New B-School Application Essay Guides for Harvard, Stanford, Kellogg, Wharton and Columbia Offered by Stacy Blackman Consulting

LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire - October 21, 2009) - With the 2009-2010 MBA application season underway, new Application Essay Guides to Harvard, Stanford, Kellogg, Wharton and Columbia were launched today by business school admissions consultancy Stacy Blackman Consulting (www.stacyblackman.com) to share essay writing secrets, helping applicants gain admission to the top schools.

"Each year applicants who possess all the qualities that the top programs are searching for aren't accepted, and meanwhile, candidates who may be less qualified, objectively speaking, take their pick of the elite schools," said Blackman. "Better essays are one of the keys, which is why it is important for applicants to focus their efforts on essays and on what each school is looking for."

These eight tips for essay writing can improve applicants' chances of being admitted to a top business school, with more information specific to the top five schools (Harvard, Stanford, Kellogg, Wharton and Columbia) are available in the guides (www.stacyblackman.com/essay-guides/) launched today.

Top Eight Essay Tips:

1) Study your target schools: Understand what they are looking for in successful candidates and emphasize the attributes and qualities that each program is looking for in your essays.

2) Understand what the essay question is asking and why it's being asked.

3) Develop a personal brand: Emphasize the 3-5 characteristics that the admissions committee will find relevant and reflect that in your essays.

4) Always back up statements with clear, specific examples: Share stories from your background that substantiate claims around your brand.

5) Reveal many aspects of your personality and background: Don't just focus on career and academics, reveal your personal interests and activities.

6) Display leadership: Leadership is valued by every business school and can be displayed in many ways, some quite subtle. Be sure to reveal your leadership potential throughout your essays.

7) Take your examples one step further: Include the full story, highlight the situation, actions taken and always include the end result.

8) Follow Directions! Answer what is being asked, not what you want to be asked and adhere to word count restrictions.

The Application Essay Guides include a detailed description of the attributes and qualities each program is looking for, as well as: a question-by-question analysis of what is being asked and why; expert tips for the common questions the program asks; and essay samples and excerpts that will show how actual applicants applied the tips to write essays that scored. Available immediately via the web at www.stacyblackman.com/essay-guides/, The Application Essay Guides to Harvard, Stanford, Kellogg, Wharton and Columbia cost $45 per school.

About Stacy Blackman Consulting

Stacy Blackman Consulting (www.stacyblackman.com) has helped clients gain admission to every top business school in the world. The company's approach, based on developing and implementing a winning marketing strategy, makes the application process less stressful and more successful. Stacy Blackman is the author of the book THE MBA APPLICATION ROADMAP: THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO GETTING INTO A TOP BUSINESS SCHOOL (publisher: Firstbooks.com, paperback, August 2008, $29.95) that guides readers through the MBA admissions process to help them land in the MBA school of their dreams, as well as the blogger for Back to Bschool on BNET: http://blogs.bnet.com/mba/

Contact Information: For more media information, contact: Lisa Hendrickson 516-767-8390