I am writing to share a phenomenal review of my time working with the Stacey Blackman Consulting team, specifically with my consultant Alex Liff.

After evaluating multiple consulting groups online, I came to the SBC team in January for an initial MBA Candidacy assessment. I felt that their team offered the most robust resources, experienced consultants, and breadth of professional backgrounds/experiences. Given that I was early in the process (applying for R1 that September), Esther provided a succinct, realistic evaluation of my profile/stats and provided some suggestions of where I could work to improve my profile in the coming months to strengthen my candidacy for the top programs that I was targeting. She was also frank about the fact that I came from ORM, competitive applicant pool to set realistic expectations. After the profile evaluation, I diligently worked to address my profile weaknesses and retook the GRE that moved me from the average to top range of my target schools' class.

With a strengthened profile, I reconnected with Esther in May to discuss the next step of finding a consultant to prepare for the R1 application deadlines. We reconnected for an in-depth interview over the phone where she gathered the inputs to intentionally connect me with a consultant on their team. She assessed my background and post-MBA interests, ultimately connecting me with Alex Liff. Next was the fit interviews. I'll add that the SBC team really emphasizes fit with your assigned consultant, so I would highly recommend not taking this step of the process lightly as it is critical that you connect with your consultant that you will spend hours working alongside. Given Alex's aligned background, mutual interest, and wealth of knowledge about the application process, I felt like I had won the lottery from our initial fit interviews! Therefore, I signed up for the all-in package for my two dream schools: HBS & GSB.

Alex & I hit the ground running that week, and he shared several helpful SBC proprietary resources to kick off my application journey. We started very broad by discussing and writing up all of my life experiences to date. Even if it felt like a tangential detail or irrelevant to applying to grad school, I bought into the exercise of starting to put pen to paper. This introspective process lead some key themes to emerge from my life's experiences, and Alex helped to validate as themes that would spark the intrigue of an Adcom. At the start, I remember feeling very vulnerable and uncertain of what I put to paper, but Alex was tremendously reassuring and supportive in helping bring my story to light. From there, I spent very intentional time connecting my lived experiences together in a few first draft essays. With every draft (15+), Alex provided seamless, timely feedback that allowed me to continue my momentum. Ahroughout the process he was extremely communicative, available, and honest. I found that these are the three most important attributes that a candidate can find in a consultant!

SBC offers a tremendous team-based approach to setting up their applicants for success. After I had gotten the applications to a near-finished state, Alex shared my application with my flight tester, Lisa, who was a former MBA admissions officer, to offer a fresh perspective of my entire package. This review was unique and insightful because the reviewer reviews the file in the same way as an admissions officer. An admissions committee member spends, on average, less than 20 minutes reviewing a file in full. The Flight Test provides insight into how the application stands up under the realistic, unbiased scrutiny of an adcom member versus intensely in the details as your admission's consultant. Thus, I found the perspective and feedback additive to my overall drafting process.

Ultimately, Alex was a fantastic sounding board helping me bring to light a holistic picture of my lived experiences and allowing them come to life in a coherent application. His excitement when I was accepted to the programs of my dreams was genuinely felt, and I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with someone who believed in me. I don't feel that I would have had the confidence to be so vulnerable in my application about the things I shared without Alex instilling confidence by rooting for me along the way. SBC's additional resources were also a HUGE time saver throughout the process, as I did not need to do as much in-depth research into every program I applied to, as it was already all there in their wiki. In summary, I cannot recommend Alex or my experience with the SBC team enough to future applicants, and I am tremendously grateful for the chapter that lies ahead! You will be in good hands.

Read More

As an international re-applicant from an overrepresented pool and with a master’s degree already my chances of getting in were low, much lower than the admissions percentage.

Thanks to Dawn, we did it!!! I received dual admission to HBS and GSB on the second attempt.

I would like to highlight some strengths that distinguish Dawn from all her colleagues:
– She is laser-sharp when identifying areas that I could improve and those that I could build upon to have a stronger application the second time around. Knowing where I could fall helped me make sure that I didn’t!
– Her meticulous methodical approach: she really does go line by line and does not try to cut corners
– Her supportive attitude, confidence in my success, and true care.
– Oh, and a smiley personality!

