Get Ready To Be Our Next
Grad School Success Story.
Since 2010, my team and I have helped 1000+ imperfect but ambitious applicants from 25+ countries get into their dream schools with funding—even if they have a low GPA, a low test score, or an unconventional profile.
Our clients’ stories prove that your dreams are possible.
Who the Application Accelerator® is For
The Application Accelerator® has hundreds of graduates from 25+ countries.
Our clients are ambitious. They aspire to be:
- heads of state
- startup founders
- management consultants
- social entrepreneurs
- thought leaders
- lawyers and judges
- C-level executives
Our clients are resilient. They are often one or more of these qualities:
- first-generation American
- first-generation college graduates
- first generation in their family to get a graduate degree (like I am)
- live with anxiety or depression
- have ADHD (like me) or ADHD traits
Our clients are accomplished. Among our clients are…
- valedictorians
- politicians
- public figures
- reapplicants
- bad test takers
- college students
- early career ladder-climbers
- executives
- mid-career professionals looking to make a change
What all of our clients have in common is the commitment to unlocking their potential so that they can make a positive, lasting social impact while earning well and being true to themselves.
Application Accelerator® helps our clients get into their dream grad school with as much funding as possible so that they are prepared to achieve their lifelong career goals.
Why the Application Accelerator® Works
Story
A successful application is not just achievements, but a narrative of who you are and where you’re headed.
Application Accelerator® helps you uncover and showcase key moments that resonate with admissions officers, ensuring your application stands out with passion, resilience, and potential.
Strategy
Grad school applications are a strategic game with many moving parts.
We provide a tailored roadmap, guiding you on priorities, positioning, and timing to maximize your chances of success.
Streamline
Application Accelerator® streamlines the process, focusing only on what top grad schools value.
Our refined method saves time, reduces stress, and maximizes your application’s impact.
The blend of Story, Strategy, and Streamline is the powerful trifecta that powers the Application Accelerator®. It’s my proven formula designed to elevate your application and position you at the forefront of your dream grad school’s incoming class.
What We Achieve Together
You’ll have a dedicated one-on-one consultant, access to my expertise as a Harvard Business School and Harvard Kennedy School graduate, as well as the expertise of my entire consultant team.
Together, we will help you get clear on the best schools for you, the most compelling stories to share to make your case, and help you draft, revise, and polish those stories into an outstanding application that authentically represents you.
Our goal is not to “try” and help you get into one or two schools. Our goal is to help you get into the best school possible with as much funding as possible—without encouraging you to pretend to be someone you aren’t.
Tuition to Join the Application Accelerator®
Package & Components | Bronze | Silver | Gold |
---|---|---|---|
Recommended Scope | 1-2 Applications | 1-5 Applications | 1-10 Applications |
Coaching Hours For 1:1 Calls & Editing | 20 hours | 35 hours | 60 hours |
Engagement Length | 4 months | 6 months | 9 months |
Regular Tuition | $11,200 | $18,200 | $28,200 |
Payment Plan after all discounts | $3333 x 3 months | $4250 x 4 months | $6750 x 4 months |
Each Application Accelerator® package includes:
We combine coaching + community—and it works.
Application Accelerator® is the most effective way I’ve found to help the nontraditional candidates achieve unparalleled success.
You are a high achiever, but you also struggle with…
- prioritization
- overwhelm
- distraction
- information overload
- discouragement.
You wonder if you’ll ever reach your full potential, or if you’ll just keep spinning your wheels year after year.
With our coaching, you benefit from the guidance of a diverse team of experts who were in your shoes once, and who help applicants like you successfully navigate the process all year, year after year.
Rather than doling out one-size-fits-all advice, we prioritize a holistic experience.
The Application Accelerator® curriculum lays the foundation, but it’s the fusion of personalized coaching with a dedicated one-on-one consultant and a vibrant community of peers that ensures you’re never walking this path alone.
With our “Coaching + Community” approach, you get the tailored support you deserve, while avoiding the common pitfalls of overwhelm, isolation, stagnation, and following bad advice.

I built a company to help Wild Cards because I am one.
☝️ I’m a first-generation professional. While my parents attended college on scholarships, I’m the first generation with a professional degree in my family.
