I worked with Caryn and SBC for class of 2023 applications. Working with Caryn and the rest of the Stacy Blackman team / resources was an absolute pleasure and I found Caryn’s support indispensable as I navigated the challenging and intensive process. Ultimately, the decision paid off as I was accepted into Wharton, my top choice, as well as Booth and Kellogg!
I kicked off my process in late June, which was a little late given my desire to submit all my applications for the Round 1 deadline. Caryn quickly designed a schedule that would push me appropriately to stay on pace. Early in the process, she helped me think through my story and application strategy to best differentiate me, especially with my background in an over-represented group (male in finance). Caryn was incredibly responsive in iterating essay drafts and helping position myself in the best possible light. Post-essay process, SBC offered a flight test to review my overall application, which provided a tangible review of my materials and overall candidate profile from one of the other consultants, Lisa. Upon receiving interview invites, I conducted interview prep with Caryn and, for Wharton, attended a virtual, team-based discussion mock interview hosted by SBC. Overall, SBC offers all of the resources that one would need through the process.
I originally reached out to Stacy Blackman and discussed my background with Esther. Once I solidified my plans to apply to business school, I requested Caryn and Esther connected me with her directly. My brother used Caryn and Stacy Blackman with his successful MBA application process a couple years ago, so it was a natural selection for me. I also received recommendations from a few others at my company who went through the process, and many of them had used Stacy Blackman. Overall, Caryn’s experience as a former MBA Admissions Officer and her expertise in advising clients was evident. I’m very happy with my decision and would highly recommend Caryn and Stacy Blackman to anyone looking to succeed in the MBA admissions process.

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One of the best decisions I made during the MBA program application process was to work with Stacy Blackman Consulting, specifically, Caryn Altman. From the very beginning, it was all hands on deck. My emails were always returned within 24 - 48 hours, which was so important as I had so many questions in terms of timing, school selection, essay ideas, etc. I had decided to go with the All-In-Package, which for me made the most sense. Caryn’s insightful questions, ideas and general knowledge of the schools made it so much easier for me to focus on coming up with ‘my story’. Importantly, while it took several rounds of edits, etc. Caryn was always patient with my initial, verbose essay drafts, helping me to determine the important ideas as I worked to craft final essays which best answered the questions asked and also conveyed who I am as an individual. Given that applying to business schools can be a stressful process, it was so helpful to know that I had someone of Caryn’s caliber in my corner. The results speak for themselves, I was accepted to Wharton, Kellogg, Tuck, and Ross with multiple scholarships including 2 full-rides. I also was able to work with multiple members of the Stacy Blackman Staff including Esther, always very responsive to questions, and others to do my ‘flight tests’ and practice for interviews, including a mock team-based interview to prepare for different schools. I strongly recommend working with Caryn and the Stacy Blackman Team!

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I purchased the all-in package for two schools, Wharton and CBS, and I'm so glad that I did. My consultant, Margaret, was with me every step of the way during the application process. From instructing me how to research schools I was interested in, editing essays, and reviewing my resume, Margaret was an essential resource for me. My applications were 10x stronger than they would have been on my own. I got into my dream school, Wharton, and was invited to interview at CBS ( I ended up declining as I had already been accepted to Wharton). This company really knows what they are doing! I recommend it to anyone who wants an extra push in the grueling b-school process.

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My dream came true and I was admitted to HBS and MIT after working with Caryn on 5 applications.

I am from Brazil and this was a very challenging season, specially for international students, due to soaring applications and deferrals.

I was very diligent on selecting my consultant, talking to other 3 top firms, but it was SBC that stood out for their expertise and service. Esther was my guide and matchmaker and took me step-by-step through the whole process. I ended up asking for Caryn directly because of her outstanding record as a U.S. top 10 consultant and background as former admissions officer.

Caryn's ability to synthesize a compelling story and tread throughout the whole application is invaluable. She can clearly show you your strenghts and help mitigate your weaknesses. While the process is stressful, Caryn helped me gain confidence and reflect on my true motivations on pursuing an MBA. With all done, my flight tester was Lisa, which is also a former admissions officer and brought a fresh pair of eyes to the material, giving good insights on how to better communicate some ideas. And finally, the mock interviews were also great and prepared me very well for the real interviews.

