Stacy Blackman Consulting | MBA Admissions Consultants

Kevin was an excellent consultant and I am very happy with the results. I was looking for an admissions consultant who would be a mix between a tough coach and therapist and Kevin hit that balance perfectly. I came into our working relationship having done a lot of school research and networking on my own, but I wanted additional support because all signs pointed to a competitive application cycle this year due to macro factors like the pandemic/resulting economic recession/uncertainty. Kevin helped to assuage all my fears and where he really shined as a consultant was:

1) Helping me project manage the application process
2) Getting my essays into shape – whatever I wrote at 3 am, he helped me transform it into a coherent framework and present myself in a polished yet authentic way.

Kevin is no-nonsense and realistic: he will help you get to where you need to go but isn’t afraid to give honest feedback. This approach was optimal for me and I highly recommend Kevin. He is worth it!!!

After interviewing multiple different consultants as I started my MBA process, I was underwhelmed at what I had found. Then I met Alex. Alex was kind, attentive, eloquent, and immediately got to work in our intro call at pulling the important parts out of my story. In a few short meetings, I had done more in terms of forming my story than I could have ever done alone. As applications started, Alex was with me (and I mean really with me) through every step of the way. When I got interviews at both Stanford and Harvard, he organized separate mock interviews for each even though he was not required.

I’ll be honest, applying to an MBA program is brutally hard and your consultant won’t do all the work for you. But if you want a consultant who is the cream of the crop and will do all he can to elevate your application to the next level, go with Alex!

In addition to their unparalleled expertise, which is proven with other reviews, I highly recommend Stacy Blackman and my consultant Christine Hawkins for the level of professionalism they bring to the table.
I purchased the all-in package from SBC. Since it’s a considerable amount of investment and for having a bad experience from working with another consulting service in the past, I was very cautious in every step of the process from selecting my consultant. Although I did not purchase the service at the time, Esther Magna was patient to hear out all my concerns and arrange meetings with multiple possible consultants so that I can best choose my consultant.
I chose to work with Christine Hawkins because I could sense her passion and level of professionalism through the meeting, and they were demonstrated throughout the rest of my application process.
Since I initially did not have a clear post-MBA goal, Christine and I walked through together to navigate a potential post-MBA career, which enabled me to discover that a post-MBA career as a product manager is a better fit for me, considering my background and my ultimate career goal, instead of as a management consultant.
Also, I often followed up on her feedback and comments with questions asking for the rationale behind her feedback and comments, and Christine would always walk me through her feedback instead of insisting on her perspective so that I follow or make the best decision based on my own rationale.
I got accepted to CBS ED, my dream school, and dropped my application from Kellogg, Booth, and Haas. There is no doubt I could not have don’t so without Christine. I again thank Christine and Esther for bearing with my anxiety and cautiousness and for making my dream happened!

I received my admission to Michigan Ross this week (with a merit scholarship, no less), and I literally don’t think it would have happened without my SBC consultant, Stephanie. I was referred to SBC by two past clients, and I was not disappointed. Ross was my first choice and the only application I needed to submit, ultimately, thanks to the guidance I received from SBC. Stephanie worked with me on my essays and resume, as well as on interview prep, and her advice on all of these facets of my application was pragmatic and efficient while ensuring that I was presenting myself genuinely to the admissions committee. I truly appreciated the expert advice and insight throughout the process.

Accepted: LBS, CBS, Oxford, & HBS (interviewed awaiting decision)

Christina’s advice was invaluable in navigating a brutally competitive 2020 application cycle. As a candidate coming from a less-recognized undergrad program and a non-MBA feeder industry, Christina helped me expertly position my background and goals to compete for top-tier MBA programs. Her expert opinion also helped decide which programs I ultimately applied for.

Beyond the standard essay brainstorming/editing and interview coaching (she is stellar at both), Christina takes a passionate interest in developing her candidates. She proactively identifies profile weaknesses and recommends specific extracurriculars and opportunities to address them. She genuinely cares for her clients and champions them, offering support when overwhelmed and a kick in the butt when needed.

Christina is extremely hard-working, organized, and communicative, striking the ideal balance of frequent phone calls while offering space when life gets too busy. She is a perfectionist and pushes her clients to be their best selves through a methodical and highly-personalized approach. I cannot recommend her enough!!!

When I approached Dione for help, I had only 10 days until the deadline. I knew that it was an uphill task that needed an advisor who was well versed with Stanford GSB’s admission process and who would provide concrete guidance on how to improve my application. I can confidently say that Dione far exceeded these expectations and her guidance played a vital role in my admission.
During the entire process, Dione was extremely understanding and considerate. In order to help me with my expedited application timeline, she was extremely flexible in terms of reviewing any material sent and in arranging a call at a short notice.
She was also very efficient in terms of time utilization. In total I purchased three hours of service but was able to get my entire application including CV, additional optional answers reviewed twice, along with getting numerous other questions answered and was even able to get some best practices tips to share with my recommenders. As part of her feedback, Dione provided clear guidance on which sections to prioritize, how to craft the answers to make them more coherent to the reader, and how to structure my thought process so that I could communicate my career goals in a credible and compelling manner.
Overall, I would say that Dione is a true professional and it was an absolute pleasure to work with her on my application and I would recommend her to everyone applying to Stanford GSB.

