It’s been a few months since my acceptance, but I still can’t believe that I’m going to my dream school (Columbia) and I owe countless thanks to the team at Square One Prep for their amazing support. When I began thinking about applying to business school, I thought the process would be a smooth ride after taking the GMAT. However, once I started talking to people who have been through the admissions cycle, I knew that the truly hard part was ahead – presenting a compelling coherent story to AdComs through the essays, resume, and letters of recommendations.

A co-worker referred me to SOP and at first, I’ll admit that I was leery of SOPs prices, so I decided to work with another firm. However, after 2 stressful weeks of no progress with that firm, I reached out to Kathryn again, who assured me success with my stats and background. I decided to initially sign up for a two school package (and as a testament to my satisfaction with SOP, this later turned into 5 schools). Kathryn and her team were simply extraordinary. They took the time (approximately 5 hours) to discuss my background, my goals and were very honest about my strengths and weaknesses in regards to admissions. When I was asked about which schools I’d like to apply to, I briefly mentioned that Columbia was my dream school, but that I didn’t believe that I had the right background to be accepted into such an elite program. The team at SOP said that with the right story, I would be a competitive candidate for the program and gave me the self-confidence to apply (and more importantly, be accepted) to the program. Working together, we decided on a mix of 5 schools that would be a good fit for me (2 reach and 3 match – all amazing programs in the top 15).

Immediately after the 5 hour call, we started revamping my resume. SOP and I reworked my entire resume's content and format. I immediately recognized and appreciated SOPs attention to detail and tireless effort to make all aspects of my applications as perfect as possible. The process for each school entailed a brainstorming session over the phone to discuss the school's essays and ideas that I should present in those essays. I’d like to emphasize that SOP will NOT write your essays for you (which is important as it mitigates the risk of plagiarism), but they do an incredible job of editing and offering suggestions to really tighten up the stories and ensure they resonate with schools. In my email inbox, there are hundreds of emails back and forth with my consultant discussing my essays and improvements that could made literally line by line. One aspect that set SOP apart from other firms were the Letters of Recommendations packages that SOP helped me create. My recommenders loved the packages as it assisted them with remembering projects that I worked with them on and it truly improved the quality of my letters of recommendations. Once the interview invites started rolling in (I interviewed at all 5 schools), SOP spent a couple of hours preparing me with a “mock interview.” For the first 45 minutes, the consultant asked me questions that I was to expect in an admissions interview and then took the next 45 minutes to provide feedback. The feedback provided made a considerable difference in how my interviews went (particularly with my love-hate question of “greatest weakness”).

One of my favorite aspects of SOP is that Kathryn and her team are truly your partners in the process. I spoke with SOP practically every day and they worked with my schedule to ensure the applications would be submitted on time. They were also very upfront (in a constructive manner) about ideas that I suggested which they didn’t think would work. It was support that I didn’t receive from the other firm and I am certain that this is a quality unique to SOP which results in their high success rate. In the end, I was accepted to 3 top programs (with considerable scholarships as well). I have already recommended SOP to a few friends and co-workers who are considering applying to business school in the future. SOP is an investment that has already paid off immensely in my life and I can never thank the Kathryn and her team enough for their support.

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"My experience with Square One Prep was beyond amazing! I worked directly with the owner who was extremely supportive and carefully tailored the experience to address all my concerns. I applied to four top MBA programs, was invited back for interviews by two schools and will be joining Columbia’s EMBA program. She was there whenever I needed to talk to her and provided extensive support along the process, even when I needed to do post-1am phone calls to talk through essay topics for my essays because I couldn't get out work before that time. She was very personable and made me very comfortable sharing my personal experiences with her, which is critical in developing personal essays. She helped me brainstorm and dig deeper into my life to come up with interesting topics for my essays. Whenever I felt like I was hitting a deadlock, she would talk me through things and help me discover new aspects about my life that I never realized before. The support I got from Square One extends beyond the mere application process – they also provided excellent guidance on interview preparation. Their feedback was sharp and so helpful as I learned exactly what my weak notes were and how to address them.
The impact of this experience extends far beyond the application/interview process. It helped me understand myself – what’s my forte and what I am really passionate about, which I would continue to benefit tremendously from down the road in my academic, personal, and work life."

