Stacy Blackman Consulting MBA Admissions Reviews

MBA is a stepping-stone towards my ultimate career goal – I knew this for a while and like hundreds and thousands of other MBA aspirants, I wanted to get into one of those coveted top B-schools as well. Due to its strong focus on both Entrepreneurship and Social Enterprises, I, upon completion of the school research process, knew that Oxford Said Business School will be the most suitable to complete my MBA from. However, coming from an overly represented group of aspirants, I did not really know how to stand out from the rest and get into my dream school.

After talking to a few of my friends who just completed their MBA, I realized an Admission Consultant could really help me to get in. I started talking to various consultancies out there and I do not have any qualms in saying that Esther from Stacy Blackman was someone who seemed to be truly helpful. By going through my profile, she was quickly able to discover consultants who could help me. I also remember how Esther sent me links to Said school essay discussions right after knowing my preference. This was before I even signed up and I was truly surprised to see her level of involvement. Esther introduced me to Susan Roth, whom I worked with for preparing the essays. Just so that everyone knows, I bought the comprehensive package from Stacy Blackman Consulting.

Susan knows what she is doing and her help throughout the process not only got me in to Said, but she made me understand how to present myself in a better manner. I cannot think of a single instance where she took more than 24 hours to get back to me with the suggested edits of my initial drafts. Those replies always followed up with additional video calls to explain the mistakes I made or suggest changes with reasons. I remember that once she did a video session with me to explain certain edits while she was at the airport. She truly cared about my success and that reflected in her overall behavior as well. The story was mine, but it was presented certainly in a far better manner than I ever could and that credit goes to Susan. The other thing that I liked a lot about Susan is that she is brutally honest. She was very clear with me about the weaknesses in my profile, but off course, she helped me to shine through the application essays by highlighting my strengths anyway.

As we all know, application process to the top business schools is a tedious process with all those numerous edits and sleepless nights. Susan kept encouraging me and though I sometimes missed my deadlines to deliver her first drafts or edited versions, she never missed one. Her help extended beyond what is included in the package to be honest. She helped me select some backup schools and assisted me with navigating through an employment offer that I received during the process and suggested me that how I should communicate that to the school.

From my personal experience, I can definitely say that Susan invests time and energy into the students and she loves to see them succeed. I can never forget how she kept cheering me up at times of despair and how happy she was when I conveyed the message that I got into Said.

There is not a thing that I will change about Susan and I enjoyed every single moment when I worked with her. I highly recommend her to aspirant MBA students who are in the lookout for an MBA Admissions Consultant.

I will like to conclude by saying that overall, Stacy Blackman follows a very structured approach to help out the students and one should certainly leverage on all the guides and suggestion available – they are really informative. I should also mention that the flight test feature is something that can prove to be extremely beneficial to applicants applying to the top schools. First, it is always better to get your essays checked by two pairs of eyes than one and secondly, it is done by a former Admissions Officer who knows exactly how the applications are reviewed and analyzed (In my case, the flight test was conducted by Beth Tidmarsh). Incorporating flight test feedback into my essays with help of Susan is something that I truly believe to have helped me get ahead in the race to the offer of admission.

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SBC and Kevin played a critical role in my business school application process and I would highly recommend them to anyone applying to school.

Initially, Kevin and I did an in-depth character analysis which helped identify both my strengths and weaknesses as an applicant and also identify schools that would be the right fit for me. He shared invaluable insight into each school’s academic and cultural profile that helped me narrow down my list. Kevin then walked me through each school’s application and helped me create a plan to attack each section, from asking for recommendations to the essay and short answer sections. Kevin was always very prompt in responding to my emails and was happy to hop on the phone to discuss any and all issues. Throughout the writing portion of the applications, Kevin challenged me to constantly revise and improve my essays. He provided honest feedback that helped me craft essays that I was truly proud of. When it came time to submit my application, I was very confident in my final product.

The business school application process can be daunting but Kevin made the process much easier. His guidance was invaluable and ultimately helped me get into my dream M7 school!

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After having initial conversations with 4 other admissions consulting firms, I ultimately decided to go with Stacey Blackman. This choice was driven by a great first conversation with Esther (the initial point of contact who coordinated multiple SBC services throughout the process), fantastic reviews/referrals/results from friends of mine (all got into their top choice schools) who had used SBC, and great fit/reputation of Caryn Altman (ultimately the consultant I chose to work with throughout the process).

The level of engagement throughout the application process was spectacular, and the breadth of experience that both Caryn as well as the broader SBC organization provided me was second-to-none. Even though I was applying to a pretty large number of schools in a single round, and knew Caryn's particular involvement/experience with Kellogg, I was given great, specific advice on how to approach and execute stellar applications to each individual school I was applying to (including Kellogg).The specific tips I received from Caryn were spectacular and not only instilled a great sense of confidence in me prior to submission/interviews, but undoubtedly impacted the quality of each of my applications.

