After being skeptical of using a consulting service to begin with, I decided to try three or four free of the free half hour consultations just to feel it out. After speaking with Esther Magna at Stacy Blackman, I was sold. I was highly impressed by her ability to read beyond the lines of my resume and give me practical, personal advice in our 30 minute call which no other company was able to do in such a short time. After the call I was confident that I would be working with other knowledgeable professionals, and that was exactly the case.

I was paired with Sarah and I am extremely thankful to her! We had numerous hour+ phone calls and over 6 drafts of each essay that I did to ensure we were as thorough as possible. I never felt rushed off the phone and always received an e-mail response within a day, even if I had a crazy question. Sarah was diligent about following up to be sure I met deadlines which was something I needed in order to manage my time with work appropriately.

Additionally, the practice for the interview was invaluable. I was skeptical of doing a "mock" interview but it completely calmed my nerves and helped me go into the real interview with confidence. It was a great experience. I am highly satisfied with the comprehensive service and Sarah's work with me. Thanks to SBC I will be heading to Wharton in the Fall and couldn't be happier!

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I was on the fence about whether or not to hire a consultant to assist me with my application process. I knew I didn't need comprehensive help with my entire application, rather just a little preliminary work to craft my story and then a few hours here and there to get my questions answered.

I ended up choosing Stacy Blackman because I immediately clicked with the gentleman I did my free 30-minute conversation with, Bill Chionis. He recommended I work with Margaret, saying that she would be perfect for what I was looking for.

She was. Margaret and I were able to pack a TON of helpful conversation into my first hour-long session--and every hour-long session thereafter. She was extremely knowledgeable (with the kind of insider information not available to the average applicant--we know what the questions say, but what are they really looking for?), respectful of my time, and most importantly, available. Sometimes you need a quick answer via email, and Margaret was very consistently available to answer.

Not to mention, I really enjoyed working with her. The application process sucks, but having a friendly person in your corner makes it a little more bearable.

I highly recommend Margaret, and frankly anyone else with Stacy Blackman, as I trust they would deliver to a similar standard.

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At first, I was hesitant to spend so much money on a consulting service. I had done my research, narrowing down to MBA Mission and Stacy Blackman.

I felt like MBA Mission pointed out issues with my application I was already aware of (e.g., lower quant score, social science background, etc.) but didn't bring solutions.

Then, I met Esther from Stacy Blackman. She quickly matched me with a couple of consultants to make sure I had a good fit (e.g., target schools, interests, working style). And upon talking to the consultants, I recognized how **solution-oriented** they were which is why they exceeded my expectations and why I want everyone to know about them now!

I ultimately was paired up with Shannah Varon who had the exact type of working style, demeanor, and attitude that I was looking for in this application process. We spent hours chatting about my background, values, aspirations which all ultimately provided potential topics to essay questions. She was part-consultant, part-coach, part-editor, and part-therapist throughout the whole process. Shannah truly listened to me and made the (at times) painful essays be more of a meaningful process, reflecting on what means the most to me.

The thought and preparation that Shannah and the Stacy Blackman team put into the process is so valuable. And, thanks to them, I got in to 3 out of the 4 schools I applied to and will be attending Wharton in the Fall.

I HIGHLY recommend Shannah and Stacy Blackman. You won't regret it.

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I spoke to consultants from every major admissions company and I was not very sure if they really understood my goals and how helpful they would be. The first time I spoke to Bill, I was completely blown away. Right from the very first call it was very clear that Bill really understood my short and long-term goals and how they aligned with my background. He was also very knowledgeable about my target programs, class ratios and how someone from an overly represented demographic needs to differentiate himself without asking me to keep taking GMAT till I can get 760.

During my initial call when I discussed my target schools with Bill, he recommended that instead of applying to all 4 schools I should focus on the two of the top 10 schools which I was really excited about and given my background, GPA and GMAT he was very hopeful that I would get into one of them. With that advise I only purchased a two-school package instead of 4. I was not as certain that I would get into one of those two schools but Bill proved to be right as I got admitted to my top target school Haas.

Not only did Bill help me come up with application strategy but we went over 5 iterations of essays for first school which really ended up being 15 essays. He even spent time to review my final application before I submitted it. When it came time for my interview he gave me enough time till I felt that I was ready for it. He first spent an hour with me to go over how I should prepare and approach the interview and then he gave me two mock interviews.

Overall I am very glad that I worked with Bill and he truly is a guide. During the admissions process I learned things from Bill that would be helpful to me through out my professional life.

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Staying on top of deadlines, being able to tell a compelling story, and knowing what admissions committees look for in applications are reasons why I needed an admissions consultant. My GMAT and GPA were average and I needed an edge on getting into a business program. I worked with Caryn Altman from Stacey Blackman Consulting and found her expertise helpful during the process. Admissions consulting can be expensive but I reasoned that the opportunity cost not having an MBA in my field (consulting) would be much more expensive. Caryn worked with me to develop a strategic plan and recommended several ways for me to address my shortfalls. She provided content that helped me shape career goals into believable (imagine that) objectives that would assist in writing essays and served as a sounding board when content needed adjustment. We also had interview practice and she provided solid feedback on what to say, what not to say, and how to stress different strengths in my professional and extracurricular experiences. She also provided guidance on which schools made the most sense given my preferences for geography (DC/Mid-Atlantic), school size, program focus areas and recruiting channels. Needless to say, I'm happy with Stacey Blackman and owe a huge thanks to Caryn for helping me get into school.

