Who We Are: mbaMission Reviews

Julie-Anne was instrumental in helping me secure a spot in the top MBA program on my list. I scored 700+ on the LSAT and had a good undergrad MBA, but from a non-target school. I graduated from undergrad in 2016 so had limited work experience. I was nervous about my chances of being admitted, but Julie-Anne helped me brainstorm essays that highlighted my strengths. Julie-Anne also prepared me for interviews by hosting Skype mock interviews, which I found very helpful. She was always quick to respond with helpful thoughts on my essays. I would highly recommend Julie-Anne to anyone applying to B-school!

B-School Admit (via GMAT Club)

Julie-Anne is simply incredible. She was an invaluable resource throughout the entire process. I was accepted to my dream school, which was quite a stretch given my unique background. It would not have been possible without Julie-Anne's sage advice and assistance. She is truly extraordinary!

B-School Admit (via Poets&Quants)

I had a challenging story to communicate (white male, finance background, weak GMAT, career pivot, location pivot, etc.) but Julie did an amazing job of working with me to craft a compelling and unique story for each MBA program that I considered. In addition, I was an extremely demanding client (applied to nine top MBA programs) yet Julie always rose the occasion when deadlines arrived. She went above and beyond for me several times throughout the application process and I am very thankful that I selected her as my consultant. Highly recommend to any MBA candidates looking at hiring a consultant!

B-School Admit (via GMAT Club)

Background: econ undergrad to investment banking to private equity. Applied to HBS and GSB. Received interviews at both schools (GSB R1, HBS deferred R1, interview R2), and was admitted to GSB (did not take HBS interview).

I was looking for a consultant who would a) walk me through the process of the application to limit effort on my end, b) provide constructive criticism on the essays, and c) keep me on track to submit so I don't pull an all-nighter the night before. Julie-Anne certainly filled all of those roles for me. I would say that she stood out the most in regards to the essay writing, where she was extremely helpful with brainstorming constructs, as well as giving me the hard feedback of when I totally needed to scrap an essay (which with hindsight, was the right call!).

Stanford GSB Admit (via GMAT Club)

When considering B school and the application process, I was skeptical of the cost of admissions consulting services. After several free consultations with different firms, I immediately could picture the value that Julie-Anne would provide. She stood out among others for her sincerity and advice even before I became a client.

If you are on the fence about using a consultant, Julie-Anne was worth the cost and incredibly beneficial throughout the process, candidly evaluating my application. She was particularly helpful in refining my essays and Julie-Anne's experience made her an awesome sounding board. She helped take my application from good to great! The best part of working with Julie-Anne was that she genuinely cares and followed up with me to talk through my options even after my hours were up. It was all worth it as I was able to get into my dream school!

B-School Admit (via GMAT Club)

The full school package was extremely helpful at mbaMission. I was able to receive edit help with essays, interview prep for several schools, and resume review. There were a few brainstorming calls that were helpful for me to figure out my point of view for my essays. We also went through the different characteristics that each school was looking for in the essays. Julie-Anne was the highlight of working with mbaMission as she was particularly helpful editing the essays. I currently work in private equity and do not have the strongest writing skills and Julie-Anne was able to give me specific comments to pull out the necessary details needed in my essays. She also works extremely fast under tight deadlines even when she is busy juggling multiple students. Additionally, in our mock interviews, she knew exactly what my weaknesses were and gave me tips to bring the best version of myself to the interview process. I would highly recommend her to any student applying for business school.

B-School Admit (via GMAT Club)

Background: Econ undergrad at Ivy, Product Manager, male, over-represented demographic. Applied to MIT, CBS and Wharton. Received interviews at all schools, was admitted to MIT and CBS.

When I first began thinking about applying for an MBA, I worried about my chances because I was an over-represented demographic and felt I didn't have a unique story (I had spent 4.5 at the same company in one role). I was looking for a consultant who was honest, could help craft my story, tell me my strengths and weaknesses, and keep me on track with the deadlines. Julie-Anne was fantastic and helped in every aspect of the application, even in areas that I didn't know I would need help.

She was honest in her feedback (my qualifications, strengths, weaknesses), spent hours brainstorming with me to find a way to uniquely tell my story, and made sure I met my deadlines. She was especially helpful on the essay portion of the applications, which I found the most challenging and open-ended.

