College Admissions

I have supported students in the college and graduate school admissions process for over fifteen years on the side. It started as a passion project, as I was a first-generation college student of immigrant parents and navigated everything on my own. It evolved to supporting many of my friends’ children and my children’s friends. I understand what it feels like to be lost as a student and want to accompany others in the process. I worked in admissions during my undergraduate years and learned an incredible amount about prospective students and their families. I also have a doctorate from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill and was a professor at the University of Texas at Austin for a few years, where I taught a senior-level writing course. At UT, I mentored students, assisted them with graduate school applications, and served on undergraduate scholarship committees, reading hundreds of essays. Over the last five years, I have used that essay reader experience to help many mediocre personal statements become standouts. Most importantly, these experiences uniquely positioned me to support my own three children through their college application process (2020-2026). So much has changed in the last few years! Each of them taught me a tremendous amount – one college athlete who opted to go to a small D3 liberal arts college in the northeast to study finance, one who went to a small school in the south with a full scholarship, and then went through the transfer process to a large state school in Texas to study interior design, and a third who is going to an out-of-state flagship for engineering. Each received significant scholarships, but it wasn’t without a collaboration between me as the admissions consultant and them as the student. Even though I was the in-house expert, I was also mom, so it was not without friction! As a result, my goal is to reduce that friction for other families. I truly love working with students through this discovery process and aim to reduce the anxiety that often accompanies it. I focus on holistic fit of the student with the university's academic opportunities and culture. While I have had an entirely different career in public health, this is what I love to do in my spare time. So much so that I am finishing up a Certificate for College Counseling from UC San Diego.

Hello and welcome to my profile! With a Master’s Degree from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University, I bring a strong academic background to my coaching practice. As a Certified Professional Leadership & High-Performance Coach, I specialize in helping students navigate the college admissions process with confidence and clarity. My approach is rooted in science-based psychology and coaching techniques, ensuring that each client can achieve their academic and personal goals without compromising their well-being. Whether you're feeling overwhelmed by the application process or seeking to enhance your communication skills, I'm here to support you every step of the way. Let's work together to make your college dreams a reality—reach out to start your journey today!

Coming from an immigrant background, I was always determined to attend a prestigious university because I understood the opportunities and access it offered, and, more importantly, to attend with zero debt. Through strategic guidance, great mentors, and rigorous discipline, I was fortunate enough to earn two merit scholarships: the QuestBridge National College Match Scholarship and the Lilly Endowment Scholarship, affording me the opportunity to attend any university in my state debt-free. I eventually graduated from a T-15 university in 2025. I am determined to do the same for individuals who need tailored help crafting their stories and standing out in a competitive application pool. Before Leland, I helped individuals gain admission to undergraduate and master’s programs at Harvard University, the University of Notre Dame, Brown University, Indiana University Bloomington, Washington University in St. Louis, and many more. I can help provide advice and review your resume, offer strategies for picking and asking teachers for letters of recommendation, brainstorm, draft, and edit essays, and help you stand out even if you don’t meet the stats.

I’m an undergraduate in the College of Arts & Sciences at Cornell University studying Cognitive Science, Information Science, and Philosophy, after graduating as Valedictorian of a top-ranked Southern California high school. During my own admissions cycle—where I was admitted to Cornell, UC Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon (CMU), USC, and UCSD—the biggest lesson I learned was that even when you have the grades and test scores, your actual, unfiltered voice matters infinitely more than anything AI or a generic formula can manufacture. In today’s post-AI admissions landscape, admissions officers can spot a sanitized, over-engineered essay in seconds. My specialty is figuring out what your student's true voice actually is, and giving them the confidence and strategic reasoning to bring it onto the page. As an essayist who has published poetry and humanities commentary alongside a heavy STEM background, I love working with students who bridge both technical and creative worlds—or who don't fit neatly into a single box. My philosophy is simple: the most compelling applications come from being unequivocally, unapologetically yourself. My coaching is highly structured and collaborative, combining detailed pre-session draft diagnostics with deep-dive 1-on-1 strategy to pull out the stories only you can tell for the Common App, UC Personal Insight Questions (PIQs), and school-specific supplements.

I am deeply committed to helping my mentees grow and succeed. I focus on boosting their confidence and guiding them through critical stages, such as college applications and career transitions. I provide direct yet supportive feedback, helping them articulate their strengths and passions. My diverse and global background allows me to offer valuable insights tailored to each individual. Overall, I blend expertise with empathy, aiming to inspire and drive meaningful personal growth in others. After seeing my mentees flourish, I don’t know if I am rooting for the Tree, the Bears, the Ducks, The Wolverines, or others, but I know that I am rooting for the future game changers.

