Stacy Blackman Consulting

I worked with Margaret on my top choice (Columbia) and, not only did I get in, I couldn’t be happier with her service! I had one issue which I considered to be a major weakness of my application. Margaret immediately focused in on how we could address that weakness, while leaving the actual path up to me which ensured authenticity. She was also effective in keeping me engaged in the application process long before the apps were due which resulted in a more well-​rounded resume, valuable school visits, and deeper essays. Finally, she reassured me of my initial school choices based on my personal criteria as I started to become indecisive closer to the decision.
In summary, if you think you can identify and turn any weaknesses into strengths, stay laser focused on all aspects of the application for the better part of a year, and remain unfailingly confident then don’t use a business school consultant. Otherwise, use Margaret.

I had the pleasure of working with Margaret at Stacy Blackman and I couldn’t be more happy with the success she’s brought me. Coming from a non-​traditional background, I was nervous (to say the least) about my prospects as an MBA candidate. Through the initial stages of working with Margaret up through my admission to my dream program, I completely changed as an applicant. Through the endless weeks of rewrites, retaking the GMAT, and bolstering my work and community service performance, Margaret was my mentor and support network through each step and every obstacle. To say I couldn’t have done it without her wouldn’t do justice to the amount of extra effort she put into my file – she transformed me as a candidate by shifting my focus from what I thought the adcoms wanted to hear to what would be the most effective version of telling my story. We cut a lot of the meat of what I thought made me an interesting candidate (building a startup, effectiveness at my current role) to a more compelling version of myself (bilingual, comedian, overseas experience at a tech company).
Despite the shortcomings I have as a candidate such as my lack of quant work in undergrad, Margaret helped me show the best side of myself. She helped me target my weakest areas, prove that I’m more than just my undergraduate GPA, and ultimately land me at my dream program. I recommend Margaret without hesitation to anyone considering professional consulting services, whether you’re from an untraditional background like me or from a more established industry. Margaret will be the best teammate and mentor you could ever ask for, and through the countless hours of confusion and stress you’ll be lucky to have someone as qualified as her on your side.

Stacy Blackman Consulting exceeded my expectations and more than lived up to its excellent reputation. I worked with Maureen, who guided me through the entire application process, from crafting my story, to writing essays, and finally conducting mock interviews with me.
I was focused on a very small group of schools, all in the M7. Maureen helped me to tailor my story and application for each school, showing me how to emphasize specific aspects about myself that made me a fit for each program, allowing me to differentiate my candidacy. Maureen was extremely organized, laying out an aggressive but achievable schedule for submitting all of my applications before the Round 1 deadline. She was also incredibly responsive, typically turning around drafts of my essays within a day, and responding to all of my emailed questions within a few hours. I was accepted to both Columbia and to Kellogg with a large scholarship. I feel very strongly that without Maureen’s guidance I would not have been admitted to any of the schools I applied to.
In addition to Maureen’s exceptional guidance, Stacy Blackman Consulting has an outstanding set of resources that helped me throughout the process. The application flight test helped me to identify and fix weak spots in my application, and the wealth of information available on the Stacy Blackman Wiki was invaluable to me as I wrote my essays.
The MBA application process is far more competitive than I first realized, and I learned that a strong GMAT, GPA, and career path is not enough. Candidates must find ways to differentiate themselves, and Maureen and the team at Stacy Blackman Consulting showed me how to do so. If you are serious about pursuing an MBA at a top program, then I highly recommend that you consider working with Stacy Blackman Consulting.

Meredith from SBC was my guiding light through the business school process this year. I never considered a consultant until my roommate mentioned that she used Meredith and got in everywhere she applied (HBS, GSB, Wharton). At first, I considered it an insurance policy. But once I started working with Meredith, I realized I couldn’t have done it without her.
Meredith knows what she’s doing. I had a hard time really nailing down my story — I went through about 15 drafts of my HBS essay. Meredith was always patient with me and thoughtful with feedback. She not only helped me highlight what would be important to HBS admissions, but she also helped me really stay true to my own voice.
On top of that, Meredith answered all of my crazy/​paranoid questions promptly, and she prepared me incredibly well for my interview. She was incredible, and I highly recommend using her! I don’t know that I’d be starting HBS in the fall without her.

Stacy Blackman’s consulting services were top notch. Carol was my consultant and she very patiently walked me through the best way to approach essay questions and how to direct my recommenders. Having been out of school for a number of years I was a little lost about how to go about my applications and I would have had a very difficult time without SBC. Carol was easy to talk to and a great resource.
I applied to HBS, Wharton and MIT Sloan and received offers from all three schools.
Carol’s turn around time was very quick and she was always available for questions via email. The only suggestion for improvement is interview preparation — I felt a little lost going into the interviews but that being said there’s no way to prepare for every question. HBS prepares an interview question guide that you can buy and would recommend spending the extra $$ to get that guide.
Overall would definitely recommend SBC and Carol.

