Stacy Blackman Consulting MBA Admissions Reviews

I worked with SBC and Sherry for my MBA application in 2017. I talked to Veritas Prep and with Esther Magna from SBC, finally deciding to go with Stacy Blackman because they were always fast to reply, everything was very organized and I could see that they really cared.
I used the all-in package and it was great! It includes a flight test, mock interview and continuous support of an amazing team. Esther Magna was my initial consultant and she paired me up with Sherry. I can’t recommend Sherry enough; working with her was great since day one and she made the entire process less stressful and even enjoyable. Sherry helped me every step of the way: choosing schools, writing my resume and essays, evaluating waitlists and making a final decision. Sherry has a lot of experience and knows exactly what she is doing, she took the time to get to know me and made sure the essays really represent me. She gave great feedback and was very generous with her time, being available even during the weekends. Sherry is not only and amazing consultant, but an excellent person too. I couldn’t have asked for a better consultant and consulting company, I wouldn’t change a thing! Thank you SBC, Esther, Lisa and Sherry!!

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I was very interested in several schools in California, including UCLA, where Amy was a former adcom. Her insight into the admissions process was invaluable, and I was not only accepted but offered a 50% scholarship. As a non-traditional applicant, I felt Amy’s advice was essential in helping me craft my story in a way that highlighted the positive aspects of my experiences.

I found Amy very responsive, she would review materials sent in even in the evenings/weekends and send feedback promptly, which is very helpful for someone working full time. Also critically important was her assistance on the interview process, we did numerous mock interviews and prepared for every question and scenario, but Amy also helped me understand the different schools philosophy on interviewing. Helping me understand what each school was really screening for made for a very successful interview process, with ¾ offers of admission and one waitlist from the schools where I interviewed.

Lastly, Amy was also a huge help on the resume, helping me translate technical information and industry jargon into a resume an adcom would resonate with. All in all, I was very satisfied and would highly recommend Amy and SBC as an admissions consultant!

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This is a substantial investment and one that will only be worth it if you put in the work. Margaret did an amazing job keeping me on timeline and focused on my goal. My work schedule was about as crazy as it can get and she masterfully helped me squeeze every last bit of free time out of it to put towards my applications. As an older applicant, Margaret had many of the answers to questions such as, "how do I communicate 14 years of experience in my field to the ADCOM without sounding ancient?" In the end, my life story and reasons for pursuing an MBA were brilliantly woven into a single narrative that resonated with the ADCOM and set me apart from other applicants. The best part was that it was entirely my own! The words in my essays came from me. They weren't rewritten by Margaret. They sounded like me and ultimately they got me admitted to my 1st choice program.
The admissions process is stressful and for someone who was nearly a decade outside of the academic arena, I was rusty to say the least. Margaret and the rest of the SBC team got me ready and made me the best applicant I could be. From preparing applications to rehearsing for interviews, the all-in service was truly worth the expense. If you are a non-traditional student wanting to pursue an MBA, Margaret is your gal. Bill from SBC is also a great consultant for non-traditional students in the event Margaret is booked. If you are coming from a military background, Margaret is your ideal choice as she has extensive experience preparing military candidates. If you can afford it and are ready and willing to put in the work, the all-in service from SBC is a game changer and something I'd highly recommend.

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Having been rejected by three M7 schools in the last application year, I was highly doubtful if I would be successful at my MBA applications this time around. My brother happened to recommend SBC and I opted for the 10 hour service. SBC then matched me with Beth and I cannot thank them enough for it. I have mentioned this numerous times to Beth and would say it again that my Booth admit would not have possible without her guidance and support. Beth’s inputs in every aspect of the application – Resume, short answers, choice of recommenders, essays, tips on video essays and inputs on how to tackle final interviews were highly valuable. One of the aspects that I loved working with Beth was she would push me further to draw my story out and shape it in the best way possible. Highly recommended!

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I worked with Sherry (and SBC) for my MBA applications in the fall of 2017. I had chosen SBC based upon a feature article in The Economist magazine.

I worked with Sherry as my primary consultant for applications to three top-15 US B-Schools. Esther Magna was my initial consultant, and I was convinced to hire SBC after a chat with Esther. Beth Tidmarsh was my application flight tester for one of the applications, and she provided very insightful feedback; the team work at SBC is very synchronized, a testament also to their professional in-house intelligence for B-School applications.

I am an Indian male in the over-represented consulting background demographic. In addition, I worked with a non-target employer during my applications. I eventually got into an Ivy-League B-School and there’s absolutely no way that it could have been possible without Sherry’s help.

