MBA/MS Admissions Experts

I draw on my expertise as a former Harvard Business School MBA Admissions Board member, brand marketer, and Kellogg MBA to help my clients fulfill their MBA dreams. My strength is helping applicants identify what is most distinctive and compelling about their background, and then communicate it in a way that feels both strategic and authentic. My work covers a range of services: school selection and fit assessment, narrative and essay brainstorming, career goal refinement, resume and recommendation guidance, short-answer revisions, interview preparation, post-acceptance decision-making, and ongoing feedback and guidance throughout the MBA application process. I've coached clients across a wide range of industries, backgrounds, and career stages, from experienced professionals to college students pursuing deferred MBA programs. I bring particular expertise in deferred admissions, as I was one of the original founders of the HBS 2+2 Program. I know how daunting the MBA admissions process can feel. My goal is to demystify the process, reduce unnecessary stress, and help guide my clients to discover and achieve their full potential.

With an MBA from the prestigious Haas School of Business and over 10 years of experience as a Senior Admissions Counselor at Stratus Admissions Counseling, I have guided 100+ applicants to success in their MBA journeys. My expertise lies in helping clients develop a personal brand strategy, identify the best programs for their goals, and navigate the entire application process, including mock interviews and waitlist strategy. As a former Alumni Admissions Interviewer at Haas and active AIGAC member, I bring insider knowledge of what top programs are looking for. Let's work together to craft a compelling application that stands out. Reach out to start your path to a top MBA program today!

MBA COACHING, WRITING EXPERTISE & CAREER • Stanford GSB Alum, Class of 2021 -- see relevant experience sets below: • Coaching | Advised 300+ admits into Stanford GSB, HBS, Wharton, Kellogg, MIT Sloan, INSEAD, Haas, and more (see ~100 Leland reviews), while teaching multiple courses through Leland • Professional Writing | Speechwriting in public policy & political environments, Lead Editor for Nondisclosure (Stanford GSB's magazine) and Managing Editor for the Stanford International Policy Review • GMAT / Test-Taking | Scored in the highest percentile of GMAT test-takers, but more importantly I've honed my ability to help others extrapolate top test-testing strategies in the areas they're weakest • Interview Training | I'm interview-trained for McKinsey, allowing me to give high-quality mock interviews for MBBs and any MBA program • Additional Writing | Crafting op-eds, ghostwriting for major publications, developing a fictional short story collection, policy deep dives, a book on chess applications to life, and application essays of all sorts CAREER • What I'm Doing Now | Based in NYC, building a publication 'Staying Human', working on a stealth, marketplace startup, playing chess profssionally, and advising while a slate of Seed to Series C startups through Elevate LLC • Public Policy | Prior to Stanford, worked on the Policy Team for the Chicago Mayor's Office under Mayor Rahm Emanuel, focusing on 5G infrastructure policy, criminal justice policy, and citywide corporate/economic development deals • McKinsey | Before policy, worked at McKinsey & Co , with casework focused on job training for the formerly incarcerated and workforce development for at-risk youth • PE / VC / Startup Advising | After Stanford, worked in Bain's Private Equity Group on various due diliegences, managed deals with several venture capital firms, and advised multiple startups on growth and go-to-market strategy

Welcome to my profile! With over 20 years of experience in MBA and specialty master's admissions, I have a deep understanding of what it takes to succeed in the competitive application process. As a former admissions advisor at MIT, I have firsthand knowledge of evaluating and interviewing candidates. My role as an MBA Admissions Counselor at Stratus Admissions Counseling has allowed me to coach over 100 candidates on application strategy, school selection, and interview preparation, earning top reviews on Poets&Quants and GMAT Club. My clients have earned over $6.5M in merit scholarships and Forte and Consortium fellowships since 2021. I am passionate about helping you craft a compelling application that stands out. Let's work together to achieve your MBA goals!

With over a decade of experience, I’ve helped candidates break into the world’s most competitive MBA and master’s programs, consistently delivering results across applicant types and industries. My unique qualifications include: ◉ At Harvard Kennedy School, collaborated directly with the Head of Admissions to revamp evaluation processes and led formal knowledge-sharing with other policy programs and M7 MBA programs (e.g., HBS, Wharton, Booth) to align HKS selection standards with leading graduate admissions practices. This revamp gave me unique insights across top MBA programs to understand what they look for in their processes, a cross-school lens not many coaches have been afforded ◉ Leland Top Coach in 2023, 2024, and 2025 (since rankings began), with reviews attesting to strategic, high-touch coaching ◉ 150+ M7 admits and tens of millions in scholarship funding secured across MBA, MPP, and master’s programs ◉ Proven success with traditional (consulting, banking), deferred, joint-degree, international, and non-traditional candidates With deep insight into how top programs evaluate applicants, I specialize in translating client profiles into compelling narratives that highlight leadership, trajectory, and potential. Some big wins include helping an individual with a 3.2 GPA and 145 (Quant GRE) / 158 (Verbal GRE) secure admission to a top 5 MBA with 60% tuition scholarship and negotiating another candidate's M7 waitlist offer to admission with 100% tuition funding. Given my extensive client-facing experience in consulting and investment banking, I am extremely responsive and tailor my approach to fit each client's needs. I am especially helpful to: ◉ applicants from established pre-MBA careers (e.g., consulting, banking) hoping to differentiate themselves in a crowded field ◉ international applicants looking for guidance on the U.S.-specific nuances for MBAs ◉ non-traditional candidates without cookie-cutter GPAs or test scores looking to highlight strengths in other areas ◉ deferred candidates looking to show their future *potential* through storytelling ◉ candidates seeking scholarship funding ◉ underrepresented minorities, especially LGBTQ+ / BIPOC applicants, who want to work with someone with a shared lived experience ◉ joint / concurrent degree applicants ◉ candidates who want to make a great impression during interviews. I take special pride in one of my interviewers saying I was the best-prepared applicant he had seen in 10 years :) ◉ waitlisted or rejected applicants who want to make a compelling case for their candidacy through informal channels

