As I began the process of applying to b-school, I was initially very unsure about whether or not to work with an admissions consultant, not knowing if it were necessary or worth the cost. After discussions with many firms, ultimately I chose to work with Caryn Altman from Stacy Blackman Consulting and she was absolutely fantastic, I couldn’t have been more pleased with the decision, far exceeded my expectations and well worth the cost.

The admissions process so quickly becomes overwhelming and Caryn was critical throughout every step. I used the comprehensive package and she began working with me very early on to assess strengths and weaknesses, outline a plan for my application, ensure clear and concise messaging and make everything stand out in my story. It was far more than just essay assistance, her help was vital in all aspects of my applications. Caryn was always insightful in her guidance, very accessible and responsive to any requests, kept me focused and ahead of deadlines, and improved my applications way more than I ever thought possible.

Beyond Caryn, the other team members and support resources at Stacy Blackman were very helpful, from school guides to mock interview prep and the application test flight.

Overall a really great experience that improved my applications significantly. I would highly recommend the firm and Caryn to anyone applying to b-school. Was admitted to 3 of 4 schools (Wharton, Booth and Kellogg) and couldn’t have been so successful without the help of Caryn and the team at Stacy Blackman.

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As a non-traditional MBA candidate with sights on business school since I was an undergraduate, I've researched all the schools. I just wasn't sure how to gain admission!

I had the stats to shoot for the moon when it came to top schools, but didn't have many people I could ask to help with the nuances of the application process. I was paired with Caryn Altman at Stacy Blackman based on my background and goals, and could not have been more lucky.

Caryn was phenomenal at helping me position myself in a way that was attractive to the schools I hoped to attend. She helped me take advantage of all the unique factors that made up my candidacy, and helped me form an application that was true and consistent from top to bottom.

I give Caryn and the Stacy Blackman team a whole-hearted thank you, and believe she would be able to help many candidates in similar positions.

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I am so grateful to have worked with Caryn on my business school applications. I was a completely naive applicant before Caryn clued me in to all the nuances of MBA applications I would never have known otherwise. I began working with Caryn several months before applications were due and thank goodness, because it took a very long time for us to develop and refine my career goals, but with Caryn's help, they eventually evolved to be well structured and consistent with my past experiences. We went through many many revisions of my resume, essays, and data forms, and Caryn was attentive and helpful throughout the entire process. I especially appreciated her honesty regarding my selection of schools. She made sure I had a good range of schools from stretch to safety, and that I picked only schools I'd be happy attending.
Mostly, I appreciated having Caryn available for all the random, minute questions that constantly popped through my head during the process. Caryn always had a good answer and her knowledge of the process and insight into adcom helped keep my anxiety down and allowed me to focus on the goal. Thank goodness for Caryn!

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I had an incredible experience working with Caryn and Stacy Blackman Consulting. From the initial phone call through successful admission to one of my target schools, SBC made the process as smooth as possible. Caryn helped me structure my application strategy and always delivered helpful, constructive feedback. Caryn had a wealth of knowledge about each of my target schools and about the application process in general. The most helpful part of working with SBC was the consistent, helpful feedback. Caryn did not shy away from giving the tough feedback that I would not have gotten from family members, friends and colleagues. The MBA application process is challenging and stressful, but it was a pleasure working with SBC. I highly recommend SBC and Caryn to any prospective MBA students.

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Staying on top of deadlines, being able to tell a compelling story, and knowing what admissions committees look for in applications are reasons why I needed an admissions consultant. My GMAT and GPA were average and I needed an edge on getting into a business program. I worked with Caryn Altman from Stacey Blackman Consulting and found her expertise helpful during the process. Admissions consulting can be expensive but I reasoned that the opportunity cost not having an MBA in my field (consulting) would be much more expensive. Caryn worked with me to develop a strategic plan and recommended several ways for me to address my shortfalls. She provided content that helped me shape career goals into believable (imagine that) objectives that would assist in writing essays and served as a sounding board when content needed adjustment. We also had interview practice and she provided solid feedback on what to say, what not to say, and how to stress different strengths in my professional and extracurricular experiences. She also provided guidance on which schools made the most sense given my preferences for geography (DC/Mid-Atlantic), school size, program focus areas and recruiting channels. Needless to say, I'm happy with Stacey Blackman and owe a huge thanks to Caryn for helping me get into school.

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While I debated hiring a consulting company for a couple of months, I couldn’t be happier with my ultimate decision to do so. I now think I was wrong to view it as an expense since it’s really more of an investment in you. My consultant, Caryn (previous admissions experience at Kellogg), was amazing from start to finish. She was extremely dedicated and responsive, with a turnaround time of less than a day most of the time. Her help on my resume, essay mapping and editing, interviews and school selection was instrumental to my success and sanity. I was accepted to 3 of 4 schools (I withdrew from the last school prior to accepting their interview invitation), and will be attending my top choice (Kellogg!) with a 75% scholarship. I also received the full tuition Consortium fellowship to Ross. There is no way this would have ever been possible without Caryn’s help, and I mean that sincerely. I know a lot of applicants hesitate due to cost (trust me, I was one of them; also, SBC offers flexible payment plans), but at the end of day I truly believe that money was a very small investment that earned me a significant amount in scholarship money. Also, many people decide to use their friends and/or mentors for essay editing. However, Caryn knew exactly what stories would work and how their effectiveness could be maximized. I don’t think many people could have shaped my essays as well as she did.

