mbaMission Admissions Consulting Reviews

I’m writing to strongly recommend Katy Lewis of mbaMission. I was initially skeptical of how much I could benefit from working with a consultant on my business school applications and especially justifying the cost—however my recent experience working with Katy (and mbaMission) proved me wrong! After a lot of research, a friend suggested setting up a complimentary introductory consultation with mbaMission where I was paired with Katy Lewis. After speaking over the phone at length and explaining to her my background, current work situation, and future career goals, she was able to succinctly distill the essence of my “story”. I found her very easy to speak with, and I appreciated here honesty in identifying the strengths in my candidacy, and more importantly the weaknesses. As a follow up to our phone conversation, she provided a detailed customized email which laid out strategies for how I might deal with some of the blemishes in my application. I ultimately decided to move forward and with a start-to-finish package when applying to the school that I was most interested in, and which was also my “reach” school. During the process I ended up starting a new job which required long hours and Katy was more than accommodating to my irregular schedule, oftentimes making herself available to speak over the phone in the evenings, or over the weekends. Katy is incredible at what she does, and genuinely seemed to enjoy helping me navigate the admissions process, going above and beyond what I would've expected. I started out with a broad brainstorming exercise, and with Katy’s help managed to condense a number of themes and points that we identified together as being the most important and impactful. Katy always provided insightful well thought out feedback and was enthusiastic and happy to help no matter how many questions or drafts I sent her. She was always there to provide support and advice every step of the way, and when I recently found out that I gained acceptance to the two schools that I applied to, she was just as excited as I was! I can’t help to think that I owe a good part of my success during the application process to Katy, and I cannot recommend her more highly!

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I cannot think of enough great things to say about mbaMission! The school package really helped me navigate the entire MBA application process from start to finish.

My consultant, John, was phenomenal to work with and exceeded all of my expectations. He provided thoughtful, constructive feedback for every element of my application, his turnaround times were always quick and he was more than patient with me, willing to answer any and all questions I had. After working with him for nearly 7 months I was accepted into my #1 school choice, something I truly believe I could not have schieved without his guidance.

If you are looking for some support during your application process, mbaMission is the absolute best way to go!

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I worked with Rachel Beck on a two-school package (CBS and Stern). I will preface my review by saying that I applied to business school from a nontraditional background (with no real “name brand” experience under my belt but interesting and unique work experience) and with stats that are not quite at the levels that CBS and Stern look for (700 with weak quant and a 3.54 from a decently ranked liberal arts college).

Rachel did an excellent job at pulling out what she thought was interesting from my profile and building my story from there. Working with an admissions consultant is quite time consuming at first because your consultant will need to get to know you on a very personal level. It is the intimate details and examples that count when you are writing your essays so be prepared for that. Rachel was really able to “get” me based on the “life story” that I put together for her and together we were able to craft my story into something that made sense from an admissions standpoint. One thing that she was able to do exceptionally well was find examples of leadership in my profile. I was having great difficulty with this and was worried that it would sink my entire candidacy but Rachel was able to demonstrate to me how my past achievements showed leadership.

Rachel will not write the essays for you but she will give you prompts to get you going in a direction that meshes well with your overall story. Rachel has a background in Journalism (MA/MBA from Columbia Journalism School and CBS and very extensive experience in business journalism) so she really knows how to say a lot with very few words. Where it would take me thirty words to say something in an essay it would take her maybe twelve tops…this was extremely helpful when she was editing my essays for clarity. This is an extremely valuable skill that very, very few people have and is of the utmost importance when writing admissions essays.

I was very worried about my interview (hadn’t interviewed for anything in about 6 years) but it really only took one hour-long phone call with Rachel to get my answers straight. It is very important that you practice the interview questions on your own and with other people – don’t depend on your consultant to hold your hand the entire way through.

One of the most important benefits of having an admissions consultant is that they will keep you on schedule and the money that you spent on the consultant will keep you very motivated to put you best foot forward.

I ended up being admitted to Columbia Business School (Early Decision) Class of 2017. It was my top choice and I couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome. Rachel and I also put together a great Stern application – won’t be spending $225 to submit that one though!

