Daria Levina - Resources & Services

Harvard State of mind - Resources & Services

Here are the resources I created to support your application journey, including:

‍

Harvard State of Mind On Demand, the recorded part of my advising program, available as a standalone digital course.
The Ultimate Guide to Successful Personal Statements, a digital course.‍‍
The Ultimate Guide to Funding Your Master's Degree, a 70-page e-book.‍.

I also do 1-on-1 work.

If you have a custom request for coaching/ mentoring, please see the FAQ below and fill in a short application form.

If you like my work, please feel free to message me to tell it directly. Hearing stories about how my ideas and experience changed people's lives for the better is one of the primary motivators behind what I do and it helps me keep going. 😊 Receiving words of appreciation really, really matters to me.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who do you work with?

I currently support clients in the following categories:

Time-Constrained Professionals: These are often lawyers working in demanding environments, such as law firms, where time a scarce resource. They want to maximize their results while minimizing the time invested in the application process. I act as an accelerator, helping them achieve their goals.
Career Transitioners: These individuals are seeking a shift in their career trajectories - whether it's breaking into an international market, transitioning from practicing law to academia or an international organization, changing fields, or pursuing professional growth. They view a master's degree as a way to unlock new opportunities and seek my expertise to craft compelling applications that clearly explain their desired change.
Frustrated Applicants: These clients feel overwhelmed by information overload, the lack of clear frameworks, or frustrated that their efforts aren't yielding results. They come to me for structured guidance and support to ensure their hard work pays off.

These categories are just guidelines. If you have a can-do attitude, a commitment to collaborative work, and a strong desire to succeed, I’d love to have an initial conversation with you.

What types of 1-on-1 work do you offer?

The beauty of individual work is that it can be tailored to the needs of a person I'm working with.

I most often work with

document review, eg review of your personal statement or motivation letter, essay on a legal topic, or a writing sample
the evaluation of chances, profile & background analysis;
generating ideas & topics for a personal statement, motivation letter, or another essay.

or guiding people through any part of the application they need.

If you are interested, please fill in a short application form and book a free 20-minute diagnostic call here.

If you have a custom request not covered by the above, please reach out and we'll discuss it.

How does 1-on-1 advising look like?

If you just need a 1-hour consultation, simply reach out, and we'll schedule it.

For more in-depth support, such as profile analysis & assistance with application documents, the process involves several steps:

Application Form: I begin by reviewing your application form, which helps me get an initial impression.
‍Diagnostic Call: We have a 20–30-minute call to determine if it's a good fit. During this call, we’ll discuss your goals, what’s been challenging so far, and how I can support you. I can only take on a few clients, and it's essential that we like each other.
Application Development Session: If we decide to proceed, I invite you to an application development session. We dive deep into your questions, whether it's analyzing your background, idea generation, or something else. Before the session, I send you an invoice. The session typically lasts 1 hour and takes place via Zoom.‍
Follow-up: After the session, I send you my detailed analysis and recommendations on how to proceed. If you asked for document review, I provide feedback in writing as well.
Optional: If you choose to continue with a more comprehensive advising program, we can begin a mentoring or coaching relationship. I'll send you an invitation to sign up, complete the payment, review the agreement, and schedule our next application development session.

If you're interested, please fill out a short application form.

What is the investment for your services?

With my education and experience, I could be working at a top New York law firm, earning $200,000 annually, with an hourly rate of $450–$750.

But I chose a different path. My passion lies in helping others achieve what I’ve achieved—making the transformative power of high-quality education accessible to more people.

That’s why I’ve structured my services to be available at a fraction of the cost of a top master's program (eg, Harvard's LL.M. costs $116k for 2024-25), without compromising on the quality or depth of support.

Comprehensive advising packages: €2,500–€6,000 (payment plans offered)
Targeted services, such document review, profile evaluation, brainstorming essay ideas: €250–€500
Hourly consultations: €150

Please keep in mind that if you want something to be done urgently, it'll cost more.

I believe that my personalized, expert approach to admissions will give you the best chance of not only getting accepted but also making your investment back through scholarships.

Additionally, I’ve made a wealth of valuable materials—blog posts, guides, and courses—freely or affordably accessible on this site. These resources are designed to empower anyone, regardless of budget, to pursue their education goals.

This pricing reflects my commitment to providing expert, accessible support while maintaining the highest standards for each client I choose to work with.

