Stacy Blackman was recommended to me by a friend when I was feeling lost in the beginning to the whole process. I reached out and was matched with Jessica and we instantly clicked. Her background and personality complemented mine and I couldn't imagine having worked with anyone else (even though I'm sure all of the other consultants are wonderful). I was a little worried that the distance would make it tough to connect and truly get valuable feedback, but I was very wrong. From the beginning, Jessica helped me craft my story, highlight my strengths, and realize what I needed to focus on in my application. She was always available to me and guided me through updating my resume, editing my essays countless times, and preparing for the interview. She gave me so much perspective and provided feedback in a way that did not belittle me, but really allowed me to realize important updates that needed to be made. I honestly do not think I would be in the position that I am in (two for two, making a decision between Kellogg and Booth) had it not been for Jessica and Stacy Blackman. I cannot stress enough how valuable and helpful it was for me - it is definitely worth it to invest in a consultant through Stacy Blackman, as the alternative is to run the risk of an unfavorable outcome after a very draining process.

If you are even considering it, definitely choose Stacy Blackman. I am so so happy that I did!

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Fighting for a spot in the top MBA program is a tough process-mentally and physically. Coming from a non-traditional background, I lack confidence in myself, wondering how I could stand out among thousands of applicants and show the best of me. I am glad to say that my consultant CP Tseng from SBC and the team greatly facilitated this process and helped me focus my energy on working on the right things instead of worrying about what I couldn’t change.

As an international applicant, at first I struggled to tell my story right. From essays to interviews, CP continuously gave me guidance and inspired me to reflect on my experience, identify my virtues and transform scattered ideas into a vivid story that I hope the admission team to know about me. While most of the time I kept making progress with CP’s professional help, I sometimes got stressful and started to doubt on myself, CP kept me on track not only by encouraging me but also by providing cool-headed, constructive feedback. Personally, I think the technical and emotional supports are equally valuable in this service. After all, the admission process could be very subjective and you may need to move on under uncertainties.

Finally, I chose SBC because I trust someone who themselves had successfully been through this process and assisted many people through this process. I highly recommend this all-star team and as I told my brilliant consultant CP, “thank you for making my dream come true”.

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I worked with Jen Vargo from Stacy Blackman Consulting, and I had a fantastic experience!

I am a non-traditional applicant on the less experienced side (will have 3 years of work experience going into business school), and my undergraduate GPA was not great (3.1). I was very overwhelmed by the application process, but Jen and SBC made the entire process very smooth and straightforward for me. From my first phone call, I felt that the SBC team did a great job at helping me craft my story.

Jen is extremely professional, experienced, and patient. She took the time to understand me as an applicant and as a person. She gave me honest feedback about my essays and helped me with interview preparations. She was extremely responsive - I would send her ideas or essay drafts before bed, and receive feedback from her in the morning. She helped me prepare for a "Flight Test" - where another consultant reviewed my comprehensive application as if an AdCom member would. But most importantly, she was confident in my candidacy and my application, even during times when I felt extremely stressed.

Thanks to Jen and SBC, I am headed to my top choice, Booth, this fall. I highly recommend Jen and Stacy Blackman Consulting!

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I cannot recommend Dawn Clare and Stacy Blackman Consulting more highly. Coming in as a foreign applicant with good work experience and strong grades, I knew that telling my story through admissions essays would be the crucial decider in whether I was admitted to any of the top schools. Dawn spent many hours helping me to craft my story, using language that would resonate with adcoms in the US. She was exceptionally patient, considered and thoughtful throughout the process.

Additionally the plethora of resources that SBC gave me access to were crucial when it came to interview prep and school selection.

I have no doubt that I would not have been admitted to several of the top business schools in the world were it not for the assistance of Dawn and the team at SBC.

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I worked with Hannah and the SBC team this past fall and the experience couldn’t have gone better. I signed on for the comprehensive 2-school package and ended up getting admitted to both schools!

Although I had a competitive GMAT score, I was concerned with how I’d stack up against candidates from a more traditional background, as I was coming from a non-financial background with limited quantitative experience. Beginning with our very first conversation, Hannah worked diligently with me throughout the entire process to help turn my perceived “weakness” into a strength. With Hannah’s help and insight, I was able hone my story and leverage it across all application assets (resume, essays, interview, etc) to truly differentiate myself from other applicants.

It can be difficult to discuss your own experiences and skills in your application – some things you may think aren’t important/impressive and may want to leave those out, and vice versa – but Hannah made sure I was hitting on ALL the right points. It was clear that Hannah and the SBC team knew exactly how admissions teams think and what they are looking for, and I was so happy to have them guiding me throughout the process.

Overall, I felt I was extremely prepared every step of the way and I can’t thank SBC enough. Hannah, in particular, was super accommodating/flexible with various deadlines, constantly provided constructive feedback and advice, and was very personable and easy to talk to. I would definitely recommend SBC to future applicants looking to get into a top business school!

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One thing about SBC that I liked was their straightforward and honest approach. I was initially looking for a full-time program, and during a free consultation, Esther Magna, the Principal with SBC told me up-front that I was too old for a full-time program. It was a shock to me but I realized that she didn't have to be honest with me as she could very well have sugar coated her response and taken my money to 'help' me with the essays without any guarantees of an admission, but she didn't. I was sold on that honesty.

Then I had the pleasure of working with Bill Chionis at Stacy Blackman for my EMBA application to 2 top ranked schools. He is a thorough professional and a master of his craft. He was extremely helpful from start to finish. He was very patient with me and spent the time to understand my background, objectives and, strengths and weaknesses. He quickly assessed the key strengths in my profile that I could use, and also discussed how I should address the weaknesses. He even helped me identify the aspects of my profile that made me stand out from a crowded field of male engineer applicants.

