Gatehouse Admissions Consulting Reviews

When I first started thinking about applying to Business School I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Not too many people from my professional background pursue MBAs, so I wasn't familiar with the process at all. Overwhelmed by studying for the GMAT and figuring out which round to apply to schools, I talked to one of my friends about his experience when he applied to MBA programs and he recommended mbaMission. I researched the consultants and narrowed them down and based on Liza's background and excellent reviews, I chose to work with her and am so glad I did, because I got into my first choice school!!

Having a full time job, studying for the GMAT and working on applications is very stressful, so for me, working with Liza was worth every penny. I always had my first choice school in mind, but I had no clue about any other schools I wanted to apply to. In our first consultation, Liza talked about the pros and cons of applying to more schools in the first round vs. focusing on only a few - she didn't pressure me at all to purchase a bigger school package, and the information she shared about all the schools i thought I was interested in was very helpful, leading me to narrow my application process down to 3 schools.

The application process takes hard work and dedication, but Liza kept me organized, focused, and on track. She helped me prioritize the workload and was able to answer every question I had, no matter how silly i thought it was. She was able to pull stories out of me that I thought were insignificant, but with her help, I later came to realize that those were the stories that set me apart.

I highly recommend Liza to anyone who wants to work with someone driven and enthusiastic, and who makes the process as fun and enjoyable as grad school applications can be.

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Liza was extremely helpful as an MBA Admissions consultant and I truly enjoyed working with her! From the moment we first spoke for my 30-minute free consultation, I knew that she had a very practical and straightforward approach. She made the process easier to navigate and helped me throughout my entire application process. Liza really helped me elevate my essays and application to the next level and played a critical role in helping me get accepted into my top school (Haas).

Liza’s help throughout the application process was extremely thorough and she was very fun to work with. Given the pressure of the application process, I appreciated the thoughtfulness, consideration and help that Liza gave me. Her feedback and comments were very pertinent and easy to understand, which ensured I had the best possible essays and overall application. Liza also significantly improved my resume and made sure that the key items of my experience and background were properly highlighted for the Admissions committee.

I highly recommend working with Liza to help you get into your top choice schools! She is extremely helpful, insightful, and truly cares about the candidates she works with! I am very thankful for all the support, experience, and guidance!

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Liza is hands down one of the best admissions consultants out there. I am sure there are many out there who know there stuff, what sets them apart though is the attitude and approach. If you are aiming for a top tier business school, I assume you must have done your homework and scoured the internet for content, the information is out there, what you need throughout this process is a partner and cheerleader, and Liza is that and more! Her guidance on approaching your story and essays is spot on, she really invests in getting to know you and so along the way you get accurate advice that works specifically for you. She adds so much positivity and energy to the process, I honestly felt she believed in me and my story. I spoke to many admissions consultants before finally deciding to go with Liza, and I am glad I made the call! I got into 2 of the 3 schools I applied to (2 of the best b-schools out there!). I was very lucky to have had a partner throughout the process who pushed me to produce the best that I could. She is responsive and will never leave you hanging. Liza continued to help me after we received the acceptance and walked me through the decision process to choose the right school for me. I can't recommend her enough. THANK YOU LIZA!

International student, non-US undergrad, GMAT under 700.

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Let me put it out there: I would not have been as successful in my applications without the help of Liza.

Liza's passion, enthusiasm, hard work, drive for perfection, uncanny ability to push her clients to think outside the box, organizational skills, and insistence on having the candidates' voices heard throughout the application process are unmatched.

The application process was long, hectic and overwhelming for me. In a period of 5 months, I had to go about my professional work, choose and apply to 5 MBA programs, study and take the GMAT (I eventually sat for the exam twice), write around 20 essays, choose my recommenders, re-write my CV, fill out entire applications, each with its own set of short questions, and prep for the interview process.

Given my needs, I purchased the five school start-to-finish package. It allowed me to work with Liza through every step of the process and to develop an extremely friendly relationship with her.

With Liza by my side, I was able to successfully overcome my challenges. From the onset, she instigated a brainstorming session and set out a well detailed plan with daily and weekly objectives. She made sure to keep me on schedule and was readily available whenever I needed her. Indeed, she particularly stood out from other consultants when she worked on some of her holidays to help me wrap up my applications. Her feedback was impeccable, straight to the point and thoughtful. She also pushed me to discover myself and to express myself in the clearest possible way.

I'm pumped up and excited to start my MBA soon and I take this opportunity to thank you Liza for helping me get accepted to one of my dream schools.

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Per recommendations from current MBA students, I decided to look into hiring a consultant. I had an non-traditional background and really needed help translating my job experience into "bschool language." Additionally, I needed to combat a low GMAT score. I spoke with consultants at Stacy Blackman and Admissionado, but I was really impressed with Liza's credentials and energy. After our 30-minute phone consult, I immediately connected with her and knew we would work well together. I'm happy to report that she lived up to every expectation and more.

I initially signed up for a 2-school package (Tuck & BC), but ended up adding a third (Johnson) later on. Once we started working together, I knew I had made the right decision. Liza is so personable that is was easy to open up to her. She quickly grasped who I was as a person and how to position my strengths and address my weaknesses. She helped me clearly communicate my story and encouraged me to write about things I thought were unimportant. Not only were her edits and recommendations on point, but they were genuine as she truly believed in my application. This resulted in a highly competitive application that highlighted my uniqueness as a candidate.

