MBA Admissions Hourly Services Reviews

I had good work experience and strong academics and gmat score, but executed my apps poorly. I was only waitlisted at 2 top 5 schools. I needed help and reached out to several firms and Esther from Stacy Blackman gave the most thoughtful response in which she advised me to work with experts, Jay Jacobs and Beth Tidmarsch. Both helped me strategize and deliver a series of communication to the schools which helped me get admitted. They gave insightful ideas and are responsive. I recommend you to work with Esther, Beth, and Jay who have helped me to attend a top MBA this fall.

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I spent the month prior to signing up with Stacy Blackman Consulting Services not being able to sleep because I was so stressed out about the MBA application process. Once I started working with Margaret all the stress quickly faded away. She truly made it easy and even somewhat enjoyable to work on my applications. I have learned so much about the admissions process by working with Margaret-- she is definitely an expert at her craft. Even my resume, which I thought I had perfected after 10 drafts was completely revamped and improved. I was very impressed! Product turn-a-round was always timely and she asked pertinent questions to keep the ball rolling for essay/resume improvements. I purchased 10 hours and she was so efficient that we were able to finish essays for all 6 schools [Emory, WashU, GA Tech, Georgetown, USC (Southern Cal), and UGA] that I applied to. I was accepted to 4 of 6 and waitlisted at the other 2 (Georgetown & USC). Statistically speaking I did not have a high chance at some of these but I am excited to announce that I will be attending Emory University in the fall! I couldn't have done it without SBC and Margaret's help. Highly recommend!

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I conducted a lot of research on which consulting companies to use for this process. I was looking for top-notch quality in consultants, their experience and service. Stacy Blackman offers fantastic services, has a record of success, and most importantly, they matched me with the perfect consultant - Beth. I could not have asked for anyone better than her! She absolutely exceeded my expectations! She had a plan of attack within 30 min of our first phone call. She was very responsive (replied to my emails even when she was on vacation), highly experienced and a wonderful person. Not only she gave me specific, clear and effective guidance, but also she was very nice, personable and easy to chat with. During each step of the way Beth mentored me, she provided me with the perfect balance between my thoughts/decisions and her suggestions. I am extremely happy with their services, their support and Beth! For anyone looking for a consulting service during your MBA application journey, I would absolutely recommend them.

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I had a wonderful experience working with Sherry. I am a non-traditional applicant coming from an international development background and political science undergrad major. My GRE score was good but not stellar (160 math, 162 verbal) and I was looking for someone to help me navigate the application process and help with my essays. I had decided to apply to 6 schools, so there were going to be a lot of essays to prepare.

From the first time I met with Sherry she put me at ease about the process. I did not feel overwhelmed about the next steps and she made me feel confident about what I had to offer business schools. Sherry helped me figure out which schools to look at and ultimately apply to based on my skill set and what I wanted to do (social impact consulting). We then worked on my essays, starting off with ideas in bullet points and then on through the final version.

Sherry was very upfront with me on how many hours/minutes I had left with her and also asked me to be upfront with her on what I was looking for out of the service so that she used my time efficiently. I felt like I was in control and got what I wanted out of the service - guidance, answering one-off questions, and reviewing my essays. I bought 3 hours to start off with, and then decided to buy an additional 3 hours because I enjoyed working with her so much and really felt like I would get a good amount of guidance with an additional 3 hours. It was expensive, but I think it was worth the cost.

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I reached out to multiple firms at the beginning of my MBA application process, and ultimately decided to go with SBC based on their prompt reply, encouraging feedback, and eagerness to work with me. They paired me up with Lindsay and I'm so thankful they did!

Lindsay was a real pleasure to work with. I knew nothing about this process at the beginning, and Lindsay walked me through it all step by step. Not only did she reassure me that I was a good and competitive candidate (I come from a non-traditional background and was worried about having the right experience), but she helped me craft my story. She guided me through the application process, talked through some of my school choices, helped me with my essays, and prepped me for interviews. I relied on her for a lot, and she was was incredibly supportive.

I'm thrilled to say that I got into my first choice MBA program, and I absolutely could not have done it without Lindsay's help. Her insight was invaluable and I can't thank her enough! I would definitely recommend Lindsay and SBC to anyone who needs a helping hand during the MBA application process.

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I knew I needed extensive help with selecting schools, editing my resume/essays and preparing for interviews. After speaking with multiple consulting companies, I decided to give Stacy Blackman a try. I was paired up with Bill who provided a thoughtful profile evaluation and helped me narrow down a list of schools. Most companies I spoke with pushed their products instead of providing a thorough review of my candidacy, this was not my experience with Bill. Bill had already thought of schools that could be a good fit for me and I couldn't have been happier with my experience.

