Highly recommend

I had the great pleasure to work with Square One, Kathryn specifically, during my MBA application process, and have to say success will not be possible without their help.

I reached out to Square One Prep through a friend's recommendation when I first started looking into MBA application. From the first free consultation call, I could feel that Square One's approach is different from the other consultancies I had spoken to. Kathryn really took the time to listen to me, understand my objectives, background, plan/timeline, and provided me with very objective and sincere advice - she actually advised me to apply the next year. Kathryn then stayed in touch with me during the following year, giving me advice on what early preparations I could make, which was really helpful. Remember, this was all before I made the decision to work with Square One.

Kathryn's help continued to add tremendous value in every step of my application. I think most of us applicants have an idea of what our story is. At least I did, but Kathryn really challenged me to think broader, and at the same time, to come up with more details and the most compelling and memorable stories for each essay. Thanks to Kathryn's invaluable experience and insights, I was able to narrow down and pick the best topics for each essay, some of which I previously thought were not "big" enough for MBA application materials. As an international applicant, one of the reasons I wanted to work with a consultant was to make sure my English writing delivered the messages I want to deliver in the most precise elegant and concise ways, and Kathryn definitely helped me to achieve that. The interview is another important piece in the equation. I had done mock interviews myself with friends, but Kathryn's advice after our mock session really added the most value because she understands the process, criteria of MBA interviews better than anyone, and has seen a lot of different types of applicants throughout the years. This greatly improved my interview performance. In addition, Kathryn's positive spirits, support and encouragement through the application process helped me throw self-doubt out of the window, as we all know, MBA application could be a long and tough process.

I am extremely happy about going to Columbia this fall! And I really appreciated Square One Prep's help. I would recommend them to anyone who seriously wants to get into a top MBA program.