🏆 Selected as one of the Top 5 Coaches on Leland 🏆 During my time inside the admissions office at Chicago Booth, I learned a hard truth that drives my work today. There is a massive gap between being qualified for an MBA and actually getting admitted. Most of you are qualified for admissions to one of the top business schools in the world. You have the grades and the work experience (or internships, in the case of Deferred appicants). But for the last 17 years, my job has been to help applicants move from the 'qualified' pile to the 'accepted' pile. I do that by helping you strip away the generic business jargon, find your core story, and build a narrative that actually sticks in the memory of an admissions officer. As a member of AIGAC, I’m constantly talking to schools to understand what they are looking for this specific cycle. For MBA applicants, the bar is incredibly high because you are selling potential, not just history. My goal is to help you figure out how to prove that potential.

As a current Harvard Business School student admitted through the 2+2 Deferred Enrollment Program, I have firsthand experience navigating both the deferred and traditional MBA admissions processes. I successfully gained admission to multiple top MBA programs, including my top choice HBS, and understand what it takes to craft a compelling application at every stage. Whether you're applying through a deferred program like HBS 2+2 or Yale Silver Scholars, pursuing a traditional full-time MBA, or exploring a combined degree like an MS/MBA, I can help you develop a differentiated application strategy, refine your essays, and prepare for interviews with confidence.

With 17 years of admissions consulting experience at a top-ranked firm, advising more than 1,000 candidates and guiding hundreds to M7 and other top-20 MBA programs, I offer a strategic partnership grounded in clarity, efficiency, and long-term career architecture. I have worked with candidates from every background and career path, and I understand how personal and high-stakes this process can feel. My work begins well before essays are drafted. Drawing on a 40-year career spanning engineering, corporate strategy, product leadership, and entrepreneurial ventures, I help you think through not only where you can gain admission, but where you can build meaningful, lasting leverage. Rather than focusing narrowly on one or two programs, we thoughtfully evaluate Full-Time, Part-Time, Executive, and alternative pathways to determine what truly aligns with your goals and life circumstances. I invest deeply in front-end strategy: clarifying your demonstrated strengths, modeling realistic career trajectories, and developing a clear positioning thesis. When that foundation is strong, the writing becomes more natural and efficient. I do not believe in endless cycles of edits. I believe in doing the hard thinking upfront so the messaging reflects who you genuinely are and what you bring. Whether you are a traditional applicant or come from a less conventional background, I serve as both strategic advisor and steady project partner. You can expect candid feedback, structured planning, and focused refinement that surfaces your authentic value. I will not write your essays for you, but I will challenge and support you in ways that help you see your story more clearly than you have before.

Welcome! I am a coach and advisor who genuinely enjoys helping individuals achieve their MBA admissions goals. As a former member of the MBA Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS), I have firsthand knowledge of the admissions process and what it takes to build a compelling application. I've reviewed thousands of applications and completed hundreds of interviews with applicants across all backgrounds, geographies, and industries. I also have experience working with college students applying for deferred admissions (I was part of the launch and management of the HBS 2+2 Deferred Admit Program). I work as an independent MBA admissions coach, guiding clients to success at their top choice schools. Whether you need assistance with school selection, crafting your story/brand, essay/resume writing, selecting/preparing recommenders, or interview prep, I'm here to help you navigate the sometimes overwhelming and mysterious MBA admissions world. Let's connect and discuss how I can support you in reaching your goals. Rated "Leland Top 50 Coach" 2023, 2024, 2025

Welcome to my profile! With over two decades of experience as an MBA Admissions Consultant, I have guided over 500 clients to gain admission to their dream programs, including Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, and more. My background in marketing and as an award-winning creative writer allows me to help clients craft compelling narratives that bring their unique qualities and potential to light. My experience as a professional journalist helps me to ferret out your unique stories and find the best way to bring all the elements of your profile together. Whether you are applying to full-time, executive MBA, or dual-degree programs, or any other graduate degree, I'm here to be your partner in this journey. Let's work together to make your MBA dreams a reality!