The hourly services were fantastic. Very concise and helpful advice that significantly helped my candidacy.

And it's catered exclusively to your requests (e.g. resume review, essay review, etc.) I would recommend Dawn Clare and Erika Olson to anyone interested.

I did not feel the need for the comprehensive services because I felt that I could already write well and had a strong understanding of what my "message" would be to the schools. For those who are in the same position and are looking to spend less, I would recommend the hourly service package.

Also - the hours and flexibility of those I worked with were very helpful and impressive.

Read More

WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR: I reached out to SBC in November and this point had submitted 2 round 1 applications but wasn’t 100% satisfied with my essays. I was getting ready to submit my last application to HBS round 2 and knew that my essays / application as a whole needed an extra umph! I first thought of hiring a consultant to help me better position myself through the essay. Given that I was further along in the process, I opted for hourly services vs the whole package and had a better idea of how I wanted to use my time.

WHY SBC: Before deciding to work with SBC, I reached out to 4-5 other consulting services to get a better idea of which one was the right fit for me. I spoke directly with the consultants that I would be paired with and this helped me to finally settle on SBC and Paul. I definitely think it is critical that you do your homework beforehand and speak directly with the consultant you are going to be working with so that you and they have a better idea of what you are looking for and how they can help you.

WHY PAUL: My initial free 30 min conversation with Paul went over the allotted time. During this first conversation, Paul already had pointers about how I could better position myself for HBS and areas / strengths that I should focus on. This initial conversation with Paul let me know that (1) he was genuinely interested in helping me through this process and (2) was willing to put in the time and effort to do so. I cannot stress how important it is to find the consultant who is genuinely interested, is going to put in the time to really help you through EVERY step of the process and is able to give you the insights specific to your application. A few of the other consultants I spoke to came across as though they were reading from a script and applied the same "mold" to each person.

HOW PAUL HELPED ME: I had several phone conversations / emails with Paul about my background, work experience, future aspirations, etc. It was through these conversations that Paul helped me to really pinpoint certain strengths / areas that I could develop into a full essay. I wrote several different versions of my final essay and at each step Paul was there to provide me with feedback / steer me into the right direction. I also want to point out that Paul or any other consultant will not write the essay for you – you definitely have to put in 99% of the work.

Paul also helped me prepare for my mock interview – really focusing on the questions that I would be asked and how I should respond – and also reviewed my post reflection essay for HBS. Getting his sign off and help during the latter part of the process was incredibly reassuring and helpful.

WHY PAUL IS GREAT: Paul has an outstanding track record of placing people at top b-schools and is also a GSB alum. Paul’s greatest strength is his understanding of what b-schools are looking for. Through his insight, he was able to help me steer clear of sensitive / mundane essay topics and help to really broaden my perspective of what I wanted to write about. Secondly, Paul is incredibly flexible. During this period, I also used another consultant who was not as flexible and it definitely showed. My other consultant required the standard 2 business day turnaround (with time constraints) and was completely unavailable during certain periods of time. Given that this process is extremely time sensitive and time consuming, it made a world of difference that Paul was willing to hop on the phone / email day of or next day.

RESULTS: I am happy to say that I am HBS bound this fall and could not have done it with Paul’s help (seriously!!!). I know that the $$ is high, but it is 110% worth it! I can only speak on behalf of my own experience with Paul and with hourly services, but highly recommend Paul!!

Read More

I had the pleasure of working with Paul during my bschool admissions process. I truly enjoyed my experience. He was encouraging, supportive, and pushed me to submit the best version of myself. He took a holistic approach to my candidacy, and didn't try to stop me from pursuing my dream schools.
Paul was available to talk to when I needed him, and had great insight when I was stuck in certain areas. Paul helped me get into a top 10 business school, when everyone else was trepidatious. His motivation and coaching, helped me feel so proud and confident in the application I put out.
I would highly recommend Stacy Blackman to anyone considering the investment.

Read More

Hi all,
I was a little skeptical initially about signing up for a consulting service and I tried to do the application process on my own. Later on I realized that the process was taking a lot of time and I was not confident that my application can stand out in the crowd.
I set up a free consultation with Bill Chionis of stacy blackman. After the initial talk , I came to know how I should redraft my resume to highlight my strengths. Then I set up hourly services to go over the essay topics and application process. Bill was very patient, professional and extremely supportive. He guided me to bring the best out of me to the application. My general advice to all future applicants is to go for a consultant. The consultant is very well experienced in this process and he can elevate your essays to the next level and provide you with realistic feedback. I noticed every time I got my essays reviewed that I am able to project myself better.
One more point is when you work all alone, you may not be aware of what others are doing and how much is the competition in terms of ideas and personal strengths. A consultant like Bill can always point out the comparative weakness and strengths in your profile and identify the ways to compensate for your weakness.
A consultant may not be able to land you in harward if you are a dumb ass but he can polish your profile, highlight your strengths, smoother out your dark areas and may unexpectedly bring out previously ignored aspects of your personality into the game. All these will help you to stand out and give you a better chance to your dream schools. I got admitted to all my dream schools and Bill has helped me in all aspects I mentioned above and I will give a five star rating to him and strongly recommend him to any future candidate.

Read More

Highly Recommend. My consultant was Chi-Pei.
She is great and very experienced with Wharton admissions; she is a recent alumni. If you are looking to gain admissions to Wharton definitely speak with her. She knows exactly what they are looking for and is very helpful. Her feedback was critical in molding my essays. I should add her work ethic is phenomenal; she frequently would respond to my emails late in the evenings and fielded my calls/emails while on vacation in Thailand.

SBC has great resources for most of these top schools. I highly recommend reviewing the material before beginning the application and interview process.

I only applied to one school and fortunately got in. I will be attending Wharton this coming year.

Read More

When I began looking to apply for MBA programs, the process seemed daunting. My wife did some research and found Stacy Blackman Consulting. I contacted SBC and we had an initial review that allowed us to start addressing some of the issues within my application portfolio, sub-standard GPA was a major concern of mine. Based on the schools I was applying they introduced me to Monica Mesa. She was an undergrad from one of my targets and an MBA from another. As it turns out she works in the city of my third target school. Overall SBC found the perfect consultant for me.

Once Monica and I got started, she made the whole process less intimidating and as we started to learn more about each other we were able to develop a well laid strategy to highlight my strengths and mitigate my weaknesses. If Monica wasn't quite sure about the best plan of action, she had SBC as a resource and would reach out to get other opinions. It was really a joy working with someone who cared as much as I do about my successful admission to B-school. It was a relief and a joy, that we both shared when I received my first interview invitation and she made ample time to practice with me.

I have been accepted to my first choice and would not have been able to do it without Monica and SBC. For that I am extremely grateful and insist that it was the smartest investment I have ever made. If choose SBC, you will not be disapointed as they want you to succeed as much as you do. And, if you do get a chance to work with Monica consider yourself lucky. I know I do.

Read More

If you are anxious about the application process at all, I would highly recommend that you invest the money in Stacy Blackman.

First, they will find the right consultant for you. My GMAT scores were extremely low, 610, and I was paired with Amy who was able to formulate realistic goals for me as I started the process. We selected schools that fit me personally. Most importantly, she was able to read my anxiety and insecurities regarding my low score and help me be positive throughout the process.

Amy was responsive and helpful throughout every step of the application process. She was honest and straightforward. If we had an essay that wasn't perfect, she would tell me right away that it needed work and what needed to be done to fix it. She was the second set of eyes I needed during the application process and constantly found mistakes I overlooked.

Most of all, Amy acted as a great supporter and believer of me throughout the application process. If I was waitlisted or rejected from a school, Amy was able to keep things in perspective and help me understand different options I had to get into a school that fit me.

In the end, Amy helped me get into a top 20 MBA program, and I know I couldn't have done it without her and Stacy Blackman.

Thank you!

Read More

I would recommend Caryn Altman at SBC for applicants looking for the best way to showcase themselves to AdCom - I knew I was a good applicant, but needed the perspective and coaching on how to be a great applicant. I am so pleased with the guidance and support I got from Caryn that helped me get into the 4 schools I applied to - Booth, Kellogg, Fuqua, and Ross. Caryn really helped me craft my story, starting from a rocky start at undergrad to the crucial "why MBA, why now" questions. We started by nailing the resume, which is often overlooked by most applicants. This was extremely helpful to knock out within a few days of starting with Caryn so that I no longer had to worry about it. Caryn helped me address a few blemishes in my history, such as a few weak grades in my first two years of undergrad, transferring schools, and a lower quant score on my GMAT. I also really appreciated Caryn's quick turnaround times on essays despite a significant time zone gap!

The SBC wiki resources were very helpful - specifically the examples of other students' successful essays.

Read More

I purchased an hourly consulting package from Stacy Blackman Consulting and worked with Jessica to hone my essay approach after the first round. She was very focused and provided useful feedback that guided my writing without taking control or pushing me in a direction I felt uncomfortable with. She was ultra responsive and also helped me prep for the interview process very well. They offer a great resource for practicing online interviews that is unmatched. I was successful in getting into the school that I worked with Jessica on the application for. I'd highly recommend Stacy Blackman Consulting and Jessica.

Read More

Oxford was only a dream till I started working with SBC and specifically Margaret Strother. When I started I didn’t have enough knowledge of how this would work, I literally made a leap of faith with SBC and it turned out to be the best investment I could’ve made. I not only ended up being accepted into the only school I applied, i.e. Oxford SBS, but also secured a full scholarship. It was all dreams come true at once. It would have been very difficult without the help of Margaret. I went in with an unrealistic demand: One school, very short deadline, not knowing where I wanted to go and essentially very vague post MBA goals. It was amazing how she could polish my thinking and bring out what was always within me specially in the lingo that adcom is looking for. The things that I did not value at all became my biggest selling points in my essays. It’s amazing how she polished everything I had to say without even putting in a single sentence of her own. Hours and hours of her asking questions and then asking some more till I’d become speechless and start to see what she wanted me to see. And it was not only essays, she guided me to ace my interview with mock interview preps too. I have nothing but praise for Margaret – she is a miracle worker :).

Read More