Why I decided to hire an MBA consultant:
Honestly, I was quite confident in my own profile, and really pondered on the idea of whether or not to hire an MBA consultant. After all, it’s thousand of additional dollars adding to the total cost of pursuing an MBA. I made the decision to hire a consultant because: 1) neither me nor anyone in my close circle had experience applying to a top US MBA program. I have no one to turn to to ask questions related to the application process; 2) I needed guidance to put everything into a format that tailors to top business schools.

Why SBC?
I interviewed a few (5-6) MBA consultants from different firms. My gut feeling tells me that some over-evaluated my profile and some under-evaluated my profile - I do not want to work with either, as they could be biased. I had an initial call with Bill from SBC - he was confident that I could get into one of the schools on my narrow list, but he also pointed out what I needed to work on based what I got. I really appreciate the confidence booster and the practicality of his advise.

Overall experience with SBC and some afterthoughts:
I had a very good experience with SBC. I was able to get into my dream school with a decent scholarship! Of course, this is largely made possible by my consultant, Kim, who was wonderful to work with. During the application, I also did a Flight Test with another consultant, who was also very professional and helpful.

Looking back, I’m so glad that I hired a consultant - the whole process was way more competitive and challenging than I ever thought. It’s not just about how good your profile is; what also matters is presenting it in a cohesive and persuasive way to business schools - and this definitely requires a third-person perspective during the application process.

Read More

I had little to no understanding of the mba application process and Kimberly helped me every single step of the way. We had very thorough calls on what was expected, detailed outlines on what was to be done by what date, and I could email her whenever I was confused, stressed, or in need of any form of help. There were many times when I emailed her at night and she would respond; Kim is just on it! She is friendly, understanding, and has many insights into what each school expects. She knows what they want. I did the all-in package with Kim for two schools: Booth and Kellogg. I chose Booth with scholarship.

Absolutely could not have done it without Kim. She broke the whole process down so that I could tackle each portion in manageable pieces. She explained what the adcoms were looking for in each section. She was supportive even when I had my doubts. Thank you Kim!!

Read More

Kim helped me in many ways but predominantly by "demystifying" the MBA application process… being an international applicant, I was full of questions and concerns. Kim was able to break each step down into manageable and meaningful pieces, with each step bringing me closer to a polished application. She helped me alleviate my insecurities and guided me through the process. I especially appreciated Kim's straightforward and honest feedback, which enabled me to truly reflect about my strengths and areas for improvement. Through candid brainstorming sessions and iterations of my essays with her, I was able to paint a story of my life and accomplishments with pride and confidence. I can recommend Kim to anyone who is looking for a consultant that pairs competency with honesty. I could not be more grateful for all of Kim's help. Teaming up with her for my applications was the best investment I ever made and is already changing my life. I got into my dream school and will be part of the class of 2023, at one of the best ivy league MBA programs in the country.

Read More

Being from a section of the population/profession that applies for Business programs there was very little I could bring into the whole diversity aspect of things apart from my experience with my family business.
Kimberly's approach made me dig deep and bring out my qualities and past professional/personal experiences that would prove to be valuable.
I only applied to Booth and Haas as I wanted to go to the best schools or not pursue this path at all.
I chose the whole package from application material prep to prepping for the interview for Booth.
Kimberly is very perceptive and understands the applicant quiet well more than themselves and delivers accordingly which makes the entire process stress free.
I actually enjoyed working on my apps as the process was streamlined and broken down into small pieces/milestones.
The only mistake I made was, I took the Haas interview before we scheduled the mock interview session as I was confident with the material we had prepared.
Got a reject from Haas but got an offer from Booth. This only proves that every step of consulting process is critical to the application.
Kimberly is also very prompt and quick in getting back with review responses and suggestions which made it possible for me to complete the application in time.
Her attention to detail is remarkable. Highly recommend her to anyone applying for the best schools.

