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Product Gatehouse Admissions Consulting
Consultant Hollis Kline
Hollis was incredibly helpful at helping me articulate my "why MBA" story. It was incredibly valuable to receive her essay commentary, and she successfully narrowed down my essay to its most succinct format. Her advice on what information to highlight in my overall MBA application (and what to exclude) was also critical.
Finally, she added value when it came to navigating the do's and dont's of the application that are less obvious ("informal letters of rec", which letters to use, post mba goal crafting, etc.) Ultimately it is worth using her service if you want to feel like you put forth the best application possible.
I would highly recommend her as a counselor!
Product Gatehouse Admissions Consulting
Consultant Hollis Kline
I had the pleasure of working with Hollis Kline primarily during my essay review and interview preparation process. I had a bit of time to work on my applications, and thus opted to work with Hollis using the hourly service basis (which meant I had to communicate to Hollis what I was working on and what I needed her feedback on). Overall, Hollis was very attentive/detail-oriented, approachable and easy-to-work-with. Importantly, across all aspects of the process, Hollis ensured that we were both on the same page, and that she understood what I needed her feedback on, while also giving sound advice where needed. With regards to the essays, there were two main attributes to Hollis’ approach that were incredibly helpful. Firstly, Hollis looked through every word, sentence and paragraph in my essays to ensure that all components had a specific purpose – it was great to have someone who doesn’t know my story objectively question what I am trying to say and why it is important. Secondly, Hollis was very reliable – I could always rely on Hollis to send me her comments within a specific timeframe, so I pretty much had a mental schedule in place; I knew when I needed to take some time out of my day to work on my essays in order to get comments by a specific date. With regards to the interview, Hollis and I had a mock session where she provided a range of questions (across topics and difficulty levels); this session helped me get into the right mindset going into the actual interview. In summary, I am very pleased with the entire process, and I highly recommend Hollis for anyone seeking guidance throughout the application process.
Product Gatehouse Admissions Consulting
Consultant Hollis Kline
Back in May of this year I was perusing GMAT club looking for an admissions consultant. I remember reading countless reviews of consultants who had helped applicants get into their dream schools, and thinking to myself "wow, I hope that some day I will be fortunate enough to write a review like that." Well, thanks to Hollis's support, that goal became a reality.
I picked the two school package at mbaMission, and applied to HBS and the GSB. Hollis was a tremendous asset throughout the application and interview process at both schools. Here are some specifics:
Brainstorming:
I had some high-level ideas about what I wanted to convey in my applications, but was having trouble isolating a compelling story. As part of the mbaMission process, I filled out an extensive brainstorming document. I then spent ~1.5 hours on the phone with Hollis, where she provided guidance on how to translate my concepts into concrete, b-school ready personal statements.
Essay writing:
I went through several drafts of each of my application essays. Not only was Hollis prompt in providing feedback (often responding ahead of deadlines), but her input was clear, direct, and easy to follow. This made for a smooth writing process that kept my applications ahead of schedule.
It was a great relief to be able to get unlimited essay feedback from Hollis as part of the mbaMission school package. At one point in the process, I was debating between 4 different anecdotes to include in my essays, and needed to shrink the number down to 2. Hollis did a back-to-back essay comparison in order to help me choose the best stories, and this was a pivotal exercise, helping to maximize my application essays.
Furthermore, Hollis is an absolute master of word-count management. By the time is was ~3 drafts in on each essay, I had gone well above the word limit. Finding places to cut on my own was extremely challenging given how close I was to essay content. Hollis provided the necessary third-party POV, and helped identify superfluous sections. This was also a huge asset in the application short answers as well.
Interviews:
Hollis went above and beyond in preparing me for interviews. She offered initial mock interviews for both schools, and even provided a second mock for HBS even though she was traveling in Australia at the time! Her questions and insight left me feeling prepared and confident going into both interviews.
General:
At the end of the day, applying to business school is a demanding process, and getting in will require a lot of hard work from you. Having a consultant will not guarantee you admission, as so much of the process requires deep introspection on your part. However, having a consultant like Hollis, who was always willing to answer even my most ridiculous of questions as I sought to understand the application process, is incredibly beneficial, and will help make your applications as impactful (and stress-free) as possible.
Best of luck!
Product Gatehouse Admissions Consulting
Consultant Hollis Kline
As an international candidate with an ordinary profile, I had never thought I could ace my way to a top business school. But, Hollis made it happened. I am accepted to Haas School of Business - my dream school. Her helps and supports played a vital part in my success. She was very patient going with me through my ten pages of idea generation. When it came to essay editing, she kept my voice genuine and helped connect all my discrete pieces of information into a beautiful mosaic. I especially appreciate her response pattern; she always went ahead deadlines. And that gave me a lot of opportunities to revise my essays more times. She was so dedicated that she even responded to my just-sent email a few minutes before she was on a plane for her very important and personal event. I just felt so sorry for waiting until last minutes and then made that request as an emergency for her. Hollis also painstakingly guided me on how to enhance my application by utilizing my strengths - my experience, my personal background, and my story – and mitigating my weaknesses – low GPA, low TOEFL score, and lack of international exposure. Under her guidance, each of my application was tailored in a very unique way that can yield me the best chance to get in each specific school. An interviewer from a school that I was admitted in especially liked a detail that Hollis recommended me to use as my selling point for that school. I would definitely choose to work with Hollis should I again go through the process. Her thoughtful advises and her super dedicated maneuvers make her source you can always trust.