My MBA admissions journey has reached its conclusion with offers from Stanford, Harvard and Booth. I owe Carol a huge debt of thanks for the critical role that she played in helping me to achieve such a phenomenal outcome!

As I started my business school applications, I soon began to feel that I was in over my head. I found it difficult to decide what to write about, which schools to apply to, and how to present my full application in a way that puts my best foot forward… Enter Carol.

Carol quickly put my concerns to rest. She also took the time to get to know me and was able to provide me with sound guidance on my application strategy. She also helped me to develop some realistic timelines and milestones for developing my application materials. All of a sudden the task at hand was feeling more manageable!

Throughout the process, Carol did a great job of encouraging and supporting me during challenging times, but remained relentlessly objective and focussed on how my materials would be received by an admissions committee. As I look back at some of my earlier essay drafts now, I’m glad I had Carol on my side to explain to me that my messaging was not coming across in the way I’d anticipated!

After several months of work (and many bad essay drafts and revisions) I emerged with a set of well balanced and seamless applications that I was proud to call my own. Carol’s support and guidance through this process was valuable beyond measure and I have no reservations in recommending Carol to future MBA candidates.

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I worked with Karla at SBC and had a top notch experience. I had done nothing on my applications when I hired SBC. They came highly recommended from a friend and I felt very comfortable with Karla's bio and my chat with the SBC team, so I decided to take a leap of faith and sign up. What I liked about Karla is that she knew exactly what she was doing and she took control and led me through step by step. She was no BS - very direct feedback but she also was fun to work with and I looked forward to our exchanges. She shared my successes and challenges and I definitely felt that I had a partner throughout - a much wiser, more seasoned partner! She was extremely responsive and would even check in with me if I was falling behind what she felt to be a good pace. There were times that I felt frustrated and burnt out (I applied to five schools), but she was a constant and I did have comfort knowing that she was lighting my way. I received 4 admits, two of them with aid. I know that those scholarship $$$ were based on the strength of essays that she really pulled out of me, line by line. I would not have known that I had it in me and I have to say that I am proud of my finished products. I had a great experience with SBC and give them my highest recommendation. In fact, a close friend has already signed up for next year. Money well spent and if I factor in my scholarship dollars, it was an investment that has already paid very concrete dividends.

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I had an excellent experience working with Caryn at Stacy Blackman Consulting and would 100% recommend her! I chose to work with SBC because of Caryn; her background aligned with my future goals and she seemed like the perfect fit for me. I am former college athlete (liberal arts major) with a high GMAT score, low GPA and varied work experience. During our initial meetings, Caryn didn’t sugar coat the weaknesses in my application, but I left each meeting assured that she was as invested in my success as I was and we would create a competitive application that mitigated my weaknesses and accentuated my strengths.

I was looking for a consultant to help me figure out my “story”. Caryn proved invaluable in this pursuit. She helped me articulate my career goals, fine tune my story and create a vision that I used throughout the application process. Caryn helped me overcome my low GPA and varied work experience. She was strategic in her thinking and was very responsive to my questions. We started working together early on in the process, and Caryn never made me feel like I had used up too much of her time. She forced me to push harder in my essays, and her resume editing was incredible!

Although expensive, I chose the comprehensive package and worked with Caryn on 3 schools. I applied to 2 others on my own. I was admitted to 4 out of my 5 schools and will be attending my top choice with a large scholarship this fall. I can’t thank Caryn enough for her support throughout this process. I don’t believe I would have even been admitted to my top choice, let alone with a large scholarship, if I had not worked with Caryn. I would recommend her to anyone looking for a comprehensive consulting service! If you are hesitant to spend the money, like I was, you won’t regret it. I am attending at Top 10 school with a scholarship and this would not have been possible without Caryn and SBC.

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I am excited to share my experience with Bill Chionis of Stacy Blackman Consulting. Thanks to Bill, I was admitted to the program of my dreams at Columbia Business School!

I reached out to SBC while I was in the middle of studying for the GMAT. The process started out with Bill and I having an introductory call. During the call, Bill listened to my life story and we connected immediately. I felt like I was talking to an old friend. Bill walked me through the process and what to expect of him & SBC. By the end of the call, I had several pointers including how to make my resume pop!

Bill is able to recognize his client's talents and helps translate them to paper. He helped me communicate my life story in a very clear and concise way. My initial draft was messy, but the end product was so clean and polished - like a work of art! There is no way I could have done this on my own!

Applying to the Ivy League schools can be intimidating. There were times when I felt discouraged. Bill believed in me at times when I didn't believe in myself. One of the things that is so special about Bill is that he really cares - this isn't just a job to him. He really wants you to succeed and he's fully committed to helping you cross the finish line.

My life has forever changed thanks to Bill's guidance and support. If you are looking to gain entry into a top tier school for an MBA or EMBA, Bill is your man! I would recommend Bill to my very best friend.

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I worked with Bill at Stacy Blackman - excellent experience. Also worked with Sherri, Amy and Lisa for different aspects of the app (flight test etc). All excellent.

