I decided to apply to business school very late in the process (didn't take the GMAT until mid-November, and then only had a month and a half to submit applications!). I was understandably stressed out, but after surveying the options out there, I had no hesitations about making an investment to partner with SBC to help me put my best foot forward in the MBA admissions process.

Esther Magna gave me a very accurate assessment of my chances at multiple top schools and encouraged me to apply even though I had doubts about my own candidacy. She matched me with Margaret Orenstein, who was instrumental in guiding me as I crafted my story with such great responsiveness, insights, and personalization to me. She also had such care for me as a person and was so invested in empowering me to be successful! Caryn Altman also provided invaluable feedback on my application.

Ultimately, I was accepted at Harvard Business School and the Stanford Graduate School of Business, which I think would not have been possible without the support of the team at SBC to help me navigate an unfamiliar process.

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Looking back, I now know that working with Meg and SBC was the single most important decision I made during my MBA admissions journey. The team's in-depth and candid expertise at every step of the process was instrumental in my admission to both Booth and Kellogg. It all started with my initial consultation with Sarah, who in a matter of minutes, assessed my candidacy and told me how she would go about crafting and positioning my narrative. It was easy to tell that she and SBC knew what they were doing. Then, it was Meg who really helped me unlock the potential of my application. With her expertise as a former MBA admissions officer, Meg was my primary partner and ultimate support system during the grueling application process. She spent a lot of time just getting to know me and my aspirations, and really helped me to understand that my story was valuable. She enabled me to weave together all my life experiences and ambitions in a way that helped me craft essays that were uniquely me and uniquely powerful - essays that no doubt made a difference in gaining admission to Booth and Kellogg. In addition to Meg's unwavering support, the SBC client database was immensely helpful with school-specific resources and sample essays. The vast information there was really a cherry on top of the breadth and depth of expertise that the whole SBC team provided. I would highly recommend Meg and the SBC team to anyone looking to take their MBA candidacy to the next level - I wouldn't have found the success I did without them!

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I was admitted into HBS and Wharton's HCM Program.
I was admitted into HBS and Wharton's HCM Program.

Dione was my dedicated consultant and was phenomenal. She helped position my application based on my experience and craft my essays based on my career vision. My favorite part of the process was our brainstorming sessions - she helped curate my ideas into what I believe turned out to be an excellent essay which distinguished me from other candidates.

There was also substantial team support particularly during the flight test (thanks Kim) and the Wharton group interview (Thanks Anthony!)

I selected SBC because a friend had referred me and I am so glad I did!

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Beth is the best MBA consultant EVER! Got accepted to both M7 schools I applied to! Having worked with other MBA consultants previously, I can tell Beth is very knowledge about the overall application process, what each school is looking for, and how to help students succeed. Beth is extremely strategic, detail oriented, and personable. She helped me to design the strategy for my application and worked with me to execute out the strategy. I’m especially impressed by the letter of recommendation part, we covered who I should choose, what areas my recommenders should touch on and how to complement my overall application. In addition, after working her to update my resume, I got feedback from adcom team that “no need to spend any second on updating the resume” during resume review session. Most importantly, Beth is very sweet and I feel very comfortable to tell her my stories and she always responds to me within a few hours of reaching out to her.

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The SBC team is incredibly helpful and insightful on all aspects of the MBA admissions process. Their team of former admissions officers is extremely knowledgeable about the specific nuances of each MBA program and what the admissions committees look for and value in candidates. Esther was extremely helpful in answering my initial questions about the application process and helping me understand how the engagement with SBC would work and the value they could add to my applications. Meg was my primary partner and played an instrumental role in my acceptance to Columbia Business School. She really helped me craft my personal story and better articulate why I wanted to get my MBA. Further, she helped me figure out how to best highlight my strengths and differentiating traits on my resume and in my essays. She thoroughly reviewed my resume and essays, too, and provided highly valuable feedback. Lastly, Meg set a structured schedule and deadlines for when each part of the application for each school should be finished and held me accountable to it throughout the process, which I needed! The flight test, which Caryn performed for me, provided another layer of perspective and feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of my candidacy, which was also very beneficial and helpful to me! Overall, I would highly recommend the SBC team. They are highly knowledgeable about all elements of the MBA application process and provide supportive, yet candid feedback and guidance to help clients achieve their goals.

