After applying on my own the previous year with unfavorable outcomes, I decided to do some research into business school admissions consultants. When I reached out to Square One Prep, Kathryn spent a good hour on the phone with me, explaining their process and methodology but also hearing about what I wanted to do and my career thus far. She even looked over my materials from the year before and provided critique. I decided to engage SOP and was paired with Sarah Caputo, who advised me on my strategy and spent time with me on all the pieces of the application process. We spent a lot of time on my resume and on my essays, crafting the right story based on my wants and needs. Sarah was very patient with me and helped keep me on schedule so it was nice that I wasn’t rushing to check boxes before a deadline. I’m very glad that I worked with SOP because at the end of the day, I was accepted to all five schools that I had applied to - Wharton, Booth, Kellogg, Tuck and Fuqua.

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After an unsuccessful attempt at applying to schools on my own, a family friend that utilized Square One Prep with great results, recommended Kathryn and her team of advisors. My advisor, Mary, was just fantastic and helped me put down on paper what I had previously struggled to convey to admissions committees. I consider myself a good writer and have been in surgical sales for over 7 years, yet I had no idea how to sell myself successfully. What I had previously considered to be very thoughtful and thorough essays were not at all what academic admissions committee members were looking for from applicants. Mary helped me to specifically explain who I am, why I want an MBA from a school and how I fit in within their ideal pool of offered applicants. Mary and Kathryn even worked around my schedule, when I was out of the country and off the grid for over 2 weeks, and we were still able to meet all application deadlines. Mary took my calls and e-mails throughout her work day and even on many weekends, she was phenomenal. Be prepared to prepare. It is a lot of work, but knowing that there is an advisor reviewing and working just as hard as you, is very reassuring. They have the same goal as you, getting you into business school. Thank you for all of your guidance and help!

I couldn't be happier because I am not only heading to my top choice school; I also got a full scholarship!

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I was extremely overwhelmed when I initially started the MBA application process. I knew that I wanted to go back to school for my MBA, but I wasn’t positive exactly what I wanted to do afterwards or how I could create a cohesive story that would get me into a top program. After my initial consultation with Kathryn, I immediately felt at ease. Even though I wasn’t even a client yet, Kathryn spent over an hour on the phone with me, talking through my uncertainties and helping to boost my confidence. I was very impressed by how generous Kathryn was with her time during this pre-client phase, and as a result I decided to use Square One Prep.

After signing on with Square One Prep, it was time for me to choose the consultant that I would be working with. I will admit that I was nervous about this, as I had established such a strong connection with Kathryn; however, Kathryn was not taking on new clients at the time. Unfortunately, after a few weeks of working with my initial consultant it became apparent that we were not a good fit for each other. As a result, Kathryn made an exception to take me on as one of her clients and I am very glad that she did. Kathryn was extremely valuable in helping me to craft my story, and I noticed a significant improvement in the quality of my essays. In addition, I was very nervous for my interview and Kathryn’s mock interview was tremendously helpful in helping me to prepare. She even did a second “mini-mock” interview with me after my initial mock to make sure that I felt as confident as possible going into the interview.

Finally, Kathryn was always there for me when I needed her – I was working long hours at my job and Kathryn was more than willing to accommodate my schedule, often scheduling calls with me late at night or on the weekends. In addition, if something came up at work last minute and I needed to push back our scheduled call time, Kathryn was always understanding and flexible (but made sure that I stayed on track!)

Thanks to Kathryn, I was accepted into NYU Stern!

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I had the great pleasure to work with Square One, Kathryn specifically, during my MBA application process, and have to say success will not be possible without their help.

I reached out to Square One Prep through a friend's recommendation when I first started looking into MBA application. From the first free consultation call, I could feel that Square One's approach is different from the other consultancies I had spoken to. Kathryn really took the time to listen to me, understand my objectives, background, plan/timeline, and provided me with very objective and sincere advice - she actually advised me to apply the next year. Kathryn then stayed in touch with me during the following year, giving me advice on what early preparations I could make, which was really helpful. Remember, this was all before I made the decision to work with Square One.

