Thrilled and humbled to be admitted to multiple schools, including Duke Fuqua with an unexpected scholarship! If you are an international student dreaming to get into a T15 MBA program in the US, but new to the daunting MBA application process, then look no further than reaching out to Stacy Blackman Consulting. Also, if Duke Fuqua is high on your list, then you should really work with Sherry Holland, who is a former MBA Admissions Officer at Fuqua.

I started looking for MBA admission consultants after I have taken my GMAT. Not only was my score below the average of the schools I was aiming for, but also, I did not have a clear personal branding strategy to make my application competitive. I was also lacking outside of work involvements. In short, my profile had a number of gaps, but I was convinced that this was the right time for me to get an MBA. That was when a reliable friend referred SBC to me from her delightful and fruitful past experience. I did my due diligence first, talking to several other admission consultants (mbaMission, Admissionado, Aringo, and Fortuna), but it was clear to me that SBC was the one who was genuinely interested to learn about my stories and most passionate to help me achieve my goals.

SBC’s exceptional service lies within their team-based influence and support during the entire process, from start to finish. My first contact was with Esther, who provided the honest and realistic expectations that I needed but was willing to carefully listen to my stories and aspirations. I still remember when Esther told me that she knew who the ideal primary consultant for me would be, and until this day, I am really glad that she was able to pair me with Sherry. Sherry is simply the best! She was professional, understanding, and incredibly supportive throughout the daunting and hectic MBA application process. Though I struggled a lot with the first draft of my essays and was extremely nervous heading into the interviews, Sherry made sure that I was well prepared and confident to face those challenges. I learned a lot from Sherry and she really helped me grow both professionally and personally in many ways that I did not expect before. I still could not believe that I received interview invites from all the schools that I applied to. Along the way, I also had access to a client liaison, Bill, and also received a really helpful flight test feedback from Lisa. Essentially, a lot of admissions officer intelligence in-house ready to support you any time.

Overall, I am super grateful that I made the right decision to work with Sherry and SBC team. I am excited with the results and where I am today, and I realize that I could not achieve all this without the guidance and support from Sherry and SBC team. Highly recommend that you work with SBC too!

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MY SITUATION:

I applied to some of the top schools in 2018 for 2019 matriculation but didn't get invited to interview with any. I had a 3.8 undergrad GPA and 700 GMAT score (eventually earned a 760, but not in time for the 2018 applications). I thought that my statistics and job experience (5 years as an Engineer and Project Manager) were good enough to be competitive for the top schools, but that I needed to really shine in the application to have a shot.

I was INCREDIBLY skeptical about paying that much money for admissions consulting services, but I really wanted to get into a top MBA program. I justified the cost as follows: the difference in value of graduating with an M7 brand (OR a scholarship at a school outside of that range), is worth much more than the cost of the admissions consulting package. I used the same justification to take the GMAT several times and pay for tutoring, eventually earning a 760 on the test. Between the consulting services and the GMAT prep/tests, I spent around $10k, an absolutely insane amount.

EXPERIENCE:

I "interviewed" 3 of the consultants at SBC and chose to partner with Beth, largely because of her experience on the AdComm at Kellogg, my top choice program. Beth blew away my expectations and then some! She was incredibly organized, often starting new email threads when I tried to cram too many different topics into one thread, and always followed up multiple times to see how progress was going and if I would meet upcoming deadlines. She did a great job of pointing out places where my wording was weak, or where I didn't talk enough about my personal contributions to a project. I can't say enough positive things about my experience with Beth, and I HIGHLY recommend her as a partner if you plan to use consulting services.

RESULTS:

I interviewed and was accepted by 3 of the 7 schools I applied to: Darden, Kellogg, and McCombs (rejected by Columbia, Harvard, Sloan, and Wharton). I was nominated for a 3rd party fellowship at Darden (full tuition plus stipend) and offered a 50% tuition scholarship at McCombs.

LOOK-BACK:

I can confidently say that my application package would not have been nearly as good without the guidance Beth provided. I realize in hindsight that my approach to my first round of applications in 2018 was all wrong, and I wasn't thinking like an AdComm member. I think that was one of the most insightful things I learned through the process: how to think like an AdComm member.

If you find yourself wondering whether to partner with an Admissions Consultant, I recommend asking yourself the following questions:

1) Do I REALLY know what the AdComm members are looking for?
2) Do I have the time and energy to do the research to understand what a strong application looks like?
3) Do I have a friend who is willing to review dozens of essay revisions, and is also a strong writer?
4) Is the benefit (getting into your dream program, earning a scholarship) worth the cost of the services?

