Stacy Blackman Consulting | MBA Admissions Consultants

I enthusiastically recommend SBC overall, but if you’re applying to Duke Fuqua, do yourself a favor and specifically request Sherry to be your consultant!

As a nontraditional applicant working in politics, Sherry helped me immensely with selecting schools to apply to, crafting the cleanest overall “Why Business School” narrative, and helping me balance personality and professionalism across the application. I applied in an intensely competitive admissions cycle and ended up getting waitlisted at Fuqua and two other schools. Sherry was an encouraging voice of reason and once again stepped in with the most helpful feedback. I ended up getting off the Fuqua waitlist in a subsequent round with a $70k Forte Fellowship/Scholarship! I truly couldn’t have made it through this admissions process without Sherry and am incredibly grateful for her and SBC!!!

I approached Dione with one target program in mind at my dream school in the USA – however as an international applying to a US advanced degree program, I knew it would be a tough and competitive process at an already highly selective school. I was also applying in one of the last rounds so I knew it was not going to be easy.

First off, Dione is very knowledgeable when it comes to the application process and the evaluation of candidates thanks to her background. She gave me candid feedback throughout the entire process and was my sounding board in drafting and articulating my story. She also asks very thoughtful questions to guide you in the right direction; for example, her feedback on my essays contained some of the most comprehensive comments I’ve ever received, down to even the smallest detail about my past work experience – however, this is exactly what you need to produce a high caliber application. She would also send me notes after our sessions so I knew what to focus on immediately after our calls.

Most importantly and what I think was the real key to my successful application is that Dione tells you the honest truth. I understand that the truth is not always what people want to hear but this is exactly why you need an admissions consultant like Dione as this was essential to avoid potential pitfalls in the application process. As you can imagine, each session was extremely efficient, productive, and filled with value-adding advice.

Dione provides very quick feedback and worked really hard to help me put my best application forward. She is extremely committed and I felt like she went over and above her remit. I am happy to say my application was successful and I am beyond grateful to Dione for all her help as it would not have been possible without her. I would absolutely recommend Dione to anyone and especially international applicants who really do need someone with her level of knowledge and expertise when it comes to US business schools and admissions.

When I decided to work with an MBA consultancy, I reached out to three top firms to find the best fit. From my initial call with SBC, it was clear that SBC was the right choice. The attention to detail, in-house talent, and level of commitment was immediately evident and unmatched. My matchmaker, Sarah, was incredibly knowledgeable and took the time to understand my goals, expectations, and personality to ensure she paired me with the most compatible partner.

I can’t say enough good things about my experience working with my primary partner, Jessica. She is a Darden alum and former Darden Admissions Officer, and her familiarity with the program was particularly helpful, as Darden was my top school. Jessica’s expertise allowed her to provide an informed answer to every question I had, and she also utilized the SBC network to ensure a thorough, diversified perspective was always available for reference.

I opted for the “all-in” package for two schools and can sincerely say it exceeded all expectations. Jessica’s support and guidance through each and every step were invaluable, but what I appreciated the most was how dedicated Jessica was throughout the entire process and her genuine belief in my candidacy. She helped me better understand my own goals and pushed me to own and thoughtfully articulate my narrative. She is phenomenal at her job and an absolute joy to work with. Jessica and the support of the SBC team, including another talented former MBA Admissions Officer who conducted my flight test, were without question the key to my success during a highly competitive admissions cycle. I’m proud to share that I received scholarships to both schools and will be attending Darden in the fall. I cannot recommend Jessica and SBC enough!

I have definitely gotten the full experience with SBC and have been overwhelmed each step of the way. I worked with Caryn on my applications. Caryn is such a valuable resource when applying because she makes a very overwhelming process seem so simple. From our initial intro call, Caryn helped me layout an organized pre-application plan, advised me on recommenders and essay topics, collaborated on final essay and application versions, and answered any question that I had along the way. Caryn’s push to help me understand the “Why” of my application really made my application process smoother. It’s easy to think that “Why” is an easy question but Caryn clearly lays out how important that one question is in your application, essays, and interviews. I can promise Caryn will make your application experience infinitely simpler!

I’m an international applicant who is over 30 and comes from a non-feeder industry (non-IB or consulting). Before signing up to work with SBC, I also had calls with several other firms (Admissionado, Personal MBA Coach, Fortuna, among others). I decided to work with Margaret and cannot recommend her more highly. She knows all the top MBA programs inside out, doesn’t “market” herself, and always tells it as it is. During our initial call, unlike several other consultants, she didn’t encourage me to include schools outside of T10 in my application package and advised that I apply to just 3-4 schools, focusing on the quality of the stuff that I do (others recommended that I go for 6-8 schools). I added two more schools to the initial package of four in December as I still had time.

The results of my work with Margaret exceeded my expectations. Out of six schools, I applied to (5 with Margaret, 1 on my own, for which one Margaret still gave me insights), I received interview invites at five (four of them M7 schools!). I got admitted at Wharton, Booth, and Yale, and received some scholarship $ too! All of this in a year of COVID-19 with a surge in applications. Margaret’s guidance was instrumental in securing these admits.

If you’re hesitating over who to work with the way I did, think no more and just go with Margaret. She knows what schools are looking for, has a clear process in place, and has an answer to ANY question or concern you might have. Margaret is wise and has a great sense of humor, and this makes working with her a great pleasure. Special thanks to the rest of the SBC team I interacted with – Bill, my initial matchmaker, Beth, my flight tester, Anthony, Toni, Tina, Esther… Highly recommend!

Christina was incredibly helpful and supportive throughout the MBA application process. It was a longer and more difficult process than I originally anticipated, so it was great to have Christina in my corner. Especially when things got busy at work, it was nice to have Christina keeping me on track for my applications. Christina has a wealth of experience, but her best quality is that she genuinely cares. And Christina works as hard as you do – I was amazed at how willing Christina was to prioritize our work despite the demands of her busy schedule. I would definitely recommend Christina to anyone who is looking for some support and guidance throughout the MBA application process.

