As the first member of my family to even graduate from high school, I did not have any built in mentors to help me with my applications to business school. A friend of a friend told me about Stacy Blackman Consulting and in a leap of faith I wrote one of the biggest checks I have ever written, buying a 5 school package. I knew that I wanted to do this right, and in perhaps a moment of insanity I took the plunge. I was extremely stressed, unsure about how to approach my applications and yet determined to make it happen. Within an hour of submitting that check, I started to calm down. I received a number of resources from SBC, and was contacted by Amy, my awesome consultant. Amy and I exchanged a bunch of emails and then set up a call that turned out to be game changing for me. In just a few hours, I had a plan. Schools were chosen, I knew what themes I would be emphasizing and the stories that I would tell. While I had some very unique aspects to my background, I also had major issues with my GPA. Amy helped me think through how to discuss the low grades, and we mapped out next steps. The rest of the process was a lot of hard work - I'm not saying it was a breeze, but having a guide to take me through, coach me, steer me with confidence, was incredible. I felt like Amy showed incredible patience with me - some late night stressed out panic session phone calls were the least of it. She also had a lot of creative ideas for how to tackle the essays. And she was funny and cool to work with. After the applications were in, I actually missed working with her and our multiple exchanges that took place every day. I am ecstatic to say that I was admitted to 3 of 5 schools, am attending my number one dream program, and am doing so with a significant scholarship. I highly recommend Stacy Blackman Consulting and know it was worth every penny.

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I was initially skeptical about using a consultant but after going thru the process I'm very grateful to have hired Stacy Blackman. I chose the comprehensive service for 3 schools and worked with Paul, who helped me both brainstorm about my strategy and craft my story for the process. He helped me present myself in a manner that is true to who I am but in a manner that the admissions committees found compelling.

After we had been through my background and experiences to date he helped me pick the best way to present my candidacy. His assistance was particularly useful in three areas: 1) essay editing; 2) interview preparation and 3) post-interview reflection.

I had an extremely positive experience with SBC and am incredibly grateful to the full team in helping me achieve my goal.

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I had a great time working with Sherry from Stacy Blackman. Even
though we live in opposite side of the world Sherry was always
happy to find a time that was suitable for me, even if it meant
she had to work early in the morning PST time. We were able to
work together through multiple essay iterations and each time I
found her comments to be very helpful. Sherry's experience with
the admission process and her knowledge of the b-school I was
applying to was also a great help. She gave me good feedback on
how to approach interview questions during our mock interview as
well as information about the school that you would not find
through the school webpage. I recommend Stacy Blackman
Consulting. They really did a great job evaluating my profile
and pairing me with someone who would best help me to succeed in
the application process. Cheers!

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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 applied to HSW this year and managed to get an admit from HBS. I reached out to several consulting firms before I started the process. Despite the fact I was very late in the process, Stacy Blackman matched me with a consultant who has an excellent track record for HBS and GSB - Paul Kang.

Not only Paul is a GSB and Harvard alumnus, he has also served as the admissions committee member at GSB. This added real practicality to my application. Paul was instrumental in pushing me hard to think about my own life - what I have achieved so far, what I am as a person, what do I want to do in life and why, how would I want to do it, etc., and use all of this to present my story to the B-schools. The biggest advantage of working with Paul, unlike few other consultants, is that he would never force his thinking upon you or write the essay for you. He would always be ready to help you think and write, and to review and improve the same. He would never say no to you even if you send the nth version of the essay. He is always ready to get on a call with you to discuss any small or big thing.

Paul also helped me fit my application process into timelines and adhere to the same - else it would have been extremely difficult given the work load I had. Moreover, the final essay I submitted with Paul's help was much better that what I could have submitted on my own.

I am truly grateful to Paul for his support in the process and highly recommend him to be consulted, esp. on HSW applications - he is the HSW guru!

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I have had an amazing experience with Stacy Blackman Consulting. At the beginning of my application process, I read reviews from various sites, and found that SBC was one of the highest-rated services. I decided to try out 3 different services by scheduling initial calls with them. I was most impressed by how thoughtful my initial conversation with SBC went. The person I talked to initially was able to identify different connections between various elements in my life like I had never thought of before and make some concrete suggestions on potential directions of my application right from the very first call.