Things I found to be particularly helpful: 1) Caryn kept me on track throughout the process. I was a little late to the game, and decided to try and fit 5 schools (all M7) into R1. Caryn ensured that we were both on top of our deadlines, and never throughout the process did I need to question whether I'd miss any deadlines or have anything but the highest quality application. 2) I had a below average undergrad-GPA at all the schools I was applying to. After reviewing my transcript in detail with Caryn, we were able to come up with a concise, honest, authentic, and compelling strategy to address this in my additional essays. Honestly, I think this was one of the strongest pieces in my application, and I definitely would not have known how to approach this without Caryn's advice and support. 3) The interview assistance (both for one-on-one as well as group interview) was fantastic. I felt not only much more prepared compared to other candidates (the questions asked during the mock interviews were extremely close to those in the actual interview), but much more confident going in.

I am thrilled with the results, and ultimately got into multiple top business schools, including my top choice school!

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I worked with CP Tseng at Stacy Blackman Consulting ("SBC") on 3 schools (Booth, Wharton, and Columbia all via R1) and got interview invite from all of them. I was admitted to Booth with scholarship.

CP was very thorough in her review and her advice was very on point and made a huge difference in the way I portrayed myself in my essays. I had preliminary writings in the summer that I thought would make great application essays. Looking back, I couldn't be happier that I took the advice from CP vs. using those writings as they didn't hit any of the key points the admission officer would be looking for in an essay. Yes, there are universal things that you have to address as an applicant. Just like you need to speak a certain language to communicate with someone. You have to speak the "language" that the admin people understand.

For those of you who question the value of hiring a consultant for your applications, reach out to SBC and schedule a free chat with one of their consultants. You will be surprised at how much work you need to put into an application and how much time you could save yourself by working with a SBC consultant. As a banking analyst spending 15+ hours/day in the office, I found CP's help extremely valuable. The biggest nightmare for me would be not knowing what to work on or working on things that are not important. CP's comments were always clear, timely and specific. By the time I got home, I could use a very productive 2-3 hour to address her comments and send back a new version. Even I had crazy work schedule, I did not feel overwhelmed in the application process because I always know what to do and how to get it done.

The biggest concern for me as an applicant was time and uncertainty. SBC really helped me use my time wisely and reduced the level of uncertainty significantly. By the time I submitted my application, I was comfortable because I had worked on 20+ versions with CP and someone else on her team who used to work as an admin officer had also reviewed it.

The last thing I would add to this review is that you eventually will need to manage your own application. Getting a consultant doesn't mean that you can sit back and relax. Instead of having them reach out to you (and they will) with feedback, you should be proactive. Getting your drafts done earlier than later and taking every opportunity to get your questions answered either on the call or via email are very important strategies to take. The consultants often have multiple clients and they take requests based on the time of receipt. If you could get a new version done in less than 2 days, don't wait for 3 days. The more feedback you can get, the more value you can get from your service.

Last but not least, getting extra help from a consultant doesn't change your fundamental strengths and weaknesses as an applicant. That's why the kick-off call, which is part of the all-service is important. It is an opportunity to discuss your school choice with your consultant so that the two of you can work towards a goal that is realistic and achievable.

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SBC is a no brainer. I got into a top program after working with one of their consultants, who was beyond instrumental in my application process. She worked with my on my essays, helped do research on the schools, and the fact that she was a CBS grad helped tremendously since she was familiar with the student organizations. Don't think twice about it, it's an investment that will pay off 10000x over. We are all incredibly busy with work/personal lives and working with someone who knows the ins and outs of admissions will save you so much time. I know for a fact I wouldn't have gotten admitted to CBS without SBC.

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Summary

I can strongly recommend SBC and especially Christine based on my business school application experience. As a result of her excellent work and support I got accepted into Columbia Business School and Chicago Booth.

About me / whom this might help:

I am European (= international applicant) with a background in Tech, working as management consultant. Working and traveling a lot and having very little experience with business school applications, I decided to hire a consultant to help me shape my story so that I would be able to differentiate myself from the mass of management consultants and to communicate that story in the language of the Admission team while being as efficient as possible (due to my daily workload).

In retrospect, SBC and especially Christine not only met but exceeded my expectations by far.

Why SBC

I chose SBC because I believe that SBC has an edge over many other admission consultancies due to its very strong marketing position. By not only hiring a consultant but also the back office / expertise of the entire firm, SBC knows exactly how to position your profile for your respective target school (because they have it done a thousand times before). Through this rich expertise and track record my initial contact, Esther, knew in a heartbeat what I was missing in my application and which consultant – in my case Christine – could support me the best. However, I not only got a perfect match but also access to a lot of reading material, past essays, interview preparation software as well as to Lisa, who was a former Admission Officer and who evaluated my application package from a neutral perspective before I finally submitted it. I believe the best analogy to my thinking is: If you need a surgery and you can chose between a general surgeon and a medical firm that has a specialist for each type of surgery, including yours, who will most likely be prepared for all eventualities?

