Only have really positive things to say about Caryn and the whole Stacy Blackman team. From the very beginning, things were organized and set up to help applicants truly understand what their b-school story was. I remember at first feeling very worried about the process as I was coming from a fairly traditional finance background with a below average gmat score for my target / dream schools. Caryn was extremely helpful in helping me figure out my "why" and I fully believe it was one of the largest contributors to my success throughout the process.

I think many people question whether the price tag for consultants is worth it and I can fully say that if business school is a goal of yours and you have specific dream schools in mind, Caryn or anyone from the Stacy Blackman team is worth it. They keep you motivated, organized, prepared and so much more. I ended up applying to only CBS and Wharton, both reaches with my profile, and got accepted to both.

Thanks again Caryn and whole SBC team!

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From start to finish, my experience working with Stacy Blackman and my consultant Beth was nothing short of fantastic. I embarked on this journey after speaking with eight different consultants from firms like mbaMission and Stratus, but SBC immediately stood out. From my introductory call with Bill to ultimately working closely with Beth for Round 1 admissions, I felt supported end-to-end.

Through my work with Beth, I was fortunate to be admitted to Kellogg, Tuck, Fuqua, and Darden, all with varying levels of scholarship, and I could not be more thrilled with my outcomes. I truly feel like Beth’s experience as a former Kellogg AdComm member was an incredible differentiator.

I knew going into my MBA admissions process, I wanted to work with someone who believed in me and my application. I instantly clicked with Beth’s warm demeanor, and I knew she would provide equal doses of encouragement and honesty at the right times. Through the highs and lows of the process, Beth was there every step of the way and was always able to be reached. I could not recommend working with her and the rest of the SBC team more for anyone going through MBA admissions!

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Lisa and the entire SB team helped demystify the MBA application journey. I had no idea what to expect and they helped level set and create a game plan for success. I had an initial conversation with Bill who then recommended Lisa as my primary consultant. Lisa helped me think about career goals, what aspects of a school I want, and break down the application process. We created a schedule so I would get my applications in on time and was always there to help answer questions I had.

After initial discussions with Lisa, I decided to apply to a broad range of schools and ended up getting admitted to CBS, UVA, UNC , UT McCombs, USC and UCLA. I even managed to walk away with a full ride and half ride to a few schools. I definitely could not have done this without Lisa and the entire SB teams' support.

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I had a great experience with Caryn from SBC. She helped me from start to finish, helping me craft my MBA story and supported me from resume creation all the way to essays and interviews. With her help, I was able to get in to HBS, Wharton, Columbia, and Kellogg with full-tuition scholarships at Kellogg and Columbia. Outside of Caryn's support, I also received mock interviews for HBS with Geri and a mock group interview with Anthony for Wharton (both mocks with prior admissions officers at both schools). I felt prepared going into the interviews, and I owe much of my success to SBC.

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The SBC intro with Bill and team was seamless, and I appreciated the transparency of the process as I was able to explore the services before going forward with Beth as my primary consultant. As an extremely experienced former Admissions Officer, Beth knows how to work with people with all sorts of backgrounds and how to bring out the best in applications. As an early careerist, I had concerns and challenges that she helped me navigate throughout the application process, and her organization and guidance went above and beyond. The All-in Service was definitely comprehensive with flight test feedback from Lisa which was insightful, and ended up being a perfect choice for me as I wanted to focus on a few schools. I felt supported throughout each part of the process, and was able to tackle any and all concerns, small details or sudden questions I had with Beth who was incredibly responsive and kept me on track. I’m happy to be accepting admissions to Booth and am so thankful for her insights, expertise, and for ultimately making the application process a lot less stressful than anticipated.

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I will be attending INSEAD next year thanks in no small part to Dawn’s help! Dawn took a truly holistic approach to developing and defining my story, which was essential to helping me stand out as an over-represented candidate. Dawn has highly detailed knowledge on all the programs I was considering, and she did a phenomenal job of helping emphasize different components of my background to tailor to what specific schools were looking for. Dawn has mastered the craft of business school applications with her unique approach, wealth of knowledge, critical thinking, and meticulous attention to detail, and I would recommend her to anyone looking to differentiate themselves from a sea of competitive applicants. Thank you, Dawn!

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Accepted to: Columbia Business School ($50K scholarship) and NYU Stern
Waitlisted at: Yale SOM and Cornell Johnson

Initial contact: Sarah was my initial contact at SBC who was helpful matching me with Caryn Altman, my primary partner and former MBA Admissions Officer. I was given a choice of two potential consultants to partner with along with their bios and reviews from prior clients. I went with Caryn given her prior experience working with applicants from similar backgrounds as mine (non-traditional applicant).

Ground work: After connecting with Caryn, we spent a lot of time working on the Career Goals and 360degree review documents which essentially serves as a period of introspection highlighting aspects of my background that could be used as fodder for the actual application. These documents proved to be extremely helpful and paid dividends later on in the process right up to my interview preparation. This also helped Caryn and I identify the angle we wanted to present my application.

