I highly recommended Stacy Blackman Consulting.

I worked with consultant Margaret Strother for my MBA application this year. My experience with Margaret is very positive. She is very professional and guided me all the way along my MBA application. Especially, She helped me edit each word in the resume and essay to make sure I can present my experience and stories in the best way. Thanks to her excellent work, I was admitted by a top 10 business school this year. I also recommended many of my friends to use Stacy’s edit services, and all of their feedback are positive.

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Amber was tremendously helpful as an advisor and mentor for me during the MBA application process. I really could not have done it without her guidance.

Some specific strengths that I really appreciated was that Amber was always available by phone and email, with very quick responses and turn around time, especially during the essay writing process. She was also extremely thoughtful and insightful in her feedback given her experience with the application process, which I valued as it was all new to me. Amber took the time to get to know me as a person, which also really allowed her to be effective -- her recommendations on how to present myself in the strongest way possible were invaluable.

She also identified and helped remove all barriers to my admission. For me it was a lower GMAT score, which we overcame by taking a required quantitative course and completed thankfully with an A before the second round decision.

Overall, I got so much more value out of having a consultant than I could have imagined - thanks to Amber!!!

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As I prepared to apply to business school, Maureen's advice and expertise was invaluable. She provided me guidance in all facets of the application, including but not limited to GMAT scores, essay topics, and recommendations. Maureen's ability to challenge and probe me when writing about difficult topics furthered the depth of my essays. It is very clear that she has a thoughtful understanding of how to construct an essay that paints a story about a candidate. During a long process such as this one, Maureen made herself available to me at any time and supported and encouraged me even at the hardest moments. Working with Maureen allowed me to conquer this challenging process and be accepted to the school of my dreams! In general, the resources that SBC provides are top notch. These resources were great guides for essays and interview prep. It is clear that they have all the best materials and are committed to helping all of their clients.

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I received acceptance from a top EMBA program and couldn’t have done it without the amazing consultants at SBC. Early in my application journey, my goal was a top full-time MBA program, which would allow me to be fully immersed in the learning atmosphere on campus. Because of my extended work experience (10+ years), my primary consultant Fiona Edwards suggested that an EMBA program would be a better fit for me. I expressed my desire to stay on the full-time MBA path, and Fiona was very understanding and supportive. She worked tirelessly to make sure every aspect of each application was as good as it could possibly be. Having an MBA from Harvard and a BA from Oxford, Fiona asked very insightful questions to help me go much deeper on my essays. She also offered many great suggestions to make my essays so polished! Fiona’s honest and supportive style was extremely helpful to keeping me on track.
After completed three full-time MBA applications, I was finally awakened to the idea “maybe an EMBA is a better fit for me”. After much research and consideration, I decided to switch gears toward an EMBA. Fiona introduced me to an EMBA expert, Bill Chionis, who is extremely knowledgeable in top EMBA programs. He answered all my questions and got me very excited about my new decision. Bill also provided me essay guidance from an EMBA’s perspective. With Fiona’s continued support on my essays, application form reviews, and the mock up interview, I finally reached a goal that’s better for me than my original goal was.
If you are serious about getting into a top MBA or EMBA program, I would absolutely recommend SBC!

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Applying to b-school is an extremely stressful process that can be difficult to navigate on your own. If you plan on going full-time, you need to walk away from your income and likely take on serious debt. Before applying to schools, I thought, if I’m going to do this, I better make sure I get into the best school I possibly can. With high GMAT scores and a decent undergraduate and prior work experience, I thought I had a chance at some top 10 schools, but was certainly not a shoe-in anywhere.

I chose to use Stacy Blackman Consulting because of all the great reviews I read online. I bought the all-in service for 4 schools and worked with Paul. The approach to take on each essay was my biggest area of concern. Paul was a huge help on giving me direction on how to attack each school. He knew the programs that the schools were proudest of and helped me tap into my experiences and future goals in a way that would appeal to each school uniquely. We’d usually have a brainstorming session to discuss the approach and outline the essay and then multiple emails back and forth with drafts/edits. He was very accessible and didn’t mind me using him as a sounding board throughout the process.

I applied to NYU, Columbia, Wharton and Harvard. I got into Columbia early and am heading there in the fall. You obviously will never know if you would have gotten into the same schools without the help of the consultant, but I certainly would not be willing to take the risk to find out. SBC will ensure that you present yourself in the best way possible to get you into b-school. They have a vast amount of resources available to help guide you through the process and consultants that have top notch credentials (many have sat on ad coms of the most elite programs). You need to keep reasonable expectations, but with SBC you can rest assured that you’ve maximized your potential.

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I cannot express how grateful and appreciative I am that I had the opportunity to work with Bill Chionis. We connected immediately, he was patient, diligent and his insights were critical at every step of the process.

I was an untraditional applicant, with an entrepreneurial background. Bill's positive attitude and confidence helped put my mind at ease from the beginning, as I was unsure of the process.

I opted for a 3- school comprehensive service (all-in) and Bill supported me from essays to interview. He also provided me with observations into the programs I was considering and also encouraged me to expand my search.

Bill played an integral role in guiding me through the process of successfully crafting a genuine, powerful and unique collection of essays. He provided me with great tips in selecting the best topics and situations for the essays. He was always responsive and available.

I found the "Flight Test" to be very constructive: a SB team member (not your consultant) reviewed the application simulating the admission committee of the top school of your choice. I found the feedback to be valuable, allowing us to fine tune the application in preparation of submission.

Next was the interview prep, which I felt I was going to be a breeze as I get the opportunity to speak in front of large groups frequently. I underestimated the importance of preparation for this section and immediately Bill recognized that I did not practice or prepare, but he assisted me in refining my responses and transitions, while helping me find my pace Bill again provided great tips, precise feedback and to account for variables.