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I was admitted to the part time programs at Booth and Kellogg. My GMAT was 80 percentile, so I knew that the qualitative components of the application would need to be top notch.

I did a FREE 30 minute consultation with Angela Guido. I specifically chose her because she is a Booth alum and is very familiar with the Chicago MBA landscape. She also had great reviews and a reputation for story telling. After going through the application process, I now believe that story telling is the #1 most important aspect of a successful MBA application. A quality story and personal brand can absolutely compensate for weaknesses in other areas of your application...and this is something that you have 100% control over.

General Experience:

I was surprised by the amount of ground we covered in 30 minutes and the high quality feedback that Angela provided in such a short time. I had three pages of useful notes by the end of the call. This wasn't a session to upsell me on services, this was quality conversation for 30 minutes straight and I felt that Angela genuinely wanted to help me.

Angela knows her stuff and was immediately able to identify areas of concern in my overall application package. She was super easy to talk to and made me feel comfortable despite the fact that I was exposing myself for constructive feedback.

I feel like I was set on the right path and was given useful feedback to use immediately. I'm confident that she could add extensive high quality feedback through a regular consultation package after seeing what she can do in 30 minutes.

Immediate Value Gained:

The most valuable feedback I got was on my resume. Moving from showing responsibilities to showing impacts and how to do this. This was sort of a wake up call for me overall and translated into viewing the components of my overall application in a completely different way.

Angela also gave me a lot of feedback on areas of my experience to highlight that would resonate with the adcoms of both schools.

I felt like it was a great use of 30 minutes because I was able to takeaway very specific pieces of feedback and was able to apply general feedback to the overall application.

I would recommend Angela to anyone going through the MBA application process.

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Jessica came highly recommended from a close friend who had also enlisted her services, and she did not disappoint. Having helped the friend get into 2 top 10 MBA programs, I had confidence that I was in good hands, however, Jessica far exceeded my expectations.

When Jessica and I started working together, I was in the midst of an overseas deployment, and knew that my dealings would be a little more difficult than what she was used too - she never missed a beat. Additionally, I informed Jessica from the get-go that I would only be applying to 1 business school, at least for the first round. Where I would have expected some reservations or cynicism, given that many philosophies are to cast a wide net and if you are fortunate enough to get into multiple programs you have some high-quality problems, Jessica was absolutely willing, and even encouraged the selection of only the school I was truly interested in.

The process that mbaMission utilizes is tried and true, and I immediately saw the value-added in the organization of my resume and story into a cohesive narrative, which when completed was able to highlight the strengths and characteristics that most benefitted my application. After completing and organizing the the initial data mining, we jumped right into the essays. There was no draft limit on the number of revisions we worked with, some essays needing more work than the others, but the ability to make the story as concise and strong as possible is what I truly benefitted from. Jessica was able to weed through the chaff of my initial drafts and my finished products were 1st class essays that wasted no words. The best part of the essay editing is that while my essays were stronger because of the editing, the tone and story never changed from that of my own voice. Jessica's work was strictly edits and suggestions and never mandates or complete revisions of my thoughts. Because of this, when I submitted my final application I was proud of MY work and knew the admissions committee was meeting me as an applicant.

I highly recommend the mbaMission admissions consulting process, and if you are lucky enough that Jessica can squeeze you in as a client, don't hesitate, you will not be disappointed.

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I chose to have an advisor as I began to start my application essays for Stern Langone NYU part time MBA. My friend had used Adam so I chose him based on her positive experience. I ended up choosing well as Adam himself had attended Stern full time and had really thrived there.
He was approachable, efficient and very helpful in the application process. He turned around documents in a couple days time and really had good feedback on most of my essays. If you are looking to applying to one vs. several schools he also had clear feedback and I could tell that after seeing multiple candidates and working with many students, I could trust his advice. I ended up getting admitted to Langone (not even asked for an interview, just straight acceptance), and I do not think I could have done it without him. Great coaching while still willing to listen and always available for phone or email chat.

