MBA Crystal Ball

There is only one word to describe MCB's application service -AWESOME !

I would like to share my experience and interactions with MG at MBA Crystal Ball.

It all began sometime in late June when I was done with my GMAT and was looking for colleges to apply. After reviewing my profile, MG suggested me to go for ISB and made me believe that I could do it ! I signed up for MCB's application service for 1 college and after that MG just worked his genius around my application.

During brainstorming session, he made me think some interesting instances that I could include in my essays. Then I prepared rough stories around those instances and MG kept on refining them meticulously. He knew which points would make an impact and which points could be taken out of the essays. In the end, after several revisions, I got a nearly perfect draft of the essays.

I believe that essays are the most important part of your profile ! You may be a state level champion in some sports or an Olympiad winner, but if you don't know which point to put in which context, unfortunately, all that would be a waste. MG has got so much experience in dealing with prospective candidates that he knows what would click with the Adcom and what could be done away with. And this is where his help is absolutely impeccable.

Then when I got the call, I quickly signed up for his 2 mock interview sessions. Those too were extremely helpful. He gave some very important pointers to keep in mind which gave me more confidence.

The first thing that I did on getting the admit mail from ISB was to thank MG for his immense help during the entire process. I truly believe that this would not have been possible without his help.

There are a plethora of admission consultants in the market right now and it is very important for people like us to make an informed decision. I have heard of cases where 'consultants' just do simple editing for essays and fleece the customers in the end. If someone is serious about getting into a good college, I would seriously recommend taking up MCB's application service. It helped me a lot - I am sure it would help anyone taking up their services !

Thanks.

When you make a choice of working with any MBA consultant, there are so many apprehensions about the quality, personalized attention, timely response etc.

I made a decision of working with MBACrystalBall few months back after talking to people who availed its services. I must say that I am delighted with my decision.

Until few months I was just another Indian IT Male candidate who managed to get a decent score (730) on GMAT. I was very unsure about where to apply and how to make maximum use of my profile. Now, I got admit from ISB Hyderabad, my dream school for long.

Sameer guided me though the MBA school selection process during MBA MAP. Later MG brought in new angles into my applications so that I was able to differentiate myself from a typical IT applicant.

So far, I have two admits this season: Olin Business School - Washington University at St. Louis and ISB Hyderabad. More results are awaited .

I would like to recommend MBACrystalBall to any applicant who wants to stand out and make best of his or her profile.

PS: No one can cast a magic unless you are willing to work hard, real hard. If I put it in Sameer's words, working with a consultant is collaboration not outsourcing.

Thank you Sameer and Manish. Your help is much appreciated.

Sid

Dear All,

I got to know about Sameer and MCB from the MBA forums and “Beyond the MBA Hype” book. I was in touch with him intermittently during my admission applications for the past 2 years. I recently completed the MBA MAP process and am taking this opportunity to provide my feedback on the process.

Despite having experienced the admission cycle before, the MBA MAP process was truly an eye-opener for me. The initial questionnaire forces one to introspect deeply on our key strengths, build a story which covers one’s aspirations and also the Why MBA and Why now part. The strict word limit of ~150 words for the essays is like a welcome introduction to the experience of writing actual application essays. The questionnaire was followed by an interview where Sameer set the ball rolling for the open discussion and truly questions all the written essays. Personally, I took this session lightly and only when I was grilled left-right-center did I truly realize my mistake. That said, the points we discussed and the feedback points provided were really helpful and also the viewpoints that were presented in this discussion helped me a lot in terms of understanding where I stand, weaknesses in my story and also provided me the building points of my final actual approach to be taken. This was my biggest takeaway from the entire process. Post this session I knew precisely which points I needed to be working upon. This conclusion, according to me, is the foundation and will help everyone irrespective of which school/schools one applies to.

Post this interview, basis the thorough evaluation framework and the discussion, Sameer provided the humongous list of schools (along with the risk assessment) that I could explore and consider for my application. Let me warn you that there will not be any easy answers and self-research is the most important requirement if you truly want to extract the maximum gains from the MAP process. The follow-up session helped me test the strength of my story and also to zero in on the select schools that I should consider. At the risk of sounding filmy, I would like to say that the ease & comfort that Sameer provides during the entire process is pretty much like interacting with a friend, philosopher, guide. I consider my investment in the MBA MAP process truly fruitful and worthwhile. Sameer really walked the extra mile to resolve all my queries and was considerate despite the fact that I was probably digressing. I am really thankful to Sameer for his active involvement in my overall development which goes beyond just clarity of B-School applications.

The MBA MAP process will help you no matter where you are in the application process. Personally, I believe that the best results from MBA MAP will be achieved when one is starting & thinking about the application season. Being skeptical of approaching MBA consultants myself, if you are also questioning yourself on whether it is worth the effort and money then I would say that it will surely be very helpful and worth every paisa . Go for it and given MCB's track record and expertise, MCB is the best option that you can choose.