Actual Process: Caryn and I had an initial call over phone and corresponded via email for the most part. She was very responsive and I was able to get great feedback throughout the entire process. Because I was applying to 7 schools I had a tight timeline - Caryn was instrumental in helping me manage this while working a full time job. Honestly, this was HUGE - having someone who has been on the other side of the table and knows exactly how to present your candidacy in the best possible way guide you through the essays, resume, and overall application saves you SO much time. Once we finished my first full application we sent it for a Flight Tester where another member of the SBC team reviewed my full application. I also had access to the Vault database that has an incredible amount of information on schools, potential interview questions (along with a mock interview platform that you have unlimited access to), and prior successful essays.

Once you finish with application work I started prepping for interviews. I thought my mock interview with Caryn was very helpful because it gave me a sense of what my actual interview was going to be like, and she also gave me a full list of feedback items I could improve on. I interviewed for Cornell, NYU, Yale, and Columbia and I felt very well prepared for them.

Overall, I am not only so so happy with my results but also happy about the smooth process that the SBC team provided.

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I explored a number of admissions consultancy options before deciding on SBC, which was recommended to me by a friend/former colleague. I was initially drawn to how thorough SBC's approach seemed to be, their "wiki" database loaded with valuable information, and of course their impressive roster of Consultants with deep AdComm experience. After my initial "matchmaking" call with Sarah, I had a great gut feeling that was immediately confirmed once I met with her recommended Consultant, Amy, with whom I decided to pursue a 4-school All-in package. Simply put, I felt Amy and SBC believed in me and had the skills to help me maximize my chances at achieving my MBA admission goals.

Amy was the perfect match for me. She had several years of AdComm experience at Wharton (one of my target schools) under her belt, as well as a background as a writer, which I expected would be a weakness of mine given my only writing in the past ~6 years had been emails. We put a clear, regimented plan into action following the SBC model and executed it over the subsequent ~5 months in a way that never felt rushed or overwhelming despite leaving no stone unturned before R1 deadlines.

Every step of the way, Amy was patient, thoughtful, well-organized, available, responsive, and infinitely helpful. With everything from my resume, to my essays, to my app-specific short answer questions, Amy's keen sense for what makes a compelling case helped me put forth the most holistically sound, authentic application I could with my set of personal experiences. Additionally, a major turning point in my process was when Amy encouraged me to pursue the GRE instead of the GMAT, a pivot that almost immediately improved the trajectory of my candidacy.

Before submitting, my flight tester, Caryn (former Kellogg AdComm), gave an objective read of my application and identified a few areas for improvement that Amy then helped me implement, not just for that school but for the others on our list where applicable. Later, the mock Wharton TBD with Anthony (again, also former AdComm and specifically Wharton) was invaluable in helping prepare me for the real experience, as that's not an interview style that I would’ve otherwise been able to easily simulate.

I ultimately received offers of admission to Columbia and Wharton, and couldn't be more appreciative of Amy's help - along with that of the other SBC team members - in making my MBA goals a reality.

Sorry for the long review - I'm sure Amy could've helped me cut this down! - but I simply cannot say enough about how pleased I am with SBC broadly and Amy specifically. It is not a small investment, but the returns are well worth it.

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I'm so thankful that I chose to work with the SBC team, and particularly Amy Hazen, my consultant. The SBC team works together to create a holistic experience. Bill took the time to understand my goals before pairing me with a consultant. Amy spent countless hours with me understanding what made me tick and helping me translate that into an application. Beth flight tested my application and made sure that there weren't any glaring holes, and Anthony helped me prep for my Wharton Team Based Discussion.

By far the most valuable part of this process was having Amy by my side. No question was too trivial for her, and she had limitless patience with me as I obsessed over every detail of my application. Amy's most valuable contribution, however, was her ability to help me focus on the RIGHT details. It is easy to lose sight of what you are building as you write the applications from the ground up, and it can be particularly challenging not to write applications based on what you THINK the AdComms WANT to hear. Amy encouraged me to embrace my authentic voice, and ensured that I was telling a story that highlighted who I am as a human.

Thanks to Amy and the SBC team I was admitted to FIVE MBA programs: GSB, Wharton, Booth, Columbia, and Stern (with a full ride).

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Geri was my primary consultant, and she was absolutely lovely! She was always extremely quick to respond while still showing me that my application mattered to her. Using her experience as a former Admissions Officer at HBS, she gave me excellent advice and was instrumental in curating my applications, leading to admission to Chicago Booth, Northwestern Kellogg, Wharton (with scholarship), MIT Sloan (with scholarship), and Dartmouth Tuck (with substantial scholarship). Geri went above and beyond by not only reviewing my general application, but also setting up regular calls for us, workshopping my resume and essays, participating in a mock interview with me, and acting as an amazing sounding board.

My experience with Stacy Blackman went beyond Geri, though, and the team-based influence and support was clear from the start! Esther acted quickly and kindly to match me with Geri, Geri did a stellar job addressing my questions and application needs, Beth (former Admissions Officer), provided great insight during my Flight Test, and Anthony (former Wharton Admissions Officer) ensured I was prepared during my Wharton mock Team Based Discussion. I also had access to resources like the Vault database, which allowed me to read advice and information about many schools from different perspectives.

When I was initially choosing a consulting firm, I was overwhelmed with options and not sure where to turn. Stacy Blackman came to me by a personal referral who gained admission to Wharton after working with SBC, and I am so glad I took his advice!

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