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I worked with Walter Czarnecki from SBC and could not be more pleased with my experience or the outcome. I'm a non-traditional case with VERY limited experience in the business world. Thanks to Walter, I'm headed to Wharton in August.

I'll start out by saying that I was initially skeptical about investing in a consultant. The reality is, there is no way I would be going to Wharton without Walter's help. I purchased the comprehensive services package, and that's exactly what I received. Walter and I spent hours strategizing about how to best tell my story, all before I wrote a single essay. In the end, his guidance not only helped me gain admission into my top-choice school, but also helped me hone in on what I really want to do post-MBA.

I have heard mixed reviews about MBA consulting companies, but I can say with confidence that SBC was extremely helpful, engaging, and genuinely interested in my story. When I began the process, I made it known that I wanted to be around a consultant that believed in me and focused on the reasons I WOULD get into school, as opposed to pointing out the things I lacked. That support is exactly what I got from Walter and the rest of the SBC team.

I had my heart set on a top school, and I worked extremely hard to make that happen. No matter your story, if you're set on attending a top school, it is definitely in your best interest to use this service. I couldn't be happier.

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I completed a mock interview with Esther Magna before interviewing with several top schools and found it extremely helpful. Her insights into both the interview process, as a whole, and the criteria used by the specific schools for which I was preparing were invaluable. I know that I felt more at ease going into my interviews after having done a "trial run" with someone who was helpful and friendly but still felt more formal than just rehearsing with a friend. I took the notes from our conversation with me on all of my interviews and wove Esther's constructive criticism into my planned responses. I was accepted to a few of my dream schools and even offered a generous monetary fellowship at one of them. I highly recommend Esther for mock interviews and/or general consulting re: the admissions and interview process. She is a fantastic resource!!

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From start to finish, the team at Stacy Blackman was as professional as they come. Esther Magna did a great job identifying my needs as an MBA applicant, and what consultant may be the best fit, rather than just randomly assigning me to the first available consultant. I also had the pleasure of having an introductory call with Lisa Anderson, my soon to be consultant, at no charge, just to see if we would work well together and I shared my goals and she shared her thoughts. I really appreciated the time they took to make sure that I was comfortable moving forward with the comprehensive service, because after all, it is an investment. I did move forward, and Lisa Anderson could not have been more professional. From day one she began taking some of the pressure off of the application process (I was also travelling extensively for work, and took the GMAT 3 times during the application process) and providing sound guidance on the best way to attack the essays, interviews, and applications. I was not the strongest GMAT/GPA (620/2.9 from top 25 US University - although after applying, I did increase to a 660 and notified schools), but had strong work experience and she helped me leverage this in the best way possible in the application. I'm happy to say I was accepted to Goizuetta and Tepper, and still on the waitlist at UNC. There is no doubt in my mind that I would have seriously trouble getting into these schools without Lisa and the Stacy Blackman team's help, and if I were to do this all over again, I would have hired Stacy Blackman earlier!

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I worked with Aliceson at Stacyblackman and I am thrilled to say that with her help I have been accepted to my dream school (H/S).
As an International student with a non-traditional background, I was somewhat unsure about the entire process and had many questions. When we were first matched together, Aliceson took the time to understand the different aspects of my profile and answer all my preliminary questions.
She guided me through the process and encouraged me to focus on one aspect of my application at a time. She was extremely accessible and through her honest feedback, challenged me to reach further. From our initial chat to my mock interview, she encouraged me to focus on what made me unique rather than trying to fit into a certain mold.
With her great support, I successfully built an application that clearly reflected my personal story and background. I recommend Aliceson and Stacy blackman consulting to anyone looking to apply to business school . This scary journey gets easier when working with someone with experience and a great knowledge of the schools you are applying to.

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When I first started researching MBA admission consultants, I had no idea of how I would go about making my choice. After a couple of free consultations I was still undecided until I spoke with Esther Magna at Stacy Blackman. Instantly we made a connection, she didn’t candy coat my weakness - BS from a state college, low GPA- rather she discussed the positives I had and how they should be promoted. Esther helped match me with my consultant Lisa Anderson. From the beginning Lisa was a great resource, very communicative and at times my own personal cheerleader. She helped guide me with school selection and was an adamant cheerleader for me through my three GMAT attempts.

I wrote all my own essays, but Lisa was there to not just help with grammar, but more importantly she kept me on task with what the question was asking. I have to admit that at times I strayed away from the question and she was extremely helpful in pointing me back in the right direction. Every time I sent her a draft she had it back to me in less than a day, usually I received back that same day.

I worked with her on applications to six schools. In the end I was waitlisted at two schools and received admittance to the other four, all of which offered me scholarships. Three of the schools gave me merit aid that amounted to full tuition and fees in either scholarships or fellowships or a combination of both. The fourth school gave me half tuition Forte Fellowship. I know that without Lisa’s and SBCs helping me to market myself to these schools I would not have received as many admission offers nor the substantial amount of financial aid that I was awarded. I highly recommend SBC; the amount of return is substantial for your investment.

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