I wanted to share a few thoughts about Margaret with you: most notably, she has a seemingly innate ability to help craft truly impactful stories for the business school application process. Just having that talent, however, isn't always enough. Margaret contributes two other vital pieces to that puzzle - first, she is tremendously engaged in the work that is being done. The entire time, I truly thought Margaret was my biggest fan...so much so that when I was accepted to Kellogg I fully expected her to come with me! This enthusiasm was strongly noted by her late night emails to me - she would work tirelessly into the night to help me perfect these essays!!

Secondly, her attention to detail and organization is supreme. Its one thing just to throw around ideas about what to put in a business school essay, but its entirely different to carefully structure those thoughts through draft after draft after draft.

Margaret does this effortlessly and always with a smile on her face (even though its the 37th time looking at one single sentence).

The additional reviews by Lisa and others on the SBC team were invaluable. Thank you!

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Choosing the SBC comprehensive school package was a great decision. I applied tot three schools and got into my two top choices - HBS and Wharton!

Margaret made the entire process really painless. Even though I was overwhelmed at first, she made sure to guide me every step of the way. Her feedback was trenchant and to the point - exactly why I needed! She helped me think through my goals so that I could articulate concisely my reasons for wanting to go to graduate school. She helped me focus my writing and tell the stories only I could tell. I really enjoyed working with her. I had a great experience, so I highly recommend Margaret.

Additionally, the SBC comprehensive service is very well organized. I had access not only to Margaret, but also to a social media consultant, as well as a mock interviewer for my Harvard interview and a mock group interview for Wharton. A different SBC consultant also did a final read of my application before I submitted it.

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I had a great experience working with Sherry from SBC.

I felt like Sherry was invested in me. We worked very well together. I was a candidate with some good and some bad. Therefore, I felt my application could read good or bad. So, I hired Sherry to help make sure it’s the former. Here are some more specifics on my experience.

Editing – Great feedback. Took my essays to an entirely different level. Found a way to present my stories in a way that washed over you while reinforcing my key points. My essays would have otherwise felt choppy and forced as I tried to fit all of my info into it.

School Selection – She helped with suggestions and encouraged a lot of contact with current students.

Company Resources – Great! Wonderful tools and a great resource for nuts and bolts as I selected schools.

Interviewing – Great feedback.

Sherry and I both confirmed each other after an interview with staff at SBC. After that, I interviewed with a few consultants and made my choice. Then the consultants also had to want to work with me. I think this helped me find a great match.

Thank you Sherry! I got into Ross and I’m awaiting Haas results. She helped make my candidacy!

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I used Carol Grayson at Stacy Blackman for admissions counseling this year and was extremely happy with the experience.

For background, I graduated from an Ivy League school magna cum laude, have worked in PE for four years, 750+ GMAT, and was accepted into both CBS and Wharton.

Carol fully understood my background and came into
our first conversations wanting to get to know me before helping us come up with an admissions strategy together. She didn't take a
cookie-cutter approach (which I did fear), and helped me get to know myself better, which really came through in my essays. She helped me to become my own best advocate, and without her advice there's no way I would have been as successful with this process. She also helped me work around some holes in my application that I feared would prevent me from
being accepted at the top schools.

Carol also took the time to have several conversations with me (both in-person and over the phone) to prepare me for interviews at CBS and Wharton. She was extremely knowledgeable about what the schools would be looking for and I felt confident going in to both interviews because of her help.

I also got two great pieces of help from SBC (aside from Carol). I found that the Flight Test was a great way to hear someone else's perspective on my application package and gave me additional ideas on how to improve. Even more importantly, I had short notice on my Wharton group interview and SBC made sure to get me into a practice group interview with other candidates to prepare for Wharton's unique interview model. I found that to be EXTREMELY helpful, and the moderator gave me plenty of feedback after the mock interview, both written and over the phone. These were two major benefits of working with a larger firm that I wouldn't have gotten with a one-on-one consultant.

All in all, I'd highly recommend SBC to anyone.

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I am originally from Mexico City but studied my undergraduate degree in a small New England liberal arts college and my master degree in Canada. Therefore, when I decided to apply for an MBA program, I was a little hesitant of hiring a consultant company to help me with my application since I did not have a “typical” background. Before working with Stacy Blackman, I had already worked with two other private consultants. One American, one Mexican. Neither one fulfilled my expectations and only increased my hesitancy to work with a consulting firm. Nevertheless, I knew I needed help if I wanted to get into a top program. I googled some options and decided to give, Stacy Blackman, my last shot.

