I knew I needed extensive help with selecting schools, editing my resume/essays and preparing for interviews. After speaking with multiple consulting companies, I decided to give Stacy Blackman a try. I was paired up with Bill who provided a thoughtful profile evaluation and helped me narrow down a list of schools. Most companies I spoke with pushed their products instead of providing a thorough review of my candidacy, this was not my experience with Bill. Bill had already thought of schools that could be a good fit for me and I couldn't have been happier with my experience.

I had a ton of questions that I asked Bill as we continued through the process of applying to top MBA programs. Bill was extremely knowledgeable and made my life a lot easier by thoroughly explaining each component of the application process. I held mock interviews with Bill prior to my real interviews and they helped immensely in easing my nervousness. Bill has extensive experience that he used well to calm me down throughout the process. One thing that impressed me a lot was how quickly Bill turned around essay edits, Bill usually responded back within hours. Bill continued to be patient with me from start to finish and I can't thank him enough.

I applied to 3 programs and got into all 3! 100% Success Rate. I recommend Bill to anyone who is looking for a knowledgeable, efficient and amazing consultant!

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After deciding to push MBA applications up by a year, I felt as though I was getting to the process quite late. I initially reached out to SBC because I had read some of their articles and felt as though they could help me gage whether or not applying this year was the right decision.

I was paired with Lindsay, who assured me that I had enough time to put together a great application. Lindsay really helped me through every step of the process, from choosing the right schools to target to how to handle any unexpected setbacks. I appreciated her honesty which allowed me to really push myself when I needed to and feel confident in the areas I could shine.

Not only did she make a difficult process extremely enjoyable, I was accepted to my dream school NYU Stern! I cannot recommend SBC and Lindsay enough. The MBA application process is gruelling and it is so helpful to have someone on your side to share the experience with.

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I was a candidate with an over-represented applicant profile and I was worried that I would not be able to stand out in my applications from other similar applicants for M7 on my own. I applied to Round 2 and signed up for the service with a month and a half left to the first deadline. The SBC team wasted no time in getting me plugged into the process. I had the very first introductory call and resume review with Sarah and she gave me valuable, honest feedback with no strings attached, and I was sold! The SBC team was not pushy at all and even gave me a few days to reconsider “fit” after an initial call with Becky, who ultimately became my admissions consultant. The signup process was very transparent, respectful and organized.

During the first kickoff call, Becky was able to peel back the layers and asked pointed questions to learn about my strengths and motivations. I was not very prepared and had to think aloud and talk through my answers many a time. Becky was very patient with me. The resulting application master document she prepared included a detailed timeline of to-dos and a list of perceived strengths with a couple of accompanying key anecdotes. I kept coming back to this document while writing my essays and filling out my applications. Even if you only sign a portion of your schools up for the comprehensive service, the rest of your applications will benefit immensely from it.

Becky has a brilliant way of isolating weaknesses in my essays, and providing options on how to improve and bring clarity, as she had gotten very familiar with my background and achievements. Also, as MBA applications get creative (Sloan’s faux-optional second essay, Booth’s ppt essay, video essays, Wharton’s TBD etc.), Becky and the rest of SBC team were able to provide more than adequate support and feedback across all of those elements.

Thanks Becky!

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I was initially very skeptical of the gloating reviews and the value add of hiring a consultant. However I did so anyway because I felt it would put me at a disadvantage if I didn't. I'm very glad I did!

I used Stacy Blackman because they seemed to have a long standing track record. My initial consultation was okay but my follow-up conversation with Sherry Holland really sealed the deal for me.

The B-school application process is a very stressful process and coming from a non-traditional background I was overwhelmed with the amount of information out there. Sherry is incredibly competent and offers great insights but moreover she is kind and patient. I got into b-school with substantial merit award. I would have been perfectly elated with just an acceptance so getting a scholarship was a complete surprise. I do not think I would have gotten any money without the help of Sherry.

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I purchased the hourly services when looking at working with SBC. Overall, I chose SBC because of their reputation and the pricing gave me what I thought was the best value. With Sherry, I worked essays for 3 different schools as well as my resume and had plenty of time to do this.

Sherry was incredibly helpful to work with and was very active in providing me direct feedback on the different essays and resume. The work we did on my resume opened my eyes on exactly how a resume should be specifically for a MBA application. Going in, I also knew that my essays needed the most work and Sherry helped me by going through a stepped process to properly tell my story to the different admissions committees. I always felt that her feedback was sincere and overall it helped me to shape my story in an appealing way. Sherry was very timely with her feedback and it gave me plenty of time to reach the deadlines for the January due dates for the different schools that I was applying to.

I would highly recommend the use of SBC because of the attention to detail that they provided me in working on my application essays and resume. Everything that I wanted to accomplish with them was completed and was more than satisfactory. I am happy that this year I chose to use an admissions consultant to help me with my applications.

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With Andy’s help, I was recently admitted to several top programs including Stanford GSB. I do not think I would have been able to accomplish this without Andy’s expert guidance, not to mention the sense of calm and positivity he delivered throughout my application process. Andy’s feedback was extremely detailed, and I never got the sense that he was providing cookie-cutter advice. He does not use templates during the advisory process, but rather provides thoughtful and challenging feedback that helped my application develop into a unique and comprehensive expression of my candidacy. He never re-wrote any of my materials which guaranteed that my genuine voice could shine through in my applications.

