GMAT Club

MBA Admissions Hourly Services Reviews

Since 2001, Stacy Blackman Consulting (SBC) clients have been admitted to every top business school worldwide, often with merit scholarships. SBC has a complete panel of former Admissions Officers from every top MBA program in-house. The SBC team has MBA expertise at every top US and EU school, has graduated from the best MBA programs and understands career paths in every industry, traditional and non- traditional. 

SBC deeply values mentor-ship within its client engagements and limits the number of clients for each consultant, engaging with clients only after its Validation Team evaluates candidacy strength. Stacy Blackman Consulting delivers results, as shown through its record of the highest number of online reviews across multiple sites, such as YELP. SBC offers a limited number of free consultations weekly for inquiries who have been pre-screened by our tenured team. Contact us for a free consultation to request time with an SBC Principal.      
4.9 /5 Average Rating
5 star
127
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Based on 134 reviews

AI Super-Summary of Customer Reviews for MBA Admissions Hourly Services*

The reviews highlight the pivotal role of application consultants in achieving successful outcomes in business school admissions. Amy's expertise particularly for Wharton, provided invaluable insights and interview preparation, leading to an offer. Alex, with his dedication and writing skills, effectively streamlined the application process, proving the consulting service to be a time-saving and worthwhile expense. Dawn's holistic and individualized approach helped an over-represented candidate stand out and secure a spot at INSEAD. Dione and Esther, through their thoughtful coaching and attention to detail, significantly enhanced the application narrative, resulting in acceptance to multiple top programs, showcasing the strength and individual tailoring of their consulting services.
2 users mention "Responsive"
  • "Alex is very responsive and will read your essays well into the night..." Read more
  • "She would reply ~2-12 hours later (at maximum, regardless of the time)..." Read more
2 users mention "Detail-Oriented"
  • "He helps bring out the best content and cut fluff...." Read more
  • "Dione was critical in helping me crystallize my 'career vision'..." Read more
2 users mention "Essay Editing"
  • "She provided multiple value-additive comments on my essays and application forms...." Read more
  • "helps bring out the best content and cut fluff...." Read more
2 users mention "Admitted"
  • "perform strongly, and receive an offer...." Read more
  • "I will be attending INSEAD next year..." Read more
1 users mention "Budget-Friendly"
  • "Being budget-conscious, my overall process was: take notes from Adam Markus blog..." Read more
1 users mention "Value for Money"
  • "I think that it was worth it for keeping me on track and explaining the process..." Read more
1 users mention "Europe MBA Programs"
  • "I will be attending INSEAD next year..." Read more
1 users mention "Top-Tier School Focus"
  • "Lived Up To Her Billing As A Wharton & MBA Expert!..." Read more
1 users mention "Non-traditional Backgrounds"
  • "developing and defining my story, which was essential to helping me stand out as an over-represented candidate...." Read more
1 users mention "Time Management"
  • "it saved me time (whole process took less than two weeks)...." Read more
1 users mention "US MBA Programs"
  • "support for my Executive MBA applications here in the US...." Read more
1 users mention "Interview Prep"
  • "the highlight of working with Amy was the interview preparation session..." Read more
*Review summaries are AI generated from 25 latest reviews in the past 2 years.
February 14, 2020
adityashantanu

Joined: Feb 16, 2013

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
740 Q50 V41

Bill is great.

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I reached out to Bill pretty late for the Booth and Kellogg spring batch deadline. He convinced me that I had a good candidacy and I could complete the application in time. That gave me the confidence to apply and as promised Bill was there to help at every step of the way. He was very responsive and clear with his feedback. His tips on handling different aspects of the application including the interviews were invaluable in helping me get through. I applied to three colleges and got a positive response from all. Thanks Bill. I would recommend him to anyone thinking about consultation for part time MBA programs.

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February 12, 2020
ArmyGuy18501

Joined: Feb 12, 2020

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Excellent Support (H/S Admit)

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Joey helped me gain admission to several M7 programs. He helped me with a complete overhaul of my CV that better highlighted the achievements that would most stand out to an adcom - and spent time helping me re-write my personal statement.

