Leland+ for MBA

Finance to MBA: Showing Impact and Proving Passion

Breaking into an MBA program from a finance background takes more than strong credentials—it's about showing real impact and authentic passion. In this session, Leland coaches John N. (Kellogg MBA), Faisal K. (Booth adcom), and Kelsey K. (CBS adcom) will share how to differentiate yourself, connect your experience to your goals, and stand out in essays and interviews. Perfect for finance professionals aiming to make a powerful impression in Round 2.

How to Answer Stanford’s “What Matters Most to You and Why?”

Stanford’s “What matters most to you and why?” is one of the most challenging MBA essay prompts, and many applicants struggle to answer it with real depth and clarity. This session is for candidates applying to Stanford who want to approach this essay with a more thoughtful and effective strategy. You’ll learn how to identify a meaningful central theme, avoid common pitfalls that make essays feel surface-level, and structure a response that feels both personal and compelling to admissions readers.

8 Steps to Complete MBA App: 2) Key Stories/Strategic School Outreach

Applying to business school can feel overwhelming! You have dozens of moving pieces: essays, short answers, video content, resume, recommendations, outreach, research, and more. This workshop is the second of a structured 8-part MBA Identity Mapping series designed to take you from fragmented tasks to a clear plan of action. In this session, you will turn your experiences into structured story summaries and begin strategic outreach to students and alumni. These sessions walk you step by step through building one fully aligned MBA application. In every workshop, you will be assigned tasks to complete over the next two weeks, keeping you focused and accountable. By the end, you will have strong, authentic essays and a narrative that runs consistently through your resume, goals, recommendations, school strategy, and interviews. You are absolutely welcome to attend individual sessions if you only need focused help on a specific component(s) of your MBA application. Event 2 transforms your experiences into structured story material and begins meaningful school outreach: • Distill 10–20 high-impact stories from your Life Story Timeline using a structured framework. • Learn how to select stories that reveal leadership, growth, resilience, and character. • Apply tagging to identify recurring themes that will shape your positioning. • Begin outreach to current students and alumni. This is the phase where your raw experiences begin turning into usable material. You move from “I’ve done a lot” to “Here are the defining stories that show exactly who I am.” The MBA Identity Mapping process has guided 100+ applicants into every M7 program, all other top 20 U.S. programs, and leading international programs including INSEAD, London Business School, IESE, Esade, Oxford, Cambridge, NUS, and more. Clients consistently describe it as transformative because it replaces scattered effort with forward momentum and strategic clarity. If you are ready to develop a compelling story bank and begin connecting with your target schools in a thoughtful, intentional way, this is your next step.

MBA Application Week Kickoff [6/1/2026] (Recording)

GIVEAWAY DURING EVENT: Join for the chance to win $300 of coaching credit! Starting your MBA applications can feel overwhelming when you’re not sure how to prioritize test prep, school selection, and your overall story. This kickoff session is designed for prospective applicants who want a clear roadmap for the week ahead and a sharper understanding of what top programs are actually looking for. You’ll walk away with a structured plan for tackling your application components, a framework for evaluating your candidacy, and guidance on how to get the most value out of each upcoming session. Attending live gives you the chance to ask questions about your goals and get real-time direction on where to focus first. The speaker works closely with applicants and will share the patterns they see across successful candidates, along with what they look for when evaluating readiness. If you want to start the week with clarity and momentum, it’s worth showing up live.

Your MBA Application Roadmap

This is the companion deck for Leland's flagship MBA week, for the session I ran on mapping your MBA application roadmap. Given the high demand for these slides, I tried to make these available as soon as possible -- and completely free. Reach out if you're hoping to work on a roadmap for yourself, and are looking for 1:1 coaching. This is a gameplan, but working with a coach to execute on this is where we offer by far the most leverage. I hope this resource is a great kickstarter for you and gives you much better line of sight into what this process holds..

Deferred MBA M7 Series: Kellogg

Thinking about a deferred MBA and wondering what it takes to get into a top program like Kellogg? Join Andrew Dale, a former Kellogg Admissions Officer and Supercoach on Leland, as he walks you through what makes a strong application, how to tell a compelling story, and what Kellogg specifically looks for in deferred candidates. Bring your questions about essays, recommenders, interviews, and strategy—Andrew will help position you for success.

Crafting an MBA Essay That Actually Stands Out [5/12/2026] (Recording)

FREE LELAND + FOR 1 MONTH FOR ALL LIVE ATTENDEES. Strong MBA essays aren’t just well-written, they clearly communicate who you are and why you belong at a program. This session is for applicants who want to move beyond generic advice and craft essays that genuinely stand out. You’ll learn how to develop a focused personal narrative, avoid common mistakes that dilute your story, and align your essays with what admissions readers are actually looking for. Join live to hear from MBA admissions experts and ask questions about your own essay ideas. The panelists regularly work with applicants on essay development and will share the patterns they see across successful submissions. Expect practical feedback and insights similar to what’s covered in 1:1 coaching conversations.

