MBA/MS Admissions Experts

Hi, I’m Madeleine! I am a former Harvard admissions team member, while being a graduate student at Harvard University. I'm an expert in nailing the admissions interview, and I have coached more than 500 students through highly selective interview process ranging from undergraduate, graduate, and private K12 schools. I know how strong interviews create positive bias that follows you into committee and elevates your entire application. I have a unique multifaceted approach based on my rare interdisciplinary background: • Harvard-trained: Harvard admissions insight and extensive network - • Athlete mindset: Performance and mindset coaching from being a NCAA Division I Athlete, and turned Pro Athlete • PR Psychology: As the spokesperson for a global tech company, having done 100+ conference panels, webinars, and podcasts, I know how to infuse the • Proven success helping 500 plus students shine in selective interviews, including admits to MIT, Cornell, UT Austin, Harvard, and Columbia Let's make your BEST self shine through, and BOOST your entire application together!

I help top-tier candidates earn admission to the world’s most competitive MBA programs and place into elite post-MBA roles. I attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and spent 10 years as a U.S. Army Green Beret, was admitted to MIT Sloan, Chicago Booth, Michigan Ross, and Harvard Business School, earned cross-offers from multiple MBB firms, spent three years at McKinsey & Company, and now serve as CEO of a PE-backed company. Prior to joining Leland, I coached applicants independently for four years, producing a 93.75% placement rate into MBB (30 of 32 candidates) with consistent success across M7 and top-15 programs. My approach blends elite performance psychology, military-grade preparation, and insider admissions + recruiting strategy, giving candidates a structured, no-nonsense path from application to offer.

I hold degrees from Harvard, MIT, Wharton, and Stanford—giving me firsthand experience navigating multiple highly selective MBA and graduate programs. As a Stanford GSB Sloan Fellow (MSx), Wharton MBA/Lauder MA graduate, former INSEAD exchange student, and London Business School admit, I don’t just understand elite admissions—I’ve done it repeatedly across U.S. and European systems. Today I’m an active entrepreneur, investor, and board member: co-founder of an AI-native digital health company operating in Mexico, partner at a real estate private equity firm, and founding partner of a venture firm. I’ve also guest lectured at Stanford School of Medicine and MIT. That means my coaching isn’t just about getting in—it’s about building a credible, compelling story that matches what top programs are actually trying to select: leaders who will execute and create impact after graduation. I work with both U.S. and international applicants (with deep experience advising Latin American candidates; I’m fluent in Spanish and Portuguese). My specialty is fit-first strategy: identifying the programs that best match your goals (not simply the highest-ranked), then translating your profile into a sharp positioning, essays that sound like you at your best, and confident interview performance. Whether you’re targeting an M7, a top European program, or a non-traditional path like MSx/Sloan Fellows or joint degrees, I’ll help you apply—and choose—wisely.

Having gone through the MBA admissions process myself, I know exactly how daunting it can feel, crafting your story, writing essays that stand out, and walking into admissions interviews with confidence. I hold an MBA and MSc in Design Innovation from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, one of the world's top business programs. Born in Shanghai and educated across Hong Kong and the US, I understand the unique challenges international candidates face, from positioning a non-Western career narrative to communicating across cultural contexts in essays and interviews. I'm fluent in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese, which allows me to work closely with candidates from Chinese-speaking backgrounds navigating the US admissions process. I help candidates find and articulate their unique story, position their experience compellingly, and prepare for interviews at top programs. Whether you're figuring out which programs to target or polishing your final essays, I'll give you honest, direct feedback that moves your application forward.

As an international student, I navigated the path from an F-1 visa to a career at Apple, NVIDIA, and Tesla, with two master's degrees from Carnegie Mellon. I've sat in the exact seat you're in: writing essays that need to feel distinctive without being gimmicky, picking schools that actually translate to the U.S. career you want after, and figuring out how to tell your story in a way that lands with admissions committees who read thousands of them. International MBA applicants face a specific challenge: most application advice is built around domestic applicants. The narrative arcs that work, the school selection criteria, the post-MBA career lens — they all assume a U.S.-citizen default. That's a real gap. And if your background is international, non-traditional, or both, that gap is where strong applications struggle. I work specifically with international applicants because that's the path I walked, and it's where I can add real value: - Finding the narrative angle that makes you distinct without leaning on the generic immigrant story - Picking schools through a sponsorship and post-MBA career lens - Positioning a non-traditional background as a strength, not a gap to explain - Writing essays that feel authentic and like you. - Preparing for the post-admit reality: visa timing, internship sponsorship, long-term career arc Whether you're applying to a MPP/MPA/MS/MBA program, the crux of a great graduate school application starts with crafting a bespoke winning strategy designed for you. I take a small cohort of clients per cycle. I'm selective because outcomes matter more than volume. If you're an ambitious international applicant aiming at top programs and you want a coach who's lived this path, let's talk.

