College Applications: End-to-End Support for your Dream List
This package is for students who want a genuine partner — not a service provider — guiding them through the entire college application process, from the first conversation to the day they arrive on campus. I bring a somewhat unusual combination to this work: a decade running admissions at Stanford Business School, five years as Director of the school's Center for Leadership Development, and more than 20 years of experience coaching people — students and applicants alike — to figure out what they need to learn and how to lead from it. Most consultants can help you polish an essay. Fewer can help you do the self-reflection that makes the essay true in the first place. Here's how we work together: Kickoff & Discovery — A few initial conversations about your background, goals, potential recommenders, and what you're actually hoping to get out of college — not just to get into it. School Selection — Together, we build a list of schools genuinely aligned with your profile and aspirations, not simply prestige. Application Strategy — We identify what's distinctive about you as an applicant and figure out how to show it, honestly, across every part of the application. Personal Statement & Supplemental Essays — Hands-on brainstorming, drafting, and unlimited rounds of editing until every essay sounds like you, at your best. Activities & Resume — We shape your extracurriculars and accomplishments into a narrative that holds together. Letters of Recommendation — Guidance on who to ask and how to help them write something real. Complete Application Review — A final, meticulous pass on everything before it's submitted. Interview Coaching — Mock interviews and honest, real-time feedback ahead of the real thing. Support Through Decisions — Waitlist strategy, scholarship conversations, and continued support until you've enrolled. I check in regularly, I tell you the truth even when it's not what you want to hear, and I stay with you the whole way. I've spent two decades believing that how someone approaches a challenge like this says a lot about how they'll approach everything after it — so while getting you into your dream school is absolutely the goal, we're going to get there in a way that also makes you sharper, clearer, and more self-aware for having gone through it. If that sounds like the kind of partner you want in your corner, let's talk.
What's included
You work directly with me. After a few initial sessions in which I'll interview your, we will build a plan together, setting a cadence for regular meetings. We can schedule ad-hoc meetings as needed, and we can communicate about any draft materials and feedback between sessions. I'm available 7 days a week for quick responses or check-ins, especially during crucial periods. Because I work this closely with every client, I only take on a limited number of applicants per cycle. That's a deliberate tradeoff: fewer clients means the attention you get is real, not divided. Here's what that typically looks like in practice: - Two initial kickoff sessions to walk through the full process, flag any areas where you want extra focus, and set expectations for how we'll work together. - Ad-hoc availability for questions or issues as they come up — this isn't a rigid once-a-week structure. - Same-day message responses, in most cases. - 48-hour (2 business day) turnaround on essay and application edits. I'm happy to share more about how I approach outcomes and what past cycles have looked like when we talk — but the short version is this: you're getting my full attention, my direct experience evaluating applications at the highest level, and a process built to reduce your stress rather than add to it.
- A stronger, more authentic application — not a generic one dressed up to sound impressive, but one that reflects real self-knowledge and stands out because it's true.
- Peace of mind — you're working with a former admissions insider who's seen this process from the other side of the desk, so you're not guessing what matters.
- A school list you're genuinely excited about — reach schools you'd be thrilled to attend, not a stack of safeties you're settling for.
- A schedule that is manageable — with classes and extracurriculars already filling your plate, I keep the application process structured and paced, so it doesn't become the thing that overwhelms you.
- Clarity on where you're headed — refined goals, a sharpened sense of your own leadership and activities, and a cohesive strategy across every school on your list.
Meet your expert
Mike H.
Former Stanford Admissions + Leadership Center Director | UC, Stanford alum
Because I've been an educator (lecturer, coach, consultant, facilitator, program and admissions director) on the topic of leadership', I primarily think of myself as a student. I recognize great leadership takes many forms, and I believe leadership development starts with who you are, what you have to offer, and where you want to go, rather than an abstract idea of what a leader should look or sound like. As we said at the Stanford GSB, it begins not by asking, "what makes a great leader?," but by asking, "why would anybody follow me?" Keep this in mind when applying to school. Maybe there's an archetype of what the perfect applicant looks like, and there are obvious elements that strengthen any application, but the best schools want to recruit people of diverse backgrounds, talents, and perspectives. Rather than trying to fit a particular mold, show how much you would add to the overall mix--intellectually, socially, personally and professionally. In your application, you need to demonstrate why the faculty would value your unique input, why your classmates would learn from your unique experiences, and why the school would be uniquely proud to call you an alum. Having read many applications, I know that what most often stands out are the unexpected things, making an applicant memorable and authentic. Cookie cutter approaches rarely work. Half my career was spent at the Stanford GSB--first as an MBA student, later as Executive Director of the GSB's Center for Leadership Development and Research, and then Director of the Stanford MSx Program and Director of Admissions. I was brought in to the GSB to help oversee the launch of its MBA core leadership curriculum (Leadership Labs, Arbuckle Leadership Fellows, GSB Executive Challenge). Later, I helped revamp the Stanford MSx Program and oversaw admissions. Outside my academic and admissions work, I've had diverse roles: coached and facilitated leadership programs with community leaders and CEOs, worked as a strategy consultant, co-founded a microbrewery, served as a Peace Corps volunteer, been angel investor and advisor to startups. But while I've worn different hats, my approach to making an impact has generally been to help people with great potential to become better leaders. (...OK, maybe the microbrewery had different goals). My recent personal work is focused on the impact that AI is having on leaders, teams, and ...applicants. After writing a book, "Leading Teams in the Era of AI," I became fascinated with the learning and personal development processes that LLMs could support, and turned some of that learning on the admissions process. These experiments led to the launch of MBAI (mbai.app), a platform that uses agentic AI workflows to help MBA applicants develop richer narratives, focused goals, and stronger applications. Sign up and try out some of our tools for free.