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After talking to several admissions consultant (Personal MBA Coach, Veritas Prep, Aringo, Accepted), I decided to work with Stacy Blackman for my round 2 MBA applications due to the initial consulting session as well as the unbelievable online reviews it has in multiple respected sites. After my consultation with Bill Chionis, I asked if I could be matched up with Sherry Holland as she was a former member of the admissions team at one of my target schools.

From our very first phone call to all the other communications we had throughout the process, I just want to emphasize how great it was working with Sherry. She guided me through a step by step process on how to conquer the very stressful process of applying to business schools. Every question I had and everything I needed to know, she was always there to guide me. She knew what the admissions team will specifically look for and also advised me on what I can improve on before submitting my apps (GMAT & Quant Class). Sherry was very responsive and engaged and although I’m sure she was working with other clients at the same time, she really made it feel that my applications had her undivided attention. She was very supportive but also honest, and with this dynamic, we were able to create strong applications and a solid interview plan for all my target schools. I decided to go for the all-in-one package and without it, I can confidently say that I wouldn’t be where I am today. I can’t recommend it enough! With this package, not only did I get Sherry’s world class consulting, but I also received a flight test from Lisa Anderson (this is when I started to realize that that I had a great chance with my target schools) and all the invaluable resources that they provide to their clients (Wiki guide, school guides, interview preparation).

All in all, I applied to 5 top 15 schools, and was admitted to all of them. In addition, I received scholarship offers from all but one and equipped with that, Sherry was able to successfully help me negotiate my scholarship with my top school and increased my scholarship to 50%.

Thank you again to the whole SBC team, especially Sherry, for helping me achieve my goal of attending a top tier MBA program!

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I had the pleasure of working with Kim from SBC on my business school application in 2019. I was accepted into my dream school Kellogg, with an amazingly generous scholarship and I could not have done it without Kim and the SBC team.

I decided to go for the all-in package for 4 schools and it was truly worth it. I had initial reservations for investing so much money into this endeavor, but the level of service I received was extraordinary. Months after the process, I still feel comfortable picking up the phone and chatting through decisions with Kim!

Over the course of a few months, my counselor took the time to get to know me, my story, my aspirations and helped me form a narrative to get it across to business schools in an effective manner. She was always easy to get a hold of, responsive, and gave very thoughtful feedback. She created a structure to my application process, gave me a lot of flexibility, and supported me through the rigorous and introspective experience.

I highly recommend SBC - the Test Drive feature was unique, the staff is made up of ex-admissions officers and so they know what they are talking about! My ONLY caveat would be - the marginal utility after paying for 5 schools diminishes. You can do the 6th school by yourself, or purchase an hourly package like I did!

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TLDR; I am attending Harvard Business School this fall, and couldn’t haven’t done it without SBC & Beth! I applied to 6 schools in total, and received acceptances to 5: HBS, Wharton (scholarship), Booth (scholarship), Columbia, NYU Stern and waitlisted at Kellogg.

For some context - after tirelessly studying for the GMAT for 1.5yrs, I couldn’t get my score above 680. I ended up switching to the GRE and got a 319 (164Q, 155V), which is pretty mediocre for the schools I was applying to. I also came from a Tier 2 consulting firm, and am Asian American, so I knew that my story would be super duper important to help me with my below avg stats. Thus, I knew an MBA consultant was important to help me with tell my story – I spoke to 3 firms: 1) SBC, 2) Menlo Coaching and 3) a smaller boutique consulting firm.

First, I spoke to Menlo Coaching and they basically told me in a nicer way that my scores were not good enough to get into the schools that I wanted, and that I should try retaking and apply a year later. I had already taken the GMAT 7 times and GRE 3 times, expressed that I think I hit a ceiling, but I got the sense that they didn’t really believe in me simply because of my scores. On top of that, they didn’t list their prices on their website, which I thought was strange. My friend spoke to them and they quoted her $20k for a package, and I wasn’t comfortable with that price considering that they gave the vibe off that they didn’t even want me as a client because of my scores.

Next, I spoke to a boutique consulting firm, and while they were very nice, I didn’t get the sense that they had the resources or array of experience as a larger consulting firm. They did seem to believe in my story, but since it was only a 2 person shop, I wanted to talk to 1-2 more firms before making a decision.

I then spoke to Sarah Tsai at SBC and raised my concern about my scores. To this day I remember her saying “Don’t underestimate the power of a good story” – telling me that they have gotten people in with all types of scores and that my biggest challenge would be writing a story to differentiate me from fellow management consultants. She gave me two consultant options, and I ended up choosing Beth because her reviews were unique in that people talked about how much she went above and beyond, and also truly cared/believed in her people. This resonated with me and I can 100% attest to these attributes.