Kathryn's help continued to add tremendous value in every step of my application. I think most of us applicants have an idea of what our story is. At least I did, but Kathryn really challenged me to think broader, and at the same time, to come up with more details and the most compelling and memorable stories for each essay. Thanks to Kathryn's invaluable experience and insights, I was able to narrow down and pick the best topics for each essay, some of which I previously thought were not "big" enough for MBA application materials. As an international applicant, one of the reasons I wanted to work with a consultant was to make sure my English writing delivered the messages I want to deliver in the most precise elegant and concise ways, and Kathryn definitely helped me to achieve that. The interview is another important piece in the equation. I had done mock interviews myself with friends, but Kathryn's advice after our mock session really added the most value because she understands the process, criteria of MBA interviews better than anyone, and has seen a lot of different types of applicants throughout the years. This greatly improved my interview performance. In addition, Kathryn's positive spirits, support and encouragement through the application process helped me throw self-doubt out of the window, as we all know, MBA application could be a long and tough process.

I am extremely happy about going to Columbia this fall! And I really appreciated Square One Prep's help. I would recommend them to anyone who seriously wants to get into a top MBA program.

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Perhaps like many of you, I was initially very skeptical about using a consultant for my MBA applications; how much could a third-party help in crafting what should be a very personal application?  

I am here to tell you that, if you are looking to get help and want to get into your #1 choice, you should definitely work with Square One Prep.  I am off to Wharton in a few months and I absolutely owe this opportunity and any future accomplishments to Square One Prep.  Having just attended Wharton Welcome Weekend for all new admits from R1, I am more excited and thankful than ever.

My consultant took an extraordinary amount time and effort to understand my story and helped me establish a narrative that was not only genuine but also consistent with what business schools were looking for.  My consultant was honest, flexible, timely, and meticulous.  She really pushed me when I needed inspiration and encouragement. Her interview simulation was a hugely helpful process.  Her engaging approach to this relationship really showed that she was personally invested in my success.

 Looking back, I am surprised that I even thought about doing this whole process on my own.I have absolutely no doubt that without Square One Prep’s help I would not have gotten into the Wharton.

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Having been in the tech industry for 9 years, my goal of wanting to do an MBA was very specific: I wanted to leverage my tech background and life experiences to accomplish my dream of being a tech-focused social entrepreneur. Right from the start, I knew that my case was going to be tough from a demographics perspective - an older applicant to a full-time MBA program in a highly competitive Indian male tech engineer pool. So what all this meant was that even with a 750 GMAT I needed all the help I could get to make it to a top 10 MBA program. Kathryn and Square One Prep understood my requirements very well. But what really set Kathryn apart was her unique mix of school specific insight, attention to detail, and a refreshing in-your-face approach that really helped cut to the chase in every aspect of my application. Add to that, her amazing response time consistently throughout the process meant that help and guidance was only an email, Skype chat or phone call away. I’m happy to say that my goal of making it to my dream top 10 school came true and Square One Prep played a big role in it. I’m not sure if I could’ve managed the roller coaster emotional ride that is MBA apps all on my own and having Kathryn by my side every step of the way helped both the quality of my work and my sanity. I would highly highly recommend her!

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I do not think I would be going to business school without the help of Kathryn, and SquareOnePrep. Quite frankly, I had no idea about the amount of work that goes into the application process or how competitive the applicant pool would be.

From my first introductory call with Kathryn, I knew that SquareOnePrep was the right choice for me. Kathryn spent hours taking the time to learn about my reasons for wanting to attend business school, my career to date, and who I was as a person. Unlike other companies I had spoken with, Kathryn wanted to understand my voice and how I could bring myself to an application.

Kathryn helped me navigate every step of the application process from studying for the GMAT, to choosing my advisers, to writing my essays, to preparing for interviews. I had no idea what to write about on my applications but Kathryn spent time helping me to craft a story that was both honest and relevant to the schools to which I was applying. Her awareness and knowledge of what each school is looking for in applicants is invaluable. She consistently challenged me to raise the bar in my applications and pushed me to work harder when my writing wasn’t up to par. Without Kathryn to coach and motivate me I doubt I would have received interviews let alone admission to the schools to which I applied.

Thanks to Kathryn I received interviews at 8 of the 9 schools I applied to and admission to Kellogg, Tuck, and Booth. I full heartedly and unequivocally recommend SquareOnePrep to anyone who is serious about attending business school. As a side-note, I received scholarships from each school far in excess of the cost I spent on SquareOnePrep. I wouldn’t have received them otherwise, so in effect, it paid for itself.

