentic.

I applied to 4 schools (H/S/W/MIT), and Debbie was critical to helping me structure and advance my applications. Completing 4 applications can feel super daunting, but Debbie set progressive timelines that made everything feel manageable. One of Debbie's many strengths is her ability to balance detail orientation with strategic guidance: for EVERY essay and short answer, she provided highly effective feedback, from sentence phrasing to essay flow, that allowed me to best convey my story and my voice.

I ended up applying R2 due to a lower than median GMAT score that I was trying to increase ahead of the R1 deadline, but I couldn't, and I didn't even end up achieving my target score. It was brutally disappointing, but I still applied R2 and was very worried that my test score would be the gating factor. I was rejected from H/S/W but accepted to MIT. If it weren't for the thoughtful, strategic brainstorming that we did together for EVERY part of my application for EVERY school in order to best showcase my personality and my experience as a candidate, I wouldn't have been able to pull it off. Without Debbie, I would not be going to my dream school. Full stop, period.

Debbie's THE BEST. Work with Debbie.

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As an international applicant, the MBA application process felt daunting and confusing to me. After a 30 minute free consultation, I was matched with Debbie, whom I felt had a similar background to me (grew up in Singapore, worked at J.P. Morgan). Additionally, Debbie had graduated from Stanford, which was my dream school.

I remember feeling very assured after our first call, when Debbie helped me navigate critical decisions, such as which schools to prioritize in my applications.

One of the areas where Debbie truly excelled was in refining my essays. Writing compelling and authentic essays was a challenge for me, but Debbie's insightful feedback and guidance transformed my essays. She encouraged me to be vulnerable, and it enabled my voice to come through in my writing.

Additionally, Debbie did not overlook any aspect of the application, including the (many) short-answer questions in the application form. Her feedback is timely and always actionable.

Thanks to Debbie's guidance, I received acceptance letters from Stanford, Berkeley, Wharton and MIT, and secured over $50,000 in fellowship awards.

If you're considering MBA admission consulting services, I highly recommend mbaMission. You won't regret it!

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I applied to HBS and GSB, and Debbie helped me get into both schools!

In short, I could not have imagined the process without Debbie. From the start, she broke down a hefty work burden into a manageable timeline, even though I felt I had a late start to R2 applications. We developed a modified calendar and covered tasks in order of priority. When I found myself getting caught in the minutiae of essay/application edits, her feedback drew me back to the big picture.

Debbie also balanced high-impact feedback with preservation of my voice--I felt my final essays to be the most refined and authentic representation of me. She dove deep during the brainstorming process to understand all corners of my experiences, while keeping in mind the values specific to each school. When we started interview prep, she reminded me of stories even I had forgotten, and she guided me on how to frame these stories with an impact-oriented angle. I left each conversation feeling more confident in myself. In many ways, Debbie's care allowed me to uncover more of my authentic self in the application process.

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Working with Debbie was a great choice. I started the application process late and had less than 2 months to prepare for R1 when I found Debbie. I applied to 4 M7 schools, and she demonstrated an impressive understanding of the MBA application landscape, providing valuable insights and strategic advice. Her expertise in MBA applications, especially at Wharton and CBS, secured my admission with a scholarship. Debbie helped brainstorm and polish my essays. Her guidance on recommendation letters was also invaluable. Her insights and genuine support were key to my application process. While every journey has its unique aspects, my experience with Debbie was positive and working with her has made this process much easier and more manageable than doing it alone!

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Debbie helped me get into 2 out of 3 HSW schools, including my DREAM school. To start, I had consultations with several consulting firms (Stacy Blackman, mbaMission, Fortuna, etc) and immediately gravitated towards Debbie. The most important thing you want in an MBA consultant is someone you feel comfortable with and Debbie was definitely that person! She's extremely nice, encouraging, and constructive (while also being positive). During our sessions where we brainstormed essay ideas, I never felt judged when I shared my ideas, even if she didn't necessarily agree. Instead, she built off my thinking (in order to keep the essays genuine to me) while steering me in the direction that would lead to a more successful application essay for each respective school. Each school has a preferred “style” for their essays that I never would’ve known if it weren’t for Debbie’s insight. During interview prep, Debbie provided really helpful feedback and, more importantly, boosted my confidence to ease my nerves.

Debbie became one of my biggest supporters during the application process, and I’m so glad to have chosen her, and mbaMission, to guide me along the way. Definitely recommend!

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I am not from a traditional background and had to admit I don't know much about MBA initially when I decided to apply. From a 30-minute call with Debbie, I was able to create a rough plan for my MBA application journey. Since I got in touch with her early in the cycle, Debbie provided some good advices on how to enhance my profile with more extracurriculars.

During the brainstorm session, Debbie helped me find a unique story out of my ordinary background, which was a result of multiple deep conversations. It's the most critical step when I worked with Debbie since it settled the whole theme of essays. Throughout the essay drafting process, Debbie is very responsible, and reply within the timeframe as always. We devoted quite some time to the essays together, and I am very happy about how the essays turned out.

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