
Christine Hawkins
5.0
(10)
Global Admissions Coach with 30+ years professional experience
Studied at Columbia Business School
Works at Stacy Blackman Consulting
Successful clients at
Available Tuesday at 9:00 AM UTC
Questions? Start chatting with this coach before you get started.
Christine's Coaching Offerings
Custom hourly · $300/hr
Get help with Letters of Recommendation, Essays, and .
Christine’s Master’s Programs Qualifications
Coaches professionally
100+ people coached for Master’s Programs
Christine has helped clients get into these schools:
Hi! I have more than 30 years of professional experience across multiple geographies and industries - I've worked in senior, client-facing roles in finance within investment banking, management consulting, healthcare, international trade & development and even luxury travel. When I decided to leave my finance career of 15 years at J.P. Morgan (both New York & London) in 2015, I identified some of the most fulfilling aspects of my various roles as a manager – building trust-based client relationships; developing young professionals to have the skills and confidence to reach their full potential; coaching people through pivotal career junctions – and embarked on a completely new professional path in education, admissions and career consulting. Over the past 10 years, as a senior MBA admissions consultant with one of the leading consulting firms, I have successfully partnered with hundreds of talented young professionals from all geographies, backgrounds, industries and functions via highly tailored, 1:1 engagements. I’ve not only helped my clients achieve their career and education goals, which include offers to all the top US & European business schools, but also secure millions of dollars in scholarship funding, prestigious fellowships, and most importantly the confidence, clarity and purpose to step forward successfully into the next stage of their educational and professional journeys. As an American living in London and who has also lived, studied, and/or worked in France, Switzerland, Mexico and Brazil, I am deeply knowledgeable of the numerous international educational pathways at both the undergraduate and graduate level that exist for ambitious, globally minded young people. Over the past decade, my admissions consulting practice has expanded to include supporting high school students, undergraduates and recent graduates - from all over the world – who aspire to matriculate in leading universities in the UK (UCAS, including Oxbridge), Europe, and Asia at either the undergraduate or non-MBA post-graduate level (law, marketing/brand strategy, data science, finance + economics, medicine + dentistry (inc post-bac), policy/international affairs, architecture, teaching, etc). I’ve also successfully supported countless applicants in securing highly competitive scholarships and have occasionally advised on NCAA sports recruiting. I completed my MBA at Columbia Business School in 2001 with honors and concentrations in Finance and Entrepreneurship. I’ve maintained close ties to Columbia by assisting the Admissions team as a CBS Ambassador and candidate interviewer, gaining deep insight into the admissions process. I also have extensive experience on the on-campus corporate recruiting side, having been actively involved in J.P. Morgan’s summer and full-time recruiting programs at University of Chicago Booth, Yale SOM, and UNC Chapel-Hill in the US, and at Oxford University in England. Finally, I’m very attuned to the test preparation process. I had the opportunity to deploy my love of teaching by leading GMAT, GRE and SAT test prep classes in the mid-1990s at The Princeton Review’s then newly founded Mexico City office, whilst I worked full-time at the American Chamber of Commerce of Mexico. I draw on my understanding of the test prep process to be a sounding board, advisor and supportive confidant to my admissions consulting clients as they often undertake their testing process in parallel.
Christine can help with:
Letters of Recommendation
Essays
Secondary Review
Application Strategy
Resume
General Exploration
Financial Aid & Scholarships
Interviews
Editing
Waitlist Strategy
School Selection
About Christine
I use a highly personalised, tailored approach that combines deep introspection, insightful advice and honest feedback delivered with empathy. I work with each client to discover their strengths and unique qualities and craft an authentic, cohesive and compelling narrative. I also provide candid feedback and honest advice, verbally and in writing, to help you identify application weaknesses (we all have them!) and develop pragmatic strategies to manage and overcome weak areas. Finally, I love uncovering insightful stories – your stories - to include in your application, aspects of you which you never even thought of mentioning. These are golden moments I cherish! My approach to consulting is based on a few fundamental principles: 1. Authenticity – I will help you tell your story in a genuine way that reflects your strengths, interests and values. I’ll draw on my professional, industry and admissions insight to guide you in shaping your story to resonate externally, but it will be 100% your story, not mine. 2. Expertise – I share my knowledge generously and will always give you well-founded, sound advice. If I am unsure of an answer (and there are many grey areas!), I have a broad and deep network of experts I can call on to weigh in, making sure you get solid recommendations. 3. Quality – I enjoy writing and will help you articulate your written story with clarity, confidence and personal depth. I will also support you in projecting credibility and executive presence in your virtual or in-person interactions. 4. Client-First – I’ve managed client relationships throughout my entire career, which has shaped me to be responsive, reliable, collaborative, empathetic and pragmatic. 5. Commitment – Achieving great results does not come without thoughtful, hard work. I commit to helping every client produce their very best work. 6. Structure – Embarking on an admissions journey can feel overwhelming. I will help you build a structured project plan and timeline, taking into consideration your needs and commitments, that allows sufficient time to develop applications of exceptional calibre with sufficient buffers for the unexpected. Organization is key! 7. Balance – Knowing when an application is done, when you need a break or when you just need a pep talk, I make sure you keep a healthy balance and the big picture in view. 8. Value – I will support you in achieving your goals and while I love celebrating the ‘wins’, what really drives me is knowing that you feel you’ve received value that extends years beyond our work together and the celebration of your admissions results. My consulting engagements include any of the following: - Narrative crafting, proactively addressing weaknesses and highlighting unique strengths - Definition of education & career goals - Application strategy & school selection - Guidance & tips on school research & outreach - Resume review & development - Essay development, from brainstorming to outlining through drafting and editing/polishing - Recommender strategy, including development of tailored recommender guidelines and review of drafts - Application completion guidance, insight & review - Interview preparation (including video essays) and mock/practice interviews - Post-submission strategic and tactical support, including navigating wait lists and applying for scholarships, fellowships and financial aid
Why do I coach?
I love working with young people and helping them discover and realize their potential both professionally and personally, especially their educational aspirations. I’ve been fortunate to have had amazing mentors at different points in my life who have inspired and guided me. I find it incredibly rewarding to ‘pay it forward’ in a similar way with others. I also highly value diversity of all kinds. As a non-traditional candidate myself when I was applying to business school – with a BA in International Relations & French Literature, living in Mexico City and working in an international trade & investment focused non-for-profit – I appreciate the struggles that many candidates have faced (& will overcome!) in their sometimes non-linear paths. Helping individuals from under-represented groups achieve their goals, with the extra challenges this can entail, is extremely fulfilling. I work frequently with first generation backgrounds; immigrants/refugees; military veterans; LGBQT+; professional athletes; “non-traditional” industries (journalism, PR, medical, arts/theatre/music, legal, architecture, STEM/engineering/CS, etc); and, of course, geographically diverse (50+ countries). I am curious and love learning from my clients’ experiences and through their perspectives. Ultimately, I coach because for me, there is nothing more rewarding than knowing that I’ve created a critical and positive impact in someone’s life at a pivotal juncture in their growth and development, helping them to achieve something amazing that they feel they couldn’t have done on their own.
Work Experience

