When I contacted Square One, I didn’t think I had what it takes to get into business school. But admissions firms offer free consults so I spoke to some to confirm my suspicion. All of them did, expect Kathryn. My call with her was different. Kathryn asked me questions other firms didn’t. For example, she was the only admissions advisor to ask me WHY my GPA as what it was, and then ask more questions as I probably didn’t give a very clear answer at first because I was embarrassed and shy. My GPA was terrible, a 2.48/4.00. I also left college after two years with a sub 1.00 GPA and had just graduated in May 2021 at age 34. Here too, she asked my WHY my path was what it was. She didn’t just tell me that my GPA and path were problems. Other firms did. They did not talk to me. They talked at me. Kathryn talked to me for close to 2 hours, not just the prescribed 30. She told me that she believed in me and would help me believe in myself.

What I gained from working with Kathryn – how I think about my past and my future, how I can make the most of business school, is invaluable.

She built a schedule for us to follow so I’d never worry about time. She understood that I am busy leading two companies. We did everything as a team. I didn’t know she’d help me as much as she did with all the application components.

In our first week, she spent 10 hours on calls with me so she could build my first draft resume, which was a huge help as I had never built a resume – I’d worked at my family company and then done entrepreneurial things, so there was no need. We then made it stronger as a team, and I was stunned by it by the time we were done. I actually began to believe in myself, just as she said I would.

The attention Kathryn brought to helping me build a strong resume she also brought to helping me build strong essays. I kept trying to sell and brand myself, and so I wrote a lot of bad essays. Some of her edits of my work were more like rewrites except that they somehow retained my voice. Kathryn steered me toward sharing things I couldn’t believe business schools would want to know about me. She connected with my heart. Just like with my resume, as I completed essays I began to feel more optimistic.

Kathryn brought the same attention to my career path work, which we did with Horatio who was my career lead. The work I did with him became even stronger once Kathryn helped me mold my career path into a goals essay. Horatiu was great though. He was patient as I had no idea how specific I needed to be, I thought I could just say that I want to keep growing my business. He asked me a lot of questions to ensure I knew what to research in order to build a strong career vision. Kathryn pushed my further to build it into a real business plan.

Also, with the LORs, we built packages for my recommenders which was important because neither of mine had ever written one, so getting a lot of support was critical. Kathryn was instrumental.

I secured interviews at Columbia, Wharton, Harvard, and Yale, 4 of the 5 schools I applied to! By this time, she knew me, that I could struggle in interviews. She went above and beyond to help me prepare. We did 6 mock interviews for Harvard and full preparation for all the other schools. I saw how much she cared about me and my success. When I got into Yale I was amazed. With Kathryn’s help I almost got into 4 schools and did get into one of the best in the world. I can’t wait to start!

To anyone who wants a guide through the application process, someone you can trust will always be honest and focused on helping you grow and succeed, and will go above and beyond for you, look no further than Kathryn.

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I had the fortune to be mentored by Kathryn and Allison in RD 1 of the 2022-23 application cycle. I could not recommend SOP enough. They really delve deep into the applicant’s life, encouraging them to embrace their individuality and share inspiring stories from their life experiences with the adcom. The time you spend with SOP is an investment in yourself. They force you to self-reflect and get clarity on your motivations, an exercise that will come to define your future. By the end of the journey, you will really know the answer to two questions everyone will ask you - Why MBA? And Why Now?

After consulting a few firms, I chose SOP because of Kathryn’s honest and straight forward approach. She not only expressed confidence and enthusiasm in my profile, but also backed up her recommendation to focus on M7 schools with statistical data, sharing the probabilities for success based on past results – an approach I found unique to her. However, she was also brutally honest: cautioning me that especially for schools like HBS/GSB/Wharton, no one is a shoo-in, and while SOP team can help me craft the best possible application materials, there is still an inherent element of luck in the highly competitive process.

The Career Narrative that you build with SOP before working on any aspect of the applications may seem like extra work, but, it will make you question your goals and motivations, and come up with a conclusive, air-tight career plan. It will help you beyond MBA admissions.