Kim helped me in many ways but predominantly by “demystifying” the MBA application process… being an international applicant, I was full of questions and concerns. Kim was able to break each step down into manageable and meaningful pieces, with each step bringing me closer to a polished application. She helped me alleviate my insecurities and guided me through the process. I especially appreciated Kim’s straightforward and honest feedback, which enabled me to truly reflect on my strengths and areas for improvement. Through candid brainstorming sessions and iterations of my essays with her, I was able to paint a story of my life and accomplishments with pride and confidence. I can recommend Kim to anyone who is looking for a consultant that pairs competency with honesty. I could not be more grateful for all of Kim’s help. Teaming up with her for my applications was the best investment I ever made and is already changing my life.

With Deanna’s guidance, I had someone who is both knowledgeable of the MBA application process and attentive on my side helping me stay on track and focus on what’s important. Deanna was my primary partner and I’m happy to report that I was admitted at my top choice, Duke. She responded quickly to my questions and provided thoughtful feedback. She also made suggestions, such as taking the executive assessment and taking a math class that helped shape my application in the best possible way.
Overall, I had a positive experience with SBC. In addition to her guidance, there was team-based influence and support throughout the process with Esther as my initial contact at SBC and my flight tester, Caryn, who is a former admissions officer.
I had initial consultations with two other companies- Veritas Prep and MBAmission. I ultimately moved forward with SBC because they made me feel positive about my candidacy and that getting into my dream school, Duke was possible. From the first contact to my admit day, Deanna was really invested in my success and I would highly recommend her to a friend.

Kate is the best consultant you can ever ask for. With her first-hand experience as AD of Admissions at CBS, Kate gave me thorough, detailed, and actionable recommendations. I simply love the way she was able to pick small, interesting details in my profile to add the colors to my application.

Kate is extremely professional as well. While she gave me a lot of helpful advice, she always made sure the entire application — every word of it — is 100% mine.

I worked with Colette on an hourly basis to help me with my resume, essays, and interview prep for some top part-time programs and she was awesome! She provided timely, thoughtful, and insightful feedback, she clearly knew what she was talking about and it worked as I was admitted to both programs! I also really appreciated that even though I only hired her “by the hour” rather than a full school package, that she answered my questions even after our “time” was up! I would recommend working with Colette for sure!

I was referred to SBC from a friend who has used their services the previous year. I spoke to Esther who understood my needs and recommended I speak with Christine Hawkins, whom she thought she would be a perfect match.

I had my intro call with Christine and being a CBS alum, she had amazing insights to share and was super friendly. She was super sharp, broke down the entire admissions process for me, and gave me some super valuable feedback. After our convo, I couldn’t have asked for someone better so immediately pulled the trigger on an all-in package with Christine.

Christine was truly outstanding – there is no way I would have gotten an admit without her help. Right from the beginning, she laid out the entire plan, we discussed deadlines and off we went. Resume, Recommenders, Essays, Interviews – she really was a godsend throughout the process. She really pushed me to self-introspect, think hard about what I want to do and why. She was kept an open mind but prodded me to be better each time. My test scores weren’t the best, so Christine really helped me to make sure that the rest of my application stood out.

Regardless of my CBS admit, I am super glad to have worked with Christine since I came out much clearer on what I want to achieve in my career.

At some points of my application, I was super anxious about certain things and Christine was always there to answer my emails proving to be a great emotional support and a shoulder to lean on.

The Flight Test process with Lisa was outstanding where my entire application packet went through a mock adcomm review and gave fresh perspective and feedback on my application. My mock interview with Christine was a massive confidence booster for me before my actual one.

I could not have asked for anyone better than Christine, she is someone I’d love to stay in touch with and I would most definitely recommend her to everyone!

I had been building up to the MBA admissions process for a few years. I had initially embarked on attending law school but after many conversations and research, I decided to choose the route of attending an MBA program. Despite all my research, I was having a hard time weaving my narrative together. I was a non-traditional candidate (working on Capitol Hill) and I was coming from a largely non-quantitative background. Additionally, I also felt that at the time of my application, I would be on the older side of the age range for most schools. And lastly, while I had strung together a pretty consistent employment record, I had a work-experience gap earlier in my career. Needless to say, I wasn’t walking into the application filing period with a lot of confidence.

After researching several firms, I settled on Stacy Blackman. I was eventually connected to Sherry to have an initial one on one conversation so that she could learn a little more about my candidacy; I also took the opportunity to learn more about her track record and the types of applicants she had worked within the past.

One of the first things we did was an initial conversation in which we laid out the merits of my candidacy. It was helpful to put everything on paper with a thought partner like Sherry. She was thoughtful, objective, and encouraging. Additionally, it was clear to me that she had ample experience working with candidates such as myself who don’t hail from traditional finance/consulting backgrounds. One of the first things Sherry helped me with was to determine a list of schools that we both thought I would be a good fit at. Secondly, she helped me layout an effective approach for my essays, specifically getting me to think about “why” I was applying and “why” that specific school was a good fit for me. As I was going through a busy cycle at work, she was also extremely responsive and was able to help answer and at times debunk certain notions of how the admissions process worked. I also ended up taking the GRE one last time right before I applied. Sherry was also extremely encouraging through this process.

Ultimately, I applied to 6 schools (5 of which were in the top 15 according to the US News and World Report rankings). I received interviews at 5 out of the 6 schools. I was accepted at 2 schools and waitlisted at 2 more schools. I am extremely happy with where I will be matriculating.

For many navigating higher education this last year, COVID has brought many challenges. After receiving my acceptance offer, I thought it would be best to pursue a deferral given the uncertainty of how the pandemic would affect the academic experience during Fall 2020 and the upcoming winter. Sherry provided invaluable counsel in helping me to frame why I would be a good candidate for a deferral. After filing an application, I was eventually granted a successful deferral request to start in Fall 2021.