I want to emphasize that Sherry is just phenomenal; she is an excellent consultant and an even better person. Sherry helped me every step of the way during the applications and the interview process: She helped me write natural and polished essays and provided extremely critical feedback during the mock interview. In addition, she was always very generous with her time whenever I needed her help with proof-reading e-mails that I sent (and I sent quite a few!) to the AdCom during the excruciating waiting time after the interviews or advice re: a general road-map for how long I should wait for what. If you’re looking for a sharp consultant – who has been an AdCom member herself and knows the process inside-out – who is extremely professional and gentle, Sherry is your go-to consultant. I highly recommend Sherry and SBC to you.

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SBC is great as compared to their competitors, because they gave me the option to have 1 hour chat with a different consultant. So, I chatted twice with a Booth former adcom member and once with a Ross adcom member.

The SBC staff was in scheduling consultants with only 24 hour notice, as compared to the competitors which required one week notice.

I took SBC mock-interview for 1 hour. It was great because it gave me an opportunity to dry run my story. I got good feedback on how to slightly improve my story. I presented the improved story during the actual interview at Booth. The Booth admission com feedback later during the admitted call feedback was that I did very well in the interview.

I also obtained Booth essay feedback. The feedback was good, but, could have been better. The feedback was good because it prevented me from going down the wrong track. However, the consultant was unable to offer me ideas on how to improve the essay.

I also obtained Ross essay feedback. This was really good as the consultant both helped me improve the matter as well as we together brainstormed what stories to tell in the essay.

Overall, great experience. I owe some credit to SBC for helping me get into Booth. They helped me gain confidence and polished my story, which was beneficial for the interview and essays.

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Jen and the Stacy Blackman team were phenomenal in helping this "tough case" (I'm a bit older and have a non-traditional background compared to other applicants to b-schools). Jen helped me identify how my experience and skills could be positioned to appeal to admissions committees, and we worked on several drafts of each essay before submitting. I received five invitations to interview, and Jen was incredibly generous with her time in helping me prepare. She also helped me adjust my expectations based on what I had already accomplished and how I might appear on paper to ad comms—it takes a special school to look past their own algorithms as they choose applicants. I am exceptionally grateful for the time, support, and encouragement Jen offered me during this very intense process, and I recommend Stacy Blackman Consulting and Jen wholeheartedly!

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Bill was very professional and knowledgable. During our first discussion, he helped explain to me the pros and cons for each of the program I was considering. His feedback helped me filter the list of schools I was considering and helped me save money on applications. That alone was worth every penny!

Throughout the process, I felt a lot more comfortable with the help from Bill. He was clearly knowledgable of business schools, and the application process. Bill made the process a lot less nerve wrecking.

Overall, I would definitely refer Bill and SBC to my friends and colleagues who are interested in business school admissions consulting.

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Let me cut to the chase: Margaret is the consultant you will never regret to work with! Margaret is the consultant who brought me to the next level, push me further, and keep challenging me on essays while I felt exhausted after 6, 7 revisions: three days before one school’s deadline, I thought my essays are final but Margaret kept pushing me to the next level. She clearly laid out the strategic applications plan for me and a lot of the information I had never thought about even after tons of research both from online and from peers who had applied MBA programs. Down the road, because of the enormous experience she has, she even predicted the “career goal confusion” I would face after networking with too many current students and alums, and gave me advice on how to handle it. She even predicted that the strategy some schools use to give offers and I was able to get admitted after her encouragement knowing that it’s one of the strategies the school uses. I did tons of research online before I finally decided to work with Margaret, and one of the questions I asked every consultant is: “what drives you to be a consultant.” Margaret’s answer resonates with me so much: “to help others make their dreams come true is also a dream come true itself, right?” She took time to understand who I am, in order to help my strengths, uniqueness, shining through both in my application materials and interviews: really focusing on who I am. I could keep writing the good things about Margaret forever… but to sum: I was admitted at two S16 schools, with scholarship at one of them: None of this would be possible without her help. I would recommend her to anyone: I recommended Margaret to one of my close friends who is also applying this year: “she is popular and GOOD, I MEAN GOOD! and you better get on her calendar quick!”

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As a Latin American re applicant candidate to top business schools in the US, I found the assistance and support from SBC to be extremely valuable. Since the beginning of the process, I was matched with a true counselor that understood very well my personal story and that helped me define the best route for strengthening my candidacy. Stephanie has been the best consultant, who has helped me polish a concise, clear and powerful pitch for Admissions. With her support and Rebekah (former admissions officer as Stephanie) who provided an excellent flight test before submitting my materials, I was admitted at Duke, IESE and currently waitlisted at Tuck. I can confidently say that SBC team is absolutely professional as they provide every resource needed for creating your best application. In this long process of applying to Business School, the support & guidance of former Admission Officers and counselors is critical, as they understand very well the process, and will support you in a comprehensive way, giving you the confidence to do the best of the process.

Thanks for everything SBC!!

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