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Since 2001, Stacy Blackman Consulting clients have been admitted to every top business school worldwide, often with merit scholarships. Stacy Blackman Consulting (SBC) delivers results, as shown through its record of the highest number of online reviews across multiple MBA admissions ranking and review sites. Our online track record includes: #1 on MBAinsight, BeattheGMAT, ClearAdmit, and #1 out of 11 firms for our team caliber by PoetsandQuants.
We begin with meticulous matchmaking before we begin an engagement or accept payment. We recommend a primary consultant only after evaluating your candidacy strength and differentiating qualities; we respect your investment and the trust you place in us. We offer a high-touch, limited client-per-consultant experience.
Contact us to request a free MBA advising session with an SBC Principal. Just give us 15 minutes.
TEAM
SBC is the only consulting firm in the industry who has on our team a complete panel of former MBA Admissions Officers from the top US programs and European programs. No other firm has this complete talent. 75% of our MBA consultant team hails from the top seven US MBA programs as MBA graduates and/or former MBA Admissions Officers, including from Harvard and Stanford. We know what’s going on, and we know it first. We have tremendous insight as to what is currently keeping the AdCom up at night and what values they are looking for from their current students.
MODEL
The SBC System™ has eight core modules and is the most robust of all firms. SBC offers unlimited time with a carefully selected Primary Consultant, allowing for full accountability and dedication. SBC also believes in checks and balances, and thus developed our Flight Test™, which is a complete review by a former Admissions Officer. This structured feedback from a former AdCom member mimics a real AdCom review and helps to ensure that a candidate’s application is most compelling to the target audience. We also offer an "hourly first" option for applicants who prefer to test the waters initially before engaging in our All-In service.
Product Stacy Blackman Consulting MBA Admissions Hourly Services
Consultant Alex - SBC
Alex has been a great resource during applications. I was hesitant to use consulting assistance due to the high cost, but I think that it was worth it for keeping me on track and explaining the process. Alex is very responsive and will read your essays well into the night, even at crunch time, which I appreciated. He's a talented writer and helps bring out the best content and cut fluff. Being budget-conscious, my overall process was: take notes from Adam Markus blog, 1 hour with Alex on essay topics and strategy, then writing and proofreading with 2 trusted friends, then 2-3 hours of back and forth proofreading with Alex, and finally 1 hour of miscellaneous work like resume, etc. I found that the overall value of consulting was logarithmic - invaluable at first and less relevant as the application becomes more polished and suggestions become more stylistic rather than practical. Overall, I think it was a worthwhile expense, because it reduced the stress of possibly missing something, and because it saved me time (whole process took less than two weeks).
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Product Stacy Blackman Consulting MBA Admissions All-in Services
Consultant Megan (SBC)
While SBC's services are on the pricier end of the spectrum and probably wouldn't have been worth it if I was only applying to T20-T50 schools, SBC and Meg especially were worth every penny throughout this process. The insights Meg brought to the table as a former Booth Adcomm, the number one reason I chose her, were invaluable. Without Meg my applications would have been shallow rambling garbage with no coherent narrative, my interview answers would have been all over the board and not focused on the topics B-Schools want, and my waitlist strategy would have been a mess and most likely ticked off the adcomms instead of showing my recent professional growth. The guidance and probing feedback Meg and the SBC team gave me are the reason I was successful in getting accepted to a top school.
Product Stacy Blackman Consulting MBA Admissions Hourly Services
Consultant Dione (SBC)
I was accepted to Kellogg MMM, Tuck, and Berkeley Haas (with scholarship!) during the Round 3 application cycle, in large part due to the exceptionally high degree of thoughtfulness that Dione (former Stanford AdCom member) brought to her coaching style and the foresight of Esther's matchmaking. Dione was critical in helping me crystallize my "career vision" by pushing back on me to refine and make credible / meaningful my vision for my short- to long-term career path. Similarly, when it came to my core "why business school" essays, Dione really pushed me to keep my key themes top of mind and specific, which I wouldn't have had the instinct to do without her. All of the content / stories / ideas for my application were my own, but the structure and constant pressure that Dione applied to it all turned it from a set of raw components into a strong and cohesive story.
Dione worked great with my communication style. I would send her frequent, long emails with each of my thoughts bulleted out. She would reply ~2-12 hours later (at maximum, regardless of the time) with individual replies to each of my separate thoughts. This made our work very productive over email with only a few Zoom sessions.
Product Stacy Blackman Consulting MBA Admissions All-in Services
Consultant Bill (SBC)
I cannot thank Bill enough for his assistance during my EMBA application journey. During our first call, he helped me set appropriate expectations and identify the programs I should consider. Bill provided invaluable help with my application essays and the interviews. The entire SBC team was also extremely supportive. I appreciated the team-based approach and received valuable feedback from my flight tester Amy.
A friend highly recommended Bill to me, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have worked with him. Bill demonstrated an impressive knowledge of the programs and was a pleasure to work with. Thanks to his support, I was able to gain acceptance into my desired program-Wharton!
Product Stacy Blackman Consulting MBA Admissions All-in Services
Consultant Beth (SBC)
I was admitted to Haas, Anderson, and Marshall with scholarships, and Stacy Blackman Consulting (SBC) played a significant role in my success.
