I took Andrea's help to prepare for the HBS interview on campus. While I had prepared and submitted my application by myself, I was unfamiliar with the interview process and was looking for professional help to get a better perspective of how my interview would potentially be. As a former HBS Adcom member and HBS MBA alum, Andrea did a very thorough job of running me through how my interview would likely be.

I spent two hours with Andrea, with the first hour involving going through the interview format and the second hour involving a 30 minute mock interview followed by feedback.

The HBS interview is slightly different from most other M7 interviews in the sense that the interviewer is an ad com member who has thoroughly read your application. Therefore, the kinds of questions that you get tend to be different, and speaking with Andrea allowed me to better prepare for the interview.

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My work with Jen started with a phone call and I knew right away that this was going to be very good. It's been a long but extremely productive process and I gained so much including 2 acceptance letters! I was very overwhelmed and nervous when we had our first call. Jen walked me through my background and brag sheet and drilled me on my actions, my decisions, consequences and more. It was a very draining two hour call but it made the rest of the process much better because I had core marketing tenets and great examples to back everything up.
We picked out a list schools that were a good fit for me. Jen helped me think through not just "where I could get in" but also what I wanted out of a school and what the different programs could offer me. She did not push me towards any particular school, but did help me figure out my chances and where I wanted to be.
I had to completely overhaul my resume to fit for an MBA application and I used the SBC resume guide. It was very useful with great examples and a complete step by step walk through of the differences between an MBA resume and a job search resume. Very very detailed and it was a fantastic resource for me - it truly helped a lot, along with Jen's edits and guidance of course.

One thing I greatly appreciated about Jen is that she did not try to force me into a box. This was the case with picking schools and also writing essays. Everything I wrote felt authentic. Me - just better, more strategic and more polished. For example, when we first started talking, we discussed my strengths. I listed off some strengths that she said were good but perhaps generic. After we had the discussion about my background, she suggested strengths that were completely pulled from my examples, but I just never really thought of it from that angle.
Everything Jen helped me with reflected my goals. When it came time to interview I could speak very honestly and passionately about everything in my essays, I think it really came out in the interviews that i was authentic. I was very happy with everything that I did with SBC and with the service from Jen.

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I went to SBC after two friends had a very positive experience. In fairness, I was sold on their references so did not really explore other options. No matter - I am completely happy with my selection. I was very cautious at first because it was such a big investment. I found it hard to comprehend how I could get my money's worth. But the process really helps streamline your application journey in such a smart way. I worked hard and put it a lot of hours (so did my consultant Caryn by the way) And went through all of the steps of exploring my entire background, determining strengths and weaknesses, coming up with great examples and then applying all of the stories across my various applications.
As I said Caryn worked HARD. She truly cares and adapted herself to my schedule. She made it clear that she would not be a bottle neck and she was here to serve me, not to complicate my life by jumping through hoops for her schedule! Refreshing!! She guided me through a structured but flexible process, we went through the steps to create a backbone of an application, but also spent time where I needed it most. In my case I am a fairly decent writer but needed a lot of help structuring my ideas.
I also want to point out that the flight test is a very very valuable program that is offered by SBC. The idea is that your main consultant goes through the application very carefully with you and gets to know you well. This is good, but it is different from the way your application is looked at by the schools. So the flight test actually copies the review of the schools. The reviewer does not know you, does not have any info on you, and just gets your package and goes through it quickly. Then you get the feedback and can apply it with your consultant. I liked that extra level of help and the extra look at my application before I submitted it. The feedback was useful.
Caryn and SBC as a whole were true professionals. Everything ran smoothly. I felt motivated and supported, and I knew I was getting the very best advice out there. In retrospect I cannot imagine doing this without their support - I know it made the difference for me as I am going to a top 5 school in the Fall.

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I am writing from China. I will attend Georgetown University and I think I should write below words down to express my sincere gratitude for having you as my consultant during my MBA application process, though I have been saying this for many times.

I came in late and all the works were under a great time pressure, but you really made me feel authentically supported when I received your feedback in a very short time, sometimes even at late night on your end. I could still recall the time we were working on the Cornell essays, your response was incredibly swift and extremely helpful. You pointed out my problem of not answering the essay question at the first instance and you even helped on correcting many of my grammar errors. I benefit a lot from the advices and trainings you ever gave me, on resume drafting, storytelling, and interview preparing. These have all became a part of my professional competences and will help me to step further on my future career path.

Thank you for being such a genius, patient, nice and professional consultant. I am so lucky to have you with me during the past months. May you inspire others to achieve the greatness you have.

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I am very happy to have worked with Kate at Stacey Blackman Consulting.

I was weary of using an admissions consultant at first due to the high cost, however, I chose to work with a consultant from SBC for two primary reasons: 1) SBC was honest and upfront during my free assessment and 2) they matched me with a consultant that exhibited a deep understanding of my target schools.

I feel very fortunate to have worked with Kate, who was truly excellent. Her qualifications combined with her strong mentoring skills and her patience made her uniquely capable to help me craft my applications. She was also a pleasure to work with and remained positive but realistic throughout the entire process. Ultimately she helped me achieve success at both programs to which I applied.

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I worked with SBC and Yvette Romero during my admission process.
First off, the whole admission consulting process is an expensive proposition, but is worth the investment for someone who is not comfortable tackling all the minute details and different essay strategies that go in to each application by themselves. I certainly wasn’t.

