So I was skeptical of taking these "consultants" on board, esp after I had a pretty bad experience with a certain clear admit last year...but for any one looking for a top bschool - having one, in many ways essential, you need someone to look at ur essays, run with ur thoughts...friends and family can only help that much with their busy schedule's. The thing I really liked about SBC was that they let me talk to 3 diff consultants till I found someone I was comfortable with ( yes, i offered to pay hourly for all 3 - and recommend anyone the same...But SBC was happy to deduct those costs from my total fees - if I chose a comprehensive package, which I did). I chose my final consultant Andy...who beyond doubt was excellent!

Andy was thoughtful in bouncing your thoughts of ... he did not write my essays ( initially annoying, but eventually great as it let it be my voice, made me more 'comfortable' about my essays)...but probably the thing I cherished the most about him was him being responsive...he would turn around in 24 hours as he promised, and was there to work weekends, which is so key given my stressful work - I usually only had the weekends to work. He was also excellent in conducting mock interviews...I actually enjoyed working with him and it was like chatting to a friend, but a friend who also knew all about the MBA gig...thanks Andy , and thanks SBC!

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I worked with Paul on my MBA application process and was very pleased with everything. SBC has all the resources you could possibly need and really helped me feel confident in my applications. Paul was extremely knowledgeable about the admissions process for all of the top schools I wanted to go to. Thanks to his help, I was admitted to HBS (my top choice!) and Booth and Wharton (both with significant merit scholarships). Paul was able to identify exactly what I should be highlighting in my essays and applications by having extensive conversations and brainstorming sessions with me. He gave me honest feedback and I felt extremely confident after submitting my applications and when interviewing. I was surprised how many little questions/concerns/nuances came up throughout the process that I needed Paul's help to answer and don't think I would have managed the admissions process successfully without him. I definitely believe Paul was the edge I needed to earn an acceptance into HBS and highly recommend using him if you are looking for admittance into any top school.

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What I am most impressed is the devotion of my consultant Sherry during various stages. She is very professional, experienced, intelligent, encouraging, devoted, and patient. She listens to my personal story and insightfully points out the weakness. She shared my materials with another consultant (former Admissions Officer) for feedback. All 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, Sherry 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 Sherry due to my aggressive schedule. Without her help and the SBC team, I can’t finish the process speedy and smoothly. THANK YOU Sherry! I am going to my only one dream school – Columbia Business School!!!”

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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.

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I wanted to share a few thoughts about Margaret with you: most notably, she has a seemingly innate ability to help craft truly impactful stories for the business school application process. Just having that talent, however, isn't always enough. Margaret contributes two other vital pieces to that puzzle - first, she is tremendously engaged in the work that is being done. The entire time, I truly thought Margaret was my biggest fan...so much so that when I was accepted to Kellogg I fully expected her to come with me! This enthusiasm was strongly noted by her late night emails to me - she would work tirelessly into the night to help me perfect these essays!!

Secondly, her attention to detail and organization is supreme. Its one thing just to throw around ideas about what to put in a business school essay, but its entirely different to carefully structure those thoughts through draft after draft after draft.

Margaret does this effortlessly and always with a smile on her face (even though its the 37th time looking at one single sentence).

The additional reviews by Lisa and others on the SBC team were invaluable. Thank you!

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Choosing the SBC comprehensive school package was a great decision. I applied tot three schools and got into my two top choices - HBS and Wharton!

Margaret made the entire process really painless. Even though I was overwhelmed at first, she made sure to guide me every step of the way. Her feedback was trenchant and to the point - exactly why I needed! She helped me think through my goals so that I could articulate concisely my reasons for wanting to go to graduate school. She helped me focus my writing and tell the stories only I could tell. I really enjoyed working with her. I had a great experience, so I highly recommend Margaret.

Additionally, the SBC comprehensive service is very well organized. I had access not only to Margaret, but also to a social media consultant, as well as a mock interviewer for my Harvard interview and a mock group interview for Wharton. A different SBC consultant also did a final read of my application before I submitted it.

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I had a great experience working with Sherry from SBC.