Admitted to: HBS, Wharton, Kellogg, U Chicago
Scholarships received: $80K+ scholarships to Wharton, Kellogg, U Chicago

I worked with Erin during the winter of 2020/2021 to help me get into my number one choice, Columbia Business School’s EMBA program. She was very responsive throughout our entire interaction, allowing us to get everything in on time with a tight deadline. Erin was very helpful to craft my own stories into the essays, making sure they were cogent and referencing my passion for joining the program. I also used her for Stern’s part-time MBA program and was admitted into this as well. I high recommend Stacy Blackman and Erin for overall general expertise in the MBA admissions process, along with the essay portion of the application.

An international applicant, I was looking for a consultant to help me navigate the process when applying to the HSW trinity (spoiler: interviewed with all 3 and got admitted to 2!).
Before getting in touch with SBC, I actually spoke to a couple of other long-standing teams with good reviews, but there simply was no connection and the conversations felt rather transactional.
Esther from SBC, on the other hand, was a breath of fresh air – genuinely invested and empowering from the very first minutes of our call. She then connected me with Jennifer who went to GSB, has experience in my industry, and (as I learned later) is highly professional and structured, yet creative and caring.
Jennifer helped me not only to get through the applications and prepare for interviews but also to actually enjoy this stage of my life (even with the pandemic raging on). Her advice and questions were always insightful and provocative, she both kept me on schedule and gave me space when I needed to reflect further. Jennifer herself replied to all my queries within 24-48 hours.
I would also strongly recommend taking advantage of the Flight Test (with Caryn) and mock TBD interview (with Meghan) that were part of the package and provided a fresh perspective.
Free resources like the SBC newsletter and podcast (B-schooled with Erika) are a great bonus!

Honestly, I don’t even know where to begin. I’m still in shock of my admit to my top choice program, UC Berkeley EWMBA! My story is unique — I have a very low undergrad GPA and thought I would never stand a chance.

Once I mustered up enough courage to give part time b-school applications a try, I called SBC. I was connected to Sarah who gave me very honest and valuable advice. I took her advice to heart and started working on my weaknesses right away. Sarah matched me with Amy as my consultant and she was such a great fit from the start.

Amy was so kind, supportive, and always gave me the reassurance I needed that my dreams of attending a top MBA program were possible with hard work and dedication. That was exactly what I needed whenever my doubts crept up in my head (and they crept up very often!). She encouraged me to take extra classes to combat my low GPA and to try the GRE instead of the GMAT. Her advice and feedback were so incredibly valuable and helpful. I was able to take 4 extra extension classes and do well on the GRE, especially the quant section.

It amazes me how much progress I made with Amy when I reflect back on the process and where I started from. I’m incredibly proud of the application we were able to put together and Amy really helped me put a cohesive story together. She was able to tie in elements from my culture, my short term and long term goals, and my explanation for the low GPA into one cohesive application that also highlighted Haas’ defining leadership principles.

Additionally, the flight test option that was included in my all-inclusive school package was also critical for me. Beth, who is a former Admissions officer at Kellogg, completed my flight test and provided great feedback for me to implement during my interview. It was also mentally reassuring to have that flight test be your one last check before submitting your application.

All in all, I 100% recommend Amy and the rest of the team at SBC! If you have a big weakness in your profile, please don’t give up before you try. I’m so glad I pushed through the uncertainty and doubt. I could not be more excited to be attending Haas this year.

When I first contacted SBC, I spoke with Esther who paired me up with Jennifer after understanding my style and what I was looking for. I feel so lucky that she matched me with Jennifer.

I had previously worked with a different MBA admissions company who proved very unhelpful so I was nervous about paying for another but I am so glad I did.

Applying for business school can be an intimidating process but Jennifer broke it down and made it seem achievable. She helped me through the whole process – finding my story, choosing my recommenders, filling in the application form, practicing for interviews, and the waitlist strategy.

Jennifer helped me find my own voice by guiding me, rather than telling me what to write. I am from Europe and she helped me make that shine through in my application. She was always very quick to respond and a genuine pleasure to work with.

I also found working with the wider SBC team very easy. Caryn completed a “flight test” for me where she assessed my full HBS application. It was great having another pair of eyes on my application to spot any bits that I had missed being so close to it all.

I feel very grateful that I got into two of my dream schools – Wharton and HBS – and am very excited to start in HBS later this year.

I would 100% recommend working with SBC and Jennifer in particular!

Laura is absolutely fantastic! I went into the application process with a GMAT score I wasn’t thrilled about, so I knew I needed to make my application stand out as much as possible. Throughout the application process, Laura challenged me every which way and helped me tailor my resume and essays to showcase my strengths. Not only was I admitted to multiple programs, but I also received scholarship funds. I know for a fact that I would not have been as successful if I hadn’t worked with Laura. You can have the best resume and experience in the world, but if you don’t frame it correctly, you can leave things on the table.

The last thing I’ll say is I searched and met with multiple application consultants before finally selecting Laura as the person I wanted to work with. From my experience, many consultants are just worried about taking your money and don’t truly care if things work out for you. This is not the case with Laura. I could tell she cared from day one and was going to be a true partner in my application journey.

The application process is not something to be taken lightly and having Laura on your team is something I strongly recommend.

I had a wonderful experience with Kassidee. After providing my basic background information, I was matched with her given my intent to pivot industries, and felt I needed help crafting the strongest story possible.

Throughout the process, she was incredibly responsive and very thoughtful in her feedback. While I think I had a lot of good ideas and a general sense of direction, her guidance and suggestions made the world of difference in making the essays read smoothly with my overall application. Kassidee is adept at B-school lingo, showing your strengths (rather than just saying so outright), and making a fluid and compelling essay.

In the end, I was deciding between Booth, Kellogg and Darden. Kassidee’s input was invaluable in putting my best foot forward and felt really confident after submitting. Would recommend others to think about what they really want to get out of the consultant’s time and articulate these goals upfront so you can maximize the resource.

