I had the pleasure of working with Erika from Stacy Blackman Consulting throughout my business school applications process. Erika is a professional writer and HBS graduate which means she has both the common sense to let you know what the right applications strategy is and knows how to coach you such that your personality shines through in your writing style. She gives meticulous feedback on each of your essays and leverages a decade of past admissions consulting experience to help you understand how to craft your story to match both who you are as well as the school you're applying to. As a bonus, she's also pretty hilarious. MBA applications are stressful and having someone with a sense of humor to coach you through the process can take a lot of that unnecessary stress away which will ultimately help you better communicate who you are in your application. I would highly recommend Erika to any student who comes from a nontraditional employment background (like myself, PM in tech) because she helps you eliminate the subject specific nomenclature and communicate the value you provide so that anyone can understand it. Thanks to Erika, I'll be attending Wharton this fall :)

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Applying to business schools is a daunting, and frankly, overwhelming task. As a non-traditional applicant, my b-school network was extremely limited (I only knew one person that had even gone to business school). I did not even know where to start. Fortunately, my one contact happened to be an HBS grad, and recommended me to SBC.

From the start, the entire SBC was very genuine about understanding me not only as an applicant, but also a person. Only after completing the application process do I fully understand and appreciate the importance of finding the right fit in both the firm, and the consultant. SBC is very thoughtful about pairing the applicant with the right consultant. After a few informational discussions, I was ultimately paired with DC- and wow did I luck out! DC has been an amazing resource, guide, and ultimately, has truly become a friend. DC was able to ask meaningful, thoughtful, questions that encouraged introspection on who I am and my goals- and pushed me to develop those ideas further.

DC’s methodical approach truly made me more confident in articulating my story- she honed in on aspects of my profile that I initially thought to be inconsequential, but were ultimately areas I highlighted in essays and interviews. Not only did DC provide immediate feedback to any question or thought I had, but also connected me with past clients and other individuals to gain a better understanding of the application process. SBC’s additional resources to help you throughout the application process, including past essays, interview transcripts, and mock interviews, proved to be invaluable.

The “numbers” (test scores, undergraduate institution, etc.) portion of my profile was far from stellar. With the help and guidance of DC and the entire SBC team, I was able to craft my applications in a way that highlighted my strengths. I applied to five schools. Ultimately, I received three acceptances, including full scholarships to two top 10 schools. There’s no doubt in my mind that I would not have had the outcomes I did without the encouragement and support of DC and the entire SBC team. I cannot recommend them enough!

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Caryn was absolutely instrumental in my journey towards getting into Wharton and Kellogg! I decided in late September to apply to round two, and shopped around several consulting firms before deciding on SBC due to the candidness & accessibility of their consultants. I applied to 4 schools with Caryn, and she created a timeline that helped me stay accountable through the application process.
Prior to working with Caryn, I had disconnected ideas of how why I wanted to go to business school, and what I hoped to achieve post-MBA, but no real connections between the thoughts. Caryn helped me link all the different ideas together to develop a cohesive story for my applications and interviews. She provided prompt, constructive, and actionable advice to help me fine-tune my essays and resume. Then during the interview process, she provided key tips on what to expect from admissions officers during interviews, and set me up with other consultants from the SBC team for follow-up practice interviews to help me be better prepared for my HBS and Wharton interviews (which I definitely was!).
Highly recommend Caryn to anyone who's seeking help on their MBA application journey!

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The application process will be long and hard - my first call with Stacy Blackman made me realize just how involved it was going to be (I spoke to other consultants, but SB was the one that was most upfront about how demanding it was going to be). I was paired with Yvette due to my school choices, and I believe because of my nationality/culture.

I think some of the biggest perks of working with Yvette are:
1) No beating around the bush. She is direct with her feedback, without being dismissive, and helps you dig deeper. When you have to write about such personal matters, it's hard/awkward to really think about them and to have someone else read them - I never had this issue with Yvette. Yvette made me think through what I was bringing to the table, and helped me highlight it in my applications. She helped me by asking questions, and by providing a framework to help me think through the application questions in parts.