Senior Consultant
Stacy Blackman Consulting
November 2016 - Present

Educational Consultant
Self Employed
2016 - Present
Guide young professionals in attaining education and career objectives by creating authentic, compelling career narratives, coaching in impactful storytelling, defining career + educational goals, and devising and executing structured strategies through highly tailored 1:1 engagements. Helped 400+ clients from 50+ countries achieve critical career pivots, geographic relocations and professional and leadership growth development, including admission to top MBA, MiF, MPA, MSc and other graduate programs in the U.S. and Europe; >$12mm in scholarships achieved.

Executive Director
J.P. Morgan
2012 - 2015
Head OTC Derivatives Client Solutions - EMEA

Executive Director
J.P. Morgan
2009 - 2012
Head of FX Client Solutions – Prime Brokerage & Clearing – EMEA and AsiaPac

Executive Director
J.P. Morgan
2007 - 2009
Prime Brokerage Sales - EMEA

Vice President
J.P. Morgan
2004 - 2007
Global ADR Client Management

Associate
J.P. Morgan
2001 - 2004
Syndicated & Leveraged Finance
Head of International Trade & Foreign Investment
American Chamber of Commerce of Mexico
1994 - 1999
Education

Columbia Business School
MBA, Finance, Entreprenuership
1999 - 2001
Alumni interviewer

University of San Diego
Bachelor of Arts, International Relations & French Literature
1989 - 1993
10 Reviews
Overall Rating
5.0
Christine has helped clients get into these schools: