Beth

Working with Beth was the highlight of my MBA application journey. Over nearly nine months, she supported me end-to-end across applications to several M7 schools, helping me thoughtfully shape my story, refine my essays, position my extracurriculars, and prepare for interviews. Beth brings an exceptional combination of strategic insight, deep admissions expertise, and genuine care to her clients. She was consistently kind, patient, and deeply invested in my success. With her guidance, I earned interviews and admission to both Harvard Business School and Columbia Business School. I could not have asked for a better partner in this process and would wholeheartedly recommend Beth to anyone pursuing an MBA.

Working with Stacy Blackman Consulting — and especially Beth Tidmarsh — was truly the best decision I made during my MBA application journey.
From day one, Beth became my dedicated partner, coach, and biggest advocate. As a former Kellogg Admissions Officer, she had an incredible ability to translate my experiences into a cohesive and compelling story. Her insights into what Kellogg truly values were spot-on, and thanks to her guidance, I earned admission to Kellogg as well as Michigan Ross. Beth pushed me in all the right ways: she challenged my messaging when needed, boosted my confidence when imposter syndrome crept in, and always made me feel like she was fully invested in my success.
I also deeply appreciated the team-based model SBC brings. Sarah, who first matched me with Beth, took time to understand my goals, background, and working style so the fit was perfect. My flight tester (another former Admissions Officer!) provided an invaluable outside perspective and helped refine my application into a final version that truly resonated. On top of that, resources like SBC’s Vault database gave me access to successful essays, insights, and tactical tools I couldn’t find anywhere else.
Before choosing SBC, I explored several other MBA admissions consulting firms — including some of the popular competitors — and none came close to the level of personalization, strategic guidance, and warmth I found with SBC. I ultimately came in through a personal referral — and now I’m the one enthusiastically recommending SBC to others!
If you are serious about giving yourself the strongest shot at a top program, I cannot recommend Beth and the entire SBC team highly enough. They don’t just help you apply — they help you show up as the best version of yourself.

I was not very familiar with the MBA admissions process when I started looking at programs. With the guidance from Beth and the team at SBC, I was fortunate to be admitted to 3/4 schools — Kellogg, Darden and Fuqua. I truly believe that without her guidance, I would not have been admitted to schools. If I had relied on forums, MBA alums, and friends/family, I would have misplaced all my time and energy to improve my GMAT score instead of working on other aspects of my application. As a former Kellogg Director of Admissions, Beth was able to provide direct insight as to what the admissions committees look for in applications. Having access to a database of successful applications from top schools, mock interview prep, and a wholistic application review (the Flight Test), was extremely useful. Even before I was admitted anywhere, I was already recommending her to others. I’m very fortunate that I was able to work with Beth and feel like SBC was a worthwhile investment in my future.

I worked with Beth for essay feedback and resume revision, and I truly can’t recommend her enough. Her insight and suggestions were thoughtful and helped me tell my story in a way that felt authentic while aligning with what admissions committees are looking for. She was meticulous with details, yet also offered really great big-picture feedback.

Beth was unbelievably responsive and efficient—you can tell she respects the investment applicants make in these services. I always felt like she made the most of the time I purchased and never tried to upsell or push for more. Beth is a very kind and compassionate person; I never felt judged, and it always felt like she was in my corner.

I got into Kellogg, my dream school, and I absolutely feel like working with Beth was a key part of that outcome. I’m so grateful to her and to SBC!

Words cannot describe how thankful I am to have been connected with Beth throughout the MBA admission process. I started working with her in 2022 after receiving a rec to SBC from a friend, and when I ultimately decided to defer my application a year she was an amazing thought partner and advocate for my decision. She is intentional about checking in and understanding your goals and what you are looking for from your MBA journey. I always knew that she would talk with me through the tough (but needed) questions that ultimately informed my application essay topics and school decisions. In particular, her breadth of experience at Kellogg really shined through in the mock interview. Without this as a starting point, I don’t think I would have felt nearly as confident when approaching the real thing. Thanks to her help, I was admitted to Ross and Yale SOM on full rides and Wharton and Kellogg with scholarships. Ultimately, I will be heading to Wharton this fall.

