Bill (SBC) Reviews

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 did not have great test scores and went into the application process without a great sense of what schools were the best fit for me. After some research, I was fortunate enough to connect with Bill Chionis from Stacy Blackman. During my initial consultation, he gave me a very honest evaluation of my candidate profile and advised on schools that might be worth pursuing.

During the application process for my target school, Bill's practical, strategic approach was extremely helpful. He knew which strengths focus on for essays and customized my profile to match the traits my school was looking for. His willingness to answer questions and provide feedback during the evenings, and even some weekends, helped me stay organized during busy work weeks.

Bill's experience and creativity makes him a valuable resource to any hopeful MBA candidate looking for assistance. He has my highest recommendation and is one of the reason my target school accepted me into their full-time program.

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One thing about SBC that I liked was their straightforward and honest approach. I was initially looking for a full-time program, and during a free consultation, Esther Magna, the Principal with SBC told me up-front that I was too old for a full-time program. It was a shock to me but I realized that she didn't have to be honest with me as she could very well have sugar coated her response and taken my money to 'help' me with the essays without any guarantees of an admission, but she didn't. I was sold on that honesty.

Then I had the pleasure of working with Bill Chionis at Stacy Blackman for my EMBA application to 2 top ranked schools. He is a thorough professional and a master of his craft. He was extremely helpful from start to finish. He was very patient with me and spent the time to understand my background, objectives and, strengths and weaknesses. He quickly assessed the key strengths in my profile that I could use, and also discussed how I should address the weaknesses. He even helped me identify the aspects of my profile that made me stand out from a crowded field of male engineer applicants.

He was great at compressing and streamlining my thoughts in the essays and was patient during the numerous edits I made to them. His promptness was excellent; he answered all my emails within a day. He even helped me when I completely changed the main essay for one of my schools just one day before the deadline. His second biggest help was with interview preparation. He was brutal but effective as he knew what I could do and pushed me hard on my responses. With his help, I was fully prepared for any question during the interview.

I owe him a great deal. It's because of him that I've been accepted to both the schools.

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A little over a year ago, I began the search for a consultant. SBC’s informative blog postings resonated with me the most, and so they were the first (and only) consultant group I had reached out to.

A couple of hours after I had filled out the applicant form, I was paired with Bill Chionis for my free consultation session. We had a great conversation. I shared with him my profile, desired career trajectory and target programs. Bill, being the insightful person that he is, was able to quickly narrow down the strengths we needed to focus on and the areas that could probably use a little more tending to, to create a strong application. In fact, he made a convincing enough case, that I decided to hold off applying for a year so I could work on the weaker areas of my application. We both agreed that if I could achieve these new targets, the best EMBA programs would be within reach.

A year later, I applied to three EMBA programs at the best business schools in the country, and was admitted to all three of them. I reached out to Bill when I was ready to work on my application. Working with Bill was edifying, pleasant and seamless. While Bill was there to guide me through every component of the application process, I relied on him the most for my essays. The essays make for an extremely important component of the application. It is where you are granted the most freedom to put forth your story and your goals. It is also an area where it becomes imperative to have another set of eyes, a sounding board. In the beginning, I tasked Bill, my family and my Harvard and Wharton MBA grad friends to review my work. About a week into it, Bill became the sole voice I relied on. I knew Bill was all I needed to get me to where I wanted to go.

Bill is sharp, responsive and thorough in his work. And to top it all, he is also an eloquent writer. Now Bill won’t be able to write your essays for you. That is your job to do. However from the tiniest interview detail to neatly weaving together my essays, Bill was on top of it. And without a doubt, he’ll do the same for you.

Good luck with this intense process, but know that there are resources out there who will work with you to present you in the best possible light! Ask for a call with Bill!

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I purchased SBC's comprehensive service with Bill Chionis. Even though I have good stats and work experience, I was concerned about how my candidacy would come across to adcoms because my background is in a non-traditional industry in a developing country.

Bill helped me to decide on my application strategy and how to better present my background and post-MBA goals (and decide which of the potential paths was more appropiate application-wise). Bill is very knowledgeable about MBA programs, what each program offers, what adcoms seek in an applicant, and how the adcom will most likely interpret your profile. To me, that service alone was worth the whole investment, but that is not all that the package includes.

Bill, with his super-friendly and professional style, also helped me with:

_Brainstorming, editing, and improving the essays (with the specific structure each school prefers and why they prefer it)
_Editing textbox responses in the online application forms.
_Preparing for the interview: what questions to expect, what an appropiate response looks like, and how to behave. Bill also conducted a mock interview and gave me constructive feedback.
_SBC also provided a "Flight Test" in which another consultant looks at your application cold, as a real adcom would, and then gives you a very detailed report on what areas to improve, if any, and how they think your candidacy will be perceived.

In the end, my process with Bill was very enjoyable, he was super-responsive and helpful, he listened to my needs, and responded with insightful advice. Also, I never felt anxious or alone. I think MBA applications, like many other important moments in life, should be done with someone you can fall back-on for advice and support (remember when you bought your first home or car?).