I also would like to thank wider SBC team:
- Amy, who was my flight tester (test drive of a full application) and provided a comprehensive and independent advice on how to strengthen my application even further
- Esther who had an introductory call with me, was very helpful in walking me through the packages and matched me with Dawn
- Large SBC database which was priceless, especially when understanding the differences between schools and when preparing for interviews

Very grateful to SBC and Dawn - would not be able to do this without them!

Read More

The business school application process is stressful and surprisingly emotional. You’re trying to condense your professional accomplishments into a short essay and resume while simultaneously communicating who you are on a very personal level. I knew I needed help, and Megan was the perfect match. From day one, Megan was ready for anything, and that was quite a lot in my case. From calls when I hit a wall writing to editing minor details in the 11th hour, Megan was there to help. In the end, it was obvious that Megan has a unique talent for appreciating candidates for their uniqueness and enabling them to weave an intricate tapestry of who they are in the minimal space your application permits. Her ability to connect the dots of my story is undoubtedly what made me fortunate enough to be admitted to Stanford, Harvard, and Wharton.

In addition to Megan’s support, the entire SBC team was incredibly supportive. From my first call with Sarah, I could tell that SBC did things differently as she immediately told me how she thought about my candidacy, what she would change about my resume, and how she would try to craft my narrative. The online SBC library was also extremely useful for tailoring each application to the specific school. What really sets the SBC team apart, however, is the breadth and depth of knowledge; any time that Megan and I were wondering how to approach a school’s application better, there were numerous former admissions officers from those schools that we could draw on. In particular, my flight test was specifically conducted by an ex-admissions officer from the school that was my top choice, offering me the opportunity to get school-specific insights that I likely wouldn’t have gotten elsewhere.

Thank you Megan and SBC, I couldn't have done it without you!

Read More

After having initial screenings with several other consulting firms, I picked SBC and specifically wanted to work with Caryn – am incredibly glad I made that decision! I was admitted to 3 of my top choice M7 schools thanks to Caryn helping me differentiate myself despite being in an over-represented minority pool with a cookie-cutter background.

Right from the get go, Caryn was incredibly supportive and encouraging and invested time to truly understand my background and goals. She led me through the whole process seamlessly right from initial strategy discussions to school selection, essays, data form, and interviews – making sure I was bringing my best to each portion of the application. She brings tremendous experience and a deep understanding of how adcoms think and what they are looking for – which helps craft a compelling application. She is also very transparent and direct with reliably quick turnaround times of ~24 hours!

Looking back, I 100% made the right decision in working with Caryn and would highly recommend in a heartbeat!

Read More

I had a wonderful experience working with Deanna Moen and Stacy Blackman Consulting over the past year while applying to MBA programs. I used the all-in package to apply to three schools, and was admitted to both Cambridge Judge and Dartmouth Tuck while using the services. Deanna was so helpful in every step of the process, and broke down each piece of the process into manageable pieces that fit with my busy schedule. She was always so quick to deliver feedback and helped me maintain my voice while sharpening my messaging. Additionally, she was very helpful in helping me identify and address weak points in my application. Beyond Deanna, I really enjoyed working with the broader SBC team – Sarah Tsai was very helpful in getting me matched with Deanna, and my flight tester, Amy, had insightful commentary to help my finalize my applications and gave me the confidence that I was ready to hit submit. I chose SBC because of the full service nature of the package offered – I have a very demanding job and knew I would need a very structured process. SBC helped me put my best application foot forward and I was so glad to have worked with them!

Read More

Jen and the SBC team were amazing.

I chose SBC because of the amount of former adcoms on their team and the flight-test SBC offers. Having access to someone who was actually on the other side of the table is invaluable and being able to dry run your application with them is even more so. Even if you aren't matched with a former adcom, you still have access to them via your consultant.

My introduction call with Sarah was great. She clearly explained the process, what to expect, grasped my profile, and identified potential consultants who would best match my experience.

Of the people Sarah matched me with, I chose Jen due to her professional background in engineering. Jen is very thorough and has a gift for identifying stories. During our 2-hour kickoff call, she understood my background (engineering), identified potential weaknesses and experiences to highlight, and helped me round out what schools to apply to. I went through many essay revisions with Jen. Her feedback was excellent each and every time and helped me tell the stories I wanted to tell. Apart from essay guidance, Jen did a wonderful job preparing me for interviews through both the questions she asked and her feedback. I honestly believe my interviews with Jen were more "difficult" than the actual interviews, which is what I would want.