A couple of things that I can’t thank Andy for enough were his suggestion that I apply to two programs that I had previously not considered—and how generous he was with his time helping me prep for interviews. Responsiveness and reliability were stellar working with Andy. I also want to add that I purchased a 2 school package with SBC. This allowed me the peace of mind to work with Andy as much as I needed without having to worry about “the clock.”

If I had to do it again, I would pick Andy. I look forward to the opportunity to refer him to my peers and friends.

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I don't know where to begin. I was accepted to my first choice school, Yale SOM - a dream that I never thought possible and that would never have BEEN possible without Stacy Blackman Consulting.

As a very unusual candidate, I knew that I needed the comprehensive package to have any shot. From my first communication with Esther Magna over a year before I applied, I felt that SBC differed from all of the other admissions consulting companies I was speaking with. Esther was forthright about my strengths and weaknesses and laid out clear advice in our free 30 minute call, and I felt that her assessment was more realistic than that of anyone else with whom I'd spoken.

I cannot speak more highly of Sherry, my consultant. I wouldn't have made it through this process without her. She is so knowledgeable, perceptive, thoughtful, and clear - she helped me conceive a strategy and then held my hand and cheered me on every step of the way. She is extraordinarily responsive over email and would always give me a time frame in which she would get back to me. From helping me plot a timeline and stick with it, to guiding me through writing my essays, to preparing me for my interview and advising on my communication with the Admissions Committee, she helped me navigate every step of the process. Sherry asked incisive, challenging questions that made me think hard about who I am and what I want - and enabled me to convey those things to the Admissions Committee in a coherent and compelling way. Sherry couldn't have been more helpful with my essay - she was honest about the ways in which she thought that it could and should be better and more true to me, and so when I finally got it right after many drafts, I knew that her praise was entirely genuine.

Caryn, my Flight Tester, was fantastic. She was honest about anything that she perceived as unclear and had very actionable suggestions, which was critical at that point in the process and made me feel confident when I submitted my application.

After submitting my application I quickly had to turn to the video questions, and SBC's video platform is excellent. I submitted practice video question responses to Bill Chionis for review, and he gave tremendously thoughtful, detailed feedback that I found hugely helpful and was able to implement when I actually completed the video questions. This same video platform was fantastic when I was preparing for my interview, but I found the questions that Sherry asked me to prepare and our mock interview to be the most essential to what I thought was a very good interview.

I cannot adequately express my gratitude to the entire SBC team. I could never have done this without you all - you changed my life!

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Hiring SBC was the smartest move I made while applying to b-school. I worked with an incredible consultant, Chris, who made all the difference for me. Chris has been consulting for many years and knew exactly how to tweak my stories so that they were more authentic and strategic. The difference was clear to me very quickly and I ended up increasing to a full three school package. I actually really enjoyed working with Chris - he is smart, funny and helped me to get real. He never made me feel like I was pestering him even though I am sure I was - there were a few times where I freaked out about small details and could not decide which path to take. He was my voice of reason. Additionally, within my three school package, my application was reviewed by another consultant who came from Kellogg Admissions. This was valuable because she identified a few details that we needed to refine. At the end of the day, I am going to Kellogg and my only regret - that Chris cannot come along....My before and after essays, resume, application form, rec letters etc are striking. The difference is clear. I gained so much from this partnership with the SBC team and am eternally grateful!

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I am very happy I took the plunge to opt for a comprehensive package with SBC - I was very hesitant about the price tag but can say that it was very well worth it! I applied to two schools during R2 and got into both, including my top choice, Stanford GSB.

I came across SBC from Poets & Quants, and because I was starting the application process very late, I didn't shop around much. I had an initial call with Bill, which I honestly did not feel good about - it was a bit cold, impersonal, and rushed, but I decided to go ahead and look at the consultant profiles he sent. I chose Jen Vargo because I liked that she went to Stanford and similar to me studied engineering in undergrad. I had an initial call with Jen and was sold! She was smart, nice, & efficient, and I really appreciated her honestly on some of my questions.

Throughout the course of 4 weeks Jen helped me pull together two applications. We hit the ground running with her strategy- I thought she was spot on with the strengths to highlight (which she gathered after just one phone call!). She also helped me brainstorm essay ideas when I was having terrible writer's block. And I think her edits made all the difference - the essay contents were fundamentally mine, but her edits really pulled them all together.

She was also very responsive - I would email her work products in the late evening and I'd have a response in my inbox by the time I woke up. We primarily communicated via email, but she was also willing to talk to me in the evenings after work.

All in all it was very easy to work with Jen. My only source of stress was when I was about to click "Submit" because I didn't have a good sense of if my application was any good. My fault because I chose competitive schools to apply to and never asked for any feedback, and Jen did not give much unsolicited positive reinforcement during the process (but better than giving false hopes!)...so if I were to do it over again I would've asked her for her opinion earlier in the process! But as I mentioned the end result was fantastic, and I wholly recommend Jen Vargo & SBC.

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Throughout the process, Stacy Blackman was able to: a) expertly select the proper consultant, b) walk me through the admissions process generally, c) mold my non-traditional background into a compelling and relatable admissions profile, and d) answer any questions I had (even the most minute) at any point during the process. I had an incredibly specific story but one that posed a lot of potential issues during the application process, but SBC, and my consultant, truly provided me an unparalleled (and comforting) level of care that put me at ease. I was blown away by my consultant's attention to detail, knowledge of the process, and most of all, excitement over my specific candidacy. I also recommend SBC's flight test package for anybody who can afford it. I cannot recommend SBC enough!

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