Getting the calls from Wharton and Sloan were pretty incredible – in a single moment all of my hard work for the past several years finally felt like it resulted into something substantial. It was a really proud moment, and none of it would be possible without Bryan.

Bryan didn’t make me who I am. And he didn’t live my story. But he did listen to me and get to know me as a person, and helped me package my story in a way that was compelling to the admissions committee. He guided me to focus my story and brought out the right details when needed to make the application a holistic representation of my accomplishments and goals.

Bryan is extremely professional and goes out of his way to ensure his clients can meet their deadlines. He responds quickly, while also staying extremely thorough in his work. Bryan’s guidance helped me believe in my application and myself, and I can not be grateful enough. Thank you Bryan!

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When I initially started looking around for admissions consultancies, I began searching around gmatclub and Poets & Quants looking for the best company to use. Based on some high-level research on those sites, I came up with a list of consultancies (think Stacy Blackman, MBA Mission, Fortuna, Stratus, etc) that I wanted to have a “free consultation” with, specifically asking to speak with the consultant who I would be working with.

After speaking with 5 or 6 different consultants, I quickly eliminated 3 of them after I was told by each of them that I ought to lower my expectations and apply to schools that were lower in the rankings than where I was planning to apply. While I lacked the blue-chip names on my resume in terms of undergrad school and employers, I had a solid GMAT/GPA scores and knew that I had a unique, compelling story to tell. It was only during my call with Margaret Strother from Stacy Blackman Consulting where I not only felt encouraged about my chances at the likes of Booth/Kellogg/Sloan, but also felt inspired to shoot for the stars. Having only seen my resume and GMAT score, Margaret had a “right on, let’s do this – we can make this happen!” kind of attitude. After a 30-minute conversation with a consultant from each company, my gut told me that Stacy Blackman Consulting was my best bet.

So, I decided to trust my gut and went with Margaret from SBC. Looking back, that was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. There is no way that I could have gotten accepted to my dream school without Margaret’s help. Margaret helped me every single step of the way: from crafting my resume, finding what was unique about me in order to come up with my “story”, interview preparation, essay revisions (sometimes up to 7 rounds of revisions for a given essay), encouragement when fatigue started to set in, to the calming voice of reason whenever I entered crisis/panic mode.

Margaret has a very efficient, proven method that very obviously works for bother her and her clients. Her experience has allowed her to streamline the revision process to make the most of each party’s time and energy. She also has an uncanny ability to elicit ideas from you and take you down thought paths that you never would have explored without her help. Further, never once did I feel like I was one of many clients. I always felt as if I were her top priority. She was extremely patient through the entire 8-month timeframe during which I worked with her. Margaret took time to get to know me as a person.

I cannot stress how wonderful Margaret is and how satisfied I am as a client of hers. It was my pleasure working with Margaret and I recommend her as a consultant over and over again. While the upfront cost for an admissions consultant seems steep at first, Stacy Blackman Consulting and Margaret were well worth the money. Not only was Margaret alone worth the cost ten times over, but the additional resources (i.e. background info on schools, mock interview prep, sample essays/resumes, etc.) that SBC provides are also invaluable.

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I was paired with Sherry and I appreciate her transparency and honesty during our first conversation. I remembered being told that - every applicant has his / her reasons for selecting certain schools, some may choose not to pursue an MBA if not admitted to these schools as the opportunity cost of going through MBA is high. Her opinion resonated with my thoughts and she took the time to understand my priorities for school selection and proposed another school for my consideration (which I eventually applied to on my own).

I worked with Sherry on 2 schools. The list below calls out the reasons I enjoyed working with Sherry throughout the whole application process:

1.) Resume
- Thorough and iterative process (approximately 10 drafts) to highlight key achievements, roles and responsibilities
- Detailed explanation from Sherry on how to refine and summarize my achievements

2.) Essays
- We worked closely on 4 long essays and also a few shorter question prompts
- Started off with brainstorming sessions during which I explained how I plan to approach these essays followed by her comments and we finished off with a plan and structure.
- With the structure established during the brainstorming, we went through a few drafts to refine details and highlight key messages

3.) Interview
- Some practices before the mock interview with Sherry. I find the mock interview really helpful as she thoughtfully pintpointed weaknesses that I need to work on such as use of jargons, abbreviations and inconsistency in messages between questions

4.) Other
- She is very responsive and prompt. Throughout the application process, she reverted to me timely (I think she has always responded by the dates she promised)
- She is really good in guiding my thinking process, funnelling my ideas so that I can succinctly articulate them in essays and also during interviews
- Having a big picture i.e. knowing the theme of my application

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I worked with Erika at SBC and was admitted to both of my target schools in Round 1! I spoke with many services before selecting SBC for their honesty, professionalism, and straight-forward advice. Most importantly, I felt comfortable with Erika and sharing my perceived strengths and weaknesses. The business school application process can feel like a black hole that you're stuck in for upwards of half a year. Not only do you need someone with years of tangible experience and best practices to help you position your resume, essays and recommendation letters in the best light, but you also need someone who understands the full weight of the process to keep you above water. Throughout the application process, Erika was not only a fantastic consultant but a cheerleader and friend I could always trust would be in my corner.

