The consultant assigned to me was Chi-Pei Tseng, who was matched with me given similar professional and ethnic backgrounds. Our "match" was made via an initial interview with another consultant from the firm (free trial).

I was enlightened by the feedback received during the 30 min free trial session - small details on what I could improve on in my resume, what I should be highlighting as strengths, and my realistic chances for each of my target schools.

I was formally onboarded with Stacy Blackman just a week to the R2 deadline. We revamped my resume and essays. Chi-Pei worked with me across multiple timezones as I was travelling through Asia and Europe at the time. She was very efficient in reviewing and commenting, with turnaround times within a day considering the tight timeline.

When I got invited to interview, she also took time on a Sunday to rehearse me through a mock interview, which fell on a Monday.

Overall - I would highly recommend their services especially if you are feeling any doubt at all on your application. They do have a wealth of resources that make them a credible and reliable consulting firm.

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I was new to the application process and I had applied to a couple of business schools without any outside help. Unfortunately, I was waitlisted at my top choice school. I wanted to get off the waitlist so I contacted Stacy Blackman services and was assigned to Sherry Holland. She was an excellent resource and helped devised a plan for me to get off the wait list. She was able to identify weaknesses in my application and helped me address them properly. She was very responsive and reliable throughout the entire process.

Thankfully, a month later, I was admitted off the waitlist and could not have done so without her help. I would recommend the SBC service, specifically Sherry, to anyone who who is stressed, needs morale support and guidance throughout the application process.

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As a non-traditional applicant with lower test scores, I needed to come up with ways to best present myself in my applications. I was not planning on using a consultant but knew that I needed help in coming up with ways to tie my experiences together and put together a strong application. Working with Maureen kept me on track throughout the process.
Maureen was patient and insightful in helping me come up with an application strategy. Maureen was great to work with, encouraging, and very responsive. She worked on multiple essay drafts with me, helped me come up with ways to explain and present my employment history cohesively and prepared me for interviews. I found the services to be pretty expensive but comparable (and less than some!) to similar companies. The written materials and information on different schools were very helpful when I was finalizing my list of schools to apply to.

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Margaret was my consultant during the admissions process. Having her to support me kept me focused on the task and she was very professional. She absolutely helped me find my voice and pushed me when I needed it during the essay writing process, and definitely made it easier than it would have been otherwise. She provided very useful comments and helped me think through things from different perspectives. I would not have been able to get to the stage I wanted (3 admits) without her advice. She was also always responsive and very professional throughout. Highly recommend Stacy Blackman for their essay writing support!

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I used Stacy Blackman Consulting because I was short on time (taking classes, working, AND applying all at once) and because I had a major weakness in my application (my GPA). Going in I was honestly overwhelmed and didn't know how make the task of applying feel more manageable. My end result - I got into two of my schools and one with a significant scholarship - speaks for itself. (Full disclosure: I applied to 4 schools, SBC worked with me on 2 apps, one of which I didn't even get an interview to - but my other 2 application essays definitely benefited from what I learned working with an SBC consultant so I don' think I'd have gotten the same result on my own.)

If I could do it again though, I might have approached it slightly differently:

- I relied on my consultant too heavily for school selection. This is an area where I should've put in my leg work on my own before hiring anyone as SBC. While my consultant was helpful with "I would strongly advise not applying to that one for XYZ reason" she didn't offer any "have you looked at ABC?"

- I would have paid for additional essay hours for essays related to other schools.

The only real downside was the price. But, that said, you get quality for what you pay.

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I subscribed to the Hourly Service offered by Stacy Blackman and I had the good fortune of getting the help of someone as erudite and thoughtful as Paul. Given that I am from Asia and from traditional consulting/PE backgrounds, it was critical for me to differentiate myself among the crowd. Paul helped me do this and more importantly express myself better. The high point of the interactions with Paul was that he ensured that all my application material reflected my authentic self. Thanks to Paul's help and support, I was able to secure admission to Harvard Business School, which was the only school I had applied to.

I strongly recommend the hourly service provided by Stacy Blackman and in particular Paul who was quite remarkable in the way he helped me.

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I had the pleasure of working with Bill Chionis (@SBC).
After my initial consultation with him I could connect with him well and felt very comfortable working with him through out the process.
He clarified the overall strategy and helped me focus on my key strengths. Bill was awesome with essay feedbacks/edits. Always responded with in a day or two.

Although I did not make it to the school of my choice I still got an admit for the second option.

Overall I would highly recommend Bill (or SBC) to any one considering a consultant for taking the stress out of the whole process and to keep you focused and provide clarity in each step.

Thanks Bill for your support and it was fun to work with you!

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B-school apps can be challenging, frustrating, scary, and overwhelming. At the end of the day, it really helps to have a professional by your side to guide your thought process as you think about the topics for your essays, and the overall strategy for each school. I worked with Margaret at SBC, and can say from the bottom of my heart that she did a great job in steering me in the right direction. While I didn't get into my first choice school, I ended up in a top-20 school with a FULL FELLOWSHIP, which means my entire tuition was paid for (I didn't apply for any fellowships, but was rather selected based on my application, which was a ridiculously nice surprise). As I look back, I remember second guessing the essay topics for the B-school. It seemed they were too cheesy, too personal. Margaret didnt let me stray and reassured me in every revision of the essays. I can honestly say that without Margaret I would not have written these essays and who knows whether I would have gotten the same result. If I had to do anything differently, I would have been a bit more creative and brave with the topics I chose for other B-schools. At the end of the day, SBC and Margaret were there for me to guide my own options, they could only work with what they had. SBC won't make up ideas for you, won't write the application for you, so you really have to be determined to stand out and show the school who you really are with how you write your application. SBC will however guide your thinking as you write the essays, focus the topic on important factors that we tend to skip over but the admissions committee really care about, and help you understand which topic, in which manner makes your application the strongest. Thank you Margaret and thank you SBC!

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I was unsure about applying for MBA admissions as I had been rejected by my top choices in the earlier year. One of my friends suggested that I try the ‘Free Consultation’ from Stacy Blackman and I set up an introductory call with Bill Chionis. He really boosted my confidence and made me believe that I had a chance at getting admitted this year.

I took the comprehensive package for 3 schools and an hourly package for the 4th school. Throughout my interaction with him, Bill was very professional and always very prompt in his edits and responses. When I had an issue with one of my recommenders Bill went out of his way to help me resolve it. I truly believe that his inputs on my essays and the resume made them much stronger. He gave me some great tips for the interviews which I believe would be useful even in the future. Though I didn’t get an admit from the 2 top schools of my choice I got admission offers from my backup options--both top 15 schools. The MBA application process is very stressful and I think having someone help you through the process can be a big plus.

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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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