I was ultimately successful with my HBS app and do think that my application was much stronger having working with a consultant. To give you context, I was a rather "traditional" applicant, so it was important for me to clearly articulate my story and why I wanted to go back to school. If you are in this situation, a consultant is 100% worth it - Carol pushed me really hard on narrowing my "field of interest" into a "point of interest"for my story. This was a distinction that I didn't understand and probably would not have seen if I hadn't gotten her feedback, and it is what distinguishes stellar applications vs. good applications.

My advice would be to set up a diagnostic at the very least. It's free, and they will give you an honest assessment of your candidacy and what they will work with you on. The assessment that SBC gave me about my application (e.g., strong and weak points) and the schools I was looking at were spot on - they are clearly longstanding professionals who know what they are talking about.

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Working with Stacy Blackman was a really good experience for me. My consultant, Caryn Altman, helped me with my applications from beginning to end, was supportive, and exceptionally timely with her responses.

Applying to business school is a lot of work and can be stressful/emotional. Caryn helped me stay on track with milestones for my applications and calmed me during stressful moments. I was also struggling to define my long-term goals and had a low GMAT score. Caryn made me go through multiple versions of my goal statements until I was confident that I was writing honest and inspiring essays about my career trajectory. Caryn was also able to convince me to do what was right for my application (i.e., take the GRE) even when it meant extra work and was something I wouldn’t have had the discipline to do myself. This ended up being pivotal and I so glad she urged me to do it. I am thrilled to have been accepted to both the schools to which I applied (with scholarships no less). More importantly, my experience with Caryn was about much more than just getting me into business school, but has really helped shape my goals.

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I recently enlisted the assistance of Stacy Blackman Consulting for their ´comprehensive service´. I was extremely happy with the quality of their service. I was paired with Alice Robinson. Alice´s feedback was quick (typically less than 24 hours), direct, well informed and useful. She wont write your essays for you (but then, thats not the idea of the service), but she will help you choose the stories that best represent your ´brand´.

I applied to LBS, Cambridge and Oxford. I received an invite to each school, and a scholarship with Cambridge and LBS (somewhat surprising as I understand the European school´s dont typically handout scholarships)!

I highly recommend Alice´s services.

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Paul was my consultant from Stacy Blackman. He graduated from one of my dream schools and is well-versed in the different schools and their application process. SB has a thorough onboarding process and I felt like Paul really took the time to know my background and who I am as a person so he could best help me in the process.

It was very helpful to have someone who has read hundreds, if not thousands, of essays review my writing and give me honest feedback on structure/content. I found the essay questions to be fairly straightforward but it was hard to pick the right experiences to write about and make sure your stories stand out from the rest of the crowd. Paul and the SB team was instrumental in pushing me to pick the best stories and refining them over and over again. Turnaround time on essay edits was always less than 24 hours and we did 3-5 edits per essay.

I was lucky to get interviews with all 3 top schools I applied to. Paul spent hours on mock interviews and giving me feedback on my answers. He also gave me school specific tips for each interview which was valuable.

I would highly recommend Paul and Stacy Blackman if you are considering applying to business schools. They are an incredible resource to have and worth every penny I spent.

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After a quick and pleasant kick off with Erther Magna, Caryn Altman has been appointed as my main consultant at Stacy Blackman (Carol Grayson supported me with an ad hoc aspects of one of my application).

Both Caryn and Carol have tons good insights from having worked extensively as Admission Officers.
I felt very comfortable throughout the all process. Caryn has been able to structure an overwhelming process in more manageable pieces. Her experience allowed us to to leverage on every aspect of the work we were doing effectively.

The accessibility has been spot on and also the possibility to tailor my package towards the areas I felt the need to focus on mostly has been key.
Baseline - accepted to all the BSs I applied with their support (Tuck and Insead )

As mentioned by other reviews, SBC was absolutely fundamental in helping me communicate my story in the best way. I think I was a strong applicant with respect to several items but figuring out what to write and what to write not and how to convey the key messages is an aspect Caryn and I worked on a lot and at the end of the day effectively.

