After having initial conversations with 4 other admissions consulting firms, I ultimately decided to go with Stacey Blackman. This choice was driven by a great first conversation with Esther (the initial point of contact who coordinated multiple SBC services throughout the process), fantastic reviews/referrals/results from friends of mine (all got into their top choice schools) who had used SBC, and great fit/reputation of Caryn Altman (ultimately the consultant I chose to work with throughout the process).

The level of engagement throughout the application process was spectacular, and the breadth of experience that both Caryn as well as the broader SBC organization provided me was second-to-none. Even though I was applying to a pretty large number of schools in a single round, and knew Caryn's particular involvement/experience with Kellogg, I was given great, specific advice on how to approach and execute stellar applications to each individual school I was applying to (including Kellogg).The specific tips I received from Caryn were spectacular and not only instilled a great sense of confidence in me prior to submission/interviews, but undoubtedly impacted the quality of each of my applications.

Things I found to be particularly helpful: 1) Caryn kept me on track throughout the process. I was a little late to the game, and decided to try and fit 5 schools (all M7) into R1. Caryn ensured that we were both on top of our deadlines, and never throughout the process did I need to question whether I'd miss any deadlines or have anything but the highest quality application. 2) I had a below average undergrad-GPA at all the schools I was applying to. After reviewing my transcript in detail with Caryn, we were able to come up with a concise, honest, authentic, and compelling strategy to address this in my additional essays. Honestly, I think this was one of the strongest pieces in my application, and I definitely would not have known how to approach this without Caryn's advice and support. 3) The interview assistance (both for one-on-one as well as group interview) was fantastic. I felt not only much more prepared compared to other candidates (the questions asked during the mock interviews were extremely close to those in the actual interview), but much more confident going in.

I am thrilled with the results, and ultimately got into multiple top business schools, including my top choice school!

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After having been dinged from all the schools I applied to for the class of 2019, I knew that I wanted to use an admissions consultant when reapplying for the class of 2020. After evaluating several options, I decided to go with SBC for a couple reasons: their track record and my initial conversation with Caryn Altman.

Caryn was upfront with me and did not sugarcoat things - when telling her which schools I wanted to apply to, she said that they would be stretch schools for me, but did not discourage me from applying.

Luckily for me, I got a head start working with Caryn, signing up in early 2017. Caryn and I hit the ground running; within weeks, my resume had taken shape and, per her suggestion, I became actively involved with a couple of charitable organizations around my hometown.

Caryn was always lightning quick to respond to my emails - whether they be essay draft reviews or random one-off questions, she was usually able to respond within hours. She really went above and beyond when it came to responsiveness.

Beyond working with Caryn, I benefited from working with SBC's other consultants for the flight test and mock group interview.

Ultimately, working with Caryn was great because I trusted her and benefited from her candidness in reviewing and talking about my essays and overall candidacy. All of the essays, resume, work, etc. was mine, but Caryn gave me the tools and advice needed to properly frame all of it into a successful MBA application!

In the end, I was admitted to two schools and am proud to be able to say that I am going to be at Booth (a school where I was dinged without interview last year) this fall!!

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I worked with Caryn to apply R1 in 2017 after having unsuccessfully applied to five schools in the first round of the previous year. Caryn was on top of every detail and made sure that we stuck to our deadlines, which was critical applying to five programs no matter how far in advance we started our planning. She absolutely has a mind for this work and was able to position my experience to fit with each individual school. Most importantly though, she helped me think through where I had been and where I really wanted to go and that made my application all the more authentic and genuine. In the end, I got acceptances from Columbia, Booth, and an interview invite from Haas that I did not move forward with due to extenuating circumstances. Thanks Caryn!

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I am very happy with my decision to work with Caryn and SBC on my (successful!) application to an M7 program. Caryn's experience in admissions was apparent from the first time we spoke. She was interested in getting to know my story and helped me craft a narrative to consistently communicate this via my application. The detailed timeline Caryn provided helped me stay on schedule while managing work and other priorities. With that said, Caryn expected my full engagement as we worked through numerous drafts of the application. She was very good at providing timely feedback, which again helped me better manage my time. One very helpful part of the process was the mock interview. Practicing in front of a mirror, or with friends/family will obviously help, but you will not get the same detailed feedback that someone like Caryn can provide. I felt very prepared going into my interview and left feeling even more confident.

