MBA Admissions Hourly Services Reviews

Bill was very insightful on what it takes to get into the MBA program at Ross. With his advice, I was able to know myself better and know the program better. That allows me to put together a compelling application. When it comes down to preparing for my interview, it was very helpful to have a mock interview with Bill. Bill was very helpful with what I should improve on with my interview responses and strategies. Finally, during the entire application process, Bill was always very encouraging, and he always responded to my email quickly. I would recommend Bill to anyone who is seeking MBA admission consultation.

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At first, I didn't buy into the whole idea of admissions consulting, but more and more that I read over the web, asked people, and of course read the reviews on GMATClub, I realized that there maybe some serious potential. So, I signed up for the hourly service with SCB, and started off with a couple of prep material and phone conversations.
My overall review is: You HAVE to have a consultant, so that you can review your work with enough confidence that they KNOW WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT!

Of course, you may have friends who went and got Ivy League MBAs or business school professors, and you'd expect you do just as fine with them reviewing your essays, etc..

BUT!

The difference is that those friends do not know what the adcom wants to hear/read. The consultants DO KNOW. So it's a big difference, to me at least.

And with SCB, I think I got an amazing help reshaping my essays, resume, and even doing an overall rebranding for my application.


Definitely encourage people to talk to SCB consultants!

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The consultant assigned to me was Chi-Pei Tseng, who was matched with me given similar professional and ethnic backgrounds. Our "match" was made via an initial interview with another consultant from the firm (free trial).

I was enlightened by the feedback received during the 30 min free trial session - small details on what I could improve on in my resume, what I should be highlighting as strengths, and my realistic chances for each of my target schools.

I was formally onboarded with Stacy Blackman just a week to the R2 deadline. We revamped my resume and essays. Chi-Pei worked with me across multiple timezones as I was travelling through Asia and Europe at the time. She was very efficient in reviewing and commenting, with turnaround times within a day considering the tight timeline.

When I got invited to interview, she also took time on a Sunday to rehearse me through a mock interview, which fell on a Monday.

Overall - I would highly recommend their services especially if you are feeling any doubt at all on your application. They do have a wealth of resources that make them a credible and reliable consulting firm.

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SBC lived up to its reputation as a premier MBA admissions consulting service. I really enjoyed 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 wanted 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.

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I was not sure if I wanted to get an admissions consultant initially. However, I had signed up to be on SBC's mailing list, and their weekly emails always had great advice. So, I decided to get their help in preparing my application for NYU Stern. I was paired with Bill who was incisive in telling me how I should craft my story. Bill was prompt, insightful and a source of great help and guidance for me through the process of writing essays. He was frank and prompt with feedback, and without his assistance, I don't think I would have been admitted. Thanks Bill!

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I begin my consultant search by calling the free consultation that most consultants offer. In the call, a lot of them are very quick to point out that my academics would be my biggest obstacle to my Stern MBA pursuit and that I have to take some other finance/accounting classes before my application to show the admissions that I am serious about my MBA pursuit. They also recommended me to get the 1 school package for unlimited help.

I am skeptical of their assessment until I talked with Bill Chionis from Stacy Blackman Consulting. He walked me through the process of the optional essay to address my undergrad mishap. He also provided a lot of pointers to brush up my resume and essays. Finally, he assure me that my application to Stern would go smoothly because I have strong working experience. The most amazing thing is that he did all of the above in 5 hours.

To nobody’s surprise, I got accepted to Stern. To me, Bill’s work demonstrate what a good consultant should possess: a working knowledge of what admission officers are looking for, quick responses when you need some pointers and most importantly, confidence in the client he is working with. For that reason, I would highly recommend Bill for your MBA pursuit.

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The hourly services were fantastic. Very concise and helpful advice that significantly helped my candidacy.

And it's catered exclusively to your requests (e.g. resume review, essay review, etc.) I would recommend Dawn Clare and Erika Olson to anyone interested.

I did not feel the need for the comprehensive services because I felt that I could already write well and had a strong understanding of what my "message" would be to the schools. For those who are in the same position and are looking to spend less, I would recommend the hourly service package.

Also - the hours and flexibility of those I worked with were very helpful and impressive.

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WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR: I reached out to SBC in November and this point had submitted 2 round 1 applications but wasn’t 100% satisfied with my essays. I was getting ready to submit my last application to HBS round 2 and knew that my essays / application as a whole needed an extra umph! I first thought of hiring a consultant to help me better position myself through the essay. Given that I was further along in the process, I opted for hourly services vs the whole package and had a better idea of how I wanted to use my time.