I had a ton of questions that I asked Bill as we continued through the process of applying to top MBA programs. Bill was extremely knowledgeable and made my life a lot easier by thoroughly explaining each component of the application process. I held mock interviews with Bill prior to my real interviews and they helped immensely in easing my nervousness. Bill has extensive experience that he used well to calm me down throughout the process. One thing that impressed me a lot was how quickly Bill turned around essay edits, Bill usually responded back within hours. Bill continued to be patient with me from start to finish and I can't thank him enough.

I applied to 3 programs and got into all 3! 100% Success Rate. I recommend Bill to anyone who is looking for a knowledgeable, efficient and amazing consultant!

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After deciding to push MBA applications up by a year, I felt as though I was getting to the process quite late. I initially reached out to SBC because I had read some of their articles and felt as though they could help me gage whether or not applying this year was the right decision.

I was paired with Lindsay, who assured me that I had enough time to put together a great application. Lindsay really helped me through every step of the process, from choosing the right schools to target to how to handle any unexpected setbacks. I appreciated her honesty which allowed me to really push myself when I needed to and feel confident in the areas I could shine.

Not only did she make a difficult process extremely enjoyable, I was accepted to my dream school NYU Stern! I cannot recommend SBC and Lindsay enough. The MBA application process is gruelling and it is so helpful to have someone on your side to share the experience with.

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I purchased the hourly services when looking at working with SBC. Overall, I chose SBC because of their reputation and the pricing gave me what I thought was the best value. With Sherry, I worked essays for 3 different schools as well as my resume and had plenty of time to do this.

Sherry was incredibly helpful to work with and was very active in providing me direct feedback on the different essays and resume. The work we did on my resume opened my eyes on exactly how a resume should be specifically for a MBA application. Going in, I also knew that my essays needed the most work and Sherry helped me by going through a stepped process to properly tell my story to the different admissions committees. I always felt that her feedback was sincere and overall it helped me to shape my story in an appealing way. Sherry was very timely with her feedback and it gave me plenty of time to reach the deadlines for the January due dates for the different schools that I was applying to.

I would highly recommend the use of SBC because of the attention to detail that they provided me in working on my application essays and resume. Everything that I wanted to accomplish with them was completed and was more than satisfactory. I am happy that this year I chose to use an admissions consultant to help me with my applications.

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Right off the bat, I will say that I am not a great applicant (M7 was definitely not in the cards for me) and am very pleased with my end result.

In round 1, I initially opted away from SBC because of the very formal (almost corporate) approach it appeared the company took in my initial phone call with the company. For some reason, it rubbed me the wrong way and I chose a different consultant. However, my initial phone call with Ryan stuck in the back of my head and when I reevaluated for R2, I chose SBC. The one school I was particularly interested in for round 2 was Cornell and for that reason, Ryan (a former Parks scholar and Cornell Johnson MBA grad) was the deciding factor.

As a Cornell grad, Ryan perfectly outlined what I needed to do on the schools unique essays, something that gave me a ton of comfort. On the multiple reversions of my essays, he outlined tips and verbiage he used to land a full scholarship to the school. In fact, we made such progress in each iteration and thus, saving such time, that I was able to use a large chunk of my 5-hour purchase for another school. In comparing the final essays I turned in R2 to the failed essays (again, done with another consultant) turned in R1, it is quite clear the sizable talent gap between Ryan/SBC and other consultants... Literally night and day between the two finished products. The truth is, anyone reading this review is here to get RESULTS out of an admissions consultant. To this end, I firmly believe if I did not switch to SBC I do not think I would have gotten into Cornell (my interview at the school was awful so it is clear admissions thought highly enough of my application and essays to accept me anyway).

I will get out the little "bad" that there was as well. As I was on an hourly service, I am not sure if it was as a function of the corporate culture at SBC or not, but every minute of time spent on email exchange, even if it was for simple clarity on a previous confusing email, was tracked and charged. I walked away from a few iterations feeling a little nickel and dimed, but hey this is a business.

Again overall, could not be more pleased. If you are considering any school in that 9-16 range, especially Cornell, I FIRMLY think you should at least give Ryan a call... his expertise led to my acceptance.

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I would 100% recommend SBC. I was accepted in HBS after working with Sara from SBC. She was incredibly professional and would respond very promptly to any requests. Part of the reason I chose to work with SBC was because of the immediate response time (other companies have a 24-48 hour response) and given I had a tight deadline to submit my essay, I needed a more involved approach. Sara was highly value add, and reviewed my essays with a critical, unbiased lens. I appreciated her honest, unbiased feedback as it is difficult for family members and friends to provide the same type of direct feedback. Money well spent.

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