Alex is fantastic. Even after doing my own research, it was difficult to know where to begin. Alex helped me get everything on the table so that I could start constructing my story for the AdComs. He was extremely helpful in establishing a timeline to keep me on track and accountable. He’s also extremely familiar with how the AdCom of each school thinks and what they’re looking for, which helped me to uniquely tailor my essays for each school. He was a great sounding board for ideas as I was starting to write my essays, and helped tremendously as I sharpened and refined the final product. By the end, the quality of my application was far beyond what I would have been capable of producing alone.

I had the pleasure of working with Deanna after purchasing a set number of hours with the goal of entering an MBA program in the Fall of 2021. I was confident in my profile as an applicant, but I was aware of potentially weaker points where I required assistance. I interviewed five different MBA consulting companies in my search for support. I felt three were unrealistic with my goals and one never responded. I was immediately impressed with Stacy Blackman’s quick response and attention to detail from one of their principals, who corresponded with me via email promptly and answered all questions until pairing me with Deanna based on my target schools and goals.

I was feeling overwhelmed by the application process. I was furiously studying for the GRE, preparing to ask my recommenders, researching for essay prompt answers, and working full time as many applicants are during this process. Stressful! Then I had my first meeting with Deanna and I breathed a sigh of relief. Deanna was transparent, realistic, supportive, and most importantly, effective. Deanna carefully evaluated my profile and provided recommendations based on my strengths and areas for growth. Aside from Deanna’s impressive background and qualifications, her work ethic is unparalleled and her prompt responses were incredibly helpful for quick edits and questions throughout the day.

During my time with Deanna, we worked on my resume, essay edits, recommendation requests, and interview preparation. I applied to four schools and was able to accept an offer to my top school before the deadline to submit the fifth and interview with the fourth. I am grateful to Deanna and SBC for their support and effective guidance throughout this process. I am thrilled to attend my top choice in the Fall of 2021. MBA consulting firms are a huge investment and I recommend Deanna and SBC without hesitation.

Beth exceeded all expectations as my consultant (and I routinely have unrealistic expectations). She was an incredible thought partner and her process is very methodical and gently forces the applicant to be as introspective as possible. I was thoroughly impressed by both her strategic and tactical execution of the process. She is incredibly responsive and takes time to get to know the applicant in detail. I was thrilled with the end application product and would 100% recommend her whether I got into my dream school or not (I did!).

Laura was such a help in crafting my story and guiding me throughout the whole admissions process. She works really fast and communicates extremely well. I relied on her most for editing my essays and asking for advice. I couldn’t have done it without her. Worth every penny. You won’t regret working with her.

I had a very specific goal of only applying to the Wharton EMBA program and I decided to go with Amy because of her extensive experience with that program. She was structured, supportive, and always available to answer questions by text/email. We had multiple sessions per week and she was always able to provide actionable advice on my materials before each session. She not only helped me navigate my application process but also my sponsorship proposal process to my employer. Overall, she was a huge help and I would highly recommend her!

I cannot express how thankful I am to have worked with a consultant as talented and attentive as Amy. She excels in her capability to revise and polish one’s work, coach and explain exactly what the school is looking for, and in giving feedback in a timely and efficient manner, making her a true triple threat. Her friendliness during the process was greatly appreciated and was only outshined by her honest and thoughtful revisions. I firmly believe that I could neither have made my essay as polished nor made it as quickly had it not been for Amy’s help. Her rate is a bargain for the service that she provides in peace of mind alone.
It is with great pleasure that I recommend Amy wholly and without reservation.

My experience with Beth was absolutely phenomenal. I went into the application process with a GMAT score and a general idea of the schools I wanted to apply to. Beth helped me pick my schools, shape my goals, and craft my unique story. She is great to work with and has an amazing depth of knowledge on all things MBA. I opted for an hourly package and was amazed by how diligently Beth used the hours to ensure I received maximum value. In the end, I was admitted to an M7 MBA program and could not be more pleased with the results.

I would recommend Beth to anyone looking for an MBA admissions consultant.

Jessica was instrumental in my admission to all programs where I applied, including scholarships at all but one. I began by requesting assistance on essays, but I knew she was the right consultant when she challenged (respectfully) my decision-making, preparedness, and story. From there, we were able to carefully craft my story and essays for each school. I can’t thank Jessica enough!

Jessica came highly recommended to me by a friend who had worked with her the year before. Her insights were extremely valuable in helping me understand how to approach various essay topics, craft my personal story in a way that highlighted my unique experiences, and compose a strong and holistic application that resonated with AdComs. Despite applying for MBA programs in what will likely be the most competitive cycle to date, I was ultimately accepted at arguably my top choice – in large part because of her efforts. Jessica’s advice and direction gave me the confidence that I was putting my best foot forward, and I truly enjoyed working with her. Anyone who is serious about improving their MBA application would be wise to hire Jessica as a consultant!

I began my MBA prep and admissions journey late in the game with the intention of starting in Fall 2021. I reached out to a few different admissions firms for support, including Stacy Blackman. One never responded and another told me they required at least a year to help me. Sarah, a Principal with Stacy Blackman, responded enthusiastically, and, after a thoughtful intake conversation, matched me with Deanna based on my background and goals.

For context, I entered the process 8 years removed from undergrad, with just over two months to refine my school selection, take standardized tests, complete applications, and complete additional quantitative coursework that would subsequently be recommended. Enter Deanna. She reached out within 24 hours of my initial conversation with Sarah and came ready with the next steps and suggestions. Deanna’s expertise navigating MBA admissions and her up-to-date knowledge on trends and new developments with admissions were instantly apparent and shone through during our entire time working together. Combined with her personality and responsiveness, she really was both an exceptional consultant, coach, and cheerleader for my success. Hands down, I could not have pulled everything together in such an effective way and on such a tight timeline without her help.

Stacy Blackman took the time to weigh my background against my ambitious Fall 2021 desired start and decided they could help me achieve my goal. Deanna, in turn, took the time to get to know my story and background and tailored her knowledge and resources to fit my specific needs. In one of the most competitive years MBA programs have seen in a while and in the midst of COVID, I succeeded in getting admitted to a nationally and internationally recognized top school, which I plan to attend this fall. My recommendation of Deanna and Stacy Blackman comes without reservation.

