Having been rejected by three M7 schools in the last application year, I was highly doubtful if I would be successful at my MBA applications this time around. My brother happened to recommend SBC and I opted for the 10 hour service. SBC then matched me with Beth and I cannot thank them enough for it. I have mentioned this numerous times to Beth and would say it again that my Booth admit would not have possible without her guidance and support. Beth’s inputs in every aspect of the application – Resume, short answers, choice of recommenders, essays, tips on video essays and inputs on how to tackle final interviews were highly valuable. One of the aspects that I loved working with Beth was she would push me further to draw my story out and shape it in the best way possible. Highly recommended!

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I worked with Sherry (and SBC) for my MBA applications in the fall of 2017. I had chosen SBC based upon a feature article in The Economist magazine.

I worked with Sherry as my primary consultant for applications to three top-15 US B-Schools. Esther Magna was my initial consultant, and I was convinced to hire SBC after a chat with Esther. Beth Tidmarsh was my application flight tester for one of the applications, and she provided very insightful feedback; the team work at SBC is very synchronized, a testament also to their professional in-house intelligence for B-School applications.

I am an Indian male in the over-represented consulting background demographic. In addition, I worked with a non-target employer during my applications. I eventually got into an Ivy-League B-School and there’s absolutely no way that it could have been possible without Sherry’s help.

I want to emphasize that Sherry is just phenomenal; she is an excellent consultant and an even better person. Sherry helped me every step of the way during the applications and the interview process: She helped me write natural and polished essays and provided extremely critical feedback during the mock interview. In addition, she was always very generous with her time whenever I needed her help with proof-reading e-mails that I sent (and I sent quite a few!) to the AdCom during the excruciating waiting time after the interviews or advice re: a general road-map for how long I should wait for what. If you’re looking for a sharp consultant – who has been an AdCom member herself and knows the process inside-out – who is extremely professional and gentle, Sherry is your go-to consultant. I highly recommend Sherry and SBC to you.

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Jen and the Stacy Blackman team were phenomenal in helping this "tough case" (I'm a bit older and have a non-traditional background compared to other applicants to b-schools). Jen helped me identify how my experience and skills could be positioned to appeal to admissions committees, and we worked on several drafts of each essay before submitting. I received five invitations to interview, and Jen was incredibly generous with her time in helping me prepare. She also helped me adjust my expectations based on what I had already accomplished and how I might appear on paper to ad comms—it takes a special school to look past their own algorithms as they choose applicants. I am exceptionally grateful for the time, support, and encouragement Jen offered me during this very intense process, and I recommend Stacy Blackman Consulting and Jen wholeheartedly!

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Bill was very professional and knowledgable. During our first discussion, he helped explain to me the pros and cons for each of the program I was considering. His feedback helped me filter the list of schools I was considering and helped me save money on applications. That alone was worth every penny!

Throughout the process, I felt a lot more comfortable with the help from Bill. He was clearly knowledgable of business schools, and the application process. Bill made the process a lot less nerve wrecking.

Overall, I would definitely refer Bill and SBC to my friends and colleagues who are interested in business school admissions consulting.

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Let me cut to the chase: Margaret is the consultant you will never regret to work with! Margaret is the consultant who brought me to the next level, push me further, and keep challenging me on essays while I felt exhausted after 6, 7 revisions: three days before one school’s deadline, I thought my essays are final but Margaret kept pushing me to the next level. She clearly laid out the strategic applications plan for me and a lot of the information I had never thought about even after tons of research both from online and from peers who had applied MBA programs. Down the road, because of the enormous experience she has, she even predicted the “career goal confusion” I would face after networking with too many current students and alums, and gave me advice on how to handle it. She even predicted that the strategy some schools use to give offers and I was able to get admitted after her encouragement knowing that it’s one of the strategies the school uses. I did tons of research online before I finally decided to work with Margaret, and one of the questions I asked every consultant is: “what drives you to be a consultant.” Margaret’s answer resonates with me so much: “to help others make their dreams come true is also a dream come true itself, right?” She took time to understand who I am, in order to help my strengths, uniqueness, shining through both in my application materials and interviews: really focusing on who I am. I could keep writing the good things about Margaret forever… but to sum: I was admitted at two S16 schools, with scholarship at one of them: None of this would be possible without her help. I would recommend her to anyone: I recommended Margaret to one of my close friends who is also applying this year: “she is popular and GOOD, I MEAN GOOD! and you better get on her calendar quick!”

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As a Latin American re applicant candidate to top business schools in the US, I found the assistance and support from SBC to be extremely valuable. Since the beginning of the process, I was matched with a true counselor that understood very well my personal story and that helped me define the best route for strengthening my candidacy. Stephanie has been the best consultant, who has helped me polish a concise, clear and powerful pitch for Admissions. With her support and Rebekah (former admissions officer as Stephanie) who provided an excellent flight test before submitting my materials, I was admitted at Duke, IESE and currently waitlisted at Tuck. I can confidently say that SBC team is absolutely professional as they provide every resource needed for creating your best application. In this long process of applying to Business School, the support & guidance of former Admission Officers and counselors is critical, as they understand very well the process, and will support you in a comprehensive way, giving you the confidence to do the best of the process.

Thanks for everything SBC!!

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I decided to engage Stacy Blackman after submitting a number of unsuccessful applications in round 1. Of the 6 schools I applied to, I was rejected from 4, waitlisted after interview at 1 and waitlisted without interview at another. Initially, I was skeptical about the value of using a consultant. However, I was blown away with Sherry and the results that she delivered!