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Working with Square One Prep was a great decision, as next year I will be attending Wharton. Square One Prep helped me throughout the application process and saved me an incredible amount of time and stress. Working with them was an enjoyable experience as they created both a professional and collaborative relationship with me. They took the time to assess my credentials and then focus my application on my strengths and differentiators. The insights they provided to help me formulate, write, and refine my essays was outstanding, as was their oversight of my process to get solid letters of recommendation. They really know what admissions committees are seeking, and I truly believe I succeeded with the process due to Square One's guidance.

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Working with Square One Prep was well worth the time and money that I invested. The owner was remarkably candid and started off by telling me I was applying a year too early. She then did the unthinkble and stayed in touch with me over the next year to answer questions I had and generally stay up to date on how my GMAT studies and things with work were going. I hadn't spent a dime, and she was already investing in me.
Once we did begin our work, she dug deep to completely understand my strengths and weaknesses as an applicant, to understand me. Throughout the process, she continually challenged me to incorporate my strengths in a concise, but impactful, sincere manner. She also helped me strategically acknowledge my challenges to show self-awareness. My essays wouldn't have been anywhere near as meaningful without her support and insights. They also wouldn't have told my story effectively. The results speak for themselves... in at all schools - Kellogg, Booth, HBS, and Stanford!

The support I got from Square One was beyond what I expected. Far beyond.

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I couldn't be more thankful for being introduced to Square One Prep. From the very first conversation, my consultant radiated a positive energy and a genuine 'grab-the-bull-by the horns' attitude to help me evolve from an anxious application writer into a confident top-MBA candidate. Her can-do spirit replaced my fears with focus and an achievable game plan. It had always been difficult for me to explain my story to people because it isn't your traditional background or MBA story. I'm from Nigeria and have had to fight hard for every success in my life. Yet my consultant seemed to instinctively understand who I was, appreciated what I had achieved, and visualized where I was trying to go. I especially liked that she remained pragmatic with her guidance - tailoring my expansive ideas into accessible essays ideas. Working with her was seamless for me because of these characteristics.
The application process felt like a joint collaboration with mutual vested interest. She makes you feel like your success matters to her and she always makes time to address your concerns or ideas, is extremely prompt with email responses, and very considerate with international time-differences. Best of all, she truly listens to you and absorbs your personal story. I remember being blown away when she would bring up experiences from my past that I had touched on in passing during much earlier conversations; she would suggest them for parts of an essay in a way that fully captured both the spirit of the experience and my goal with the essay. It was as though she had been with me through the course of my life and clearly understood how each experience fit into the microcosm of me. She was also perfectly organized in her guidance process and immediately provided me with invaluable tools that helped me get organized with my applications and time-lines. Her strict time-lines and division of tasks into bite-size pieces made the end goal appear more attainable. For 2 years I had struggled with completing an MBA application. With Square One Prep I completed my application in two weeks! My consultant was incredibly knowledgeable. She was also very talented at editing essays into half the size I'd send without losing the message, and in fact somehow making them stronger. I not only got a prompt acceptance into the one school I applied to, Columbia. but through her guidance I became more self-aware and better prepared for b-school.
Working with Square One Prep was a delightful blessing. I am very grateful for their professionalism, fun approachable nature, and genuine interest in my success. I recommend their services wholeheartedly.

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I applied to one program only: Kenan-Flagler. I didn't have a great undergrad GPA and didn't have the most impressive career to date as I sort of just made my way without having a real career plan. In the last year I learned what I am excited about professionally. I knew that getting an MBA from a Top-20 program would enable me to make the transition. I just didn't know if I had a chance of getting into such a school with my metrics.

