Right off the bat, I will say that I am not a great applicant (M7 was definitely not in the cards for me) and am very pleased with my end result.

In round 1, I initially opted away from SBC because of the very formal (almost corporate) approach it appeared the company took in my initial phone call with the company. For some reason, it rubbed me the wrong way and I chose a different consultant. However, my initial phone call with Ryan stuck in the back of my head and when I reevaluated for R2, I chose SBC. The one school I was particularly interested in for round 2 was Cornell and for that reason, Ryan (a former Parks scholar and Cornell Johnson MBA grad) was the deciding factor.

As a Cornell grad, Ryan perfectly outlined what I needed to do on the schools unique essays, something that gave me a ton of comfort. On the multiple reversions of my essays, he outlined tips and verbiage he used to land a full scholarship to the school. In fact, we made such progress in each iteration and thus, saving such time, that I was able to use a large chunk of my 5-hour purchase for another school. In comparing the final essays I turned in R2 to the failed essays (again, done with another consultant) turned in R1, it is quite clear the sizable talent gap between Ryan/SBC and other consultants... Literally night and day between the two finished products. The truth is, anyone reading this review is here to get RESULTS out of an admissions consultant. To this end, I firmly believe if I did not switch to SBC I do not think I would have gotten into Cornell (my interview at the school was awful so it is clear admissions thought highly enough of my application and essays to accept me anyway).

I will get out the little "bad" that there was as well. As I was on an hourly service, I am not sure if it was as a function of the corporate culture at SBC or not, but every minute of time spent on email exchange, even if it was for simple clarity on a previous confusing email, was tracked and charged. I walked away from a few iterations feeling a little nickel and dimed, but hey this is a business.

Again overall, could not be more pleased. If you are considering any school in that 9-16 range, especially Cornell, I FIRMLY think you should at least give Ryan a call... his expertise led to my acceptance.

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I would 100% recommend SBC. I was accepted in HBS after working with Sara from SBC. She was incredibly professional and would respond very promptly to any requests. Part of the reason I chose to work with SBC was because of the immediate response time (other companies have a 24-48 hour response) and given I had a tight deadline to submit my essay, I needed a more involved approach. Sara was highly value add, and reviewed my essays with a critical, unbiased lens. I appreciated her honest, unbiased feedback as it is difficult for family members and friends to provide the same type of direct feedback. Money well spent.

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I worked with Erika at SBC, had a fantastic experience, and recommend her with the fullest enthusiasm!

Despite feeling prepared, I wanted some support from an impartial but expert source to ensure my applications were strong. Erika provided hourly advice for my applications to 2 schools, and I couldn't be more thankful for her help. I was admitted to both schools and will be attending HBS in the fall.

There are many reasons why Erika was a huge help, but I found three things to be the most helpful.

1. She will save you time and keep you on track:
Having someone to be accountable to will inherently help you meet and keep deadlines. But Erika added value beyond this. First, she ensures very quick turnaround time and usually replied within 1-2 days. Second, she removed all wavering and second guessing from my process (e.g., giving me confidence that an essay idea was strong, saving me from wasting time debating other ideas).

2. She is both an expert in writing and in business school:
As an HBS grad, she understands the schools and the process. But she is also an expert writer. She knows what you need to do to have your writing be crisp, compelling, and effective. As someone who mostly writes in power point bullets these days, this was really helpful.

3. She knows your story, but is able to remain honest and impartial:
Erika quickly was able to learn my stories, work experiences, and strengths, advising me on which to draw upon in each application and interview. But she remained honest and impartial throughout. Erika wastes no time (and none of my $) in delivering direct feedback, and had no qualms in telling me to re-do a paragraph or start an essay over. These are characteristics you can't get from family or friends.

Finally, she was a blast to work with and I enjoyed getting to know her. Thanks again to Erika for the support!

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I did not have great test scores and went into the application process without a great sense of what schools were the best fit for me. After some research, I was fortunate enough to connect with Bill Chionis from Stacy Blackman. During my initial consultation, he gave me a very honest evaluation of my candidate profile and advised on schools that might be worth pursuing.

During the application process for my target school, Bill's practical, strategic approach was extremely helpful. He knew which strengths focus on for essays and customized my profile to match the traits my school was looking for. His willingness to answer questions and provide feedback during the evenings, and even some weekends, helped me stay organized during busy work weeks.

Bill's experience and creativity makes him a valuable resource to any hopeful MBA candidate looking for assistance. He has my highest recommendation and is one of the reason my target school accepted me into their full-time program.