I found Amy when I contacted Stacy Blackman consulting. I initiated a phone chat with Amy and was truly amazed by her experience and opinions on business school applications. For me, business school is in a totally different world compared to my deep technology background, Amy is the person who helped me dig into myself and helped me connect my facts, and help me present my facts in a proper way that a business school will value. She is VERY responsive to all my emails and requests along the way, so when there was something I was thinking about and wanted to ask for suggestions before proceeding further, she always got back to me within several hours. I wish everyone could work with Amy to get into her/his dream school!

I recently was accepted to Columbia Business School after applying last summer. My experience working with the SBC team was fantastic. After being referred by a friend, I had an initial consultation call with Esther, who discussed my interests and goals. Given my strong preference for CBS, she suggested I work with Kate, a former CBS Admissions Officer. The team-based model and support didn’t end there, as we also worked with Beth, another former admissions officer, for a “flight test” before submission.

Kate tailored the experience very much to my needs and schedule. As an investment banking analyst with limited time, it was important that whoever advised me was flexible for calls and emails. Additionally, Kate did a fantastic job of assisting greatly throughout while I still owned the application. I had a natural tendency to want to change my “story” or veer off the path, but Kate kept us on track while making sure it was truly my voice.

Lastly, from a process standpoint, Kate was full of helpful pointers and best practices. From working with recommenders to interview preparation, I couldn’t speak more highly of the experience.

I was on the higher side of experience from the average experience of full-time MBA course and was also rejected from two of the b-schools. It was then that I was searching for guidance and to understand what is going wrong in my application. I found SBC and had my first call with Christine. It was eye opening. She not only guided me in focusing on the right schools but also helped me to come out with my best version.
I instantly connected with her like a friend, very comfortable in sharing my fears, my doubts and she was always there to support. We went through multiple versions of my essays, refining and fine tuning them till both of us were satisfied. She made sure I write and re-write all my essays and CV, asked very intriguing and thoughtful questions which helped me to realize that from my own experience there is so much I can contribute and bring to the table. She also arranged a mock interview before my two rounds of interviews at HEC.
At the end, it was all worth the effort and hard work when I got admitted to HEC. I was ecstatic and I knew Christine too was waiting with bated breath and she was constantly encouraging me with her positivity.
I cannot thank Christine enough for all the inputs, support, guidance and encouragement that she has given. Thank you once again.

I used Stacy Blackman’s All-In Package for 3 schools and I am very happy with my decision! I am a reapplicant who had used a different consultant last time I applied, and I am so glad I went with SBC and Yvette this time. I had consultations with several other admissions consultants and was impressed with SBC from the very beginning – even in the initial consultation I received useful, constructive feedback.

Yvette is an excellent consultant. While I had initially thought I needed to improve my GMAT score, Yvette assured me that my score was fine, I just needed to tell a compelling story. This was something I struggled with, but Yvette did an excellent job of guiding me through the process of identifying interesting parts of my background and crafting a strong narrative. She was skilled in pointing out areas for improvement, but not being prescriptive. Before submitting my applications I also went through a “flight test” with an admissions committee member, which was very helpful for getting a second perspective on ways to improve my application.

I ended up getting interviews at all of the MBA programs I applied for. Yvette then helped me with interview prep. I had struggled with interviews last time I applied to business school, and was nervous about making the same mistakes this time. Yvette gave me strategies for staying calm and responding to challenging questions. I made it through all of my interviews smoothly and was ultimately admitted to every MBA program I applied to, including HBS and GSB. Yvette’s guidance certainly played a big role in this positive outcome. In addition, I found that her advice made me a better writer overall, which has helped in other parts of my career.

I highly recommend Yvette and SBC – definitely worth it!

When I started thinking about applying for MBA programs, I was on the fence about hiring a consultant. After speaking with a couple of consultants and not feeling too impressed, I had an intro call with Christine Hawkins from SBC. My call with Christine was the first time that I felt encouraged about my story by a consultant. Throughout the call, she asked thoughtful questions about my background and experiences and she was extremely friendly and easy to talk with.

She helped me reformat and sharpen my resume, gave me detailed feedback on multiple iterations of my essays, and helped me to identify areas in my story that I was not emphasizing enough in my application. Additionally, Christine pushed me to really dig deep into my motivations for pursuing an MBA and what I wanted to do post-MBA – she always asked the right questions and pushed me to think very hard about the “why” behind my choices and motivations. I was able to clearly articulate my thoughts in the best way possible thanks to her guidance.

She was also very patient with me when it came to some of my insecurities about my application and the countless questions I had along the way – her responses were supportive, thorough, and prompt. I always felt that I was the only person she was working with since she knew my story and essays so well and gave such personalized feedback! She also checked in with me frequently as I was waiting for results and throughout the interview process to ask how I was doing and to give my valuable advice.

With Christine’s help, I was admitted to INSEAD, a reach school for me, and could not be more thrilled! I wholeheartedly recommend working with Christine for an incredibly personalized, friendly, thoughtful, and effective application experience.

Working with Stephanie has been enlightening and seamless. After rejection in the 2020 admissions cycle, I knew I had to reassess my application. A friend recommended working with an admissions consultant and after thorough research, I chose to work with SBC.
My first interaction with Stephanie consisted of honest and valuable feedback. I was facing an uphill battle; an untraditional background and blemishes in my undergrad studies. I shared my story and through her guidance I developed a cohesive narrative and a linear strategy. From there she made school recommendations, resume edits, and numerous essay reviews. Throughout the process I also found myself reaching out to her frequently to touch base or ask minor questions. As the first person in my family to pursue an MBA, I lacked the “insider” info or the support from someone who has been in the trenches. Stephanie served as my go-to, she contextualized everything and provided me with the lens of the adcom.
My work with Stephanie transformed my candidacy and restored my confidence in the application process. The pride she takes in her work, attention to detail, and responsiveness are unmatched. With Stephanie’s help, I received interview invitations from every school, with early admission into one and pending decisions from others. Not only is Stephanie’s craft and knowledge exceptional, but her support and kindness make her an ideal consultant. I would fully endorse Stephanie and the SBC group to any prospective MBA candidate!

