Master’s Programs Admissions Coaches

Here's something people don't know about me: prior to business school, I worked on Capitol Hill and for a lobby group of business CEOs. I chose not to go to HKS because I didn't need more politics in my life. However, policy is in my blood, and I love working on the all MPP type applications, including Columbia's SIPA or Georgetown, or Johns Hopkins SAIS. For the Kennedy School, in the two-year and the mid-career program I have close to a 95% success rate. That's because in addition to thinking like a policy wonk, I consider these applications a labor of love. There's no interview for HKS, and the application and resume are demanding! But I'm here for it.

Graduate school is expensive, and the process of applying can be overwhelming especially while working full time. I love helping people figure out what type of program suits them, how to write compelling personal essays, and how to navigate funding opportunities. I support clients to find their voice and craft an outstanding, authentic narrative.

Welcome to your next inflection point! I'm a dual degree Master of International Affairs + MBA candidate at Columbia SIPA + Business School, with a nontraditional background that bridges government, policy, and finance. I know what it’s like to navigate the world of public policy programs -- crafting a compelling narrative, translating interdisciplinary experience, and getting into top schools without a traditional profile. Now, I help others do the same. Whether you’re just starting your application journey or fine-tuning your essays and interviews, I bring structure, perspective, and clarity to help your story shine. From MPPs to MIAs and MPAs, I work with mission-driven candidates who are ready to lead. Let’s get to work!

Hi, I’m Madeleine! I am a former Harvard admissions team member, while being a graduate student at Harvard University. I'm an expert in nailing the admissions interview, and I have coached more than 500 students through highly selective interview process ranging from undergraduate, graduate, and private K12 schools. I know how strong interviews create positive bias that follows you into committee and elevates your entire application. I have a unique multifaceted approach based on my rare interdisciplinary background: • Harvard-trained: Harvard admissions insight and extensive network - • Athlete mindset: Performance and mindset coaching from being a NCAA Division I Athlete, and turned Pro Athlete • PR Psychology: As the spokesperson for a global tech company, having done 100+ conference panels, webinars, and podcasts, I know how to infuse the • Proven success helping 500 plus students shine in selective interviews, including admits to MIT, Cornell, UT Austin, Harvard, and Columbia Let's make your BEST self shine through, and BOOST your entire application together!

For more than 15 years I have worked at the intersection of admissions, public service, and lived experience. As a former Associate Director of Admission at the USC Price School of Public Policy, I reviewed thousands of applications and guided students during some of the most meaningful transitions of their lives. I continue to use this approach in my current work, providing a safe space for students to explore ideas, build confidence, and find their path with greater clarity and purpose. Through my work, I've learned that the most compelling applicants are not always the most credentialed ones. They are the ones who know who they are, who can articulate their experiences with intention, and whose authentic voice comes through in their writing. My role is to help you find that voice and shape it into an application that actually sounds like you. My expertise spans a wide range of graduate programs including Public Policy, Public Administration, Health Policy and Management, Urban Planning and Development, Data Science, and other policy-focused and social impact programs. My work is designed for students who: ✨ Have real professional experience but struggle to translate it into a clear, cohesive narrative — you have done meaningful work and are ready to articulate why it matters and where you want to take it 🌱 Feel like their draft sounds polished but hollow — something is missing, and you want support finding the anchor that makes your application feel genuinely yours 🔄 Are navigating a non-linear career transition — you have an unconventional path and want help framing it as a strength, not a liability 🎓 Are first-generation, LGBTQ+, students of color, or from historically underrepresented communities — and want a coach who will meet them with cultural attunement, not a one-size-fits-all approach ⚖️ Are applying to joint or concurrent degree programs — MPP/MBA, JD/MPP, and similar combinations — and need help positioning themselves cohesively across disciplines 🌍 Are purpose-driven applicants who want to influence systems, shift policy, or lead change — and want their application to reflect the depth and clarity of that commitment My role is not to tell you what to write. It is to help you slow down and discover who you really are — and then shape it into something that will resonate with readers. I believe the most powerful applications are built from clarity. From knowing who you are, what you have lived, and where you are genuinely trying to go. When a person finds that story, everything else (the essays, the strategy, the confidence), naturally falls into place with ease. I am intentional about my coaching process and work with a focused number of clients at a time. If you are ready to do the real work — the reflection, the honesty, the rewriting — we will build something you are genuinely proud of.