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Amy was essential to my admittance to HBS as a re-applicant. In the prior year’s cycle, I was admitted to NYU through the help of Applicant Lab, but I wanted to give it another shot. With her expertise as a former Wharton Admissions expert and professional editor (this came in very clutch!), Amy helped me create a completely different application that highlighted a more authentic and personal story. She was especially amazing during the final stretches of applications when she quickly responded with her thoughts to each new draft of my essays. I would highly recommend her as a consultant to anyone going through the process!

The rest of the SBC team was also great. Sarah quickly paired me up with Amy. Kim, my flight tester, gave me solid feedback and the confidence that my application was in the right direction. The Stacey Blackman wiki database was also very helpful for understanding what successful essays look like. Overall, a great experience with Amy & the Stacey Blackman team and you can’t argue with the results! Highly recommend!

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As stated in SBC's strengths, I started my partnership with them by speaking with a consultant "matchmaker". The intent was to understand me and my goals so that I could be partnered with a consultant best suited to assist me. I had the great opportunity to work with Mark for the 8-month process. Mark is a former LBS admissions officer and with LBS being my target school, his insight with the program, the region and adjacent programs within the space was invaluable. Through our time working together, Mark and I identified my strengths and weaknesses and how best to own them as well as highlight them in my application packet. With Mark's feedback, I was able to best utilize my word counts and response space to share my story in a relevant manner. Once I had completed my application, SBC offers a flight test to be sent off to a separate consultant to have a fresh look at the packet as a whole. My flight tester was Caryn, also a former admissions officer. This flight test assists in bringing a different perspective to your application and where you can possibly improve or clarify. I found it very helpful. At the end of it all I was admitted to my dream school, LBS, and could not be more thankful to Mark and the SBC team. I highly recommend their services and best of luck to anyone starting the journey!

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Meg was an incredible partner and supporter in my application journey. During our first call, I didn't realize how much I had to offer until she asked some questions about topics I didn't realize were relevant. She helped me understand my story was valuable and communicate that with my authentic voice. Beyond that, I got helpful information from the full SBC network of former admissions officers, and my flight tester provided valuable feedback with an impartial but experienced viewpoint. Despite coming from a fairly non-traditional background, I got interviews to 7 of the top 10 programs and acceptances from Tuck, Haas, and Kellogg. I highly recommend her to anyone looking for someone to listen!

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I chose the All-In Package for my MBA application process and couldn’t be happier with that decision. By working closely with Christine and the rest of the wonderful SBC team, I managed to get admitted to all three schools – HBS, GSB, and CBS – that I applied to!!! Truly a dream come true that I would not have achieved without Christine’s help. You simply couldn’t ask for a better consultant – Christine has been my rock of the storm, a wise advisor, an incredible sparring partner, and an amazing communicator and she possesses an exceptional ability for always keeping in mind the big picture as well as all of the necessary details and structuring both. She has encouraged me to go deep into introspection (and accompanied me in doing so). Through thoughtful questioning, she has helped me to develop a storyline that was extremely authentic and meaningful to me. At the same time, she mentored me through all the ups and downs of this long process like a champion and world-class coach, always responding in an extremely short time with very helpful advice. In our interview preparation, she asked questions that prepared me optimally for the real experience.
I am infinitely grateful to Christine. She has been a tremendous enrichment for me over the last year – not only professionally but also personally. With her great expertise, kindness, encouraging nature, radical candor, and great humor, working with her was a pure blessing. Thank you so much Christine – I would choose her again and again and can only say: if you can work with her, you are lucky!!!

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I cannot recommend SBC enough to anyone that is thinking about going to get an MBA and would like a strong partner by your side to guide you. My consultant made sure that I was comfortable in all steps of the process and made sure that I kept to strict timelines and reached out and made sure I did my homework. I applied to 4 schools using this service and got into 2 schools and was given a full scholarship to one of the schools I applied to and will be attending. The team-based approach that SBC takes with its clients coupled with their industry knowledge is top-notch. I would recommend Margaret and SBC to anyone I know that is thinking about B-school (and I already have!) I did some research prior and talked to two other consulting firms and SBC was by and far the best one in terms of caliber and I went with them without hesitation.

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