After I decided to attend a B-school and started to choose among the schools and opportunities, I was completely overwhelmed by the amount of information I received by talking to people. When I started the research, I knew the schools I wanted to apply to and I knew what my goals were but after talking to so many people...let's just say that I ended up worse than when I began. Honestly, I was confused and lost. That's when I decided I needed a consultant. I started to ask around and I was referred to a couple of them here in India. Very soon I realized they wouldn't be very helpful to me as I wanted more than school names and a goals list. I was looking for a personalized approach. Then I came across many US consultants (including Square One Prep) that offer 30 minute free consultations. To be honest, at that time I wasn't really looking to hire someone. Being a cost conscious Indian I thought their services were out of my range. I just wanted to run my profile with them during the 30 minute free call and get some information. I think the call with Kathryn was my third such free call. My agenda for the call was to come out with something that would help me finalize the school list and career goals.

The first thing I realized while talking to her was that she wasn't holding back any information. She was genuinely interested in my success rather than landing me as a client. Take school selection for example. While many consultants might push the clients to go for safer choices, Kathryn pushed me towards tougher ones. At the beginning of the call, I had Tuck, Darden, Kenan Flagler and Johnson in my list of choices. Kathryn convinced me to remove the last two from the list and change it to include Kellogg and Yale. Moreover while talking about school choices, she was looking beyond my resume. She was looking at the fit, not just rankings. I realized I finally found someone really interested in my success at the school, rather than just providing me a service.

I'd say I have a slightly unconventional profile. I have an engineering degree and I worked in O&G before making a career switch to Finance. At the time of applications, I had close to a year of experience in the industry. I was very confused about how I would convince adcoms about my career switch and to my post MBA goals (with my little experience in the industry). Kathryn took great interest in listening to my concerns and made my goals look presentable and simple to understand but strong enough to convey passion.

The call went for about 90 minutes (a good one hour beyond the free 30) and at the end of the call I told her I wanted to work with her. Given my financial status I worked with them only on Tuck application but that was still a very big decision for me to make. Even though I was working with them on only one application, in fact I received help for all the applications that I submitted. In hindsight, I made the right choice. I'll never have second thoughts about that.

Once I became their client, Kathryn quickly drew schedules and assigned me to one of her consultants Chi. Most of her team, including herself are Wharton MBA's. They are truly top class. The best part about Square One is that even though I worked mostly with Chi, it was not exclusive. Every part of material - Resume, Essays- has to go through Kathryn for final approval. That way I actually worked with the two of them. When I say two, it wasn't just for name sake that she has to approve the materials. I would find a hundred edits and comments from Kathryn every time she reviews an essay. That is one area where she can get really tough. She doesn't approve anything sub standard.

Moreover the brain storming sessions and other supportive materials (understanding my situation, Kathryn shared a lot of resources of the other schools I applied to) helped me comfortably manage my work and my applications easily in the very short time I had. Also, she understood my financial status and allowed me to make the payments in installments, a couple of them after the work was finished. Such is the trust she places in her clients. By the end of December, my Tuck essays probably went through 10-12 revisions and when I read them one last time before submitting, I knew I made the right choice. To prove it right, I received interview call from Tuck within a week. While I couldn't make it to Tuck, the brainstorming sessions and lots of supportive materials certainly helped me prepare for other interviews. Now I've received admission from Darden with a big scholarship and to say the least, I am sure without Kathryn and her team it wouldn't have been possible.

Long story short, I recommend Square one with all my heart.

One final tip: If you can work with Kathryn directly, don't think twice though she is a little expensive. Her team is really good, patient, kind, talented and all but Kathryn is simply exceptional.

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I had a wonderful experience working with Square One Prep on my MBA applications. As someone coming from a relatively non-traditional background, I was unsure about the best way to convey my experiences and accomplishments to business schools. My relationship with Square One began with a comprehensive consultation through which they really got to know me as a person and that allowed them to provide tailored, customized service to me as an applicant. From my resume to essays to interview prep, I had a trusted advisor in my corner working with me to help share my personal story with schools in the most effective way. After being waitlisted at several schools during Round 1, Square One worked with me to provide strong update letters to those schools while also applying to additional schools Round 2, the results of which led me to getting 6 offers, several with scholarships. I am pleased to say that I was admitted off the waitlist at one of my top choices from Round 1 and could not imagine having gone through the application process without the support of Square One Prep.