After researching multiple MBA admissions consulting firms, I chose SBC for their reputation, professionalism, and authenticity. I sensed they genuinely cared about my goals and that they weren't just telling me what I wanted to hear. I also connected well with Sarah, my initial SBC contact, who skillfully paired me with Beth, my primary consultant.
SBC's Key Differentiators:
Beth Tidmarsh: More than a consultant, Beth genuinely sought to understand me, helping me craft an authentic and compelling application. Her invaluable expertise as a former Admissions Officer at Kellogg, along with her professionalism and genuine care, fueled my success.
Team-based Support: From Sarah to Beth to the flight test review team (also former admissions officers), SBC enhanced my applications with diverse perspectives and invaluable feedback.
Resource Database: Sample essays, interview questions, and school overviews made each stage of the MBA journey manageable.
For anyone seeking admission to top MBA programs, I wholeheartedly recommend SBC for their commitment to clients' success. Thank you, SBC! My experience exceeded my expectations, and I couldn't be happier.
Product Stacy Blackman Consulting MBA Admissions All-in Services
Consultant Margaret (SBC)
I decided to apply to business school very late in the process (didn't take the GMAT until mid-November, and then only had a month and a half to submit applications!). I was understandably stressed out, but after surveying the options out there, I had no hesitations about making an investment to partner with SBC to help me put my best foot forward in the MBA admissions process.
Esther Magna gave me a very accurate assessment of my chances at multiple top schools and encouraged me to apply even though I had doubts about my own candidacy. She matched me with Margaret Orenstein, who was instrumental in guiding me as I crafted my story with such great responsiveness, insights, and personalization to me. She also had such care for me as a person and was so invested in empowering me to be successful! Caryn Altman also provided invaluable feedback on my application.
Ultimately, I was accepted at Harvard Business School and the Stanford Graduate School of Business, which I think would not have been possible without the support of the team at SBC to help me navigate an unfamiliar process.
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Product Stacy Blackman Consulting MBA Admissions Hourly Services
Consultant Amy (SBC)
Having attended undergraduate studies overseas, I felt I needed some support for my Executive MBA applications here in the US. Wharton was my top choice and having worked at the school for over 12 years, Amy was the perfect consultant for me. She provided multiple value-additive comments on my essays and application forms. However, the highlight of working with Amy was the interview preparation session. We rehearsed answers to almost all of the questions that came up in the real interview, which enabled me to perform strongly, and receive an offer.
Would highly recommend Amy for any MBA applications, but especially Wharton!
Product Stacy Blackman Consulting MBA Admissions All-in Services
Consultant Megan (SBC)
Looking back, I now know that working with Meg and SBC was the single most important decision I made during my MBA admissions journey. The team's in-depth and candid expertise at every step of the process was instrumental in my admission to both Booth and Kellogg. It all started with my initial consultation with Sarah, who in a matter of minutes, assessed my candidacy and told me how she would go about crafting and positioning my narrative. It was easy to tell that she and SBC knew what they were doing. Then, it was Meg who really helped me unlock the potential of my application. With her expertise as a former MBA admissions officer, Meg was my primary partner and ultimate support system during the grueling application process. She spent a lot of time just getting to know me and my aspirations, and really helped me to understand that my story was valuable. She enabled me to weave together all my life experiences and ambitions in a way that helped me craft essays that were uniquely me and uniquely powerful - essays that no doubt made a difference in gaining admission to Booth and Kellogg. In addition to Meg's unwavering support, the SBC client database was immensely helpful with school-specific resources and sample essays. The vast information there was really a cherry on top of the breadth and depth of expertise that the whole SBC team provided. I would highly recommend Meg and the SBC team to anyone looking to take their MBA candidacy to the next level - I wouldn't have found the success I did without them!
Product Stacy Blackman Consulting MBA Admissions All-in Services
Consultant Dione (SBC)
I was admitted into HBS and Wharton's HCM Program.
I was admitted into HBS and Wharton's HCM Program.
Dione was my dedicated consultant and was phenomenal. She helped position my application based on my experience and craft my essays based on my career vision. My favorite part of the process was our brainstorming sessions - she helped curate my ideas into what I believe turned out to be an excellent essay which distinguished me from other candidates.
There was also substantial team support particularly during the flight test (thanks Kim) and the Wharton group interview (Thanks Anthony!)
I selected SBC because a friend had referred me and I am so glad I did!
Product Stacy Blackman Consulting MBA Admissions All-in Services
Consultant Beth (SBC)
Beth is the best MBA consultant EVER! Got accepted to both M7 schools I applied to! Having worked with other MBA consultants previously, I can tell Beth is very knowledge about the overall application process, what each school is looking for, and how to help students succeed. Beth is extremely strategic, detail oriented, and personable. She helped me to design the strategy for my application and worked with me to execute out the strategy. I’m especially impressed by the letter of recommendation part, we covered who I should choose, what areas my recommenders should touch on and how to complement my overall application. In addition, after working her to update my resume, I got feedback from adcom team that “no need to spend any second on updating the resume” during resume review session. Most importantly, Beth is very sweet and I feel very comfortable to tell her my stories and she always responds to me within a few hours of reaching out to her.