I don’t typically write reviews, but I understand how stressful MBA applications can be so I wanted to share my experience.

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I am what some would call a nontraditional applicant. Going into business school, I will be 25 and will have 3 years of work experience. I have worked for a nonprofit and a family business in real estate. I also have different personal interests than most people applying to business school and have done my share of moving around.

All this being said, from the moment I called Stacy Blackman, the staff were instrumental in putting my successes and achievements on paper and to life. Not only were they helpful, but they were honest, sincere, punctual, knowledgeable and resourceful. Specifically, I worked with Caryn Altman, a Kellogg graduate. Caryn takes her job very seriously. She treats your application as it is her own. Caryn would e-mail me daily, sometimes multiple times a day, with essay rewrites, tips, friendly hellos, etc. I should note that this is because I was very involved in the process and would constantly be e-mailing her first!

The Stacy Blackman team helps you construct the perfect application for business school. The consultants go above and beyond to give you advice on the GMAT (retaking it or not), the application, the essays, business school selection, the resume, and an in depth review of the interview process.

I am thrilled by my results. After applying to 6 business schools, I got into three of them (one being a top 5 school where I plan to attend next year). I plan to recommend Stacy Blackman (and specifically Caryn) to friends and relatives applying to business school in the future.

Thank you Caryn for guiding me and helping me get into business school. I couldn't have done it without you and the SB team!

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I started working on my MBA applications quite early. I am an organized person and I had no doubt that I would be able to get all my applications together early, submitted for Round 1 without a hitch. But as I started to look at each of my schools, with all of their different requirements and essay questions, I instantly became overwhelmed. I got a 730 on my GMAT and thought that alone would get me in. But my career goals were not clear and I had no idea what to write about in my essays. I reached out to two MBA consulting firms and was immediately sold on Stacy Blackman.

From day one, the consultants at Stacy Blackman made an effort to get to know me. My consultant, Caryn, kept me organized so the application process never felt overwhelming. We had a schedule and she made sure I stuck to it. We spent a lot of time on my career goals, which made the essay process so much easier. Having her as a sounding board meant that I didn't stress throughout the three month process - not once. And because Caryn kept me to consistent deadlines, the work I put in was never too much at once.

I applied to three schools - HBS, Booth and Kellogg. I was accepted to both Booth and Kellogg and could not be happier. I am convinced that without Caryn's guidance I would not have been as concise and clear with my goals and that would have negatively impacted my essays and interviews. This was the best decision I made and I would do it again in a heartbeat!

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Working with Stacy Blackman was a really good experience for me. My consultant, Caryn Altman, helped me with my applications from beginning to end, was supportive, and exceptionally timely with her responses.

Applying to business school is a lot of work and can be stressful/emotional. Caryn helped me stay on track with milestones for my applications and calmed me during stressful moments. I was also struggling to define my long-term goals and had a low GMAT score. Caryn made me go through multiple versions of my goal statements until I was confident that I was writing honest and inspiring essays about my career trajectory. Caryn was also able to convince me to do what was right for my application (i.e., take the GRE) even when it meant extra work and was something I wouldn’t have had the discipline to do myself. This ended up being pivotal and I so glad she urged me to do it. I am thrilled to have been accepted to both the schools to which I applied (with scholarships no less). More importantly, my experience with Caryn was about much more than just getting me into business school, but has really helped shape my goals.

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After a quick and pleasant kick off with Erther Magna, Caryn Altman has been appointed as my main consultant at Stacy Blackman (Carol Grayson supported me with an ad hoc aspects of one of my application).

Both Caryn and Carol have tons good insights from having worked extensively as Admission Officers.
I felt very comfortable throughout the all process. Caryn has been able to structure an overwhelming process in more manageable pieces. Her experience allowed us to to leverage on every aspect of the work we were doing effectively.

The accessibility has been spot on and also the possibility to tailor my package towards the areas I felt the need to focus on mostly has been key.
Baseline - accepted to all the BSs I applied with their support (Tuck and Insead )

As mentioned by other reviews, SBC was absolutely fundamental in helping me communicate my story in the best way. I think I was a strong applicant with respect to several items but figuring out what to write and what to write not and how to convey the key messages is an aspect Caryn and I worked on a lot and at the end of the day effectively.

Finally I am happy with my personal choice - I can’t recommend more SBC and Caryn

P.S. Before committing to SBC I had a small beauty contest with other Consulting Firms. The flexibility they showed in every aspect of the process has been the final driver for me to push the button with them.

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