Words will never be enough to describe my experience with SBC, Esther, and Susan.

I decided to be thorough in my approach to finding a consultant, speaking to several companies. I was specifically looking for a company that was established (i.e. high success rates) and structured (i.e. clear process), yet had personalized attention (i.e. are there too many people?). I concluded that there were endless companies that fulfilled only one of the criteria, but only SBC was able to meet both of them.

The next step to my process was having an initial call with Esther, who "matches" you with a consultant given your profile and goals. Esther has this rare gift of being able to assess your profile in mere seconds. What I appreciated most was that Esther gave supportive yet objective advice. Remember, you do not want to spend time and money for nothing! Thanks, Esther!

Having been "matched" with my consultant, I then had the amazing opportunity to work with Susan. As a global citizen, I particularly admired Susan's widespread work experience from the U.S. (i.e. CBS) to European markets (i.e. LBS). From this experience alone, Susan has this "automatic" credential of being able to work with diverse applicants, ranging from traditional and non-traditional career paths, to various personalities, ages, and backgrounds. I know that's what I admired most about Susan!

The biggest insight -- aside from fantastic advice in every step of the process -- was Susan's ability to complement my weaknesses without ever me recognizing or surfacing them. I'm quite organized, yet there were times wherein I didn't realize I was lagging behind in certain aspects of the application process. I also have an infinite number of ideas and thoughts, resulting in sometimes over-complicating or confusing messaging. However, Susan was quick to point out rational solutions and more importantly, the rationale behind them. I was also extremely familiar with participating in school events, yet Susan is brilliant when it comes to knowing insider information into a school's communication method, frequency, and strategies.

Most importantly, Susan can look at things holistically when you're laser focused in the process. Firstly, I was dual pathing my test re-take and application process, resulting in juggling numerous priorities. With application deadlines creeping up, Susan surfaced a modified possible test strategy with me, ultimately allowing me to realize a target score. She was the last person who messaged me before entering the test center and the first person I texted upon seeing those numbers on screen. I was also juggling interview invites in very different locations, yet Susan emphasized an optimal way to ensure I could maximize the entire interview experience.

At the end of the day, this entire MBA application process is no doubt extremely stressful, overwhelming, and complex. It takes a true mentor, someone who has your best interest at heart, someone who's passionate about making a difference in others' lives, and an expert in the process to be with you every step of the way. Susan was all those things and more; she believed in my story and credentials when no one else did. Through her guidance, I received two offers (thus far) with scholarships, which I didn't even apply for or expect. Never in my wildest dreams did I think this was all possible. And, when I get on that graduation stage, I'll be thinking of how forever grateful I'll be because of Susan.

More power to SBC and Susan!

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MBA is a stepping-stone towards my ultimate career goal – I knew this for a while and like hundreds and thousands of other MBA aspirants, I wanted to get into one of those coveted top B-schools as well. Due to its strong focus on both Entrepreneurship and Social Enterprises, I, upon completion of the school research process, knew that Oxford Said Business School will be the most suitable to complete my MBA from. However, coming from an overly represented group of aspirants, I did not really know how to stand out from the rest and get into my dream school.

After talking to a few of my friends who just completed their MBA, I realized an Admission Consultant could really help me to get in. I started talking to various consultancies out there and I do not have any qualms in saying that Esther from Stacy Blackman was someone who seemed to be truly helpful. By going through my profile, she was quickly able to discover consultants who could help me. I also remember how Esther sent me links to Said school essay discussions right after knowing my preference. This was before I even signed up and I was truly surprised to see her level of involvement. Esther introduced me to Susan Roth, whom I worked with for preparing the essays. Just so that everyone knows, I bought the comprehensive package from Stacy Blackman Consulting.

Susan knows what she is doing and her help throughout the process not only got me in to Said, but she made me understand how to present myself in a better manner. I cannot think of a single instance where she took more than 24 hours to get back to me with the suggested edits of my initial drafts. Those replies always followed up with additional video calls to explain the mistakes I made or suggest changes with reasons. I remember that once she did a video session with me to explain certain edits while she was at the airport. She truly cared about my success and that reflected in her overall behavior as well. The story was mine, but it was presented certainly in a far better manner than I ever could and that credit goes to Susan. The other thing that I liked a lot about Susan is that she is brutally honest. She was very clear with me about the weaknesses in my profile, but off course, she helped me to shine through the application essays by highlighting my strengths anyway.

As we all know, application process to the top business schools is a tedious process with all those numerous edits and sleepless nights. Susan kept encouraging me and though I sometimes missed my deadlines to deliver her first drafts or edited versions, she never missed one. Her help extended beyond what is included in the package to be honest. She helped me select some backup schools and assisted me with navigating through an employment offer that I received during the process and suggested me that how I should communicate that to the school.

From my personal experience, I can definitely say that Susan invests time and energy into the students and she loves to see them succeed. I can never forget how she kept cheering me up at times of despair and how happy she was when I conveyed the message that I got into Said.

There is not a thing that I will change about Susan and I enjoyed every single moment when I worked with her. I highly recommend her to aspirant MBA students who are in the lookout for an MBA Admissions Consultant.

I will like to conclude by saying that overall, Stacy Blackman follows a very structured approach to help out the students and one should certainly leverage on all the guides and suggestion available – they are really informative. I should also mention that the flight test feature is something that can prove to be extremely beneficial to applicants applying to the top schools. First, it is always better to get your essays checked by two pairs of eyes than one and secondly, it is done by a former Admissions Officer who knows exactly how the applications are reviewed and analyzed (In my case, the flight test was conducted by Beth Tidmarsh). Incorporating flight test feedback into my essays with help of Susan is something that I truly believe to have helped me get ahead in the race to the offer of admission.

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