28,568Leland Reviews

Jessica is an amazing admissions consultant. Not only does she have very good ideas when reviewing essays, but she also becomes a confidant with whom to share your concerns and projects. She never hesitated to ask how I was doing or whether she could be of any greater help. Her interest in my success was genuine, and I am sure that that is the case with everyone she works with. She is not just a consultant, she is a part of your team. This last year has been quite a ride, but after a long deliberation I am now ready to start my MBA at an M7 school. I now consider Jessica not only as an amazing professional but as an incredibly helpful friend!

Jessica was a fantastic consultant, I can't recommend her enough! The application process is challenging and stressful, and Jessica's advice throughout was invaluable. She provided candid and direct feedback while also acting as a constant source of support and encouragement. She has a tremendous amount of knowledge about the application process but brings a very personal touch to her work. She really takes the time to understand you as an applicant so that all advice is tailored to your goals. Jessica really went above and beyond to support me over several months of work, and with her help I was admitted to my two top choices. Thank you for everything, Jessica!

Jessica was my consultant and got me into my dream school. Ok so you guys might think: oh ok what else? Well let me tell you something about Jessica from someone who got lots of feedback from friends working with other consultants: Jessica was always there supporting me even when I was doubting myself: she was there, when I thought I was on my own: Jessica was there sending me a quick email to say hey good luck on your test or hey wanna catch up and talk more about your essay? Some people might think oh ok I hired a consultant and the help is good really it was a bit overpriced..guys trust me you won't have this thought with Jessica!

I was lucky to work with Jessica during my business school application process. She is a true professional - extremely responsive and skilled at helping craft a story. I would recommend Jessica to someone who is looking to apply to some of the top schools. I applied only to GSB and HBS and was admitted to HBS. The HBS adcom specifically mentioned to me that he was impressed with my essay and post interview reflection.

For context, I am a non-traditional applicant considering grad school after working for 10 years with a lower undergraduate GPA than one would want for highly competitive programs (3.49 overall; 3.8 in major). I scheduled introductory meetings with 5 advisors, one of whom was Kenneth, in order to better understand what work I'll need to do to create a competitive application. Of the 5, Kenneth was the only one who charged a fee for the introductory meeting, which I assumed was an indication of his level of expertise and professionalism. Unfortunately, I was extremely disappointed by his demeanor and coaching ability compared to the other 4 advisors I met with. For example, when discussing my GPA, all the other advisors asked follow-up questions such as "The classes that lowered your GPA related to the program you're applying to?" and "Were there anything extenuating circumstances in your life at that time (medical emergencies, etc.) that can help explain it?", and then suggested concrete actions I could take to help improve my application. Kenneth simply said that my top choices were unlikely and strongly encouraged me to apply elsewhere. When I pressed him further about what I could do now to compensate for my GPA, like taking additional classes for graduate credit or working on research projects, Kenneth said "Look, I'm not a miracle worker." His attitude was that my undergraduate grades are an insurmountable obstacle and also said that he wasn't "like other coaches who will just tell you what you want to hear" - implying that the other coaches on Leland are willing to mislead their clients. I think Kenneth had good intentions and truly believed what he was telling me, but there is a line between being realistic and being unnecessarily discouraging. I don't need to pay someone to tell me that getting into a program will be extremely challenging; I already knew that. There were a few other minor points I found unprofessional - he arrived slightly late and appeared distracted by other things on his computer at points throughout the meeting, especially at the beginning - but it was mainly the "I'm not a miracle worker" comment and the implication about other coaches that I took issue with. I am so grateful that Kenneth is not the only advisor I met with, or else my entire perspective on what is possible might have been severely skewed. My advice to anyone reading this would be to schedule a few introductory meetings with different advisors and carefully consider different perspectives and opinions.

Her law school waitlist webinar was very informative! Will definitely use her tips.

Miles really helped me prepare for my MBA interviews at Kellogg, Stern and McDonough. He really helped me focus in on the parts of my story that made me unique so I could tell that story with MAXIMUM impact. 10/10 working experience.