The whole process of applying to MBA programs can be daunting and nerve-racking. In my case, I knew that I wanted to make a career transition out of the public sector and I thought that the MBA route would be the best way to do that. With her firm grasp on the application process as a whole, she was able to pinpoint the merits of my candidacies and I think ultimately turn some of those components of my non-traditional background into areas of strength.

I enlisted Erika’s help for 1 H/S school application (end-to-end) and I wholeheartedly recommend her.

Certain qualities of Erika particularly stand out to me:

– Erika has unparalleled insight into the admissions system. I was both a conventional and unconventional applicant, with certain elements of my profile that really required some thoughtful consideration to convey. Erika was masterful in handling these aspects – she knew exactly how to communicate these to the AdCom and how they would be perceived

– Erika’s system of feedback via email is superb – all communication after the initial call is done via email/comments on documents. This is hugely helpful – it saves a significant amount of time, and Erika ensures all her comments are captured with rich detail. She is extremely responsive to emails too. I could not imagine going through the process any other way

– She’s also simply a pleasure to collaborate with – extremely positive but always grounded in reality. She’s extremely thoughtful and incisive in her comments on application material, and ensures you feel confident and comfortable throughout.

With Erika’s help, I managed to get into H/S and I’m immensely grateful for her assistance. Erika is the elite admissions consultant who knows the system inside out!

Only had 3 days to my interview when I approached Sherry. Right away she went the extra mile where we did sessions on the weekend and early morning (6am) to make sure I was prepared. It was my first interview of any kind in 10 years, so I was very nervous. Sherry prepared me the best way possible by guiding me through detailed steps and assisted me to structure my answers/explanations much better. She’s also very detail-oriented where she worked on my answers and made sure I emphasized/spent more time on my most important points. She also pinpointed my weaknesses and added my strengths (that I didn’t even realize). I had two other consultants before Sherry and really she is in a different class. She also genuinely cares that her clients do well by spending extra time outside the sessions to review your answers as well as giving you “homework”. Highly recommended!

I have been admitted to the LBS Executive MBA program with a rewarded scholarship for the 2022 class. The preparation period was quite squeezed and deadlines were tight due to my intense working schedule. From day-1 Susan was there to coach, share the candid, and most importantly to the point, LBS relevant and prompt feedback on my work all the time. She provided amazing coaching throughout the process which sharpened my application journey. Once again thank you very much & highly appreciate top-class consultancy.

Jed was an incredible resource throughout my application process. We started working together in the fall, during which he was flexible, insightful, and awesome to work with. After not getting into my stretch targets in R1, he helped me re-evaluate my goals. I ended up with a successful second round of applications and I have now matriculated to Cornell for my MBA. After a few weeks here, I now realize the value of Jed goes far beyond the application. I am very in touch with what I want out of my MBA experience and am able to articulate that clearly.

Christina was amazing to work with. She is friendly and easy to talk to, but will give you honesty and be candid in her advice. There was a time or two where she had to give me some tough love but I appreciated her for it, and I needed the person I worked with to do that for me. I was amazed at how well she got to know me and how I worked. There was one time I was stressing about an aspect of my application and emailed her asking for advice. Within 20 minutes she called me because she could tell from my email that I was stressed and needed to talk through the issue with her. She pushed me to create best possible application that truly encapsulated who I was, and I cannot speak highly enough of her. I got into every school I applied to with her help. She is a fantastic consultant and will be your best shot at getting into your top school. I have already recommended her to many friends and colleagues who I heard were interested in applying to business school.

I was referred to Caryn, and I am beyond grateful. In our first conversation, I told her I only wanted to apply to my one dream school. She understood and really pushed me along the process.

Coming from an untraditional background, I was concerned about my chances at a prominent MBA program. However, Caryn helped me every step of the way – from reviewing my resume, checking my application, proofreading my essays, and prepping me for my interviews. The most impactful part of the process was her ability to guide me to self-reflect on my past experience and my career goals. This allowed me to craft a strong narrative about myself for my essays.

Today, I’m thrilled to have been admitted to my dream school and have received a significant scholarship. Caryn is incredibly kind, willing to help, and always supportive. Highly recommend working with her!

What other emotion besides LOVE is there to describe the person responsible for my MMM Kellogg acceptance?! It’s also an apt descriptor of her style.. well…tough love. Caryn is the coach, partner, and honest friend I needed to get through this process successfully. From our first meeting, I felt completely comfortable and – critically – completely understood. Caryn quickly made sense of my various interests, passions, and experiences, and helped to weave a compelling story from the disparate bits. She is immensely knowledgable and I benefitted from her expertise and insights throughout the process – often at unexpected moments. I could not imagine having worked with someone else… and I believe the outcome would have been different. For that, I will be forever grateful and a champion of CARYN! No need to shop around. Call Caryn and get to work.

I worked with Yvette at SBC through the 2 school all-in package to apply to deferred admission/2+2 MBA programs while I was a college senior. From the start, I had positive interactions with SBC including my initial consultation with Sarah, who encouraged me when I was deciding whether or not I should apply. I was a little hesitant about my GRE score being high enough, and out of all the consultants I spoke with, SBC was by far the most positive and assured me not to worry about it.