I could not have imagined myself going through the process without the generous support from Allison. She is responsive, caring, and is always ready to lend her hand. Her level of commitment is evident from the fact that at one point, we were working on 8 essays simultaneously! And as an Indian applicant, managing applications even though we were in different time zones felt like a walk in the park because of her efforts. She would stop me from overworking on my essays and over prepping, instilling in me the confidence I needed most also as a re-applicant. Allison has established herself as a trusted advisor that I look up to – and I know the lessons I learned from her were not only helpful in the application process; but will also carry me forward in the professional world, where effective communication and storylining are so crucial to one’s success.

I could not recommend SOP enough – SOP’s unwavering support, commitment, and human touch are the reasons why I was able to succeed in a highly competitive season (as a re-applicant, admitted to 1 of HSW, interviewed at 2)

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Square One Prep’s team of Kathryn, Mary, Christina, and Horatiu has been extremely helpful in my b-school application journey. I was a re-applicant, and my journey this year was very different from my last attempt. A stellar GMAT score and a strong profile aren't enough to get into a top business school. My first call with Kathryn was enough for me to stop my hunt for consultants, and I decided to work under her guidance.

With the help of Kathryn and Mary, I was able to fine-tune my work and gain admission with a whopping $80K scholarship to one of the top US schools. The team has made a lot of effort to get to know my story and profile. Putting heads together helped craft quality essays. Horatiu helped me structure the career narrative, which further assisted me in facing the interviews with more confidence.

The SOP team has done a fantastic job of streamlining the application and interview process, which makes it easier to stay focused. The whole process is designed to bring the best out of you and make you cognizant of your abilities and incompetence. Mary and Kathryn have played a very important role in keeping me focused, and yes, when necessary, I have received criticism. I am extremely thankful for the guidance I received.

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I am fortunate that I came across SOP in my business school journey. After being rejected by multiple consultants (and fairly so) because of my below-average standardised test scores, speaking to Kathryn in our first free consultation session was a breath of fresh air. My advisor Paula, career coach Wendy, and partnerships manager Cristina, continued the momentum that Kathryn had built.

I have the utmost respect for Wendy: she brings in pertinent industry knowledge, rationality, and feasibility of creating and achieving career goals. She is honest and extremely committed to her clients. She, along with Paula, worked with me on 14+ versions of the career narrative document, enabling me to not only draft coherent goals for business school application but also to have a solid foundation for my professional journey ahead.

Paula, my advisor, was a true partner throughout this emotional and challenging period of my life. She shared high-quality deliverables within tight timelines and was always on top of all aspects of my application. She went way beyond her scope and believed in me when I did not believe in myself. She dealt with my shortcomings such as having self-doubt, second guessing applying to business school etc with grace and encouraged me to be positive. She took the effort to get to know me well and was able to bring me back on track when I broke under pressure. Paula made me feel very comfortable, as if I am working with a friend, who always had my best interest in mind. Her kindness is infectious and the compassion that she brings into her work is heartwarming.

Cristina, my partnerships manager, stepped in proactively to support my application.

Perhaps most crucially, Kathryn’s unwavering commitment towards my business school journey coupled with her two decades of experience in this field played a crucial role in me coming out of this process a little bit stronger as an individual.

I am grateful to the SOP team for helping me secure admits to Fuqua and McDonough.

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I am a re-applicant, and this year I decided to work with an admission consultant.

After speaking with more than 10 other consulting firms, I chose SOP right away because I felt an instant connection with Kathryn the first time we spoke on the phone. She did not try to fit me into any typical candidate box, nor did she try to convince me to lower my school expectations in order to increase their success rate, as some other firms do. She recognizes me for who I am, believes in me, and wants to help me get into the school I am truly passionate about. She gave me some great advice to compensate for my low test result. She also reviewed my applications from last year, for free, before our first free consult, so she could give me better advice.

I really enjoyed SOP's team approach, where you have a professional team and eco-system to help you along the road. I worked with an amazing team, including Amalia as my personal coach, Cristina as the partnership manager, and Wendy as the career expert. Amalia was always approachable and cheerful, and I really enjoyed our conversations. She took the time to get to know me and help me brainstorm ideas. She is always there when I need her. And I learned a lot from all the calls and written communications with her. Cristina was always on top of the schedule to ensure that everything is well-paced. Wendy pushed me hard to figure out what I really wanted to do with my career, and it has been extremely beneficial.