2) She is responsive, even if you are 1hr away from your deadline. There was never a NO to questions such as "Can you take a look one last time?", "Can you review my resume?", etc. As someone who doesn't speak English as her first language and who might have rushed the workload, it was great to always have a second pair of eyes.

3) She's a real person! (And a cool one too!) You can talk to Yvette about life, beyond the MBA, and this can help put things into perspective (just in case you get sucked into MBA vortex!)

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I can't put in words how helpful Emily was throughout the application and in so many different ways!

With how much information there is on the application process, Emily was able to guide me down the right path from the get-go. From our initial call, it was evident how invested Emily was in each of her clients. I knew very little of how the business school application process worked or if I was even a legitimate candidate. After our initial discussion of my background and my aspirations, Emily set forth a comprehensive strategy that gave me the confidence that I could go through this process with her help. Emily broke down our in-depth conversations into specifics that I could highlight throughout my applications that would appeal to the schools that I was targeting.

From this point forward, Emily provided me with feedback for the essays I began assembling. She always turned around feedback quickly with clear direction and purpose with her suggestions. If anything confused me, Emily would come up with different ways to get her point across to me and ensure that I was heading down the right path. With her help, I was able to create a narrative that would hopefully appeal to business schools.

Along with her help with essays, Emily's motivational and supportive nature pushed me to stick through the process. I tried to drop out of the application process multiple times, but her words of encouragement pushed me to see the process through and ultimately be accepted to two top 10 programs - something I never could have fathomed when I first introduced myself to her over the phone. I cannot express in words how incredible an experience it was to work with Emily.

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I am absolutely positive I would not have received the admits I did without Beth from Stacy Blackman Consulting. While I was worried about spending money on a consultant, it was 100% worth it in the grand scheme of things. I worked with Beth on Kellogg and Yale, and I was admitted to both. I was also able to transfer what we worked on to my Stern application (goals, resume, job descriptions, etc.) and was also admitted there with a scholarship.

I looked at five other larger and boutique consulting firms. I felt like many other consultants didn’t care much about who I was as a person/what drives me. Some encouraged me to craft a story they thought the admissions committee would want to hear (for example, one consultant told me to craft my goals around ed-tech because it is hot right now). Others said to me that the schools I was interested in were out of reach, and encouraged me to only apply to second and third-tier schools. It almost felt like other consultancies would make you doubt yourself to get you to buy their services.

SBC was the polar opposite. My first call was with Sarah Tsai, who listened carefully to my needs and matched me with Beth. Beth is a former admissions officer and has an acute knowledge of the way the process works. She was direct, highly intelligent, honest, communicative, nonjudgmental, and just overall lovely to work with. She broke down the application process into manageable chunks and helped keep me on track.

Beth took lots of time to consider who I was as a person and what drives me to help me in creating an authentic, but persuasive, application. SBC was very honest with me about my strengths and weaknesses, and carefully considered how we would leverage strengths and make admissions committees feel better about my shortcomings (quant background).

It was incredibly helpful to work with a firm that has so much admissions knowledge amongst its employees. Lisa (a former admissions officer) did a “flight-test” of my application, and then I worked to revise it with feedback. I also did a mock-interview and got feedback before my real interviews. Finally, the SBC Wiki page is beneficial. I was able to read previous admits’ essays and look at banks of interview questions that other students received to help myself prepare.

I went through 12 versions of my resume and over ten versions of my essays with Beth. SBC focuses on every little detail, down to each 100-character response on the apps.

THANK YOU SBC!!!!

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I was initially hesitant in using an admissions consultant but having read reviews of admitted students who had used consultants I decided to do so. I reviewed a few and had initial conversations but Stacy Blackman stood out by a mile and were able to pair me up with Joey.

