John Sisk Reviews

John was a pleasure to work with and helped me manage an incredibly stressful waitlist process. After completing applications without an admissions consultant I found myself waitlisted (after interview) at Stanford GSB, MIT Sloan, and Wharton. John provided a logical and informed process to address my scenario and successfully navigate the waitlist. Even though the schools publically posted that they didn't need additional information, John helped me find ways to positively communicate with them and tip the needle in my favor. I found him to be responsive, and he always provided value added advice.

My only regret is not hiring John as my admissions consultant earlier so I could have avoided the waitlist process in the first place!

I can honestly say that without John's wisdom and coaching I'd be going through the admissions process all over again. Because of him I'll be attending Stanford GSB in the fall!

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I worked on 3 schools with John - a safety, a target and a reach school. I'm happy to say I got into both the target and reach schools (despite having many scores/numbers below the target metrics), and turned down the interview invite to the safety school. John helped take the various ingredients that make up who I am (as he was able to pull together via the lengthy brainstorming doc), and help me create an application that the adcom would find compelling and interesting. I don't think I would have been able to do this alone. He was prompt on returning materials and a good sounding board when I was nervous about interviews etc. Ultimately any experience with a consultant is contingent on the effort and engagement you put into it, and I'm happy to say John met my expectations in that regard.

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I would highly recommend working with John Sisk from mbaMission. His experience in journalism and his degree from a top business school give him a unique perspective as an admissions consultant. Entering the admissions process, I had a strong GMAT score and strong enough GPA to get into a top school, but I needed help rounding out my story. That is where Johnny was so helpful. After our free 30-minute consultation, I already had a great idea of how I wanted to put my story together, and over many iterations that story came to life with John’s help.

I hesitated in spending the money to hire a consultant, but I found that I got great value from John using the hour-by-hour option. Having been accepted into the top school, I can say that I would not have done a single thing differently. John was instrumental in strengthening my voice and I cannot thank him enough.

John continually offered strong advice and was very patient as we worked through my drafts, which made him very easy to work with. He was always completely honest, telling me what worked and what didn’t, but at the same time he was very optimistic and would ensure that the process never got me down. He was also timely in getting his responses back to me within the 2-day turnaround window, which was critical in feeling confident that my drafts were in the best shape possible before deadlines.

Thanks John!

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I entered the Round 2 application process this year with a 680 GMAT score, professional experience in the entertainment industry and a lack of understanding of how best to use this to aid me in obtaining my MBA from a top tier school. I hesitated to even apply this year because of my sub-700 GMAT score. Many people including other MBA consultants told me I was better off in Round 1 of next year and that I should stay focused on boosting my GMAT score. While the GMAT is a very important metric for admissions officers and consultants, my success in being accepted by my number one program can serve as a testament to the true “holistic” approach and to the advantage you can have in teaming up with the right consultant.
I came to mbaMission through Manhattan Prep, where I had a positive experience with their GMAT materials and private tutor. My concern in hiring a consultant was I would just be another client to them, which I couldn’t afford when I needed to really stand out in my essays and applications in order to have any chance of acceptance. I also knew that I was facing an audience whose understanding of my industry and my experience may be very limited.
mbaMission really worked to match me with the best consultant who suited my needs in every way. I had a preliminary 30 min call with John Sisk and we not only hit it off from a personality standpoint, but John had previously worked in entertainment and really understood how to best approach framing my essays and complete application. Following that call, I purchased the Complete “Start-to-Finish” Package - Three-School Package.
I found the entire mbaMission process to be extremely organized, thoughtful and streamlined. From our initial brainstorm to the final essays, John was very strategic about where we started so we could eventually use the content and stories from our first essay and mold it into every essay for each school, thus maintaining my essence and personal story throughout my applications. Looking back, John made the difference in truly unlocking the best story I could tell, and I honestly believe I would not have told the same impactful and compelling story if I chose to go it alone.
John’s approach to writing essays made my entire experience less stressful, more organized, and very streamlined. Additionally, the straightforward delivery schedule and holiday considerations in the mbaMission organization made it very easy for me to plan ahead and around holidays.
In the end, I was accepted into HBS in Round 2. Having made it through the application process, I would strongly urge future applications to not only trust in the holistic process of compiling a complete application but also to strongly consider teaming up with a consultant to help you tap into your best story and position. In my case, I know John made a huge impact in my applications that was exponentially more valuable than the price.

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I would definitely recommend mbaMission and specifically John. He was always timely with his edits to my essays and provided in-depth commentary & edits to every draft. For me, it was helpful to know someone who is an expert in the space had viewed my documents, almost giving them a seal of approval before sending off to schools. Since I applied Round 2, my essay writing/reviews fell over the holidays but John was still checking emails and communicative about drafts etc. Last, mbaMission has so many helpful documents and white papers to help you navigate the process - I found them really helpful and reassuring as I faced each step of the admissions process.

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I had a great experience working with John Sisk from mbaMission on my essays, resume and short answers. It was great to have a third party who really knows what he is doing and has no bias towards my writing/content. With his support, I was accepted into my top two schools (HBS and Columbia). I would highly recommend working with him.