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I could not be happier with my decision to work with Square One Prep – both based on the process and based on the outcome.
I will admit that I was highly skeptical of using a consultant when I first started the application process. My scores and background were all in line with averages from the top business schools, and I had a compelling story in place. I thought that a consultant might not be useful since I didn’t have a problem to address in my application.
I spoke with a few firms just in case, and had mostly sales-y conversations. But when I spoke with Kathryn – Square One’s owner - for my Square One free consultation, I knew this conversation was different. Instead of a praise laden sales call, Kathryn dug right into the nitty-gritty of my resume – pointing out concerns that I hadn’t even thought of. She spent over an hour on the phone with me, giving away valuable application advice – all for free. Kathryn’s frank and honest approach, and her clear depth of knowledge on the process, convinced me that Square One would be an invaluable asset to my application process. Plus, Square One was one of the most reasonably priced firms that I spoke with.
When I was handed over to my actual consultant, I paused. Could she possibly be as good as Kathryn was, I wondered? Well as it turns out, she was. I worked with Mary throughout the application process, from resume creation to essay editing to interview prep. Mary could not have been more fantastic! Though I had a few friends and family read drafts of essays, none of their advice compared to the advice Mary gave. And let’s be honest – it just can’t. Your friends and family didn’t have the experience, nor the endless patience, that Mary does. And on top of that, it was clear that I was more than just a paycheck to her. She truly cared about helping me reach my goals.
Oh, and if you’re worried about never seeing Kathryn’s amazing-ness again – fear not! Kathryn did a final review of all of my work, so I got to benefit from both Mary and Kathryn’s great insights.
The care Mary and Kathryn have for their clients was especially clear over Labor Day weekend. My most importantly application was due in a few days, and I had a moment of crisis over the essay. Not only did both Mary and Kathryn work with me over the holiday, but Kathryn spent an hour on the phone with me for free, talking me through all the needed changes.
In the end, I was accepted to my dream school! I’ll be starting at HBS in the fall.
I’ll answer a question a few of you might be asking. Could I have gotten in without using a consultant? Maybe. But working with Square One allowed me to go through the application process as a much more confident, calm, and happy candidate. I have no idea how I would have gotten through it without Kathryn and Mary.

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I worked with Square One Prep on a number of schools. I had experience with other consulting services last year that were more well known and didn't succeed. They seemed to just go through the motions with me. Square One Prep was different. Recommended to me, I did the free consult but was suspicious going into it, as I really thought all consultants were the same. They're not, and I could see that after one call with Square One Prep. I talked with Kathryn and was willing to pay the premium to work with her directly.

Kathryn has a wealth of experience and really wants the best for her clients. What is great about her is that she is tough and demanding; it definitely yields results.

In a competitive environment, you need a consultant that guides you and tells you what business schools are looking for. Kathryn is one of those consultants. She will go through your goals, work experience, and history. Her experience allows her to quickly connect the dots on what works and what does not.

More importantly, Kathryn really cares for her clients and you may not see this in all consultants. She truly is excited about your success and will guide you every step of the way. With Kathryn, I redefined my goals in a way that I never knew schools would be drawn to and that genuinely excited me. That is just one of the ways Kathryn helped me stand out from my competition.

The results speak for itself. I got interviews at 4 schools and a very large scholarship to attend Kellogg. If you are considering working with a consultant, speak to Square One Prep after you speak to the big players. You will see the difference just like I did.

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At least for me the search for an admissions consultant company was not easy. It’s not only a large financial commitment but also finding the right company can make a world of difference. I spoke to more than 10 firms and from the first time I talked with Kathryn from Square One Prep I felt they were completely different from the rest. I was looking for a personalized service that could cater to my specific needs and not a service that made me feel like I'm only one more. The individual attention I got from Square One Prep was exactly what I was looking for. My consultant, Mary, was always available even on odd hours and she also replied to all my e-mails quickly. I couldn't believe she never took more than 24 hours to correct something. This kind of treatment made a world of difference and allowed me to apply to 6 schools in only 2 months.

The entire application process with Square One Prep was simple and painless. You work closely with a consultant that is always there for you and then all your work is reviewed by Kathryn to get that high level, fresh perspective. This system generated positive results for me.

Another thing that I think is worth mentioning is the invaluable knowledge that having an American consultant brings. I’m from Brazil and I was in doubt if I should take a local consultant or an American one. Every interaction that I had with Square One Prep was seamless (probably even more productive than an in person meeting (you lose time with traffic, strict appointment times, etc…), Also, the knowledge that you get by having someone on the ground in America in direct contact with admissions, that knows the culture and what they want, is really precious.

In large part thanks to Square One Prep I got accepted in Columbia Business School, my first school choice. Thank you all!!!

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