Leland+ Content Library

Defining the 1%: The Skills and Habits Behind 99th Percentile LSAT Scores

Scoring in the 99th percentile on the LSAT requires more than just practice—it reflects a specific set of skills, habits, and ways of thinking that most test takers never fully develop. This session is for students aiming to break into the 170s who want to understand what truly separates top scorers from the rest. You’ll learn how high scorers approach each section, the study habits that drive consistent improvement, and what differentiates performance across the 150s, 160s, and 170s.

What Deferred MBA Essays Need to Accomplish, and How to Get There

Deferred MBA essays are less about polished resumes and more about potential, clarity of goals, and long-term impact, and getting them right requires a very specific approach. In this session, you’ll learn what top programs actually expect deferred candidates to demonstrate, how admissions committees read these essays differently from traditional MBA applications, and how to structure your responses to show maturity, self-awareness, and trajectory. We’ll break down common pitfalls, winning themes, and practical steps to move from a blank page to a compelling final draft with confidence.

PM Recruiting 2026: What’s Changing and How to Stand Out This Cycle

Product management recruiting is evolving—candidate pools are growing, expectations are shifting, and what worked in past cycles may not be enough for 2026. To stand out this year, you need more than solid PM skills; you need clear positioning, a strong narrative, and a deep understanding of what companies are prioritizing right now. In this session, we’ll break down what’s changing in PM recruiting for 2026 and how you can adapt your strategy to stay competitive. The session will be led by an experienced PM coach who has helped candidates successfully navigate PM recruiting across top tech companies. Drawing on firsthand coaching and hiring insights, they’ll walk through current recruiting trends, how recruiters and hiring managers evaluate candidates, and the specific ways top applicants differentiate themselves in resumes, interviews, and storytelling. You’ll leave with practical, actionable guidance you can apply immediately as you prepare for the 2026 recruiting cycle.

The Truth About Deferred MBA Essays: What Works, What Doesn’t, and Why

In this session, Leland Coach Kristen H., a HBS and GSB deferred admit and expert in early-career MBA strategy, will pull back the curtain on what separates successful essays from forgettable ones. You’ll walk away with a clear understanding of how to approach each essay prompt strategically — and how to make your essays stand out in a competitive Deferred MBA cycle.

2 Must-Haves for Round 2 And What To Do Right Now!

​Round 2 deadlines are right around the corner - is your application ready? Bruce H. and Betsy M. have over 30 years of MBA admissions experience and they will share the 2 essential things you MUST have in your application. ​Deadlines are coming up fast and Betsy and Bruce will give you their best advice on what you should be doing RIGHT NOW to produce your strongest application by January. They will also talk about whether it is better to apply this year or if waiting until next year will give you a better chance of attending your dream school.

How to Ace PE Interviews: From Behaviorals and Technicals to Why PE

​Private equity interviews test more than your technical skills—they assess your judgment, communication, and fit. In this workshop, Claire H. and Jonathan L.—three seasoned finance professionals who have successfully navigated and conducted PE interviews—will walk you through what top firms are really looking for. You’ll learn how to craft thoughtful answers to behavioral questions, structure strong technical responses, and nail your “Why PE” story. ​Between Claire’s experience at Morgan Stanley and The Carlyle Group and Jonathan's role as a senior PE associate at General Atlantic, you’ll gain insider insights from both sides of the interview table. Whether you’re preparing for on-cycle recruiting or exploring post-banking opportunities, this session will give you actionable strategies and the confidence to stand out in competitive PE recruiting.

Stay Calm, Solve On: How to Manage Stress and Master GRE Quant

​Struggling to stay calm under pressure while tackling GRE Quant? You're not alone—many test-takers feel the stress building as they approach those high-stakes math questions. ​In this session, Avi L., a 15-year veteran GRE/GRE-Quant coach on Leland who scored a 339 on the GRE and has coached over 500 people, will show you how to manage stress, sharpen your mindset, and master key Quant topics efficiently. ​You’ll learn how to build a clear prep plan, recognize your mental bottlenecks during test day, and apply proven strategies to elevate your score while staying composed. Whether you’re aiming for a big Quant jump or simply seeking clarity and confidence, this session will equip you to perform at your best.

If You’re Admitted vs. If You’re Not – Next Steps and Growth Opportunities

• What to do immediately if admitted off the waitlist (next steps checklist) • If not admitted: reframing and reapplication mindset • How to carry lessons forward to strengthen next cycle applications • Managing timelines (deposits, deferrals, reapp deadlines) • Closing encouragement: progress > perfection

Real Estate Private Equity: What it is and How to Break In

​Real estate private equity (REPE) is one of the most dynamic and lucrative areas of finance—but breaking in can feel like a black box. In this session, Leland coach Ayo K., a former Blackstone associate now working in REPE at a leading global firm, will walk you through what the field actually looks like and how to position yourself for success. ​You’ll gain an inside look at the types of deals REPE firms pursue, the skills and backgrounds that stand out in recruiting, and what day-to-day work really entails. Whether you’re currently in investment banking, exploring a pivot from another field, or just starting your career planning, this session will give you actionable strategies to understand the industry and take the right steps toward landing a role in real estate private equity.

Breaking In and Breaking Through: IB Crash Course for International MBA Associates

Designed specifically for international MBA students targeting Investment Banking roles in the US, this hands-on bootcamp demystifies the IB recruiting process and sets you up for success from networking to technicals. ​The session is led by Yudhajit D., a former IB associate and TTS trainer, and focuses on high-leverage areas that international candidates must master early: ​Storytelling & Behavioral Mastery for non-US backgrounds ​Technical Prep That Works Under Pressure ​Navigating Work Authorization & Visa Concerns Confidently ​What Top Banks Really Look for in International Candidates ​Yudhajit will use real examples, interactive exercises, and common recruiting pitfalls to help you confidently position yourself as a competitive IB candidate from Day 1 of recruiting.