My experience with SBC was excellent, helping me get into my dream schools – CBS and a large scholarship at Ross! Beth was so supportive and easy to work with—no question was ever too small. Her work was extremely detail-oriented and her experience as a former Kellogg Admissions Officer really shined through. The whole SBC team was great too. I appreciated being matched directly with a consultant who fit my needs from the very beginning, instead of searching for someone myself. The all-in package was no-hassle. It included everything from interview prep to a Flight Test (mine was from Caryn) without any add-on fees or confusion. I couldn’t have completed the process without the whole team.

Beth was incredibly thoughtful and helped me through every step of the application process from day one. While I knew that I would need help structuring and planning my essays in particular, I did not fully appreciate the time and effort that would be required on the other components of the applications, such as the career summaries, resume, etc. Beth helped guide me through each, establishing priorities, strategies, and guidelines that unquestionably alleviated my stress and brought each of my application materials to the highest caliber they could be. Thanks to her, I received admission to my top choice program (a dual degree program at Kellogg). Cannot recommend her highly enough!

From start to finish, my experience working with Stacy Blackman and my consultant Beth was nothing short of fantastic. I embarked on this journey after speaking with eight different consultants from firms like mbaMission and Stratus, but SBC immediately stood out. From my introductory call with Bill to ultimately working closely with Beth for Round 1 admissions, I felt supported end-to-end.

Through my work with Beth, I was fortunate to be admitted to Kellogg, Tuck, Fuqua, and Darden, all with varying levels of scholarship, and I could not be more thrilled with my outcomes. I truly feel like Beth’s experience as a former Kellogg AdComm member was an incredible differentiator.

I knew going into my MBA admissions process, I wanted to work with someone who believed in me and my application. I instantly clicked with Beth’s warm demeanor, and I knew she would provide equal doses of encouragement and honesty at the right times. Through the highs and lows of the process, Beth was there every step of the way and was always able to be reached. I could not recommend working with her and the rest of the SBC team more for anyone going through MBA admissions!

I got referred by someone who had a positive experience with SBC and worked with Beth as my primary consultant. From the beginning, Bill made the intro to SBC easy to understand and I spoke with a few consultants before deciding to work with Beth. As an extremely experienced former Admissions Officer, it was clear that Beth knows how to work with people with all sorts of backgrounds and how to bring out the best in applications. As an early careerist, I had concerns and challenges that Beth helped me navigate throughout the application process, and her organization and guidance went above and beyond. I’m happy to be accepting admissions to Booth and am so thankful for her insights, her responsiveness to my many, many questions, and for ultimately making the application process a lot less stressful than anticipated.

Working with Beth was an exceptional experience and I am so thankful for all of her help and thoughtful advice. She was able to match my “type-A” personality and always made herself available to me.

Beth has tremendous industry knowledge, great writing skills, and is organized and prompt. These skills are probably true of many other consultants. However, as I evaluated other consultants to work with, the one thing that truly stood out about Beth was her compassion and empathy.

Personally, I wanted to work with someone who lead with kindness and didn’t view me as just another client. I felt like Beth genuinely cared about my success and that was huge for me. As someone who had doubts about my application/narrative/qualifications, Beth reaffirmed my confidence and helped me relax through a stressful period. With her help, I was able to get into two of my top choices: Kellogg and Tuck.

I will also note that the SBC leadership and organization was great to work with. Whether it was the “flight test” review of my application, or helping me find a consultant (Beth), I have high praise for SBC.

This process is an arduous journey, but with the help of Beth I am confident that others will find success as well.

Cannot recommend her enough!!

SBC offers a unique and effective approach to MBA admissions. With Beth’s individualized guidance, a team-based support system, and a wealth of resources, SBC goes above and beyond to ensure your application stands out. My successful admissions results speak volumes about the quality and impact of their services. If you are serious about securing a spot in a top MBA program, SBC is the consulting firm that will make a difference.

Because admissions consultants represent such a significant investment, I wanted to make sure I worked with a consultant who’d have a night-and-day impact on my Kellogg application. But, it was challenging to evaluate that before committing to move forward with one firm.

I’m sharing this review of Beth because she was exactly what I was looking for. In my admissions call, the admissions officer told me one of my application reviewers said they were hard-pressed to find anything wrong with my application. Beth made a significant impact on my application in two ways:

(1) In all areas of the application, especially the essays, she maximized the portion of content that Kellogg admissions officers care about. Before working with Beth, I had iterated my essays several times and thought they were in a decent spot. After she reviewed, it turned out only a small fraction was content Kellogg admissions officers actually care about. We worked together to maximize the portion of the content admissions officers care about and pared down the rest.

