Sherry (SBC) Reviews

I signed up for Stacy Blackman's all in services and it was well worth it. My consultant, Sherry Holland, was amazing to work with. She was thorough and covered all aspects of the application, from essays to interview tips. She was extremely comprehensive and was available for all my questions even during the waitlist portion of certain schools. I would recommend Sherry to anyone looking to apply to a great business school. Along with Sherry, the entire SBC team was great to work with. From all their resources including their Wikis, which were invaluable, to the flight test option, I was impressed. Lisa, my flight tester was also great to work with and provided constructive feedback on my application.

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

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Thrilled and humbled to be admitted to multiple schools, including Duke Fuqua with an unexpected scholarship! If you are an international student dreaming to get into a T15 MBA program in the US, but new to the daunting MBA application process, then look no further than reaching out to Stacy Blackman Consulting. Also, if Duke Fuqua is high on your list, then you should really work with Sherry Holland, who is a former MBA Admissions Officer at Fuqua.

I started looking for MBA admission consultants after I have taken my GMAT. Not only was my score below the average of the schools I was aiming for, but also, I did not have a clear personal branding strategy to make my application competitive. I was also lacking outside of work involvements. In short, my profile had a number of gaps, but I was convinced that this was the right time for me to get an MBA. That was when a reliable friend referred SBC to me from her delightful and fruitful past experience. I did my due diligence first, talking to several other admission consultants (mbaMission, Admissionado, Aringo, and Fortuna), but it was clear to me that SBC was the one who was genuinely interested to learn about my stories and most passionate to help me achieve my goals.

SBC’s exceptional service lies within their team-based influence and support during the entire process, from start to finish. My first contact was with Esther, who provided the honest and realistic expectations that I needed but was willing to carefully listen to my stories and aspirations. I still remember when Esther told me that she knew who the ideal primary consultant for me would be, and until this day, I am really glad that she was able to pair me with Sherry. Sherry is simply the best! She was professional, understanding, and incredibly supportive throughout the daunting and hectic MBA application process. Though I struggled a lot with the first draft of my essays and was extremely nervous heading into the interviews, Sherry made sure that I was well prepared and confident to face those challenges. I learned a lot from Sherry and she really helped me grow both professionally and personally in many ways that I did not expect before. I still could not believe that I received interview invites from all the schools that I applied to. Along the way, I also had access to a client liaison, Bill, and also received a really helpful flight test feedback from Lisa. Essentially, a lot of admissions officer intelligence in-house ready to support you any time.

Overall, I am super grateful that I made the right decision to work with Sherry and SBC team. I am excited with the results and where I am today, and I realize that I could not achieve all this without the guidance and support from Sherry and SBC team. Highly recommend that you work with SBC too!

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After talking to several admissions consultant (Personal MBA Coach, Veritas Prep, Aringo, Accepted), I decided to work with Stacy Blackman for my round 2 MBA applications due to the initial consulting session as well as the unbelievable online reviews it has in multiple respected sites. After my consultation with Bill Chionis, I asked if I could be matched up with Sherry Holland as she was a former member of the admissions team at one of my target schools.

From our very first phone call to all the other communications we had throughout the process, I just want to emphasize how great it was working with Sherry. She guided me through a step by step process on how to conquer the very stressful process of applying to business schools. Every question I had and everything I needed to know, she was always there to guide me. She knew what the admissions team will specifically look for and also advised me on what I can improve on before submitting my apps (GMAT & Quant Class). Sherry was very responsive and engaged and although I’m sure she was working with other clients at the same time, she really made it feel that my applications had her undivided attention. She was very supportive but also honest, and with this dynamic, we were able to create strong applications and a solid interview plan for all my target schools. I decided to go for the all-in-one package and without it, I can confidently say that I wouldn’t be where I am today. I can’t recommend it enough! With this package, not only did I get Sherry’s world class consulting, but I also received a flight test from Lisa Anderson (this is when I started to realize that that I had a great chance with my target schools) and all the invaluable resources that they provide to their clients (Wiki guide, school guides, interview preparation).

All in all, I applied to 5 top 15 schools, and was admitted to all of them. In addition, I received scholarship offers from all but one and equipped with that, Sherry was able to successfully help me negotiate my scholarship with my top school and increased my scholarship to 50%.

Thank you again to the whole SBC team, especially Sherry, for helping me achieve my goal of attending a top tier MBA program!

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I am an international engineer and a re-applicant. Following a rough application season in 2018 where I was dinged without interview at all 3 schools I applied to, I knew I needed to seek help from a professional consulting service.

What drew me to Stacy Blackman is the team work the team embodies. I had spoken to Esther Magna, when I was still contemplating an MBA and had not even taken the GMAT. She immediately reached out to me upon my request for a free consultation. She was very forthright about my candidacy and was also very understanding of my desire to not rush through a R2 2018 application despite the fact that I am an older candidate. It was this blend of honesty about my chances at some schools and the flexibility to accommodate me that made me choose SBC.

I was paired with Sherry Holland and she immediately got to work, crafting a strategy for the upcoming application season. I went for the 4 school all-in package and while the applications were gruelling, Sherry made it enjoyable and I daresay, fun! She was meticulous and organised, and kept me on task by setting deadlines for different milestones. I did not feel as harried or stressed as I had with my previous applications. She did a great job managing my recommenders, which is one of the more stressful parts of the application. She also was not afraid to tell me when I had a wrong path with regards to the essays. We had to do a lot of course correction throughout the process.