I really was happy with my experience so will try to give a more detailed overview here. I have worked with two firms in the past and so I have some perspective. My experience with Stacy Blackman was great. I was burnt from prior experiences so when I signed up I wanted to work with two consultants not one. Which is what I did - I actually purchased 2 different packages and worked with two consultants who were pretty different from each other but both very strong (Bill as mentioned above and also Sherri). Both had a lot of experience, MBA Adcom experience, and really took time with me. During the time close to deadlines I felt like I was in constant communication with them. they have something called a flight test which I thought was really helpful. A totally separate consultant reviewed my entire file and gave feedback in a different way from an admissions committee perspective. I had a client liaison who was very nice and helpful though I have to admit I did not use her as much as I could have (that was my choice).

I felt very supported and I knew I was in good hands. I have been admitted to USC and LBS and my dream reach school Wharton. That is half of my schools. I was reapplying to Wharton and also HBS and Haas. I did not get into HBS or Haas.

The feedback was very timely, response times were good. I felt that they were detail oriented as well as helped with my strategy up front. We did some things that were very different from my approach first time around and it paid off. I was very overwhelmed in the beginning and Bill especially had a way of breaking it down and making things simpler and more digestible. I also used the online center for reference - it was a nice tool.

Finally, my interview prep was awesome. I cannot tell you how much of a difference that made for me. They definitely knew what the schools were looking for and gave me great prep sessions.

P.S. Thank you to GMATclub for the $20 promotion for a posted review!

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I was referred to Stacy Blackman by a coworker who told me how invaluable they had been to the MBA application process. I was having trouble coming up with a concrete plan for my applications and was unsure if a consultant was worth the cost, but decided to have a call with them just to discuss my background and next steps. After speaking with Esther, I was immediately sure that SBC would be big benefit to my candidacy.

I worked with Erin over the course of several months and she did a great job of always being totally honest with me and pushing me to continue improving. Erin was always quick to reply to my questions (which were numerous) and always gave me clear feedback. Working with her immeasurably improved my candidacy, and I doubt I would have been accepted into my target schools without her guidance.

From strategy development to essays to interview prep, I could not recommend Erin and the SBC more highly. They were worth every penny and I know it was a great investment in my future.

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Applied to Harvard, Stanford, Wharton and got into Wharton. I applied with two years of work experience, on the low side, and although I work in finance I don't come from the traditional companies. GMAT 740. Caryn helped a lot with advice on how to position myself as an applicant, both from a big-picture perspective and down to each individual word on the online application. The company had some other good resources as well - a helpful wiki, solid interview prep, etc. The comprehensive service is expensive, but I had a great, successful experience and would certainly recommend both the company and Caryn.

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I would 100% recommend SBC. I was accepted in HBS after working with Sara from SBC. She was incredibly professional and would respond very promptly to any requests. Part of the reason I chose to work with SBC was because of the immediate response time (other companies have a 24-48 hour response) and given I had a tight deadline to submit my essay, I needed a more involved approach. Sara was highly value add, and reviewed my essays with a critical, unbiased lens. I appreciated her honest, unbiased feedback as it is difficult for family members and friends to provide the same type of direct feedback. Money well spent.

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I worked with Erika at SBC, had a fantastic experience, and recommend her with the fullest enthusiasm!

Despite feeling prepared, I wanted some support from an impartial but expert source to ensure my applications were strong. Erika provided hourly advice for my applications to 2 schools, and I couldn't be more thankful for her help. I was admitted to both schools and will be attending HBS in the fall.

There are many reasons why Erika was a huge help, but I found three things to be the most helpful.

1. She will save you time and keep you on track:
Having someone to be accountable to will inherently help you meet and keep deadlines. But Erika added value beyond this. First, she ensures very quick turnaround time and usually replied within 1-2 days. Second, she removed all wavering and second guessing from my process (e.g., giving me confidence that an essay idea was strong, saving me from wasting time debating other ideas).

2. She is both an expert in writing and in business school:
As an HBS grad, she understands the schools and the process. But she is also an expert writer. She knows what you need to do to have your writing be crisp, compelling, and effective. As someone who mostly writes in power point bullets these days, this was really helpful.

3. She knows your story, but is able to remain honest and impartial:
Erika quickly was able to learn my stories, work experiences, and strengths, advising me on which to draw upon in each application and interview. But she remained honest and impartial throughout. Erika wastes no time (and none of my $) in delivering direct feedback, and had no qualms in telling me to re-do a paragraph or start an essay over. These are characteristics you can't get from family or friends.

Finally, she was a blast to work with and I enjoyed getting to know her. Thanks again to Erika for the support!

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Stacy Blackman on a whole, and Erika in particular, provided tremendous service and help during my application process. I chose them after talking to a couple different firms because of the initial call I had with Erika (some similarities in backgrounds, understood my somewhat obscure / specialized finance job, comparable working styles) and the comprehensive nature of SBC's service.

Erika gave critical feedback on all aspects of my application, but was most felt on the essays. Her style of being highly encouraging, but also very direct on what needs work or how something is coming across was perfect for my personality and work habits. She was very timely with responses and draft feedback and made sure to keep me on schedule for the busy timeline we had laid out in the summer (multiple applications due in September). Overall, Erika definitely exceeded my expectations.

The Flight Test from SBC, where you submit entire application a few weeks before due date and get a fresh set of eyes on it, was very beneficial for me. Some of the feedback from that led to rather substantial changes in my essays / application to get more clarity around my story and experience.

I would strongly recommend Erika and Stacy Blackman. You will get very hands on, meaningful and helpful feedback on every step of the process.

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