I looked into working with an MBA coach last January and met Claire through the management consulting bootcamp, where she hosted a session on framework development. I was immediately drawn to her professionalism, upbeat energy, and clarity in the way she explained concepts and gave feedback, and after learning that she worked with MBA prospects, I scheduled a call to see if we might be a good fit. During our initial consultation, I asked how much coaching she’d recommend, and I appreciated that she was honest and didn’t try to upsell me. She was also flexible and generous, as we started with my resume while I navigated uncertainty around timing and income. Given the complexity of my resume, I was impressed by her ability to quickly identify what mattered most, which helped me start editing right away and produce a final draft that was exactly what I’d hoped for. Claire’s biggest strength was her ability to find the spine of a story and ensure cohesion across the application, which was especially helpful as I worked on recommender packets and essays. She helped me narrow ideas without losing underlying sentiment and stay focused on answering prompts, which was invaluable for someone who can sometimes get overly involved in the artistic elements of writing. She was also thoughtful and effective in giving feedback to my recommenders, helping them sharpen their letters so they complemented my application materials. On the day applications were due, Claire jumped in with her sleeves rolled up, helping me cut essays to meet character limits and reach the finish line on time. I also appreciated Claire’s ability to create a sense of safety throughout the process, which helped me move past perfectionism and work more efficiently. I don’t think I would have submitted one of my Round 2 applications without her reassurance. When I didn’t hit my target test score, she helped me see where other parts of my application would speak more strongly to my abilities. Overall, working with Claire gave me confidence in my ideas and choices. She is adaptive and thoughtful, bringing steady energy to a process that can otherwise feel overwhelming. Plus, she will joyfully celebrate every milestone with you along the way! I highly recommend Claire to anyone who is creative, self-motivated, and values strong thought partnership, especially those looking for a coach who will meet them where they are and be a steady presence when things feel uncertain.

I expected Debby to be professional, thorough, and have a ton of insider knowledge about the grad school application process (all true). What I didn't expect was for her to stick by my side through all the ups and downs of my 11-week grad school application process odyssey. On our first call, Debby was straight with me about what I was up against as a "non-traditional" student. Then she laid out everything I had working for me (which was more than I originally thought). Finally, she shared her thoughts on strategy. By the time she was done telling my story back to me, even I was convinced Stanford would be crazy not to admit me. It was the confidence boost I didn't know I needed until after I was so fired up about the whole thing I became the most fierce and unstoppable version of myself the world has ever seen. This girl was on fire. The skills Debby possessed that mattered most were 1) she's detail-oriented: obviously this is critical 2) she's exceedingly patient: I was terrible at file management, among other things, and Debby was an absolute angel at helping me get sorted 3) giving feedback: Debbie always gave just the right amount of feedback necessary to keep me moving forward, without overwhelming me, and also without simply repeating something she tells everybody. She was so attuned to me, my goals, and my learning style I never felt like she was phoning it in or repeating something she's said a thousand times. You will feel like her top priority at all times. Something I have not seen other reviewers talk about is her system for reading your work. I was a little nervous in the beginning, so I'll explain it, just in case other folks are curious. When she mentioned we would work asynchronously for a portion of the coaching engagement, I was a little nervous. The tldr is she has a system where she leaves in-line comments, then tells you what to do next in the form of a checklist that's extremely clear and goes section by section of your document. She also has an incredible memory for all the previous versions of the docs she's read to date (which served me well when my SOP started to veer off track). I was very pleased with the balance of in-person and asynchronous coaching, and wouldn't change a thing about the process. Finally it's worth mentioning that Debby's incredibly generous with her time. If you're worried about having a limited budget or not being able to afford all the coaching you need (as I was), I encourage you to share your goal and your situation on the intro call anyway. If you're committed to your goal, she will figure out a coaching package that will work for you. Debby's found her niche and is truly nailing it. I'm grateful for all the time we spent and everything she taught me.