WHY SBC: Before deciding to work with SBC, I reached out to 4-5 other consulting services to get a better idea of which one was the right fit for me. I spoke directly with the consultants that I would be paired with and this helped me to finally settle on SBC and Paul. I definitely think it is critical that you do your homework beforehand and speak directly with the consultant you are going to be working with so that you and they have a better idea of what you are looking for and how they can help you.

WHY PAUL: My initial free 30 min conversation with Paul went over the allotted time. During this first conversation, Paul already had pointers about how I could better position myself for HBS and areas / strengths that I should focus on. This initial conversation with Paul let me know that (1) he was genuinely interested in helping me through this process and (2) was willing to put in the time and effort to do so. I cannot stress how important it is to find the consultant who is genuinely interested, is going to put in the time to really help you through EVERY step of the process and is able to give you the insights specific to your application. A few of the other consultants I spoke to came across as though they were reading from a script and applied the same "mold" to each person.

HOW PAUL HELPED ME: I had several phone conversations / emails with Paul about my background, work experience, future aspirations, etc. It was through these conversations that Paul helped me to really pinpoint certain strengths / areas that I could develop into a full essay. I wrote several different versions of my final essay and at each step Paul was there to provide me with feedback / steer me into the right direction. I also want to point out that Paul or any other consultant will not write the essay for you – you definitely have to put in 99% of the work.

Paul also helped me prepare for my mock interview – really focusing on the questions that I would be asked and how I should respond – and also reviewed my post reflection essay for HBS. Getting his sign off and help during the latter part of the process was incredibly reassuring and helpful.

WHY PAUL IS GREAT: Paul has an outstanding track record of placing people at top b-schools and is also a GSB alum. Paul’s greatest strength is his understanding of what b-schools are looking for. Through his insight, he was able to help me steer clear of sensitive / mundane essay topics and help to really broaden my perspective of what I wanted to write about. Secondly, Paul is incredibly flexible. During this period, I also used another consultant who was not as flexible and it definitely showed. My other consultant required the standard 2 business day turnaround (with time constraints) and was completely unavailable during certain periods of time. Given that this process is extremely time sensitive and time consuming, it made a world of difference that Paul was willing to hop on the phone / email day of or next day.

RESULTS: I am happy to say that I am HBS bound this fall and could not have done it with Paul’s help (seriously!!!). I know that the $$ is high, but it is 110% worth it! I can only speak on behalf of my own experience with Paul and with hourly services, but highly recommend Paul!!

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Hi all,
I was a little skeptical initially about signing up for a consulting service and I tried to do the application process on my own. Later on I realized that the process was taking a lot of time and I was not confident that my application can stand out in the crowd.
I set up a free consultation with Bill Chionis of stacy blackman. After the initial talk , I came to know how I should redraft my resume to highlight my strengths. Then I set up hourly services to go over the essay topics and application process. Bill was very patient, professional and extremely supportive. He guided me to bring the best out of me to the application. My general advice to all future applicants is to go for a consultant. The consultant is very well experienced in this process and he can elevate your essays to the next level and provide you with realistic feedback. I noticed every time I got my essays reviewed that I am able to project myself better.
One more point is when you work all alone, you may not be aware of what others are doing and how much is the competition in terms of ideas and personal strengths. A consultant like Bill can always point out the comparative weakness and strengths in your profile and identify the ways to compensate for your weakness.
A consultant may not be able to land you in harward if you are a dumb ass but he can polish your profile, highlight your strengths, smoother out your dark areas and may unexpectedly bring out previously ignored aspects of your personality into the game. All these will help you to stand out and give you a better chance to your dream schools. I got admitted to all my dream schools and Bill has helped me in all aspects I mentioned above and I will give a five star rating to him and strongly recommend him to any future candidate.

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I purchased an hourly consulting package from Stacy Blackman Consulting and worked with Jessica to hone my essay approach after the first round. She was very focused and provided useful feedback that guided my writing without taking control or pushing me in a direction I felt uncomfortable with. She was ultra responsive and also helped me prep for the interview process very well. They offer a great resource for practicing online interviews that is unmatched. I was successful in getting into the school that I worked with Jessica on the application for. I'd highly recommend Stacy Blackman Consulting and Jessica.

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