June 02, 2008 13:02 ET

Five Winners Announced for Business School Scholarship Competition

Sponsored by Beat the GMAT Stacy Blackman Consulting and Manhattan GMAT

LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire - June 2, 2008) - In today's challenging economy, earning a graduate degree from a top business school can give job hunters an advantage in launching a lucrative career. But entry into these programs is incredibly competitive. There are services to help with different aspects of the process, but they can be costly.

For Yiwei Wang Rusling of China, Howard Soh of Australia, Eyob Kinfe of Ethiopia and Carla Ganiel and Cindy O'Brien of the United States, the path to business school just became a lot more affordable. They were named winners of the Beat the GMAT 2008 competition, and were awarded business school scholarship packages valued at $15,000. The Beat the GMAT competition is designed to help business school candidates achieve their full potential on the GMAT and in the business school application process.

Here's the rundown on the five winners for the 2008 Beat the GMAT Scholarship competition:

--  First prize was awarded to Yiwei Wang Rusling, a native of China, who
    came to the U.S. as a 17-year old freshman at Seattle University.   The
    prize ($7,890 value) includes GMAT registration ($250 cash), one full
    Manhattan GMAT course, and a 4-school consulting package with Stacy
    Blackman Consulting, a business school admissions consulting firm.
    
--  Second prize was awarded to Carla Ganiel of Maine, who has managed a
    variety of successful non-profit programs and completed two terms of
    AmeriCorps service. She provided health and safety training to migrant
    workers and established reading and math tutoring programs in Maine.
    
--  Third prize was awarded to Cindy O'Brien of Detroit, a life insurance
    specialist who wants to obtain her MBA at the University of Michigan.
    
--  Fourth prize was awarded to Howard Soh, a native of Australia, who is
    now an investment banker based in Kuala Lumpur.
    
--  Fifth prize was awarded to Eyob Kinfe of Ethiopia, who earned his B.S.
    degree in Mechanical Engineering from Bahir Dar University, and is now
    working for Ethiopian Airlines.
    

"These scholarship winners bring compelling international and community service backgrounds to their prospective business schools, and we are proud to be able to help these deserving candidates achieve their dreams," said Stacy Blackman, Founder and President of Stacy Blackman Consulting.

To be eligible for the scholarship, applicants must have completed college or be in their final year of college and plan to attend business school within two years. The sponsors of the scholarship competition include Beat the GMAT, Stacy Blackman Consulting and Manhattan GMAT.

About Beat the GMAT

Beat the GMAT is a community service project whose mission is to help people achieve their full potential on the GMAT® and business school admissions by connecting them to the best resources available.

About Stacy Blackman Consulting

Since 2001, Stacy Blackman Consulting 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.

About Manhattan GMAT

Founded by a New York public junior high school teacher, Manhattan GMAT is focused exclusively on the GMAT®, and aims to prepare students with the foundational skills and strategies essential for the very high scores required to gain admission into top business schools.