SBC exceeded all of my expectations from the start. Esther Magna was the first consultant I spoke with. She was right to the point — she reviewed my resume/​profile and recommended Bill for EMBA applications. And rest is history! Bill was great to work with. his analysis of my strengths and weaknesses were accurate and that helped me in putting together a convincing set of essays. The flight test feedback came back negative and I was worried. Bill was very confident that the essays were strong and asked me to make minor modifications. When the call for interview came in, I knew he was right. His help in prepping for interview was monumental too. I got admitted in the top choice school and it would not have been possible if not for Bill.
–RS

Caryn from SBC guided me through the whole Bschool application process from the beginning to the end. Without her help, i am not sure I could get such great results.
I was a reapplicant this year. I worked with another consulting firm last year and got all the Dings. The consultant at that firm was not patient and the service was not at the same level with SBC at all.
Caryn is very nice, patient but also a very professional consultant who knows what’s going on in the application world. I trust all her advice and she clearly pointed to me every single details of the application.
I was born and raised in China and came to U.S. for the college. My written English was bad, and Caryn did so much more work on the basic grammars.
Caryn was very assertive on my application strategy. She was also very creative on crafting a package that is totally ‘me’. For example, when I was writing the essay for UCBerkeley, the question is asking me to choos e a song that best describes myself. I picked several, but all of them didn\‘t sound right. it\‘s Caryn at the end picked a song that\‘s exactly who i am. Even my friends commented «wow, your consultant knows you very well!
I got three rejections before hearing any great news. At that time, i was super stressful. But Caryn always had faith in me, and told me to sit tight and wait for the good news to come.
Applying as a Chinese citizen and competing with millions of applicants from China, I was really lucky to have worked with Caryn and SBC who helped me stand out of the poll. and I will be attending Kellogg next fall. :)
I strongly recommend Caryn, and SBC. The process was smooth. Caryn was super responsible, patient, knowledgeable, experienced, and sweet!
If you are thinking of applying bschool, i would def. recommend getting consulting service from SBC, and Caryn!

I first thought about working with a consultant for my application process when reading on Poets & Quants. It dawned on me that a ton of applicants used consultants, and with a few obvious weak points in my application I knew I needed something to help me look competitive. I ended up selecting SBC because of its historical success, and more specifically Caryn’s historical success. I had pages and pages of material of people who loved working with Caryn, and when we spoke on the phone she seemed like a good fit.
Caryn was great to work with and very helpful throughout the application process. She was honest when I needed it and helped me select the schools that I would apply to, reviewed my applications, and helped prep me for interviews. I think I had the impression going in that the consultant would essentially lay out the work for me — that’s not what this is, it is YOUR application but Caryn and SBC are there to answer all of your questions and tell you when you need to work on things. Caryn is FAST at responding, every day I would get feedback on a draft and then every night I would send her a new one. She never took more than 24 hours to respond, which I really appreciated as I was doing 7 applications. More importantly Caryn is honest, when I came up with an idea that wasn’t going to look good in adcom’s eyes she would tell me to try again. Sometimes I would have 3 or 4 different ideas before we settled on something. In the end I have 4 admits, 2 wait-​lists, and only 1 reject from my 7 applications. I’m going to Kellogg where I was even granted a $ 100K scholarship. I know that if I didn’t work with Caryn to understand the MBA application process I wouldn’t have received all of this. THANK YOU Caryn.

I reviewed numerous companies before deciding which was best. As soon as I spoke to the first representative at Stacy Blackman, I noticed an immediate difference. Both the representative and my consultant, Bill, were very informative and concise. I chose Bill because of his willingness and desire to help me understand the process and the value he could add. Additionally, Bill had a successful track record with executive mba applications, which I could not find elsewhere. The final deciding factor was that Bill reviewed my resume and determined whether or not I was a good candidate for the EMBA program. I believe that if he thought I was not a good candidate, he would not have taken me on as a client, and I truly appreciate this approach.
Working through the application process was relatively easy, as Bill was very available and thorough in his counsel. Additionally, the final «flight test» was very helpful, as it provided another person’s feedback on my application. It was an added bonus that Bill actively thought through the results, and how and whether it applied to me. He knows and understands the nuances between an application for an MBA and an EMBA, which is monumental.
I would recommend him to anyone that is interested in getting accepted! I not only was accepted into my top choice school, I received a partial scholarship!

I can’t say enough about my experience with SBC. I purchased the comprehensive package and worked directly with Sherry Holland. Throughout the entire process, Sherry and the whole SBC team were incredible. Looking back it’s hard to think how I would have even survived such a long and grueling process without their help. Sherry went out of her way to make sure every aspect of my application was polished and ready to submit weeks before any of the application deadlines. The attention to detail and truly comprehensive service offering SBC provides are best-​in class and I can honestly say that if you are considering investing the money in an admissions consultant, look no further. SBC is who you want. I applied to 5 schools — got accepted at 3 with substantial scholarship money and waitlisted at the other 2. And I know those numbers would be a whole lot different if I didn’t have the expertise of SBC at my disposal. Thanks for the help guys!

I wanted to work with a consulting firm that only took a few candidates and really focused on providing a personalized service. Stacy Blackman Consulting definitely falls into this category!

SBC lived up to its reputation as a premier MBA admissions consulting service. I really enjoyed my time working with Bill. I thought he was practically lying to me at first when he said he could help get me in to all the schools that I planned to apply to. Not only did I get accepted to all the schools in which I applied, 3 of the 4 extended me some sort of fellowship or graduate assistantship offer!
If you’re thinking about using SBC but are concerned about cost, you need to recognize the potential ROI. From re-​working my resume to editing my essays, I’m not sure if I would have even received an interview if it weren’t for Bill’s assistance. He not only helped me from an applications material standpoint, but also taught me quite a bit about an MBA in general and how that will ultimately shape my career. Just keep in mind that this service is only as good as you allow it to be. You have to put in the work and be willing to accept the feedback that you receive, even if it is not what you want to hear.
I am more than willing to answer questions anyone may have regarding my experience with SBC.

Choosing to hire SBC made all the difference for me. Either way there would have been 20 rewrites of each application and 200 tears and roller coasters of hope and doubt, but with SBC I got admitted into my top dream school.
Practically, it’s a relief to have someone tell you «Yes, that sentence sucks, write a new one» or «No, it’s great, don’t touch it anymore». Saves you time and anxiety, and gives you confidence that you are submitting the best told version of your story.
Getting into Tuck is the most incredible opportunity I’ve ever been given and I’m convinced that without Erika Olson and the Blackman team I would not be heading to Dartmouth this fall.
With everything you’re about to invest in an MBA, there is no reason not to hire SBC to get into the best program you can. My ego may have gotten knocked around as I grinded through applications, but there is nothing like the feeling I’ve had since I got my admissions call. I’ll be reaching my top potential in life because of SBC.

My experience with Stacy Blackman was amazing throughout the entire application process! Beginning with the application strategy, Bridget (my hand-​selected personal consultant) and I worked closely to explore my past academic and professional experiences, areas of greatest strength and weakness, and personal passions in order to crystallize my ultimate goals. This process was critical to the overall application as it enabled me to become truly inspired by and motivated towards the MBA experience.
Next, Bridget diligently assisted me in selecting the individual schools to which I would apply. This process was equally crucial as the level of wisdom and pragmatism provided by Stacy Blackman was undoubtedly a foundational element of my eventual success. Bridget also helped me work on my strategy around recommenders as deciding which recommenders to use where can be tricky, and more importantly, Stacy Blackman’s method enables applicants to provide recommenders with a clear and focused outline of one’s application strategy; this helps the recommenders provide the best and most impactful recommendation possible.
Most importantly, Bridget worked tirelessly with me on the short answer questions, required essays, and optional essays for each school which I was partnering with Stacy Blackman on. I cannot overemphasize how necessary it is to have Stacy Blackman and someone like Bridget working with you on your essays. I am an excellent, well-​above average analytical writer, and this is the one area that I had always excelled in academically. However, I can honestly say that my essays would have been an absolute disgrace without Bridget’s guidance. Throughout multiple drafts and rewrite processes, Bridget helped me hone my application strategy and goals into pointed, strategic, and impactful essays that clearly answered each question being asked, while maintaining a strong sense of my personal voice and being sure to always highlight the ever-​critical topics of «why me» and «why this school”/“why this program».
And when it came time for the interview phase, Bridget was right there to prep me. However, one of the most valuable aspects of Stacy Blackman’s program is the way in which the application strategy and essay processes generate so much passion for the MBA experience and so much involvement with each school’s materials that you are already an expert on yourself and each school when it’s time for the interviews.
For reference, I am a 26 year old male, I went to a top-​20 liberal arts college and graduated with a low 3’s GPA (non-​econ major), and took the GRE. However, with Stacy Blackman’s help, I will now be attending NYU Stern in the fall. I truly believe that without Bridget and Stacy Blackman’s assistance, I would not have gotten into Stern or the multiple other programs I was admitted to. Lastly, one top-​20 program offered me a $ 48k merit scholarship, which would equate to an 800% direct return on my Stacy Blackman investment (that completely disregards the near pricelessness of an MBA from such an institution)…if that’s not money well spent, then I don’t know what is!

