It was a clean sweep – I’m in at HBS, Wharton, Columbia, and Kellogg!
I was initially skeptical of working with an admissions consulting company. But after my first call with Square One, I stood corrected. I thought I knew what admissions committees were seeking, but I was wrong. My career narrative was weak, my resume wasn’t balanced, and my professional experiences weren’t captured in an easily digestible manner. There was industry jargon all over and a complete lack of balance between my professional experiences and other experiences that I didn't know even carry weight with admissions committees; things like details on my extracurriculars in college. Here I was, a younger applicant and probably a little arrogant because I knew I'd done a lot in my short career, and SOP shared that I wasn’t doing anything to convince the admissions committees that I was ready for business school.
That was indispensable, candid feedback I got on my first call. Not just that, SOP immediately had insights to help me turn weak areas into strengths. Turning myself into a strong candidate wasn't going to happen overnight, and my advisor was frank about that, but also excited, which made me feel excited about the process, and humbled. My entire partnership was like this – my advisor consistently listened to me, educated me, and helped me elevate or in some cases completely turn upside down (in a good way) my work and thoughts. SOP kept me on schedule and focused. When a work deliverable got me off track, SOP was understanding. They worked with me on Christmas Day and New Years Eve, straight through midnight, to get me back on schedule. They were relentless about making sure I put my best foot forward, and it paid off.
Thank you so much SOP!

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My consultant was key in transforming rejection letters I previously received to resounding acceptances from top schools. Despite being that "typical IT guy from India" I got into both schools I applied to: Wharton and Haas! My consultant patiently reviewed my strengths and weaknesses. She then helped me present applications that highlighted my strengths, addressed my weaknesses, AND distinguished me from the competition. She guided me along each step of the process; with her vast

experience and deep insights I was able to present a strong candidacy. Through the process, I

actually became more confident in myself, not just in my applications.

         I would highly recommend Square One Prep to anyone."

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I don’t know where to begin. Wait, that’s actually exactly what I said to Square One when I first contacted them. Almost instantly, they put me at ease. I am a worrier, always restless and unsure of my next move. For example, when I decided that I wanted to go to business school, I had no idea why. I knew it was the right next move for me, but I knew that to get into a top school you have to do a whole lot more than know – you have to convince admissions committees that it’s the right move for you more than it is for literally thousands of other applicants. I couldn’t create a compelling career story if my life depended on it. In a way it did!
But Square One, after listening to me for hours and after guiding me for weeks as I failed to come up with any career ideas, came to my rescue. They defined a career narrative for me that was truly inspiring and EXACTLY what I would love to do, though I never would have thought of it on my own because 1) I’d never heard of it 2) I lacked the ability the think creatively about careers and 3) I didn’t seem to know myself as well as Square One did!
My entire application process was like this – me hitting my head against a wall as I tried to work on my resume, essays or letter of recommendation and each and every time Square One coming to my rescue. To be honest, I was ashamed that I found the process so tough. A friend of mine was also working with Square One, and he just zipped through the process with no hiccups at all. Then again, he isn’t his own worst enemy. Thankfully, Square One pretty quickly sized me up. They never let me get discouraged. They seemed to have a sixth sense. Just when I would start to struggle on my end they would check in and get me back on track. Their timing was amazing. Their expertise was amazing. Their patience when I would send them 2000 word drafts when an essay has a 500 word limit was amazing. Their tough love when I would procrastinate, or not follow the rules of sending drafts that are no more than 50% over the word limit, was also amazing.
The results of all their amazing-ness: I got offers from Wharton and Chicago-Booth. Since I got a full scholarship from Chicago, that’s where I’ll be heading in the fall. I can’t wait!

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I applied to 4 schools last year and got zero traction. When I got my last rejection, I called consultants to understand what I could do different/better next time. In retrospect, I should have called consultants before I embarked on the whole application process. I honestly didn't think I needed to work with someone, since I had a strong Ivy League pedigree and career to date (my GMAT score wasn't great). In any case, everyone was wishy-washy with me, wanting to charge me to review my applications - charge me a lot! - except Square One. I talked with the owner of the company, who asked me to send her my applications so she could do a review. I expected that maybe she'd talk to me for 30 minutes and give me only general feedback. But nope. She offered me a 2-hour feedback call free. It was so helpful that I knew exactly what to do differently this year.

For starters, I hired Square One. They started working with me immediately last April and were my partner every day until I got my decisions this year. This time? I got into 3 of the 4 schools - Wharton, Booth, and Sloan! It never would have happened had I not called Square One.

