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Liz C.

Liz Charles

College Essay Expert | Brigham Young University (BYU) Coach

  • Duke's Fuqua School of Business Logo

    Duke's Fuqua School of Business

  • Veterans Affairs Logo

    Veterans Affairs

  • 4.4k

    Expert mins

  • 28

    Followers

Available Monday

Starting at 12:00 AM UTC

Please confirm availability before scheduling. Feel free to suggest alternate evening or weekend times. Thanks!

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Work with Liz

About

  • Customer favorite

    In the top 10% of College experts on Leland

Hi, I’m Liz! I’m a BYU alum, coach, strategist, and storyteller who helps applicants present themselves clearly and competitively for BYU, graduate school, nursing programs, and other selective opportunities. Much of my coaching has focused on BYU applicants, including my own children, nieces and nephews, family friends, and students preparing for a competitive admissions process. As a BYU graduate and parent of BYU students, I understand the culture, values, and expectations that shape a strong BYU application. In my professional work in innovation at the VA, I teach national courses on storytelling and pitching and coach employees on how to communicate their ideas, experiences, and impact to different audiences. I bring that same strategic approach to application coaching, helping students identify their strengths, clarify their goals, and tell their story with authenticity and confidence. My background also includes nursing, healthcare leadership, a Duke MBA, published writing, international work, and experience with both high school and college students. I am also pursuing professional coach training through the International Coaching Federation, which strengthens my approach to helping clients reflect, clarify goals, and move forward with confidence. I especially enjoy working with nontraditional and underdog applicants who have meaningful stories to tell, even if their path has not been perfectly linear. My coaching style is personal, strategic, and direct, with a focus on helping applicants understand their own story, communicate it well, and take the next step toward the future they want.

Liz’s College Qualifications

Coaches professionally

20+ people coached for College

Liz has helped clients get into these schools:

I’ve helped dozens of applicants strengthen their BYU applications, with an exceptionally strong record of admissions success. I especially enjoy working with high school students, active missionaries, returned missionaries, and applicants whose strengths may not be obvious on paper. As a BYU alum, published author, graduate of Duke’s top-10 MBA program, and former admit to BYU’s highly selective nursing program, I bring a strategic eye to the application process. In my innovation work at the VA, I teach and coach storytelling and pitching, helping people communicate their ideas, experiences, and impact to different audiences. I bring that same approach to application coaching, helping applicants connect the dots across their experiences, clarify their strengths and goals, and communicate their story in a way that feels authentic, focused, and compelling. I also bring a strong healthcare perspective through my nursing background and MBA in healthcare management, and I enjoy helping future nurses, physicians, researchers, and other healthcare professionals explain their motivation, highlight relevant experiences, and present themselves with confidence. Because this work is highly personalized, I intentionally work with only a small number of applicants each application season. This allows me to give each student careful attention, thoughtful strategy, and meaningful feedback throughout the application process.

Liz can help with:

Application Strategy

Editing

Essays

Financial Aid & Scholarships

Recommendations

Resume

School Selection

Secondary Review

Why do I coach?

I coach because I know what it feels like to have big goals but feel unsure how to reach them. Whether a student is hoping to attend BYU, apply to a competitive program, or simply figure out how to tell their story in a way that feels true, I love helping bridge the gap between potential and opportunity. I especially enjoy working with young people because I am continually inspired by their experiences, faith, resilience, service, leadership, and growth. One of my favorite parts of coaching is listening carefully, helping students recognize what is meaningful in their own lives, and then translating those insights into clear, concise, compelling writing. I love short-form writing because it is both strategic and creative. A strong application essay requires focus, honesty, structure, and voice. It is an art to say something meaningful in a limited space, and it is an art I know I excel at. I coach because I want to share that skill with students and help them communicate who they are with confidence. More than anything, I believe every student has a story worth telling. I want to help students see the value in their own journey, present themselves authentically, and move closer to their dream of attending BYU or another school that feels right for their future.

Work Experience

Veterans Affairs Logo

Innovation Manager

Veterans Affairs

January 2023 - Present

World Health Organization Logo

Global Health & Innovation Consultant

World Health Organization

2014 - 2020

Liz was also given offers to work at

  • Kaiser Permanente Logo

    Kaiser Permanente

  • Massachusetts General Hospital Logo

    Massachusetts General Hospital

  • Medical University of South Carolina Logo

    Medical University of South Carolina

  • Wellstar Health System Logo

    Wellstar Health System

  • Intermountain Healthcare Logo

    Intermountain Healthcare

Education

Weber State University Logo

Weber State University

Doctorate, Nursing

2026 - 2028

DNP Executive Leadership

Indian School of Business (ISB) Logo

Indian School of Business (ISB)

MBA

2012 - 2012

Duke's Fuqua School of Business Logo

Duke's Fuqua School of Business

MBA, Health Sector Management and Strategy & Leadership

2011 - 2013

Brigham Young University Logo

Brigham Young University

BSN, Nursing and International Development

1993 - 1998

5.0 average review

4 reviews


Overall rating

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Knowledge

5.0

Value

5.0

Responsiveness

5.0

Supportiveness

5.0


Liz has helped clients get into these schools:


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