Finally I am happy with my personal choice - I can’t recommend more SBC and Caryn

P.S. Before committing to SBC I had a small beauty contest with other Consulting Firms. The flexibility they showed in every aspect of the process has been the final driver for me to push the button with them.

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The MBA is a pivotal part of your personal and professional life -- why skimp on getting into a dream school? Subscribing for the comprehensive package with SBC was one of the best decisions I've made.

I was paired with Paul, a retired PE professional who had previously attended both Harvard and GSB, as well as serving on several Ivey admissions committees. Having his insights was invaluable -- it is striking how far my essays came from the first draft to final product. When I pressed "submit" I really felt like the application was an honest reflection of who I am, whereas normally from fear of mis-stepping I surely would have produced something much more generic. Other friends have used the SBC service, and were equally impressed.

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I’m heading to one of the top MBA programs at my dream school next fall! My consultant, Paul, gave me tremendous help in this process from initial strategy to interview prepping.

The Stacy Blackman team did a fantastic job matching me up with a consultant based on my background and desired school. Paul’s knowledge about my dream school combined with his creative approach really got me to think outside of the box. I do not have the ivy league + fortune 500 background, and just finished my undergrad education this year. I was initially skeptical about my chance to being accepted by my dream school, given my modest experience, but Paul was able to help me find my unique qualities and strengths.

In the end I was able to create an application that’s strong, unique and authentic.

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Overwhelmed. That's how I felt when I started to plan my B school path. I had so many stories I wanted to convey and just didn't know how to assemble them together within the minimal words within the essays. So, I figured I would get some free advice with an initial 30-minute consult. Well, 3 days later I signed up for a 4-school comp with Stacy Blackman. I had NO idea how much I didn't know until that free consult with Julie. It was humbling and empowering because I realized that other applicants were benefiting from a partner and I deserved that edge, too. Margaret was my main partner throughout the 8-month relationship and she was incredible. She views the candidacy as a strategy that includes far more than the resume, rec letters, and essays. She coached me on everything, including interfacing with the school representatives during campus visits and additional work I needed (an online writing course, leadership in my community service). I feel like I worked hard during the application process and came away with not only admissions but also greater clarity on my own purpose! Margaret was my lead and I also had Caryn sharing her feedback on my first app. Caryn had been in AdComm before so her perspective refined my applications nicely. I had to choose between MIT and Haas and chose Sloan. I recommend SB's services wholeheartedly and without reservation.

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I can remember spending so many hours sifting through the blogs and speaking with different consultants. The moment I spoke with the rep at SB, I knew I was finally being heard. No sales pitch, just a direct and thoughtful analysis that assured me I had a dedicated and honest partner. It was hard to decide to spend the 3-school package rate. I initially was going to have a friend of mine review my essays. But, I realized that the investment cost of B school was too great not to give myself every advantage. I had two friends last year that applied to many schools and were rejected across the board. I was already on the older side (2007 college grad) so I needed to get this right the first time! I spoke with Esther initially and she methodically explained how the engagement works and shared initial ideas of how my profile compared with others. She partnered me with Carol because of her Admissions Office experience. Carol was a true professional. There's a wealth of knowledge she poured into every aspect of my candidacy. Not a lot of hovering from Carol and that worked for my style because I am super organized. She took calls from me, as needed and answered countless questions of mine almost 24/7. Another consultant, Lisa, was brought in for a review of my Columbia app and Lisa's feedback was incredibly helpful. I was accepted to Columbia, Wharton and Booth and have decided on Wharton!

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As a joint degree applicant, I needed someone who would take the time to understand how to incorporate my law and business interests together. I worried that I didn’t have enough business experience to support the MBA. Since Brian has a joint degree and has placed others in similar programs, he was the perfect partner for me. There’s so much I didn’t know about the process, and Brian gave me all the tools to make sure I was competitive, based on an overall story that was inclusive of all the past work I had done. His time was generous over the many weeks. I am a very detailed organized individual, and he added the necessary creativity to my applications. I would recommend SBC services as an imperative part of the MBA path. I will be attending Kellogg this year because of the partnership of Brian and Stacy’s team.

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