(2) While I had a high-level idea of what a good application looked like, I didn’t have a crystal clear picture, and as a consequence, I found I would iterate on application components much more than necessary because I wanted to be sure they were as good as possible. Beth let me know when each one was in a good state so I could focus my time effectively, and that allowed me to put adequate effort into every portion of the application.

There’s nothing magic in those two items, which is why I recommend her so highly: I’m confident that her impact on my application is repeatable with any application. I could tell in working with her that she’s evaluated thousands of Kellogg applications, and that makes her uniquely suited to advise in those two areas.

As a non-traditional applicant, I was worried about being admitted to a competitive business school program. Beth helped me organize and execute an effective strategy of presenting myself to accentuate my strengths and acknowledge my areas for growth. She was direct in her feedback, which helped make the time I spent on my application efficient and effective. In my experience, I felt that she not only cared about my application, but also me as an individual. I cannot recommend Beth highly enough!

Beth is the best!!! I’m beyond thrilled with admits & scholarships to Haas, Anderson, and Marshall! I can’t thank Stacy Blackman Consulting and Beth enough! After researching various firms, I chose SBC for their genuine care and professionalism. Beth, a former Admissions Officer, became my guiding light throughout the process. She expertly helped me craft authentic and compelling applications that showcased my true self. The whole SBC team’s support and resources made my MBA journey a breeze. I wholeheartedly recommend SBC, and Beth in particular, to anyone seeking top MBA admissions. Beth went above and beyond, and I would work with her again in a heartbeat if I had to do it all over again!

Beth is the best MBA consultant EVER! Having worked with other MBA consultants previously, I can tell Beth is very knowledgeable 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 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 with her to update my resume, I got feedback from the adcom team that there was “no need to spend a second on updating the resume” during the resume review session. Most importantly, Beth is very sweet and I felt very comfortable telling her my stories. She always responded to me within a few hours of my reaching out to her.

I couldn’t recommend Beth enough! It was a pleasure to work with her from start to finish. She helped me brainstorm what parts of my story to emphasize to help me to stand out, plan a timeline for writing my essays that kept me motivated but not overwhelmed, and was always kind and thoughtful when answering my questions. Her guidance and support were integral to getting into my goal MBA programs (including one with a scholarship offer!). I really felt like Beth cared about my process each step of the way, and I’m very grateful for it!!

I would highly recommend Beth – she was lovely to work with and absolutely invaluable for securing multiple M7 offers during my MBA journey. She is so much more than just a proofreader – she’ll help you take your background and stories and package them in a way that is compelling and understandable for the admissions committee.
Me: an applicant with a 730 GMAT, a middling GPA from a random state school, and high flying, but VERY non-traditional work experience. Goals: M7 MBA, ideally, with $$$. Enter Beth – I would absolutely not have been able to take my non-traditional background and cohesively string together a narrative for an admissions committee without Beth’s guidance.
In short, I’m heading to an M7 in the fall, with $$, and would not have been able to get there without Beth’s help.

It was truly a privilege to work with Beth. She is passionate about her work and that shows in every interaction. She clearly cares about her clients and is rooting for their success. These qualities made it very easy to be open and honest with her, which in turn allowed me to craft a cohesive and impactful narrative in my applications. She provided timely, thoughtful, and honest feedback that both focused my efforts and gave me confidence in the quality of the applications I put together. I cannot overstate the comfort I felt in knowing that Beth had reviewed my applications and provided her seal of approval. Beth was recommended to me by a friend, and I am extremely grateful that I took that recommendation. I recommend Stacy Blackman and Beth’s services without hesitation!

As a somewhat busy person who was not on top of the applications, Beth was a great resource in making sure I got my work done in time. She’d follow up when needed and was very organized in general.

Beth is also very knowledgeable and comforting. If I ran something by her, I could trust that I got good guidance on it. She was also able to calm my nerves before the interviews.

Beth exceeded all expectations as my consultant (and I routinely have unrealistic expectations). She was an incredible thought partner and her process is very methodical and gently forces the applicant to be as introspective as possible. I was thoroughly impressed by both her strategic and tactical execution of the process. She is incredibly responsive and takes time to get to know the applicant in detail. I was thrilled with the end application product and would 100% recommend her whether I got into my dream school or not (I did!).