Going into the MBA application process, I felt overwhelmed and under-qualified by a mile. I come from a non-traditional background, have few in my network with MBA’s, and, most detrimentally, carried the burden of a sub-3 undergrad GPA. While exploring other admissions consulting firms, I was consistently advised not to apply to my first choice program (T15), and to focus my efforts on lower-ranked programs.

Upon my first interaction with Deanna, she exhibited a “can-do” attitude that was undeniably contagious. We started out with a 2-hour long consultation in which she asked intentional questions about my background, reviewed my resume, and came up with an action plan to mitigate my shortcomings (compelling optional essay, pre-MBA math course, etc.). She understood full well that my top choice was a bit of a stretch, but focused my attention on crafting a thoughtful application rather than worrying about the outcome.

As we worked through endless essay drafts, Deanna was highly accessible via email, phone, and text. Her response time would lead you to think you’re her only client, though I know that was far from the case! You get the sense that Deanna genuinely cares about you as a full person, not just as an applicant bearing stats, and it shows in her approach to editing essays. Her edits and revision suggestions were clearly influenced by her previous experience as a marketing executive; she really is a wizard when it comes to helping you put your best foot forward.

After my applications were submitted, Deanna also helped me with mock interviews. Presenting yourself in an MBA interview is subtly different from how you would in a typical job interview. After a 45 minute mock interview session, I came away with over 3 pages of notes – all takeaways I’m sure I couldn’t have come up with on my own.

To my absolute surprise, I was accepted to my dream school! The admissions team stated that I presented a great overall application, which I firmly believe is a testament to Deanna’s expertise.

For context, I applied to five programs in one round, over the span of a month, and had Deanna’s help from start-to-finish, totaling 14.5 hours. If you’re on the fence, take it from me that having Deanna on your side can only help. She is patient, encouraging, sharp, sincere, and, most importantly, effective. Working with her took so much anxiety out of the application process and I can’t credit her enough for helping me get into my dream school!

I worked with Caryn and SBC for the class of 2023 applications. Working with Caryn and the rest of the Stacy Blackman team/resources was an absolute pleasure and I found Caryn’s support indispensable as I navigated the challenging and intensive process. Ultimately, the decision paid off as I was accepted into Wharton, my top choice, as well as Booth and Kellogg!
I kicked off my process in late June, which was a little late given my desire to submit all my applications for the Round 1 deadline. Caryn quickly designed a schedule that would push me appropriately to stay on pace. Early in the process, she helped me think through my story and application strategy to best differentiate me, especially with my background in an over-represented group (male in finance). Caryn was incredibly responsive in iterating essay drafts and helping position myself in the best possible light. Post-essay process, SBC offered a flight test to review my overall application, which provided a tangible review of my materials and overall candidate profile from one of the other consultants, Lisa. Upon receiving interview invites, I conducted interview prep with Caryn and, for Wharton, attended a virtual, team-based discussion mock interview hosted by SBC. Overall, SBC offers all of the resources that one would need through the process.
I originally reached out to Stacy Blackman and discussed my background with Esther. Once I solidified my plans to apply to business school, I requested Caryn and Esther connected me with her directly. My brother used Caryn and Stacy Blackman with his successful MBA application process a couple of years ago, so it was a natural selection for me. I also received recommendations from a few others at my company who went through the process, and many of them had used Stacy Blackman. Overall, Caryn’s experience as a former MBA Admissions Officer and her expertise in advising clients was evident. I’m very happy with my decision and would highly recommend Caryn and Stacy Blackman to anyone looking to succeed in the MBA admissions process.

One of the best decisions I made during the MBA program application process was to work with Stacy Blackman Consulting, specifically, Caryn Altman. From the very beginning, it was all hands on deck. My emails were always returned within 24 – 48 hours, which was so important as I had so many questions in terms of timing, school selection, essay ideas, etc. I had decided to go with the All-In-Package, which for me made the most sense. Caryn’s insightful questions, ideas and general knowledge of the schools made it so much easier for me to focus on coming up with ‘my story’. Importantly, while it took several rounds of edits, etc. Caryn was always patient with my initial, verbose essay drafts, helping me to determine the important ideas as I worked to craft final essays which best answered the questions asked and also conveyed who I am as an individual. Given that applying to business schools can be a stressful process, it was so helpful to know that I had someone of Caryn’s caliber in my corner. The results speak for themselves, I was accepted to Wharton, Kellogg, Tuck, and Ross with multiple scholarships including 2 full-rides. I also was able to work with multiple members of the Stacy Blackman Staff including Esther, always very responsive to questions, and others to do my ‘flight tests’ and practice for interviews, including a mock team-based interview to prepare for different schools. I strongly recommend working with Caryn and the Stacy Blackman Team!

My dream came true and I was admitted to HBS and MIT after working with Caryn on 5 applications.

I am from Brazil and this was a very challenging season, especially for international students, due to soaring applications and deferrals.

I was very diligent on selecting my consultant, talking to other 3 top firms, but it was SBC that stood out for their expertise and service. Esther was my guide and matchmaker and took me step-by-step through the whole process. I ended up asking for Caryn directly because of her outstanding record as a U.S. top 10 consultant and background as a former admissions officer.

Caryn’s ability to synthesize a compelling story and tread throughout the whole application is invaluable. She can clearly show you your strengths and help mitigate your weaknesses. While the process is stressful, Caryn helped me gain confidence and reflect on my true motivations on pursuing an MBA. With all done, my flight tester was Lisa, which is also a former admissions officer, and brought a fresh pair of eyes to the material, giving good insights on how to better communicate some ideas. And finally, the mock interviews were also great and prepared me very well for the real interviews.

I had a great experience with SBC and they offer the best service. If your dream is a top ten school, SBC is the right place.

I highly recommend Dione with SBC for MBA applications if you are looking for a resourceful, timely, and professional consultant who will push you to think and give you the best shot in your application. When I was ready to apply for MBA, I found out SBC would give me the best shot from Poets&Quants and reached out to SBC matchmaker Esther, who paired me up with Dione after a 15-min intro call. I quickly discovered Dione was the right consultant for my situation, and she became my dedicated MBA consultant for strategy, positioning, and career visioning.