Automate Prospect Research and Personalization with Claude Agents [6/13/2026] (Recording)

Stop manual Googling. This session walks you through using Claude browser agents to research prospects, extract key signals, and generate personalized first-touch messages at scale. Leave with a working prospect research + personalization workflow you can run this week. Agenda: • 10 min: The agentic research framework — what signals matter and how to extract them automatically • 25 min: Build-along — set up a Claude agent workflow for prospect research and first-touch personalization • 10 min: DFY qualification and CTA Who this is for: Service firm founders doing manual prospect research or relying on generic templates with low response rates. CTA: Book a System Builder call to have this workflow built and integrated into your outbound stack in 2 weeks.

MBA Application Fundamentals for Non-Traditional Candidates

Are you applying to business school with a non-traditional or non-business background? Are you intimidated by the application process, unsure on where to start, or just a little stuck on ways to communicate your experience? If so, this session is for you! ​During this event, we'll discuss some of the commonly-held assumptions among MBA class profiles, cover the ways non-traditional candidates can manage the expectations of admissions committees, and describe how differentiated experience can help your application shine! ​This course is taught by Laura N., a former MBA admissions committee member, pro admissions coach, and accredited member of AIGAC (Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants). Laura has been an MBA admissions consultant for 16 years and has guided more than 500 clients towards admission to elite MBA programs, including HBS, Stanford, Wharton, and more.

Covering the Three GMAT Principles of Exponents

Struggling with exponent questions on the GMAT? This session will break down the three core principles of exponents that form the foundation for many Quant problems. In this interactive workshop, Leland coach Hadi H. will guide you through each rule, show you how they appear on the test, and teach you how to apply them with confidence under time pressure. You’ll also leave with targeted practice strategies to strengthen your understanding and boost your accuracy outside of the session. ​Hadi H. is a top-ranked GMAT Focus tutor with a 770 GMAT score and over 200 successful students worldwide. A London Business School MBA alum and cofounder of A1 MBA Consulting, Hadi brings 3,700+ minutes of GMAT coaching experience, an exceptional track record of client score improvement, and deep expertise in helping applicants earn admission to top business schools including Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, INSEAD, and LBS.

LLM Prompts: Land Consulting Interviews

Leverage AI with these powerful LLM prompts to supercharge your management consulting job hunt and land top-tier interviews.

The Year-End Review Playbook

Most professionals approach the year-end review passively and leave the outcome to chance. This guide covers the full process high performers use: building a documented case throughout the year, writing a self-assessment for the calibration room (not just your manager’s inbox), preparing your manager to advocate for you in the room you’re not in, and using the review conversation to set the terms for next year. Includes before/after self-assessment examples and exact language for the conversations most people avoid.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Cold Emails That Land Warm

Most cold partnership emails fail before the second sentence and it's not because the sender lacks a good product, but because they lead with themselves instead of the person they're writing to. This guide is built from real outreach across nearly two decades of building companies in food, wellness, experiential events, and matchmaking. It covers six partnership types: brand-to-brand, venue and experiential, distribution and retail, media and press, investor introductions, and sponsors and collaborators with two copy-paste templates per section and a bonus section of real emails from actual deals, with breakdowns of exactly why each one landed. Built for early-stage founders sending their first partnership emails. No theory. No generic advice. Just the structure that works.

Financial Aid for International Students

Scholarships, fellowships, assistantships, Prodigy/MPower loans, sponsorship options

Secondary Applications: Writing Excellent Essays [6/9/2026] (Recording)

Secondary applications can quickly become overwhelming, and many strong applicants lose momentum when it comes time to write dozens of school-specific essays. This session is for medical school applicants who want a clearer strategy for writing compelling secondary responses efficiently and effectively. You’ll learn how to approach common prompts, maintain quality across multiple applications, and craft essays that feel personal without becoming repetitive. Join live to ask questions about your own secondary essays and hear guidance from a coach who completed over 40 secondaries and earned 13 medical school acceptances. The speaker has firsthand experience navigating the volume and pressure of the process and now helps applicants strengthen their writing and application strategy. Expect practical advice and insights similar to what’s covered in 1:1 coaching conversations.

Build an Investor-Level Pitch Deck with Claude, Excel & PowerPoint [5/29/2026] (Recording)

Build Anything Series · Event 03 · Free · Live Investor decks are a specific genre. They aren't "presentations." They're a tight argument backed by a defensible model, told in 12 slides. This event walks through how to build one with Claude, Excel, and PowerPoint working together — the way real founders actually do it now. What we'll build live: - The financial model — TAM/SAM/SOM, unit economics, P&L forecast, sensitivities, all in Excel/Sheets with Claude generating and reviewing the formulas - The story — problem, market, solution, traction, team, ask. Each slide does one job. We'll write them tight. - The slides — clean figures, charts that read in 3 seconds, narrative continuity. Polished and ready to send. Who it's for: - Founders fundraising (or about to) - Operators building internal pitches for new initiatives - Anyone who's stared at a blank deck for two weeks waiting for inspiration Not a fit if: - You don't have a real business or initiative to pitch - You want me to make a deck for you — this is a workshop, you build alongside We'll be honest about what investors actually look at (versus what advisors say they look at), and where AI helps versus where it gets in the way. Bring your data — even rough — and we'll build live.

Decoding Private Equity Recruiting: 10 Key Attributes That Hiring Managers are Looking For

A guide to private equity recruiting, outlining the top 10 traits firms seek—from modeling skills to strategic thinking and global perspective.