Why Christine

I believe Christine excels in almost any position including that of an admission consultant. This is because Christine has a very rare combination of an extremely high intellectual capacity, genuity and work ethics. She knows exactly what to do which is reflected in her very clear instructions and in the fact that she never fell behind any deadline, but usually always delivered early over our 6 months. The best example for that is when I decided last minute (48h prior to the deadline) due to a change in my calendar to also apply to Booth. Despite having many other applications, less than 48 hours and not a signed contract for my forth school (yet), Christine was up for the challenge resulting not only in two very intense days with very little sleep for the both of us, but also in an admit from Booth.

While I would have already been more than pleased at this point, there is much more I gained from our interactions and from Christine herself. By preparing my applications, I not only improved my written English, but also learnt how to best position myself in a job interview, by knowing how to best demonstrate my various strengths and capabilities in combination with what sets me apart from others. I believe this is noteworthy, because my work with Christine would still have been fruitful for me, even if I did not gain any acceptance letter.

However, what I loved most about our interactions was that Christine made the application process fun. By finding the right balance between application related and other topics and by making sure that I progressed while allowing me to learn from the process, I truly enjoyed working with Christine. In fact, I was not relieved, but said when I realized that I was done with the application process.

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After having been dinged from all the schools I applied to for the class of 2019, I knew that I wanted to use an admissions consultant when reapplying for the class of 2020. After evaluating several options, I decided to go with SBC for a couple reasons: their track record and my initial conversation with Caryn Altman.

Caryn was upfront with me and did not sugarcoat things - when telling her which schools I wanted to apply to, she said that they would be stretch schools for me, but did not discourage me from applying.

Luckily for me, I got a head start working with Caryn, signing up in early 2017. Caryn and I hit the ground running; within weeks, my resume had taken shape and, per her suggestion, I became actively involved with a couple of charitable organizations around my hometown.

Caryn was always lightning quick to respond to my emails - whether they be essay draft reviews or random one-off questions, she was usually able to respond within hours. She really went above and beyond when it came to responsiveness.

Beyond working with Caryn, I benefited from working with SBC's other consultants for the flight test and mock group interview.

Ultimately, working with Caryn was great because I trusted her and benefited from her candidness in reviewing and talking about my essays and overall candidacy. All of the essays, resume, work, etc. was mine, but Caryn gave me the tools and advice needed to properly frame all of it into a successful MBA application!

In the end, I was admitted to two schools and am proud to be able to say that I am going to be at Booth (a school where I was dinged without interview last year) this fall!!

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I worked with Caryn to apply R1 in 2017 after having unsuccessfully applied to five schools in the first round of the previous year. Caryn was on top of every detail and made sure that we stuck to our deadlines, which was critical applying to five programs no matter how far in advance we started our planning. She absolutely has a mind for this work and was able to position my experience to fit with each individual school. Most importantly though, she helped me think through where I had been and where I really wanted to go and that made my application all the more authentic and genuine. In the end, I got acceptances from Columbia, Booth, and an interview invite from Haas that I did not move forward with due to extenuating circumstances. Thanks Caryn!

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I am very happy with my decision to work with Caryn and SBC on my (successful!) application to an M7 program. Caryn's experience in admissions was apparent from the first time we spoke. She was interested in getting to know my story and helped me craft a narrative to consistently communicate this via my application. The detailed timeline Caryn provided helped me stay on schedule while managing work and other priorities. With that said, Caryn expected my full engagement as we worked through numerous drafts of the application. She was very good at providing timely feedback, which again helped me better manage my time. One very helpful part of the process was the mock interview. Practicing in front of a mirror, or with friends/family will obviously help, but you will not get the same detailed feedback that someone like Caryn can provide. I felt very prepared going into my interview and left feeling even more confident.

Overall I am very satisfied with the services provided by Caryn and SBC. I realize, however, that this does come at a cost, and that people are in different financial positions. My view is that if you are committed to pursuing an MBA at an elite program you are resigning yourself to some level of financial burden (if only in the short term) with the expectation of future benefits. With that in mind I think this service is well worth it.

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One of the best decisions I made throughout the MBA application process was the decision to work with Caryn of Stacy Blackman Consulting.

Caryn, a former Kellogg Admissions officer, was an invaluable resource to me throughout the application process. She was vital in formulating my strategy that I presented to all schools regarding my future career aspirations. Additionally, she helped me revamp both my resume and my interview responses to specifically fit the business school process.

One of her great qualities as an admissions consultant is her ability to communicate. I never had any worries about not hearing her answers to my questions or seeing her edits to my essays in a timely fashion. Her email responses were thorough, and her edits always went above and beyond. Additionally, at any critical juncture (or whenever I felt I needed guidance), she was willing to jump on a phone call. She maintained this same diligence throughout the waitlist process. When working with Caryn, it is important to reciprocate her communication style and be organized / diligent.

I believe that I maximized my potential to get into a top MBA program by working with Caryn!

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