✏️ I am not a great test-taker. Despite earning a 620 on the GMAT, I devised a strategy that secured my admission to Harvard. This approach is now a system we offer to clients without top GPAs or test scores.
🧠 My brain works differently than most people’s. 🧠 I was diagnosed with ADHD at 38, prompted by observing similarities I share with many clients at The Art of Applying. Understanding ADHD in high achievers has enhanced our client support, creating strategies and tools that help those with ADHD and/or applicants with tendencies toward distraction, overwhelm, and hyperfocus.
Learn more about our services in our free training. Let’s work together and add you to our success stories.
About Our Founder Kaneisha Grayson


Kaneisha Grayson
Founder, The Art of Applying®
Harvard Business School MBA
Harvard Kennedy School MPA
My Story
Greetings! I’m Kaneisha Grayson, founder of The Art of Applying®.
My journey wasn’t straightforward. I was raised in Texas in a low-income neighborhood with a high teen pregnancy rate, and my parents grew up as migrant farmworkers in Florida.
Against the odds, I graduated from Pomona College with a BA in Black Studies. Discovering my knack for helping my classmates with their grad school applications, I utilized this skill for my admissions into Harvard.
However, even with my talent, I accrued $150,000 in student debt. Driven by my passion for writing, storytelling, and coaching, I pitched the idea of The Art of Applying® to the HBS Entrepreneurship Center and secured a $10,000 grant to start this business.
Since launching in 2010, The Art of Applying® has grown from a solo venture to a global enterprise, aiding 1000+ clients to secure admissions with optimal funding.
My diverse, highly accomplished team of consultants were applicants just like you. We are dedicated to assisting nontraditional and underrepresented applicants in achieving their academic dreams
Life-Changing Results for Our Clients
Advice & Encouragement
You Can Rely On
My team and I are deeply committed to making sure each client achieves outstanding results, which is why the Application Accelerator® is by invitation only. To ensure each client gets the 1:1 attention they deserve, we work with a limited number of clients at a time.
I understand the overwhelm and discouragement that comes from trying to copy and paste an application strategy on your own. I know, because I did it myself, and ended up with $150k in student loans! The Application Accelerator® is the coaching and community I wish I had when I was applying to grad school.
Rest assured, when you’re with us, you and your application process will be well taken care of. You meet us halfway with determination, commitment, and consistent action, and we’ll meet you the other half with exactly the personalized advice, encouragement, and accountability you need.
To see if the program might be right for you, watch the free training.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Application Accelerator® is our premier coaching program designed to transform your grad school aspirations into successful acceptances and substantial scholarships. Unlike standard consulting services, we offer a unique hybrid model that combines personalized one-on-one coaching with the dynamism and accountability of a cohort of fellow applicants.
The program is rooted in three core pillars—Story, Strategy, and Streamline—that collectively elevate your application to stand out in a fiercely competitive process:
- Story: We help you curate a compelling narrative that goes beyond a mere list of achievements to captivate admissions officers.
- Strategy: Our program provides a comprehensive roadmap to guide you through each component of your application, from letters of recommendation to the statement of purpose and interviews.
- Streamline: We focus on efficiency, helping you channel your energy on the elements that genuinely impact your application, thereby saving time and reducing stress.
The program includes access to a wealth of resources:
- Application Roadmap: Over 45+ modules available via video, audio, or text, to provide you with actionable guidance.
- Group Coaching Calls: Weekly or bi-weekly sessions led by our consultant team to address common concerns and strategies.
- Material Library: A curated collection of 200+ sample essays, resumes, and more to guide your writing.
- Coaching Call Archive: Over 400+ hours of text-searchable recordings to offer insights into specific application challenges.
- Q&A Vault: A private client forum where you can have your pressing questions answered by our team of experts.
Additionally, each client is paired with a dedicated one-on-one consultant who will assist with material editing, personalized coaching, and unlimited Q&A.
Whether you are a high-achieving professional, a mid-career executive looking for a transition into public leadership, or a “Wild Card” applicant with a non-traditional background, the Application Accelerator® program is built to guide you to unprecedented success.
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