My experience with Beth was absolutely phenomenal. I went into the application process with a GMAT score and a general idea of the schools I wanted to apply to. Beth helped me pick my schools, shape my goals, and craft my unique story. She is great to work with and has an amazing depth of knowledge on all things MBA. I opted for an hourly package and was amazed by how diligently Beth used the hours to ensure I received maximum value. In the end, I was admitted to an M7 MBA program and could not be more pleased with the results.

I would recommend Beth to anyone looking for an MBA admissions consultant.

To anyone shooting for their dream school, you must consider having Beth in your corner. Her process forces you to fully reflect on accomplishments from all corners of your past and craft a complete personal brand to present to the adcom. She is SO much more than just a proofreader or generic strategy developer. I come from a non-traditional background and had concerns about turning my stories into impactful anecdotes that someone from outside my industry could fully understand. Beth is amazing at this process and has the experience as a Director of Admissions (along with a strong network of others) to ensure your stories don’t bog down in lingo and hit the right points that resonate with adcom. Every detail of your application will receive the utmost attention from Beth, from the obvious in the essays all the way to more thoughtfully thinking through why your positions or roles at a company changed. I can’t recommend Beth enough and if you come to the MBA application process as a non-traditional applicant, Beth is a MUST. Results from my own experience: Admitted to 100% of schools applied with scholarship.

Beth Tidmarsh is a FANTASTIC consultant and I couldn’t have asked for a better one! With her help, I was admitted to 5 of the 6 T10 schools I applied to; moreover, I received SCHOLARSHIP OFFERS FROM EVERY SINGLE SCHOOL ranging from 1/3 tuition to full tuition plus stipend! She also helped me strategically select which schools to apply to with her, so that I could carry over essays and other application materials to other programs on my own. As you will see below, Beth is far more than JUST a consultant, she is someone that truly cares about the people that she works with and truly desires that they be successful.

I decided to use an admissions consultant after applying unsuccessfully on my own a couple of years ago. I interviewed 4 top admissions consultancies (as ranked by P&Q) before ultimately selecting Stacy Blackman Consulting (SBC). I selected SBC because of the open and friendly nature of the people I chatted with as well as the responsiveness of everyone I spoke with (which I didn’t get from all the companies/individuals I connected with). From the opening call, SBC made it clear that they wanted to get to know me and I felt an immediate kinship with Sarah Tsai. From there, she introduced me to Beth Tidmarsh—whom I also connected with very well—and the rest is history.

From the very start, Beth was happy to work with me as much or as little as I wanted. We communicated frequently via email but, whenever I asked if we could have a call instead, she was happy to accommodate, always responding to me promptly and making herself available if something urgent came up. Beth was invaluable as a coach and confidant and I would even go so far as to call her a friend (as we still keep in touch even now that my application/decision process is over). If I missed a self-imposed deadline, Beth would send me a note checking in on me but would do so in a way that was supportive and encouraging. This helped me immeasurably. Applying to MBA programs is hard and applying to six programs is almost overwhelming, but Beth helped keep me on track and take things one day at a time, focusing on individual steps and putting together an achievable timeline which we reviewed regularly. In fact, I liked working with Beth so much that I occasionally found myself staying up late to complete a portion of my application just because I didn’t want to disappoint her. (Who wouldn’t want that kind of encouragement?!) One of Beth’s greatest attributes is her ability to help you weave your story and to feel confident that you belong in the programs you are applying to, giving you the confidence to excel in interviews and other interactions with the schools you apply to.

Beth took a genuine interest in me as an individual and helped me to select schools whose culture truly resonated with me and that met my other criteria including significant scholarship opportunities and strong ties to MBB consulting. Her previous experience as Director of Admissions for Kellogg’s Full Time MBA program was quite apparent as she helped me to (1) understand how schools thought about different facets of my application (2) consider the content of my essays and short answer questions from a holistic perspective (3) craft “my story” and prepare for each school’s unique interview process and (4) negotiate scholarship offers following admission. Beth frequently corresponded with other consultants at SBC and even occasionally asked them to review different components of my application if she felt that I could benefit from an outside opinion, which I also found to be a great asset while crafting my unique applications to each school. In conclusion, I highly recommend both Beth Tidmarsh and SBC!