I followed up on the MBA MAP with the Essay Review Package for my application. MG's pointed feedback and expert comments really helped and improved my overall application. I had read about MG's impact and was truly convinced after my personal experience.

The school-packages provided by MCB will truly be helpful if you commit the time and effort for it. As I wait for the final outcome, my fingers are crossed and I wish the best for Sameer and MG.

Cheers Guys!

GMAT is the easy part of the MBA application, the more complex part is the story and strategy for your essays and application which is where Sameer comes in.
The guy has a very excellent understanding of the entire process and especially the thought that goes into selecting a candidate by the MBA admissions council. I guess that comes from his such councils from various colleges around the world.
The best thing about Sameer is that there is no farce, no pushing of one college or the other. He makes you understand the logic which is the key to these essays and applications. A very straight forward approach and easy to talk to makes him very good at what he does.
I came with the mind set that he would clearly tell me what to say , what not to, basically do the hard work for me. But he does not do that instead he gives you a few points to ponder about, points which make you think and ultimately give much more clarity to your own thought process which is critical during the essay writing and the interviews. A very simple but powerful approach.
Highly recommended for people both, people who are serious about getting into a top B school abroad and those who still have that lingering doubt about doing an MBA or not.

I got to know about MBA CB though online search and after reading various testimonials and articles I thought of taking up career counselling session. I get to speak with Manish Gupa and I must say that he has helped me to a great extent. He makes me understand the pratical approach towards corporate profile and enabled me to see the gaps in my profile and how the supervisors looks for roles and responsibilities which I don't know if B-schools teach.

His responses are given in timely manner. By following his advice and suggestions I am happy to share that I am able to push things where it is needed mostly. Its not something only to gain more money or competitive advantage but also to have a gratifying career. He also gives you options that one can consider.

Though I am still in the middle of reaching my goal but I could not wait to share my experience with MBA Crystal Ball. The Career MAP is also very exhaustive and give insights to your personality based on which you can see what role will suit you most, what are the problem areas, what corrective actions one needs to make. Manish speaks in a friendly manner and has attention to details. Now whatever actions you are taking he keeps checking and give suggestions. Only with his persuasion and confidence shown in me I am able to have a word with a top level executive which again is helping me towards my goal.

MG and team is doing a great job. Keep it up.
I strongly recommend this website for people facing challenges in moving ahead in career and life.

My counselling sessions with Manish have been an important stepping stone in my career. There is nothing better than receiving advice from someone who is more experienced, someone who knows the industry well and who can guide you to use your potential in the right field. Manish is someone you can trust to channelize your forte in the direction, where it will yield maximum results.

Manish has been an amazing guide, who not only helped me to truly understand my career options where in my skills could be used but also saved me a tremendous amount of time, money and emotional energy. I found Manish to be a great listener, was helpful when I was stuck, and guided me to useful insights while allowing me to come to my own conclusions. Thank you Manish, it was great working with you!

My wanderlust on Internet for career advice stopped successfully after discussing with Manish and Sameer. I was facing midlife career crisis and needed very specific customised advice. The first few interactions with MCB were very warm to review my requirement and what would be the right path.The discussion was not geared towards any pitch to sign up, but rather on whether CareerMap or MBAMap was suitable. There was complete transparency and the expertise perceptible, to provide a solution to my problem.

Once signed up, the approach was very professional, and top class. With 13 years of work experience, I was an outlier, the complexity of my issues, matched by the personalised and swift expert advice. Interaction sessions, checklists, questionnaires were very good tools that served to threadbare the situation, introspect, retrospect and finally arrive at multiple possible solutions.

These guys know their craft. I thank Manish and wish MCB all the success.

Regards
Nlan

Hi

MBA Crystal Ball is a one-stop shop for genuine career counselling. These guys really care about your career and offer actionable advice. They don't rush you into anything and their packages are customizable too. I took their Career MAP package for career counselling and, I have to say, I am glad I did that. It cleared a lot of doubts and a whole lot of misconceptions. The reason for that is the diverse background of Manish and Sameer. They can give you the ground realities of each job and all the tools to make the right decision. Highly Recommended .

Career MAP Testimonial

I had taken Career MAP,services from MCB,and MG was my point of contact.After e-mailing him with my career concerns and detailing my areas of pain,MG responded with a step by step guidance on the process and send a Personality map questionnaire and behaviour assesment tool.Having gone through and filled ,we scheduled our call.in which MG,understood the predicaments i was facing and then gave me very valuable suggestions ,in the follow up call,i was asked to structure my thoughts and prioritise my way forward..MG has been instrumental in creating a comfort zone in addressing my multiple queries on phone and email and patiently answering them,and also giving a sense of direction .I can confidently say that Career MAP has been a revelation and a very dynamic package for professionals wanting to get a grip and clarity when they are faced with career obstacles..MG has been like a guide and friend..and i hope to be in touch and communicate with him..on the goals set.Wish MG,Sameer and MCB all the success in their endeavors.

Mridul K