I had a very tight timeframe for R1 applications, and Dione was very responsive and effective at the same time. She first helped me narrow down to a list of few schools that best meet my needs and background and then drew up a game plan in terms of the sequence and how to tackle each school. Through various questions, personality tests, conversations, and reflections, Dione helped me figure out a short-term and long-term goal that fits my interests and makes sense for the schools. Within a couple of weeks of intense back-and-forth with many e-mails, we were able to draft a compelling story for the essay questions that are true to me and unique to each school. Another senior consultant from SBC Caryn was also able to jump in and help with one of my applications for a comprehensive flight test that gave me additional color and improved my applications. Given the tight timeline, Dione worked extremely hard and responded to my questions and essay drafts tirelessly with turnaround time, often less than an hour, and responded late into the evenings. Throughout the application, Dione pointed out the areas I need to prioritize and encouraged me to push forward. Even though I have signed up for the comprehensive package, I felt Dione was very generous with her time and provided feedback on numerous drafts for each of the essays, even at a late-stage, to make sure my wording was perfect.

With Dione’s support, I’m lucky to be admitted by Dartmouth Tuck. I will recommend Dione to anybody with a traditional background or a diverse interest and interested in a top MBA program.

When I decided to work with an MBA admission consultant, I interviewed consultants across quite a few companies. What I really appreciate most about Amy is her aggressive listening style and truly trying to understand me so that we can put our best foot forward with the application. Instead of filling blurbs in essays, or sounding hokey, we reflected on my strengths and strategized how to highlight them.

She helped review my essay and provided critical feedback as I continued to improve upon them.

I came to Sherry with my eyes set on Duke and a goal of only needing to submit one application. At this time I was in the middle of my essays. I was frustrated with low word counts and concerned I wasn’t focusing in on the most advantageous parts of my background. I spent 6 hours with Sherry where I was impressed we were able to cover an application strategy, multiple rounds of essay reviews, and interview prep. I was admitted and received scholarship support. Sherry was familiar with available scholarships and encouraged me to incorporate relevant experiences into multiple parts of my application in unique ways. I’m confident my investment in Sherry’s support paid off directly through the merit support I received.

I went to SBC after I had already applied to a few schools and was worried that my application had not been received well. Meg ran through a ding analysis on one of those apps, and she was both critical and constructive. I really appreciated her straightforward approach to the analysis, which helped me identify significant weak points that needed addressing. I then reached out to her a second time for help on a few of my essays that needed the most work. During that process as well, she was extremely helpful with prompt, direct and clear feedback. While my first few applications did not earn interviews, every application after working with Meg received an interview invite. I just learned that I got into an M7 school and could not be more thrilled. Meg’s assistance was vital.

I was originally referred to Caryn through a friend who had a similar engineering background and applied last year. Caryn was so reassuring yet honest in her assessment during our initial call; I knew that she would be the right person to guide me through my MBA application process. I decided to go with the all-in package and applied to 5 schools, got interviews at 4, and was accepted with significant scholarships (>50%) at Kellogg, Ross, and Fuqua.

I definitely could not have done this without Caryn’s help. She was instrumental in helping me figure out how to translate my technical background and experiences into applications in a way that would resonate with the admissions committee. Caryn was also very much an accountability partner for me, helping keep me on track in terms of timelines especially with all the craziness of the past year. She was always very prompt in her responses and went through several drafts with me, while keeping the essays and applications true to who I was as a person. In addition, the resources that SBC offers like the flight test, sample essays, and mock interviews were really important to helping at each step of the process. I could not recommend Caryn and SBC enough!

To anyone shooting for their dream school, you must consider having Beth in your corner. Her process forces you to fully reflect on accomplishments from all corners of your past and craft a complete personal brand to present to the adcom. She is SO much more than just a proofreader or generic strategy developer. I come from a non-traditional background and had concerns about turning my stories into impactful anecdotes that someone from outside my industry could fully understand. Beth is amazing at this process and has the experience as a Director of Admissions (along with a strong network of others) to ensure your stories don’t bog down in lingo and hit the right points that resonate with adcom. Every detail of your application will receive the utmost attention from Beth, from the obvious in the essays all the way to more thoughtfully thinking through why your positions or roles at a company changed. I can’t recommend Beth enough and if you come to the MBA application process as a non-traditional applicant, Beth is a MUST. Results from my own experience: Admitted to 100% of schools applied with scholarship.

Cathy helped me throughout the essay writing process, for a variety of different schools. She was able to bounce back and forth between schools and help me strike the right tone for each one. She’s extremely nice but is very honest and will let you know what you need to work on. I highly recommend her for any help with essays or overall application consulting.

Amy was amazing to work with, and I’m super happy with my outcome. I was accepted to a top MBA program (my first choice) with over half my tuition covered by scholarship. Amy really got to know me and understood my background. She helped me whip my resume into tip top shape and clarified my post MBA goals. She also did interview prep, which made me feel relaxed and confident.

Even though I attended an Ivy League school for undergrad, my GPA and GMAT left something to be desired. Amy helped me offset this by pushing me to highlight my work experience to best position myself as an applicant and offering insightful feedback on my essay.

I appreciated Amy’s honesty, thoughtfulness, and responsiveness. She was an invaluable resource, and I felt much less stressed since I could ask her questions about the application process. I would definitely recommend working with Amy!

Lisa was a great resource to have through all stages of the application process. Feeling extremely overwhelmed by everything that goes into applying to business school, I knew that I wanted to work with a consultant in order to put my best foot forward. With Lisa’s help, I was admitted to the three schools I applied to: Fuqua, Kenan-Flagler, and Owen (which I applied to on my own since the essays were similar to Fuqua’s). I received significant scholarships from KF and Owen.