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It was an easy decision for me to go with SBC after my brother had used their service and found it to be incredibly helpful and professional. Specifically, he referred Amy to me, and at the start he had nothing but high praises for her. Looking back now, I can honestly say that Amy lived up to everything that I had hoped for on this long yet exciting application journey.

SBC is an organized company, and I'm sure many of the application steps are standard amongst other consulting companies. What truly separates SBC though are the consultants within SBC. For me, Amy was the ultimate professional. From the start, she took time to understand me, my background, my goals, and my why. You really get a sense throughout the process that she genuinely cares about you. From there, she planned efficiently and strategically to highlight your strengths, compensate your weaknesses, and most importantly help you craft your perfect story.

I applied for 3 schools, and got into 2 and waitlisted for 1. The one I got into was the school I wanted to go to!

I wouldn't have asked for any other consultant to help me on this application journey.

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I was very anxious about my b-school application process. I had many ideas but didn't know where to start. I almost decided not to do SBC because it was more expensive than other consulting products on the market, but in the end I decided that it was worth it. I'm so glad!

Sherry was amazing, she was always quick to respond even during the holidays. What people don't realize is that applying to MBA programs is a very lonely process and while you do need editing and consulting support, you also need a friend who can assure you that everything will be okay. That's how I felt when working with Sherry. I applied to 5 schools, got 3 interviews and got admitted to 2.

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A quick summary of my profile - liberal arts undergraduate university, double major in business/econ, IB then PE, white, male.

After evaluating a number of consulting firms (MBA Mission, Paul Bodine, Critical Square, Square One Prep, Personal MBA Coach), I chose to work with Dawn at SBC. I also liked Square One Prep and Menlo Coaching.

As an HBS graduate, I felt Dawn was most comfortable with HBS but had a good handle on Wharton and Columbia as well. Dawn's strength was helping me evaluate my profile and craft a story. She then worked with me to develop the high level structure / flow of the document. Thereafter, the heavy lifting was on me to develop a detailed outline of each essay and ultimately write the essay. Dawn explained that I was a strong writer so she essentially provided zero edits on most essays after I wrote the essays (this is in part because we got so detailed on the outlines).

Overall, I enjoyed working with Dawn. She is extremely positive and supportive. She is great at helping you craft stories and I am sure she can dig into the language / grammar if need be.

I used the comprehensive package for 3 schools. I was accepted to my top choice.

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Sherry was thoughtful, kind, and incredibly helpful in putting my application together. Her positivity and different perspective helped me realize the strengths of my application and prioritize what areas to focus on. I was able to utilize her advice in my other applications and was ultimately accepted to several business schools with strong scholarship offers. I'm so appreciative of all her help (and patience) particularly around the interview prep and resume creation. Even with the extensive research I had done on my own, I learned so much working with her and was able to keep on track with all my applications.

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I had an excellent experience working with CP at Stacy Blackman. From the moment the process began it was clear that CP was a seasoned pro. Going in to the process, my GRE score and my GPA were below average. Despite this, CP helped me to craft a story that highlighted my strengths (i.e. leadership, extensive work experience, and community service). She was an expert at showing me how to weave my story effectively through all parts of my application.

Throughout the process, I was often pre-occupied with my low statistics (I imagine many applicants in my position might be as well). However, CP helped me focus on my application as a whole. We addressed my low numbers where relevant, but focused most on the areas that made me a strong candidate.

Business school applications require a ton of work, and I believe that CP’s guidance worked for me because I was willing to listen to her and willing to put in the work required of me. CP provided me with guidance and constructive feedback, but she was not there to do the work for me. She was instrumental in making sure that my application was uniform and consistent. With her help, I created the best application material and told the best story that I possibly could.

CP not only helped me get in to 2 of the 3 schools I applied to, but she also helped me to further understand why I want to pursue an MBA. I could not have asked for a better outcome. If you are someone with below average numbers, I would recommend Stacy Blackman, and CP specifically, as long as you are willing to listen and fully dedicate yourself to the process.

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Selecting Stacey Blackman Consulting to support and advise me during the admissions process was the best decision I made while preparing my applications. My consultant advised me through the seemingly 'never-ending' admissions process and gave me tips that I know made all of the difference in my acceptance to both HBS and Tuck. I not only benefited from her extensive admissions experiences and insights, but also enjoyed our conversations which I found lighthearted, yet focused. The consultants at Stacey Blackman do a phenomenal job at viewing your background objectively and giving tough love where it is needed. My consultant was direct and honest about my profile which helped me take a step back and recognize the gaps I needed to improve if I wanted to get into a top school. SBC is great for individuals who don't take critical feedback personally and are willing to tackle it head on in order to receive admission to his/her school of choice.

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