Leland+ for Master’s Programs

Admissions Insights Part 1: Should You Go to Grad School? [7/9/2026] (Recording)

Are you contemplating whether grad school is the right path for you? Ask yourself these 5 questions first. This is Part 1 of my Admissions Insider Series, where I share my perspective as a former AdCom member of Carnegie Mellon University's MSCF program (the #3 financial engineering master's in the US). I'll share what I wish I knew about my own Master's program, as well as what I've learned from coaching 500+ applicants to graduate programs, including students admitted to Stanford, Yale, Duke, Columbia, UChicago, Cornell, and others. Spaces are limited, so be sure to RSVP and secure your spot today!

Finding Your Authentic 'Why': Positioning for Top MBA & Master's Programmes [7/31/2026] (Recording)

(the "why underneath the why"), targeting the ambitious-but-blocked candidates targetting European programmes.

Nailing the CBS MBA Essays w/ New 2026 Tips! [7/8/2026] (Recording)

Are you ready to tackle the Columbia Business School MBA essays with confidence? Join me, Melanie, for an exclusive session where we'll dive into the latest tips for the 2026 application cycle. With my background as an MBA Admissions Interviewer at CBS and an MBA alum from both Columbia Business School, I have the insights you need to craft compelling essays that stand out. In this session, we'll cover proven, actionable strategies specific to each of Columbia's essays. Whether you're applying for a traditional full-time MBA or a dual degree program, this event is designed to help you succeed. Spaces are limited, so be sure to RSVP and secure your spot. I look forward to helping you on your journey to CBS!

How to Create an Application That Gets You Admitted [9/14/2026] (Recording)

Getting admitted to a top master’s program takes more than meeting the basic requirements. The strongest applicants know how to turn their experiences, goals, and qualifications into a cohesive application that gives the admissions committee a clear reason to choose them. This session is for prospective master’s students who want to build a stronger, more strategic application from the ground up. You’ll learn how to position your background, communicate your goals, and strengthen the parts of your application that can make the biggest difference. Join live to hear from a master’s admissions expert with more than two decades of experience as a Graduate Degree Admissions Consultant, who has guided countless clients to top programs across the United States, Europe, and Asia. The speaker will share practical insights from years of helping applicants succeed, including how to approach your essays, resume, recommendations, and overall application strategy. Bring your questions and leave with a clearer understanding of how to create an application that earns attention.

Admissions Insights Part 4: Ex-AdCom AMA - Getting into Top MFE & STEM Master's [7/27/2026] (Recording)

Are you quant enough to get into a top MFE program? This is the final part of my Admissions Insider Series, where I share my perspective as a former AdCom member of Carnegie Mellon University's MSCF program (the #3 financial engineering master's in the US). I'll also share what I've learned coaching clients who have gotten into quant finance & STEM programs at Stanford, Columbia, UChicago, Cornell, Duke, NYU, Yale, and other schools. Spaces are limited, so be sure to RSVP and secure your spot today!

The Only Interview Question Bank You Need for Law School Interviews

This is a comprehensive guide to preparing for law school interviews that past successful applicants have used to ace the law school interview process

Law School Recommendation Sample

This is a real letter that one of my law school recommenders shared with me. I ultimately got into multiple T14 law schools with full merit-based scholarships.

The Personal Statement That Got Me Into Every Top Law School!

This is the personal statement I submitted during my own application cycle, when I was admitted to every law school to which I applied, including Harvard, Columbia, Yale, U Penn, U Chicago, and more. It shows how the strongest essays find the magic in the mundane—using close observation and precise detail to turn an ordinary experience into a story only one unique applicant could tell. I share it as an example of how to write the rare personal statement that an admissions officer cannot shake.

Ace Schwarzman Scholars essays: A comprehensive guide for 2027 intake

Schwarzman Scholars admits roughly 3% of applicants for less than 150 seats a year. At that acceptance rate, almost every finalist has strong grades, strong recommendations, and a strong resume, so the resume stops being the differentiator. What actually separates the applicants who get an interview from the ones who don't is not what they've done. It's whether their essays make a reviewer understand, in the space of a few minutes, exactly who this person is and why they belong in that room in Beijing. That is a different skill than "writing well." It is closer to strategic self-editing: deciding which one story to tell, what it proves about you, and how to say it so specifically that no one else could have written the same sentence. This guide breaks both required essays down into a repeatable process, shows you the failure patterns I see most often as a coach, and gives you a self-audit framework you can run on your own draft before you submit.

Columbia Uni M.S. Management Science & Engineering Accepted Essay

Complete essay of a student accepted to the program.

Scholarships for a Master's or PhD Abroad!

If you want to do a master's or PhD abroad without paying full fees, these 55 scholarships across 35 countries is exactly the list for you! Overall, the list encapsulates candidate eligibility, links to apply, and how much money each award covers. This resource is suitable for any candidate wishing to forge an international career or spend time studying abroad.