Julie-Anne was extremely responsive through every iteration of my application no matter the question or amount of times I asked. Even as I moved on to the interview process of the application, she was there to guide me along and give me advice on how to prep, knowing each school as well as the next. Julie-Anne truly cares - even after I was admitted, she was there as a sounding board to help me decide on which school I should attend. She got to know me well enough over the application process that she was able to give me actionable advice on which school would be a better culture and professional fit.

Initially, I was concerned with the cost of a consultant, but I can definitely say that Julie-Anne was worth it, and got me into my top choice!

MIT Sloan and Columbia Business School Admit (via GMAT Club)

I’ve been accepted to two M7 schools, and I'm almost certain I would have come up empty without Julie-Anne's guidance and support.

Compared to other MBA hopefuls, I was very late to the game when I realized I wanted to pursue an MBA. As an MBA was not on my to-do list, my profile/experience wasn’t geared towards MBA admissions. My stats were average to below average for M7 standards, and my work experience doesn’t jump off the page as remarkable.

I applied to five M7 schools, and only had a short amount of time to put together my applications. Julie-Anne helped me through the entire process – from validating why an MBA is right for me, to helping understand what each school values in their candidates, to putting together tailored applications that highlight my strengths and unique selling points. We went through my work/life experiences to find unique stories and achievements, many of which I would have never even thought to include in my applications.

Julie-Anne provided very honest and detailed feedback along the way and pushed me to put my best foot forward in every aspect of my application. The admissions process can be opaque and tricky to navigate. Julie-Anne’s guidance added a lot of clarity, and I was able to submit applications with a strong sense of purpose and confidence in my candidacy for a top MBA program.

I highly recommend Julie-Anne’s services to ensure that by the time you press submit, your application is as good as it can be.

B-School Admit (via GMAT Club)

Stats – male, reapplicant, career pivot.

My favorite thing about Julie-Anne is her no-nonsense approach and her willingness to help with all aspects of an application. After speaking with her during a free consultation, I knew she’d be extremely valuable during the application process. She doesn’t sugar coat, and her honesty was very important as I honed my application. With her guidance and expertise, she was able to help me turn an application that was getting me nowhere into several acceptances at top programs.

There cannot be enough said about the power of another set of eyes, especially ones as sharp as Julie-Anne’s. She can be as detail-oriented or high-level as you need her to be, and she truly cares about the success of those she helps. I couldn’t recommend her highly enough.

B-School Admit (via Poets&Quants)

Julie-Anne Heafey was my MBA consultant during the 2019 applications process. In my experience in working with her, I can honestly say she was everything you could ask for when it comes to an MBA mentor! There are three key areas where I felt Julie-Anne really stood out for me as a remarkable consultant.

1. Julie-Anne is a great listener. Not once did I feel like I was losing my story or was not remaining true to myself. Julie-Anne takes the time and attention to really dig deep into who you are as a person and what truly defines you. It really helped when tackling the essay prompts for these top tiered schools!
2. Julie-Anne is very responsive. During the application process, you will have last minute questions and or change of topics/material when it comes to your essays. Whenever I needed to reach out to Julie-Anne she would respond almost immediately! She has a turnaround schedule and will always give you a heads up on any planned family vacations to help coordinate schedules! She was even gracious enough to provide a phone number for any last minute emergencies related to my applications!
3. Julie-Anne takes her job very seriously. You can tell Julie-Anne has done her research in understanding each school and how you will fit within their culture. Not only that but she will also suggest schools outside of your target list that you may have never considered. More than anything, Julie-Anne is trying to find the perfect culture fit for you as part of the process, I can’t stress enough how important that was for me!

It was amazing having Julie-Anne as my MBA mentor and I very happy and grateful that I will be attending the Haas School of Business this fall!

Good luck everyone and if you are reading this, hopefully, I was able to help you in your matchmaking process!

Business School Admit (via Poets&Quants)

Julie-Anne was kind enough to provide feedback on a ‘ding’ from this past application cycle for Harvard Business School. Though I will admit that I was initially skeptical on the potential value-add of an external consultant (after all, I know myself best, right?), Julie-Anne’s comprehensive and thoughtful review of my previous application blew me away with detailed insights and pointed recommendations for how to improve. Throughout the multiple calls and e-mails we had (she was overly generous with her time!), she was friendly and humorous that made it a fun, constructive experience of reflection rather than one of discouraging “should have, would have, could have.” For those on the fence about engaging a consultant, I highly recommend trying it. It’s amazing (and humbling) how much even 20 minutes of external, educated feedback can progress the application that you’ve been pouring over for weeks

B-School Applicant