Stacy Blackman Consulting MBA Admissions Reviews

If you are reading this review, you are probably like me one year ago, weighing the merits vs costs of getting admissions consulting services from SBC. Here's some information I hope would help you make that decision:

-How do you feel about the All-in service?
Christina and team provided a wealth of support, and more importantly feedback customised to your profile. For example, the Flight Test allows me to submit an application to former Admissions Officer, Caryn, for evaluation. Extremely useful for me to see what are the strengths and weaknesses of my candidacy.

-How do you find the SBC consultant?
It is like training with an elite Olympics coach for MBA application.
I am very fortunate to have Christina as my consultant. Incredibly dedicated and energetic, she gives her 120% to put together the best application. She provided many insights into the schools I was applying to, which came in handy at critical parts of my interviews.

-How was the consulting process like?
I have looked up various firms, and eventually decided on SBC based on recommendation of my friend who is in Stanford now.

The initial discussion was based on my candidate's profile and SBC then matched me with Christina. The we began to review all application material in earnest to craft a complete information package for schools.
When the list of schools are finalised, Christina and the SBC team was able to provide school-specific advice and interview prep.

SBC also has a amazing wiki that is a treasure trove of information to MBA applicants.

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I applied to business school and was considering hiring a consultant, but due to a tight timeline, I decided to take a go at it independently. During that time, I had a free consultation with Bill. My solo-attempt at navigating the application process resulted in being waitlisted at my top-choice schools. I was discouraged and frustrated.

While waitlisted, I had many free consultations with numerous companies, all of whom seemed informed and knowledgeable. My gut told me that I should revisit Bill, and after speaking with him a second time, I knew that I wanted to work with not only with the Stacy Blackman Consulting but specifically with Bill.

I am so happy I made that decision. Thanks to Bill’s help and advice I was accepted to my top choice school with a full scholarship. I also received 2 additional scholarship offers from top 15 and top 25 b’schools.

I cannot say enough wonderful things about Bill. He’s a true professional. His edits and advice were simple, yet incredibly insightful. He is an unbelievable writer. My essays were so much tighter and more impactful once Bill worked his magic.

During the interview process, he really helped instill confidence in me and helped me develop skills which I now use while recruiting for internships and will continue to use during my professional career.

Lastly, I really appreciate how Bill didn’t try to sell me more hours than necessary. He could have easily convinced me that I needed the all-In package, but instead, suggested a very modest hourly package, which he stuck to.

I truly cannot say enough wonderful things about Bill. I wish there was someone like Bill at school that could guide me through the process.

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Sherry was a huge help throughout my whole application process. After picking out my target schools, thoroughly completing my resume with her help, and waiting on one final GMAT score, we dove head first into the applications. My first application was due only one and a half weeks from that point and Sherry made sure to keep me on track and help me produce a very strong application. From there on out, I completed 5 more applications in only 6-7 weeks and she was there every step of the way. I was working on very tight deadlines and Sherry was able to efficiently and effectively help me work through recommendations, essays, applications, and everything else that came my way. After sending out 6 strong applications and moving onto the interview portion of the process, Sherry continued to show her dedication and knowledge through this part of the application. At the end of the day, I got interviews at 5 of the 6 schools and was accepted to my top choice (top-15 program).

From start to finish Sherry was always diligent, focused and showed complete dedication to my success. Her extensive expierence and knowledge in every aspect of the MBA application proccess was always apparent, and I would not have gotten to where I am without her. I am very excited for what the future holds and Stacy Blackman Consulting, Bill Chonis (SBC Principal Consultant), and most importantly Sherry were a huge part of my acceptance to a top-15 business school.

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I hired Sherry for the 5 hour package to assist in selecting essay topics and putting the finishing touches on my applications. Fuqua was my top choice school so I selected Sherry based on her previous career in Fuqua's admissions office. Sherry has a framework for drafting Fuqua's essays and evaluating your "25 Random Facts" which was helpful in selecting what helped tell my complete story. She was also instrumental in editing my essays for Darden and Goizueta. I applied and was accepted in Round 1 to Darden, Fuqua, and Goizueta with $48k scholarship from Goizueta! Even if you have a solid application strategy and essays, I would recommend at least a few hours with Sherry to ensure your application is sound before hitting submit!

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I opted for the "All-In" service offered by Stacey Blackman and was paired with Danielle. Going into the process I knew very little on what business schools were looking for. Throughout the entire process Danielle was instrumental in shaping my story and ensuring that I put my best foot forward. She not only ensured that my essays were perfect but she took the time to adequately prepare me for the multiple interviews as well. I can honestly say that without her I would have never received a scholarship to my top school of choice! I cannot recommend her or Stacey Blackman highly enough.