Yvette and I hit it off from the very beginning and I was extremely comfortable with her approach to things. She was always very direct with me and never sugar coated anything, especially when giving me feedback about my essays. She was available to chat and re-strategize whenever necessary, which put me at ease.
My whole admissions process was also particularly stressful, because I was put on the waitlist and had to be very calculated about each correspondence with the admissions committee. Yvette really helped me with this and luckily it was all turned out well in the end and I got in.

If you are considering hiring SBC for your admission cycle, definitely ask for Yvette, especially because you want someone who isn’t going to tell you what you want to hear, but what you need to hear during this process. She tore apart many of my essay and resume drafts with no remorse and gave me very pertinent feedback on what needed to be done. She had good insight on the schools, and the way they each function, which helped me tailor my essays accordingly. She was also very informed about career approach and industry trends, which I found very useful as well.

All in all, they aren’t miracle workers. Luck still has to be on your side to get into any of the most competitive programs, but they certainly improve your chances of getting in and make you more comfortable with the entire process.

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I worked with Christine Hawkins on 3 applications. Acceptance with a substantial fellowship to my top choice Columbia Business School and interview invite to Wharton would not have been possible without Christine’s and the SBC team’s amazing dedication (both 2Y full-time; withdrew from Wharton and Stern due to Columbia ED).
Even before the process started, I could tell by Esther's (principal manager) enthusiasm and commitment to me to make sure that I was matched with just the right consultant for me, that I had chosen the right company.

I was a female applicant from an increasingly competitive pool, was educated from a US college with mediocre grades, with no off-the-page leadership or community experiences (oh yes, and no GMAT score yet). During what could have been anxious and unsettling times, Christine was a counselor, confidence booster when I was down with unexpected CFA and GMAT test results, and was an honest critique of all my deliverables in the best sense of the term. Christine would lead me to pull out certain ideas, but would never go ahead and write essays FOR me (for many good reasons); when something seemed off to both of us but neither of us could quite put a finger on it, she steered me toward looking in other arsenals of my anecdotes and experiences (which until that point I didn’t know I had or could turn to!) and pulling essay ideas from there.

Christine's comments on my deliverables always came under 48 hours turnaround (though she is not obligated to work so by all means), and I was amazed by her willingness to go above and beyond her call of duty--for example, encouraging me to network with alumni in my area to see if they could submit sideletters for me, and offering to put in extra mock interview sessions. Also, Lisa Anderson's Flight Test put me at east and gave me that much-needed extra boost of confidence as I prepared to hit ‘submit’ for my first choice & anchor school, Columbia. Bill Chionis, my client liaison, was also extremely supportive in keeping me updated of all the different options for application review and his birds-eye-view of the entire process. All of this careful attention to each of my applications as if they were their own will definitely lead me to recommend Christine & the SBC's comprehensive package to friends who are current MBA-hopefuls.

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Lots of consultants/firm will advertise that they will help you get in your dream school and will always support you during the process: well it is quite often not true, but for Stephanie and SBC team!
I can talk of experience having worked with other consultants this past few months. Every time I was not satisfied (tried two other firms with hourly services) before choosing to work with Stephanie and SBC. Esther did a great job matching me with her.

Since I worked on my essays and resume with two other firm before working with Stephanie I can tell you how she made a decisive difference! Not only did all my materials to be submitted were impressive but she was extremely supportive and responsive, always accommodating my schedule. I know some of you hire consultants because the process is overwhelming and you end up thinking: "my consultant input is nice but was it worth the price?", you will not have this thought with Stephanie. Reading her feedback you will think that your money was well spent and that you could not have come up with the same result without her!

Guys, take it from someone who went through few consultant firms: Stephanie at SBC is the best!

good luck to all!

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I worked with Yvette for several months throughout the application process using the hourly service. She worked with me on my resume, essays, interview preparation, and in particular- helped to illuminate a compelling life narrative that existed already, but needed to be crafted and clearly articulated.

Yvette is experienced and thoughtful in her analysis, prompt in her feedback, and she helped to connect me with resources that not only got me into two of the top executive MBA programs I applied to, but also helped me to ultimately decide where to attend.

I am certain that Yvette will help others introspect, and leverage their driving motivation for business school- ultimately leading to successful outcomes. I give Yvette my highest recommendation.

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The service that Christine and Stacy Blackman Consulting offered me was totally unique and tailored to my needs. SBC team chose a consultant that would be best appropriate to my application, Christine, and offered me access to a platform full of resources to apply to the top MBA schools.
Christine helped through the entire process of application, from the GMAT to the interview, in a professional and a personal way. She always answered me in no more than one day and reviewed my essays as many times as I asked her. She gave me support on when to take the GMAT and TOEFL and which should be my goal score, on how to choose my recommenders, on how to build a strategy to explain my accomplishments and career goals on my essays and resumé, and on how to have a great interview.
Since I saw some of my friends' applications, I can affirm that there is no similar service in the country where I live, Brazil. Christine listened to my entire life story, scince childhood, and helped me build a strategy to explain on my application my life before and after the MBA (which helped me not only in my essays and interviews but also in my life). It ended up being not only a consulting process to my MBA application, but a life coach to better understand myself and my goals.
I only applied to Columbia and was accepted few weeks after I sent my application. I had SBC' support in every step of my application. Due to my tight schedule, I know that it would not have been possible to send it with such an outstanding quality without their tailored support.

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