I hold an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Master's in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School. I've coached 10+ clients into MBA programs including HBS, Wharton, Stanford, Oxford, LBS, and INSEAD. Having navigated roles across strategy consulting, finance, VC and impact myself, I work with you to decode unconventional career paths and turn them into a sharp, coherent and distinctive MBA narrative. I specialize in helping you build the genuine story that ties your career trajectories, values, and ambitions into a compelling case for why you belong at a top program.

I am an ESSEC Business School and Paris Sorbonne graduate, with 15 years of experience recruiting and coaching talent. Beyond my executive search work, I regularly participate in admissions interviews and selection boards for leading international institutions and programs including HEC, CEMS, IFM Paris, and NEOMA Business School. I also regularly act as a guest lecturer and career coach at leading business schools including ESSEC, ISG Luxury Geneva, and Rome Business School. Having evaluated hundreds of applications, CVs, and interviews from both candidates and students, I have developed a strong understanding of what makes a profile truly stand out in highly competitive selection processes. My coaching combines insider recruitment expertise, strategic positioning, and practical guidance.

My approach to coaching comes from lived experience, not theory. I recently navigated the graduate admissions process myself and earned offers from the following top programs: The University of Toronto Masters of Science in Applied Computing, Carnegie Mellon Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence Engineering, Columbia Dual MBA/Executive MS: Engineering & Applied Science, UC Berkeley Electric Engineering & Computer Sciences Master of Engineering, and Carnegie Mellon Master of Science in Machine Learning program. I have confirmed my decision to attend the Machine Learning program at Carnegie Mellon this fall. Before that, I graduated Summa Cum Laude from UT Austin with a 3.96 GPA in Computer Science. I know firsthand what it takes to build a compelling application because I have done it across both technical and business programs. My strength is narrative strategy. I help you identify the through line in your experiences, position your story for the specific program type you are targeting, and write essays that are punchy, defensible, and free of inflated claims. Beyond admissions, I bring real-world credibility as someone that has worked at startups, big companies, and nonprofits as well as research experience. I will give you honest assessments, not validation, and I will work with you draft by draft until every word earns its place.

Every person is unique, and I want to help you tell your story. My MBA clients have been admitted to Wharton (including Lauder), NYU, Berkeley, Columbia, Kellogg and more. As a former Kearney consultant and Wharton/Lauder admissions insider, I help candidates cut through the noise and present their authentic selves—because the best business leaders aren’t carbon copies. My approach blends 7+ years of management consulting rigor with hands-on recruiting and admissions experience. At Kearney, I led teams through complex transformations while honing my talent-spotting skills through recruiting efforts (turns out identifying great candidates isn’t so different from building high-performing consulting teams). And as a Wharton Admissions Fellow, I learned what really makes applications click (hint: it’s not just GMAT scores or fancy job titles). I strongly believe that diverse perspectives fuel innovation—a principle I now bring to my advisory work. As a Wharton Admissions Fellow and Lauder interviewer, I saw firsthand how powerful storytelling can bridge gaps in representation. I’m particularly passionate about helping underrepresented candidates navigate the MBA maze. Whether you’re switching industries, coming from a non-traditional background, or just don’t see yourself in those glossy MBA brochures, I’ll help you translate your unique experience into a compelling story. I am well-versed in global cultural immersion: I hold an MBA from Wharton and a Master of Arts in International Studies from Lauder, as well as Bachelor of Arts degrees in Communications and French from the University of Pennsylvania. Fluent in English, Mandarin, and French, I’ve seen how languages and identities shape leadership, and thus can help candidates turn their unique experiences into competitive advantages. Business schools need leaders who reflect the world—and I’m here to help you prove you belong in the room.

With an MBA from Columbia Business School and extensive experience in strategy, partnerships, and business operations, I am well-equipped to guide you through the MBA admissions process. My professional journey includes leading partner strategy at tech platform companies, and as a leader in higher education for over a decade. I have a proven track record of building successful programs and partnerships, which translates into helping you craft a standout application. Whether you need assistance with application strategy, essay writing, or interview preparation, I'm here to help you achieve your MBA goals. Let's connect and create a personalized plan for your success!