Beth Tidmarsh is a FANTASTIC consultant and I couldn’t have asked for a better one! With her help, I was admitted to 5 of the 6 T10 schools I applied to; moreover, I received SCHOLARSHIP OFFERS FROM EVERY SINGLE SCHOOL ranging from 1/3 tuition to full tuition plus stipend! She also helped me strategically select which schools to apply to with her, so that I could carry over essays and other application materials to other programs on my own. As you will see below, Beth is far more than JUST a consultant, she is someone that truly cares about the people that she works with and truly desires that they be successful.

I decided to use an admissions consultant after applying unsuccessfully on my own a couple of years ago. I interviewed 4 top admissions consultancies (as ranked by P&Q) before ultimately selecting Stacy Blackman Consulting (SBC). I selected SBC because of the open and friendly nature of the people I chatted with as well as the responsiveness of everyone I spoke with (which I didn’t get from all the companies/individuals I connected with). From the opening call, SBC made it clear that they wanted to get to know me and I felt an immediate kinship with Sarah Tsai. From there, she introduced me to Beth Tidmarsh—whom I also connected with very well—and the rest is history.

From the very start, Beth was happy to work with me as much or as little as I wanted. We communicated frequently via email but, whenever I asked if we could have a call instead, she was happy to accommodate, always responding to me promptly and making herself available if something urgent came up. Beth was invaluable as a coach and confidant and I would even go so far as to call her a friend (as we still keep in touch even now that my application/decision process is over). If I missed a self-imposed deadline, Beth would send me a note checking in on me but would do so in a way that was supportive and encouraging. This helped me immeasurably. Applying to MBA programs is hard and applying to six programs is almost overwhelming, but Beth helped keep me on track and take things one day at a time, focusing on individual steps and putting together an achievable timeline which we reviewed regularly. In fact, I liked working with Beth so much that I occasionally found myself staying up late to complete a portion of my application just because I didn’t want to disappoint her. (Who wouldn’t want that kind of encouragement?!) One of Beth’s greatest attributes is her ability to help you weave your story and to feel confident that you belong in the programs you are applying to, giving you the confidence to excel in interviews and other interactions with the schools you apply to.

Beth took a genuine interest in me as an individual and helped me to select schools whose culture truly resonated with me and that met my other criteria including significant scholarship opportunities and strong ties to MBB consulting. Her previous experience as Director of Admissions for Kellogg’s Full-Time MBA program was quite apparent as she helped me to (1) understand how schools thought about different facets of my application (2) consider the content of my essays and short answer questions from a holistic perspective (3) craft “my story” and prepare for each school’s unique interview process and (4) negotiate scholarship offers following admission. Beth frequently corresponded with other consultants at SBC and even occasionally asked them to review different components of my application if she felt that I could benefit from an outside opinion, which I also found to be a great asset while crafting my unique applications to each school. In conclusion, I highly recommend both Beth Tidmarsh and SBC!

TLDR; I am attending Harvard Business School this fall, and couldn’t haven’t done it without SBC & Beth! I applied to 6 schools in total, and received acceptance to 5: HBS, Wharton (scholarship), Booth (scholarship), Columbia, NYU Stern and waitlisted at Kellogg.

For some context – after tirelessly studying for the GMAT for 1.5yrs, I couldn’t get my score above 680. I ended up switching to the GRE and got a 319 (164Q, 155V), which is pretty mediocre for the schools I was applying to. I also came from a Tier 2 consulting firm, and am Asian American, so I knew that my story would be super-duper important to help me with my below avg stats. Thus, I knew an MBA consultant was important to help me with telling my story – I spoke to 3 firms: 1) SBC, 2) Menlo Coaching and 3) a smaller boutique consulting firm.

First, I spoke to Menlo Coaching and they basically told me (in a nicer way) that my scores were not good enough to get into the schools that I wanted, and that I should try retaking and apply a year later. I had already taken the GMAT 7 times and GRE 3 times, expressed that I think I hit a ceiling, but I got the sense that they didn’t really believe in me simply because of my scores. On top of that, they didn’t list their prices on their website, which I thought was strange. My friend spoke to them and they quoted her $20k for a package, and I wasn’t comfortable with that price considering that they gave the vibe off that they didn’t even want me as a client because of my scores.

Next, I spoke to a boutique consulting firm, and while they were very nice, I didn’t get the sense that they had the resources or array of experience as a larger consulting firm. They did seem to believe in my story, but since it was only a 2 person shop, I wanted to talk to 1-2 more firms before making a decision.