After being paired with Yvette, we had an initial kickoff strategy call. From the beginning, Yvette was very pleasant to work with and guided me in the right direction to pick and choose the most relevant parts of my story. By the end of the strategy call, I had a clear direction on how to approach my essays. Throughout the application process, she challenged me to be more direct and specific and to think deeply about my long-term and short-term goals to convey them to adcom. Sometimes when I was unsure about my essay approach, she would see the big picture and give me the encouragement to keep pursuing it, and by the end, I was very satisfied with the final essays that I submitted. The flight test was also a unique part of SBC where I got objective feedback from my flight-tester Caryn, which gave me more confidence in my story and learned a few opportunities for improvement in my essay. After receiving an interview invite from HBS, Yvette continued to support me, and her help during the interview process was phenomenal! She offered plenty of tips to prepare, gave good feedback during the mock interview, helped me brainstorm how to answer tough questions, and continued to motivate me positively.

After all this, I am proud to say I was accepted to HBS 2+2!!! I couldn’t have done it without Yvette and SBC and I’m thankful to have had the SBC team supporting me!

I highly recommend working with Dione, who took the time to get to know me and provided tremendous support throughout my MBA application journey. Dione helped me understand the adcom’s perspective and provided thoughtful suggestions to improve my MBA candidacy. I greatly appreciated her clear communication, willingness to jump on the phone, and quick email responses throughout the process, which helped me feel supported and prepared. A few things I found particularly helpful: 1) identifying my ‘story’ – I found the reflection process challenging. Dione is a gifted storyteller and a great sounding board who helped me identify and connect the dots – my core values and career goals – to create a meaningful story. 2) articulating my story – Dione worked tirelessly, reviewing draft after draft until I was proud of my school essays. 3) navigating uncertainty – Dione helped me navigate the uncertainties and challenges of MBA admission, such as group interviews and waitlist management – uncertainties especially heightened with the pandemic. I was admitted to 2 schools (1 with scholarship), and later a third off the waitlist. Working with Dione, I have felt confident and prepared. I can count on her for candid feedback and genuine support. I am truly grateful for Dione.

I found out about SBC through a referral, and after my initial consultation with Esther, I could tell SBC was going to be the right choice! I went for the all-in package and could not be happier with my choice! I was accepted into 3 of my 4 schools (the 4th was a waitlist), including HBS!! Something I never would have thought possible prior to going through this process.


Caryn was amazing! She previously worked as an admissions officer and had tons of knowledge, not only on the program she had worked for but on all the schools I applied to. From the beginning, she took the time to genuinely understand me, my experiences, and my goals. She helped me figure out which schools would be the best fit and was with me through every step of the application process, helping me craft my story as a non-traditional candidate. The application process can be very intense, and having Caryn on my side made it so much better! She was always very honest, and provided very constructive feedback (with a quick turnaround) throughout the process and kept me on track.

SBC has a ton of helpful resources and lots of officer intelligence in-house. Not only did Caryn have experience as a former admissions officer, but Beth (also fantastic), conducted my “flight test” prior to submitting my first application. I also worked with Erica to prepare for my HBS interview and went in feeling very prepared.

I have already recommended Caryn and SBC to my friends considering applications and will continue to do so. Absolutely fantastic experience!

I cannot thank Jessica enough for her support, patience, and tireless efforts to help me put my best foot forward on my application to my top program. I came into this process exhausted, lacking confidence, but certain that my decision to aim high was worth it. Jessica gave me the confidence to convince the AdCom, and myself, that I am capable of reaching this career advancement goal and worth investing in. I am still in a state of shock, but I am mostly overwhelmed by the indescribable gratitude for Jessica’s support. This opportunity would not be possible without her. It has been a sincere pleasure working with Jessica and I can not recommend her enough to anybody who is looking to take their application to the next level!

Caryn was awesome! She really helped me shape my essays and prepare for my interview. I did not really understand what was expected in a good MBA application and Caryn really helped me put my best foot forward and get into the Kellogg Future Leaders Program with a Merit Scholarship. She was very nice and always very clear. Highly recommend!

I had the opportunity to work with Colette for my MBA application. She was extremely helpful throughout the process. She coached me on my resume format and content and helped me think through the essay questions. She asked direct and thoughtful questions to guide me in telling my story in an efficient and captivating way. She was patient and provided great feedback in a timely manner. I feel very grateful for the opportunity work with Colette as she got me to a point at which I was proud to submit my application. She was an extremely valuable resource and I felt as if she was genuinely committed to my success. I would highly recommend working with Colette and the Stacy Blackman Consulting Team.

Coming across Stacy Blackman’s Youtube videos on effective MBA application strategy, being captivated and deciding to hire them, and working with Amy Bergrud have drastically changed the course of my life for the better. As I write this, I will be an Incoming MBA Candidate at The Robert H. Smith School of Business at University of Maryland. I owe this once in a lifetime opportunity due to working with Amy.

Hiring Stacy Blackman Consulting and working with Amy was the best investment I ever made. My goal was attending graduate school in 2021, but due to Covid-19, I was forced to reprioritize my goals and apply to graduate schools at the last minute. To make matters worse, I did not have a stellar undergraduate GPA (2.75) and had to provide reassurance to the Admissions Committee by submitting an additional essay that my undergraduate academic performance will not be repeated.

Amy listened to my overall experience, shared challenges we needed to address and was able to provide a clear roadmap to strengthen my candidacy. She transformed my resume, MBA Professional and GPA Explanation Essays by revising these materials ensuring my background and story aligned to the MBA program’s mission. Additionally, we conducted rigorous mock interviews where she provided instantaneous feedback to make sure I aced the interview with the Admissions Counselor. With our hard work, I felt confident being the strongest MBA candidate possible, proceeded with the application process, and performed flawlessly in the interview. While implementing Amy’s feedback strengthened my application, Amy truly elevated my candidacy by encouraging and coaching me to be vulnerable and authentic to the Admissions Committee.

