GMAT Club
January 04, 2024
ryanh26

Joined: Jan 04, 2024

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Went "All-in"... and won!

REVIEWER IDENTITY VERIFIED by score report [?]

I explored a number of admissions consultancy options before deciding on SBC, which was recommended to me by a friend/former colleague. I was initially drawn to how thorough SBC's approach seemed to be, their "wiki" database loaded with valuable information, and of course their impressive roster of Consultants with deep AdComm experience. After my initial "matchmaking" call with Sarah, I had a great gut feeling that was immediately confirmed once I met with her recommended Consultant, Amy, with whom I decided to pursue a 4-school All-in package. Simply put, I felt Amy and SBC believed in me and had the skills to help me maximize my chances at achieving my MBA admission goals.

Amy was the perfect match for me. She had several years of AdComm experience at Wharton (one of my target schools) under her belt, as well as a background as a writer, which I expected would be a weakness of mine given my only writing in the past ~6 years had been emails. We put a clear, regimented plan into action following the SBC model and executed it over the subsequent ~5 months in a way that never felt rushed or overwhelming despite leaving no stone unturned before R1 deadlines.

Every step of the way, Amy was patient, thoughtful, well-organized, available, responsive, and infinitely helpful. With everything from my resume, to my essays, to my app-specific short answer questions, Amy's keen sense for what makes a compelling case helped me put forth the most holistically sound, authentic application I could with my set of personal experiences. Additionally, a major turning point in my process was when Amy encouraged me to pursue the GRE instead of the GMAT, a pivot that almost immediately improved the trajectory of my candidacy.

Before submitting, my flight tester, Caryn (former Kellogg AdComm), gave an objective read of my application and identified a few areas for improvement that Amy then helped me implement, not just for that school but for the others on our list where applicable. Later, the mock Wharton TBD with Anthony (again, also former AdComm and specifically Wharton) was invaluable in helping prepare me for the real experience, as that's not an interview style that I would’ve otherwise been able to easily simulate.

I ultimately received offers of admission to Columbia and Wharton, and couldn't be more appreciative of Amy's help - along with that of the other SBC team members - in making my MBA goals a reality.

Sorry for the long review - I'm sure Amy could've helped me cut this down! - but I simply cannot say enough about how pleased I am with SBC broadly and Amy specifically. It is not a small investment, but the returns are well worth it.

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