I then spoke to Sarah Tsai at SBC and raised my concern about my scores. To this day I remember her saying “Don’t underestimate the power of a good story” – telling me that they have gotten people in with all types of scores and that my biggest challenge would be writing a story to differentiate me from fellow management consultants. She gave me two consultant options, and I ended up choosing Beth because her reviews were unique in that people talked about how much she went above and beyond, and also truly cared/believed in her people. This resonated with me and I can 100% attest to these attributes.

Beth from the beginning was AMAZING!! I literally cannot put into words how great and instrumental of a partner she was throughout this emotional journey. I honestly don’t think I would have gotten into Harvard Business School without Beth’s help, because frankly, I was happy to even get into one of the M7. But to get into 5 out of 6 schools is really a testament to SBC/Beth’s help as a partner.

+ Beth goes above and beyond in how meticulous and detail-oriented she is; I believe we went through 10 revisions for some of the school’s essays, and she made sure that every word and detail, whether it was in the essay or app was flawless
+ Beth is very knowledgeable of certain school nuances, and would tell me if there were certain things I should be aware of (for example, she told me that Columbia really cares about interest in the school and suggested that I connect with students/visit. I immediately took PTO that month and went to visit the school, which was instrumental to talk about during my app/interview)
+ Beth was VERY strong at looking at my holistic story across my essays and apps; many times, she would help take a step back and make sure that my essays and apps made sense together, and would suggest edits to places that needed more meat or didn’t tie coherently
+ Beth helped instill a confidence in me that I honestly didn’t know existed. There were many times when I almost had an emotional breakdown and I literally said “I can’t apply to this school because I have no idea what to write for this essay” and she would bring up things that I didn’t even think about. She would always encourage me to “toot my own horn” in certain parts of my app and make sure that I presented my true self in my essays. Even throughout interviews and school visits, she was always cheering me on, and I think her support and excitement really helped me gain confidence while I was interviewing

A very long review – but I just wanted to really give a huge shout out to SBC and Beth for all of their great work. I’m so pumped to be starting school this fall and I couldn’t have done it without them!

Bottom Line: I am matriculating at my top choice school because of Beth.

A slightly untraditional applicant, I received 5 dings in my first year of applications. I decided to look into a consultant because I felt I must be missing something or I was incorrectly representing myself. I looked at many different agencies but eventually settled on SBC as they took the time to have multiple calls with me. If you’re hesitant, just give them a call, chat.

The process is amazingly smooth and feels not only like guided self-exploration, but also an entire looking glass of your life. Beth started me with a call and defining my story. We worked at this for awhile, Beth is incredibly introspective, almost like a therapist, she will never outright tell you what to say or write, she will let you develop it and then refine. I found this to be the most helpful part. It truly allows your story to become defined by you.

My initial inclination about my applications was correct, I was missing a lot. Beth, like a machine, pinpointed each area to target improvement. I reviewed my old applications compared to what Beth and I crafted, worlds of difference.

Beth was very understanding and I honestly believe she put way too much time in for me. I have to believe that I was not the easiest, my essays required a lot of work, but Beth never once should frustration or lack of confidence.

Take a look at your profile, if your stats are competitive for the school you’re targeting but something isn’t clicking; give Beth a call, she will get you there.

I highly recommend Beth and the entire team at SBC. Beth was my primary partner throughout the business school application process; I was ultimately accepted to Darden, Kellogg, Stern, Ross, and Fuqua (with a scholarship!). Based upon my numbers (3.3 GPA, 700 GMAT, not a particularly strong quant background), receiving this many admissions offers at such great schools is something that I truly didn’t think was possible for me.

I was referred to SBC through a personal connection and, following an initial conversation, knew that it was the right choice for me. Beth and the rest of the SBC team struck a perfect balance between providing constructive criticism on my school choices and essays while always being immensely supportive. I was constantly impressed by Beth’s deep knowledge of the MBA application process and schools. I also appreciated SBC’s team-based approach. I always felt that I was getting the most accurate answers possible to my questions.

I was also incredibly impressed by Beth’s ability to help me to elevate my admissions essays while ensuring that my personal voice was always coming through. We did a mock interview which was very helpful and played a large part in my success in the interviews to come. Beth also pushed me to take “Math for Management” which strengthened my application by supplementing my minimal quant background and helped me to prepare for business school next year.

