I had a very positive experience with Stacy Blackman, and Margaret particularly. I did the hourly service and Margaret was extremely sensitive with my time and used it efficiently and with care. I liked that most of our communications were via email so we could respond to each other quickly.

The greatest strength in my opinion was helping you craft your own story. Margaret really listened to my experiences and helped me pull out relevant stories that would be compelling to admissions. One of my biggest concerns going into the consulting process was that my essays wouldn't sound "like me." That is the exact opposite of my experience here -- my essays were the best versions of my experiences and views, in my own voice. This was never compromised.

Margaret also assisted tremendously with prioritization. She told me when to move on from an essays that were 95% of the way there in order to spend time on essays that needed more work. This was helpful when coming up against deadlines, while working at a full-time job, as we all do.
Margaret was ruthless when managing her and my time - it was incredibly helpful!

I didn't notice a particular weakness, but my advice would be to take an inventory of where you think you might need the most help. I was very sensitive to the financial investment here, so I wanted to focus on the areas where I thought they could make the most impact. For example, I didn't have Margaret help too much with recommendations. I edited these myself and I'm very comfortable with how these turned out. This will differ with everyone, I'm sure, but worth thinking about where the consultant can add the most value for you.

Overall, highly recommend! They gave me a lot of confidence throughout the process that I was on the right track. I absolutely think they made a difference in my applications.

Read More

I embarked on my MBA application journey knowing that I needed someone to lean on for all application-related questions, large or small. I engaged Maureen because of her ties to and expertise with Tuck, my top choice. I was a middle of the road candidate and knew that her intimate knowledge of "what makes Tuck tick" could help me stand out from a very competitive pool of applicants. Looking back, I feel like Maureen "got" me, and helped me craft effective essays that weaved the same central themes of my story throughout each essay and each application. I only engaged her for two schools (Tuck and Darden). Maureen's response time was always within 24 hours, typically within just an hour or two. She also has phenomenal bed-side manner (the consultant's version) and helped manage my expectations throughout this process. At the end of the day, I was accepted everywhere I applied and was able to have my pick of my three favorite schools. I went into the process expecting to only get into one school and just go there - Maureen helped me TRULY put my best foot forward, and I am 100% convinced that I would not be in this absolutely amazing position that I never dreamed possible if it weren't for Maureen. Just a note: for anyone who thinks that "hiring a consultant" will make the application process easier, think again. I am confident that I worked significantly harder on my applications than I would have without a consultant. That said, you really get out what you put in. Maureen acted as my coach and adviser and really, really pushed me to put out an impeccable and thoughtful end-product. If you're serious about the application process, Maureen and SBC will help you get to where you want to be.

Read More

I couldn't be happier with Stacy Blackman Consulting. I started working with their Oxford expert before my interview. The main goal was to ensure that I was a good fit for SBS and SBS was a good fit for me.

My consultant provided me with so much valuable information about Said Business School that I actually became more excited at the prospect of attending, something I didn't think was even possible! It was great to hear not only about the wonderful people I would meet, but also about the stimulating and variegated learning opportunities.

As chance would have it, I ended up having a pretty tough interview. My consultant, however, prepared me well for the questions that would arise and I was able to navigate the conversation with flying colors.

It's difficult to express how thankful I am to my consultant for their commitment to my success. Without their help, I would not be starting the Oxford MBA in the fall. This person is undoubtably an Oxford expert!

Read More

After months of preparation and more emails than my inbox could handle, I’m can’t express how excited I am to be making plans to attend Cornell in the fall. Throughout the incredibly draining experience of taking the GMAT and completing multiple applications, Maureen made the process as manageable and at times even enjoyable as one could hope for. The direction and feedback she provided throughout the entire process, from GMAT tutors, to essay revisions, to interview prep, provided me with the confidence, structure, and edge I needed to gain admission to a top program in such a competitive year. I feel incredibly fortunate to have been matched with such a patient, flexible and insightful consultant and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Maureen and SBC to friends considering an MBA.

Read More

Caryn was absolutely amazing to work with. Her constructive feedback helped improve my essays immensely. She was extremely responsive, and her turnaround time was astonishingly fast. (I always got a reply from her, with edits extremely quickly.) She helped me stick to a daunting schedule of completing five applications in a little under three months. Equally important, she was incredibly supportive and helped me stay confident throughout the process. In the end, I was interviewed by all five schools I applied to and was admitted to three--one of which was a JD/MBA program, two of which I received scholarship money from, and all of which I initially considered to be reach schools AND I am headed to HBS in the fall! I can't recommend Caryn and SBC highly enough.

Read More

Despite starting the application process over a year ago, delaying a year due to a promotion, and then restarting, Erika remained patient and thoughtful while helping refine my applications. One of my constant worries throughout the process was making sure that my application stood out. Erika's candid advice was invaluable when it came to determining which experiences to focus on to ensure that my true personality and character were on display. No detail was left unchecked or unexplored, and I believe that gave me the edge I needed. Particularly in hindsight, I realize how important it was to have such an honest, experienced application mentor. If I ever had to go through the application process again, I would ask Erika to help in a heartbeat, and I would absolutely recommend her and SBC to my friends and family.

Read More

I cannot express how grateful and appreciative I am that I had the opportunity to work with Maureen. After not getting into B-School during my first go around, I continued to pursue my dream of going back to school and reached out to Stacy Blackman Consulting. I chose to work with Maureen because of her extensive history, success rate of helping candidates get into their first B-School choices, and because of all the positive testimonies that were presented in her bio. After our first phone call and strategy session, I knew I made the right choice. In the coming months, Maureen would help me to submit the best possible applications; providing great suggestions and insights. Although I went through many draft essays for all my B-School applications, Maureen always stayed patient with me and pushed me to get the most out of my essays. The B-School admission application process is very challenging and often overwhelming; however, with Maureen I shared 100% of my thoughts, feelings and concerns. Over the course of months, Maureen and I exchanged hundreds of emails and even though I felt that I overwhelmed Maureen with questions, Maureen always made me feel important, good about my progress and that I was a top priority for her. No matter what, Maureen would always respond in a timely fashion (always on the same day, within hours of my message being sent), providing honest and respectful feedback, which served me well. With my busy work schedule, Maureen worked with me late into the night on weekdays and even worked with me on weekends. I can happily say that I was accepted into Duke and UCLA. Without Maureen, my admission success and dream of going to a top business school would not be possible. I feel that I got more than I deserved from Maureen and I would highly recommend her services to anyone that is interested. Maureen is a true professional and someone that I will always be thankful to have in my life.

Read More

I can not thank SBC and my consultant Maureen enough for their help through out the b-school process! Maureen was patient, diligent and her insights were critical at every step of the process. She took a lot of time upfront to get to know me and was able to draw out strengths/unique characteristics from my profile that I would never have thought of on my own. I had a tremendous gaps in my profile and Maureen was very direct about what I had to do to fill those in
(additional courses, leveraging work experience, etc). She had a lot of perspective on what Admissions was looking for in a candidate, and a lot of school-specific knowledge. When we went through our mock interview prep, she was intimately aware of what the school in question was looking for. I asked Maureen just about anything and everything (and my questions were frequently borderline ridiculous), but she always replied on time and with comprehensive advice. Often times, Maureen's response time exceeded our agreed upon time. She was a thorough professional and an exceptional support throughput. I would recommend SBC unequivocally to anyone looking to get into a top school!

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More