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When I decided to use hourly services of SBC, I was offered to work with Sherry Holland. I had used services of other consulting firms in my last year's application, but I felt real difference while working with Sherry. I really enjoyed this experience. Sherry is a real professional who knows her work very well. She can easily motivate you to feel confident. Every time I sent my essays to Sherry, I got quick response and all her work deserves respect.

Being an international applicant with low gpa (2.2) and not so strong GMAT score (94%), I had fear that I may fail this year too. Actually, I had prepared full application last year, but it needed to be well polished. Although I used limited hours of SBC service, Sherry helped me to build a winning application. I got four admits with very generous scholarships out of my six applications: Ross ($), Owen ($$$), Kenan with ($), Rice with ($$$).

I am really grateful that I found her

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I used SBC's hourly services and was matched up w/ Paul. If you are aiming for a Top 3-4 school, he is one of the best in the business. He is a Harvard AND Stanford grad, so he really does know what they are looking for. He was instrumental in essay review and making sure my "story" lined up across my applications. He was especially helpful during the interview prep, since he has given admissions interviews himself.

I was ultimately accepted to every school I applied to, including Harvard and Stanford. I would absolutely recommend Paul to those who are looking at top schools! Thanks Paul!

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Amy helped me with my essays and interviews to get into one of my dream schools. Given my less than stellar undergraduate GPA,and an average GMAT score, Amy helped me position myself by highlighting my work and life experiences in the essays to stand out. The one trait that makes Amy a really good consultant is that she is takes the time to really understand your goals and personality which she then uses to bring out and highlight as selling points in your essays.

I was also applying in round three and was on a time crunch. Her services really helped me not worry about compromising on the quality of my application.

Thx Amy for helping me secure admission to one of the top 10 Part-Time programs.

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I am starting at Harvard for my MBA and my Public Policy Degree thanks in large part to Andy Pelletier . I was a non-traditional MBA candidate and unsure how competitive I would be. Andy encouraged me and helped me hone my narrative. He was willing to push me to identify the key elements of my stories and to clearly communicate who I am, not just what I have accomplished. He was incredibly responsive, turning around his feedback quickly, and working around my schedule. When it came time for interviews, I did not hesitate to call Andy to prepare. He provided me with key feedback and helped me go to into the interviews with confidence. I would absolutely work with Andy again.

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I highly recommend using Stacy Blackman Consulting, if you're considering applying to B school. I chose SBC because my husband used them when he applied to B school a couple of years ago, and told me to not even consider using any other firm, because they were simply the best!

I had the pleasure of working with Erika Olson- and am excited to say that I will be enrolling in Stanford's MBA program this fall. I found Erika's guidance through the application process invaluable. When I initially contacted SBC in September, I hadn't even given the GMAT (bad idea!), but Erika was a calm and clear guiding voice through the fairly intense application process.

When it came to writing the essays, Erika helped me think through the personal/professional choices I had made- as well as articulate in a clear and engaging way WHY I had made these choices, and what really drove me. I also appreciated her honesty and very quick response times through the process. Her feedback on my CV and application form (don't underestimated how important this component is!) was also very helpful.

Erika always managed to make the process fun. Her experience of guiding a myriad of students apply to the top B schools definitely shone through. I'm happy to say I was invited to interview with all of the 4 schools I applied to- and while I didn't get into all of them- am SO happy and grateful to get into my top choice. I can't wait to move to the West Coast- thank you so much Erika and the SBC team.

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Approaching the business school application process was nerve-racking and, to be completely honest, really scary for me. Working with Margaret at Stacy Blackman Consulting completely changed all of this. Margaret helped me through every aspect of the application, and with her help, I was admitted to my top choice school, HBS! The value she brought to me was tremendous, and I would describe it in the following three ways.

One, she understands how to communicate. Her background in broadcasting and publishing makes her, literally, a professional at crafting a compelling story. She helped me identify what was truly unique about me and communicate it in the most effective way.

Two, she kept it authentic. Margaret provided me with a wealth of ideas, perspectives, and guidance, but all of the tough decisions I made in my application were completely my own. That was so important when it came time to the admissions interview – how could I have backed up the stories in my application if they weren’t my own?

Three, she runs a tight ship. Not only did she turn around feedback within 12 hours, but she kept me accountable to my own deadlines. Margaret is extremely professional and at the same time likes to joke and have fun.

I really enjoyed working with her, and know for a fact I would not have gotten into my top choice school if it weren’t for her help. I am grateful to Margaret, and would 100% recommend her to a friend or family member.

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