Leland+ for College

Before You Apply: 5 College Admissions Myths Busted!

Join Will F. (former admissions officer at Penn Engineering and Fox School of Business, Senior Counselor at InGenius Prep) and Annabella G. (college admissions expert with 20 years guiding students to the right schools) as they host a webinar dispelling the biggest myths about the college admissions process. They'll cut through the hype and the chatter from talking heads, podcasts and your neighbor's uncle's best friend, and tell you why what you've heard on TikTok or read on Facebook isn't going to be the "secret" to getting into a top school. They'll also take part in an AMA, answering your toughest questions with honest answers about a complex process - making sense of college admissions.

Making the Most of Alumni Networks

Tap into alumni communities for mentorship, referrals, and real-world insights that boost your career.

Common App Submission Example– Leadership, Research, and Social Impact Profile

A comprehensive Common App submission featuring high academic achievement, extensive leadership, entrepreneurial initiatives, and a personal essay on resilience and teamwork through organizing India’s largest student-led fest.

Why UChicago Essay – Economics, Research, and Community Engagement

A focused and well-researched supplemental essay outlining the applicant’s academic goals in development economics, interest in data analytics, and enthusiasm for UChicago’s research culture and civic-minded community.

Tips for Making the Most of Career Fairs

Make strong impressions, ask smart questions, and turn quick chats into real opportunities.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Recommendations

Don’t let weak recs sink your app—avoid these common pitfalls and set your recommenders up for success.

How to Prepare Your Recommenders

Equip your recommenders with the right info to write standout letters that strengthen your application.

Crafting a Winning Narrative: Harvard and Stanford Graduate Break Down Elite College Admissions

Elite college admissions are driven by how clearly and authentically you tell your story, not just by grades and test scores. In this session, graduates of Harvard and Stanford will explain how top schools evaluate applications and what makes a narrative resonate with admissions committees. You’ll learn how to connect your experiences, values, and goals into a cohesive story across essays, activities, and recommendations, while avoiding common pitfalls that weaken otherwise strong profiles.

Roadmap to College: A Values-Based Guide to Choosing the Right College

Instead of focusing on traditional ideas of “fit,” this values-based guide invites you to reflect on what truly matters to you. Through self-reflection and journal prompts, you will identify colleges that align with your values, interests, and goals. Designed for students in grades 9-12, it offers practical steps to help you approach the college search with greater clarity and confidence so you can make intentional choices and find a college community that's authentic to you.

MBA Self-Discovery Workbook: Unlock Your Narrative & Write Freely

This is a reflection-focused, 13-section workbook for MBA applicants to uncover and build your story before embarking on the complex, layered process of writing your essays. This resource is informed from my time in Stanford GSB's Interpersonal Dynamics (Touchy Feely), my time helping dozens of other GSB classmates find their voice as the Managing Editor for Stanford GSB's Paper (Nondisclosure), and in helping over 500 MBA applicants self-reflect in a way that feels genuine, personal and clarifying. I wrote this resource with just enough structure (but not too much), and with a practical eye towards covering the ground you'll need for your MBA apps. You'll go deep, but every question has a purpose. I also use this with everyone I work with, and it's something we'll cover at the very beginning of our process. My hope is that this resource, in addition to being a big help, feels like we're in conversation. The goal is just to get to know you a little better, one step at a time, in a way that feels natural, even enjoyable. Even if you're the only one who ever sees it, I've tried to write this in a way that I'd speak about this kind of thing with you. Because I think humans are the best way to help other humans see themselves a little deeper. And trust me, plenty of "coaches" could use more of that too ;) This workbook will cover your background, motivations, short and long-term goals, values, behavioral stories, and more. A PDF is attached here, but there's also a downloadable Word file I recommend using to make things much easier for you to fill out as you go. This took me about 20-30 hours of time to put together, and I suggest putting at least 5-10 into filling this out. Some go at it all at once, but most do it in a few sittings. Long walks are good to interperse between writing sessions, and I actually recommend you reflect and go back to this to update your answers several times throughout your MBA process. Save new versions as you go and you'll be able to see your application pixellate over this monthslong process. If you're reapplying, I'd push you to compare what you end up with here with what you submitted last time. The differences may be revealing. I hope ends up a real tool for you, and that it helps you find answers you might not have found otherwise. It also will give you a glimpse into what coaching together feels like. Don't hesitate to reach out if you feel like sharing this. Working on your writing and applications together is a natural byproduct of the kind of reflection you'll be doing here, and it's my favorite thing to help someone with. Happy writing :) -Ben

