As I prepared to apply to business school, Maureen's advice and expertise was invaluable. She provided me guidance in all facets of the application, including but not limited to GMAT scores, essay topics, and recommendations. Maureen's ability to challenge and probe me when writing about difficult topics furthered the depth of my essays. It is very clear that she has a thoughtful understanding of how to construct an essay that paints a story about a candidate. During a long process such as this one, Maureen made herself available to me at any time and supported and encouraged me even at the hardest moments. Working with Maureen allowed me to conquer this challenging process and be accepted to the school of my dreams! In general, the resources that SBC provides are top notch. These resources were great guides for essays and interview prep. It is clear that they have all the best materials and are committed to helping all of their clients.

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I received acceptance from a top EMBA program and couldn’t have done it without the amazing consultants at SBC. Early in my application journey, my goal was a top full-time MBA program, which would allow me to be fully immersed in the learning atmosphere on campus. Because of my extended work experience (10+ years), my primary consultant Fiona Edwards suggested that an EMBA program would be a better fit for me. I expressed my desire to stay on the full-time MBA path, and Fiona was very understanding and supportive. She worked tirelessly to make sure every aspect of each application was as good as it could possibly be. Having an MBA from Harvard and a BA from Oxford, Fiona asked very insightful questions to help me go much deeper on my essays. She also offered many great suggestions to make my essays so polished! Fiona’s honest and supportive style was extremely helpful to keeping me on track.
After completed three full-time MBA applications, I was finally awakened to the idea “maybe an EMBA is a better fit for me”. After much research and consideration, I decided to switch gears toward an EMBA. Fiona introduced me to an EMBA expert, Bill Chionis, who is extremely knowledgeable in top EMBA programs. He answered all my questions and got me very excited about my new decision. Bill also provided me essay guidance from an EMBA’s perspective. With Fiona’s continued support on my essays, application form reviews, and the mock up interview, I finally reached a goal that’s better for me than my original goal was.
If you are serious about getting into a top MBA or EMBA program, I would absolutely recommend SBC!

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Applying to b-school is an extremely stressful process that can be difficult to navigate on your own. If you plan on going full-time, you need to walk away from your income and likely take on serious debt. Before applying to schools, I thought, if I’m going to do this, I better make sure I get into the best school I possibly can. With high GMAT scores and a decent undergraduate and prior work experience, I thought I had a chance at some top 10 schools, but was certainly not a shoe-in anywhere.

I chose to use Stacy Blackman Consulting because of all the great reviews I read online. I bought the all-in service for 4 schools and worked with Paul. The approach to take on each essay was my biggest area of concern. Paul was a huge help on giving me direction on how to attack each school. He knew the programs that the schools were proudest of and helped me tap into my experiences and future goals in a way that would appeal to each school uniquely. We’d usually have a brainstorming session to discuss the approach and outline the essay and then multiple emails back and forth with drafts/edits. He was very accessible and didn’t mind me using him as a sounding board throughout the process.

I applied to NYU, Columbia, Wharton and Harvard. I got into Columbia early and am heading there in the fall. You obviously will never know if you would have gotten into the same schools without the help of the consultant, but I certainly would not be willing to take the risk to find out. SBC will ensure that you present yourself in the best way possible to get you into b-school. They have a vast amount of resources available to help guide you through the process and consultants that have top notch credentials (many have sat on ad coms of the most elite programs). You need to keep reasonable expectations, but with SBC you can rest assured that you’ve maximized your potential.

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I cannot express how grateful and appreciative I am that I had the opportunity to work with Bill Chionis. We connected immediately, he was patient, diligent and his insights were critical at every step of the process.

I was an untraditional applicant, with an entrepreneurial background. Bill's positive attitude and confidence helped put my mind at ease from the beginning, as I was unsure of the process.

I opted for a 3- school comprehensive service (all-in) and Bill supported me from essays to interview. He also provided me with observations into the programs I was considering and also encouraged me to expand my search.

Bill played an integral role in guiding me through the process of successfully crafting a genuine, powerful and unique collection of essays. He provided me with great tips in selecting the best topics and situations for the essays. He was always responsive and available.

I found the "Flight Test" to be very constructive: a SB team member (not your consultant) reviewed the application simulating the admission committee of the top school of your choice. I found the feedback to be valuable, allowing us to fine tune the application in preparation of submission.

Next was the interview prep, which I felt I was going to be a breeze as I get the opportunity to speak in front of large groups frequently. I underestimated the importance of preparation for this section and immediately Bill recognized that I did not practice or prepare, but he assisted me in refining my responses and transitions, while helping me find my pace Bill again provided great tips, precise feedback and to account for variables.

I believe the quality of support that Stacy Blackman provided was excellent. Thanks to the passion and wisdom Bill brought to the process, it allowed him to be prepared for any possible situation. Bill was an incredible resource to me throughout the application process. He saved me an enormous amount of time and stress, he was a trusted advisor. Having Bill as a resource provided me with the ability to focus on the important aspects of my applications and was critical in my success. To anyone looking for an MBA admissions consultant with proven results, I highly recommend SBC and Bill Chionis.

I am forever grateful to Bill and SB for helping me gain acceptance into my dream school.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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 :).

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