My best decision for my MBA application journey: partner with SOP

My MBA application journey is a bit longer than most applicants since I applied two seasons, and I’d confidently say partner with Square One is one of the best decisions I’ve made for my journey. I would not be able to have the outcome had I not partnered with Square One: getting into my dream schools and being awarded top dollar scholarships.

It all started in December 2020, when I rushed in looking for help with my Fall 2021 R2 application last minute, and that’s about 28 days to most of the schools’ deadlines. At the time, I reached out to all the top reviewed application consultants on GMATClub, given the time I had at the time, some took a very long time (over a week) to set me up for an initial consultation or simply told me we were out of time after 15min conversation, let alone telling me I was not good enough for the school I want to go or say it’s not feasible to apply R2. That was not the case with Square One! The founder Kathryn responded to me within a very short period of time after I sent in the consultation request and got on the phone with me the next day to talk about my profile and schools. We spent over an hour on the phone to make sure I’m clear of the service I’m paying for and comfortable with the partnership moving forward. In addition, given my tight deadlines, without I have commit anything with Square One, she set up calls for me with 3 of her top available consultants so I can evaluate who I’d like to work with day-to-day, along with built visual timelines for me on the schools we talked about. This initial experience made a solid foundation of our partnership and consistently carried through my entire experience with Square One: well organized, willing to listen, tailored experience, candid and transparent feedback, timely response, and positive outcome. And just to add one more: my day-to-day advisor Jeannice Tse is AWESOME!

As I mentioned, my first application season was the Fall 2021 R2 application, and with the help from Jeannice, Kathryn and Wendy, we quickly laid the foundation of my story and career plan for me and started writing essays, and typically the edit comes back quickly yet candid. I knew I was not their only client, but they always made me feel that I was their priority: I was very happily surprised with how quickly they got back, but I would say it was a lot of work and I sometimes wonder if the three ladies I mentioned above ever sleep given how early/late I get edits back and how dedicated they were to just my application package alone. That said, there were times I got stuck and cannot produce work to pass to their standard and felt that they were too hard on me given my tight timeline, but that’s why I hired them to start with which is to produce time-sensitive great quality application package. Quickly after submitting my applications, I got invited to 4 out of the 5 schools I applied for an interview. Unfortunately, due to the COVID triggered MBA application surge which created a more competitive application environment, I was waitlisted but not admitted to the school I wanted to go to (I was also furloughed at the time with a low undergrad GPA as a background). And you may know Square One publish their stats, so I was one of the rejects from that year, but the story didn’t just end there.

After the rejection, I felt stuck, but Jeannice and Kathryn reached out and said they believed in me as a candidate and the quality of my package, we just need to give one more try. Not only that, Kathryn offered Pro Bono for Fall 2022 applications for all schools. That said a lot about a company and the person I worked with. With their help and more time on hand than last year, we quickly identified a game plan for the R1 application and started putting together packages. We did not disappoint this time: I finally got multiple offers (some with scholarships) into the dream schools I wanted to go to! I was so thrilled, and the team cheered me for the success!

While I reflect MBA application journey and celebrate my success, I thank Kathryn, Jeannice, and Wendy for always believing in me and being supportive every step of the way, and trying their best to always put me as a priority. I’m glad, I ran into Square One, and confident my story and experience wouldn’t be alone. Choose Square One, you are already one step ahead in your MBA application!