I had a great experience with SBC and they offer the best service. If your dream is a top ten school, SBC is the right place.

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I was originally referred to Caryn through a friend who had a similar engineering background and applied last year. Caryn was so reassuring yet honest in her assessment during our initial call; I knew that she would be the right person to guide me through my MBA application process. I decided to go with the all-in package and applied to 5 schools, got interviews at 4, and was accepted with significant scholarships (>50%) at Kellogg, Ross, and Fuqua.

I definitely could not have done this without Caryn’s help. She was instrumental in helping me figure out how to translate my technical background and experiences into applications in a way that would resonate with the admissions committee. Caryn was also very much an accountability partner for me, helping keep me on track in terms of timelines especially with all the craziness of the past year. She was always very prompt in her responses and went through several drafts with me, while keeping the essays and applications true to who I was as a person. In addition, the resources that SBC offers like the flight test, sample essays, and mock interviews were really important to helping at each step of the process. I could not recommend Caryn and SBC enough!

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All my friends who used MBA admission consulting services recommended me SBC, including one friend who had worked with both SBC and another firm.

I debated for while whether it would be worth spending so much money for MBA consulting services, but after I spoke with Esther, it was clear that it was worth it. Esther was my first contact at SBC. We had a long free introductory call and I was impressed with her honesty assessing my profile as an MBA candidate. She was quick to identify my strengths as well as my weaknesses, based on SBC’s experience. She answered all my questions, and she paired me with the best consultant I could have – DD, who was a former Admissions Officer.

DD was an amazing consultant! She always gave me guidance during my many essay iterations. She always made sure I kept true to myself and that my voice could be really heard in a 400-500 word essay. She had an excellent turnaround providing feedback, and she was very flexible with my crazy work schedule. There were many times I didn’t even know where to start, and DD was always ready for a brainstorm session and to provide me with guidance. DD supported me beyond essays: from helping me apply feedback from my flight tester, to reviewing my application short answers, to preparing me for my interview, to reviewing additional materials that the school requested during the interview phase, to always being there to reassure me that everything would work out.
I applied to 4 of my dream schools during round 1 – I got accepted in one of them and I was waitlisted in another (still awaiting decision).

I definitely recommend SBC and DD!

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I reached out to Esther only a few months before Round 1 applications were due while I was actually in the process of working with another consulting firm – which I was quite unsatisfied with. I was initially skeptical about switching over to SBC as I had already invested so much money and time with the other consultant, but I am SO HAPPY that I ultimately decided to go for it.

Dione was able to quickly understand my background, my story, and my future goals in order to help me craft a compelling application. She was incredible to brainstorm with and was always available to run through ideas or to answer my (many) questions. She helped me edit all of my essays up until I felt they were truly exceptional, and she was fantastic as keeping these concise, to the point, but still genuine and authentic. I was truly impressed with her work and extremely confident with my applications.

Before deciding to go forward with SBC, I had initial talks with numerous other consulting firms. SBC stood out because of the matchmaking process, the entire team’s efforts toward your final application (through their helpful flight test), and their resources. I received interviews at 5 of the 6 schools I had applied for, and the SBC interview resources helped tremendously with my interview preparation.

In addition, I’d like to add that the team at SBC was genuinely so kind and it really felt like they were on my side in this process. I had lots of ups and downs while applying (personally and professionally!) and Dione and the team continued to be there to cheer me on and push me forward. I ultimately got accepted to my dream school and cannot recommend Dione and SBC enough!

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As an early career applicant who began the MBA admissions process relatively late, I knew I needed every advantage possible to have any chance of admission to a top-tier MBA program. I decided to reach out to SBC after being referred to the firm by a family friend, and I’m so glad I did!

After my initial consultation with Esther, I was paired with Meg, a former admissions committee member at Booth, one of my target schools. Simply put, there is nobody I would have rather had by my side throughout the admissions process. Meg’s job was to make sure that we put forward the best applications possible, and I have no doubt we succeeded in that endeavor. Every step of the way, I felt that Meg was unconditionally committed to my success, and her feedback on every part of my application -- from essays to resume to interview prep -- was invaluable.