Beth from the beginning was AMAZING!! I literally cannot put into words of how great and instrumental of a partner she was throughout this emotional journey. I honestly don’t think I would have gotten into Harvard Business School without Beth’s help, because frankly I was happy to even get into one of the M7. But to get into 5 out of 6 schools is really a testament to SBC/Beth’s help as a partner.

+ Beth goes above and beyond in how meticulous and detail-oriented she is; I believe we went through 10 revisions for some of the school’s essays, and she made sure that every word and detail, whether it was in the essay or app was flawless
+ Beth is very knowledgeable of certain school nuances, and would tell me if there were certain things I should be aware of (for ex, she told me that Columbia really cares about interest in the school and suggested that I connect with students/visit. I immediately took PTO that month and went to visit the school, which was instrumental to talk about during my app/interview)
+Beth was VERY strong at looking at my holistic story across my essays and apps; many times, she would help take a step back and make sure that my essays and apps made sense together, and would suggest edits to places that needed more meat or didn’t tie coherently
+Beth helped instill a confidence in me that I honestly didn’t know existed. There were many times when I almost had an emotional breakdown and I literally said “I can’t apply to this school because I have no idea what to write for this essay” and she would bring up things that I didn’t even think about. She would always encourage me to "toot my own horn" in certain parts of my app and make sure that I presented my true self in my essays. Even throughout interviews and school visits, she was always cheering me on, and I think her support and excitement really helped me gain the confidence while I was interviewing

A very long review – but I just wanted to really give a huge shout out to SBC and Beth for all of their great work. I’m so pumped to be starting school this fall and I couldn’t have done it without them!

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When you are looking for an MBA consulting firm, you want one that has a reputation which draws on the caliber of its consultants and has the expertise and experience across the schools that you are interested to apply to.

SBC demonstrated that from the beginning for me. Just speaking with Sarah for thirty minutes, she was able to provide insights and bring her expertise to bear on my application. SBC also stood out from other firms in that they cater to candidates coming in from every stage of the application process. In my case, they were willing to partner and go "all-in" with me even though I had only three weeks remaining for the R2 deadlines.

I worked with Alex L as my SBC consultant and I could not have asked for a better MBA consultant. Alex is one of the most professional individuals I have the pleasure of working with over my 12-year career. He was personally invested through the whole process and brought his considerable skills and expertise in each step of the application. His partnership helped to showcase my accomplishments and my personal story to its fullest. Even then, just by working with him, I was able to improve on my personal communication skills and bring that back to how I communicate at work and at a personal level.

Alex was a partner whom I could completely trust and rely on throughout the application process. He was responsive and would usually reply within a few hours. He worked with me on the deadlines and was available whenever I needed him. He added a personal touch as well, checking in on me and my recovery when I fell sick during the application process. Thinking back, I’m just floored by the level of effort and passion he brought in every stage of the application. Based on his dedication, I know it is not just a job to him, but a role where he is personally invested to help you achieve your goals. Alex is someone whom I am honored to partner with and hope to continue a friendship with even after my application process.

I applied to the Stanford GSB MSx program and it was a moonshot for me given how challenging it is to enter the program and how I had only three weeks to prepare the application, obtain letters of recommendations and study for the GRE. Yet, with Alex's help, I was able to overcome all these and obtain an admissions offer from the Stanford GSB. Thank you, Alex!

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I was in a very tight time schedule when I decided to apply for EMBA program. So I decided to look for a consulting service to help me. I did a lot of research online and chat with consultants of different companies, SBC stands out because the consultant I talked, Bill is specialized in EMBA application, and they have very good knowledge and resources on the schools and application process. I choose a all-in package for my dream school. My consultant Bill is very professional and helpful. Also given that I was in China during the entire application period, he was very nice to adjust his time for me to make phone calls. SBC also has a service called Flight test, that I think is extremely helpful is to have former admission office look at your application. Lisa who helped to review the application actually suggested some points I have never thought about. And I think this could make my application very differently. Overall, it's a very good choice to choose SBC, I would highly recommend it.

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To start with some general context, I predominantly have an engineering background and am currently in consulting. I started the application process with zero background info/tips on b-school apps and felt totally at a loss. I pretty quickly realized I needed help and I spoke with several different consulting firms and actually didn't have a great start with SBC. My intro call was with Bill who I didn't quite connect with so I asked if Caryn had availability because I had read all her raving reviews. And man, am I glad I did. After speaking with Caryn I immediately knew I had found the perfect person. You can tell she is incredibly experienced and was able to immediately put my mind at ease as she took me through her overall process, what B-schools are looking for, what she thought about my candidacy and my profile, etc.