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Honestly, I would have never been able to craft my most compelling story with the same conviction without Susan Kaplan's guidance. She was incredibly pleasant and had a knack for pushing all the right buttons to bring out the very best in me. In hindsight, I should have just purchased the entire package deal because I trusted her and sought her input every step of the way in the application process.

With Susan as my coach, my work became more efficient and targeted! And, when I strayed, she was not afraid to bring me back on point. I was so confident with the strength of my final application,and subsequent interview, that I decided to apply only to my top school and wait for a decision. I was accepted – Ivy League Executive MBA!

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Thought I'd give a quick review on my experience with mbaMission and in particular, my admission consultant Susan Kaplan.

Belonging to the over represented applicant pool, I knew it from start that I needed some guidance on my application to highlight my strengths. After an extensive research on various consulting firms via GMAT Club and other sites, I decided to go with mbaMission. Based on my profile, I already knew what school I wanted to apply to, so I decided to take the one-school package.

Susan was fantastic right from the start! She began the engagement by explaining the process, along with my candidacy strengths and weaknesses. During the brainstorming call, Susan made sure she directed the conversation to bring up key attributes, that I should focus on, in my application. Susan made sure she queried me on all possible details that I could have missed. We then started with the drafts and Susan was very willing to accommodate my schedule and kept pushing me to get it right. I think that's something we all need given our busy work schedule. I valued her direct, honest feedback. She guided me patiently even during the mock interview we had.

Without any hesitation, I'd surely recommend Susan for assistance with the application process. And yes, I did get admitted to the university I applied to.

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Choosing Jessica Shklar (and mbaMission) as my admissions consultant was the best decision I made in my application process.

After researching many admissions consulting firms, mbaMission rose to the top for two reasons: 1) the numerous outstanding reviews I read on admissions websites/ blogs 2) the recommendation from Manhattan GMAT, a company I trusted after success with their course. I combed numerous websites, and found many mbaMission testimonials that touted Jessica, so I set up my free consultation with her. I had previously completed free consults with other prominent firms, but after spending 30 minutes with Jessica, I knew I wanted to work with her. Jessica came very well prepared, having carefully studied my resume prior to our initial meeting. I was impressed by how personal she was and how she carefully tailored all her questions/ comments/ advice around the nuances that were important to my story.

Jessica’s credentials are impressive and reviews from her former clients were exceptional, but what made her distinctly valuable to my applications was her ability to help me capture who I am on paper. After brainstorming with me and reviewing some of my drafts, Jessica encouraged me to write one of my essays about a very tricky subject – my faith – because it’s a very important part of who I am. Working with a delicate topic, Jessica helped me compose a deeply personal essay that was not offensive yet remained true to what I believe. Without Jessica, I wouldn’t have even attempted to write on my faith. Yet with her help, the essay I eventually produced was outstanding because it was uniquely me. The essay Jessica helped me craft added immense depth to my application and helped me come alive from a ‘flat’ file.

The result: I was accepted – and am matriculating – to Chicago Booth with a half tuition scholarship. A year ago, I would have considered myself to be a ‘coin-flip’ decision at Wharton/ Booth/ Kellogg. With Jessica’s help, I was accepted to 2 of the 3 and waitlisted at the other.

Sure, the cost of a consultant is expensive. But against the bigger picture of spending six figures on b-school, it’s a worthwhile investment. For me, the cost of a top-notch admissions consultant like Jessica paid returns (10x), as I’m convinced I wouldn’t have received the large scholarship I did without her.

Without reservation, I highly recommend Jessica Shklar to any applicant considering a top business school.

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I hired mbaMission for a 2-school package and I don't feel like I received the full value I paid for. My consultant was helpful in crafting my initial story but after that, the edits were much more superficial. I ended up asking a close friend to read my essays, and he provided the type of valuable feedback I was seeking from my admission consultant.

If the services were cheaper, then I don't think it would have been as big of an issue but for the thousands of dollars I paid for, I was expecting a lot more substantive feedback. I know it may sound like I am unhappy with mbaMission's services because I was not admitted to the 2 schools I applied for but that is definitely not the case. Even if I was admitted, my opinions on the value of the service I paid for would have remained the same.

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