Square One | Varun Uttamchandani - Review

I was initially very nervous about by MBA application especially given how competitive this year was going to be. I had my first call with Kathryn as an initial assessment and the one thing that really got me interested in Square One was the honesty with which they evaluated my profile and picked out gaps. I wanted a partner who could not only help me develop my application but also give me honest and constructive feedback throughout the process. The team at Square One Prep believes in developing a 1-1 relationship between the applicant and the consultant and this allows you to freely discuss your thoughts, brainstorm, work collaboratively and understand and rectify your gaps.

My partnership started in July with Varun and the initial check-ins really helped me lay out all my significant life incidents that could play a role in my B-School story. The career goal development process is something unique to Square One where they focus on developing your short, mid, and long-term career goals before you even get into your applications. This process helps you identify different career prospects, the journey you want to take on, skills you need etc. The output from the career narrative process really helped me build a strong foundation for my applications.

The application development process became a lot easier because I had someone like Varun to work with. He was always open to collaborate with me, brainstorm about the smallest of things and gave me feedback at every step. The relationship became more like that of a friend than that of an applicant and a consultant. He was always accessible and ready to have chats when I was feeling down or demotivated. A big credit for my admit at Kellogg goes to Varun and Square One for providing me the best support system I could have asked for.

For the highest level of collaboration, amazing partners, and brutal honesty, I would recommend Square One and Varun Uttamchandani for all aspiring MBA applicants.