Who We Are: The Full-Time mbaMission Team


Melissa Merchant

Melissa Merchant

Senior MBA Admissions Consultant

Northwestern Kellogg MBA with nearly a decade of admissions consulting experience and an extensive brand management and consulting background

How I Can Help You

“Nicely direct”— My clients report that I tell it like it is, but in a collegial way. I am in this with you, so I will be direct with my feedback, but we will reach the finish line together. I love assisting clients with crafting a personal “brand” or story and leverage my marketing background to help position candidates for a school and find the best possible fit with a program. I am thrilled when clients tell me their application was stronger because of my help and enjoy knowing that they are about to have an amazing, life-changing experience.

Why Choose Me

Since 2014, I have brought my extensive, 15-year background in marketing and strategy consulting to my work helping clients position their stories and craft their essays in pursuit of their MBA goals. Although accepted at several top programs, including Harvard Business School and the Stanford Graduate School of Business, I chose to earn my MBA at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, where I was an Austin Scholar and specialized in marketing and strategy. I love identifying what makes people shine and helping them communicate that value in writing, and my years as an alumna interviewer for Northwestern Kellogg gave me valuable insight into that aspect of the admissions process, as well. I am passionate about ensuring that candidates find the right “fit” when selecting an MBA program, having myself made what was a difficult but ultimately incredibly positive decision during the application process.

While at Northwestern Kellogg, I was president of the Business Leadership Club and helped drive the Marketing Club and its annual conference. I returned to Deloitte Consulting after graduating and helped establish the firm’s business school readiness program and formalize an application mentorship/sponsorship program. I sought stronger operational responsibility and joined the brand management ranks at Kraft Foods, where I excelled at marketing positioning, branding, and communications, ascending through Kraft’s beverage division to become senior brand manager of such brands as Kool-Aid and Crystal Light. After departing Kraft, I started my own successful marketing consulting practice.

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Highly Recommend! Accepted to Harvard & Stanford with Melissa Merchant’s help!


Melissa got me into 100% of the schools I worked with her on with 2 full scholarships!


Melissa helped me get into my dream schools!


Wouldn’t have gotten in without Melissa!


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