Stanford GSB here I come!!! Working with Square One Prep was just fantastic. My consultant was extremely supportive, always responsive and full of great ideas to help bring my applications to the next level, and then the next level. She knew I had an uphill battle as I am someone who already has investment banking and private equity under my belt; yet here I am saying that I want to stay in private equity---how "vanilla" is that? And how do I prove the need for an MBA?

Well, with Square One Prep's constant attention and ability to push me to think about my past, present and future in a way that helped me better define who I am and break away from the all the other applicants who, on the surface, have profiles similar to my own, I developed a sincere, unique story. Thank you so much for being so invested in my success. Getting into my top choice is really a dream come true!

Something I found really special about Square One was their candor. My consultant initially told me that Stanford was out not a good school for me, due in part to how "vanilla" my ambitions were and because I didn't seem to be driven by passion - passion to do good in a way that was genuinely outward looking and thoughtful. She was right. So we took Stanford off my list of schools because I understood what my consultant was saying. Six weeks later though, I had a breakthrough while working on the essays for another school with her. She probed and probed and suddenly got me to share something from my past that I'd always been embarrassed by but in many ways, I realized by talking to her, define me. By coming clean about a personal struggle, and learning from her that it was nothing to be ashamed about, together we suddenly saw how I could turn my vanilla ambitions into something that was anything but vanilla. Would I still be doing PE? Yes, but with so much more purpose. I was so excited. Then, when my consultant told me that I now had the ingredients to be taken seriously by Stanford, I was ecstatic. Because we worked at such a great pace, we had plenty of time to add Stanford back into our plan. It was the last application we worked on, and the first school I got admitted to!

If you’re applying to business school, I’d strongly recommend you work with Square One Prep

Oh, I also got into Tuck, Haas, and Booth!

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Me? A younger applicant (less than 3 years, with absolutely no extracurricular involvements since college, but a strong career, GMAT score, uni performance, and personal story (that I would have not tapped into without the help of my admissions advisory group). I can’t imagine having made it through the application process, let alone getting accepted into Stanford and Wharton, without Square One Prep. My consultant not only provided quick turnaround and flawless strategic editing on my resume as well as draft after draft of the essays, but she really pushed me to make sure I was telling the right stories and conveying them in the strongest way I could. Looking at the before and after of my essays is just incredible! Looking in the mirror before and after is incredible as I see myself in a new way - bloody silly but true. My consultant's great knowledge of the application process and what each top school is seeking in combination with her invested attitude really helped me stay sane during the process. She was always supportive, and went above and beyond what she had to throughout my application journey. Thank you!!

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Square One Prep played a huge role in my ability to get accepted at Wharton. I took a big risk, applying to only one school. But I knew where I wanted to go. I needed a partner who would support my appetite for risk and believe in me. Square One Prep did believe in me. They proved that by staying in touch with me for more than a year - as a free resource to me - before I decided to pull the trigger and apply. That really showed me what kind of company they are. I didn't feel like a transaction. I felt like they really cared.

My consultant was always available, had a no nonsense style, and was very organized. These attributes were very important to me. I needed someone who could adjust to my travel-heavy schedule, not beat around the bush, and keep me on track to meet important deadlines. She executed in every department.

Additionally, going in, I really underestimated just how much time, thought, and effort I needed to put in to the process to put together a competitive application. I also didn't understand that I would be deemed a younger applicant or that my low GMAT score would be problematic. My consultant not only educated me, she walked me through how to tackle my relative inexperience compared to my competition and helped me choose the best way to mitigate my low GMAT score. Having someone who knows exactly what the adcoms want, and don't want, was a lot more valuable than I originally anticipated.

The admissions process is extremely competitive. I couldn't have pulled it off without Square On Prep. I highly recommend them to anyone who is serious about getting into any leading MBA program."

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In at INSEAD, IE, and IMD. Now I have to decide which to attend. I wouldn't be in this AMAZING position if it weren't for all your help! You were simply a godsend the last two months. Working with you was seamless and so eye-opening, especially as someone from Kenya where attending business school is far from the norm.. Is it wrong to say it was also fun? It was! Even when I was pulled in tons of directions outside the process, due to work and family, you managed to get me to focus and come to the table excited to tackle what initially seemed incredibly daunting. I can't thank you enough for your dedication, insights, candor, spirit, and support!