Overall I am very satisfied with the services provided by Caryn and SBC. I realize, however, that this does come at a cost, and that people are in different financial positions. My view is that if you are committed to pursuing an MBA at an elite program you are resigning yourself to some level of financial burden (if only in the short term) with the expectation of future benefits. With that in mind I think this service is well worth it.

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One of the best decisions I made throughout the MBA application process was the decision to work with Caryn of Stacy Blackman Consulting.

Caryn, a former Kellogg Admissions officer, was an invaluable resource to me throughout the application process. She was vital in formulating my strategy that I presented to all schools regarding my future career aspirations. Additionally, she helped me revamp both my resume and my interview responses to specifically fit the business school process.

One of her great qualities as an admissions consultant is her ability to communicate. I never had any worries about not hearing her answers to my questions or seeing her edits to my essays in a timely fashion. Her email responses were thorough, and her edits always went above and beyond. Additionally, at any critical juncture (or whenever I felt I needed guidance), she was willing to jump on a phone call. She maintained this same diligence throughout the waitlist process. When working with Caryn, it is important to reciprocate her communication style and be organized / diligent.

I believe that I maximized my potential to get into a top MBA program by working with Caryn!

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I had the pleasure of being paired with Caryn Altman and truly know I wouldn't have gotten into two top schools (Booth & Kellogg) without her support, patience, project management skills, and ability to see how my application worked as a whole. I worked with her on 3 schools and applied to another two on my own using some of the same strategies I developed with her. Start to finish SBC was a great investment from my initial point of contact, to my flight tester (Beth who is a former adcom), to additional folks who provided a second opinion on essays for me when Caryn and I disagreed (not often!). SBC is absolutely the way to go if you're thinking about working with a consulting company. They know what they're doing and all the positive outcomes vouch for that. Thanks again for everything!!!!!

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I applied to four top B-schools in 2016, on my own, and was dinged from all of them without interview. After this difficult outcome, I decided to investigate consulting services to get an idea of how my application could be improved the following year. I spoke to a few other services, including the MBA Exchange and mbaMission. In the end, I decided to go with Stacy Blackman because of how helpful my free consultation call with Bill Chionis was. I did a ding analysis with Caryn Altman. Her feedback was so direct and actionable that I decided to do an all-in package with her for a number of schools.

Throughout the daunting process, Caryn's expertise and support was extremely valuable. Caryn was efficient, direct, friendly, and supportive. I applied only to top 10 programs, and stubbornly didn't add any 'safety' schools to my list, despite my scary results from the previous year. When I asked Caryn what my chances were, she candidly told me that it would be a stretch for many of them. Despite the odds, Caryn worked with me to ensure that I had a solid application and that I could showcase myself in the best possible light. She laid out a strategy which allowed me to understand how all the different parts of my application worked to tell a cohesive story.

Some aspects to my admission that I had to overcome:
- I had a pretty low quant percentile on my GMAT, which I tried to mitigate with the GRE, but in the end I still couldn't get my score up to the average of my target schools.
- I had a nontraditional background for an MBA (start-up). I was aware this could give me a 'uniqueness' advantage, but without Caryn's help I struggled to highlight the leadership experiences I had.
- Lack of focus with respect to my long term goals and how my MBA would get me there.

The All-In Package is quite pricey, but if you feel lost with the application process, I'd say it's worth it (recall that I had come off four brutal dings!). Especially because of my test scores, we knew that the rest of my application, especially essays, had to *really* shine. I consider myself a strong writer, but even so, Caryn had tons of feedback on my essays and was always ready to do another draft. The mock interview gave me such a boost of confidence, and when I did my first real interview I was surprised by how similar the questions were. The flight test feedback that I got from Lisa Anderson was very helpful. Another benefit to the all-in was that I could ask Caryn any general MBA questions I had (ex. interview-related etiquette, what to do when I get a confusing email during the application process, etc).

I also did a mock interview with Erika Olson for HBS, which was excellent, and helped me prepare correctly for the unique HBS interview.

I applied to seven schools in round 1, got interviews with four, and ultimately received offers of admission from two. I am happy to say that I will be attending Harvard Business School next fall. It wouldn't have been possible without Caryn's assistance - thank you to Caryn and the rest of the SBC team!