He was great at compressing and streamlining my thoughts in the essays and was patient during the numerous edits I made to them. His promptness was excellent; he answered all my emails within a day. He even helped me when I completely changed the main essay for one of my schools just one day before the deadline. His second biggest help was with interview preparation. He was brutal but effective as he knew what I could do and pushed me hard on my responses. With his help, I was fully prepared for any question during the interview.

I owe him a great deal. It's because of him that I've been accepted to both the schools.

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I'm writing to tell you guys about how SBC helped me out - I m a successful reapplicant and will be starting my MBA at CBS in August.

Profile: male, 28, finance (m&a, pe, public equities buy-side), international, very few extracurricular activities ("MBAable type", the ones that can be easily transformed in a story)
Post-MBA goals: investment management (focus on value)
Applications prior to SBC engagement: 2nd round to CBS, Booth, Wharton
Results: 0 interview invites

I applied hastily in early January with a GMAT score of 720 (47/41) (and without a recommendation from my current employer). No one wanted to talk to me.

I realized that I needed help, and started looking for consultants. After a few test intervies, I chose SBC, 4 school pack (CBS, Wharton, Booth, MIT).

We almost immediately started working with Margaret on the basics. I retook GMAT and got 730 (49/41). And this time I asked my employer for a recommendation.

This time I was ready: I applied in the 1st round to CBS (ED, had to think hard between CBS and Booth for my top choice), Booth, Wharton, and MIT. I received 3 invites out of 4 (Wharton dinged me again), did 2 interviews (Booth and CBS), was admitted to CBS, and withdrew other apps.

I'm pretty sure the results I got were possible thanks to direct contribution of Margaret, and I'm super grateful for that! Enjoyed the process a lot! I encourage you to ask your consultant lots of questions - especially if you are not sure you are going the right way with your story - this will only benefit you as an applicant!

Hope this helps you choose your consultant wisely!

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I worked with Margaret on my top choice (Columbia) and, not only did I get in, I couldn't be happier with her service! I had one issue which I considered to be a major weakness of my application. Margaret immediately focused in on how we could address that weakness, while leaving the actual path up to me which ensured authenticity. She was also effective in keeping me engaged in the application process long before the apps were due which resulted in a more well-rounded resume, valuable school visits, and deeper essays. Finally, she reassured me of my initial school choices based on my personal criteria as I started to become indecisive closer to the decision.

In summary, if you think you can identify and turn any weaknesses into strengths, stay laser focused on all aspects of the application for the better part of a year, and remain unfailingly confident then don't use a business school consultant. Otherwise, use Margaret.

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I purchased SBC's comprehensive service with Bill Chionis. Even though I have good stats and work experience, I was concerned about how my candidacy would come across to adcoms because my background is in a non-traditional industry in a developing country.

Bill helped me to decide on my application strategy and how to better present my background and post-MBA goals (and decide which of the potential paths was more appropiate application-wise). Bill is very knowledgeable about MBA programs, what each program offers, what adcoms seek in an applicant, and how the adcom will most likely interpret your profile. To me, that service alone was worth the whole investment, but that is not all that the package includes.

Bill, with his super-friendly and professional style, also helped me with:

_Brainstorming, editing, and improving the essays (with the specific structure each school prefers and why they prefer it)
_Editing textbox responses in the online application forms.
_Preparing for the interview: what questions to expect, what an appropiate response looks like, and how to behave. Bill also conducted a mock interview and gave me constructive feedback.
_SBC also provided a "Flight Test" in which another consultant looks at your application cold, as a real adcom would, and then gives you a very detailed report on what areas to improve, if any, and how they think your candidacy will be perceived.

In the end, my process with Bill was very enjoyable, he was super-responsive and helpful, he listened to my needs, and responded with insightful advice. Also, I never felt anxious or alone. I think MBA applications, like many other important moments in life, should be done with someone you can fall back-on for advice and support (remember when you bought your first home or car?).

I was admitted to Chicago Booth (and will attend) while edging on the younger side of the applicant pool. Such a result more than meets my expectations. If I were to do it all over again, I would hire Bill Chionis from Stacy Blackman Consulting and not look anywhere else.

Note: I tried services from another firm before and was not impressed. Also, I am a very demanding client, specially for the amount of $ invested in these services. I can tell you that Stacy Blackman Consulting is worth your investment.

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As a R1 applicant gunning for some of the top schools, Margaret + the Stacy Blackman team were absolutely crucial throughout my entire application process.

Margaret helped me prioritize early on in the spring, so that I could knock out things like short-answer/fill-in-the-blank questions and polish up my resume before schools officially released their essay questions. When it came to essay writing, Margaret helped me bring out the best in my essay without ever losing my distinct voice. I was amazed when I compared my first drafts with my final versions - she truly has a sharp eye for how to polish any essay and bring out your unique voice on paper. Margaret was also super responsive throughout the entire process, responding at all hours of the day on weekdays and weekends.

After I received an interview with HBS, Margaret set me up with Paul (another Stacy Blackman consultant whom I would highly recommend) - I truly believe he made the difference in my interview with HBS. He provided invaluable advice on how to differentiate myself and effectively convey what I could offer to the school during my interview. For those skeptical, he has decades of interview experience for top schools like Stanford GSB.

I ended up getting into HBS and Wharton (with scholarship), and would highly recommend SBC!

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