Right from the start, I noticed that SB was “the real deal,” and I was amazed on how professional and effective the people I interacted with at SB were. Despite doing everything in two very different locations, I always felt “taken care of” and relevant. Esther Magna recommended me to work with Amy. I did not know the caliber of the consultants that work at SB despite reading some bios on the company’s website (Based on my experience, one thing is reading the resume and another thing is experiencing the actual competence of a person). Therefore, I fully trusted the advice given that Amy was perfect for my case. I started working with her and I immediately noticed how good she was. She definitely exceeded all of my expectations for the consulting service. She was knowledgeable and empathic. She gave me the best advice on which schools I could apply to and what were my possibilities of getting in. We communicated extensively to make sure that my essays were perfect along with my resume and the documents for the admission process. I feel that she ended up knowing me very well and knew exactly what to write to make my application better. Without her help and input, I would have never gotten admission letters from amazing schools. By following this process with her, I ended up understanding in a much deeper way why I wanted to pursue an MBA. In the end, I understood that the admission process is a story and the better your story is, the greater opportunities you will have.

I have nothing but the best impression of the Stacy Blackman service. They really provide THE best online consulting for MBA admissions. I want to thank the Stacy Blackman team for going the extra mile to help me with my candidacy.

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I worked with Caryn Altman at Stacy Blackman Consulting as a reapplicant to Wharton. I worked with another firm the year before and didn't even get an interview at Wharton. As such, I was meticulous in my search for an advisor as a reapplicant. In my search, I paid for ad hoc services from a couple of firms and did my due diligence with a few others, and Caryn stood out as the best.

Caryn delivered high quality work from the get-go. What stood out was when she respectfully challenged my opinions and persuaded me to follow her advice. The whole process was low stress, and I am thrilled with the results.

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I was initially hesitant to engage a professional consultancy. I had planned to ask my friends for tips based on what they had learned from their own application processes. I ultimately invested in the comprehensive package with SBC after a current Wharton student told me that I risked putting myself at a disadvantage otherwise. This was great advice.

I was paired with Margaret Strother, a great match for my personality and work style-- in her words, we're both "hard-assed perfectionists." Margaret's help was invaluable every step of the way, from developing my story and polishing essays to tactical questions regarding recommenders and school-specific minutiae. She exchanged hundreds of emails of the summer and she reviewed scores of drafts of my various essays, always promptly and incisively. During the long interview season in the fall, she helped to coach me on my standard responses and generally prepare me to excel in interviews. After she discovered I love cooking (which featured in my applications) we even exchanged a few recipes.

With the comprehensive package, I also had access to a "flight test" of my application by a former MBA admissions committee member, and after I received an interview offer from Wharton, I was able to practice their unusual group interview with other SBC applicants over Skype. My real Wharton interview went almost exactly the way it did in the practice session, which helped me to stay calm and confident despite the unusual format.

Ultimately, I was accepted to Booth with a scholarship and to my dream program at Wharton. Based on that alone, I'd say SBC is well worth the investment as a way of reducing downside risk. But I'd endorse them even if I hadn't been as fortunate in what is ultimately a capricious and subjective process. SBC's consultants act as mentors and coaches, and when it matters Margaret can be as demanding as my former investment banking bosses. I gained valuable experience and I learned practical and tactical lessons about positioning myself as a candidate, which I will apply to my post-MBA goals.

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I am going to business school! After this roller coaster ride, I could certainly not be ANY MORE HAPPY. A year ago, I applied to four business schools and got rejected across the board despite having interviews. This year, I was certainly hesitant of how the process would turn out after applying to four business schools but thus far, I received two acceptances! Jill, my consultant at SBC, was my genie! She was not only my guidance throughout the process, but also my supporter during the times when I completely lost hope of having a positive outcome. Jill was extremely patient and that is one of the most important traits in a consultant because it meant we could work together to ensure that all my concerns were always addressed. I am a little embarrassed having been a bit demanding at times, but I constantly felt I wanted my application to be as perfect as possible, and Jill was always my partner in crime. I was very worried about the GMAT (A bit low on the quant side) but Jill always reminded it that it was just a component of my application and we came up with ways to strengthen my quant profile through other aspects of the applications. For each essay, I don’t even remember how many drafts we went through. It was all about crafting the perfect stories with my most comprehensive view of me as an individual. But also, given my non-arts background, I was always worried my writing had to keep being polished! I even remember asking very minute differences in what wording sounded better to Jill and she would always weigh in. At the end, I always felt I had submitted the best application for each school. I also remember making small edits the night before my first application was due and Jill was there for me until I hit the submit button. For interviews, I can’t even imagine how stressed I was. I felt last year I went through the interview stage and then lost my chance so this year, I didn’t want the same outcome. Jill did a full run through with me and Stacy’s interview materials were great preparation, especially the video essays which were new this year. Other materials like the example essays were good guidance as you start thinking of crafting your own personal stories.