Notably, I really appreciated Meg’s communication style, which is clear and direct without ever coming across as harsh or unnecessary. In fact, I found that many times Meg’s kindness, support and confidence in me kept me motivated to put 100% into every part of my application, even during times when I may have otherwise doubted my own abilities and chances of success. Trust me, Meg is the kind of teammate that you want to have on your side, and it was such a pleasure going through the process with her as we worked together toward a common goal.

I’m proud to say that with Meg’s help, I was able to earn admission to Kellogg and could not be more thrilled! In what turned out to be a historically competitive year, I am so grateful to have had Meg’s partnership and support, and truly believe that the value she added was essential to my acceptance.

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My experience with SBC consulting is quite unique. I reached out to Bill Collins on July 2019, when I had a “well below average” GMAT score. Bill gave it to me straight, he advised me on focusing on the GMAT score and coming back with a higher score. That advice meant everything to me, because it showed that these guys care about the results, not the money. He could have easily accepted me and helped me apply, with a mediocre profile. Glad I heeded his advice. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get that score before round 2 deadline, so he advised me to come back on round 1 2020. I reached out again on May 2020 when I got a decent GRE score, still below average though. Bill took me on and connected me with Megan. That where things kicked off.
Before I begin, I have to bust this myth. A top-notch admission consultant wont do the work for you, on the contrary, they will do the bare minimum and make you do all the work. That is where the transformation happens. I was somewhat disappointed when I experienced that, I thought Meg was the typical admission consultant who takes on 100s of clients and just didn’t have the time to work with me. That was totally invalid. Meg was one of the most compassionate people I met in my life. She listened to every single story I had and constructed the best application strategy for me. Her response time is amazing, mostly within 24 hours, and never exceeds 48 hours. She encouraged me to keep working on my GRE score as it would boost my chances of admission. Fortunately, I was able to get an above average GRE score. Gladly I was interviewed by Chicago Booth and Harvard Business School, and finally admitted to HBS.
SBC offers the flight test where my application for one school gets reviewed by an ex-admission committee member. I chose my HBS application which was reviewed by Lisa. She provided a through analysis and review on the application and gave me some improvement opportunities.
Overall, SBC might be more expensive than other consultancies, and wouldn’t offer admission guarantee. But its well worth the money. The journey was extremely fun and transformational.

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I reached out to Esther over two years ago to get the SBC team's perspective on my competitiveness for HBS. While most consulting firms are quick to bring on any potential client, the SBC team stood out as different in this early phase; Esther noted that I would have a much stronger profile if I gained an additional year of experience at my current job. In the intervening year, she continued to reach out with support and guidance, ultimately coming to understand my strengths/weaknesses/aspirations quite well. This hard work up front then helped Esther to match me with the ideal consultant for my goals: Dione.

Dione and I began working together seven months before application deadlines. Having never worked with a consultant before, I was unsure what to expect—but was immediately impressed by Dione from the moment we met all the way through interview prep eight months later. Well before I started actually writing essays or contacting recommenders, Dione and I spent many hours discussing my overall strategy and positioning. Her guidance and input during this early phase proved critical to developing a cohesive story/framework for my application. And when I moved from big-picture planning to the nuts-and-bolts of the application (e.g., writing the essays), Dione proved just as helpful. A few of Dione's differentiating strengths that I would like to highlight:
- Dione is extremely responsive. I continued to be amazed by how quickly she would email or call with input every time I sent her draft materials for review.
- Dione is a very strong writer. Given her background in marketing/communications, I believe Dione is perhaps better-qualified than many other consultants to support with essay edits.
- Dione deeply cared about my success. I feel that Dione came to know me very well—not just as an applicant, but as a person—and this helped to make me feel very genuinely supported throughout the process.

There are many other good things I could say about Dione and the SBC team. I would have been happy with my experience regardless of the application outcomes, but am particularly happy with the experience after being accepted to HBS. I would highly recommend SBC (and Dione specifically!) to anyone.

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