Christine

I had the pleasure to work with Christine as an all-in-package customer. In today’s world where there are countless number of MBA application advisors, I am so glad I was able to come across Christine from SBC. This really was the first critical step in gaining acceptance to a top MBA program a reality.

She was always asking me sharp questions and encouraging me to dig deeper, which enabled me to really explore my inner self and clarify my short and long-term post-MBA goals in an efficient way.

Because of her relentless support, I was able to gain admission to several competitive programs, including Chicago Booth. I would also like to add how much I appreciated SBC for providing me with team-based support. Esther helped me find the right advisor and Kim supported me with the flight test, which was a great, reassuring feature of the all-in-package.

I 100% recommend Christine to anyone who wants support for their MBA application process!

I chose the All-In Package for my MBA application process and couldn’t be happier with that decision. By working closely with Christine and the rest of the wonderful SBC team, I managed to get admitted to all three schools – HBS, GSB, and CBS – that I applied to!!! Truly a dream come true that I would not have achieved without Christine’s help. You simply couldn’t ask for a better consultant – Christine has been my rock of the storm, a wise advisor, an incredible sparring partner, and an amazing communicator and she possesses an exceptional ability for always keeping in mind the big picture as well as all of the necessary details and structuring both. She has encouraged me to go deep into introspection (and accompanied me in doing so). Through thoughtful questioning, she has helped me to develop a storyline that was extremely authentic and meaningful to me. At the same time, she mentored me through all the ups and downs of this long process like a champion and world-class coach, always responding in an extremely short time with very helpful advice. In our interview preparation, she asked questions that prepared me optimally for the real experience.
I am infinitely grateful to Christine. She has been a tremendous enrichment for me over the last year – not only professionally but also personally. With her great expertise, kindness, encouraging nature, radical candor, and great humor, working with her was a pure blessing. Thank you so much Christine – I would choose her again and again and can only say: if you can work with her, you are lucky!!! 🙂

I initially reached out to SBC to do a flight test for my CBS application, but after doing an intro call, I was steered toward buying two hours of consulting with Christine instead (which was cheaper than the flight test and ended up being much more helpful for me). In those two hours, Christine did an initial high-level review of my resume, data form entries, and essays, providing lots of valuable insight about the MBA application process that I hadn’t considered since I did not know anyone who had applied before. She also did a second review (which I really didn’t think would be possible given I had only bought 2 hours) and gave detailed feedback that helped me finalize the application. Christine’s help in crafting my story for the CBS application helped with my thought process for other schools as well. I’m happy to have been accepted to 4 schools including CBS thanks to Christine. Overall, I was extremely impressed by Christine and the entire SBC team — I was able to get exactly what I needed at a price point that was comfortable for me.

I can confidently say that without Christine’s help I would not have had the positive outcome I did. Throughout the process from application to interview she provided keen insights that helped to narrow my focus and improve my presentation of myself. She is kind and easily approachable on all topics of your application. She was great at helping me think through certain aspects of my application that I was unsure about. She also was instrumental in showing me key places to improve my application that I would have NEVER known about. I highly recommend working with Christine and SBC as a whole.

Christine was the best to work with! She was so thorough in helping me strategize and plan my story. She was steady support throughout the entire process from resume review to interview prep and even guided me on how to overcome obstacles such as GMAT score delays. She gave honest feedback and always pushed my application to be better. I have her to thank for my acceptance to Haas and CBS, my top choice!

The Stacy Blackman team was also so great! The resources that they give are so valuable and Lisa, my flight tester, gave such valuable feedback on my application that I’m sure contributed to my acceptance. So glad that I chose SBC!

Christine is the absolute best to work with. She is honest, thorough, and thoughtful. Going into the process, I didn’t know much at all or the introspective effort required of me. From helping refine my resume, to reviewing my essays/data form and doing a mock interview with me, Christine helped me recognize my strengths and craft an incredibly compelling narrative that I was proud to share with the schools I applied to. I’ll be heading to HBS this fall and I couldn’t have done it without Christine’s help!