I believe the quality of support that Stacy Blackman provided was excellent. Thanks to the passion and wisdom Bill brought to the process, it allowed him to be prepared for any possible situation. Bill was an incredible resource to me throughout the application process. He saved me an enormous amount of time and stress, he was a trusted advisor. Having Bill as a resource provided me with the ability to focus on the important aspects of my applications and was critical in my success. To anyone looking for an MBA admissions consultant with proven results, I highly recommend SBC and Bill Chionis.

I am forever grateful to Bill and SB for helping me gain acceptance into my dream school.

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The hourly services were fantastic. Very concise and helpful advice that significantly helped my candidacy.

And it's catered exclusively to your requests (e.g. resume review, essay review, etc.) I would recommend Dawn Clare and Erika Olson to anyone interested.

I did not feel the need for the comprehensive services because I felt that I could already write well and had a strong understanding of what my "message" would be to the schools. For those who are in the same position and are looking to spend less, I would recommend the hourly service package.

Also - the hours and flexibility of those I worked with were very helpful and impressive.

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WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR: I reached out to SBC in November and this point had submitted 2 round 1 applications but wasn’t 100% satisfied with my essays. I was getting ready to submit my last application to HBS round 2 and knew that my essays / application as a whole needed an extra umph! I first thought of hiring a consultant to help me better position myself through the essay. Given that I was further along in the process, I opted for hourly services vs the whole package and had a better idea of how I wanted to use my time.

WHY SBC: Before deciding to work with SBC, I reached out to 4-5 other consulting services to get a better idea of which one was the right fit for me. I spoke directly with the consultants that I would be paired with and this helped me to finally settle on SBC and Paul. I definitely think it is critical that you do your homework beforehand and speak directly with the consultant you are going to be working with so that you and they have a better idea of what you are looking for and how they can help you.

WHY PAUL: My initial free 30 min conversation with Paul went over the allotted time. During this first conversation, Paul already had pointers about how I could better position myself for HBS and areas / strengths that I should focus on. This initial conversation with Paul let me know that (1) he was genuinely interested in helping me through this process and (2) was willing to put in the time and effort to do so. I cannot stress how important it is to find the consultant who is genuinely interested, is going to put in the time to really help you through EVERY step of the process and is able to give you the insights specific to your application. A few of the other consultants I spoke to came across as though they were reading from a script and applied the same "mold" to each person.

HOW PAUL HELPED ME: I had several phone conversations / emails with Paul about my background, work experience, future aspirations, etc. It was through these conversations that Paul helped me to really pinpoint certain strengths / areas that I could develop into a full essay. I wrote several different versions of my final essay and at each step Paul was there to provide me with feedback / steer me into the right direction. I also want to point out that Paul or any other consultant will not write the essay for you – you definitely have to put in 99% of the work.

Paul also helped me prepare for my mock interview – really focusing on the questions that I would be asked and how I should respond – and also reviewed my post reflection essay for HBS. Getting his sign off and help during the latter part of the process was incredibly reassuring and helpful.

WHY PAUL IS GREAT: Paul has an outstanding track record of placing people at top b-schools and is also a GSB alum. Paul’s greatest strength is his understanding of what b-schools are looking for. Through his insight, he was able to help me steer clear of sensitive / mundane essay topics and help to really broaden my perspective of what I wanted to write about. Secondly, Paul is incredibly flexible. During this period, I also used another consultant who was not as flexible and it definitely showed. My other consultant required the standard 2 business day turnaround (with time constraints) and was completely unavailable during certain periods of time. Given that this process is extremely time sensitive and time consuming, it made a world of difference that Paul was willing to hop on the phone / email day of or next day.

RESULTS: I am happy to say that I am HBS bound this fall and could not have done it with Paul’s help (seriously!!!). I know that the $$ is high, but it is 110% worth it! I can only speak on behalf of my own experience with Paul and with hourly services, but highly recommend Paul!!

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I had the pleasure of working with Paul during my bschool admissions process. I truly enjoyed my experience. He was encouraging, supportive, and pushed me to submit the best version of myself. He took a holistic approach to my candidacy, and didn't try to stop me from pursuing my dream schools.
Paul was available to talk to when I needed him, and had great insight when I was stuck in certain areas. Paul helped me get into a top 10 business school, when everyone else was trepidatious. His motivation and coaching, helped me feel so proud and confident in the application I put out.
I would highly recommend Stacy Blackman to anyone considering the investment.

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Hi all,
I was a little skeptical initially about signing up for a consulting service and I tried to do the application process on my own. Later on I realized that the process was taking a lot of time and I was not confident that my application can stand out in the crowd.
I set up a free consultation with Bill Chionis of stacy blackman. After the initial talk , I came to know how I should redraft my resume to highlight my strengths. Then I set up hourly services to go over the essay topics and application process. Bill was very patient, professional and extremely supportive. He guided me to bring the best out of me to the application. My general advice to all future applicants is to go for a consultant. The consultant is very well experienced in this process and he can elevate your essays to the next level and provide you with realistic feedback. I noticed every time I got my essays reviewed that I am able to project myself better.
One more point is when you work all alone, you may not be aware of what others are doing and how much is the competition in terms of ideas and personal strengths. A consultant like Bill can always point out the comparative weakness and strengths in your profile and identify the ways to compensate for your weakness.
A consultant may not be able to land you in harward if you are a dumb ass but he can polish your profile, highlight your strengths, smoother out your dark areas and may unexpectedly bring out previously ignored aspects of your personality into the game. All these will help you to stand out and give you a better chance to your dream schools. I got admitted to all my dream schools and Bill has helped me in all aspects I mentioned above and I will give a five star rating to him and strongly recommend him to any future candidate.

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