My experience with Joey was absolutely amazing from our first call, Joey was very easygoing and understood me well with my unique background. I also enjoyed Joey's genuine interest in getting to know me which helped the engagement. There was lots of hard work to do in preparation for the process but Joey was always available on email/ on-call.

I would definitely recommend Joey especially if you are from an emerging market, from a non-target school Joey is able to help you find what makes you unique and craft an interesting message.

Overall I am very happy with my experience with Joey and would do it all again!!!

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Working with SBC was, without question, the best decision I made during the difficult, and often confusing process of navigating applications. As a male working in finance with average undergraduate grades and slightly below average GMAT, it was clear that I needed the other aspects of my application to be as strong as possible. Other consulting firms tried to sell me on their stats and push me into contract whereas the SBC team was friendly, considerate and thorough before ultimately pairing me with the perfect consultant, Joyce W. I am incredibly thankful for her guidance, patience and commitment and am thrilled to have been admitted to Wharton and Kellogg.

I cannot stress enough how AMAZING Joyce was throughout the entire process. She helped me discover a lot about myself, tie pieces of my story together in ways that I had never before considered, and ultimately gave me the tools and guidance to produce a successful application. The SBC “flight test” process was a helpful sanity check on my application and the mock team based interview was hugely useful before participating in the real thing.

Joyce made an intimidating, and often confusing process incredibly clear and accessible. She provided candid feedback as I struggled through the start and more than anything else, she invested in me and my story as if she were in my shoes. Her confidence, knowledge and on more than one occasion, life coaching moral support, helped me successfully grind through the grueling process. Joyce went above and beyond in every way and I am so lucky to have found her and SBC!!

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I reached out to a 3-4 consulting companies early May before taking the GMAT and got turned down by all except SBC. Realize I didn’t have much time to both prep for the tests and write applications for round 1, but I was surprised most consultants will only work with candidates who have on paper a better chance of getting in. Essentially the other consultants told me it would be too much of a “risky” move. I appreciate SBC believing in my potential and working with me despite not having a GMAT score (I ended up getting a 740). Long story short, I got accepted to HBS, Kellogg and Tuck.

I worked with Christina Fu who was an incredible resource and truly helped me learn more about myself. I enjoyed working with her and I think ultimately what made the experience worthwhile was the fact that she got to know me so well. I was looking for a consultant who could help me get organized with all the deadlines / to-dos and to get a second opinion on things, but I think the greatest value-add for me was the self-learning process. Applying to business school is a period of introspection and I would encourage candidates to find a consultant like Christina who can help them learn about their career paths, future goals, personal qualities etc.

I highly recommend Christina and SBC. In less than 4 months I was able to take the GMAT / prepare applications and I don’t think I would have been able to do that without Christina’s help.

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PSA: I want to start off by saying this. Get a consultant if you're anxious about your future MBA prospects. There is no way to quantify the benefit of having someone consistently help you through the process and provide a sense of security during this time of anxiety and stress.

I worked with Yvette at SBC and we hit it off pretty quickly laying out the groundwork around my applicant profile and helping me focus on my strengths and weaknesses. The best part of our initial conversation was her ability to navigate through the mess that I call my brain and help me shape the application ideas that were already there. She was there with me each step of the way and once we got to the Flight Test, it truly felt like I had put together a competitive deliverable. Yvette will always get back to you within 24 hours (usually within 1 hour to be honest).

Once we got to the interview stage, things will slow down a little as it's more of a waiting game for the interview invite. At this point, Yvette helped me to frame the message of my profile from the typical "Tell me about yourself" to tackling various behavioral questions. The mock interview was crucial because Yvette helped me to confront the anxieties I had when it came to my own self-confidence when it comes to how I come off as an interviewee. From there, the only way was up and I used SBC's interviewstream platform and practiced until I knew I mastered the questions.

Even though I only had Yvette help me with one of the schools, the way she helped me through my application was easily transferable to my other schools and I did well with all my applications!

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