.When new applicants ask how I got into admissions consulting, I say: “I’ve arrived at the perfect place after walking a somewhat crooked career path.” I spent my undergrad education and early professional life in journalism, with a 5-year stint as a newspaper editor, then took a hard left turn to embark on a 12-year career at Wharton Business School, at the University of Pennsylvania.
As an admissions coach, I’m able to put the skills I’ve learned as both a journalist and admissions official to their best possible use: by helping hopeful applicants gain admissions to their dream business schools. I really do feel like I’ve arrived at the perfect place. And the thing that makes it all worthwhile is sharing in the joy my clients experience as they pursue their MBAs.
The applicants I work with are smart, talented, clever, witty, impassioned, diverse, well-rounded—I could go on and on! I know all this is because my clients and I get close—we’re talking laugh-together, cry-together, sharing-deep-secrets-together close. I’m there for all of their questions, from “Am I a strong candidate for school X?” to “What will the admissions committee think of Y?” to “How can I address perceived weakness Z?” We have fun shaping application strategy, digging deep for meaningful themes, and penning knock-em-off-their-seats essays (yep, I did say “fun!”). And when one of my clients, who I’ve watched shed blood, sweat, and tears, receives that sought-after offer letter … well, there’s nothing quite like it.
Ultimately, my goal as a coach is to do for you what admissions consulting has done for me: to help you uncover your unique skillset, craft your most compelling story, and lay the groundwork for your future—to get you to your “perfect place.” I look forward to embarking on this exciting MBA application journey with you!
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Interested in working together? Click here for my Leland coaching profile.