Upon receiving the official acceptance email, Amy was one of the first few individuals I wanted to share the great news. I remember calling Amy teary-eyed and emotional telling her how thankful I am in having her as my MBA Consultant and achieving our goal. It was a special moment for both of us and I felt Amy really cared about me not only as a client but as a human being as well. I am forever grateful to Amy and would recommend her services anyone seeking an MBA Consultant at the top of their craft and dedication to see her clients succeed.

Sincerely,

Tom Sin

I cannot speak highly enough of Erin and the Stacy Blackman team. I applied to two MBA deferred enrollment programs, and I was accepted to both thanks to detailed insight from Erin. I am a candidate with a sub 700 GMAT score, and I sincerely believed my score would hold me back from admission at top schools. Erin helped me perfectly craft my narrative and show my quantitative skillsets in other areas of the application than the test score. Erin helped me hurdle this challenge with great insight into my essays, helping me creatively articulate my interests and skillsets to the admissions teams. Erin is honest, insightful, and always available. I cannot thank her enough and sincerely recommend her as a consultant. I am so excited to be attending my top choice school in a few short years!

I worked with Sherry for my round 1 applications. Sherry was extremely knowledgeable from the outset and helped coach me about where to apply, what to do over the summer, and analyzed my application and guided me on correcting my weaknesses and highlighting my strengths. She was personable, responsive, and always right on point. I already recommended her to a friend this year who also used her successfully.

I cannot express how much Jessica helped me and my application. The time and dedication she spent getting to know me and understand my story was invaluable. Throughout the essay writing process, Jessica provided excellent guidance and insight into how to structure my essay and share my story. She was instrumental in helping me strengthen my application to stand out during the rolling admissions round. I cannot thank and recommend her enough!

I first reached out to Erika for help in putting together my “story”. On my own, I would have been much more risk-averse in my essays, and would likely have had a very run-of-the-mill application that would go unnoticed by AdComs. Working with Erika gave me the confidence to put myself out there and tell a more genuine and meaningful story through my essays. I was able to bounce ideas off of Erika, and she’d be very direct and honest–she has no problem saying “sorry, but nope, this doesn’t work”. But eventually, we got to a point where she’d say “you hit on exactly what they are looking for.” My essays were quite deep and personal, and something I wouldn’t have felt comfortable submitting on my own. But Erika got me out of my comfort zone to write applications that were much more effective, and I received acceptances from Wharton, Sloan, and Tuck.

However, I feel like I got much more from Erika than just application consulting and advice. She has truly been a partner and supporter along the admissions journey. I would seek her advice regarding more individual matters, such as if this year was the right year for me to apply. I think most telling is that despite Erika having successfully “done her job” by reviewing my applications and me having gained admission, Erika and I still have regular conversations on related subjects (for example, we discussed extensively what the fall semester might look like given COVID). The MBA admissions process is a 12+ month journey, from the time you decide to apply until the moment you set foot on campus. And having Erika as a partner over these past 12 months was simply invaluable.

We have, and will continue to recommend Erika to anyone who can afford this service. Working with her offered a real advantage in this process as she kept us organized and helped craft our application. She did an excellent job of getting to know us and providing invaluable guidance on how we tell our stories to fit what each school was looking for.

A couple points to note (highlights for us):
⁃ Erika is really honest. She gets straight to the point and will not hesitate to provide direct feedback. Her feedback is always constructive.
⁃ Erika is also really kind. She invested in us and we both felt that she was pulling for our success. She engaged in our stories, both individually and as a couple.
⁃ She looks at the whole picture and is engaged the whole way – not just essay writing, but through interviews, waitlist processes, etc

She made our dream to go to business school together possible. In the end, we actually had a few great options and chose to go to Boston where one of us will go to HBS and the other MIT. Even though SBC is expensive, we both feel like we still owe Erika big time for helping make this possible! We also received significant scholarship offers from excellent programs, which would significantly offset some of the costs associated with this service.

Being from a section of the population/profession that applies for Business programs there was very little I could bring into the whole diversity aspect of things apart from my experience with my family business.
Kimberly’s approach made me dig deep and bring out my qualities and past professional/personal experiences that would prove to be valuable.
I only applied to Booth and Haas as I wanted to go to the best schools or not pursue this path at all.
I chose the whole package from application material prep to prepping for the interview for Booth.
Kimberly is very perceptive and understands the applicant quiet well more than themselves and delivers accordingly which makes the entire process stress free.
I actually enjoyed working on my apps as the process was streamlined and broken down into small pieces/milestones.
The only mistake I made was, I took the Haas interview before we scheduled the mock interview session as I was confident with the material we had prepared.
Got a reject from Haas but got an offer from Booth. This only proves that every step of consulting process is critical to the application.
Kimberly is also very prompt and quick in getting back with review responses and suggestions which made it possible for me to complete the application in time.
Her attention to detail is remarkable. Highly recommend her to anyone applying for the best schools.

Amy was an amazing resource for me during my application process. She went above and beyond to understand my story, and my post-MBA goals to present myself in the best way possible. I had a lot of ideas spinning in my head, and she helped me distill them to one or two overarching ideas to tell a clear, succinct, and impressive story. I not only got into my top target school but I was also awarded a scholarship. Her industry knowledge, and experience not only as a former admissions staff but also as a former MBA student, was incredibly helpful. She was genuinely engaged in my journey, and it showed during her time advising me, leading to an incredibly successful application!