MBA application is a tough journey, but taking it with SOP team makes it memorable, enjoyable, and successful.

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Square One Prep (SOP)’s team of Kathryn, Christina and Wendy has been extremely instrumental in my MBA application journey. Right from the time of the introductory call to the innumerable essay drafts, Kathryn’s commitment towards understanding my goals and her frankness, made SOP stand out. My advisor, Christina, spent numerous hours getting to know me and brainstorming with her was really helpful in putting my best towards the applications. Partnering with Wendy on the career narrative propelled me to effectively translate my goals into my applications and I was pleasantly surprised by how much more self-aware I was by the end of this process. The fact that I got to work with an expert at each step made the process very streamlined. They truly acted as a safety net by never letting me fall behind or feel demotivated. I am extremely thankful for the guidance I received and cannot recommend SOP enough!

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I recently had the pleasure of working with Square One Prep and I was thoroughly impressed with the level of professionalism and expertise they brought to the table. My team was Lara, (advisor), Wendy (career expert), Cristina (partnership manager), and Kathryn.

My goal is to get into one of the best business programs. As a candidate in a competitive industry and demographic segment, I turned to Square One for help. Lara and the team looked into every aspect of the application and helped me craft a strong and competitive application, which I wouldn't have been able to do by myself. My team was not only incredibly knowledgeable about the MBA admissions process, but also eager to share candid feedback throughout the entire journey.

I highly recommend this MBA consulting firm to anyone looking for top-notch guidance and support in the MBA admissions process.

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I worked with Square One Prep (SOP) in RD 1 of the 2022-23 application cycle, with the pleasure of working with Amalia as my Advisor. I could not recommend SOP enough - SOP's unwavering support, commitment, and human touch are among the core reasons why I was able to succeed in a highly competitive season (admitted to 2 of HSW, waitlisted at 1)

As an international candidate who grew up in Asia, went to undergrad in the US and spent his professional career across both US and Africa, I knew very early on I wanted to partner with a team that is energized by my story, challenges me to reflect and gain clarity on my own motivations, and is committed to my success. After speaking with ~10 firms , including both China-based and US-based firms, I chose SOP because of Kathryn's honest style and SOP's team-based approach. Kathryn was enthusiastic about my profile: telling me that I should focus my energies on M7 schools and that with work and reflection, I have the elements to develop a compelling package for any M7 school. However, she was also brutally honest: cautioning me that especially for schools like HBS/GSB/Wharton, no one is a shoo-in, and while SOP team can help me craft the best possible application materials, there is still an inherent element of luck in the highly competitive process. Additionally, I loved SOP's leadership-team approach in the Premium package, where the leadership team (incl. Kathryn) reviews each essay (and resume, career narrative, etc) after the advisor and I felt good about the content. The leadership-team approach essentially creates a stage-gate for seasoned advisors to review my application materials from an outside-in perspective (similar to how an admissions officer would read my file) - and ensure that the logic flows smoothly, the language is easy to understand, and the storyline is consistent with my overall narrative. Later on, I realized that Leadership Review is truly one of the best parts of the SOP experience.

The first step in my SOP journey is the Career Narrative process - where a former career coach at top business program helps me ideate, develop, and refine my career narrative: a vision statement that tells the story of what I want to do professionally long-term. Wendy, my Career Narrative coach was very effective in using facts to back-up my career vision. Coming into Career Narrative process, I thought it would be an exercise of storytelling - focusing more on my personal journey. However, what I appreciated most is SOP's focus on using industry facts + trends to back up the career narrative. Indeed, the process feels more analogous to building the business case for a start-up: Wendy pushed me to reflect on my personal story (the founding rationale); conduct research to validate the opportunity (the growth potential); and articulate why I am the best person to deliver my career vision (the competitive dynamic). Throughout the process, Amalia (my advisor) and Kathryn stayed engaged: including multiple rounds of presentations to ensure that my story is compelling, easy to follow, and memorable.

