Leland+ Content Library

Writing Standout Application Essays

​​Led by an experienced admissions panel, this session will provide you with valuable insights, proven strategies, and expert guidance to help you create impactful essays that reflect your unique experiences and aspirations.

Blank Page to Submitted: Step by Step Guide to Writing Your Personal Statement [8/20/2026] (Recording)

Writing an MBA personal statement can be challenging when you’re trying to turn your experiences and goals into a clear, compelling story. This session is designed for MBA applicants who want practical best practices for writing stronger essays and a better understanding of what makes a personal statement effective. Ben and Allie will walk through key principles for developing your story, structuring your essay, and strengthening your writing, with examples to show what these principles look like in practice. Attending live gives you the opportunity to bring your specific questions, whether you’re starting from a blank page or working through a particular school’s prompt, and get a direct response in the moment. Ben and Allie will share the advice and techniques they use when working with MBA applicants and, where helpful, walk through example essays to show how strong writing decisions come together. If you want practical guidance you can apply to your own essays, it’s worth joining live.

Finance to MBA Panel

A candid panel discussion featuring applicants and admits from finance backgrounds sharing insights on their MBA journeys, career pivots, and tips for standing out in the application process.

Writing Standout MBA Application Essays

Essays are one of the most complex parts of the MBA application process. Learn best practices from three of Leland's top coaches.

5 Best Practices for Writing an Excellent MBA Essay [6/3/2026] (Recording)

Great MBA essays don’t just sound polished, they make admissions readers remember you long after they finish reading. This session is for applicants who want a clearer understanding of what separates average essays from truly compelling ones. You’ll learn five core best practices for building a strong narrative, writing with more clarity and specificity, and aligning your essays with what top MBA programs are actually looking for. Join live to ask questions about your own essays and hear practical guidance from an expert MBA coach with dual degrees from M7 programs. The speaker has worked closely with applicants on crafting standout applications and will share the patterns they see across successful essays and common mistakes. Expect actionable insights and feedback similar to what’s covered in 1:1 admissions coaching conversations.

Recommendation Letters: from Selection to Submission [9/25/2026] (Recording)

Part 4 of 6 — Build Your Best MBA Application: One Piece at a Time, a free series (5:00–5:45pm ET). Letters of rec are the one piece of your application you don't fully control — so start them first. This session covers the full arc, selection to submission: picking recommenders in the right priority order (your most recent direct supervisor beats the biggest title who barely knows you), asking early with a gratitude-first outreach that makes it easy to say yes, and prepping your recommenders with talking points and evidence so they write something specific and authentic instead of generic praise. We'll also go inside what recommenders actually fill out — the GMAC Common LOR's competency grid and free-text questions — and the ratings guidance most applicants get wrong: why all 5s can hurt you, and how "lower" ratings tied to real growth areas make a letter read as credible. You'll leave with a recommender plan you can put in motion the same week: who to ask, how to ask, how to follow up, and how to make sure every letter lands before the deadline.

Wharton Essay 1: Defining Your Career Narrative [8/17/2026] (Recording)

Wharton has redesigned its Career Goals essays—and many applicants are misreading what’s actually being asked. This session will help students confidently navigate the new prompts by breaking down what each question is testing, how admissions evaluates responses, and where candidates often go wrong. We’ll deconstruct the language of the new essays, translate it into plain English, and introduce a repeatable framework for identifying the right career story to tell. Students will leave with a clear set of diagnostic questions to pressure-test their goals, guidance on how to balance specificity with credibility, and tactical advice on essay mechanics—how to allocate word count, structure responses, and avoid wasted sentences. The focus is practical and actionable: how to move from a vague idea of “career goals” to a compelling, well-structured narrative that fits Wharton’s new format and signals maturity, self-awareness, and direction. Ideal for first-time applicants and reapplicants alike.