In terms of the general application process of working through brainstorming ideas, essay revisions, etc, Caryn simply could not have been better. She helped me shape my profile to highlight all the strengths I had and paid particular attention to make sure my application as a whole worked well together. One thing in particular I liked was that whenever I had ideas that weren’t the best, she would always provide the rationale for why and she could always tell if I felt comfortable with the decision or if we needed to talk through things a little more so I felt more confident. I quickly learned to trust her which led to offers from Wharton($$), Sloan, Booth, and Kellogg! It’s been incredible and I absolutely would not have gotten into these schools without her help! Also, once my offers came in I was in a bind on where to go because of some personal factors, but she had a long conversation with me and helped me work through where to pick which I’m really grateful for.

Overall, I highly highly recommend working with Caryn. She is the kindest, most down-to-earth person who gets incredible results!

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Words will never be enough to describe my experience with SBC, Esther, and Susan.

I decided to be thorough in my approach to finding a consultant, speaking to several companies. I was specifically looking for a company that was established (i.e. high success rates) and structured (i.e. clear process), yet had personalized attention (i.e. are there too many people?). I concluded that there were endless companies that fulfilled only one of the criteria, but only SBC was able to meet both of them.

The next step to my process was having an initial call with Esther, who "matches" you with a consultant given your profile and goals. Esther has this rare gift of being able to assess your profile in mere seconds. What I appreciated most was that Esther gave supportive yet objective advice. Remember, you do not want to spend time and money for nothing! Thanks, Esther!

Having been "matched" with my consultant, I then had the amazing opportunity to work with Susan. As a global citizen, I particularly admired Susan's widespread work experience from the U.S. (i.e. CBS) to European markets (i.e. LBS). From this experience alone, Susan has this "automatic" credential of being able to work with diverse applicants, ranging from traditional and non-traditional career paths, to various personalities, ages, and backgrounds. I know that's what I admired most about Susan!

The biggest insight -- aside from fantastic advice in every step of the process -- was Susan's ability to complement my weaknesses without ever me recognizing or surfacing them. I'm quite organized, yet there were times wherein I didn't realize I was lagging behind in certain aspects of the application process. I also have an infinite number of ideas and thoughts, resulting in sometimes over-complicating or confusing messaging. However, Susan was quick to point out rational solutions and more importantly, the rationale behind them. I was also extremely familiar with participating in school events, yet Susan is brilliant when it comes to knowing insider information into a school's communication method, frequency, and strategies.

Most importantly, Susan can look at things holistically when you're laser focused in the process. Firstly, I was dual pathing my test re-take and application process, resulting in juggling numerous priorities. With application deadlines creeping up, Susan surfaced a modified possible test strategy with me, ultimately allowing me to realize a target score. She was the last person who messaged me before entering the test center and the first person I texted upon seeing those numbers on screen. I was also juggling interview invites in very different locations, yet Susan emphasized an optimal way to ensure I could maximize the entire interview experience.

At the end of the day, this entire MBA application process is no doubt extremely stressful, overwhelming, and complex. It takes a true mentor, someone who has your best interest at heart, someone who's passionate about making a difference in others' lives, and an expert in the process to be with you every step of the way. Susan was all those things and more; she believed in my story and credentials when no one else did. Through her guidance, I received two offers (thus far) with scholarships, which I didn't even apply for or expect. Never in my wildest dreams did I think this was all possible. And, when I get on that graduation stage, I'll be thinking of how forever grateful I'll be because of Susan.

More power to SBC and Susan!

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Working with Stacy Blackman Consulting (SBC) was by far one of the best decisions I have made through the grueling application process. They were incredibly thorough with responding to my questions and concerns and assisting me with finding the best service options. Being a military candidate, I also received a discount.

For months, I struggled through a losing battle against the GMAT. Before I paid a dime, SBC scheduled an hour introduction call, l spoke to me about my background, and even recommended a list of schools that may be a good fit for me. They also recommended that I switch my focus to the GRE (in which the outcome was better than that of the GMAT). I was lucky enough to work with Margaret Strother as my primary consultant.

We held scheduled calls every other week, exchanged emails on a daily basis, and agreed on deliverable deadlines. She was incredibly thorough on her thought process and helped me phrase my story in ways I could not have imagined. She held me to very high standards and was not afraid to tell me my proposed approach within several essays wouldn't cut it. Most of my essays were completed in about 5 to 6 drafts.

I come from a State school, with a 3.2 UG GPA in Psychology, a Master's degree in HR with a 3.6. I am also a military reservist who works full time for a fortune 50 company in project management. My GRE verbal score was far below the school average but quant and writing right on the average. I applied to 6 schools, four of them within the top 15.

I was directly admitted to two programs and wait listed at another three. Margaret helped me navigate the WL process, together we were able to convert two of those WL status into admits!

Will be headed to UVA Darden in the fall! I wouldn't have been able to do it without Margaret and SBC. I would highly recommend, but be prepared to work hard and stay resilient until the end!

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