Leland+ Content Library

The Long Game in College Admissions: What to Do Now

College admissions success isn’t just about acing the next test or writing the next essay—it’s about strategically planning your path over time. In this session, you’ll learn how to identify priorities, build a compelling profile, and make choices now that will set you up for stronger applications later. We’ll cover actionable steps for academics, extracurriculars, and personal development, helping you focus on what truly matters and avoid common missteps. By the end, you’ll have a clear roadmap for playing the long game in college admissions with confidence and purpose.

Breaking Into VC Without the “Right” Background: What Works, What Doesn’t, What No One Tells You

Breaking into venture capital without an elite pedigree isn’t about luck, it’s about strategy. In this tactical session you’ll learn how VC firms actually evaluate candidates, beyond resumes and brand names, and how to manufacture the signals that matter. We’ll break down: What top firms optimize for (judgment, access, velocity, communication, signal) Why proof-of-work beats credentials, and how to build it How to choose a wedge so people know what you stand for A repeatable networking system that creates opportunity (not “coffee chats”) The hidden rules of VC interviews and internal decision-making A practical 30-day roadmap to become someone who’s already doing the job This isn’t generic career advice. It’s a playbook to build credibility, create leverage, and position yourself as a serious investor, even without the “right” background.

How to Build a Successful Law School Application

A successful law school application takes more than strong numbers—it requires strategy, storytelling, and smart planning. This session is designed to help you understand how to build a complete, compelling law school application. In this event, you’ll learn how to strengthen each component of your application, from academics and test scores to personal statements and recommendations. We’ll also cover common mistakes to avoid and how to position yourself effectively in a competitive applicant pool. Whether you’re just getting started or refining your materials, you’ll leave with clear guidance and greater confidence.

The Essential Skill to Nail Advanced Reading Comp Questions

Advanced reading comprehension questions reward test-takers who can go beyond surface-level understanding and consistently identify structure, intent, and nuance. This session focuses on the core skill that separates high scorers from the rest, showing how to read more efficiently, anticipate question types, and avoid common traps that cost points. You’ll leave with practical techniques to improve accuracy and confidence on the toughest reading comprehension questions.

LinkedIn Launchpad: Profile to Profit

Is your LinkedIn profile a forgotten resume or a powerful asset? In today's competitive job market, your professional brand is more crucial than ever. Join us for this free, dynamic workshop to learn the insider strategies for maximizing your visibility. We'll reveal the secrets to transforming your profile from overlooked to outstanding by focusing on the three pillars of success: 1. Discoverability: Master the strategic keywords recruiters search for to ensure your profile ranks high. 2. Impact: Learn how to craft a magnetic headline and an "About" section that turns profile views into opportunities. 3. Networking: Acquire techniques for building a genuine professional network that expands your career reach. Whether you're job searching, looking to advance, or aiming to establish yourself as an industry expert, this workshop will give you the practical, actionable steps you need to leverage LinkedIn to its fullest potential. Elevate your professional presence and open doors to new opportunities!

What BYU Admissions is Looking For

Applying to BYU but unsure what actually moves the needle in admissions? Strong grades matter—but they’re only part of the picture. In What BYU Admissions Is Looking For, you’ll get a clear breakdown of how to position yourself strategically for Brigham Young University. The speaker regularly works 1:1 with applicants navigating competitive admissions, and this session offers rare access to the evaluation frameworks typically shared in private coaching conversations. Who This Is For - High school students planning to apply to BYU - Transfer applicants seeking clarity on positioning - Students with strong academics who want a more compelling application - Applicants unsure how faith, leadership, and extracurriculars fit into their story What You’ll Walk Away With - What BYU weighs most heavily beyond GPA and test scores - How to present leadership, service, and character authentically - The patterns admissions see across successful applicants - The common positioning mistakes I correct in 1:1 sessions - How to align your essays with BYU’s mission and values

How to Land a Role as a Growth Equity Analyst

Breaking into growth equity is competitive, and most candidates struggle because they don't know how the role differs from traditional private equity or what firms are actually evaluating. This session is for undergraduates, MBA students, and early-career professionals who are actively recruiting for growth equity analyst positions. You'll leave with a clearer understanding of how to position your deal experience, what frameworks interviewers use to assess market sizing and company evaluation, and how to tailor your story for growth-stage investing roles specifically. Attending live gives you the chance to ask questions about your specific background and get real-time feedback that a recording simply can't offer. The insights shared here reflect the patterns seen across successful candidates, the kind of guidance that typically comes up in one-on-one coaching conversations. If you're actively recruiting or plan to start soon, this is worth your time.

What Admissions Committees Look For—And How to Prepare Strategically

Admissions decisions rarely come down to just grades or test scores. Committees are evaluating patterns—how your experiences, goals, and character come together to signal future impact. In What Admissions Committees Look For, you’ll learn how strong applicants position themselves across the entire application. Melissa works 1:1 with candidates navigating competitive admissions and will share the same frameworks used in coaching sessions to evaluate and strengthen an application. Who This Is For - Applicants preparing for competitive graduate or professional programs - Candidates planning to apply in the next 1–2 cycles - Students unsure how to position their experiences strategically - Re-applicants looking to strengthen their overall profile What You’ll Walk Away With - The key signals admissions committees look for across applications - How evaluators connect your academics, experience, and goals - The patterns I see across successful candidates - The common positioning mistakes I fix in 1:1 sessions - How to build a stronger application strategy months before applying

How to Avoid Hard Algebra on the GMAT

The GMAT doesn’t have to feel like a battle with algebra. In this session, you’ll learn strategies to simplify or bypass complex algebra problems, spot patterns, and use shortcuts that save time and reduce errors. Whether you’re aiming to boost your score or build confidence under pressure, you’ll leave with practical tools to tackle GMAT quant more efficiently.

