28,568Leland Reviews

Carin is an absolute professional that embodies compassion. Carin was instrumental in my admission to an M7. If you're considering spending money on a consultant, give her a shot first.

I started applying for MBAs around two years ago and took Carin’s help during both years of applying. – Carin was very supportive and every piece of feedback she gave was very specific to me and my application. She was very responsive whenever I had ANY questions about anything which was very useful during stressful times. – My mock interview with Carin was also the most effective/useful $500ish that I have ever spent with respect to MBA applications. During that 2 hour interview + feedback session I had with her, I learned more about how to speak in interviews and how to present myself to interviewers than I had ever done during the 2 years that I had worked towards getting accepted into a top MBA program. – Carin is super candid with feedback which only helped me with my application and my interview – I really feel like without her, I wouldn’t have been successful at my application for INSEAD.

To put it plainly, working with Carin was absolutely fantastic. Not only do I recommend the service as a whole, but I especially recommend the additional consulting services with Carin! I solicited Carin’s feedback on essays for two schools – Kellogg and Booth – and received offers from both. In each case, she went above and beyond to give honest, actionable feedback that I was able to immediately apply… and, in the case of my Kellogg essays, undoubtedly meant the difference between receiving an offer and not! Since I’d used Carin for my essay reviews in 2020, when I first applied to Kellogg, it was a no-brainer to solicit her feedback again when reapplying. I struggled with the essays this time around, and it showed. Carin demonstrated “tough love,” and gave very candid feedback on my first drafts. The difference maker, however, was that she went BACK to the essays I’d sent her nearly TWO YEARS prior, and pointed out elements from those that I could re-incorporate and expound upon. She provided some rewriting recommendations, which helped me quickly identify the necessary edits, and gave some general feedback on how to make my “growth since first applying” really shine in my re-applicant essays (again, having looked at the materials I shared years prior). None of this was in the “job description,” but showed how much she really cared about steering me in the right direction. Due wholly to her feedback, I was able to completely transform my essays, and receive the offer of admission I was hoping for. This is just one of the many examples I have of Carin going above and beyond to help out. I have no doubts that Carin’s candid feedback played a crucial role in my receiving these 2 M-7 offers. I can wholeheartedly say it makes all the difference.

Carin was very thoughtful when reading through my application and pointed out many ways to improve my thought process. I believe Carin's review of my strategy was the main reason behind my acceptance at 6 different top MBA programs, including two M7 schools (Booth and Kellogg). I highly recommend Carin as an admission consultant.

I gained some deep insight on some mistakes I had made in R1 dings and I’m now equipped to approach my R2 applications with a different mindset

For context, I do not have a traditional background (Art/Animation) and did not have the highest GMAT score – I didn’t have a lot of confidence in myself either. The MBA application process seemed daunting, and I wasn’t sure I’d get in anywhere honestly! But, with Carin’s feedback and support, I secured admits at the three schools I applied to! (LBS, IESE $ and HEC) Carin’s feedback was so helpful, candid and concise. She helped me really figure out what my narrative was and how best to put my story together on paper. I had a few laughs listening to her feedback on my weaker stories, but that’s exactly what I needed to hear to make sure I was doing the right thing. She is extremely responsive and compassionate. I felt like a real, down-to-earth person was reading my essays and giving me honest feedback (rather than telling me what I wanted to hear). You can’t go wrong with Carin!

You cannot be mollycoddled when applying to business school and although Carin never sugar-coated her advice, what makes her truly stand out is the fact that she has your best interests at heart. Time and time again, she went out of her way to make sure that my applications were on point and she never accepted anything less than the best. When I came to her, I knew why I wanted to do an MBA but I didn’t know how to get there (which is truly what schools are looking for), and she showed me the way through her sanity checks and the usage of the right stories in the right places. This fall, I’ll be going to business school and I owe so much of it to Carin!

I did essay reviews with Carin since I wanted expert advice on whether my essays are conveying what I intend to convey. I cannot recommend her enough!! She has been absolutely clear in her communication and critical when she needed to be. I felt that Carin wanted me to succeed and the kind of criticism she gave was absolutely needed for me to present my best self in front of the admissions teams across business schools. Out of the 4 schools I applied to (2 M7 and 2 T15), I got into 2 schools (1 M7 and 1 T15). Will be headed to what has been my dream school all along, Chicago Booth!!

If I had to redo my applications, I would stick to the same approach of giving structure to a highly-complicated process of applying to B-School and working with Carin on school-specific essays. I worked with Carin for my application to Chicago Booth. Her advice is to the point, crisp, and highly relevant – she will not mince her words if you have not done a good job, and at the same time also be quick to point out the “strengths and good sections of your application”. Working with Carin was one of the best decisions I could have made during my applications, and would highly highly recommend to anyone who is still deciding how to approach MBA applications.

Working with Michael was an exceptional experience. I run a company that facilitates workshops for executives, so it can feel daunting to ask for help in an area I usually get paid to lead. But Michael brought such invaluable insight that I couldn’t have been more grateful for the external perspective. He helped me refine how I convey my story and present myself authentically and effectively in a high-stakes interview setting. The fellowship I applied for has an extremely low acceptance rate, and Michael struck the perfect balance between realism and encouragement. His guidance was pragmatic, not sugar-coated or overly optimistic, yet still motivating and deeply supportive. It was exactly what I needed! His structured mock interview grounded me powerfully for the real thing. Michael had even taken the initiative to research the fellowship in advance and riff convincingly on potential program insights, which not only sharpened my thinking but showed genuine dedication to helping me succeed. The enthusiasm and value he brought to every session were undeniable. I would recommend Michael without hesitation to anyone preparing for a competitive interview or looking to elevate how they tell their story. Disclaimer: In case you didn't notice, I used GenAI to sharpen my writing. All thoughts are my own.