Lastly, amidst the incredibly stressful and daunting MBA admissions process, Beth was an amazing partner. I feel that she truly cared about me and went out of her way to build our relationship. She has also helped me to think beyond rankings and to really ascertain my “fit” at each of the schools that I applied to.

I’m so thankful that I made the decision to go with Beth and SBC!

Working with Beth was hands down the best decision I could have made and completely worth the investment! Heading to Tuck next fall and am over the moon!!  With confidence, I can say that I would not have accomplished this without Beth, her belief in me, and the entire SBC team!

To give some background – I applied the previous year with all rejections and was feeling so down about everything. Through networking, I realized I needed help to tell my story and decided to explore hiring a consultant. I came across SBC and four other firms and reached out to all. Only one seriously got back to me willing to discuss – SBC. At this point, I was feeling such a lack of confidence. Sarah from SBC responded straight away and paired me with Beth to have a ding analysis done on my previous applications. Sarah really got me excited about giving this process another go.

From my initial discussion with Beth, I knew that we were a great match! She had thoughts on how I could improve my application and believed in my potential for a top MBA program. That meant the absolute world to me, and I hired her for three “All-In” packages. During the course of this journey, I actually ended up hiring her for additional hourly support to help with parts of my other applications.

Working with Beth was just FANTASTIC! Seriously, there aren’t enough words to describe how great she was to work with! She ALWAYS had my best interest at heart and spent the time to understand what was important to me and what I could bring into my application. She followed up before and after ALL of my class visits, interviews and decision dates – I felt like she really cared about me and my success. She went above and beyond helping me to make my applications as good as they could be and her meticulousness was something that took my applications to the next level. Beth helped me stay on track with my timeline and was overall a great support system throughout the entire process. I felt so prepared going into my interviews and ended up getting into 3 programs – Tuck, Anderson, and Tepper. I couldn’t be happier!

Onto SBC – there are some products they offer that I found to be absolute game-changers. First, their flight test process is SO smart. They had another consultant on their team – Caryn –  look at one of my applications to give it a fresh perspective. We ended up making a few adjustments that made my application even better! They provide a mock interview tool and have an SBC wiki page to reference. It’s really well done. I spoke with friends who had consultants from other firms and they were in shock when I mentioned the support SBC was providing me. It really is next level, and I can say that you won’t be disappointed.

I will be forever grateful for the entire SBC team and Beth!! This journey wouldn’t have been as enjoyable without them!! 

SBC’s “All In” 5 school package resulted in multiple offers from M7 and top 15 programs!

My profile: Military applicant with a mid-3.0 GPA from a no-name regional university, GMAT below 700 (however, I had multiple scores with an upward trajectory). My military experience was not “top tier” (ie not a SEAL or fighter pilot), but unique in my opinion.

I was VERY hesitant to pay consulting fees initially, but I was fully committed to a military-to-MBA transition. I’d heard that military applicants have an advantage, but I also saw veterans with higher GPAs and GMAT scores rejected regularly on websites like MBA Livewire and GMAT Club Decision Tracker. The nuances of MBA admissions were something I lacked experience with and I knew the right consultant would add significant value.

I had discussions with several other firms, but often got the impression that the consultants were top MBA graduates moonlighting as admissions experts as a side hustle. SBC’s cadre of former admissions officers impressed me, so I set up a free consultation and was promptly contacted by Esther. After detailing my background over the phone and filling out some SBC products to help focus my story, I was matched with Beth.

Beth was energetic, professional, and clearly believed in my story. Beth is the former Director of Admissions for Kellogg, and her excitement about my background was confidence inspiring. From Esther to Beth, to my Flight Test consultant Caryn (also an Admissions Officer); everyone I interacted with at SBC was of the highest caliber.

Beth helped shape the larger narrative and emphasized personal details that I would have left out of my application (college extracurriculars, family info, etc). She nudged me to de-militarize the language in my resume; jargon can be a pitfall for aspiring MBAs in any industry, and her fresh perspective as an outsider was invaluable.

Beth emailed a litany of trackers, templates and essay prompts for each school; she drove the entire process and eliminated the guesswork. Beth proofread and provided feedback for 6 drafts of my resume, and between 8-10 drafts of each school’s application. I was based overseas and Beth worked around my awkward schedule, ALWAYS responding promptly. Beth reviewed every application detail, from short answers, to main essay prompts, to one word responses. The Flight Test we submitted was screenshots of each page in the online application portal, so expect an extreme level of detail.