From Freshman to Senior: Extracurricular Roadmap

A clear, year-by-year guide to help students build a stand out extracurricular profile. Learn what to focus on at each stage of high school -- from exploration to meaningful impact -- so you can make confident decisions and build an extracurricular profile that demonstrates what makes you unique.

Example High School Resume

Template of a High School Resume to draw inspiration from!

Why Getting Started Now Matters for College Applications

The strongest college applications are built over time, not rushed together senior year. In this panel, admissions experts will break down why starting early gives you a meaningful edge and what students should actually be doing now to stay ahead. You’ll learn how to think strategically about academics, extracurriculars, leadership, and narrative development long before applications open. Whether you’re a freshman, sophomore, or junior, this session will help you understand how small decisions today can shape stronger outcomes later.

Stanford Undergraduate Interview Questions

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

Business and Engineering Cover Letter Template

Need to submit a cover letter for your application? This one earned offers at huge aerospace & business firms!

The Hiring Room: Amazon TA Leader’s Interview Playbook

This is not a list of behavioural questions. It’s a comprehensive, end-to-end interview strategy guide from a former Amazon Talent Acquisition leader and Stanford graduate — designed to help you think, prepare, and perform like a top candidate. We begin before the interview even exists: clarifying who you are, what you want, and how to align your narrative with the roles you’re pursuing. From there, we move through resume positioning, strategic storytelling, behavioural frameworks, executive presence, and what interviewers are actually assessing behind the scenes.

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.”

How To Step From Participation to Leadership in your Extracurriculars

A step by step framework for turning extracurricular involvement into leadership and impact.

Grad Student Loan Paydown Schedule

Stop Guessing. Start Seeing Exactly When Your Loans End. Most people with student debt make their monthly payment and hope for the best. This template lets you run the actual math so you can see, month by month, exactly what happens when you pay more. Built in Excel. No subscriptions, no logins, no apps. Just a clean, professional model you'll actually use. What's inside: Three side-by-side paydown scenarios run simultaneously your base schedule, a flat monthly extra payment, and a fully flexible column where you can plug in one-time lump sums for any month. Salary bonus coming in March? Tax refund in April? Type it in and watch your payoff date move in real time. Built for people who just finished an expensive degree and are serious about what comes next. Whether you're in consulting, finance, tech, or any high-growth field, this tool helps you layer your paydown strategy around how you actually earn, raises, bonuses, tuition reimbursements, and surplus months, not just a flat monthly payment. What you'll know in five minutes: > Your exact payoff date under any scenario > How much interest you'll save with different payment levels > The true cost of waiting vs. paying aggressively now Fully editable. Works with any loan amount, rate, or term. One-time purchase, yours to keep.

What BYU Admission Officers Actually Want to See From You [5/26/2026] (Recording)

After this session, you'll know exactly how BYU admission officers evaluate applications and where most candidates unknowingly lose ground. We'll cover how to frame your personal statement around BYU's specific values, what the activity and leadership sections actually signal to reviewers, and how to approach the honor code essay in a way that feels authentic rather than performative. Attending live means you can ask how these principles apply to your specific background, grades, or extracurricular history, and hear how the coach thinks through cases that don't fit a clean template. The coach works with BYU applicants regularly and will share the patterns that separate the candidates who get in from those who look similar on paper but don't.