I imagine Lisa’s process is similar to those of the other consultants at SBC. We began by going over my background, where I see myself in the future, and why I wanted to pursue an MBA. Drawing from her experience, she then suggested career paths (great for defining a long-term, short-term, and alternative plans that come up in essays) and programs she saw as a fit for me based off of our 2 hour conversation. She also reviewed my overall strengths and weaknesses and then followed up with a calendar of our game plan.

Once the real work began, essay and resume drafts were always returned back to me with comments in less than 24 hours. Lisa provided feedback on all aspects including content, grammar, style, and cutting down to adhere to word count! We did a mock interview once I had interview invitations. I did not realize I could submit practice interview questions for her to review– I was playing around on the interview website the night before my Duke interview then she sent me an email in the morning because she wanted to make sure I received her feedback before the actual interview!

There were a few reasons why I ultimately decided to go with SBC. My initial contact, Sarah, clearly understood my goals and sent across bios of the consultants she believed would be the best fit for me. I knew that my main weakness was my not-so-stellar undergrad GPA (well below average at all three schools). My eventual GMAT score of 660 also put me at the bottom of the mid 80% at both Fuqua and KF. Seeing the words “miracle worker when it comes to assisting clients with low GMATs and GPAs” made it a no-brainer that I should work with Lisa. I also knew going in that I wanted to apply to Fuqua and KF. A few other consultants made me feel as though the schools would be out of reach for me and Personal MBA Coach pushed their GMAT tutoring services (to be fair, I can understand why). Both Sarah and Lisa encouraged me to apply to the schools I wanted to and did not make me feel as though they were not viable options. The SBC comprehensive package also includes a flight test which was reassuring to know that there would be another set of eyes reviewing my application before it was time to press submit. Mine was completed by Caryn a former adcom member who also has rave reviews! Lisa and I made final minor adjustments with her feedback.

Throughout the entire process I felt like Lisa believed in me and was on my team. She always had something encouraging to say whether it was writers block, my first GMAT attempt which was sub-600, last minute application questions, and ultimately deciding on an offer (I was torn between offers and called her in tears!) I truly feel that I would not have been able to do it without her guidance and would highly recommend Lisa and SBC to anyone looking to use a consultant!

Colette did a wonderful job providing strategic guidance, detailed insight, and was extremely time-efficient. I couldn’t have dreamed of a better result and she played a big part in it. Highly recommended.

Kate’s temperament and experience with CBS make her the ideal advisor. She did a great job of putting me in the shoes of the admissions team and helping me stress test my understanding of what makes CBS unique and why the school was a good match. She doesn’t take this for granted, and applicants that haven’t clearly fleshed this out should be prepared to examine this further while working with Kate. This is exactly what you want in an advisor, as Kate helped me validate why the CBS culture was uniquely suited for me. My main concern with my application was not knowing how my “story” would resonate with the admissions committee, and working with Kate gave me a sample of exactly how my story would be received. Be prepared to put in the work and iterate on your materials because Kate isn’t going to just tell you what you want to hear. I’d eagerly recommend Kate to qualified applicants I know personally. If you’re set on CBS, but on the edge and not sure if it’s worth the money to hire a consultant, that’s exactly where I was last year, and it’s been well worth it. There is obviously some positive confirmation bias that comes into play here since I was fortunate / lucky enough to get in, but I also worked with other advisors for other schools (I got into some and not others), and Kate was the most professional and successful at communicating where I should be focusing my efforts in the application process.

From day one of my MBA admissions journey Lisa Anderson and Stacy Blackman Consulting has been nothing less than stellar. My MBA admissions experience started with a desire to attempt and pivot industries. In fact, I was not sure that I wanted or needed to pursue an MBA to achieve my career goals. Lisa provided valuable career advice and resources to help me figure out if an MBA would be right for me. Once I determined that an MBA was the way I should go, Lisa helped me through the entire admissions process. Lisa provided feedback on all the schools I was thinking about applying to and helped me feel confident in my MBA admission plan. Not only that, but Lisa provided feedback on my essays and resume, which made me very confident when I submitted my application. Lisa was always great about responding quickly, and I cannot recall an instance where it took more than 24 hours to hear back from her. With Lisa’s help, I am happy to say that I will be going to my number one school this fall. Lisa made the application process easy and stress-free, which is nice considering how stressful 2020 has been. If you are looking for a great consultant to work with and need candid advice, look no further than Lisa Anderson and the folks at SBC. Thank you again, Lisa, for all of the help you provided.

I reached out to Esther only a few months before Round 1 applications were due while I was actually in the process of working with another consulting firm – which I was quite unsatisfied with. I was initially skeptical about switching over to SBC as I had already invested so much money and time with the other consultant, but I am SO HAPPY that I ultimately decided to go for it.

Dione was able to quickly understand my background, my story, and my future goals in order to help me craft a compelling application. She was incredible to brainstorm with and was always available to run through ideas or to answer my (many) questions. She helped me edit all of my essays up until I felt they were truly exceptional, and she was fantastic as keeping these concise, to the point, but still genuine and authentic. I was truly impressed with her work and extremely confident with my applications.

Before deciding to go forward with SBC, I had initial talks with numerous other consulting firms. SBC stood out because of the matchmaking process, the entire team’s efforts toward your final application (through their helpful flight test), and their resources. I received interviews at 5 of the 6 schools I had applied for, and the SBC interview resources helped tremendously with my interview preparation.

In addition, I’d like to add that the team at SBC was genuinely so kind and it really felt like they were on my side in this process. I had lots of ups and downs while applying (personally and professionally!) and Dione and the team continued to be there to cheer me on and push me forward. I ultimately got accepted to my dream school and cannot recommend Dione and SBC enough!

As an early career applicant who began the MBA admissions process relatively late, I knew I needed every advantage possible to have any chance of admission to a top-tier MBA program. I decided to reach out to SBC after being referred to the firm by a family friend, and I’m so glad I did!

After my initial consultation with Esther, I was paired with Meg, a former admissions committee member at Booth, one of my target schools. Simply put, there is nobody I would have rather had by my side throughout the admissions process. Meg’s job was to make sure that we put forward the best applications possible, and I have no doubt we succeeded in that endeavor. Every step of the way, I felt that Meg was unconditionally committed to my success, and her feedback on every part of my application — from essays to resume to interview prep — was invaluable.