Developing a Compelling Dental School Personal Statement

A compelling dental school personal statement clearly communicates your motivation for dentistry, your commitment to patient care, and the experiences that shaped your path. In this session, you’ll learn how to identify meaningful clinical and academic moments, structure your narrative for clarity and impact, and avoid common mistakes that make essays feel generic. Whether you’re starting fresh or refining a draft, you’ll leave with a practical framework to craft a thoughtful, authentic, and memorable personal statement.

How to Network Your Way Into Private Equity

After this session, you will know how to build a PE network that actually generates referrals, not just connections. We will cover how to identify and approach associates and principals at target firms, what to say in outreach emails that get responses, and how to turn informational calls into relationships that move your candidacy forward.

How to Land Your First Job in Product (March 2026)

Breaking into product management without prior PM experience can feel daunting, but with the right positioning and preparation, it is absolutely achievable. In this session, you’ll learn how to translate internships, side projects, consulting, engineering, or business experience into a compelling product narrative, build a resume that signals product thinking, and prepare for common PM interview formats. Whether you’re a student or early-career professional, you’ll leave with a clear roadmap to land your first product role.

Build your MVP with Lovable and n8n

Are you ready to build your first website using Lovable and n8n? Join me as I guide you through the fundamentals of AI, prompt engineering, and integrating AI tools seamlessly into your projects. In this session we'll create a design for our website using free AI Resources, a n8n pipeline to save user's contacts and the actual website with Lovable. With a background in helping tech teams enhance productivity and coaching over 100 individuals to leverage AI tools effectively, I am excited to share my knowledge and help you optimize your processes. Whether you're a beginner or looking to refine your skills, this session will provide you with the insights and techniques needed to create real AI workflows from day one.

How Top GMAT Scorers Decode Quant Word Problems

Quant word problems trip up even strong test-takers, not because the math is too hard, but because the translation from words to equations isn't always obvious. This session is for GMAT studiers who feel confident with formulas but keep losing points when problems are wrapped in real-world scenarios. You'll leave with a clearer process for identifying what a problem is actually asking, recognizing the structural patterns that appear most frequently across high-difficulty questions, and avoiding the misreads that consistently cost test-takers valuable points.

Start Write Now: MBA Essay Panel

MBA essays are where you move beyond stats and show who you are, what you want, and why a program should bet on you. In this panel, experienced coaches will break down what actually differentiates strong essays, common mistakes they see every cycle, and how to get started without overthinking. Whether you’re staring at a blank page or revising drafts, you’ll leave with practical insights to write with more clarity and direction.

What You Need to Know About Investment Banking Technical Interviews

Preparing for investment banking technical interviews can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re unsure which concepts interviewers actually prioritize. This session is designed for candidates targeting IB roles who want a clearer, more focused way to prepare for the accounting, valuation, and financial modeling questions that frequently appear in interviews. You’ll learn how bankers evaluate technical responses, which core topics consistently come up, and how to structure answers so you sound confident and precise under pressure.

Your GMAT Edge: Proven Strategies to Build a Strong Application

Get insider guidance straight from GMAC, the makers of the GMAT exam! In this session, we’ll break down how the GMAT fits into the bigger picture of your business school application and how it can help strengthen your overall profile. We’ll walk through what schools are really looking for across your resume, essays, and interview, and how to position each piece to tell a clear, compelling story. You’ll also get practical tips and a realistic timeline to help you stay on track and build a strong, well-rounded application with confidence.

Product Management Week Kickoff March 2026

Product management is one of the most competitive and opaque career paths in tech—and breaking in requires more than just saying you’re “passionate about product.” This kickoff session is for aspiring PMs who want clarity on how to position themselves for competitive roles and stand out in interviews. You’ll learn how to craft a compelling PM narrative, what hiring managers actually look for in resumes and case interviews, and the common patterns panelists see across candidates who successfully land sought-after PM roles.

How to Stand Out in the Schwarzman Scholars Application

After this session, you will know how to position your leadership narrative for the Schwarzman Scholars rubric, structure your essays to reflect the program's focus on global impact and cross-cultural collaboration, and avoid the framing mistakes that consistently weaken otherwise strong applications. These are patterns that surface repeatedly when reviewing what separates admitted candidates from those who fall short.

6 Weeks to a 705

Yes, you read that right! You can achieve a top score in just 6 weeks! Crushing the GMAT isn’t about memorizing facts. It’s about sharpening logic, mastering time pressure, and building test-day readiness. In this free workshop, we’ll walk through how to practice effectively, which prep resources to trust, and how to simulate the real exam environment. We will craft a six week study plan that builds stamina, precision, and strategy. You’ll leave with a clear roadmap to cross the 705 threshold with confidence.