SBC then matched me with Paul Kang who shared many of my interests. I worked with Paul Kang on my applications to two of the top schools (H/S/W). In our first call, Paul asked many thought-provoking questions to get me to think beyond the surface level. After the first call, he managed to get me to question many of the assumptions I had made about myself, my career direction, and my applications. Throughout the process, Paul was incredibly supportive and always responsive. The final products were definitely reflective of who I am but in a much deeper level than I had anticipated. I got admitted to both of these top schools, thanks to Paul & SBC. I highly recommend SBC to anyone serious about having solid, thoughtful bschool applications.

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Overall, I had an excellent experience with Stacy Blackman- both with the company itself and my consultant, Carol Grayson. I cannot overstate my satisfaction with the firm.

I got in touch with Stacy Blackman in the beginning of my application process- after I had taken the GREs and decided to move forward with B-school, but before I meaningfully researched schools and application processes. I didn’t know anyone with personal experience with the company, but it was consistently listed as a top five b-school consulting firm. I was immediately impressed by the Stacy Blackman staffs’ professionalism and this was consistent throughout the process. After I submitted basic profile information, I was connected with a representative within 24 hours. My conversation with the initial contact (Christina Woo) was substantive; she had already analyzed my basic strengths and weaknesses, assessed my profile, and suggested a Carol Grayson as a consultant match given my personal objectives and work style. I specifically appreciated Christina’s honesty- she was able to immediately highlight my strengths but provided an honest appraisal of the issues that needed to be addressed. I was reassured that my money would be well spent with Stacy Blackman.

Carol was an excellent fit and she worked with me on applications for HBS, Wharton, and CBS. Carol is a wonderful application partner- she provides straightforward and constructive feedback while remaining supportive during a stressful process. Similar to the rest of the Stacy Blackman team, Carol’s professionalism was outstanding. Carol is extremely knowledgeable about how the schools consider candidates and how they view applications. Carol made herself available at non-traditional hours to accommodate my schedule (weekends, holiday weekends, and early mornings) and was prepared before each conversation so our discussions were fulsome and productive and efficient. She always responded in a timely fashion was in touch about any potential delays or disruptions (none occurred, she was always on time). I am most appreciative of Carol’s assistance in translating the schools’ specific questions into concrete essay prompts that were more conducive to a 500-word writing exercise. She offered a high level view of the broader objective of the questions, suggested an overarching essay structure, and suggested topics highlighting details from my personal and professional life. Carol’s comments were insightful- she did not focus on nonessential details, but really pushed me to devise a compelling story and express myself in a clear an interesting way. I was always confident that my final product would be excellent as Carol would not settle for less.

In addition to her help on essays and applications, Carol was willing to read my submissions for the entire applications including resume, activities etc. Her consulting services are truly comprehensive.

Ultimately, with Carol’s help and that of the Stacy Blackman team, I was admitted to all three schools! I credit Carol with much of my success in the process.

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My conversations with Bill Chonis gave me the confidence to apply to a school I previously wasn't sure if I should even bother applying to; turns out I got accepted by that tap tier school despite a very weak 2.90 undergrad GPA. Bill provided insights into the application process, patient guidance in helping me shape my strategy, and expert coaching on focusing my message.

Other information on my candidacy: 720GMAT, engineering background, working for a small unknown firm in the unglamorous manufacturing industry, international from south east asia. I'm very sure Bill had a huge impact on me getting into the school of my dreams!

Stacy Blackman is a well functioning organization, which leverages up-to-date online tools to facilitate their Admissions Consulting services.

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I researched consulting services extensively and am very happy that I chose Stacy Blackman Consulting. Their methodology is very helpful, especially the personalized central plan that guides the application process. As I found that the top consulting services were comparable in price, I choose Stacy Blackman because of Sherry Holland, who became my consultant. She was kind, understanding, and always available. Sherry was fabulous at keeping me organized and on track - creating a timeline, developing a plan, and streamlining the many details and challenges of the application process. It was incredibly helpful to have her guidance throughout. I would highly recommend Stacy Blackman's comprehensive consulting services and particularly Sherry Holland.

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