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If your goal is to really present your best self in your business school applications and get into a top program OR FOUR, Square One Prep is a fantastic partner.

Before consulting Square One Prep, when I tried to write my resume and essays I had trouble pin-pointing the achievements and anecdotes that would best capture my professional and personal story. I knew my resume had to be focused toward the Adcom audience. I knew my essays needed to resonate with that audience. The problem was that I didn't know that audience, what mattered to them. My Square One Prep consultant listened to what I wanted to convey - listened for hours. Between my initial assessment and essay topic calls, we seriously must have talked for 10-12 hours. It was worth every minute. My consultant probed to help pull things to the surface that I had not even considered, regarding my work and life experiences. My work with them transformed how I thought of myself!

When the time came to work on my letters of recommendation, we used a really creative process that enabled me to get all my recommendations - and I had a lot - done at once. My recommenders loved the process and couldn't thank Square One Prep enough. Neither could I, as happy recommenders = happy LORs! It was clear to me from start to finish that Square One Prep's goal was to help me succeed, and I was so happy with the result! I got into Columbia, Kellogg, and Wharton. I also got into my first choice school, and am off to HBS!"

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As an older applicant from India, applying late in the cycle, I knew the MBA application process was going to be quite challenging for me. Further, I have significant writer's block. Even though I spend a lot of time putting together client presentations as a consultant, writing is quite stressful for me. But working with Square One Prep made the whole essay writing process - actually the entire application process - a rather enjoyable experience.

When I first approached Square One Prep, I had just turned in my applications for two schools and was looking for a quick second set of eyes before starting on my next two applications. While I was expecting a high-level critique, Square One Prep did a thorough review of my essays and provided a detailed red-lined assessment. I was blown away by the number of things I approached incorrectly in my essays and resume. In a nut shell, Square One Prep's feedback was that my essays sounded like an extended version of my resume and that there was no way the ad-com could know who I was as a person. It was clear that my essays were rather pedestrian and showed a lack of self-awareness.

To remedy this critical mistake, my consultant took the time to understand who I am. She and I worked together to review my life experiences and identify stories that would make my essays come to life. She helped me develop my first drafts into finished essays that really conveyed who I am in a way I never could have done on my own, in a way I never would have thought to do on my own.

Working with Square One Prep made me realize that essay writing is more of a self discovery process - I learned to look at my life experiences from childhood to now and identify the situations/events/influences that make me who I am. With Square One Prep leading the way, I learned how to then communicate that in a simple and interesting way.

Further, the application needs you to look ahead, identify your goals and build an argument for why the MBA with a particular school is the right thing right now. Square One Prep was immensely helpful here in making sure that my I had a rigorous but straightforward logic.

In short, if you are looking for an intelligent and compassionate group to work with, one that knows what the ad-com want and can help you structure a compelling case that gets results, as I got offers from both Columbia and INSEAD, then Square One Prep is your consultant!

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I can say without hesitation that Square One Prep was an essential resource to my application process and success. Getting into a top MBA program is a long and tough journey. It requires lots of energy, determination and time. It also requires a guide who has the industry intellect, creativity, objectivity, patience, and persistence to stick with you, no matter how challenging the process may become.

Square One, Kathryn specifically, helped me a lot in this long journey in different ways.

Firstly, she really pushed me to come up with my own story and narrative. She wanted my overall story to be unique, like me. She wanted my goal narrative to be true to my passions and well constructed - she challenged me to make sure my narrative was sound. She helped make my profile more distinctive and unique. She made sure my essays and resume had a strong voice and relatable tone. Without her support my application would have been much more generic and would have hardly stood out among the high number of strong candidates.

Secondly, having someone along the way you can always ask questions gave me more confidence and motivation. In every situation both related to the application or to the interview process Kathryn was always available to answer my questions within a couple of hours. I'm in Europe and not once did I sense she wasn't even though she is in New York, NY!

Finally, Square One's mock interview part was great. Having the opportunity to simulate an interview with a person who has such a big experience in the application process and seems to know exactly what applicants are going to be asked in interviews (her mocks were surprisingly similar to my real experiences!) helped me a lot to prepare. Her extensive feedback allowed me to improve my weaknesses and shine during the real interview.