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I went to SBC after two friends had a very positive experience. In fairness, I was sold on their references so did not really explore other options. No matter - I am completely happy with my selection. I was very cautious at first because it was such a big investment. I found it hard to comprehend how I could get my money's worth. But the process really helps streamline your application journey in such a smart way. I worked hard and put it a lot of hours (so did my consultant Caryn by the way) And went through all of the steps of exploring my entire background, determining strengths and weaknesses, coming up with great examples and then applying all of the stories across my various applications.
As I said Caryn worked HARD. She truly cares and adapted herself to my schedule. She made it clear that she would not be a bottle neck and she was here to serve me, not to complicate my life by jumping through hoops for her schedule! Refreshing!! She guided me through a structured but flexible process, we went through the steps to create a backbone of an application, but also spent time where I needed it most. In my case I am a fairly decent writer but needed a lot of help structuring my ideas.
I also want to point out that the flight test is a very very valuable program that is offered by SBC. The idea is that your main consultant goes through the application very carefully with you and gets to know you well. This is good, but it is different from the way your application is looked at by the schools. So the flight test actually copies the review of the schools. The reviewer does not know you, does not have any info on you, and just gets your package and goes through it quickly. Then you get the feedback and can apply it with your consultant. I liked that extra level of help and the extra look at my application before I submitted it. The feedback was useful.
Caryn and SBC as a whole were true professionals. Everything ran smoothly. I felt motivated and supported, and I knew I was getting the very best advice out there. In retrospect I cannot imagine doing this without their support - I know it made the difference for me as I am going to a top 5 school in the Fall.

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Thank you Caryn for your instrumental role in my admission to Kellogg!

Caryn's approach to consulting is structured and efficient, yet very clearly tailored to my specific situation. During one of our first calls, she helped my craft my overarching story in a way I had not thought of that ended up being very appealing to admissions committees. We were then able to move through the essays relatively quickly (at least in my opinion!) due to the clear process that Caryn outlined. If you work with Caryn, trust this process!!

Caryn had very quick turnaround with the essays and other application documents and her comments were always perceptive and highly relevant. She helped me express myself in a far more polished and adcom-friendly way while ensuring that my unique tone and style were preserved. This is not an easy task, but Caryn is a true pro!

Caryn brings prior adcom experience to the table and was an M7 graduate herself. These experiences, in addition to her discerning approach, were invaluable as we discussed strategy and approach. This was particularly valuable when I was working to gain admittance off of Kellogg's waitlist. Without her, I don't think I'd be moving to Evanston this fall.

As for communication, I felt as though Caryn was readily available and was always willing to hop on the phone or provide a speedy response over email. She's always a super friendly person which made working together easy and even fun.

In fact, we just finished up one of my favorite conversations of all time - celebrating my admissions into Kellogg!

Caryn is a top tier consultant, I feel very fortunate to have been able to work with her!

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Caryn is positive, honest, detailed, and exemplary at what she does! She was invaluable to my MBA application experience. She gave concrete advice, kept me on track with milestones, and made me feel confident throughout this process. She treated this journey as if we were in it together. Although it was an investment, it was definitely worth it. Not only did I gain valuable personal marketing, resume writing, and interview skills by working with Caryn (thank you, Caryn - I will use them next year during my MBA), but I also gained a 50% scholarship on tuition to the school I will be attending next fall (Fuqua School of Business at Duke University)! I’m ecstatic with this outcome! I attribute this success to Caryn’s advice and help throughout this process.

I came into this process as an 'older' applicant (age 30), with fragmented work experience (three jobs post-undergrad in two different industries), a yearlong gap the year after graduating, an atypical background (education), and limited quantitative coursework from my undergraduate and graduate coursework. I had just decided to pursue an MBA and was unfamiliar with the application process. I needed a lot of help, and I needed someone who was positive throughout the process.

Caryn helped me research and decide on programs, craft a compelling story, find direction for my short and long-term goals (which prior, were quite all over the place), and organize what I should be working on when through templates and example documents. Each of Caryn’s responses and feedback to my drafts was fast (within a few hours or the next day)! We worked together for over a year preparing thorough applications for four programs, as I started the process early and was working two jobs, so I could not dedicate as much time every week to the process. Caryn was such a great asset to the process, and I am so thankful for her help! Not only did she advise me to apply to the school I will be attending in the fall, but in the end, I received a significant scholarship there, something I never expected.

I had a friend who utilized other consulting services (Veritas Prep), and her consultant provided no examples, no guidance, and was very negative throughout the process. Stacy Blackman Consulting (SBC) and Caryn are experts at what they do.

It was such a pleasure working with Caryn, and I'm going to miss her advice and support! Don’t wait – contact SBC for Caryn’s help or help from another one of their talented consultants. Thank you, Caryn!

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