I was able to receive offers from both Rotman and Stern FT MBA thanks to months of back and forth working with Christine Hawkins from SBC. She was very knowledgeable about the entire process and helped me break down a daunting mission into very doable tasks by providing detailed guidance every step of the way. She was completely honest with me and always provided me with no-BS feedback from the very start – what I appreciate from her the most. She also pushed me to think hard about how I can improve my application when I needed it. The entire SBC staff from intro to mock interview was also amazing. I couldn’t have gotten these amazing opportunities without the SBC team and Christine’s patience and expertise!

If I were to share every detail about how truly invaluable Christine’s help was, my review would be 10 pages long…

In summary, Christine is the best consultant you can ask for. She listens to your experiences, thinks critically, identifies those key interconnections, and helps you craft the most compelling narrative that will be your strongest asset when submitting your application. A lot of people go back and forth on investing in a consultant, but working with Christine was absolutely worth every penny – I wouldn’t have been accepted to Columbia had it not been for her seasoned guidance and insight. She forces you to think out of the box and is with you every step of the journey, from thinking through all pieces of your last 10+ years to writing up essays to interview prep. Christine ended up being my true partner and support system throughout the entire MBA application process.

I couldn’t recommend Christine more!

I took the bold decision of only applying to CBS given that it’s my top choice. I couldn’t have done it without Christine’s assistance. She helped me so much throughout the application process. I am Mexican and loved working with SB’s team including Esther and Lisa.

Christine was the absolute best consultant I could have asked for! She helped me complete four Round 2 applications (Wharton, Booth, Columbia and Tuck) all in one month leading up to the holidays. I am happy to report that I was accepted to all 4 schools (including scholarships at both Wharton and Booth) and I couldn’t have done it without her! Christine provided thoughtful comments on my essays as well as a full detailed review of each application to ensure that my story had a good flow and that I wasn’t missing out on any opportunities to promote new or interesting aspects of my personality/background. From the very beginning, Christine hit the ground running with me and was extremely quick turning around comments, working with me right up until I hit submit on Christmas Eve. I recommend Christine to everyone who is considering applying for business school. She has a great sense of what each school is looking for and what makes each school unique. She also is an extremely nice and encouraging person and she makes you feel instantly comfortable to speak to – which is important given these b-school applications can be a very personal and introspective process (not to mention stressful). I loved working with Christine and felt her sincere happiness for me when I was accepted to each school – she even helped me assess the scholarships I was offered and think through making my final decision. Christine is the absolute best choice!

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.

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.

In addition to their unparalleled expertise, which is proven with other reviews, I highly recommend Stacy Blackman and my consultant Christine Hawkins for the level of professionalism they bring to the table.
I purchased the all-in package from SBC. Since it’s a considerable amount of investment and for having a bad experience from working with another consulting service in the past, I was very cautious in every step of the process from selecting my consultant. Although I did not purchase the service at the time, Esther Magna was patient to hear out all my concerns and arrange meetings with multiple possible consultants so that I can best choose my consultant.
I chose to work with Christine Hawkins because I could sense her passion and level of professionalism through the meeting, and they were demonstrated throughout the rest of my application process.
Since I initially did not have a clear post-MBA goal, Christine and I walked through together to navigate a potential post-MBA career, which enabled me to discover that a post-MBA career as a product manager is a better fit for me, considering my background and my ultimate career goal, instead of as a management consultant.
Also, I often followed up on her feedback and comments with questions asking for the rationale behind her feedback and comments, and Christine would always walk me through her feedback instead of insisting on her perspective so that I follow or make the best decision based on my own rationale.
I got accepted to CBS ED, my dream school, and dropped my application from Kellogg, Booth, and Haas. There is no doubt I could not have don’t so without Christine. I again thank Christine and Esther for bearing with my anxiety and cautiousness and for making my dream happened!

I was referred to SBC from a friend who has used their services the previous year. I spoke to Esther who understood my needs and recommended I speak with Christine Hawkins, whom she thought she would be a perfect match.

I had my intro call with Christine and being a CBS alum, she had amazing insights to share and was super friendly. She was super sharp, broke down the entire admissions process for me, and gave me some super valuable feedback. After our convo, I couldn’t have asked for someone better so immediately pulled the trigger on an all-in package with Christine.

Christine was truly outstanding – there is no way I would have gotten an admit without her help. Right from the beginning, she laid out the entire plan, we discussed deadlines and off we went. Resume, Recommenders, Essays, Interviews – she really was a godsend throughout the process. She really pushed me to self-introspect, think hard about what I want to do and why. She was kept an open mind but prodded me to be better each time. My test scores weren’t the best, so Christine really helped me to make sure that the rest of my application stood out.