To schedule a free initial diagnostic call, please fill out a short application form.

Do you guarantee admission?

Fortunately or unfortunately, there are no guarantees when it comes to university admissions.

And just to be clear, my services and materials do not offer any form of legal advice, guarantee, promise of acceptance, or preferential access to any institution. What they do offer is expert guidance, support, and a proven process to help you put your best foot forward.

Admissions decisions are influenced by many factors, including some that are simply out of our hands. What you can control is the strength of your application — and that’s where I come in. It’s a bit like taking a writing course: I teach you the tools, techniques, and strategies, but you still have to write the story.

I can’t promise admission (no one can — not legally, anyway).

What I can promise is this: If you fully engage with the process and apply the models, techniques, and insights provided, you’ll craft the strongest application you’re capable of — and give yourself the best possible shot at success.

Constraints

I don't write applications for you

My goal is to help you enhance your chances wherever you are on your master’s or PhD application journey.

An important part of this is to help you own and shape your story while preserving your sense of agency and accomplishment, and abide by the ethical guidelines.

This means that I won't write your applications for you. I'll guide you through the steps and support you with the expertise that I have but I won't cross the boundary. This would go against my values.

I can help you with program search but I can't choose for you

I can help you narrow down the criteria, clarify your vision and goals, and advise on the program search.

I can give you expert advice on how to choose the right programs for you and dive deep into factors such as rankings, course offerings, faculty, location, and your personal goals—helping you prioritize what really matters.

I won't be able do the program search for you but I can help you navigate the process and answer any questions you have.

I can help you with funding search but I can't find money for you

Everything that I could generalize about funding, everything I know about it, you can find in my Ultimate Guide to Funding Your Master's Degree. I made it extremely affordable, and it contains the expertise I've collected over the 10+ years of successfully applying for academic funding distilled on 70 pages.

You can also check out my Guide on Negotiating Financial Aid.

They are both included in my large advising packages.

I won't be able to do the funding search for you, but I can help you develop your personal funding strategy, learn how to find scholarships, fellowships, and other financial aid opportunities. I can help you craft a winning funding application or any part thereof, eg, guide you through writing a CV or a motivation letter, help you design a strategy to negotiate financial aid, or discuss how to approach a merit-based or a need-based scholarship application. I can answer any questions you may have about it.

I help with master's, PhD, and postdoc but not bachelor's applications

My primary expertise is in master's programs, PhD, and postdoc applications.

I do not advise on applications for a bachelor's degree.

However, for custom requests

If you have a custom request that is not covered by the courses and guides I've created so far (e.g., you want me to help you with an essay you've already written or you only want one or two sessions), please fill in the application form, and I’ll see what I can do.

What People Say

"Daria is the best one! She helped me change my ESSAY to 1 80 degrees. What was the most helpful for me was that she put the disordered flow of my thoughts into more accurate goals and helped me answer all questions clearly about what I wanted. I enjoyed her approach to me. She talked to me about every paragraph, was thoughtful of my telling about myself, and, after each session, gave me feedback and questions."

Mariia

"I was applying for the scholarship of the Government of China and asked Daria to help with motivation letters. She helped me understand how to write a letter like this, what vocabulary to use, and how to better present my experience and achievements. She also helped me draft and format a CV and supplied additional materials that proved to be truly valuable. Her help alleviated the psychological burden I felt when applying for the scholarship; I felt her support and experienced less anxiety compared to my other classmates. And I got the scholarship;) The most valuable part of our work together was seeing what the structure of the letter should be. After her consultation I was able to write and edit not this letter but other scholarship applications as well. Thanks to Daria’s help I later won a grant for the winter school in gender studies at the University of Tartu and the grant from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China."

Alisa

"Daria is a person who changed my life. Literally. First of all, she inspires. Her story on its own is an inspiration but what is even more valuable is that she can translate that inspiration and belief in yourself to other people. Daria convinced me that I had to try achieving my dream and that I had all the prerequisites to be accepted to any program I choose. She instilled in me the confidence and decisiveness that I needed so much. In addition to everything, she helped me prepare the documents. I discussed all the drafts with her. She gave me recommendations regarding the structure, the wording, and everything the admissions committee can expect from an applicant. She helped me find and highlight my achievements and advantages that I did not even perceive as such and had always taken for granted. Thanks to her, I was able to see myself differently and understand what was important for the admissions committee. Daria is extraordinary. She is remarkably able to make her point in a tender and respectful way, without excessive criticism. She supports, advises but does not impose, explains and provides arguments. She sees and knows from her extensive experiences the things that you simply can’t learn just by looking at the websites and lists of required documents. I am so grateful to her. Being completely honest, I don’t know if I would have resolved to change my life so dramatically if she did not convince me that I could actually do it. Thank you, my dear friend!"