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I would not be going to a top 10 business school without Kathryn Lucas and Square One Prep. I was very nervous to apply to top schools as I had a well below average GMAT score and wasn’t certain of my career goals. I had calls with 8 admissions consultants, and Kathryn was the only on who took the time to understand my story and told me that I had a shot at my dream school. (Two consultants actually told me to call them back after I’d retaken the GMAT!) I definitely chose correctly because with Kathryn’s help I received interviews and acceptances to all 9 schools I applied to—a crazy feat!

Kathryn was incredibly effective for the following reasons:
-Prior to reviewing essays, resumes, recommendations etc. she takes the time to get to know her clients. Our first intro. call lasted 7 hours in total! This enabled her to help me craft a compelling narrative throughout my application.
-She encourages self reflection and pushed me to be comfortable revealing very personal stories in my essays, which helped the adcoms get to know me in a much deeper way.
-Kathryn doesn’t always say what you want to hear, but rather what you need to hear. She ensured that every part of my application was perfect, even if it meant completing 12+ revisions on one essay.
-Kathryn keeps you on track. She sets attainable deadlines, and helped me complete 18+ essays in 8 weeks! With Kathryn’s help, I was done well before the New Year, and had time to relax over the holiday season.
-Kathryn is incredibly invested in the success of her clients. Her response time to emails averaged 2 minutes every day/ hour of the week (not even exaggerating).
-Kathryn believed in me, which helped me believe in my abilities and boosted my self confidence.

I cannot recommend Square One Prep enough as thanks to Kathryn, I will be attending the school of my dreams—Kellogg-- in the Fall!!

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A year ago, I began thinking about applying to business schools. I had a blank board and was worried I was applying too late because I would have 8 years work experience by the time I'd start school. Being an international applicant, I struggled with selecting schools in the US, understanding the application process, and drafting my essays. I had to talk about myself in ways I never had. It was new ground.
SquareOne assisted me throughout this journey. My consultant helped me think through my selection of schools and understand all aspects of the process, and craft my story. She provided invaluable advice - both honest and strategic, even as I prepared for my interviews. ¬During this entire time, my consultant helped me improve my positioning by accentuating my professional and personal experiences. She constantly challenged me to think of new ideas and anecdotes to effectively narrate my story. She never failed to let me know if a story or format would not work from an admissions’ process perspective, which I sincerely valued.
Moreover, she was able to work with my schedule, which helped the process and I was able to complete my applications well before the deadlines, despite my demanding professional obligations.
At first I thought that hiring a consultant was expensive, however after completing the process successfully and comparing the expense to the overall MBA cost, I truly believe it is worth the investment. I highly recommend SquareOne Prep to all those planning to apply MBA schools. I am off to Chicago Booth in the fall.

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I had spent countless hours debating whether to use a consultant or not, and then which one to use. I spoke to several top-rated consultants both in India and in the US, but they all seemed to be saying almost the same thing - advising to me to apply to only 'safe' schools. Kathryn's first free consultation with me completely different - she never discouraged me from applying to top schools, while giving me a frank assessment of the risk involved in the list of schools I was targeting. Her in-depth knowledge of the schools, with respect to my career goals and background was invaluable. She picked out schools that I realized only later when I was doing my research for the essays that they were perfect for my goals.
Mark really helped push me to create a compelling story in my applications, and ensured I put together a high quality application for each school.
I really liked their system of Kathryn doing a final review of each piece of the application, and I was very happy with the final product.
I am so excited and grateful to have gotten admission into one of my dream schools - Booth and I can definitely say it would not have been possible without Mark's and Kathryn's help. Thank you so so much!

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I knew very quickly into my conversation with Kathryn (CEO) that Square One Prep was the best fit for me. Prior to my initial consult with her, I spoke with two other prep firms and my experiences with them were mediocre at best. My initial consults with these other firms felt very impersonal as both offered only 10-15 minutes of questions/discussion before trying to pass me on through their “process”. Kathryn, however, immediately made me feel at ease. She spent over an hour on the phone with me, listening attentively and offering several follow up questions. She provided her initial thoughts regarding my potential as an MBA candidate, highlighting both my strengths and weaknesses. However, she never made me feel like the latter was insurmountable and, instead, offered some helpful initial thoughts on how we could best address them in the application.

I had the opportunity to speak with a number of Square One Prep consultants with whom Kathryn felt would be a good match for me. I thought all were excellent, but I ultimately went with Mark. We had a great rapport from the start! He was highly involved in helping me with all aspects of the application process including brainstorming, reviewing my essays and resume, discussing how to best select/approach my recommenders, and conducting mock interviews (by the time we were finished, I was actually looking forward to my interview!). Mark put significant time/effort at each step and always provided insightful feedback throughout. The entire process was highly collaborative and effective. Despite some of my concerns (e.g. low quant GMAT score), I was admitted to UCLA Anderson, my first and only pick! I couldn’t be happier with my Square One Prep experience and would unhesitatingly recommend Square One Prep to any of my friends and colleagues applying to business school.