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I’ll start off by saying I’m absolutely a miser - I over-research every purchase over $100. I say this to give you some perspective when I say that hiring Bill Chionis of SBC was some of the best money I’ve ever spent in my life.

- From the very first call, it was immediately obvious how experienced and knowledgeable he was of the entire process. I never once doubted he knew exactly what he was talking about. He would say things like "I think you have a very strong shot at x, y, and z, but you should go for z and y because your background is more of a fit for what their adcoms are looking for" And he was right.
- He made every single minute count - he was a fountain of information that was clear, articulate and confident. He answered questions I didn’t know I had. We got it done with far less hours than I expected. In the end, his services cost me a third of what some other consultants wanted.
- I’m a fairly neurotic person. Bill answered all my questions patiently and expertly, no matter how small or nitpicky. I didn’t realize how important it would be when I started, but working with Bill made the anxiety of the whole process so much more manageable. Just small things like whether a certain experience was worth putting down in my essay or not, how to word or represent a certain story, etc. I knew exactly how to represent different aspects of my life without second guessing myself.
- He responded FAST. Very important and helpful while I could only snatch an hour here or there to work on my apps.
- I am starting at H/S/W in May and I fully believe I would not have been able to get in without Bill

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I had an incredible experience with Margaret, and couldn't be more thrilled to be admitted to both Wharton and Kellogg (with scholarships)!

I researched several admissions consultancies and after speaking with Margaret, I knew immediately that she was the perfect fit. I opted for the 3-school all-in package. As a common applicant (male with consulting foundation), Margaret did a tremendous job helping me differentiate my story from the pack, providing candid feedback, and remaining incredibly responsive to any and all questions I had throughout the process. I never felt rushed on our calls together and she genuinely cared about getting to know me personally.

The additional SBC resources also provided invaluable admissions intel and allowed me to submit my applications with full confidence - from the Flight Test (full app read-through by a former adcom) to mock interview prep (Wharton TBD simulation moderated by a former adcom).

I couldn't have done it without them. Cheers to Margaret and the SBC team!

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Bill took his time to understand my professional and career goals and help me to refine my application materials to make them superb. He and his wife are both MBA's so he's an insider helping. He's successfully placed others into NYU Stern so he knew how I paired up w/ others.

After a few emails and a calls, he was patient and constructive in terms of helping me identify trouble areas. We'd walk thru issues he believed would be critical to the Ad Com and noted best practices in how to over come them.

He was also genuinely curious to get to know who I was and my rationale for applying. He would question me and try to pulled insights I hadn't mentioned, this was really a great method.

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I knew I had a strong application, with the exception of limited quant background and a low GRE score. I wanted a consultant to help share my best self with admissions committees, and navigate around my "weak spots". Not knowing where to start, I decided to book some consulting hours with SBC to get support for essay writing and general application process guidance. I worked with Sherry to create an ASD (application strategy document) and then write essays for the 5 schools that I applied to. Look no further for essay and application expertise. Sherry has been on the other side of admissions - she helped me quickly identify my strengths and weaknesses both as a B-school candidate and in my essays, and used a critical eye to help me effectively communicate my story to each MBA admissions team. She also was an incredibly useful guide - a candid and thoughtful one at that - to have throughout the application process regarding one-off questions I had about admissions, etiquette, optional essays, etc. I highly recommend SBC and Sherry in particular. I was accepted with a full scholarship to one of my top choice schools and could not have been as successful without help from SBC! The services are worth every penny and you won't be disappointed.

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I worked with Lisa for a few months and she mostly helped me with my essay and interview prep. I'm really grateful to have her since I didn't realize how out of my depth I was until I signed up. When it came to the essays, Lisa was great at making my papers sound very well articulated while preserving my voice. We did a couple mock interviews too and she was able to help me address my weak spots; I received positive feedback from all of my interviews.

I applied to three Texas schools (UT, Rice, A&M) since I knew for sure I wanted to be in Texas post-MBA. With Lisa's help I ended up getting scholarships to A&M and Rice, and waitlisted at UT. I learned during my MBA journey that it is incredibly difficult for someone with my stats to get scholarship money to UT had I gotten in, and I probably wouldn't be able to stomach the full tuition anyway, so I'm not too miffed about it.

I highly recommend Lisa. Her invaluable help cannot be emphasized enough. Aside from the essay and interview prep, Lisa was available to answer any question I had no matter how trivial regarding the admissions process. The cool thing about Lisa is that she was a former adcom for A&M and Rice, so she knew a lot of ins and outs about the programs. My only regret is that I didn't start working with SBC sooner during my cycle!

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