(1) John pushed me. Each time that I thought I’d nailed it, he’d reply with insightful feedback, always asking why….why did I want to do X in my career, why does Y motivate me...He challenged me, pushing me to take each aspect of my essays to the next level, really examining my motivations and how they play into my overall story. He is an expert in the space and helped me to dig deeper to product essays I was really proud of.

(2) That said, he never stressed me out. He consistently offered great advice, stayed patient, kept me calm and on track, and helped me get my essays across the finish line. He was honest, straightforward and optimistic.

(3) I was late to the game and I wish I’d allowed for more time. John was always responsive, but 2 business day turnarounds can add up when you’re close to deadlines (and holiday breaks are upon you). We had a lot of essays going back and forth (and ended up wasting costly $$ b/c I was sending John multiple versions to review at a time due to the pending deadlines). Make sure to take this into account + reach out as early as possible.

(4) Before I began working with mbaMission, I spent a lot of time reading sample essays and brainstorming. I ended up overwhelmed and wasting time. I wish that I had reached out to John sooner in the process for his guidance in how to approach the essays and structure my thinking.

It was costly, but entirely worth the investment. To have an unbiased expert was invaluable

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I chose John as my admissions consultant because I read that he liked storytelling and would help me tell my story to the Admissions Committee convincingly and authentically. He absolutely delivered. John and I went talked through my approach to the essays, and he guided me to craft my experiences in a structured way that would allow the Admissions Committee to find what they were looking for. We went back and forth on many drafts, and John pushed me to a winning draft of one of my Wharton essays. When John went on paternity leave, he ensured that I was in good hands to finish off the Wharton application (which eventually gained me admission).

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I had a wonderful experience working with John Sisk from mbaMission. I knew John was committed from our very first conversation, a free, 30-minute phone consultation. He asked detailed questions about my previous experiences and future goals, and based on what he heard, encouraged me to take a quantitative course prior to applying to bolster my quantitative profile. I ended up taking an Accounting course through UCLA Extension (one of several online options John provided immediately following our phone call); I do believe this made a positive difference in my application process, and I credit that entirely to John. As I began to write my essays, John was there every step of the way; he provided timely, detailed, and thoughtful feedback and also made himself available do discuss questions over the phone when I preferred. John was on paternity leave for part of my application process, but ensured a very smooth transition to another consultant from mbaMission (the founder), who was equally as helpful and responsive. The success I had in my application process (getting into 4 out of 5 schools) was certainly due in part to mbaMission! They helped me articulate my story in a way that clearly resonated with admissions committees. My "voice" was not taken away in the process; rather, it was strengthened by their advice and guidance.

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Investing into a MBA consultant can be daunting but I knew in speaking with John for my free 30 minute consultation right away that this was the way to go. He took every part of our initial conversation seriously and truly cared about my future, even had I not worked with him. In being a unique applicant from the Sports Marketing industry with slightly below average academic stats, he knew the best way to create a cohesive story that would excite Columbia.

In not knowing what my career goals were at the start of the process, he helped set me up for success with a number of different assignments to really find something that spoke to me and how I can best position myself for business school. I loved working with him because John is personable, smart, reliable and simply an unbelievable story teller. His insightful additions and edits to my essays were things I never would have thought of. I had to really hone in on my desired job function, company and tie all of that to the school. John was great at doing this and helping me really find my path.

This may be said in all the reviews but there is actually NO chance I could have gotten in without him. It was definitely a process and a lot of work but having a consultant like John alongside made it much more manageable. He teaches you so many things to help differentiate you from the others and it really comes through in the final product and eventually the interview. And it all helped me get into CBS early decision.

I am forever grateful for his help and guidance. It's worth the investment and in the scheme of all the MBA costs you will incur, this is the best one you can make. I could not give John a bigger recommendation.

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I found mbaMission through its affiliation with Manhattan Prep, the company I used for my GMAT preparation. Initially, I didn’t plan on hiring a consultant since I was applying to only one school, but after spending several stressful weeks drafting my essays I decided to change course. I selected John based on the very productive 30 minute free consult I had with him.

John's in-depth understanding of who our audience was, the AdCom, and what they were looking for, was a key component to the process that I would not have been able to figure out on my own. Through our discussions, I was able to create focused, well-rounded essays that told my story in a clear and concise way.

Perhaps the greatest benefit of working with John was one that I didn’t initially envision when I hired him - review of my resume. Going into the admissions process, I was pretty happy with it since I had used it on several interviews and assumed it didn’t need many modifications. John recommended I simplify the technical language so as to make it easier for a non-finance person (as the AdCom reviewers might be) to understand. Together we went about simplifying the layout and highlighting some of the more notable accomplishments of my career, which undoubtedly played a part in my acceptance to NYU Stern. I truly belive I wouldn't have gotten in without John's help.

I highly recommend mbaMission and John Sisk to anyone going through the admissions process. While the cost may seem high, I believe it’s worth every penny!

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