After clicking submit, the interview invites trickled in, and Beth provided a realistic Skype mock interview. Since Beth already knew the “answers to the test” after months of working together, I felt pressure to nail every question, which made the real interviews seem more forgiving. I was waitlisted at several schools, and Beth continued to provide strategic input on monthly updates to the admissions committees until I was ultimately accepted.

Thanks to Beth and the SBC Team I’m headed to my M7 of choice this fall and couldn’t be happier!

I would highly recommend Beth and SBC. I considered several admissions consulting firms before ultimately deciding on SBC’s comprehensive service. The SBC team presented well and gave me very candid feedback in advance of my decision, and the additional features (such as the outside “adcomm” review of the application) set SBC apart from other firms. Once signed up, SBC helped match me with Beth, based on my target schools and background. At the outset, I appreciated that Beth took the time to truly understand my background, motivations, and goals in order to help me craft the best strategy for my application process. The organization and critical insights Beth provided made the process run as smoothly as possible, and the calendar we developed together kept me on schedule despite frequent travel and long hours at my job. Beth was extremely responsive throughout our time working together, and very patient, even as I went back to the drawing board multiple times on my essays. Beth also provided excellent guidance when it came to choosing my recommenders, preparing for on campus visits, and eventually preparing for interviews. I am confident that without Beth and SBC, I would not be attending my top choice school.

Beth was truly my biggest support system during the MBA application process. From answering questions to reviewing essay ideas to keeping me on track to meet my deadlines, Beth was my rock. As a full-time consultant, my fall was hectic and filled with work travel and tight deadlines. Beth was beyond patient with me, but having accountability to send her essay drafts was the incentive I needed to not let applications fall to the side.

It’s hard to put into words the amount of stress Beth removed from this process. While I initially did not plan on using a consultant, now I can’t imagine how I would have survived without her! She strikes a perfect balance of giving guidance and insight while ensuring the content of your application remains 100% your own – which was a huge relief for me, because I didn’t want to lose myself in this process and have my application sound foreign when all was said and done.

With Beth’s assistance, I went 4/4 on my school acceptances and I am going to be attending my #1 choice this fall!

Having been rejected by three M7 schools in the last application year, I was highly doubtful if I would be successful at my MBA applications this time around. My brother happened to recommend SBC and I opted for the 10 hour service. SBC then matched me with Beth and I cannot thank them enough for it. I have mentioned this numerous times to Beth and would say it again that my Booth admit would not have possible without her guidance and support. Beth’s inputs in every aspect of the application – Resume, short answers, choice of recommenders, essays, tips on video essays and inputs on how to tackle final interviews were highly valuable. One of the aspects that I loved working with Beth was she would push me further to draw my story out and shape it in the best way possible. Highly recommended!

The business school application process can be daunting and overwhelming. Working with Beth, I was able to organize my essay content, attain helpful feedback and feel comfortable with my application submission. Beth provided timely responses and was easily available for a phone call to discuss her essay feedback. After gaining admission to Booth, I reached out to Beth to see if she could help me with a scholarship essay. She didn’t hesitate a minute and immediately helped me craft my story in an effective manner. As a result, I also secured a scholarship! Without Beth, I would have felt lost in the process – she is so caring and has your best interests at heart. SBC is a fantastic organization to work with and can seem expensive; however, with the thousands of dollars you are going to spend on school, every penny is worth it to try to get into your dream school. I would highly recommend to invest in SBC as a resource in the application prep process.

Beth was my primary consultant at SBC and I cannot recommend her highly enough. It’s obvious that Beth truly cares about her clients. She wanted to learn about my career goals and understand why I chose them, what influenced my decisions. She spent a ton of time helping me figure out exactly how to tell my story and what my overall strategy should be. She has a background working on an adcomm and that really showed. When she gave me advice she could speak to exactly how they read the applications and what other backgrounds look like in the applicant pool. I found it very reassuring to know that I had that expertise on my team. I also had the opportunity to show my application to other SBC team members and members of other adcomms (ex-members) Having more than one look at the application was very helpful and definitely increased my confidence. I also had support from Andy who was my client liaison and was very helpful in answering some questions and reviewing a few things that I wanted another look at. She was patient and knowledgeable and also, seemed to really care. SBC is buttoned up and everyone that I encountered on their team was excellent. Highly recommend.