I had an excellent experience with Stacy Blackman Consulting. I worked with Bill and he knew exactly what I needed to do to present myself in the best possible light. Unlike other consultants I interviewed who said I didn't have the pedigree, the GPA, or the GMAT. Bill believed in me and encouraged me to set my bar high and let the cards fall where they may. In the end I was admitted to every school I applied to, including Wharton (my first choice).

It is easy for a consultant to take an ‘A’ candidate and make them an ‘A+’ candidate, but it takes someone with real talent to take a ‘B’ candidate and show the Adcom why they are really an ‘A+’. My experience interviewing with consultants was that they tended to be ‘A’ candidates themselves, and were not sure how someone could win without impeccable credentials. In contrast, Bill believed in me as a person and was able to use that belief to help me take my career and candidacy to the next level.

You can't go wrong with Bill and the SBC team.

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I was truly very fortunate enough to select Stacy Blackman as my consulting firm. I was paired up with Meredith during this strenuous process, and she did a phenomenal job guiding me through this process. I had only applied to two schools, Harvard Business School & Wharton, and as a result of her thoughtful guidance and feedback throughout this process, I was fortunate enough to have received admission into both schools. I am incredibly excited about the opportunity and realize how much more difficult it would have been without the support of SBC, including Meredith, the Flight Tester (Lisa) and Bill, who reviewed my essays mid-way. Thank you!

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I am an executive leader with 13 years of executive management experience who applied to several EMBA programs only to be denied two years in a row. I was very discouraged and frustrated when a friend recommended I contact Stacy Blackman Consulting. I contacted SBC and found everyone in the firm kind and helpful. During the first phone call with my consultant, Sherry Holland, I was sure that she is the one who going to make it happen. Her support, expertise and guidance were impeccable. She was a confident and a secure base for me as well as a knowledgeable consultant who put all her time to ensure my success. This year with Sherry's help and rigorous preparation for my interview, I sailed through it with confidence and was admitted to my dream school without even having to take the GMAT!

Without Sherry's help, I know I would not have been admitted. I recommend SBC and Sherry Holland if you want a true professional who will support you and always be honest with you. She always said: I am going to tell you what you need to hear, not necessarily what you want to hear in order to make you a stronger candidate.It is proven to me that no other consulting firm understands the admission process like SBC does.

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I actually worked with another consulting firm (referred by Manhattan GMAT) on my round one application to HBS last year and was extremely dissatisfied with the experience, long before I wasn't accepted at HBS. He was negligent, and I didn't have anyone else at the firm to support me. The contrast between working with that consultant and working with Margaret and SBC was remarkable. Margaret put in a tremendous amount of time providing thoughtful insights about my essays, getting on the phone with me for discussions, being patient with my paranoid questions, and more. She put in a great deal of time getting to know me and was always paying attention to me. She was also always responsive, whether it was the middle of the day or the middle of the night. Any question I asked her, no matter how random or paranoid, or during what part of the process was answered quickly and thoroughly. I can't say enough great things about working with Margaret. She gets high marks all around from me, and I would HIGHLY recommend her to any other potential applicant. The support from the SBC team to make sure Margaret and I were on track was also essential. That is why I selected SBC for my reapplication. I needed the reassurance from a stellar consultant and also from the Admissions Officer review on the SBC team.

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I at first hired the Blackman team to help me for just two hours. My brother recently graduated from Columbia and was willing to help me. So I purchased a few hours as just an extra bit of help. My brother was helpful in some ways but after submitting my first application I felt there was more that I could have done, and felt uneasy about my overall approach. The two hours that I had spent with Caryn at Stacy Blackman added more structure to my writing, and I felt that I had a more well thought out strategy. I decided to hire Caryn for a full two school package. Caryn and I worked well together and there was obviously a much more professional dynamic than working with a relative. She guided me through in a way that took a lot of uncertainty and stress out of the equation. We had several calls where I was in a panic and she calmed me down and helped me to work through issues that I was nervous about. There were issues that I never would have considered that she brought to my attention. I also had a couple of problem areas on my application and she helped me to rework the way I presented them so that they were not really problematic. This turned out to be a great investment and I would absolutely hire her again. In working with SBC about 85% of my time was spent with Caryn so she is the only one that I can speak to in detail. However, I did interact with several other members of the team - Bill, Lisa, Kevin, Esther...and they were all impressive and knowledgeable. As I head to school in the Fall I am very grateful for the support and guidance that I received and would refer anyone friend their way!