I would highly recommend Stacy Blackman’s comprehensive consulting services and particularly Sherry Holland.
I researched consulting services extensively and am very happy that I chose Stacy Blackman Consulting. Their methodology is very helpful, especially the personalized central plan that guides the application process.
As I found that the top consulting services were comparable in price, I choose Stacy Blackman because of Sherry Holland, who became my consultant. She was kind, understanding, and always available. Sherry was fabulous at keeping me organized and on track — creating a timeline, developing a plan, and streamlining the many details and challenges of the application process. It was incredibly helpful to have her guidance throughout.

SBC came highly recommended by a work friend from Wharton. I bought comprehensive packages and I am very happy with my results — I am (as of yesterday) offcially a dual admit at both Harvard and Stanford!
I really love their system which is both structured and personalized. The initial 30 min assessment was very helpful. Esther Magna matched me up with Meredith Shields as my consultant and I couldn’t have been happier. Meredith was extremely responsive and really pushed me to get the most out of my essays. Her interview prep was also spot on for HBS. She even helped calm my nerves so that I didn’t sweat the small stuff throughout the process. I highly recommend both SBC and Meredith in particular!

I had an incredible experience working with Caryn and Stacy Blackman Consulting. From the initial phone call through successful admission to one of my target schools, SBC made the process as smooth as possible. Caryn helped me structure my application strategy and always delivered helpful, constructive feedback. Caryn had a wealth of knowledge about each of my target schools and about the application process in general. The most helpful part of working with SBC was the consistent, helpful feedback. Caryn did not shy away from giving the tough feedback that I would not have gotten from family members, friends and colleagues. The MBA application process is challenging and stressful, but it was a pleasure working with SBC. I highly recommend SBC and Caryn to any prospective MBA students.

I started working on my MBA applications quite early. I am an organized person and I had no doubt that I would be able to get all my applications together early, submitted for Round 1 without a hitch. But as I started to look at each of my schools, with all of their different requirements and essay questions, I instantly became overwhelmed. I got a 730 on my GMAT and thought that alone would get me in. But my career goals were not clear and I had no idea what to write about in my essays. I reached out to two MBA consulting firms and was immediately sold on Stacy Blackman.
From day one, the consultants at Stacy Blackman made an effort to get to know me. My consultant, Caryn, kept me organized so the application process never felt overwhelming. We had a schedule and she made sure I stuck to it. We spent a lot of time on my career goals, which made the essay process so much easier. Having her as a sounding board meant that I didn’t stress throughout the three month process — not once. And because Caryn kept me to consistent deadlines, the work I put in was never too much at once.
I applied to three schools — HBS, Booth and Kellogg. I was accepted to both Booth and Kellogg and could not be happier. I am convinced that without Caryn’s guidance I would not have been as concise and clear with my goals and that would have negatively impacted my essays and interviews. This was the best decision I made and I would do it again in a heartbeat!

I would consider myself a very driven person and good writer. I also am an avid researcher as I like to follow most blogs and forums about writing excellent MBA essays and mastering your interviews.
Despite all this, I still felt that I needed an objective and honest third party to keep me on task and humble throughout the process. That’s why I turned to Stacy Blackman and her team.
I worked mainly with one consultant throughout the whole application process, and she was the ultimate professional. Despite a similar profile relative to my peers, she helped me differentiate myself with great stories/​examples. She wasn’t afraid to tell me when my essays weren’t going to cut it. Even when I was close to the finish line, she calmed me down during our interview preparation and demanded the best of me to the very end.
When it was all said and done, I’m now heading to the top business school in the land. I know I wouldn’t be moving to the East Coast this August if it wasn’t for SBC.

I worked with two of SBC’s consultants for my full-​time bschool applications. I applied to a total of 6 top schools, all of which had very different app questions. I liked SBCs format of spending time upfront to identify all possible examples/​stories that one could use in a variety of essays. The consultants were qualified, very flexible and helpful, and had a knack for coaching you to tell stories effectively. The service does come at a price, so it will help if you can spend a good amount of time upfront in doing your homework and using the consultants time wisely, i.e. more for critical thinking and less as an essay editor.
Although I didn’t make it to the full time programs that year, I was able to reuse a lot of the content and ideas for the year after and got admitted into one of the top part-​time programs in US.