PhD Admissions

Welcome to my profile! With over 20 years of experience in higher education, I specialize in guiding students through the intricacies of graduate program applications. I help students craft compelling applications that highlight their unique strengths and goals. My background includes roles at Stanford University, where I coordinated programs for current and prospective graduate students and led diversity initiatives, giving me a deep understanding of what top programs look for in candidates. Whether you're just starting your application journey or need targeted advice, I'm here to help you succeed. I’d love to support your journey. Book a session today to see how I can help you reach your goals!

Welcome to my profile! With a Ph.D. in American Studies/Public Policy from Université Paris Nord and extensive experience in academia and admissions, I am well-equipped to guide you through the Ph.D. application process. As the founder of The Admission Concierge, I specialize in crafting persuasive applications and preparing candidates for interviews, ensuring your unique strengths shine through. My background includes serving as an Associate Director of MBA Admissions at the University of Miami, where I increased enrollment by 12% annually and launched new master's programs. Additionally, my research experience at Harvard Business School has honed my skills in data analysis and report writing. Let's work together to achieve your academic goals—reach out to start your journey today!

Supporting graduate students is my full-time career. As Director of Graduate Student Success at Michigan State University, I work every day at the intersection of admissions and student success across the natural sciences. I partner with faculty on admissions decisions, advise students on program fit, review applications, and build strategic plans that help students not just get in but thrive once they're there. I see the entire arc of a graduate student's journey, from recruitment to graduation. That means when you work with me, you're not getting advice based on memory. You're getting real-time, inside knowledge of what graduate programs are looking for right now. Before stepping into this role, I earned my own PhD in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics from MSU, navigating the process as a first-generation student without a roadmap. I then founded GRIT, an equity-focused admissions and recruitment program that I ran across multiple PhD departments, reviewing real applications and training others to do the same. I've sat on admissions committees. I know what a compelling application looks like from the inside. I also know the researcher's path firsthand, from an accidental start washing lab dishes to leading my own project and publishing a first-author paper. When you're trying to articulate your research experience or scholarly identity, I can help you do it with precision and confidence. Schedule a free intro call today!

I'm Abby, an expert PhD coach, specializing in STEM applications and programs including: Engineering, Math, Computer Science, Psychology, Natural Sciences and more. I have had success with over 50 applicants landing at top schools such as: Stanford, Harvard, Berkley, UMD, UCLA, Columbia, and more. I combine this insider knowledge with my extensive experience in both academia and industry to help applicants craft compelling narratives, highlight their strengths, and position themselves strategically for success. Whether you’re refining your statement of purpose, shaping your research direction, or preparing for interviews, I’ll guide you through every step with personalized, results-driven support.

Elite admissions coach with Harvard/PhD credentials, 30+ years' experience and 100s of 5-star public reviews Decades of experience have enabled me to "crack the code" with regard to maximizing an applicant's chances of admission, helping you create compelling statements/essays and related collateral (e.g., research proposals, CVs, letters of recommendation drafts). I don't just "give feedback" or perform mechanical edits on personal statements and statements of purpose—I work one-on-one with you in high-touch, live tutorial mode to help you clearly articulate complex research narratives and dissertation goals. Use of proven methodologies and specialized questionnaires helps cut writing time by more than half. (New to Leland but well-established at other leading coaching/tutorial platforms.) Free 15-minute intro/discovery call available, schedule permitting, for qualified applicants.

With a PhD from Stanford University focused on renewable energy and a postdoctoral research position at Columbia University, I bring a wealth of experience in academia and research to my coaching. Prior to these roles, I earned my MS at Stanford University and BS at Cornell University in environmental engineering. I have successfully mentored students through the PhD application process, research skills, and academic milestones, leveraging my extensive experience studying and working at top universities. If you're looking to navigate the PhD journey with expert guidance, feel free to reach out!

Welcome to my profile! As a current PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering at Columbia University, I bring a deep understanding of the academic journey and the challenges faced by aspiring doctoral students. My experience as a ROOTS Mentor with Black Ivy has equipped me with the skills to guide high school students through the undergraduate application process, providing personalized advice and feedback. Additionally, my research experience at Stanford University, where I worked on cutting-edge technology in solar cell efficiency, has honed my ability to tackle complex problems and innovate solutions. I am passionate about helping others navigate their academic paths and achieve their goals. If you're looking for guidance on your PhD applications or research endeavors, feel free to reach out!

I have coached dozens of students at Stanford University's Center for Teaching and Learning, helping them work through academic challenges and build more effective ways of working. Having recently completed my own PhD, I understand firsthand the pressures of graduate school and the difficulty of navigating research when the path forward is not always clear. My approach is highly individualized. I help clients clarify the problem they are actually trying to solve, make sense of the evidence in front of them, and develop systems that can serve them beyond a single challenge. My research background also allows me to support clients with research strategy, analytical thinking, and data analysis when those are part of the problem. I can also work with prospective graduate students on applications, drawing on my own experience successfully navigating admissions at highly selective universities including Stanford and Cambridge. Whether someone is trying to get into graduate school, make progress once they are there, or work through a difficult research problem, my goal is to help them leave with a clearer path forward and a stronger ability to solve similar problems independently in the future.

I am an AI researcher with a PhD and a postdoc at Weill Cornell Medicine, and I have published 34 peer reviewed papers, 23 of them as first author, at venues including ACL, CVPR, EMNLP and AAAI, with an h index of 17 and over 1,000 citations. Before that I did research at Microsoft Research Asia, ByteDance and Tencent, and I now run my own AI company. That background matters for one specific reason. Most PhD admissions coaching is done by people who are good at writing essays. I am someone who does the work your target programs are actually evaluating you on. When I read your statement of purpose, I am reading it the way a faculty member deciding whether to fund you for five years reads it: is this person asking a real question, do they understand what is already known, and will they still be productive when the first idea fails. Most applicants I meet do not have a credentials problem. They have a positioning problem. They list what they did instead of showing why it mattered and where it leads. That gap is fixable, and it is most of what I work on with clients: choosing programs and advisors that actually fit, turning scattered experience into a coherent research story, building a recommendation letter strategy, and preparing for interviews where you will be asked to defend your own ideas. I work with applicants across AI, computer science and computational fields, and I am comfortable working in English or Mandarin.

Kimberly employs a tailored one-on-one approach, drawing on more than ten years of project management, leadership, STEM outreach, and mentorship experience in academia, government, nonprofits, and entrepreneurship. Here are a few words from her clients: "Once I started PhD coaching with Dr. Duong, she immediately helped me make adjustments to create the optimal plan." "PhD coaching is great because it’s really targeted for PhD students who feel stuck in their programs." "Dr. Duong never downplayed my personal responsibilities in order to push me towards my professional commitment." "Dr. Duong’s insight and coaching has completely changed the way I look at procrastination, which has been hugely helpful in making progress."