Kevin (SBC) Reviews

When I first found Stacy Blackman consulting on internet, I expected highly of it, and I was right. The methods Stacy uses enable each applicant to not only find out the best in him/her but also during this process to understand and recognize what to really look for in MBA. This experience is definitely a rewarding one. The result turns out wonderfully, with SBC’s help, I am going to my only one dream school- Columbia Business School! What I am most impressed is the devotion of my consultant during various stages. Kevin is very professional, experienced, intelligent, encouraging, devoted, and patient. He listens to my personal story and insightfully points out the weakness. Two of us work as a team to perfect the story. As a non-native English speaker and a non-business background applicant, I constantly struggled making my meanings clearly in a business sense. However, Kevin always listens clearly and patiently to what I have in mind, and helps me to express it perfectly. I also sincerely appreciate the devotion from Kevin due to my aggressive schedule. Without his help, I can’t finish the processpeedy and smoothly. THANK YOU Kevinl!

To SBC: I would like to point out that the BRAG SHEET is an excellent method of helping me to remember and sort out my strengths and weaknesses and your Flight Test validates that my consultant's plan for me was on target. They help not only on application preparation but also with interview preparation.

To Kevin:Every modification on my application (both on essays and resumes) plays a magic role. You can always find the perfect way to express my meanings. Thank you for listening to me patiently, working hard and efficiently, and reminding me details before interview. All of the helps really work!

To the SBC team:
Thank you for your encouragement. In the first place, I was a little bit confused about the criteria of getting into top business schools. (I always heard it is very hard) After talking to you, I felt much more confidant and encouraged on the application. I believe that the encouragement is another key factor to keep me going.

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I've been admitted to the Stanford GSB. I can't thank SBC and my consultant enough for the guidance. You played an integral role in guiding me through the mental process of successfully crafting a genuine, powerful and unique collection of essays. Interestingly, I also applied to Harvard, but completed the application without seeking outside advice. As it turns out, I was not accepted to HBS (and did not even receive an interview invitation). I think that SBC helped me clear a hurdle inside myself for the Stanford application that I didn't clear prior to submitting my HBS application. My consultant, Kevin, taught me that the application essays are about growing and about really taking a deep look inside of yourself. I am convinced that his coaching was the "difference maker" in my application. I'm extremely thankful that I reached out to your firm, and I'm thrilled that you introduced me to Kevin and the other consultants on the team. Thank you.

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I was extremely uncertain and stressed going into the b-school app process. While I thought that using a consultant might be a waste of money, I quickly realized that I was getting overwhelmed from the irrelevant info on countless internet blogs and friend's opinions. I also realized that I did have anyone close to me (colleagues, family, etc) that were very familiar with the b-school process. I had some conversations with a few consultants and found Kevin to be professional, honest and easy to talk to (this was very important).

I purchased the all-in-one package for a single school and the money turned out to be extremely well spent. SBC did a fantastic job. I found their consolidated program information as well as sample essays to be critical in my success. Kevin was very calm, gave me detailed information on the schools that would have been difficult to track down via other means, and guided me through the whole process. When I didn't think that I was good enough to go to Stanford, he told me that I should definitely apply. He told me exactly where to put my energy so that I didn't try to do too many things at once or waste energy on things that weren't as important. He helped me pick some of the best stories to make me shine. His mock interview with me was extremely necessary in getting my head in the game for the real interviews. This sounds silly, but the single most important part of the package is that he consistently gave me pep talks to help calm me down and focus my energy....in the end I got into GSB (dreams do come true!!). I would recommend SBC and especially Kevin to anyone in the application process.

One final note -- no admissions consultant will be a miracle worker. They can't change your scores or give you experiences that you haven't had -- but they can help you to better sell/market experiences you do have...I would highly recommend speaking with multiple consultants (before you spend any money) to find someone that you really "fit" with.

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I'm a little older applicant so it was easy for me to write a million ideas that ultimately lacked focus. Kevin kept me grounded and helped me to see how to keep to my brand, giving me great advice on essay edits that got me into Booth. It was a process that evolved and he was happy to answer my questions. I bought 5 hours and spent 1 in review and strategy, 3 in essay and resume edits, and the last 1 on a mock interview. I also bought the guides for recommendations, Booth interview, and resume prep. Everything is consistent and insightful. I highly recommend their services!

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I worked with Kevin Rockmael through my application process as he has had plenty of experience helping students get into their dream schools. I felt comfortable talking with him, especially analyzing key weaknesses I needed to work on for my applications. I was worried about having too low of a GPA to get into a dream school, but Kevin helped me prepare a strong application strategy that ultimately succeeded.

I highly recommend Kevin Rockmael and Stacy Blackman Consulting for the MBA application process. I felt the help I needed to organize my process, create a strong application, and deal with the constant stress of writing and beating deadlines.
Without Stacy Blackman Consulting, I wouldn't have been able to get into my dream school!

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I am about to begin INSEAD and wanted to take a moment to thank Kevin and the SB team. I chose SB because it seemed to be the longest in the field of consulting and their knowledge with placing international clients is impressive. Julie, who I spoke to initially, explained that 25% of their clients are international, and I liked that there are former Admissions Officers on their team. I was paired with Kevin because of his marketing background and Kevin became a mentor, as it’s unusual for an Indian applicant to be in marketing. I worked on 4 applications and received admission to 3, which I couldn’t have done on my own.

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Called up SBC after I got wait listed at Booth (in round 3). I had put my application together with very little outside help and was disappointed that I didn't get in. I felt I needed to bring an outside perspective, from someone with a proven track of record, and this is how I called up SBC.

The service was pretty much what I was expecting: I signed up for the 2hr consulting package and within hours, I got contacted by Kevin and started working with him on making a video and writing a supplemental essay. Kevin quickly identified the weak spot on my application and suggested several elements to highlight on the video and additional essay. We went back and forth for a few days until we were both satisfied with the result. In all, Kevin was fairly responsive and helped me meet a very tight deadline for the additional material (about 1 week to submit the additional materials).

My only chagrin is that the service is a bit pricey (and I didn't get the impression that my consultant was a former dean of admission at some school) and it has a normative tendency: essays tend to conform to what admission consultants think they should conform to. But at the end, those are fairly insignificant details. All that matters is that the service is effective, right?

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