Why I Coach – Danielle Mikaelian

My name is Danielle Mikaelian and I’m from Thousand Oaks, California. Growing up, I was always a motivated student. However, the college admissions process seemed like a beast of its own. As someone who attended a large, competitive public school in California – many of my peers had high scores, grades, and expectations. My grade alone was almost 700 students. I found myself wondering – what could I do to stand out? At the time, I was clueless about how college admissions worked and what admissions committees were looking for.

Subsequently, I spent months on forums like College Confidential and Reddit, trying to determine whether there was a specific formula to college admissions. There wasn’t one, but this journey taught me what colleges were generally looking for beyond statistics like GPA and SAT. The process was stressful, but I would constantly tell myself that it would all be worth it when I gained acceptance to one of my dream schools. I ultimately built a narrative around applying as an English major – working for a large publishing company, having my poetry published, serving as my high school literary magazine’s president, and more. Outside of this, I also was more generally well-rounded – playing the flute for my school’s top band, founding the trash pickup and recycling program, and starting a nonprofit initiative with Dole Foods.

When Ivy Day rolled around my senior year, I logged into my Columbia University admissions portal and saw a black screen. Soon, a video loaded saying congratulations, you’ve been accepted to Columbia’s Class of 2021! Instantly, I started crying tears of joy. I’ll never forget the feeling of that acceptance – it was one of the happiest moments of my life. It seemed like all my hard work had paid off.

That was transformative for me – years later, I credit Columbia for exposing me to the East Coast as well as providing me with crucial exposure to industries I was not familiar with. Wanting to pass on the knowledge I had gained to the next generation of applicants, I began admissions consulting. I first found clients on Reddit and then began working for some of the world’s top admissions companies. By the time I started law school, I had experience working for over ten educational companies in different roles. Over the years, I’ve run classes on the admissions process for international students, tutored the SAT/ACT/LSAT, acted as a writing coach, worked as a professional editor, and predominantly worked as a college and law school admissions consultant. I’ve edited thousands of essays for aspiring applicants, as well as personally helped hundreds of students gain acceptance into their dream institutions. Now, I’m excited to have started coaching on Leland!

As an aspiring prelaw student, I was grateful for the opportunity to attend a top undergraduate institution like Columbia with such a well-regarded law school attached. Columbia Law students became crucial mentors for me as I began learning about the intricacies of the law school admissions process. Moreover, I served on the boards of various prelaw organizations at Columbia that exposed me to legal professionals as well as different areas of legal practice. During my time at Columbia, I served on the boards of the Women in Law and Politics Club as well as the Columbia Undergraduate Law Review. I also founded the Columbia Women in Law and Politics Journal, the first undergraduate journal dedicated to highlighting current issues affecting women in the fields of law and politics. As the first law student in my extended family, these opportunities helped me lay the groundwork for gaining admission to a top law school. As a result, I know the value of attending an undergraduate institution that sets you up to attain your professional goals.

When I began learning about the law school admissions process, I again found myself starting without much knowledge of what law school admissions committed were looking for. Again, I relied on online resources, often frequenting forums like r/lawschooladmissions as well as websites like LSData. I also reached out to attorneys, as well as current law students, for insight. Over time, I discovered what law school admissions committees were looking for, and realized how much merit scholarship money is on the table for law school applicants. I ultimately received acceptances to various top law schools with millions of dollars in merit scholarships attached. On top of this, I used my initial merit scholarships to negotiate more merit money from many schools. Ultimately, I matriculated at Harvard Law – where I am currently a third year. I’ll never forget the feeling of receiving a voicemail from the Harvard Dean of Admissions telling me that I had been accepted.

As a Harvard Law student, I have made it a priority to pass on institutional knowledge to the next generation of law school applicants. Over the past few years, I’ve spoken at schools like Columbia, Berkeley, UCLA, and USC to answer questions about law school admissions and give an overview of my own process.

So, why do I – Danielle Mikaelian – coach? It’s for numerous reasons. For one, I believe in passing on institutional knowledge to the next generation. Two, I know that the admissions process can be stressful and I want to ease that stress in any way possible. Three, I’m here to minimize your time scouring the Internet for answers by drawing on my years of experience to provide you with quick and easy answers. Finally, I love creating strong relationships with my clients and seeing them receive acceptances to their top-choice institutions. While I can’t recreate the feeling of my own Columbia and Harvard Law acceptances, I can experience it secondhand through my clients being accepted to their dream schools!

Interested in working together on your law school or college applications? Book a free intro call on my coach profile, and let's get started!