I had a fantastic experience working with Stacy Blackman Consulting and highly recommend their services to prospective applicants. My consultant Stephanie went above and beyond to shepherd me through the process. Believe it or not, I actually had fun while applying! As a former admissions officer at Fuqua, Stephanie has a deep understanding of what the top MBA programs are looking for. She helped me tailor my narrative in a way that highlighted my strengths and unique qualities.

Though Stephanie was my primary contact, the whole team was accessible and invested in my success. After preparing my application, I was able to submit a “flight test” to another former admissions officer on the team. Having a fresh set of eyes look critically at my application before submission was invaluable.

I applied to two top MBA programs and was accepted to both, one of which offered me a scholarship. I think my partnership with Stephanie truly made a difference and I am so grateful for all of her guidance!

I could not have gotten into my top choice MBA program without Stephanie’s help. After being rejected from all four of the MBA programs that I applied to in my initial application cycle, I knew that I needed to develop a different approach. I reached out to Stacy Blackman Consulting for help and I am so grateful that they paired me with Stephanie; she was the perfect match for my needs. With Stephanie’s help, I reapplied to three of the four programs that I had applied to the previous year. In my second attempt, I was accepted to all three top-20 programs (two of which are consistently top-10) with scholarships! The favorable change in my outcomes on my second attempt speaks volumes to Stephanie’s value and expertise.

Stephanie has extensive former experience in MBA admissions and she knows how to develop your personal story to make your application shine. She was fantastic at highlighting my strengths and mitigating areas that might have been perceived as weaknesses, including overcoming an average GRE score. My background is non-traditional and Stephanie was masterful at helping me to clearly articulate my path to an MBA, as well as my post-MBA goals. Additionally, Stephanie is kind, organized, and hard-working. Her supportive demeanor helps reduce some of the inherent stress of the application process.

What impressed me most was Stephanie’s responsiveness and willingness to continue to provide support long after my final applications were submitted. I ended up being waitlisted to my top-program for nine months after I submitted my application. Stephanie stuck by my side, at no additional cost, over these nine months, continuing to review numerous waitlist updates and providing strategic advice via phone and email, until I was eventually accepted. Stephanie sincerely cares that you accomplish your goals. I would recommend her to any prospective MBA candidate that wishes to make their dreams a reality.

I truly enjoyed working with Erika on my business school applications and am so glad I chose to work with her and the rest of the SBC team. Given that I was coming from an over-represented field, I wanted to work with a consultant who would take the time to help me comb through my story and help me cherry-pick the most compelling aspects of my candidacy. Erika was truly helpful in that regard. She provided invaluable advice and recommendations for the entire application process – from formatting tips to interview insights, she always had an answer for my questions, responded quickly and thoroughly, and most importantly, helped me “get out of my own head” and assemble 2 applications to my dream schools with confidence. I am thrilled to say that working with Erika helped me gain admittance to both GSB and HBS.

It was a pleasure to work with Erika and the rest of the SBC team, and I cannot recommend them highly enough!

I worked with Francesca to secure a spot at my dream school during the extended R3 COVID admissions window. Throughout the process, Francesca was kind, patient, honest, and insightful. No question is too big or too small and she will work with you no matter how many essay drafts you cycle through–providing constructive and thorough feedback each time. She was fully invested in my success and went above and beyond, ready to provide sound advice and much needed pep talks even on short notice. Her positive energy will make any nervous MBA applicant feel they are in control!

Stacy Blackman definitely knows what they’re doing. They use a thorough matching process to pair you with the right consultant, based on your goals, strengths, and gaps. Its a highly personalized service, and they are with you from start to finish. I highly recommend to anyone!

Carrie kept me focused on the critical components of my application that helped me best position myself as a candidate. Specifically, she provided guidance on where I could benefit from sharing more in my personal statement and supported me through any uncertainty I felt. Her candid feedback helped me sharpen the content I presented from my resume to my supplemental essays. Her commitment to my success enabled me to feel confident in the presentation of my story and accomplishments when I submitted my application.

I had such a great experience working with Deanna throughout the entire application process. Working full-time, I felt Deanna helped to keep me on track and continuously motivated. Coming from a quant heavy job, I was still getting low quant scores that were not competitive for the top programs I was applying to. Deanna suggested I take an MBA class to prove my quant skills, take the executive assessment test instead of the GRE (which I took many many times), and get a tutor to help me study. She helped make other areas of my application stronger to compensate for my test scores and I got into one of my top MBA programs because of her. I am so thankful to have someone with so much expertise and criticism to keep me reaching higher. The application process is so daunting at first, but SBC and Deanna really helped me navigate and simplify the process. I spoke with about 5 consulting companies, but I just felt that SBC was the most dedicated to my success. I definitely would recommend SBC and Deanna to anyone going through this process!

I am so exceptionally grateful to have had the experience this spring working with Caryn! I was originally planning to submit Fall 2021 R1, but with her encouragement was able to conquer the application process, remote testing, and other inbound hurdles that came with this year’s extended rounds for the Fall 2020 incoming class.

I was a very non-traditional candidate with a unique set of experiences and skillsets that I wanted to clearly convey in my application. With her consulting expertise, I was admitted to my first-choice school, Fuqua, with a large scholarship. I was also admitted to my 2nd and 3rd choice schools as well.

