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Product Stacy Blackman Consulting MBA Admissions All-in Services
Consultant Caryn (SBC)
I would recommend Caryn Altman at SBC for applicants looking for the best way to showcase themselves to AdCom - I knew I was a good applicant, but needed the perspective and coaching on how to be a great applicant. I am so pleased with the guidance and support I got from Caryn that helped me get into the 4 schools I applied to - Booth, Kellogg, Fuqua, and Ross. Caryn really helped me craft my story, starting from a rocky start at undergrad to the crucial "why MBA, why now" questions. We started by nailing the resume, which is often overlooked by most applicants. This was extremely helpful to knock out within a few days of starting with Caryn so that I no longer had to worry about it. Caryn helped me address a few blemishes in my history, such as a few weak grades in my first two years of undergrad, transferring schools, and a lower quant score on my GMAT. I also really appreciated Caryn's quick turnaround times on essays despite a significant time zone gap!
The SBC wiki resources were very helpful - specifically the examples of other students' successful essays.
Product Stacy Blackman Consulting MBA Admissions All-in Services
Consultant Caryn (SBC)
After working extensively with Caryn Altman of Stacey Blackman Consulting (SBC), I can honestly say that she went far above and beyond my expectations. I signed up for the ‘All-in-one’ package for 3 schools and specifically picked Caryn after reading other raving reviews about her ability to get students into their dream school and she did not disappoint! Of the four schools that I applied to, I was admitted to 3 (including my #1 choice) and waitlisted on 1 despite my low undergrad GPA and average GMAT (at best) for the top-tier schools that I was applying to. To be honest, I figured they were all reach schools when I initially started the application process however after Caryn helped me create my ‘brand,’ my confidence significantly increased. Caryn was available and responsive to emails within a day (often times within an hour) and was able to walk me through the application process each step of the way. The best part about Caryn was that she is honest, and gives it to you straight. She will not hesitate to tell you to completely overhaul an essay, and also provides invaluable advice on non-essay fields as well. Coming into the application process, I was completely unaware of the amount of hard work and dedication that would be required and Caryn’s ability to guide me until I had a seemingly flawless application greatly reduced the stress of the application process. Overall, I am 100% confident that I would not have gotten into my dream school had it not been for Caryn, and am completely satisfied with every aspect of her work. I highly encourage any prospective MBA student to work with SBC and more importantly, with Caryn Altman (but do note that she is very popular so you will need to sign-up early)!
Product Stacy Blackman Consulting MBA Admissions All-in Services
Consultant Caryn (SBC)
Caryn was absolutely amazing to work with. Her constructive feedback helped improve my essays immensely. She was extremely responsive, and her turnaround time was astonishingly fast. (I always got a reply from her, with edits extremely quickly.) She helped me stick to a daunting schedule of completing five applications in a little under three months. Equally important, she was incredibly supportive and helped me stay confident throughout the process. In the end, I was interviewed by all five schools I applied to and was admitted to three--one of which was a JD/MBA program, two of which I received scholarship money from, and all of which I initially considered to be reach schools AND I am headed to HBS in the fall! I can't recommend Caryn and SBC highly enough.
Product Stacy Blackman Consulting MBA Admissions All-in Services
Consultant Caryn (SBC)
It took me weeks to decide if I wanted to use an admissions consultant, but after doing a lot of due diligence, I chose to do the All-In package for 3 schools with Caryn Altman at Stacy Blackman Consulting. I knew I had a lot of the things going for me - strong GPA and GMAT, but I also knew what my weaknesses were - a bit disjointed of experiences, never been promoted, not a ton of extracurriculars etc.
Caryn at SBC was truly awesome. She was thoughtful and prompt every time I emailed her various questions (which was very frequently!). She not only helped me to figure out which schools would be a good fit for me, but she also worked wonders in helping me to package all the things I have done thus far into a cohesive story that made sense. We probably went through 8 versions of my resume alone, and I will admit that while I did all the work myself, there is absolutely no way I could have laid it out in such a clean and compelling manner without her. I realize now that even minor word choices can send a red flag to Admissions, but I felt comfortable that I could avoid those pitfalls with Caryn, given her tenure at SBC and previous experience sitting on the Kellogg Admissions Board.
All of the SBC tools were helpful - from the Wiki page, to the Flight Test, to the practice video interviews on which I received feedback. It would be the understatement of the year to say that my experience was a worthwhile investment - not only was I admitted everywhere I applied, but I also was awarded a merit scholarship to each school! Thrilled to say I'll be headed to Kellogg in the Fall, with a $100,000 merit scholarship in hand.
Product Stacy Blackman Consulting MBA Admissions All-in Services
Consultant Caryn (SBC)
I was accepted to HBS, Wharton, Booth,Kellogg and INSEAD! Working with SBC is an experience I recommend to all who are considering applying to an MBA. Caryn was extremely friendly, prompt, organized, and honest with her opinions (which is very important). Her suggestions to improve my essays took them to a whole new level of conciseness and clarity. Caryn’s help was invaluable in times (most often) when I did not know where to begin cutting down words so as to fit into the limits (or the 1 page resume)! She was knowledgeable not only in helping me to review drafts but also in providing advice and answers to any general question regarding specific schools and the application process. She took the time to really understand what I have achieved and what my goals are. In reviewing my achievements and failures, she helped me understand how to talk about them positively and focus on the right issues –this was especially useful and essential when we did a mock interview together. I am very grateful for Caryn and SBC’s expertise, assistance, time and effort in this long process. It was all absolutely invaluable!