Read More

I received quotes from 3 or 4 consulting groups and went with SBC because I felt the most comfortable with them. Though they were the most expensive, I didn't feel as though a few thousand dollars would be a big deal in the grand scheme of things, especially if it made the difference of getting into a reach school.

1. All in all, I got into my two reach schools and do not feel that would have been possible without SBC.
2. If I were to do it all again I would most likely go with the hourly package. I just felt like for the price the number of hours was not there. This is not a comment on the quality of work, I just feel it may have been more economical in hindsight.

Read More

I had the pleasure of working with Kim from SBC on my business school application in 2019. I was accepted into my dream school Kellogg, with an amazingly generous scholarship and I could not have done it without Kim and the SBC team.

I decided to go for the all-in package for 4 schools and it was truly worth it. I had initial reservations for investing so much money into this endeavor, but the level of service I received was extraordinary. Months after the process, I still feel comfortable picking up the phone and chatting through decisions with Kim!

Over the course of a few months, my counselor took the time to get to know me, my story, my aspirations and helped me form a narrative to get it across to business schools in an effective manner. She was always easy to get a hold of, responsive, and gave very thoughtful feedback. She created a structure to my application process, gave me a lot of flexibility, and supported me through the rigorous and introspective experience.

I highly recommend SBC - the Test Drive feature was unique, the staff is made up of ex-admissions officers and so they know what they are talking about! My ONLY caveat would be - the marginal utility after paying for 5 schools diminishes. You can do the 6th school by yourself, or purchase an hourly package like I did!

Read More

Had got a reject from all b-schools previous year for Full-Time MBA applications. This year I was planning to apply only to 2 schools- Kellogg and Booth for Part-Time MBA. Got admit from Kellogg, so did not apply to Booth :)

Kim helped me
-convey story in my essays
-refine my resume which was earlier nowhere close to what bschools expect
-prepare for interview with sample questions and how to structure answers clearly
Kim was very patient and I took time to come up with improvement in my essays. I dealt with her from Oct 2019 to Feb 2020. Her suggestions brought clarity in my essays. She responded proactively to any quick questions I emailed her. She also suggested on what points from my profile should be emphasized and which ones to be hidden to provide the best possible version of myself. Without her help, my applications materials would have been vague, confusing and difficult to understand by adcom.

Read More

I was very pleased with my decision to work with a Stacy Blackman admissions consultant, and Kim's guidance throughout the application process exceeded all of my expectations. With Kim's help, I was accepted into two top 5 MBA programs and received scholarship money to one of them.

Based on an initial kick-off meeting, Kim was able to effectively identify the strengths and weaknesses throughout my application which allowed me to target certain sections of the application to fine-tune.

More importantly, Kim worked with me for over 8 months throughout the process and gained an understanding of my personality and values in order to help me showcase my true self and stand out as a candidate.

Read More

When searching for a consultant to work with, I was looking for someone who was both knowledgeable about the application process and the schools I was applying to (Booth, primarily). However, most importantly, I was looking for someone who wasn't afraid to be candid with me, but also someone who was responsive and supportive. I found all these characteristics in Kimberly at SBC.

Kimberly was an excellent mentor and coach throughout the business school application process. From the start, I connected with her very easily because she was patient, friendly, understanding, and had experience working with many types of situations. This allowed me to feel at-ease, which helped me open up quickly, and ultimately made the discovery process for outlining my strengths/weaknesses and talking points that much more efficient.

As someone who had never been through the application process, I had tons of questions and often insecurities, which I would often shoot over to Kimberly whenever they popped into my mind. She always responded thoroughly and very quickly, often by the next day, and did a great job of assuaging my anxieties. On the flip side, Kimberly was never afraid to be candid and let me know if I was overthinking something or whether my points were not succinct enough. It was this candor that helped me refine my essays to some of my proudest pieces of writing as well as improve my own confidence in speaking about myself.

Overall, I could not be happier with the partnership between me and Kimberly and would highly recommend her services to anyone going through the business school application process, especially if Booth is in your top choices!

Read More