I signed up with completed applications, confident in my products, but Joey helped take those products to the next level. He was almost too generous with how he calculated time billed - always giving me extra chunks of time to get my products where they needed, and he was crucial to my interview preparation. Several of the questions that Joey asked me during our mock interview that seemed off the wall at the time were asked word-for-word by adcoms - and the line by line review we had done during our interview prep helped me deliver strong answers to the questions that adcoms would have no reason to believe that I had rehearsed.

Regardless of how confident you are with your application materials, I can guarantee that Joey will help you deliver a stronger product. Asking for Joey by name is probably the best thing you could do right now for your admissions chances.

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January 20, 2020
bajaM2020

Joined: Dec 11, 2019

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
720 Q48 V40

Yvette is amazing!

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Yvette was a fantastic resource to have during the entire application process.
From the first interaction to the last, she is engaged, committed, and thoughtful. She was more than willing to hop on a call at any moment during the application process to talk through anything. At no point was she unavailable. She is incredibly kind, and particularly talented in helping you brainstorm your story and tell it in a concise way. The application process can be stressful at times, and having access to an expert like Yvette makes it much less daunting. I could not recommend her more highly!

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January 04, 2020
tylersteil

Joined: Jan 05, 2019

Posts: 1

Kudos: 0

Carrie@Stacy Blackman

REVIEWER IDENTITY VERIFIED by school email address [?]

When I was going through the business school application process, I was on the fence about whether or not hire a consultant. Some of my friends who were already in business school encouraged me to do so, but the price point forced me to consider to going through the process without external help. I am happy to say I am beyond thrilled that I went ahead and chose to work with Carrie. She was extremely flexible with her time, and helped me get the personal brand messaging on my application in a good place. I ended up getting into my number one choice school, and I am not sure that would have been possible with Carrie's help. I especially appreciated how Carrie was able to help me mold my application to hit all the points admissions offices were looking for, while still putting forward an accurate description of my career and career goals going forward.

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December 18, 2019
easterngod

Joined: Oct 18, 2019

Posts: 45

Kudos: 24

Verified GMAT Classic score:
730 Q48 V41

Helpful but maybe incrementally

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One of the reasons I chose Stacy Blackman was to get cost-efficient time with various consultants, and they were able to deliver that. Some were better than others and at the end of the day I think their cumulative opinions helped me be successful in the process, really enjoyed working with Erin K.

If you are a traditional applicant like me who is honest with yourself it may not be necessary, in any other case I would recommend getting close friends or colleagues to read your essays. If you are a nontraditional applicant or have stats you need to mitigate I can see it being a great investment.

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June 05, 2019
midnight7

Joined: May 23, 2017

Posts: 6

Kudos: 8

Verified GMAT Classic score:
780 Q50 V48

Disappointed

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I worked with Chris Van Nostrand on my Kellogg application. At first I thought he had done a good job challenging me on both broader topics and specific anecdotes in my essays. He was prompt and direct with his comments, which I appreciated. We also did a mock interview over the phone that was enjoyable. When I had my on-campus interview in R1 I felt well-prepared.

Ultimately, however, I was rejected from Kellogg in R1. Perhaps the biggest disappointment in the entire process wasn't that I was rejected from my dream school despite a 780 GMAT score and otherwise competitive profile but that I received zero follow-up from Chris or the SBC team after my rejection. No condolences, no sympathy, nothing. The last thing an applicant needs when juggling rejections and waitlists and figuring out R2 applications as the holidays approach is radio silence from their consultants.

I was accepted at a T10-15 school and will be matriculating there this Fall, but I did that application entirely on my own in R2 and without the help of any consultants. Bill Chionis of SBC actually told me not to apply to the school that I'm going to now and I'm glad I went against his advice, otherwise I would have come up completely empty. Overall I felt ripped off by the entire admissions consulting process and consider it a waste of time and money. It was extremely poor client management to ghost an applicant after they are rejected.

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April 13, 2019
c31n41

Joined: Mar 21, 2019

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Couldn't imagine going through this process with anyone but Emily!