Wharton Essay 1: Defining Your Career Narrative [8/3/2026] (Recording)

Wharton has redesigned its Career Goals essays—and many applicants are misreading what’s actually being asked. This session will help students confidently navigate the new prompts by breaking down what each question is testing, how admissions evaluates responses, and where candidates often go wrong. We’ll deconstruct the language of the new essays, translate it into plain English, and introduce a repeatable framework for identifying the right career story to tell. Students will leave with a clear set of diagnostic questions to pressure-test their goals, guidance on how to balance specificity with credibility, and tactical advice on essay mechanics—how to allocate word count, structure responses, and avoid wasted sentences. The focus is practical and actionable: how to move from a vague idea of “career goals” to a compelling, well-structured narrative that fits Wharton’s new format and signals maturity, self-awareness, and direction. Ideal for first-time applicants and reapplicants alike.

Find Your Fit: Selecting The Right Schools For You [9/11/2026] (Recording)

Part 1 of 6 — Build Your Best MBA Application: One Piece at a Time, a free series (5:00–5:45pm ET). Pick the right schools — on purpose, not by ranking. This session walks through the exact fit framework I use with my 1:1 clients: start with the big three — geography, career pursuits, and community/culture — then layer in pedagogy, selectivity, cost, and network. From there we'll build the weighted scorecard my clients use to rank every program by personal fit, not someone else's list. We'll also pressure-test: balancing reach, target, and likely schools, confirming each program actually places grads into your target post-MBA roles and companies, and what to capture for every school once the list locks — deadlines, decision dates, rec counts, interview formats. Your school list should be locked before the essay sprint begins. You'll leave with the framework to lock yours this month.

Finance to MBA: Turning Technical Experience Into a Compelling Story [9/22/2026] (Recording)

Coming from a finance background can give you strong experience to draw from, but turning technical work into a clear and compelling MBA application story is often more difficult. This session is designed for finance professionals applying to business school who want to better connect their professional experience, career goals, and reasons for pursuing an MBA. You’ll learn how to translate technical accomplishments for an admissions audience, identify the experiences that best support your story, and connect your finance background to your future goals. Attending live gives you the opportunity to ask questions about your own background and get real-time guidance on the challenges you’re facing in your application. The speaker works with MBA applicants and will share practical approaches for helping candidates turn complex professional experiences into clear, compelling application materials. If you want to present your finance background as a meaningful part of your MBA story, it’s worth joining live.

What Top MBA Candidates Do Differently [5/4/2026] (Recording)

Top MBA candidates don’t just have strong profiles—they make intentional decisions about how they position their experiences, goals, and story. This session is for applicants who want to understand what actually differentiates successful candidates across top programs. You’ll learn how to frame your impact, articulate clear and credible goals, and avoid the common mistakes that weaken otherwise competitive applications. Join live to hear perspectives from a panel of experienced MBA coaches who work closely with applicants and evaluate what stands out. The discussion will follow a curated set of high-impact questions, offering structured insights and examples typically shared in 1:1 coaching sessions.

Start Now: MBA Applications Week Kickoff

MBA applications reward bold, strategic action. The strongest admits do not wait for motivation to strike. They take control early, define a powerful story, and build momentum long before deadlines hit. In this kickoff session, we will show you exactly how to separate yourself from the crowd. You will learn how to sharpen your narrative, clarify your goals with precision, position your experiences for maximum impact, and build a timeline that keeps you ahead and confident. This is not about filling out forms. It is about architecting a compelling case for admission. If you are serious about turning ambition into an admit letter, this is your launchpad.

How to Create a Standout Deferred MBA Application

Deferred MBA programs look for future leaders with clarity of purpose, strong trajectory, and long-term potential, not just impressive internships or grades. This session breaks down what top programs actually evaluate in deferred candidates and how to position yourself early in your career. You’ll learn how to craft a compelling narrative, articulate credible goals, choose recommenders strategically, and avoid common mistakes that hold applicants back. Whether you’re just starting to explore deferred programs or actively preparing to apply, this workshop will help you build a focused, competitive application strategy.