From day 1, Sherry was very responsive and engaged and we built a great working relationship. I really valued Sherry’s honesty in reviewing my applications and together we reshaped my entire application. I found that I had a lot of support at Stacy Blackman, including the flight test, which I found exceptionally helpful! Sherry and I also conducted a mock interview, which was invaluable for my later interviews. Sherry conducted many interviews during her time in admissions and the questions she asked all came up in my later interviews!

I used the all-in package and I can’t recommend it highly enough! The package included support of a great team (including the flight test and mock interview). All up, I applied for 4 top 15 schools with Sherry. I got into 3 (including my top preference) and was awarded merit scholarships at all 3, including a 100% scholarship, 50% scholarship and 25% scholarship. Sherry helped me negotiate with the schools and the 50% scholarship was later increased to 75%.

On reflection, I wish I engaged Sherry earlier as she helped make the entire application process much less stressful. I now view the fees I spent on Stacy Blackman as an investment in winning my scholarship.

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I am so beyond ecstatic at the results of my partnership with Yvette and the SBC team! I decided on SBC after reading many outstanding reviews and seeing the results of a friend who used SBC. I was matched based on my nontraditional background with Yvette Romero, a true gem!, and my main consultant who helped me identify target schools, refine my voice through my essays, and ace the interviews. Yvette was thoughtful, encouraging, and incisively realistic while making me laugh through an otherwise stressful process. Throughout our partnership, she asked me questions that highlighted aspects of my profile that I would have never considered to be special. Her advice on how to frame my applications to appeal to adcomm revealed deep insight into the admissions process, and as a result, even small tweaks to my application felt like home runs. Her deep knowledge of MBA admissions ultimately empowered me with a road map to strategically navigate those long months.

What felt most critical to me in our partnership and something that I will always be thankful for is that Yvette gave me the confidence I needed to overcome a low GPA. She taught me how to truly and unabashedly tell my unique story and highlight my strengths. She is a gifted listener and story teller, and she imbues you with these same qualities- asking the right questions until you arrive at the key story for your application to showcase. And because she is truly invested in your success and believes that you deserve your own best work, she will work painstakingly with you until you get it right! I am so proud when I read my essays and think on my interviews, because they feel like "me". Yvette really helped my essence shine.

I received THREE acceptances from top schools, including TWO FULL SCHOLARSHIPS - one from a reach school I hadn't considered until Yvette told me to go for it! As someone with a nonprofit background and the hurdle of a low GPA, I know the price looks a little steep but it is an incredibly worthwhile investment that will pay dividends! I am thrilled to be attending a top business school in the fall and regret nothing about my SBC experience. I cannot recommend Yvette enough. She pushed me to work hard, be honest, and be proud of what I had accomplished. I have loved working with her, and if you make the wonderful decision to do the same, I know you will, too!

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My experience working with Sherry Holland on the 2-school consulting package was wonderful. Sherry is not only an expert consultant but also a genuinely kind, encouraging, and positive person (which really does make a difference when you work with someone for months on your personal story and goals). Sherry understood that I was weary of the MBA application process and literally walked me through each and every step. (1) School selection - this was one of the many areas where Sherry’s deep knowledge and experience as an adcom member was invaluable. I had a long list of schools and Sherry was able to give me an idea of the culture of each school, what kind of students thrive there, and other things to consider like the cost of living and what kind of companies were in the area, etc., allowing me to narrow down my list. (2) Resume and essays - Sherry pushed me to turn drafts on both my resume and essays until they were perfect. She really took the time to get to know me as a candidate, resulting in essays that were authentically me. Sherry also turned comments around very quickly, was always available throughout the process, hopped on the phone with me to talk me through my concerns, and was super flexible and understanding about my work and family commitments. She kept me on track and made a very difficult process manageable. (3) Interview preparation - my interview prep with Sherry was harder than my actual interview. She provided thoughtful, actionable feedback and most importantly, helped me feel prepared going into my interviews. (4) Decisions and waitlist - I worked on 2 schools with Sherry, Darden and Fuqua, and ultimately was accepted to both schools - a 100% track record! I had initially been waitlisted at Fuqua and felt very discouraged. All the blog posts I had read made it sound as though getting off Fuqua’s waitlist was next to impossible. Sherry again took the time to consult with me about what I really wanted and let me know that if Fuqua was where I wanted to be, we could work together on strategies to get off the waitlist. She explained that it really was not hopeless and not to be swayed by blogs. Upon Sherry’s advice, I prepared updates and additional information for Fuqua’s adcom and was offered a place in Fuqua’s class of 2020! Thank you, Sherry, I really couldn’t have done it without you!

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I had a wonderful experience with SBC - receiving the all-in services for my Wharton Round 2 Application. From the outset, my diagnostic and initial conversations with Esther (onboarding) were incredibly helpful and informative. That conversation led to my decision to go with SBC instead of other firms I was speaking with (Veritas, Ivy).

From there I moved to work directly with Meghan, my dedicated consultant. As a former Wharton admissions officer, she was able to provide differentiated advice and guidance to support my Wharton application. She helped me think through my story and highlight the most impactful aspects of my professional and extracurricular experiences.

Equally important, was the mock team-based discussion preparation session that Meghan held for myself and five other candidates who received interview invitations for the Wharton Round 2 Interviews.

Meghan's candor in reviewing my application and in assessing my mock TBD performance informed my approach and strategy on interview day. I had no issues with any aspect of the service.

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