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I started my MBA apps 2 weeks before the deadline, and I decided to apply only to the Top 4 schools. This was a big risk, and I don’t think I would have been able to make this happen if I hadn’t signed up with SOP.

I spoke with many admission consultants before partnering with SOP. My initial 30-minute free consultation with Kathryn Lucas, founder of SOP, went on for slightly over an hour – I was genuinely impressed by Kathryn’s commitment and interest in my story. Kathryn helped me refine my goals in our initial conversation, even before we started working together officially. I felt assured that if I used SOP, I was not going to be disappointed …and I wasn’t!

Those 2 weeks before MBA round 2 deadlines were crazy…a lot of editing back and forth going on until late hours of the night, but Kathryn was always available and laser sharp. The difference between the initial drafts and the final products is hard to put into words.
I really enjoyed working with Kathryn – I liked her direct approach, and at times, it felt like working with an Associate on a transaction. She’s a terrific mentor!

If you want to get into a top business school, go with SOP - it’s worth it! You won't be disappointed.

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After losing out on my dream schools in the round 1 applications, I decided to work with Kathryn for round 2. I chose her because she was the only consultant who had predicted my round 1 chances correctly during a profile evaluation on GMATClub.

During my first skype call with Kathryn, I realized that she is not only a professional but also a very kind lady who had my best interests at heart. She encouraged me to apply to Wharton and gave me the confidence to believe that I could do it (I had lost hopes after being dinged by both HBS and Stanford without interviews in the round 1).

She played a key role in turning around my situation. She started by analysing my previous applications very closely which was a really smart thing to do. That way we could work on the parts that needed overhauling without touching the rest. I felt that Kathryn was always there to guide me no matter the time of the day.

I ended up applying to Berkeley, UCLA and Wharton and receiving acceptances from UCLA (with full fee scholarship) and Wharton (with a 40% Forte Fellowship). I could not have imagined such outcomes without SOP's help. Thank you Kathryn for your invaluable support and guidance!

To future applicants reading this testimonial, do yourselves a favour - partner with SOP and give yourselves the best chances of achieving your dreams!

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I am confident that Square One Prep has played a decisive role in my admission to 4 top business schools, among which Wharton and Booth.
I come from the Middle East where admission consulting services are not very popular.
My background is also diverse and I don't have the typical profile that top MBA schools usually look for. I am not a consultant and never worked in investment banking. Because of that, my confidence level was at its lowest, and everyone was discouraging me to even apply.
I had scheduled phone calls with several admission consultants from different companies, but it is the call with Kathryn (the owner at Square One Prep) that made me regain my confidence and made me believe that I could make it.
Kathryn's work was both on a professional level and a personal level: besides the fact that it was entirely tailored to my situation, her approach was motivating me and pushing me to always be at my best. She would identify areas in my personal/professional experience that even I would not have thought of, and help me use them in a way that reveals my strength and fit with the programs.
We had frequent and thorough phone discussions during which not a single area was left out.
Kathryn made herself available 24/7, and this was not easy knowing that there was a 7-hour difference.
In a way, working with her made me discover myself and she definitely helped me think out-of-the box, never settling for average quality, always aiming for the best.
This is what I think is of major importance: I constantly felt in good hands because I knew that I was getting the best advice and the most spot-on comments, and I think this has no price.
If you want to put all your chances on your side and don't feel like gambling with your applications, Square One Prep is the company for you.

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Around a year ago, I decided that I wanted to pursue an MBA. I had already written the GMAT and I had a good score but I had no idea where to go from there. Since I’m from an extremely competitive applicant pool (Male Indian Engineer) I decided that I would engage an MBA advisor to help run my MBA ‘project’. I remember evaluating some of the leading advisors through the free consultations they offered. At that stage – even before I had committed to engaging her services - Kathryn/Square-One spent hours on the phone with me.
The value from those discussions was more than enough to convince me that I would need their help. In reality, there is IMMENSE competition to get into the top programs and even with a perfect application you are only giving yourself a chance to get in. I’m glad I hired Square-One to coach me right from the Square-One assessment to bring focus to my MBA story - to CV preparation, short listing schools, building an application timeline, essay/application review and interview preparation.
Today, I’ve been admitted (with scholarship!) to a top school in Europe and a top school in the USA and I’m still talking to Square-One as I decide which school to pick. I definitely would not be here with these two amazing options without their support and I whole-heartedly recommend them to anyone who is in the position I was in one year ago.

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