Dinara

"I am an international lawyer aspiring to get another master’s degree abroad, and when I started my application process, I experienced a writer’s block. I think you can relate to that – highlighting your achievements and structuring the text coherently can be hard, and there are times when you don’t know where to start or feel like you have nothing to show at all. How lucky was I to find Daria’s program! The five-step method was extremely helpful, and I am so happy that I followed Daria’s advice from the very beginning of writing my statement; it saved me a great deal of time and nerves. Daria guides you through the process, in a very friendly and heartfelt manner, and upon completion of the course you have a clear understanding of the key elements of your own personal statement. The program is very informative and descriptive – you have slides and many examples in front of you, and a lot of extra stuff, like exercises and sample texts. Sometimes I had to stop the video because ideas for my personal statement suddenly hit me while listening to Daria’s words. By the way, to my mind it doesn’t matter whether you are expected to write a motivation letter, a statement of purpose or a personal statement, - Daria’s advice and methods will help you achieve in every genre. I am extremely grateful for this programme, as it allowed me to receive not only admission offers, but full scholarships (tuition fee waivers) at the Bologna University, University of Tilburg and most importantly - at the Global Campus of Human Rights master's programme, which I decided to pursue. All in all, highly recommended for everyone! Daria, thank you so much!"

Irina

"For me, the biggest difficulty was recommendation letters. I did not know who to approach for them, and when the recommenders asked me to provide draft letters, I had no idea what the letter should say, what the admissions committee is looking for, and, most importantly, where to look for guidance. I turned to Daria because I knew she was an expert, and she helped me tremendously. She pointed me to valuable resources, gave examples of effective letters of recommendation, and answered all the questions I had. She connected me with people in my industry who were able to help me further. She also gave me really valuable recommendations regarding personal statements. I am truly grateful for her support."

Ivan

"Daria is a person to whom I am extremely grateful for her help in preparing for admission to several European universities. And I am grateful not only for the direct support and corrections to the documents, but also for the inspiration and help in finding my motivation. I think this played a key role in getting my applications approved. As a result of working with Daria, I prepared four applications to two Belgian, one French and one German universities for English-language master's programs in law, and three of them were approved. This success would not have been possible without Daria's support. Sincere thanks to her!"

Evgeny

"I turned to Daria because, in spite of my experience drafting personal statements, I knew that I would need to challenge myself in order to write the best possible statement I could in support of my LLM applications. Law schools judge candidates differently from other graduate/ professional schools and given Daria's prior experiences, I believed she was the best person to ask for help. And I was right! I noticed right away that Daria's approach is unique compared to other mentoring services. At first I was not sure whether I needed brainstorming sessions, but after completing one session with Daria, I realized brainstorming together was exactly what I needed to find the thread in my story and to connect the dots between my past experiences and what I want to do next. Many of my experiences seemed trivial to me, or not worthy of a place in my personal statement. Daria, however, as an objective party helped me to get the most out of my story. Brainstorming ideas together is what I needed the most, even though I may not have guessed it at the time! I can only say: trust Daria's approach, because it works. It goes without saying that Daria is also great at providing feedback on written work. What I think really distinguishes her is her vision on mentoring and her approach to help applicants write a stellar application. This approach was great for me, a seasoned personal statement writer, and I can ensure that novices would benefit greatly as well. Daria really guides you from scratch! What is also worth noting is her professionalism. She takes notes during brainstorming sessions, provides materials before sessions, and follows up promptly. She also helped me with regard to accountability and was flexible when other obligations got in the way of my writing. All in all, I am very happy to have worked with Daria, and I wholeheartedly recommend her to anyone needing guidance!"

Happy mentee

"I needed a guide to choose a particular topic for my personal statement and to deliver in an exciting way. Daria's materials helped a lot, as I structured my thoughts more comprehensively and selected one story, the most catchy one. Along with that, I am very grateful for the analysis of several personal statements, including Daria's one for Harvard. These were extremely useful in terms of helping me steer clear of some cliched phrases throughout the writing phase."