I help Master’s applicants clarify their direction, craft a compelling narrative, and secure funding—aiming for successful admissions and funding outcomes, backed by my experience as a former MIT Assistant Dean and Harvard Admissions Officer. With 20+ years of experience in graduate education leadership, I’ve supported thousands of applicants through distinct pathways for research-based and professional degrees. I understand what committees look for—and more importantly, what students actually need once they’re in. What I help with: • Career Pivot Strategy: Translating your work history into a focused academic narrative that shows readiness and purpose • Program Fit & Degree Type: Choosing between M.S., M.Ed., M.Eng., M.P.P., or other paths based on your goals and values • Funding Guidance: Identifying and negotiating merit aid, fellowships, and fee waivers to reduce financial stress • Application Materials: Writing statements, short answers, and resumes that show both alignment and impact • Decision-Making Support: Interpreting offers, evaluating ROI, and planning for sustainable success in fast-paced programs As a PhD student researching equity and student well-being, and a Board Exam Candidate in Health & Wellness Coaching, I offer evidence-informed coaching that supports both outcomes and your whole self, fostering a sense of being truly supported and understood. Whether you're seeking advancement, transition, or healing through education, I help you move forward with clarity, confidence, and care.

I turned my own skill with graduate-school applications--including admission to the US's top clinical psychology Master's/PhD program--into a way to help other applicants succeed. I do that by helping them find the right stories to tell and put their best foot forward, using my experience/success not only with applications but with writing fiction, narrative non-fiction, screenplays, and other story-driven work. Story is the best way to show admissions committees the "person behind the profile." That's what I help my clients do.

I’m Aric, a graduate admissions coach with years of experience guiding students into top Master’s programs. As a former Assistant Director at Harvard Business School, I’ve worked directly with hundreds of graduate students and know what it takes to stand out in a highly competitive applicant pool. I help candidates strengthen every part of their application—from choosing the right programs and refining their personal statements to preparing for interviews and securing strong recommendations. My approach is both strategic and supportive, making sure you not only present your best application, but also step into your graduate journey with confidence and clarity.

In addition to my 20+ years of admissions consulting experience, I also have firsthand experience in the entertainment world as a represented screenwriter, and then as a literary manager. Having worked on writing assignments and rewrites for several studios and production companies, as well as multiple production roles as PA (office and set) and script supervisor, while living and networking in Hollywood for several years, I know how the industry works. Having helped dozens of applicants gain admission to top MFA (film) and producer's programs (like USC's Stark program), I know exactly what admissions committees are looking for. A successful application to any degree program requires finding the most compelling version of your personal story, developing and optimizing that story to fit your target audience, and executing it in a way that captures its full potential. Naturally, nowhere is the bar for storytelling higher than film schools. My approach to guided introspection, story exploration and development, essay brainstorming, outlining and revision, and intensive interview preparation will help you develop the strongest possible application so you can pursue your dreams in the entertainment business.

Ryan Prior is an award-winning journalist telling stories at the front lines of science and democracy. Over the past 12 years, he has written hundreds of stories for CNN, Psychology Today, The Guardian, The Nation, STAT, USA Today, and The Daily Beast. He has produced work across documentary film, nonprofits, book publishing, and think tanks. His reporting spans pandemic response, science policy, geopolitical conflict, and national security. His recent experience includes field reporting in Ukraine, along with study trips to Israel/Palestine, the Balkans, and Western Europe through Harvard Kennedy School and RIAS. Ryan believes the best journalism connects the dots between high-level decisions and lived experiences of people on the ground — making the strategic personal, and the personal strategic. His writing combines the rigor of data-driven reporting, the intimacy of narrative memoir, and the pragmatism of a policy brief. It’s a rare, yet essential blend in today’s climate of misinformation and polarization. He is the author of The Long Haul: How Long Covid Survivors Are Revolutionizing Healthcare (MIT Press/Penguin Random House), which explores the global impact of the pandemic and the chronic illness crisis that followed. The book has been called “a book we need right now” by Senator Tim Kaine and “an important contribution” by the Secretary General of the World Health Organization. It has also been featured in Newsweek, Los Angeles Times, CNN, Democracy Now, Psychology Today, Science, and The Lancet.