REAL INSEAD MBA Interview Mocks

Multiple INSEAD mock interview sequences, based on real questions clients reported in interviews. Use these sequences to practice and ensure you convert your INSEAD interview into an admit.

Duke Fuqua Post-MBA Career Goals Essay

Plans to pursue senior leadership in tech or consulting, with a long-term vision of transforming Korean companies.

Consortium Example Essays

These essays helped an ally be admitted to Consortium and to UC Berkeley Haas and UCLA Anderson. They stand out due to the clarity in career goals, specific ways the applicant supported unrepresented groups, and multi-faceted plans for involvement and support in the future.

Building Your Path to Graduate School Success: 2-5 Years Out

Are you considering applying to graduate school in the next 2-5 years and want to ensure you're on the right path to success? Join me, Bri, for an insightful session on building a strategic approach to your graduate school applications, whether you're eyeing an MBA, MPP, or any highly competitive graduate degree. With firsthand experience as an admit to MIT Sloan, Booth, and Tuck, and a dual MPP/MBA strategy, I bring a wealth of knowledge on what top programs are looking for. My background in government consulting and cross-sector innovation allows me to help you craft compelling stories that connect your diverse experiences into a cohesive narrative. I've successfully coached applicants to M7 and top public policy programs, refining their personal narratives, clarifying post-graduate goals, and strengthening their essays, résumés, and interviews. During this session, we'll cover everything from application strategy and networking to financial aid and testing. Space is limited, so RSVP now to secure your spot and start building your path to graduate school success!

Successful UCLA Anderson Essays

See how this applicant made the most of Anderson's very short essays, securing admission and a full-ride scholarship!

What AI Can’t Do in MBA Admissions [5/18/2026] (Recording)

Artificial intelligence has transformed how applicants brainstorm, draft, and prepare for business school applications, but the strongest MBA applications still require far more than polished prose. This session will break down where AI can help, where it often hurts, and the critical aspects of strategy, reflection, and storytelling that technology cannot replicate. Attendees will learn why top admissions committees continue to reward authenticity, judgment, and narrative depth, and how to use AI as a tool without allowing it to dilute what makes an application compelling.

MBA Application Week Kickoff [6/1/2026] (Recording)

GIVEAWAY DURING EVENT: Join for the chance to win $300 of coaching credit! Starting your MBA applications can feel overwhelming when you’re not sure how to prioritize test prep, school selection, and your overall story. This kickoff session is designed for prospective applicants who want a clear roadmap for the week ahead and a sharper understanding of what top programs are actually looking for. You’ll walk away with a structured plan for tackling your application components, a framework for evaluating your candidacy, and guidance on how to get the most value out of each upcoming session. Attending live gives you the chance to ask questions about your goals and get real-time direction on where to focus first. The speaker works closely with applicants and will share the patterns they see across successful candidates, along with what they look for when evaluating readiness. If you want to start the week with clarity and momentum, it’s worth showing up live.

Haasome (ie. Awesome Haas) Essays

These winning Haas essays show a clear vision of the applicant's career, a plan for how to make the most of her time at Haas, and the self-awareness and personal growth that Haas values. Talking points for the "What Makes You Feel Alive When You're Doing It" video essay are also included.

Targeting M7 Schools? What It Really Takes [5/20/2026] (Recording)

1YR FREE LELAND+ GIVEAWAY FOR LIVE ATTENDEES ($119 VALUE). After this session, you'll know how to assess whether your profile is genuinely competitive for M7 schools and where the real gaps tend to appear. We'll cover how admissions committees at these programs actually differentiate candidates at the margin, what a strong post-MBA narrative looks like for the most common applicant profiles, and how to decide where to apply given your specific background and goals. Attending live means you can hear how experienced coaches thinks through cases like yours in real time, context a recording simply cannot replicate. These coaches work with M7 applicants daily and will share the patterns that separate candidates who get in from those who fall short at the final round.

MBA Scorecard: Rank Every Program to Find Your Fit

A personalized Excel scorecard for ranking every top MBA program that autopopulates based on key criteria you should evaluate in narrowing down your list to your top-choice programs. Weight only the factors that matter to you (e.g., specific career funnels, geography, cost, culture, academics), and score each program out of 100, and see your rankings update live. This includes a filled-out example as well so you can see what a final product looks like. Delete anything that isn't useful, and keep the rest so this search is custom-tailored to you.

Successful Booth Application Essays (with career goals)

Successful Booth application essays for consultants, non-traditional / non-trad applicants, social enterprise, healthcare, dual degree, joint degree, policy, startup, entrepreneurship

Successful Tuck Essays (with career goals)

Successful Dartmouth Tuck essays with career goals section, consultant, non-traditional application, volunteering, nonprofit, startup, family story, personal story, and thoughtful applicant positioning.

REAL Babson MBA Interview Sequences

Multiple Babson mock interview sequences, based on real questions clients reported in interviews. Use these sequences to practice and ensure you convert your Babson interview into an admit.