I was admitted to Chicago Booth (and will attend) while edging on the younger side of the applicant pool. Such a result more than meets my expectations. If I were to do it all over again, I would hire Bill Chionis from Stacy Blackman Consulting and not look anywhere else.

Note: I tried services from another firm before and was not impressed. Also, I am a very demanding client, specially for the amount of $ invested in these services. I can tell you that Stacy Blackman Consulting is worth your investment.

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Had a great experience with SBC and Bill C. in particular. He was very framiliar with my top school and helped immensely throughout the process. It was worth the price and cost without question. I enjoyed working with Bill he helped me with resumes, essays, interview coaching, and kept my spirits up. Resume review and essay editing were the biggest value add. I would recommend him to any other prospective student. Greatest skill was knowledge and expertise. Bill was punctual and always on time which I appreciate very much. I was fortunate to be admitted to my top choice due to Bill's advice, help and support. Thanks again Bill!

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Without reservation, I give my highest recommendation to Stacy Blackman Consulting and, particularly, my consultant Bill Chionis. I signed up for the "all-in" package, and although SBC was one of the more expensive consulting companies I considered, I ultimately chose SBC because of the fact that their consultants work full-time on MBA admissions, offer unlimited contact, and put their clients' application materials through a pre-application "flight test" with a former admissions committee member.

After having worked with Bill for the past 4 months, I can enthusiastically say it was well worth the money I spent. Bill helped me in numerous ways, but I'll specifically list the areas in which he provided the most value to me personally:

• Identifying Strengths: I have a somewhat atypical background for someone seeking an MBA. Prior to signing up with SBC, I had doubts about whether top programs would be interested in someone with my skill set. After a couple of phone calls, however, Bill was able to identify a number of strengths that would interest the admissions committees and make my application stand out. Some of the strengths he focused on were ones that I never would have thought to highlight in my application.

• Solidifying Career Goals/Telling My Story: I had a handful of ideas for why I wanted to pursue an MBA, but Bill was able to probe my interests in a way that allowed me to more fully develop my ideas. He also helped me tie my background to these ideas so that I could tell my personal story in a very compelling fashion.

• Identifying Realistic Target Schools: Initially, my knowledge of the differences among business schools did not extend much beyond the rankings and various snippets I had found online. Bill was able to provide me with perspective on each school's strengths, weaknesses and unique culture. Then, based on my background, personality, and goals, Bill identified the schools he thought would be the best for me. There is no way I could have gotten all this information through my own research. Only someone with years of experience in the industry can provide this type of intelligence.

• Time Management: I have a demanding job and made the choice to apply to programs roughly two and a half months ahead of the application deadlines. Despite the tight time constraints, Bill put together a schedule that kept my stress level to a minimum throughout the process and kept me on track to submit my applications well ahead of the deadlines.

• Essay Direction: This may be the area in which Bill's help was the most valuable for me. For each essay, Bill was able to give me specific direction as to the type of response each school was looking for. While I consider myself to be a capable writer, most of the questions are open-ended enough that it is difficult to discern what the admissions committees truly want to know. Additionally, even though some schools have similar questions, Bill knew the unique pieces that each school was looking for. Had I answered these essays on my own, I probably would have re-engineered the same material for each school and simply changed the school references. Finally, I had concerns about how to deal with certain weaknesses in my background. Bill advised me on how to thoughtfully and intelligently address those areas in my application.

• Interview Prep: Bill walked me through the full range of questions to expect for my interviews. Then, after I prepared answers for all of the questions, we did a mock interview over the phone and he provided feedback for each of my answers. I went into the interviews feeling very confident and was prepared to answer everything the interviewers asked me—including a few curveball questions.

• Deciding Between Programs: I was fortunate to be accepted by all three programs that I applied to. Bill did such a good job in directing me toward programs that fit me that I had a really hard time deciding which school to choose. Having worked closely with him over the last few months, Bill was able to help me filter everything down to determine the program that would give me the best chance to meet my personal and career objectives.

BOTTOM LINE: Bill was an incredible resource to me throughout the application process. He saved me an enormous amount of time and stress. I was able to focus on the important aspects of my applications and avoid a lot of wasted time spent researching online and asking for opinions from others. To anyone looking for an MBA admissions consultant with proven results, I highly recommend SBC and Bill Chionis.

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I would like to take this opportunity to thank Bill@StacyBlackman for all his advice and guidance he provided during the application process which was invaluable and instrumental to my Kellogg’s admission.

I intuitively felt the connection right after the free consultation. Bill was in fact the deciding factor for me to go with Stacy Blackman Consulting (SBC). Bill was honest with me. As mentioned by one of the previous applicants I couldn’t agree more -- “Bill was indeed a saint”. Bill not only was calm but also made me feel relaxed especially when I was getting ahead of myself.

Bill's approach towards the application process was methodical, thorough, prudent and he was extremely patient. Bill was very prompt responding to all my emails irrespective of the time, day or the week. Besides being prompt, his responses were very clear. The most important thing for me was he believed in me.Without any doubt Bill is invaluable asset SBC can have.

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