I coach young people looking to thrive in their studies, write well, and impress at their first job.

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I work with:
High School Seniors | Undergrads Studying Liberal Arts
Career Seekers | Grad School Applicants and Students

Are you grinding at your studies, or looking ahead to the next step? I'll brainstorm, tutor, mentor, coach, and review whatever you need.


After a ton of trial and error, I figured out how I could succeed at college. Overwhelmed with challenges at home and the complexities of coursework, I got lucky. I'll show you how.

A bit about me and why you should reach out:

  • Graduated with a 3.8 GPA in international politics, philosophy, and economics at WIlliam & Mary (a top liberal arts school) and St Andrews (Scotland's oldest university, ranked 2nd in UK)

  • Completed 5 internships with the Dept. of Justice, Agency for International Development, a small nonprofit, a research lab, and a think tank

  • Awarded for writing the best essay in the St Andrews IR Department

  • Ran a newspaper business and learned how to network every single day. I also edited dozens of articles

  • Wrote an 80-page honors thesis and figured out how to do high-quality research consistently

  • Competed (top 20%) in 2 dozen debating competitions across 5 countries and coached a dozen people to write clear narratives and speak on any topic over a semester

  • Got two $70k+ job offers early senior year

After graduating, I joined Grant Thornton, one of the world's premier corporate consulting companies. In 3 years, I:

  • Built a brand as the "go-to person" for topics I learned on the fly, like data management and graphic design

  • Ranked in the top 10% of the firm by working as a connector across different industry areas

  • Got promoted ahead of schedule and increased my salary 40%

  • Helped found Embolden, a high school nonprofit introducing underresourced high schoolers to new career paths

  • Took the GRE (99th percentile verbal/91st essay), applied to graduate school, and earned spots at 4+ prestigious institutions, including Columbia, Georgetown, Tufts, and NYU

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Wesley Garner

MPA-DP (2024): Columbia (NYC)
Consultant (2019-2022): Grant Thornton
BA (2019): William & Mary / St Andrews

Get feedback in 36 hours.

I got lucky. A ton of people helped me. I founded GradGrowth to do the same. I'm here to share my broad management and analytics experiences in government, corporate consulting, and non-profit development with anyone kickstarting their career.

How I'll help you:

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High Schoolers

  • Writing Successful College Admissions Essays

  • Creating Your College List

  • Acing Admissions Interviews

  • Tutoring in most academic subjects

  • Scoring high on the SATs/ACTs

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College/Grad Students

  • Brainstorming Research Topics and Narrowing Down Your Ideas

  • Writing Strong Essays

  • Planning Your Career and Internship Search

  • Researching Alongside Professors

  • Subject Tutoring (Liberal Arts)

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Career Seekers

  • Writing Professional Resumes and Cover Letters

  • Preparing for Behavioral Interviews and Case Studies

  • Personal Statements (MBA, MA, MS, JD, PHD)

  • Networking on LinkedIn

  • GRE (Verbal/Essays)

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Young Professionals

  • Figuring Your Life Out

  • Getting Promoted Fast and Being Awesome at Your Job

  • Impressing Difficult Managers

  • Basic Finances

  • Building Good Habits and Breaking Bad Ones

I believe in giving young people the best opportunities to meet their potential at school and work. That means specific, direct, tailored support to your needs. If I can't help you, I'll find someone in my network who can.

What We'll Do:

Most of the people I've worked with do so in two ways:

  • They send me an essay or a cover letter and I review it. You get some detailed feedback in an email.

  • Or, they need more conceptual advice. We sit down and talk. We make a plan. You get an email with notes and suggested next steps.

Get Written Feedback

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You send me a resume, a cover letter, an essay, an email, a class project, a LinkedIn profile, anything that you can fit in an email attachment.I take 30 minutes and read through it, thinking about how I've seen professionals and professors approach these topics.I email you some high-level bullet points in 36 hours. I give you an overall assessment and point out any red flags. I tear it up and I leave dozens of comments.You get some suggestions for what to do next, and a list of ways we can collaborate to maximize your paper's impact.

Get Academic or Career Advice

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We sit down 1-on-1 and I ask questions about what you're looking to accomplish and what you've done to get there.We talk through your options. We brainstorm some approaches that work for you.We build a plan to get you to where you want to go. We determine what I can do to help you get there.You get an email with some notes and suggested next steps. You let me know if you want to work together.

GradGrowth LLC. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.