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I can't put in words how helpful Emily was throughout the application and in so many different ways!

With how much information there is on the application process, Emily was able to guide me down the right path from the get-go. From our initial call, it was evident how invested Emily was in each of her clients. I knew very little of how the business school application process worked or if I was even a legitimate candidate. After our initial discussion of my background and my aspirations, Emily set forth a comprehensive strategy that gave me the confidence that I could go through this process with her help. Emily broke down our in-depth conversations into specifics that I could highlight throughout my applications that would appeal to the schools that I was targeting.

From this point forward, Emily provided me with feedback for the essays I began assembling. She always turned around feedback quickly with clear direction and purpose with her suggestions. If anything confused me, Emily would come up with different ways to get her point across to me and ensure that I was heading down the right path. With her help, I was able to create a narrative that would hopefully appeal to business schools.

Along with her help with essays, Emily's motivational and supportive nature pushed me to stick through the process. I tried to drop out of the application process multiple times, but her words of encouragement pushed me to see the process through and ultimately be accepted to two top 10 programs - something I never could have fathomed when I first introduced myself to her over the phone. I cannot express in words how incredible an experience it was to work with Emily.

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March 28, 2019
akela

Joined: Jan 30, 2016

Posts: 1227

Kudos: 5927

Self-reported Score:

Above all expectations

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I talked to other admission consultants and I had a feeling it was about the money in the end. I had a different feeling when I talked to Esther Magna. She listened carefully to my needs, talked to the consultant, and gave me the response based on what they can do for me.
I had an amazing experience working with Margaret Strother. My deadline was 6 days away because I spent weeks trying to overcome anxiety and start writing my essays. She provided step-by-step instructions and made the process very easy. She went beyond to help me meet the deadline, prioritizing my emails to decrease response time and responding within hour even when she was off desk.
As I could afford only 5 hours of consulting, she was kind enough to help me with 2 SOPs for Master of Science program, and also gave recommendations to improve my CV. As a result, I completed two 500 word SOPs in 5 days when I spent weeks forcing myself to write something.
She also gave detailed feedback and further suggestions to improve my essays that already looked good. Her guidance helped to make this process as smooth as possible.
Working with Margaret was a pleasure – it was a genuine desire to help me as a fellow human being. Overall, it was a fantastic experience, and I am very happy that I had a chance to work with SBC.
Thank you, SBC team!

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March 24, 2019
241414

Joined: Mar 24, 2019

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
770 Q50 V47

Great Experience Working with Anthony

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When I engaged SBC, I had already completed the majority of my application and wanted someone with admissions experience to review my materials and overall strategy. I was paired with Anthony (former Wharton admissions), and throughout our time working together he was able to provide helpful tips and unique, additive insights that helped me get comfortable ahead of my final application submission. I was wary about the cost of the service, but Anthony did a great job of managing our time together and getting the most out of every minute. I was ultimately admitted to Wharton and would highly recommend working with Anthony to anyone who wants an insider's perspective on their application process.

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March 01, 2019
empire44

Joined: Mar 01, 2019

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Joey Was Phenomenal!

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After negative experiences working with an independent consultant on the first draft of my application, I reached out to Stacy Blackman for advice. I was confident in my work experience, GPA, recommenders, and community involvement; however, I knew that my below average test scores and over-represented background would require a standout application. I was receiving cookie-cutter advice, and I started to panic.

Instead of trying to mold my application into a predictable form that 'works best,' we worked together to create an application that was wholly authentic, pithy, and creative. In particular, Joey helped me overhaul the chronology of my essay, exposing redundancies and intricate language in the process, and making my anecdotes and messages more impactful. Joey's blunt, yet humorous, approach was refreshing, and as a former MBA student at HBS, he provided me with an added layer of first-hand insight. Joey also went above and beyond by accommodating my condensed timeline via quick turnarounds, and made himself available over phone and email on very short notice. Joey was an integral part of my HBS application success, and I sincerely recommend him for application consulting!

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39 Older and Non-Verified Reviews for Stacy Blackman Consulting