Regardless of my CBS admit, I am super glad to have worked with Christine since I came out much clearer on what I want to achieve in my career.

At some points of my application, I was super anxious about certain things and Christine was always there to answer my emails proving to be a great emotional support and a shoulder to lean on.

The Flight Test process with Lisa was outstanding where my entire application packet went through a mock adcomm review and gave fresh perspective and feedback on my application. My mock interview with Christine was a massive confidence booster for me before my actual one.

I could not have asked for anyone better than Christine, she is someone I’d love to stay in touch with and I would most definitely recommend her to everyone!

As an applicant, I went to a top-tier liberal arts college, had a 710 when I hired SBC (a 720 by application time), and work for a well-known investing shop, but have two low quant grades from college and am on the younger side. The turnaround from learning about the world business school application consultants to enlisting Stacy Blackman Consulting was really short for me. A handful of friends who graduated the year before me in college were all accepted to business school in Round 1 of the last cycle, and they shared a tool: a great SBC consultant. I did my due diligence on a few other firms but ended up asking Bill Chionis at SBC to connect me with three Columbia-experienced SBC consultants (I had visited the campuses of five schools, and knew that CBS was my top choice). I “interviewed” the three, and a problem arose: all three were amazing and raring to go. Bill gave me great advice on how to pick: choose the consultant who you’d like to communicate with for 6+ months. I asked to sign a one school contract with Christine for an application to CBS, and am incredibly grateful for her.

Christine went to CBS and knows how to navigate the intricacies of CBS’ application like the back of her hand. But Christine’s biggest impact on me as an applicant was not in the essay editing or in the interview preparation, but rather in how she suggested ways for me to become a better applicant to any competitive business school. She pushed me to retake the GMAT to increase my quant score and take an online Berkeley course to buttress my profile and helped me to figure out my narrative as a CBS applicant. Christine worked with me from January to July, and I was accepted ED to CBS (one and done!). Looking back, it was so easy to go back and forth with her via email and telephone calls about brainstorming for essays, resume revisions, and the process of preparing my recommenders. She knew how I would be different and interesting to CBS’ AdCom, and recommended aspects to highlight. She gently prodded me to work really hard, but it never seemed like a drag to do any of the tasks — she explained to me why each was important, and I knew that if I gave the SBC process my all, I would produce the best application I could.

Christine answered each of my questions (“how do I answer this question on the CBS application form,” “what shirt should I wear with which suit to the interview,” “what do you think about this email to my recommender to remind him about the deadline,” “should I mention that I met this person at a CBS event,” etc.) earnestly and swiftly. She always asked about how I was doing in the process and truly rooted for me the whole way. In the end, the process with Christine far exceeded what I thought it would be like to hire a business school consultant, and I will continue to sing her praises (and SBC’s) from the rooftop to friends who are thinking about applying next cycle.

I am from Latin America, I had a story a little different from traditional applicants (I know everyone thinks they have, but I really did). My stats weren’t that great and I only applied to CBS since I was already living in NYC and it was the school I had always dreamed to go. From the first call we had, Christine perfectly understood my story, my experience, my strengths and weaknesses and what was the exact angle we could exploit so I could become an attractive candidate for CBS. Very quickly she generated various ideas and proposals which were tailored made to my profile, experience, and goals, giving me a clear direction to follow and the confidence that all the effort was going to be worth it. Her ability to help you during essays drafting was AMAZING, she really helps you get inspired and bring to words the best of your thoughts. At one point during the preparation of the application, I was very busy because of work and on top of that, I was also studying to take again the GMAT and thank god that Christine was there for me, supporting me with the preparation, accommodating to my busy schedule and delivering an EXCELLENT service. If she had not been there, there was NO WAY I could have made it successfully through the application process. For the interview, her preparation was exactly what I needed and from the moment I applied in about a month CBS had already accepted me. Christine perfectly knows the culture of CBS, what the AdCom thinks and what is exactly what they are looking for in applicants. I really can’t imagine a better advisor than Christine. It was a pleasure working with her and I STRONGLY recommend anyone to work with her!