Product Stacy Blackman Consulting MBA Admissions All-in Services
Consultant Caryn (SBC)
I began researching firms after reviewing schools on my own for several months in mid-May. SBC was diligent in finding the right consultant for me regardless of my background. It was nice to see how even in the first steps, they were already on my side to succeed in applying to business school.
After a couple of profiles and a few discussions, I eventually decided to work with Caryn through a comprehensive package.
Caryn is very clear in her methods and writing process which was always comforting and reassured me that everything would be on task. She definitely pushes your writing style to the best it can be for each school and challenges your thinking when it comes to essay topics and brainstorming ideas. However, knowing she was once a MBA student and worked in admissions for a school I found that she had the knowledge of both sides and her guidance was always aimed for success.
Caryn was great at addressing my weakness of school grades and building upon my thoughts on how I was a strong candidate despite not coming from a Fortune 500 firm.
I would would recommend Caryn to anyone who wants an encouraging, thorough, and knowledgeable admissions consultant!
Product Stacy Blackman Consulting MBA Admissions All-in Services
Consultant Caryn (SBC)
I talked to a few admissions consultants before deciding on SBC and Caryn. They all looked at my list of school and told me to have more 'realistic' expectations. They told me that given my demographic and background, I had a slim chance of being admitted to my dream schools. SBC was different. I could tell SBC really believed in me, and was committed to helping me craft my story in a way that set me apart from other applicants. Caryn's marketing background was a key success factor in our work together, as she had a good sense of how to best position my application and bring the most out of both my professional experience and extracurricular involvement. Given my ambitious list of schools, we started working extremely early (I'm talking a year before applications were due, early). And after all was said and done, I got in to HBS. I am so incredibly excited for this opportunity, and as much as I am proud of myself for successfully making it through the application process, I have to say, I could not have done it without Caryn.
Product Stacy Blackman Consulting MBA Admissions All-in Services
Consultant Caryn (SBC)
I at first hired the Blackman team to help me for just two hours. My brother recently graduated from Columbia and was willing to help me. So I purchased a few hours as just an extra bit of help. My brother was helpful in some ways but after submitting my first application I felt there was more that I could have done, and felt uneasy about my overall approach. The two hours that I had spent with Caryn at Stacy Blackman added more structure to my writing, and I felt that I had a more well thought out strategy. I decided to hire Caryn for a full two school package. Caryn and I worked well together and there was obviously a much more professional dynamic than working with a relative. She guided me through in a way that took a lot of uncertainty and stress out of the equation. We had several calls where I was in a panic and she calmed me down and helped me to work through issues that I was nervous about. There were issues that I never would have considered that she brought to my attention. I also had a couple of problem areas on my application and she helped me to rework the way I presented them so that they were not really problematic. This turned out to be a great investment and I would absolutely hire her again. In working with SBC about 85% of my time was spent with Caryn so she is the only one that I can speak to in detail. However, I did interact with several other members of the team - Bill, Lisa, Kevin, Esther...and they were all impressive and knowledgeable. As I head to school in the Fall I am very grateful for the support and guidance that I received and would refer anyone friend their way!
Product Stacy Blackman Consulting MBA Admissions All-in Services
Consultant Caryn (SBC)
I had strong grades at a top university and some strong work experience and activities. I had several managers at work who had gone to top business schools who were on board to help me and to write strong recs. I applied to four schools last year and did not get in to any of them. I was surprised, and frankly embarrassed, as everyone in my office felt that I was a slam dunk. I was terrified of reapplying as not much had changed and for the most part I wanted to redo the same schools. An old friend from work suggested I contact Stacy Blackman and it turned out to be the best decision I made. Caryn, my consultant at SBC showed me that yes, I had a lot of the right material to work with but I had been presenting it in all the wrong ways. We worked together to redo my messaging and show who I was as opposed to just what I did. I learned that my initial essays read like a repeat of my resume, while my new attempt introduced me as a unique person who could contribute to the school. Caryn's insights were invaluable and her support felt unending. She was positive, kind, encouraging, supportive and she cracked the whip as needed. She was an expert in everything that I needed and she was uber responsive and proactive in helping to manage my process. As icing on the cake, the additional resources layered on by the SBC team, really helped to make sure everything was buttoned up and allowed me to submit my application with a ton of confidence, knowing I had done absolutely everything I could. I am a huge SBC fan as they absolutely moved the needle for me and gave me what I needed in order to be heading to Wharton next year.
Product Stacy Blackman Consulting MBA Admissions All-in Services
Consultant Caryn (SBC)
I worked with Caryn Altman at Stacy Blackman Consulting as a reapplicant to Wharton. I worked with another firm the year before and didn't even get an interview at Wharton. As such, I was meticulous in my search for an advisor as a reapplicant. In my search, I paid for ad hoc services from a couple of firms and did my due diligence with a few others, and Caryn stood out as the best.
Caryn delivered high quality work from the get-go. What stood out was when she respectfully challenged my opinions and persuaded me to follow her advice. The whole process was low stress, and I am thrilled with the results.