Margaret O

I worked with Margaret through SBC’s “all-in” program and had an outstanding experience. I can’t recommend her and the entire SBC team highly enough. Thanks to her coaching, I gained admittances to both HBS and Columbia (CBS)!

At the outset of my MBA admissions process I was hesitant to use a consultant due to the large price tag. I conducted extensive research, including looking at competitors Menlo Coaching and mbaMission, but ultimately decided to speak with the team at Stacy Blackman due to the thousands of positive online reviews and success stories. It was worth it.

SBC’s approach is highly organized – I first spoke with Sarah, who helped connect me with Margaret through their “matchmaking process”. Over the course of several weeks / months, Margaret and I conducted a series of exercises to organize my experiences into a succinct, compelling narrative. Margaret was diligent, organized, empathetic and really understood the admissions process at a deep level given her background as an HBS alum. I had a really difficult time condensing my experiences into 250-300 word essays, but Margaret’s guidance and candid feedback helped me improve the quality of my essays and gave me confidence as I submitted my applications. I carried this confidence into my interviews (which Margaret of course helped me prep for), and ultimately think that I would not have gotten into HBS or CBS without her.

In addition to working with Margaret, I leveraged SBC’s extensive resources to help understand the admissions process and improve my application. I used SBC’s Vault (a repository of essays, interview transcripts, admissions guidance, etc. for most of the top 30 business schools worldwide) to read example essays from successful SBC clients and I took advantage of the “Flight test”, where Beth (a third party reviewer and former MBA Admissions counselor) reviewed my application and provided advice specific to the schools I was applying for. These resources were invaluable as I conducted initial research on schools, drafted essays, finalized my application and conducted interview prep. From start to finish, I felt supported by the SBC Team and was challenged to improve (in a good way), which I think is what led to my acceptances. Margaret was responsive (often helping me revise drafts late at night or on tight timelines) and an absolute pleasure to work with, as was the entire SBC Team.

Stacy Blackmon paired me with Margaret who was very helpful and was able to understand my unique background. She was supportive throughout the process and worked very efficiently in a timely matter. I was not sure how to start many of my essays and she helped me brainstorm ideas and pull on the important threads. I had good stats but knew I needed to truly tell my story to the admissions officers and she absolutely helped me do that. I was luckily admitted into multiple schools including my dream school of Kellogg. I would definitely recommend Margaret.

I started my business school applications independently, determined to achieve success all on my own. As the months went by, I grew increasingly anxious about my candidacy and how to balance narrative storytelling with business-focused anecdotes. I reached out to SBC in a moment of anxiety and was matched with Margaret. In our ten hours together, Margaret helped me overhaul my resume, build my confidence, identify my accomplishments, and keep my writing tight. She was responsive, supportive, and played a big role in driving my excitement about business school. Most importantly, Margaret helped me amplify my personal voice and build an authentic application. We also completed a mock interview together, where Margaret’s hard-hitting questions helped me feel primed for the admissions board. In the end, I was lucky enough to receive an acceptance to HBS and was waitlisted for GSB. I couldn’t have imagined a better outcome and thank Margaret (and SBC) for our introspective work together!

I can’t thank Margaret enough for her support throughout my application process. With her help, I turned last year’s rejections into acceptances at almost every M7 school I applied to, including HBS, MIT, Booth, and several others.

From the very beginning, Margaret has been a rock star—passionate, caring, supportive, and an incredibly sharp editor. Unlike other consultants I’ve worked with at another large MBA consulting firm, who strictly adhered to a two-business-day turnaround, Margaret was always there for me. While I don’t encourage procrastination, life can get busy, and there were many occasions when she provided feedback within a day—or even a few hours—to help me meet my deadlines. She was always willing to jump on a call to brainstorm new ideas and refine my essays. Because of this, I was able to put forth my best work for each school, despite applying to many schools in R1.

Margaret has an exceptional ability to listen, uncover the “golden thread” in my story, highlight the differentiating point about me and elevate my writing without losing my authentic voice. With her guidance, I completely revamped my essays from last year, leading to interview invitations from every school I applied to and offers from 5 out of 6.

I also greatly appreciate her honesty. I remember submitting to her an essay I felt confident about, only for Margaret to tell me that the story didn’t differentiate me enough. She immediately hopped on a call, and together, we brainstormed a much stronger and more unique story. Her strategic insights were invaluable—just three days before the HBS deadline, she shared new perspectives from her discussions with SBC colleagues and admissions contacts, suggesting small but meaningful tweaks to improve my essay. Even at the final hour, she was committed to ensuring every aspect of my application was as strong as possible.

Beyond essays, Margaret helped me prepare intensively for interviews, conducting three mock sessions that covered many of the exact questions I later encountered in my actual HBS interview. I also benefited greatly from SBC’s vast resources, including their interview question bank and former admissions officers who reviewed my application one last time before submission for gaps or inconsistencies.

I couldn’t recommend Margaret and SBC more highly. Her dedication, expertise, and unwavering support made all the difference in my successful applications.