I highly recommend Caryn for anyone curious about the MBA application process and looking to target top schools. She is a rockstar!

Coming from an over-represented career background with a relatively “blend” personal story, I knew that an outstanding personal essay would be the key component of my application package. Seeking professional help, I chatted with quite a few MBA consultants before making a decision, and Erika stood out within the 5 minutes of our first conversation. And as it turned out, my first impression of Erika was right – she was highly professional, experienced, and absolutely fantastic to work with.

At the beginning of our cooperation, Erika spent a significant amount of time understanding my background and helping me look for the unique personality traits and anecdotes that could differentiate myself from other qualified candidates. This self-reflection process has proved helpful in essay brainstorming and writing and was the cornerstone of my entire application.

Working with Erika is truly enjoyable. She is highly efficient and responsive in giving feedbacks to my essay ideas and is always honest when telling me whether or not my ideas would work. I appreciate the open communication we maintained throughout the process, which was critical to our successful collaboration.

Erika has years of experience mentoring applicants and knows the process inside out. Whenever I have doubts, concerns, and worries before and after submitting my applications, she is always there for me to answer my questions and provide guidance. Her presence offered me a great deal of reassurance in the stressful application process.

If you are looking for a constant for the upcoming MBA application season, I highly recommend Erika Olson at SBC!

I reached out to Erika after hearing amazing reviews from two friends who both worked with her and ultimately ended up getting into Harvard Business School. I couldn’t be happier that I did decide to touch base with her, working with Erika was one of the best decisions I’ve made! The care, guidance and attention I received from her during my MBA application process were exactly what I hoped for! She provided candid feedback throughout the process, helped me to shape and stay on a timeline, and assisted with laying out a clear vision for how an MBA would help me to achieve my long-term goals.

I have absolute trust in her ability to guide candidates through the oftentimes intimidating process of applying to business school. I recommended her without hesitation to a close friend who is an MBA hopeful and would share that recommendation with anybody else hoping to get into a top business school. With her help I was able to gain admittance into the HBS class of 2022 – truly a dream realized!

I was newer than most to the competitive school admissions process, and Carrie’s advice was crucial to making my dreams come true. What I like most about Carrie is that she is a straight shooter who provides candid advice on how to market yourself. She is easy to work with and brings a lot of passion. MBA admissions is a tough game, and Carrie knows how to play it.

I initially engaged Sherry to assist me with applying in Fall 2020 for admission in Fall 2021 in December 2019. I was referred to Sherry by a friend who had used her previously to guide his MBA admissions. But, in late March, with the onset of COVID and the downturn in the energy industry, I found myself shifting into overdrive to file in the last rounds at 5 schools. As an operations geologist, it became apparent that my Company would lay down its rigs by the end of the second quarter and I would be laid off. Although my primary job was to steer wellbores, I had developed an interest and a body of work using analytics to streamline workflows, save money, and enhance company operations driving my desire to change industries. Given that my MBA goal was to shift to Data Analytics in the Technology industry, I felt strongly that it was imperative that I make the last round deadlines to avoid having the reduction in force confuse what I was trying to achieve-shifting from the energy to the tech industry. Sherry spent time on the phone with me reviewing my questions about accelerating my applications and then didn’t blink when we moved from a reasonably paced approach to my graduate school apps to overdrive. Sherry gave me a frank assessment of my profile including input that I needed to really hit it out of the park on my GRE and take MBA Math to make up for a lower than preferable GPA from my undergraduate studies. She helped me refine my list, gave me strong input and rapid turnaround on my essays, and how to position my story and was patient through multiple essay iterations as I found my voice. The flight test confirmed that I was in a good position as long as my GRE score came in at the level that I was achieving in practice. Although I had technical problems with the first at home GRE, Sherry provided positive feedback about what I was going to be able to achieve if my second at home GRE was at the level we knew I could achieve. And she was as pumped as I was when I hit the GRE goal I had set. I was invited to interview at all of the schools I applied to-in fact, one school reached out to schedule an interview that evening-that says a lot about how the application was received. In the end, Sherry’s interview prep was very useful and she even proposed brushing up one more time before my final interview given the lapse in time since I had prepared with her. Although I am waiting on a final decision from one school, I have been accepted at 3 of the 5 schools I applied to. Of the 3 at which I have been accepted, I received a full-tuition and living stipend package at one and substantial scholarships at 2 of the others-when most of the Adcoms were indicating on their webinars that there was no money left to award. I am looking forward to starting The University of Texas at Austin MBA program this fall. Hook ’em!

I spent three months with Kim and it was one of the most worthwhile experiences I have had. Her feedback was candid and straightforward. Much of Kim’s comments and perspective were things that would have never occurred to me. With Kim’s support, I was able to organize my essay thoughts/ideas and compile a competitive set of responses. I only applied to Chicago Booth and was accepted. I highly recommend Kim!

Excellent experience – was admitted to Oxford. Susan as my primary partner and former LBS admissions officer! Great support from the flight tester, Lisa, who is a former admissions officer as well. Lots of admissions officers intel in-house. SBC definitely a safe bet as an MBA admissions partner.

From my initial free consultation with Bill, through each hour working with Kassidee, it was a pleasure working with SBC. I was accepted to HBS and could not have done it without Kassidee’s help!

Based on Bill’s recommendation, I chose an hourly package, rather than a comprehensive one. After the initial ‘get to know you’ call with Kassidee, we used the rest of the time to work through essay drafts and reserved one hour for a mock interview and feedback.