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My experience with Stacy Blackman was amazing throughout the entire application process! Beginning with the application strategy, Bridget (my hand-selected personal consultant) and I worked closely to explore my past academic and professional experiences, areas of greatest strength and weakness, and personal passions in order to crystallize my ultimate goals. This process was critical to the overall application as it enabled me to become truly inspired by and motivated towards the MBA experience.
Next, Bridget diligently assisted me in selecting the individual schools to which I would apply. This process was equally crucial as the level of wisdom and pragmatism provided by Stacy Blackman was undoubtedly a foundational element of my eventual success. Bridget also helped me work on my strategy around recommenders as deciding which recommenders to use where can be tricky, and more importantly, Stacy Blackman’s method enables applicants to provide recommenders with a clear and focused outline of one’s application strategy; this helps the recommenders provide the best and most impactful recommendation possible.
Most importantly, Bridget worked tirelessly with me on the short answer questions, required essays, and optional essays for each school which I was partnering with Stacy Blackman on. I cannot overemphasize how necessary it is to have Stacy Blackman and someone like Bridget working with you on your essays. I am an excellent, well-above average analytical writer, and this is the one area that I had always excelled in academically. However, I can honestly say that my essays would have been an absolute disgrace without Bridget’s guidance. Throughout multiple drafts and rewrite processes, Bridget helped me hone my application strategy and goals into pointed, strategic, and impactful essays that clearly answered each question being asked, while maintaining a strong sense of my personal voice and being sure to always highlight the ever-critical topics of “why me” and “why this school”/”why this program”.
And when it came time for the interview phase, Bridget was right there to prep me. However, one of the most valuable aspects of Stacy Blackman’s program is the way in which the application strategy and essay processes generate so much passion for the MBA experience and so much involvement with each school’s materials that you are already an expert on yourself and each school when it’s time for the interviews.
For reference, I am a 26 year old male, I went to a top-20 liberal arts college and graduated with a low 3’s GPA (non-econ major), and took the GRE. However, with Stacy Blackman’s help, I will now be attending NYU Stern in the fall. I truly believe that without Bridget and Stacy Blackman’s assistance, I would not have gotten into Stern or the multiple other programs I was admitted to. Lastly, one top-20 program offered me a $48k merit scholarship, which would equate to an 800% direct return on my Stacy Blackman investment (that completely disregards the near pricelessness of an MBA from such an institution)…if that’s not money well spent, then I don’t know what is!

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So I was skeptical of taking these "consultants" on board, esp after I had a pretty bad experience with a certain clear admit last year...but for any one looking for a top bschool - having one, in many ways essential, you need someone to look at ur essays, run with ur thoughts...friends and family can only help that much with their busy schedule's. The thing I really liked about SBC was that they let me talk to 3 diff consultants till I found someone I was comfortable with ( yes, i offered to pay hourly for all 3 - and recommend anyone the same...But SBC was happy to deduct those costs from my total fees - if I chose a comprehensive package, which I did). I chose my final consultant Andy...who beyond doubt was excellent!

Andy was thoughtful in bouncing your thoughts of ... he did not write my essays ( initially annoying, but eventually great as it let it be my voice, made me more 'comfortable' about my essays)...but probably the thing I cherished the most about him was him being responsive...he would turn around in 24 hours as he promised, and was there to work weekends, which is so key given my stressful work - I usually only had the weekends to work. He was also excellent in conducting mock interviews...I actually enjoyed working with him and it was like chatting to a friend, but a friend who also knew all about the MBA gig...thanks Andy , and thanks SBC!

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I worked with Paul on my MBA application process and was very pleased with everything. SBC has all the resources you could possibly need and really helped me feel confident in my applications. Paul was extremely knowledgeable about the admissions process for all of the top schools I wanted to go to. Thanks to his help, I was admitted to HBS (my top choice!) and Booth and Wharton (both with significant merit scholarships). Paul was able to identify exactly what I should be highlighting in my essays and applications by having extensive conversations and brainstorming sessions with me. He gave me honest feedback and I felt extremely confident after submitting my applications and when interviewing. I was surprised how many little questions/concerns/nuances came up throughout the process that I needed Paul's help to answer and don't think I would have managed the admissions process successfully without him. I definitely believe Paul was the edge I needed to earn an acceptance into HBS and highly recommend using him if you are looking for admittance into any top school.

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What I am most impressed is the devotion of my consultant Sherry during various stages. She is very professional, experienced, intelligent, encouraging, devoted, and patient. She listens to my personal story and insightfully points out the weakness. She shared my materials with another consultant (former Admissions Officer) for feedback. All of us work as a team to perfect the story. As a non-native English speaker and a non-business background applicant, I constantly struggled making my meanings clearly in a business sense. However, Sherry always listens clearly and patiently to what I have in mind, and helps me to express it perfectly. I also sincerely appreciate the devotion from Sherry due to my aggressive schedule. Without her help and the SBC team, I can’t finish the process speedy and smoothly. THANK YOU Sherry! I am going to my only one dream school – Columbia Business School!!!”

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I had strong grades at a top university and some strong work experience and activities. I had several managers at work who had gone to top business schools who were on board to help me and to write strong recs. I applied to four schools last year and did not get in to any of them. I was surprised, and frankly embarrassed, as everyone in my office felt that I was a slam dunk. I was terrified of reapplying as not much had changed and for the most part I wanted to redo the same schools. An old friend from work suggested I contact Stacy Blackman and it turned out to be the best decision I made. Caryn, my consultant at SBC showed me that yes, I had a lot of the right material to work with but I had been presenting it in all the wrong ways. We worked together to redo my messaging and show who I was as opposed to just what I did. I learned that my initial essays read like a repeat of my resume, while my new attempt introduced me as a unique person who could contribute to the school. Caryn's insights were invaluable and her support felt unending. She was positive, kind, encouraging, supportive and she cracked the whip as needed. She was an expert in everything that I needed and she was uber responsive and proactive in helping to manage my process. As icing on the cake, the additional resources layered on by the SBC team, really helped to make sure everything was buttoned up and allowed me to submit my application with a ton of confidence, knowing I had done absolutely everything I could. I am a huge SBC fan as they absolutely moved the needle for me and gave me what I needed in order to be heading to Wharton next year.

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