Enter: Square One Prep. They were a life saver. They brought order to the chaos in my mind and background. They helped me position myself and my career thus far in a way that showed thought and logic. My resume went through an unbelievable transformation. My essays did too. They really were my secret weapon throughout the process. By the time I did my interview I felt like a different, wiser person. It was great. Greater was when I got accepted into the program!

Thank you Square One!

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I’ll start with the results: in at Kellogg, Anderson, and Booth. At Booth I got a FULL scholarship!

When I called Square One Prep in July, I didn’t know what my goals were or what schools were right for me. I truly was lost, outside of knowing that b-school was the right move for me. I never would have gotten the results I did without Square One. They were patient, encouraging and strikingly knowledgeable. They got to know me – my background, passions and skills. They discussed various career paths with me to gauge my interest and help me define my ambitions. I really was clueless about what I wanted to do. I knew I liked retail, even though I was in the payments industry. That's where my career conversation started with Square One. But within two weeks, after working with my consultant - the owner of the company - I had absolute clarity about my ambitions.

My advisor motivated me throughout the process. It wasn't easy for me, and i can't really explain why except that I felt like I wasn't coming from a glamorous enough industry and had already blown my chances due to my poor performance in college (I partied too much - went to more football games than classes). I thought I might not be cut out for the rigorous application process. Let me tell you: the process is tough. But Square One was amazing every step of the way. Beyond helping me define myself professionally, they helped me convey to the admissions committees who I am personally. I shared things in my essays that were so not what I would have shared if I had worked on my applications on my own. I also used a tone - sometimes humorous one - that I never would have thought appropriate for b-school applications. But with my advisor's guidance I made decisions I couldn't have made on my own that absolutely made a difference. I can’t thank you guys enough. The clarity I now have about my future, the fact that I am about to live a dream, I owe to you! I also just feel like I know myself better, which is wonderful!

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As soon as I decided that I needed an adviser, I spoke with several MBA admission

consultancies including a well-known industry leader, but none offered assessments as sincere and

honest as Square One’s. Once I committed to working with Square One, my adviser responded with

her commitment and the utmost personal assistance. At one point, we talked for 6 hours over the phone.

         My adviser highlighted many parts of my past experience and qualities which I originally deemed insignificant, and strengthened my profile many times over. She also gave me clear reasoning behind all advice she offered, demonstrating her expertise. Even when things took an unexpected chaotic turn when one of my recommends became difficult, my adviser not only

showed full understanding, but also helped me choose an alternative recommender and patiently

repeated the entire recommendation letter process from scratch.

         I cannot thank Square One enough for my acceptance into INSEAD, my first-choice program.

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I tried another MBA Admissions Company before working with Square One Prep. Square One Prep was more attentive to my needs, more available (the time difference was not a factor once), and more hands-on about ensuring I understood what admissions committees want and what I needed to do to make my applications as strong as possible. My consultant got to know me as a person. She went beyond my resume and who I am as a professional. In doing so, she was able to quickly direct me when it came time to select essays topics and then develop strong products. With her help, I know I stood out as unique. I cannot thank her enough for her assistance as I was rewarded with offers to London Business School and INSEAD. I don't believe this would have been possible without her services.

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I was talking with a friend at CBS about applying to the school and he said I HAD to call Square One. I called the next day and was over-the-moon impressed with the consultant I talked with Kathryn (she was actually the owner); I totally understood why my friend had been so emphatic. We began working together right away and I cannot imagine what I would have done without her help.

My consultant had a genuine interest in getting to know me and was equally invested in the process and my success. Her direct and no-nonsense style coupled with her McKinsey-like ability to brainstorm and help me think strategically about my background and goals helped me write essays that better and more authentically told my story. When I called, I had already written my essays and resume. By the end of my first call, I knew that I would be starting over. Instead of feeling defeated, I felt rejuvenated. I knew I'd made the right decision when I called her.

I only applied to Columbia and somewhat late in the rolling admission schedule. My consultant helped instill the confidence and direction that I needed and was just as thrilled as I was to hear that I was accepted to CBS a few weeks ago!

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