While I signed on with SOP relatively early in the process (Jan'22) - Kathryn and Amalia both offered me the valuable advice of not starting too early, but instead, create pace by starting at a more reasonable time. Therefore, I started the essay drafting in mid to late June - which was quite helpful as I found myself to be much more effective when Amalia and I started rapidly iterating on essays. The essay process involves a brainstorming call, where Amalia and I would go over high-level ideas and stories / anecdotes to back up the storyline, followed by me drafting the essay in the next 1-2 hours and sending the rough draft to Amalia. I found the approach to be highly efficient as it enabled me to rapidly prototype essays, and advance / kill different ideas for the essay. What I also appreciate is Amalia's willingness to work with whatever I could produce in that 1-2 hour interval - which sometimes could look more like a skeleton sketch than a nicely flashed-out essay. With the process, Amalia and I would iterate essays with

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I had been applying to B-schools since 2020 and got more than a dozen rejections.

I decided to give myself a last chance in the 2022 application cycle. However in the early 2022, I lost my wife unexpectedly which pushed me into a deep depression. I thought with the passing away of the biggest support of my life, my dreams had also died. I gave up on everything including my MBA dreams.

A friend of mine who had worked with Square One suggested I speak to Kathryn, a request I denied multiple times. But on being pushed frequently by my friend, finally I decided to speak to her. Sure that after doing a free session my friend would stop pestering me and I could continue to stay in my deep depression.

I still remember those 50 minutes with Kathryn. , I never felt like I was speaking to a MBA consultant, but rather a mentor who was equally interested in me fulfilling my MBA dreams. She also cared about me as a person. She not only motivated me but pushed me to give my best. She was always there for me as I had tough moments where I doubted myself and felt depressed. Day or night, she was there, getting on calls with me or emailing me. She even helped me build some of my work directly. I never would have expected that.
Additionally, she reviewed ALL the materials I built with my advisors, some essays multiple times. This was not meant to be included in my package.

Writing my applications in the toughest phase of my life brought out the best in me and also created a positive distraction which helped me cure my mental health. Kathryn and her team understood that I’d have some bad days. They were always understanding.

Kathryn allowed me to choose the best advisor from SOP's several awesome advisors. I decided to work with Rahul Kalita. This guy is amazing; he pushed me hard to ensure I did my best. My career narrative expert was Horatiu who just in one single call helped me begin to build strong MBA goals, which out me at ease. Lastly, Cristina ( a very charming lady) was my admin support who helped me stay on schedule. So with this team I moved forward and secured an admit to my dream school. Not only that; I got a handsome scholarship! with a handsome scholarship

It seems like a dream to me but Kathryn and her team became the messiah of my MBA journey. I Cannot thank them enough!

So if you are applying to a b-school just do a free session with Kathryn and trust that everything will follow in line. I did not know there was a team like this out there.

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I got exceptional application results with the Square One Prep (SOP) team. I applied to two schools (M7 and S16), got admitted to both and got a full scholarship from my dream school. Besides the results, the journey itself was transformative as well. The SOP team provided exceptional advice to strengthen my application, patiently guided me through every component and championed me to the finish line. Thanks to the SOP team’s work, I came out of the application more self-aware, communicating better and more confident, all of which are qualities that will benefit me in the long term.

It all started with the founder Kathryn and I cannot say enough how experienced and caring she is. I interviewed multiple MBA consultancies and many of them showed reluctance to take me as a client, given that I am an older applicant and came from a less-traditional background. But Kathryn believed in me from the beginning. She did warn me how competitive MBA admission can be, yet she believed that I have a good chance of getting admitted. This trusting partnership enabled me to be genuine, introspect and reveal myself in the application, which I believe was the key to my admission success.

In the middle of the application, my first advisor and I were not working well together, resulting in serious delays in my essay work. I asked for a chat with Kathryn and she quickly jumped on a call. She patiently listened to and fully understood my concerns and struggles. Within 2 days, Kathryn helped me find Lara, who became my trusting advisor.

Lara is very experienced in MBA admission, providing crucial advice to strengthen my application. Her attention to detail is exceptional. During our essay editing and LOR building sessions, she pointed out flaws in my drafts, big or small, with honest and actionable feedback. Sometimes we’d jump on a call to talk through the stories, trying to surface the deeper thoughts. In addition to the excellent advice for applications, Lara is also a life coach to me. She pushed me to think deeply on who I am and what I’m trying to accomplish with the MBA. All of the insights we discovered together were well presented in my application and the interview. I highly recommend working with her if you are also looking for a coach in your application journey!

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