In the end, I was accepted to all of the schools I applied to (HBS, Kellogg, CBS, and Stern) and couldn't be happier.

Read More

10/10

Bill was my initial contact at SBC and I ended up going with the All-In package with Caryn Altman to tackle my list of target schools.

Caryn was absolutely fantastic to work with. She really understands the application process on a granular level and helped me execute a strategy that highlighted my profile's best attributes. She was fantastic in identifying the spots of my application that were weak and really helped me focus on rethinking and improving those areas. Her wisdom and guidance, from essay editing to letter of recommendation support, was nothing short of stellar.

Caryn is largely responsible for my acceptances at Kellogg (MMM program) and Chicago Booth with scholarship. In addition, quick shoutout to Beth, my flight test consultant, who provided valuable insight as well.

I have ZERO regrets with choosing SBC for my MBA applications and am truly grateful for Caryn's and the firm's support!!

Read More

I had an amazing MBA application experience thanks to Meg Stiphany and SBC. When I first contacted Esther Magna, she was very communicative, quick to respond, and so helpful in kickstarting the process. Esther got to know me and matched me perfectly with my primary consultant and former MBA adcomm, Meg Stiphany. We clicked instantly on our first call, and she quickly understood my strengths and themes I could leverage through my materials in my applications. Meg helped me plan out my MBA application process, including a very detailed schedule with due dates for drafts and helped me clearly write my personal and unique story. She made me feel at ease throughout. Meg was incredibly supportive and gave me so much confidence in everything I was working on. She was my cheerleader when at times I was feeling doubt. She made me believe in my story and my candidacy.

SBC provided me an incredible support system. Not only was Meg so knowledgeable in every aspect of the process, reviewed my drafts as many times as needed, and gave feedback promptly, but I also had the support and feedback of two other former adcomms, Beth and Anthony. Beth was my flight-tester and second set of eyes who reviewed my application of choice and gave me great feedback. Anthony helped me with my Wharton mock interview and gave me great points to improve on during the real interview. All in all, SBC had an amazing team of former adcomms to help me in every step of the way.

I was able to get into three out of the four schools I applied to: Wharton, Booth and Kellogg, and with significant scholarships. I would recommend SBC and Meg to anyone looking for a supportive team. Thank you, Meg, for being a remarkable consultant!

Read More

I was accepted to Wharton, Kellogg, and Tuck with generous scholarships, and I have Stephanie and the SBC team to thank. During my admissions process, I worked with Stephanie C. (a former Admissions Officer). Working with Stephanie was great - she was very professional, helpful, and knowledgeable. Stephanie was super helpful throughout the entire process, even when I was feeling stressed and anxious. She was also always encouraging and positive! I was able to reach out to Stephanie whenever I had any questions - no matter how small. Stephanie listened to any concerns I had and always provided helpful insights. I highly recommend working with SBC and specifically Stephanie on your MBA application. I also used the flight test component of SBC, which provided additional helpful context and the Wharton TBD prep was incredibly useful to help prepare for my Wharton interview.

Read More

You will not regret working with Christina. Choosing her was an absolute game changer in my application strategy. I worked with her through all the steps of the application…from creating a strategy that worked for me all the way to choosing which offer to accept.

Yes, CHOOSING. I got into all 6 schools I applied to, incl. my dream school: HBS, GSB, Wharton, Columbia, Booth, Kellogg!!!

She truly cares about her candidates. She chooses them carefully and truly gets to know them at a deeper level. Through our discussions, I have learned so much about myself and the path I wanted to follow: a much needed introspection ahead of an MBA and when writing your essays! Her input was crucial when building the flow and themes for my essays.
She also becomes so invested in your success that she just goes above and beyond to support you throughout this process - she will be your advisor, coach, mentor, friend, role model, shoulder to cry on (virtually), and most importantly…your Nr.1 Fan. She knows the unique ways in which you shine and is able to leverage these to help you reach your goals. She gives honest advice and makes herself available when you need her. Most importantly, she is so resourceful and will help you find the best solutions to any roadblocks you’ll encounter along the way.

I can not recommend working with Christina enough! I would not be at my dream school today if it wasn’t for her.

Read More