Top List of International Research Internships

Are you seeking to launch your research career? Or have you dreamed of top PhD positions? If so, you are in the right place! This resource decomposes top research internships across the globe for students to help you cultivate the research skills top PIs are looking for. The direct link to each internship is available within the spreadsheet as well as scheme eligibility.

Exhaustive List of Grad School Scholarships

This resources contains over 90 scholarships for graduate school in both the US and UK across all subject areas. The majority of the scholarships listed are for full-funding. Links to the award, eligibility, and grant amount are all listed in a well-organised table.

5 Actions that can Make or Break your MBA Application

It’s not enough to do all the right things - you also need to know what not to do! Join me in this webinar as we review the dos and don'ts and uncover small yet crucial details that can help you win admission to your dream school. This event is designed to make you better informed, so you can make the right decisions about your applications!

GMAT Quant Short-Cuts Used by Top-Scorers [5/26/2026] (Recording)

In this session, you will learn how top GMAT scorers approach quantitative problems faster and more accurately by recognizing pattern types before choosing a method. The focus will be on number properties shortcuts that eliminate answer choices early, strategic back-solving for algebra-heavy problems, and how to identify when estimation beats exact calculation on data sufficiency questions. The coach works with GMAT candidates regularly and will be sharing the reasoning process they actually teach, the kind of situational thinking that is hard to absorb from a recording alone.

Starting Your GMAT Journey: An Introduction to the GMAT Focus Edition [5/21/2026] (Recording)

Starting GMAT prep can feel confusing when you’re not sure what’s changed in the Focus Edition or how to begin effectively. This session is for anyone looking for a clear introduction to the GMAT Focus Edition and what it takes to succeed. You’ll learn how the exam is structured, what each section tests, and how to build a study plan that aligns with your strengths and target score. Join live to ask questions about your starting point and get guidance on how to approach your prep with confidence. The speaker is an expert GMAT coach who regularly helps candidates navigate the early stages of studying. They’ll share the patterns they see across successful test takers and the foundational strategies typically covered in 1:1 prep sessions.

Starting Your GRE Journey: An Introduction to the GRE General Test [5/14/2026] (Recording)

Starting your GRE prep can feel overwhelming when you’re not sure what the test actually involves or how to begin. This session is for anyone looking for a clear introduction to the GRE General Test and how to approach it effectively. You’ll learn how the exam is structured, what each section tests, and how to build a study plan that sets you up for steady improvement. Join live to ask questions about your starting point and get guidance on how to approach your prep with more confidence. The speaker is an experienced GRE coach who regularly helps students navigate the early stages of preparation. They’ll share the patterns they see across successful test takers and the foundational strategies typically covered in 1:1 prep sessions.

Land your Job or Study in ... Switzerland

Switzerland is not part of the EU. It does not have the largest job market in Europe. And it is, by most measures, one of the most expensive countries in the world to live in. None of that stops it from being one of the most attractive destinations on the continent for ambitious non-EU graduates and young professionals: it simply requires knowing what you are walking into. The country hosts the European or global headquarters of Nestlé, Novartis, Roche, ABB, UBS, Credit Suisse's successor operations, and dozens of precision engineering and medtech companies that most people outside Europe have never heard of. Salaries are the highest in Europe by a significant margin, which is the other side of the cost equation. ETH Zurich consistently ranks among the world's top ten universities. English is widely used in professional environments, particularly in Zurich and Geneva. This session covers the study path and the direct job path side by side: how the permit system works for non-EU nationals, what living in Zurich or Geneva actually costs, language realities across the four linguistic regions, and how to position yourself in a market that rewards precision, reliability, and depth over volume. Two real cases show how international candidates made it work. Switzerland is selective. It rewards those who come prepared. In this session, we lay out exactly what that means in practice. New episodes in this series cover a different European country every Thursday.

The Key to Mastering Combinations and Permutations on the GMAT [5/7/2026] (Recording)

After this session, you will know exactly how to recognize when a GMAT problem calls for combinations versus permutations and how to set up the math without second-guessing yourself. We will cover the slot method for counting arrangements, how to handle restrictions like repeated elements or fixed positions, and the fastest way to simplify factorial expressions under timed conditions. Attending live means you can bring a specific problem type that keeps tripping you up and hear how to think through it in real time, not just watch a solved example. The coach works through these problems with GMAT students regularly and will share the reasoning patterns that consistently separate confident solvers from those who guess and move on.

How to Solve GRE Math Questions in Half the Time [5/5/2026] (Recording)

In this session, you'll learn how to identify question types faster and apply targeted shortcuts that cut time without sacrificing accuracy. The focus will be on three high-frequency GRE math areas where most test-takers lose unnecessary time: quantitative comparison traps, data interpretation setups, and plugging-in strategies for algebra problems. Attending live means you can describe the specific question types giving you trouble and get a direct answer calibrated to where you are in your prep, not a general response. The coach works with GRE students regularly and will be sharing the patterns that consistently separate efficient scorers from those who run out of time.