Notably, I really appreciated Meg’s communication style, which is clear and direct without ever coming across as harsh or unnecessary. In fact, I found that many times Meg’s kindness, support and confidence in me kept me motivated to put 100% into every part of my application, even during times when I may have otherwise doubted my own abilities and chances of success. Trust me, Meg is the kind of teammate that you want to have on your side, and it was such a pleasure going through the process with her as we worked together toward a common goal.

I’m proud to say that with Meg’s help, I was able to earn admission to Kellogg and could not be more thrilled! In what turned out to be a historically competitive year, I am so grateful to have had Meg’s partnership and support, and truly believe that the value she added was essential to my acceptance.

In a very competitive year, I was looking for anything to gain an edge over other applicants. After reading lots of reviews here on P&Q and at GMATclub, I decided on Stacy Blackman’s hourly services and was placed with Meg, a former admissions officer at Booth. Meg was outrageously supportive and helped critique issues with my resume, application, and essay responses. She was extremely accessible and very prompt in answering emails. Her guidance led to my acceptance at the Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management. I cannot thank Meg enough and highly recommend SBC to anyone looking to gain an edge in admissions!

Fully honest review here!

I thought Meg did a great job. We worked together for about two months. She mainly offered me essay editing and resume editing. What I loved about Meg is that she gave thoroughly honest edits and was never afraid to tell me what she really thought. She really let my own voice shine, and gave me a lot of confidence in myself throughout the process. I liked that it was always my own voice and my own story, just polished up. And that’s exactly what SBC does- polishes you. They don’t write your essays for you, they just help you to explain any gaps in your story, make sure your essays are in tip-top shape, and pump you up for your interviews.

I had an excellent GMAT score, graduated summa cum laude, and was applying as a medical student with years of prior work experience, so I was decently confident that I was a good applicant- I used SBC because in 2020, I wanted to maximize my chances of getting in, and not leave anything to chance. Meg could have told me I was crazy, but she supported my decision to only apply to HBS, Wharton and GSB. I was ultimately accepted to Wharton. I had hoped to receive money, but I did not.

Overall, this was an extraordinarily challenging year and I am really pleased with my decision to work with Meg at SBC. I think she is incredibly responsive, kind, and genuine. It felt like working with a trusted friend. I could ALWAYS rely on her to get back to me quickly and tell me the truth. I will also say, I didn’t mind that SBC did not offer any sort of admissions guarantees or anything like that. I thought they were very realistic. I did some shopping around before I settled on HBC and heard some wild claims, and I also had admissions consultants who told me to apply to random schools that they had a personal interest in-SBC is not like that. I loved that Meg just met me where I was at and said this is what we’re doing, let’s go with it. And we got the job done! I’d definitely do it again.

I reached out to Esther over two years ago to get the SBC team’s perspective on my competitiveness for HBS. While most consulting firms are quick to bring on any potential client, the SBC team stood out as different in this early phase; Esther noted that I would have a much stronger profile if I gained an additional year of experience at my current job. In the intervening year, she continued to reach out with support and guidance, ultimately coming to understand my strengths/weaknesses/aspirations quite well. This hard work upfront then helped Esther to match me with the ideal consultant for my goals: Dione.

Dione and I began working together seven months before application deadlines. Having never worked with a consultant before, I was unsure what to expect—but was immediately impressed by Dione from the moment we met all the way through interview prep eight months later. Well before I started actually writing essays or contacting recommenders, Dione and I spent many hours discussing my overall strategy and positioning. Her guidance and input during this early phase proved critical to developing a cohesive story/framework for my application. And when I moved from big-picture planning to the nuts-and-bolts of the application (e.g., writing the essays), Dione proved just as helpful. A few of Dione’s differentiating strengths that I would like to highlight:
– Dione is extremely responsive. I continued to be amazed by how quickly she would email or call with input every time I sent her draft materials for review.
– Dione is a very strong writer. Given her background in marketing/communications, I believe Dione is perhaps better-qualified than many other consultants to support with essay edits.
– Dione deeply cared about my success. I feel that Dione came to know me very well—not just as an applicant, but as a person—and this helped to make me feel very genuinely supported throughout the process.

There are many other good things I could say about Dione and the SBC team. I would have been happy with my experience regardless of the application outcomes, but am particularly happy with the experience after being accepted to HBS. I would highly recommend SBC (and Dione specifically!) to anyone.

My experience with SBC consulting is quite unique. I reached out to Bill Collins on July 2019, when I had a “well below average” GMAT score. Bill gave it to me straight, he advised me on focusing on the GMAT score and coming back with a higher score. That advice meant everything to me, because it showed that these guys care about the results, not the money. He could have easily accepted me and helped me apply, with a mediocre profile. Glad I heeded his advice. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get that score before round 2 deadline, so he advised me to come back on round 1 2020. I reached out again on May 2020 when I got a decent GRE score, still below average though. Bill took me on and connected me with Megan. That where things kicked off.

Before I begin, I have to bust this myth. A top-notch admission consultant wont do the work for you, on the contrary, they will do the bare minimum and make you do all the work. That is where the transformation happens. I was somewhat disappointed when I experienced that, I thought Meg was the typical admission consultant who takes on 100s of clients and just didn’t have the time to work with me. That was totally invalid. Meg was one of the most compassionate people I met in my life. She listened to every single story I had and constructed the best application strategy for me. Her response time is amazing, mostly within 24 hours, and never exceeds 48 hours. She encouraged me to keep working on my GRE score as it would boost my chances of admission. Fortunately, I was able to get an above average GRE score. Gladly I was interviewed by Chicago Booth and Harvard Business School, and finally admitted to HBS.

SBC offers the flight test where my application for one school gets reviewed by an ex-admission committee member. I chose my HBS application which was reviewed by Lisa. She provided a through analysis and review on the application and gave me some improvement opportunities.

Overall, SBC might be more expensive than other consultancies, and wouldn’t offer admission guarantee. But it’s well worth the money. The journey was extremely fun and transformational.