I specialise in competitive UK university applications for maths, physics, economics and business courses. I prepare students for the admissions tests that decide many of these places, including the TMUA, MAT, PAT, STEP and ESAT, and I help with course selection and personal statements. My students have received offers from the University of Bath and the University of Edinburgh. I studied Physics at UCL and then completed an MSc in International Finance at HEC Paris (GPA 3.8/4.0, GMAT 715), so I have been through demanding UK and European admissions processes myself. Since 2022 I have delivered more than 1,500 hours of one-to-one tuition across IGCSE, A-Level, the IB and Scottish Advanced Higher, which means I can support both the grades and the application at the same time. I work through two London agencies, Lumo and Upgrade Education, and can coach in English or Russian, which helps international families navigate the UK system.

Welcome to my profile! With a diverse academic background and professional experience in real estate and entrepreneurship, I bring a unique perspective to the college admissions process. I am currently pursuing my Master of Science in Real Estate at the National University of Singapore (NUS). My academic journey has been somewhat unconventional, beginning in Kashmir, India, where I earned a full scholarship to attend high school in the United States. I subsequently received another full scholarship to pursue my bachelor's degree in Psychology at Ripon College, before transitioning into real estate, investment, and entrepreneurship. Having successfully navigated the American education system on full scholarships at both the high school and undergraduate levels, I understand what it takes to build a compelling application, communicate a unique personal story, and pursue educational opportunities that might initially seem out of reach. During my graduate school application journey, I was fortunate to receive admission offers from Columbia University, New York University (NYU), and the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn). Ultimately, I chose NUS because I believed it aligned best with my academic interests and long-term career aspirations. Beyond academics, I have gained professional experience in real estate across the United States and Dubai, as well as entrepreneurship, including co-founding my own startup. These experiences have helped me develop a broader understanding of how to connect academic interests, professional achievements, and personal ambitions into a compelling narrative. Having navigated multiple admissions processes across different educational stages and countries, I understand how overwhelming applications can feel, particularly for international students, scholarship applicants, and individuals from unconventional academic backgrounds. As a Leland coach, I want to help students identify their strengths, craft compelling personal statements, develop effective application strategies, and confidently communicate their unique stories. My approach is rooted in firsthand experience, personalized mentorship, and the belief that a strong application should reflect not just what a student has accomplished, but who they are and what they hope to achieve. I believe my combination of full-scholarship achievements, graduate admissions success, international education, and professional experience allows me to offer students practical, thoughtful, and personalized guidance throughout their admissions journey.

Welcome to my profile! As a Harvard Business School and Spelman College alumna, I bring a wealth of experience in guiding students through the college admissions process. Graduating Phi Beta Kappa from the Honors Program at Spelman with an HBS admission in hand, my background includes leadership roles in student organizations and a strong academic record. Given my professional experience at McKinsey & Company and Deloitte I leverage my strategic planning and top-down communication skills to help students craft compelling college applications. An Army Brat, I've also leveraged VA benefits to pay for school and learned to crystalize my unique background into compelling admissions stories. Whether you're aiming for top-tier application process strategies or seeking to highlight your unique strengths, I'm here to provide personalized guidance and support. Let's work together to make your higher education dreams a reality!

Hi! I'm excited to get to know you and work with you on conveying your true story and best self. I'm an empathetic coach who loves specific action-oriented advice. I care deeply about my clients and want you to achieve your goal outcome. Let's make it happen together! About me: I graduated top 10% of my MBA class at Stanford Graduate School of Business and cum laude from Princeton University with a BSE in Operations Research & Financial Engineering. I am now founder & CEO of a startup, and my career has been focused on data science, product management, and AI.

Strong college applications are about more than grades, test scores, and prestigious extracurriculars. I help students identify the experiences, accomplishments, and perspectives that make them distinctive and communicate their value to admissions committees. My own journey took me from community college to highly selective universities. Along the way, I experienced rejection and learned that academic credentials alone don't tell a complete story. Understanding how to communicate my experiences, initiative, and potential transformed my approach to admissions. With over eight years of experience in academic coaching and college preparation, I've guided students through successful applications to some of the country's most selective universities. I combine personalized admissions strategies with graduate training in human development, motivation, and learning to help students recognize overlooked strengths, develop compelling narratives, and present themselves authentically and competitively.