I would have no reservation recommending Square One to people who want to get into top business schools

Let me also add that even though hiring a consultant might seem initially expensive, the application cost is just a small percentage of the whole MBA cost and to me it makes sense to pay a bit more if that allows you to get into your dream school.

Admitted: Harvard Business School and Wharton

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Initially I was skeptical about hiring an admissions consultant but Square One Prep was highly recommended to me by a trusted source so I did the free consult - what did I have to lose? After my initial conversation with Square One Prep my concerns quickly faded - in fact I realized that I NEEDED an admissions consultant. I had less than 2 years fulltime experience, an okay GMAT score (690), and was applying Round 3...not a recipe for success. I didn't know the uphill battle that I had. Trust me when I say that Square One Prep's owner was honest with me about that battle. But its owner was also super excited about the fact that I was up to the challenge nonetheless, because she believed in me. THAT is precisely why I decided to go with them. They never sugar-coated anything, but said from the outset that they believed in me and my story. They wanted to help me succeed.

My consultant’s passion, intelligence, and work ethic were remarkable. I have a highly unorthodox background yet my consultant skillfully developed a strategy to tell my story in a nuanced and attractive manner. Our first call alone was almost six hours. Afterward, she had a better grasp of how to tell my story than I did - I kid you not. After we completely rebuilt my resume, we moved on to my essays and LORs. Every step of the way, my consultant's input made the difference between me crafting something okay and something stellar - even if that meant she had to do some heavy lifting to help me get there. She was available and eager to help around the clock. I can honestly say that had she not given me tough love about my LORs and helped me and my recommenders understand the lay of the land as it regards LORs, my recommenders would have unintentionally submitted subpar work and I would not have gotten into my dream school.

My consultant also wasn't afraid to give me a kick in the butt when needed. She was not hesitant to be tough on me. As a result together we crafted an application that exceeded my wildest expectations. Within a month of submitting my application I was admitted to my first choice - also the only school I applied to!

I would highly recommend Square One Prep to anyone who is seriously considering B-school. Even if you may think you don’t need a consultant, I urge you to reconsider. Square One Prep provided a value perspective that I would never have developed on my own. They helped me grow into someone able to talk about my experiences in a sophisticated, holistic way that is indispensable, well beyond this process. They helped me become someone who is heading to Columbia Business School this fall! Can’t wait!

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I am a former engineer who got the entrepreneurship bug in my late 20's and decided an MBA was the best way to transition into this new field. I had poor undergraduate grades but wanted to attend MIT Sloan and I knew I needed professional assistance to help overcome the shortcomings in my application. Kathryn with Square One Prep was exactly the professional I needed. Kathryn spoke to me at length about my background and helped craft a plan that would position me to get into a top 5 school. I was able to execute on this plan and was waitlisted before eventually getting into my first choice. Based on the fact that I was waitlisted I know that I was right on the edge of getting in or not. I can say with 100% certainty that if I did not work with Kathryn I would not have gotten into MIT. Since graduation I have landed a job as Director of Business Development with a small clean energy startup. Without my connections from MIT none of this would have been possible and I owe it all to Kathryn and Square One Prep!

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"Working with Square One Prep was amazing. There are three key things to highlight about my experience.

Firstly, I was impressed by how my consultant educated me about the process (from the admissions committees' perspective) and helped me see that my dream school of Wharton was not out of the question despite my GMAT score (mid 600s).

Secondly, I appreciated my consultant's desire to get to know me as a person. Before we even began work on my resume and essays, she spent a substantial amount of time just talking to me about my background and motivations to attend business school. She raised a lot of questions I had not considered, and helped me craft applications that I felt were a true and holistic representation of me as a person.

Thirdly, since the first ‘get to know’ call, I was surprised by the very positive energy of my consultant, which was consistent throughout the process. In moments where I was feeling down, I got a lot of support and encouragement. In other moments (when I needed it), I received ‘tough love’.

This helped me stay focused and productive. I was also impressed by how sensitive my consultant was to my feelings during the whole process. For instance, when I was waiting for the results, she got in touch with me to make sure I was feeling fine.

Like I said, Square One Prep was amazing. The results prove it! In at Stanford and Wharton!"

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