Leland+ Content Library

Making Your “Why This School” Essays Impossible to Ignore

“Why this school?” is one of the most common—and most poorly executed—application essays. In this session, expert Leland coach and former AdComs at Chicago Booth Tim F. will break down what admissions committees actually look for and why generic answers fall flat. You’ll learn how to research programs deeply, connect your goals to specific resources, and write essays that feel personal, credible, and impossible to ignore.

Mastering the Hedge Fund Interview

Breaking into hedge funds requires sharp investing instincts, a compelling stock pitch, and the ability to think clearly under pressure. In this session, Diyang Y.—a former investment banker turned Long/Short equity analyst at Point72—will break down what top funds really look for in candidates. Drawing on years of evaluating investments, mentoring aspiring analysts, and preparing candidates for competitive buy-side interviews, Diyang will walk you through how to build a strong investment framework, articulate conviction, defend your ideas, and avoid common pitfalls. Whether you're crafting your first stock pitch or preparing for final-round interviews, you’ll gain practical, results-focused strategies to stand out in the hedge fund recruiting process.

BSchool blogs and newspapers

A curated list of top business school blogs and student newspapers to help candidates stay informed on programs, culture, and admissions insights.

Strategy Consultant Charting Cheat Sheet

A quick-reference cheat sheet for choosing the right consulting chart to clearly communicate strategy insights and data-driven stories.

What You NEED to Know Before Submitting Your BYU App (From a Former Admissions Officer)

Get an inside look at how BYU evaluates applications from someone who used to help make the decisions. In this session, expert Leland coach and former BYU’s Admissions Committee Christian H. will break down what truly matters in your essays, activities, and recommendations—and what applicants often misunderstand. You’ll learn how to present your story with authenticity, avoid common red flags, and highlight the qualities BYU values most. Perfect for anyone who wants to maximize their chances before hitting “submit.”

MIT Sloan Personal Statement Short Answer

While MIT Sloan does not have a traditional personal statement, they do have a Short Answer portion of their application following their behavioral cover letter and video introduction. This is an example of the Short Answer from an MIT Sloan admit.

MBA Interview Prep Guidelines

A concise MBA interview prep guide focused on storytelling, school fit, and nailing the questions that drive admissions decisions.

Networking Log

Keep track of all your coffee chats in one place! This tool allows you to record conversation notes, follow-ups, and next steps so you can maintain organized and professional outreach.

Inside MBA Admissions Decisions: Roundtable Discussion with M7 Admissions Officers

MBA admissions at top programs are highly selective, and small strategic decisions can make a big difference in how your application is evaluated. In this exclusive roundtable, you’ll get an inside look at how admissions decisions are actually made at M7 business schools—and what separates successful candidates from the rest. This session is designed to help you better understand how your profile is read, discussed, and ultimately decided on behind closed doors. The discussion will feature former admissions officers from multiple M7 programs who have collectively reviewed thousands of MBA applications. Drawing on their firsthand experience, they’ll share how admissions committees evaluate academics, work experience, leadership, and personal narratives, as well as common mistakes applicants make and how to avoid them. You’ll also gain insight into how schools compare candidates, handle borderline cases, and think about fit across different rounds. Whether you’re just starting to explore an MBA or preparing to apply in an upcoming cycle, this roundtable will give you rare clarity and a sharper strategic lens for approaching the process.

Prompt Design 2.0: How to Get Consistently Great Results with AI

If you’ve tried using AI but get inconsistent results, this session is for you. Learn how to think like an AI architect, using context, constraints, and iteration to get reliable, high-quality output every time. You’ll see real examples, practice refining prompts, and leave with frameworks you can reuse in your own work. Outcomes: You’ll leave knowing how to diagnose why prompts succeed or fail, improve them systematically, and create prompt templates that deliver consistent results for writing, research, or communication tasks. Learning Objectives: *Understand how context, constraints, and iteration affect AI output quality *Diagnose why a prompt isn’t working and apply structured methods to improve it *Develop reusable prompt frameworks tailored to your professional role

Breaking Into Top Hedge Funds - Top 5 Tips

Breaking into top hedge funds isn’t just about technical skill—it’s about strategy, relationships, and a resume that gets noticed. In this session, Fiona T., former Director of Career Development for UC Berkeley’s MFE program who has coached 200+ people into roles in hedge funds and other quantitative finance firms, will share her top five insider tips. You’ll learn how to position your quantitative experience, stand out during networking, and tailor your story for hedge fund recruiters.

GRE Quant Cheat Sheet: Most Used Formulas

This is a one page sheet with the most commonly used GRE Quant formulas and concepts for you to memorize.

Stanford Undergraduate Interview Questions

Comprehensive set of interviewer questions the school requires interviewers to ask.

CV Guide for Graduate School Admissions

How do graduate admissions committees view CVs? What's most important to include? What type of format should I use? Your answers are in this guide!

Your Path to MBB: How to Stand Out

Learn what it really takes to stand out in the highly competitive MBB recruiting process. In this session, top Leland consulting coaches break down the strategies that consistently help candidates land interviews and offers—from crafting a compelling story to excelling in networking, casing, and problem-solving assessments. You'll leave with a clear roadmap for positioning yourself as a top-tier candidate at McKinsey, Bain, and BCG.

Deferred MBA M7 Series: Stanford

Get an inside look at what Stanford GSB seeks in Deferred MBA candidates and how to bring your unique story to life. Expert Leland coach and GSB alum Ben L. will break down the qualities Stanford cares about most—impact, curiosity, and personal growth. You’ll leave with concrete strategies to articulate your values, achievements, and ambitions in a way that resonates with the GSB admissions committee.

Example Integrated Marketing Campaign

This is an example marketing campaign from awareness to customer retention. It includes multi-level movement from the customer to the channels, content, and even KPI's.

r/AMA: Building products people love from Slack to Discord to Reddit

What does it take to build products that millions of people use every day—and genuinely love? In this AMA, Sri V., a product manager at Reddit who has also worked on community and communication products at Discord, Slack, and Microsoft, will share candid insights from years spent shaping how people connect online. With a background in computer science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a career built on solving meaningful problems rather than just writing code, Sri brings a uniquely human-centered perspective to product development. Come with questions about breaking into PM, building social and community products, navigating big tech careers, or even national parks—Sri has nomaded through nearly all of them.

Private Equity Networking & Firm Outreach Strategy

Breaking into private equity requires more than strong technical skills—it demands targeted networking, strategic outreach, and a clear understanding of how firms make hiring decisions. In this session, Brian L., a Chicago Booth MBA and former portfolio operations professional at Vista Equity Partners, will share how he built relationships across the PE ecosystem while working with B2B software companies on sales strategy, revenue operations, and customer success. Drawing on his experience navigating both the PE and MBA recruiting landscapes, Brian will walk you through how to structure outreach, build meaningful connections, and position yourself effectively for on- and off-cycle opportunities.

Deferred MBA M7 Series: MIT Sloan

Join us for a focused deep dive into the MIT Sloan Deferred MBA Program, designed to help early-career candidates understand what Sloan looks for and how to craft a standout application. We’ll walk through the program structure, what makes Sloan unique, and the key qualities the admissions committee consistently values. You’ll leave with concrete guidance on how to position your experiences, highlight impact, and present an application that resonates with Sloan’s data-driven, principled-leadership culture.