Through every step in the process, she was insightful, set high standards, and was both responsive and accommodating. During the brainstorming/essay phase, Kassidee always provided thoughtful feedback within 24 hours of me sending a draft or questions. Despite a significant time difference (~12 hours while I worked internationally), she always found time for calls almost immediately thereafter. She also struck an effective balance between giving me the space to write and holding me accountable to our interim draft deadlines.

Her insights into the HBS experience were invaluable in helping me strategize, fine-tune essays, and feel confident going into my interview. Throughout, she was empathetic and friendly. I highly recommend working with her.

Beth Tidmarsh is a FANTASTIC consultant and I couldn’t have asked for a better one! With her help, I was admitted to 5 of the 6 T10 schools I applied to; moreover, I received SCHOLARSHIP OFFERS FROM EVERY SINGLE SCHOOL ranging from 1/3 tuition to full tuition plus stipend! She also helped me strategically select which schools to apply to with her, so that I could carry over essays and other application materials to other programs on my own. As you will see below, Beth is far more than JUST a consultant, she is someone that truly cares about the people that she works with and truly desires that they be successful.

I decided to use an admissions consultant after applying unsuccessfully on my own a couple of years ago. I interviewed 4 top admissions consultancies (as ranked by P&Q) before ultimately selecting Stacy Blackman Consulting (SBC). I selected SBC because of the open and friendly nature of the people I chatted with as well as the responsiveness of everyone I spoke with (which I didn’t get from all the companies/individuals I connected with). From the opening call, SBC made it clear that they wanted to get to know me and I felt an immediate kinship with Sarah Tsai. From there, she introduced me to Beth Tidmarsh—whom I also connected with very well—and the rest is history.

From the very start, Beth was happy to work with me as much or as little as I wanted. We communicated frequently via email but, whenever I asked if we could have a call instead, she was happy to accommodate, always responding to me promptly and making herself available if something urgent came up. Beth was invaluable as a coach and confidant and I would even go so far as to call her a friend (as we still keep in touch even now that my application/decision process is over). If I missed a self-imposed deadline, Beth would send me a note checking in on me but would do so in a way that was supportive and encouraging. This helped me immeasurably. Applying to MBA programs is hard and applying to six programs is almost overwhelming, but Beth helped keep me on track and take things one day at a time, focusing on individual steps and putting together an achievable timeline which we reviewed regularly. In fact, I liked working with Beth so much that I occasionally found myself staying up late to complete a portion of my application just because I didn’t want to disappoint her. (Who wouldn’t want that kind of encouragement?!) One of Beth’s greatest attributes is her ability to help you weave your story and to feel confident that you belong in the programs you are applying to, giving you the confidence to excel in interviews and other interactions with the schools you apply to.

Beth took a genuine interest in me as an individual and helped me to select schools whose culture truly resonated with me and that met my other criteria including significant scholarship opportunities and strong ties to MBB consulting. Her previous experience as Director of Admissions for Kellogg’s Full Time MBA program was quite apparent as she helped me to (1) understand how schools thought about different facets of my application (2) consider the content of my essays and short answer questions from a holistic perspective (3) craft “my story” and prepare for each school’s unique interview process and (4) negotiate scholarship offers following admission. Beth frequently corresponded with other consultants at SBC and even occasionally asked them to review different components of my application if she felt that I could benefit from an outside opinion, which I also found to be a great asset while crafting my unique applications to each school. In conclusion, I highly recommend both Beth Tidmarsh and SBC!

As a non-traditional applicant to business school, I cannot recommend Deanna more highly. She took my raw passion and unfiltered experience and taught me how to tell my story in a meaningful and engaging way. I felt seen and heard throughout the process and well supported in the small nuances of essay writing and the big picture interview framework and questions. I would highly recommend working with Deanna for all candidates!

For me, Wharton was always my top choice, so when I didn’t get in as a R2 applicant in the 2018-2019 cycle, I made the conscious decision to delay my MBA plans for another year – determined on getting into Wharton as a reapplicant. With sights set on applying R1 in the 2019-20 cycle, I knew that I needed to fine-tune my application strategy and revamp my submitted materials if I wanted to succeed the second time around.

After speaking with a few firms, SBC immediately stood out from the pack given the comprehensive services, honest feedback I received as well as the strong, experienced team. Esther helped make the initial consultant match and paired me with Erin, who was formerly on the CBS admissions team and a true confidante every step of the way in my application process. She was always prompt with her responses but still incredibly thorough and thoughtful, making sure to highlight my strengths and streamline my story. Along with preparing my application materials, I was stressed with the demands of my job as well as balancing a GMAT retake, so having Erin really helped me stay on track and give me peace of mind during a time of extreme anxiousness and self-doubt.

Once my materials were in good shape, Lisa, my flight tester took a comprehensive deep-dive into my application package and provided further insightful feedback. When it came to finally submitting my applications for R1, I was incredibly proud of everything that I had crafted under the support of the SBC team. I knew that my application had ultimately evolved into the strongest version that it could be, so I was extremely grateful, regardless of what the outcome would be.

When I was ultimately awarded an interviewed at Wharton, the SBC team once again was right there to support me and helped facilitate a mock team-based discussion, which is a crucial factor in the Wharton application. In the end, when I finally got admitted to Wharton, I was so incredibly thrilled and appreciative.

The MBA application process can definitely be a long and stressful journey, so must make sure that you are setting yourself up in the best way possible. Choosing SBC proved to be decisive move that led me to getting admitted into my dream school!