Dmitriy

"I am Political Science major, applying for Public Policy program at the Harvard Kennedy School. I really appreciated Daria’s work on my profile, where she thoroughly analysed my strengths and weaknesses and identified the best focus areas for my applications. Working on my CV has been crucial, as it will likely be a major factor in how I’m evaluated. Your insights about my work with UNDP, my experience in Uzbekistan, and my first degree in Intercultural Communication were especially helpful. I wasn’t sure how to include these elements without making it sound forced, as if I were trying to sway the admissions committee by emphasising that I grew up in Central Asia. Now, this aspect is much clearer to me. It was great working with her on my background profile as well, especially since I'm applying to Stanford, Harvard Kennedy School, Johns Hopkins, and Georgetown. You're also absolutely right about the typos—I plan to ask my friends to review my applications, as I have mild dyslexia and often miss my own mistakes. Thank you so much for your work! I’ll definitely be using all the advises she gave me as they were exteremely insightful and on point!"

Valeria

"Working with Daria at Harvard State of Mind was an invaluable experience, especially as a first-time master's program applicant. Having no prior experience with elite university applications and no personal connections who could guide me through applying to competitive programs like Harvard's, finding support from an alumna was incredibly valuable. Daria's guidance stood out in two key ways: First, her thoughtful questioning approach helped me refine my thoughts and develop more intentional responses. Rather than simply editing my work, she excelled at asking probing questions that made me dig deeper and articulate my ideas more clearly. Second, I particularly appreciated her dedication to understanding my personal approach. She took considerable time to sit with me, help me think through strategic decisions, and offer practical tips while respecting my individual voice. What makes Harvard State of Mind special is Daria's ability to gently push candidates to reach their full potential while providing personalized guidance throughout the process. While I'm still awaiting decisions (fingers crossed), I feel confident that our work together helped me submit the strongest possible application. Thank you, Daria, for your remarkable support and commitment to excellence!"

Sho

"I really enjoyed working with Daria on my Harvard applications. She was very attentive, resourceful, and helpful, and assisted me in understanding the key writing techniques for creating a strong writing sample. I would certainly recommend choosing Daria's services, you won't regret it!"

Meriam

"I contacted Daria when I felt stuck with my applications for U.S. graduate schools for an LLM. From the first day, the communication with her was great, and she made me feel very comfortable. We worked together on my personal statement for Harvard Law School LL.M., and her approach is really unique. With her guidance and the trust she creates, Daria helped me bring out the details that made my story honest and relatable. She is very committed to making sure your writing reflects who you truly are, and this is what makes her stand out. Talking to her even made me realize things about myself that I hadn’t seen before. Her way of working is very organized. She provides helpful materials, one-on-one sessions where she is fully focused on you and detailed feedback that helps you improve at every step. I remember how she insisted on connecting my story with the main message of my application, and this made my writing much stronger. I was scared to apply at first, but with her help, I felt confident and ready to do it. If you are feeling stressed about graduate school applications and writing your essays, Daria is the right person to help you. She is professional, inspiring, and the kindest person to work with."

Petros L.

"Working with Daria was an incredible experience. She took the time to understand my goals and needs on a deeper level. She has insider knowledge and tons of helpful advice, which was not just helpful—it was game-changing, giving me insights and strategies I never would have thought of. What stood out was how seriously she approached the entire process. Daria’s feedback is always precise, insightful, and tailored to the situation, making it incredibly impactful. She brings a multifaceted approach to everything she does, combining deep analysis with creative brainstorming exercises that push you to think in new and meaningful ways. She spends countless hours meticulously reviewing materials, providing thoughtful, actionable feedback that is deeply insightful."

Giorgi

"Pursuing an LL.M. degree has been my dream for years, but I kept postponing it for various reasons. The Harvard state of mind program helped me to transform that dream to a tangible goal with clear and specific steps. I`m so grateful to Daria for her invaluable support and extremely helpful guidelines and materials. Daria not only guided me through every step the process – from choosing programs to drafting required documents – but also helped me to think out of the box and aim high. Having finished this program, I chose three programs at Oxford, Cambridge and London School of Economics, explored my personal story and values I want to convey in my personal statement, drafted a winning CV and legal essay. As a bonus, I got a huge boost of inspiration from Daria 😊 Thank you so much!"

Yulia

So Far

Applicants I have helped so far have gotten into top schools. Check out which ones:

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