I felt like Sherry was invested in me. We worked very well together. I was a candidate with some good and some bad. Therefore, I felt my application could read good or bad. So, I hired Sherry to help make sure it’s the former. Here are some more specifics on my experience.

Editing – Great feedback. Took my essays to an entirely different level. Found a way to present my stories in a way that washed over you while reinforcing my key points. My essays would have otherwise felt choppy and forced as I tried to fit all of my info into it.

School Selection – She helped with suggestions and encouraged a lot of contact with current students.

Company Resources – Great! Wonderful tools and a great resource for nuts and bolts as I selected schools.

Interviewing – Great feedback.

Sherry and I both confirmed each other after an interview with staff at SBC. After that, I interviewed with a few consultants and made my choice. Then the consultants also had to want to work with me. I think this helped me find a great match.

Thank you Sherry! I got into Ross and I’m awaiting Haas results. She helped make my candidacy!

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I used Carol Grayson at Stacy Blackman for admissions counseling this year and was extremely happy with the experience.

For background, I graduated from an Ivy League school magna cum laude, have worked in PE for four years, 750+ GMAT, and was accepted into both CBS and Wharton.

Carol fully understood my background and came into
our first conversations wanting to get to know me before helping us come up with an admissions strategy together. She didn't take a
cookie-cutter approach (which I did fear), and helped me get to know myself better, which really came through in my essays. She helped me to become my own best advocate, and without her advice there's no way I would have been as successful with this process. She also helped me work around some holes in my application that I feared would prevent me from
being accepted at the top schools.

Carol also took the time to have several conversations with me (both in-person and over the phone) to prepare me for interviews at CBS and Wharton. She was extremely knowledgeable about what the schools would be looking for and I felt confident going in to both interviews because of her help.

I also got two great pieces of help from SBC (aside from Carol). I found that the Flight Test was a great way to hear someone else's perspective on my application package and gave me additional ideas on how to improve. Even more importantly, I had short notice on my Wharton group interview and SBC made sure to get me into a practice group interview with other candidates to prepare for Wharton's unique interview model. I found that to be EXTREMELY helpful, and the moderator gave me plenty of feedback after the mock interview, both written and over the phone. These were two major benefits of working with a larger firm that I wouldn't have gotten with a one-on-one consultant.

All in all, I'd highly recommend SBC to anyone.

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I am originally from Mexico City but studied my undergraduate degree in a small New England liberal arts college and my master degree in Canada. Therefore, when I decided to apply for an MBA program, I was a little hesitant of hiring a consultant company to help me with my application since I did not have a “typical” background. Before working with Stacy Blackman, I had already worked with two other private consultants. One American, one Mexican. Neither one fulfilled my expectations and only increased my hesitancy to work with a consulting firm. Nevertheless, I knew I needed help if I wanted to get into a top program. I googled some options and decided to give, Stacy Blackman, my last shot.

Right from the start, I noticed that SB was “the real deal,” and I was amazed on how professional and effective the people I interacted with at SB were. Despite doing everything in two very different locations, I always felt “taken care of” and relevant. Esther Magna recommended me to work with Amy. I did not know the caliber of the consultants that work at SB despite reading some bios on the company’s website (Based on my experience, one thing is reading the resume and another thing is experiencing the actual competence of a person). Therefore, I fully trusted the advice given that Amy was perfect for my case. I started working with her and I immediately noticed how good she was. She definitely exceeded all of my expectations for the consulting service. She was knowledgeable and empathic. She gave me the best advice on which schools I could apply to and what were my possibilities of getting in. We communicated extensively to make sure that my essays were perfect along with my resume and the documents for the admission process. I feel that she ended up knowing me very well and knew exactly what to write to make my application better. Without her help and input, I would have never gotten admission letters from amazing schools. By following this process with her, I ended up understanding in a much deeper way why I wanted to pursue an MBA. In the end, I understood that the admission process is a story and the better your story is, the greater opportunities you will have.

I have nothing but the best impression of the Stacy Blackman service. They really provide THE best online consulting for MBA admissions. I want to thank the Stacy Blackman team for going the extra mile to help me with my candidacy.

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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.

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