Before I committed to SBC, I though very hard about using a consultant and I am now very glad I did. I felt SO supported during this very hard process. I not only got support from Jill, my most amazing consultant but also from Maggie and Esther. For my dream school, Maggie helped me review for one of my essays that was giving me trouble and this reassured me that I had done my best in my application essays. Often times, friends and family have be best intention of helping but it is very hard to coordinate schedules. Trust me, there is no need for extra stress! However, Jill never failed me! She was there around the clock for essay brainstorming, editing and interviews. And more dear to me, she was there to wish me good luck on my interviews and eagerly waiting decisions with me. I am happy to say that I got admitted into two top-20 MBA programs, including my dream school. YES, my dream school! :) I didn’t think it was possible but certainly I am SO HAPPY and THANKFUL to Jill who ensured this was a successful process for me.



I highly highly recommend SBC. It was a journey until "submit button", even with tiny changes last minute. Jill always had my best interest at heart :) Jill knew and believed in my strenghts as an applicant, far more than I did for myself. I have no doubt that she really helped me increase my changes of being accepted and beating the odds. SBC is really the best service out there, and Jill is can not be matched as an admissions consultant :)


Jill and SBC really made it MY application process. I found the best way to work with Jill both in terms of e-mail and jumping on the phone when I needed it the most. I also re-did many video essays to ensure I sounded sharp (I hate looking at cameras!) and I even used the optional review for my essays for the one essay that was giving me trouble. Thinking about monetary costs is always though when you are thinking of the MBA investment but having explored other consultants, I am convinced SBC is the best service. They really partner with you to make it the best experience for you (it is hard to apply to business school) and the only thing every applicant wants is to see that congratulations letter! And I am so thrilled (I am still on cloud 9) that my dream of going to business school has now FINALLY come true, and to my top choice too! Thank you sooooooooooo ssssoooo much to Jill and SBC for helping me along the way. This is without doubt one of the happiest moments of my life!

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I was initially very daunted by the opened end nature of the HBS essay question and really didn't know what my "personal brand" was or how to even begin articulating it. I weighed up the cost and decided to hire an admissions consultant. After a bit of research I decided on SBC, who promptly connect me with Paul.

Paul was invaluable in helping me craft a story that was true to my personal experiences but also aligned with what the admissions committee would be looking for. I was particularly impressed with the quality and depth of the insights Paul was able to give me after having only spoken to me for such a short period. Paul's availability at short notice and quick response times to my questions were also highly appreciated.

Working with Paul also saved me immense amounts of time as I was able to quick focus down on my essay topic, rather than spending hours and hours brainstorming ideas.

Without Paul's help I would not have been able to come up with such a strong essay or strong all round application.

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Going into the application process, I was having difficulty articulating why I wanted to go to business school. I knew what I wanted to do, but struggled to explain how my goals tied back to what I had accomplished and how an MBA would help me achieve them. However, I knew my essays were critical to the success of my applications; although I had strong work experience and great recommendations, my GMAT and GPA were slightly below average for my target schools, and I had very limited extracurricular involvement. Meredith was a huge difference maker for me. She helped me sculpt essays that highlighted my strengths, mitigated potential quantitative concerns, differentiated my story, and clearly articulated how my professional experience had led me to business school and why an MBA was a critical next step. Meredith was very candid, personable, thorough, and responsive in her approach, which was especially helpful due to the tight time frame of the application process and the lack of knowledge I had going in. In addition, her experience as an interviewer at Kellogg helped me to explain my story to admissions committee members in a consistent and appropriately succinct manner that resonated with the rest of my application. In large part due to Meredith’s help, I was admitted to Ross, one of my top choices, where I will be attending this fall!

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