I benefited from the Flight Test, which was done by Beth Tidmarsh, who offered may useful insights that really made my application shine. The teamwork at SBC is truly unparallelled!

In the end, I was admitted to 3 of the 4 schools I applied to, all with significant scholarship! I know for sure this would not have been possible without Sherry and the extended team at Stacy Blackman.

I will be attending Tuck in the fall and I am eternally grateful to the team at SBC! I highly recommend Sherry and SBC.

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I had a great experience working with Sherry to prepare multiple Round 1 applications in 2019. I specifically chose to work with Sherry because of her experience as a former admissions officer at Fuqua/Duke. Following our initial kickoff call, it was clear that she knew her stuff and I was reassured in my decision to work with SBC. The company takes a team-based approach to helping their clients. In addition to my consultant, parts of my application were reviewed by another former MBA admissions officer during the “flight test” phase and my resume was reviewed by another member of SBC as a helpful second-set of eyes.

In the summer leading up to Round 1 deadlines, Sherry and I devised a comprehensive “bragsheet” which was extremely useful in synthesizing my work, education and extra-curricular accomplishments. Based on my applicant profile, Sherry helped me select several MBA programs that aligned with my interests/goals and provided me with candid and actionable feedback on my strengths and weaknesses. Sherry provided timely feedback (within 48 hours response time) on resume structure/content, essay brainstorming and any other application questions.

My main application deficiency had been my GMAT score which was not very competitive for a top-15 program. Three weeks prior to the Round 1 deadline, I achieved a competitive GMAT score for schools that I had previously considered out of reach. Sherry was extremely encouraging and urged me to apply to a top-10 MBA program with a school profile that matched my interests/ambitions. Throughout the course of 14 days, she helped me prepare a strong Round 1 application and even took time out of her weekend to conduct a one-on-one mock interview with me.

In December, I received the good news that I had been accepted to the top-10 program (with merit scholarship)! I couldn’t be more excited and I appreciate Sherry’s assistance and flexibility in helping me finalize a successful series of Round 1 applications.

Sherry and SBC have all the resources and skills necessary to prepare any MBA applicant and decipher the challenging process of applying to business school. I highly recommend Sherry and SBC to anyone interested in applying to a top MBA program.

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Sherry was incredibly easy to work with and helped me with the entire process. She provided valuable feedback on my essays, did mock interviews, and helped me with my strategy. Sherry's experience working on an AdCom allowed her to answer all of my nitty gritty questions and deal with more complicated aspects of my application. Then entire SBC team helped me along the way from my initial consultation which gave me the confidence to apply, to a flight tester who read my application like an AdCom member would. I did the three school all in package and was accepted (including multiple scholarships) to all three schools (Kellogg, Tuck, Fuqua)

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I was initially hesitant to hire a consultant, but decided to take a chance with Sherry after reading her online reviews. Going with Sherry ended up being the single best decision I made in the application process. She put all of my fears to rest and guided me through every step of the application process. Her extensive experience on an admissions staff helped inform her thoughtful input to my applications. In addition to Sherry, the Stacy Blackman team including Esther Magna, Beth Tidmarsh, and Lisa Anderson provided critical support and a variety of perspectives. I am grateful to all of them for help with my successful applications.

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I worked with SBC and Sherry for my MBA application in 2017. I talked to Veritas Prep and with Esther Magna from SBC, finally deciding to go with Stacy Blackman because they were always fast to reply, everything was very organized and I could see that they really cared.
I used the all-in package and it was great! It includes a flight test, mock interview and continuous support of an amazing team. Esther Magna was my initial consultant and she paired me up with Sherry. I can’t recommend Sherry enough; working with her was great since day one and she made the entire process less stressful and even enjoyable. Sherry helped me every step of the way: choosing schools, writing my resume and essays, evaluating waitlists and making a final decision. Sherry has a lot of experience and knows exactly what she is doing, she took the time to get to know me and made sure the essays really represent me. She gave great feedback and was very generous with her time, being available even during the weekends. Sherry is not only and amazing consultant, but an excellent person too. I couldn’t have asked for a better consultant and consulting company, I wouldn’t change a thing! Thank you SBC, Esther, Lisa and Sherry!!

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I worked with Sherry (and SBC) for my MBA applications in the fall of 2017. I had chosen SBC based upon a feature article in The Economist magazine.

I worked with Sherry as my primary consultant for applications to three top-15 US B-Schools. Esther Magna was my initial consultant, and I was convinced to hire SBC after a chat with Esther. Beth Tidmarsh was my application flight tester for one of the applications, and she provided very insightful feedback; the team work at SBC is very synchronized, a testament also to their professional in-house intelligence for B-School applications.

I am an Indian male in the over-represented consulting background demographic. In addition, I worked with a non-target employer during my applications. I eventually got into an Ivy-League B-School and there’s absolutely no way that it could have been possible without Sherry’s help.

I want to emphasize that Sherry is just phenomenal; she is an excellent consultant and an even better person. Sherry helped me every step of the way during the applications and the interview process: She helped me write natural and polished essays and provided extremely critical feedback during the mock interview. In addition, she was always very generous with her time whenever I needed her help with proof-reading e-mails that I sent (and I sent quite a few!) to the AdCom during the excruciating waiting time after the interviews or advice re: a general road-map for how long I should wait for what. If you’re looking for a sharp consultant – who has been an AdCom member herself and knows the process inside-out – who is extremely professional and gentle, Sherry is your go-to consultant. I highly recommend Sherry and SBC to you.

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