In every interaction I had with Liza, she went above and beyond. She always responded with thoughtful and insightful ideas to all of my emails and questions (and I had many!). My application process lasted much longer than most and Liza remained a dedicated supporter every step of the way. She helped connect me with a GMAT tutor, prepped me for interviews, developed a wait list strategy, gave me advice on scholarships, and talked me through which program I should choose.

I applied to 6 schools and ended up getting into 5 and was wait listed at one (Tuck), which was pretty amazing considering my low GMAT score. I attribute this success to Liza and her advice in crafting my essays, resume, short answers to reflect the best version of myself. I have since recommended Liza to three of my friends (one of them being my husband).

I highly recommend using Liza if you are considering a MBA consultant. She is extremely creative, insightful, experienced and knows how to successfully maneuver the MBA application process.

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I enjoyed working with Liza tremendously and would highly recommend her to anyone who's looking for MBA admissions consulting services. In my initial phone consultation, I was impressed with her professionalism and insights. I had spoken with a number of firms before, but her candid response and assessment is what sold me on a comprehensive package with MBAmission. Her work ultimately exceeded my expectation, and working with Liza felt more like working with a trusted partner. I'm happy to say that the investment is well worth it as I will be attending a top school in the fall.

What I appreciated the most throughout this process were Liza's insights and enthusiasm. She really knew the admissions landscape for top programs well and was able to help refine my story by encouraging me to think about the various aspects of my candidacy. You would not find in Liza someone who was eager to agree with you, but her approach was not prescriptive or pedantic either. She took the time to get to know me and analyze my story before sharing her feedback, and that made a big difference in how I eventually presented my application. Because of her efforts, we didn't have to go through too many drafts for the essays and our communications were productive and to-the-point.

A big part of working with a consultant lies in trust--trusting someone to learn the details of your story and to help you brainstorm ways to tell that story with their expertise. With Liza I believe her enthusiastic support definitely made the experience much easier and less stressful. I got the sense that my success in this process really mattered to her, and that shared partnership strengthened our work together (and saved a lot of time).

If you prefer a more structured approach to the MBA application process and benefit from consulting services, I recommend working with Liza if she's available. Her experience and support made a great impact on my application and contributed to my success in this process.

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From the initial consulting phase to the end product, I really enjoyed working with my consultant, Liza. I used the service primarily for essay feedback and resume review. Using the service gave me the confidence I needed to make sure I did everything I could in order to get into an MBA school as my GMAT score wasn't as high as I would have liked it to be. Liza was great at providing feedback to my work to make sure I highlighted the right touchpoints in the right way. I'd highly recommend the service if you're looking for that boost to make sure you did everything you could when applying. Thanks, Liza!

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I had been preparing my applications for months before I hired a consultant, believing that my essays just needed a quick review and I was on my way to submit. How quickly I came to realize that wasn't the case!

I was looking for someone who was knowledgeable and possessed the intuition to shape narratives from the finer details. I had phone consultations with 14 MBA consulting firms before I decided to work with Eric at mbaMission. As someone with a modest background (average undergraduate GPA, decent work experience as a contributor on a team, some community service, GMAT score on par with top schools), I thought I was reaching for the stars when I applied to MIT Sloan - my dream MBA program. I didn't think that hiring a consultant would make much of a difference, but that's where Eric came in.

First, Eric is extremely responsive and communicative. Because I was an hourly client, he kept detailed time logs and gave me full control over how long I wanted him to review something or how detailed I wanted him to dive into an essay. I definitely feel as though every dollar I spent was well-accounted for.

Second, and most importantly, he's very good at what he does. Even though I had already written my first drafts of essays on my own, Eric was able to draw out narratives from my existing stories - helping me find ways to develop them and illustrate the details that made these stories significant or noteworthy. He guided me to showcase my strengths, and recognize how those values aligned with the school's. Essentially, through his edits, Eric helped splash color on my otherwise blah application. In the end, I got into my reach-for-the-stars school with a generous scholarship offer. I am certain that I couldn't have gotten here without Eric's help!

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Liza was a great partner throughout the application process and went well beyond what I expected. From the beginning I had a good idea of the schools I wanted to apply and she helped me design a solid strategy to tackle them and think about some safe alternatives.

As you go through the application process you try to get everything right, from the stories you tell, to the way you tell them, to how you fill the application form. And Liza was there to help me every step of the way.

When I was waitlisted Liza helped me regain my confidence and continue to fight for a place.

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Eric and I solely reviewed my candidacy for my MBA programs and worked on how to approach application questions. The result: I was accepted in my dream school (Sloan).

Throughout the process, Eric helped me because he:
1) helped me understand my profile's strength and weaknesses
2) unfolded the questions that the schools were asking.
3) was incredibly timely in getting back to my questions.

Note that I was under the deadline gun in many situations and Eric was a champ in getting back to me faster than the standard 2 days.

The only challenge was that I came from an engineering background whereas Eric seemed to have more experience with candidates with more traditional backgrounds. This wasn't a big issue - we just got hung up on minor details.

I would recommend Eric - he was very helpful but did not write anything for me and I took ownership of the applications. Read the mbaMission book, Eric goes by many of its suggestions and it pays to have read it ahead of time.

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