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365
8,700
Graduate: 6 Years
Firm
Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University
Management Consulting
Other
English
Stacy Blackman Consulting
Illinois
United States
Net Promoter Score: 9
Beth received her MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and her BA from Northwestern University. Working at Kellogg for over three years, Beth held the position of Director of Admissions for the Full Time MBA program selecting candidates for the 2-year, 1-year, MMM and JD/MBA programs. Having reviewed over 3,000 applicant files of all backgrounds and industries, she oversaw the Kellogg admissions team through the decision process and represented Kellogg on the road domestically as well as in Brazil, Dubai, and Europe. Beth’s career began in management consulting at Accenture, where she consulted for multi-national financial services firms, and was based out of Chicago and Sydney, Australia. Beth continued her client services work at Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) in commercial real estate. Beth developed portfolio strategy, negotiated contracts, and managed JLL’s strategic alliance clients, includingseveral fortune 500 companies, such as Huron Consulting Group, Xerox, Convergys, Sun Microsystems, and KPMG. Outside of SBC, Beth is an avid reader and also enjoys being outdoors and practicing Pilates.
Since 2001, Stacy Blackman Consulting clients have been admitted to every top business school worldwide, often with merit scholarships. Stacy Blackman Consulting (SBC) delivers results, as shown through its record of the highest number of online reviews across multiple MBA admissions ranking and review sites. Our online track record includes #1 on MBAinsight, BeattheGMAT, ClearAdmit, and #1 out of 11 firms for our team caliber by PoetsandQuants.
We begin with meticulous matchmaking before we begin an engagement or accept payment. We recommend a primary consultant only after evaluating your candidacy strength and differentiating qualities; we respect your investment and the trust you place in us. We offer a high-touch, limited client-per-consultant experience.
Contact us to request a free MBA advising session with an SBC Principal. Just give us 15 minutes.
OUR TEAM
SBC is the only consulting firm in the industry who has on our team a complete panel of former MBA Admissions Officers from the top US programs and European programs. No other firm has this complete talent. 75% of our MBA consultant team hails from the top seven US MBA programs as MBA graduates and/or former MBA Admissions Officers, including from Harvard and Stanford. The SBC team has MBA expertise at every top school, has graduated from elite MBA programs and understands career paths in every industry, traditional and non-traditional.
Over 1/4 of SBC’s consultant panel is of minority background, and SBC has five consultants who identify as and specialize in LGBTQ+ applicants. This reflects the company’s mission to further diversity in the MBA applicant pool. No other established MBA admissions firm has a team that is as diverse.
OUR KNOWLEDGE
We know what’s going on, and we know it first. We have former Admissions Officers (AdCom) from every top MBA program who are informing us of the current internal program priorities, best practices, unusual dilemmas, successful essay strategies, and interview standards. We have tremendous insight as to what is currently keeping the AdCom up at night and what values they are looking for from their current students.
As one SBC client explained, “What really sets the SBC team apart, however, is the breadth and depth of knowledge; any time that my consultant and I were wondering how to approach a school’s application better, there were numerous former admissions officers from those schools that we could draw on.” Another client said, “I appreciated how the team uses all their former AdCom members to make sure you feel like you’ve put your best foot forward in the application process.”
OUR MODEL
The SBC System™ has eight core modules and is the most robust of all firms.
SBC offers unlimited time with a carefully selected primary consultant, who will be dedicated to understanding you authentically, creating a winning strategy, and defining your unique story for each school. Your primary consultant will be your creative and strategic guide, helping you to create materials that are provocative, informative, school-specific and ultimately effective in resonating with each of your target MBA programs.
Your primary consultant will engage in multiple iterations of brainstorming, development, outlining, and applied review across all MBA application touchpoints—resume, online application form, recommender letters, essays, short answers and more –to eliminate blindspots and optimize every detail so that your story shines and reflects deep knowledge of each of the MBA programs.
SBC also believes in checks and balances, as it has the Flight Test™ which is a complete review by a former AdCom. This structured feedback from a former AdCom mimics a real AdCom review and helps to ensure that a candidate’s application is most compelling to the target audience.
We also include free access to THE VAULT, SBC’s Resource Center with over two decades of sample essays, recommendations, resumes, school overviews, interview transcripts and more. A recent client shared, “The large SBC database was priceless, especially when understanding the differences between schools and when preparing for interviews.”
GET STARTED WITH SBC
SBC deeply values mentorship within its client engagements and limits the number of clients for each consultant. We engage with clients only after evaluating candidacy nuances and deciding that we could be successful together.
Our matchmaking process includes criteria such as track record with target schools, proficiency with your career path, demographics, interests and character qualities, and the consultant’s availability at the time you’re interested in engaging. You’ll be matched with a primary consultant who believes in your candidacy and who is truly excited to work with you. Some of our consultants have a sweet spot for non-traditional applicants while others excel with engineers. Just like you, our consultants’ backgrounds and perspectives are varied.
SBC offers a limited number of complimentary phone or email-based consultations weekly for inquiries who have been pre-screened by our tenured team.
Contact us today to request a free MBA advising session with an SBC Principal.
The SBC All-In Service
A FORMER HBS ADMISSIONS OFFICER ON OUR SBC TEAM SHARED THAT MBA ADMISSIONS LOVE A GREAT STORY AND CLARIFIED:
“I believe it’s true that all people, and therefore all MBA admissions boards, love a great story. It’s a way to bring life to your application and show the realness of who you are during what can be a dry process.”
The majority of our clients select our All-In package because they recognize that the competitive admissions process requires an application set that is stellar and strategic on all levels. SBC’s “All-In” engagement includes:
Personal Assessment & Critical Reflection. Your primary consultant will work to understand you through deeply-probing questions that reveal your authentic dimensions.
Your consultant will dig into the who, what, how and why that forms your story through our 360° Personal Orbit™. You will explore the key MBA acceptance triggers that will be central to crafting your personal story.
We will evaluate your school preferences and criteria and develop a school list according to reach, reasonable, or safer program choices that ensures you apply to programs that you’ll love attending.
We will cover career path guidance–selecting and optimizing your career goals to ensure they are ambitious, purposeful, and attainable– and also recommendation letter(s) guidance to support your story and reinforce your aptitude and potential.
You will receive a complete MBA Application Strategy written summary including your value proposition and career path evaluation, as well as deliverables and tasks with an Attack Plan & Timeline.
One AdCom Flight Test™ as described by a recent client: “After I had gotten the applications to a near-finished state, we shared my application with my flight tester, who was a former MBA admissions officer, to offer a fresh perspective of my entire package. This review was unique and insightful because the reviewer reviews the file in the same way as an admissions officer. The Flight Test ™ provides insight into how the application stands up under the realistic, unbiased scrutiny of an AdCom member versus intensely in the details as your admission’s consultant.”
Up to three formats of interview coaching. Post-application consultation to work through issues such as interviews, waitlist and deferral strategy and school selection.
Hourly First Services
Start with 2-3 hours for the initial strategy work a la carte to test the waters, and you can then roll up into the purchase of an All-In package.
Hourly Services
Hourly services can include any or all of the below:
Initial Strategic Planning
Background Assessment & School Selection
Resume Review
Recommendation Counseling – selection, prep, review
Essay Review – one draft of set of essays
Waitlist Strategy & Communications
Ding Analysis
Location: Illinois, United States
Phone: 866-667-8229
Email: info@StacyBlackman.com
Website: https://www.stacyblackman.com
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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 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.
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