My advisor took the time to get to know me. He then worked painstakingly with me on my resume to help rebuild it. My resume this year told a story - I didn't know a resume could do that! When it came time to work on my essays, again my advisor pushed me to introspect and think about my life in ways I never had before. It was tough, but paid off. My essays this year were more honest and thoughtful. Even my goal narrative changed this year, not drastically, just substantively. My advisor had me research the industry I want to move into. He made sure I built some general knowledge so I could be more articulate and clear when writing about and talking about my ambitions. This too was tough because my advisor played devil's advocate to test me, but all the testing was worth the effort. I felt like a different applicant this year - the same person but like I had on glasses this time. I see myself in ways I never have and I can talk about myself I couldn't before working with Square One.

It isn't a cake walk with Square One. They push hard, especially if they sense you're slacking off. But not once did I wonder if I selected the right company. Thanks guys!

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Working with Square One Prep through the MBA admissions process was one of the best decisions I could have made, and it helped me get into Ross! I had a very challenging MBA application experience the first time I applied and almost gave up. My consultant’s positive (but realistic) attitude and suggestions for improving my strengths as a re-applicant kept me positive, on track, and this year I got into every school I applied to - even getting full scholarships at a few! I was helped at every step of the way from selecting schools to apply to, to clarifying my goals, to organizing my thoughts into essays that told my story in the most colorful, reflective, and effective way. I received invaluable advice on each aspect of the application and she was more than willing to spend extra time with me in areas where I was struggling. I would recommend Square One Prep's services to anyone who wants to get into a top tier school!

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"My experience with Square One Prep was beyond extraordinary...
I am not a native English speaker, or creative writer, so I knew I would need help to get into a top school. Being the typical engineer I designed a plan and then built in redundancy. So when I hired Square One Prep, I also hired another consultancy (neither consultancy knew about the other). As a result, I am uniquely qualified to compare services of these MBA consulting firms. Without naming the other let me tell you that Square One Prep is in a different class. To them I wasn't just another client. I was a person whose success they genuinely cared about. At times, they were more engaged in the admission process than I was.
I talked with Square One Prep two years before I applied. The owner stayed in touch with me to keep me on track with GMAT prep and general application schedules; the owner never scared me into buying their services like all the other consultants I was talking to tried.
Once I signed up with Square One Prep and we started work on my applications, they sent me successful resume and essay samples. When I read them I got completely disheartened. I thought those people were awesome, light years ahead of me, and that Adcoms would reject my application in favor of these types of folks any day of the week. I wanted to give up on applying, but Square One Prep encouraged me, showing me how the aspects of my life that I thought were mundane weren't and sharing that once my resume and essays were crafted I'd see that I am just as awesome as all those other folks---to trust their process. I did.
During the most stressful time of my life my Square One Prep advisor was there as a mentor, friend, critic, and a cheerleader all rolled into one. I owe them this success in my life. My only regret is that Square One Prep does not offer headhunting services; if they did I would be set for life :)
I applied to 5 schools: Booth, Wharton, Kellogg, Stern, and Sloan. I interviewed at Kellogg, Stern and Sloan, and accepted at Kellogg and Stern---one with a full scholarship."

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Following some prior difficulties with the business school application process - I had applied the prior two years with no success, I found Square One Prep through internet research. During my initial consultation in June, the owner identified many problems in my previous applications, starting with the resume itself and ending with the essays. The owner was kind enough to then meet with me and my parents for one hour, so that I could explain my professional background and reasons for wanting to leave my current job at our family business for an MBA.

After identifying a group of realistic schools for my profile, she then partnered me with one of her advisors who put me on a strict schedule given I was applying to six schools and had a very demanding job that involved a lot of travel. I appreciated that my advisor was available at most hours of the day/night to speak with me. That became especially important after we significantly transformed my resume and started work on my essays. Most of my essays went through 10-20 rounds of edits before a final draft, and it was entirely worth it!

After I got 2 interview requests, my advisor coached me by going over a list of 100 potential interview questions. This made me more than ready for my Columbia interview, which I aced. Once I found out that I was admitted to CBS early decision, I withdrew my applications from the other schools where I may yet have gotten more interview requests had I stayed in the pool.

Getting into Columbia was especially satisfying, given that I considered not even applying as a result of my previous failures. Square One Prep, however, encouraged me to try again; they were sure that with a much stronger and well thought out application I would succeed. Columbia had always been my first choice and Square One Prep helped me achieve that goal.

I recommend them to anyone who wants to succeed when they apply to business school!

-client from: Hong Kong, United States
-admitted to: Columbia (early decision)

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