After a career of 7+ years. I decided to pursue an MBA on a whim, with only 4 months left to get a competitive GMAT score and submit a competitive application to a top MBA program. With no room for “what-ifs” and “maybes”, my friends suggested that I engage an MBA Admissions consultancy. Square One Prep was the clear choice after my free consultation with Kathryn because of her experience, warm personality and commitment to answering all questions without ever looking at the clock. After a few introductory calls, I picked Kathleen as my advisor to guide me through the process.

As my decision to pursue an MBA was made on a whim, the struggle to fully crystallize my long-term goals felt insurmountable. Fortunately, I had Wendy who set a very high bar and didn’t settle for a run-of-the-mill narrative template. My thought process and ideas were critiqued until I backed up every assumption with industry research and data. Eight drafts later, I not only had a strong logical career plan, but also improved awareness of myself and my target industry.

Such exacting requirements are Square One Prep’s trademark and were placed throughout the process, be it crafting the resume, shortlisting schools, or writing application essays. I’ll admit that there were times it felt disheartening to have my best drafts critiqued and sent back with comments. But Kathleen’s encouraging presence and commitment helped me persevere. Always available to talk, she even accommodated many last-minute requests, despite conflicts with her personal commitments and ensured that I stayed on schedule throughout the process.

And of course, everything occurred under the watchful gaze of Kathryn who never settled for even at-par and kept pushing until every deliverable met her exceptionally demanding standards. All in all, I can confidently say that without this grueling journey, I’d never have received admission offers from both INSEAD and HEC Paris.

Square One Prep is an onerous experience for sure. I However, if you desire to build outstanding applications and secure offers to top schools, while also growing as an individual, Square One Prep is a no-brainer. My only piece of advice: start early to make the most of Square One Prep’s amazing team!

Read More

I was referred to Kathryn and her team by a close friend who had a successful experience with their services, gaining admission to M7 schools. Working with my advisors—Noah, Horatiu, and Kelsey—truly elevated my candidacy. They went above and beyond to help me shape a compelling resume, essays, and career narrative that fully showcased my strengths. Their genuine investment in my success was evident in every aspect of the process. This thorough preparation paid off in my interviews, leading to admissions at both M7 schools I applied to, and a sizable scholarship at one. I couldn’t have achieved this without their guidance and highly recommend their services to anyone serious about pursuing an MBA!

Read More

The SOP advising experience is truly incredible. From school selection to school acceptances, the team is there every single step of the way. The expertise is unmatched (look at their results page), but the attention to detail and empathy that accompanies the advising is what makes the experience so special. Kathryn, Lara, and Wendy truly changed my life by helping me construct a career trajectory and ID my professional and personal values that I will carry with me long past completing my MBA. I could not recommend working with them enough - it is the best decision you will make for your MBA journey.

Read More

It's with great excitement that I write this long-awaited review for my admissions consultant team at Square One Prep. Having worked with around three consultants during my application process, I can confidently say that the team at Square One Prep is not only the best in the industry for application assistance, but also emotionally available during this crucial phase of your life. Their emotional support was a significant factor in making my application journey more manageable and less stressful.

From the very beginning, my team at Square One Prep (my cheerleader – Kathryn and my guru – Mary) was dedicated to helping me achieve my goal of getting into my dream school. They not only provided me with valuable insights and feedback on my essays and resume, but they also took the time to get to know me on a personal level. Their emotional support throughout the entire process was truly invaluable and made the stressful application journey much more bearable.

Anyone looking for a thorough process for their application journey (not just a process) should definitely choose Square One. From day 1, Kathryn's support was exceptional. She promptly replied to my email with genuine interest and patience. I must say, I contacted around 10 consultants who were not very encouraging about my profile. It's crucial that your consultants have faith in you at the beginning, as this translates into the review process.

Mary, my dedicated consultant and guru, was instrumental in my successful application process. Her involvement was so comprehensive that I can’t imagine navigating it without her. Despite my tendency to procrastinate, Mary's gentle encouragement and thoughtful guidance ensured that I thoroughly and comprehensively completed all of my applications. She was my guiding north star throughout, helping me secure multiple interview calls from my dream schools. Her support was invaluable in my acceptance to most of the schools I applied to, and now I'm in the process of deciding where to go.

I can confidently say that without Mary and Kathryn's guidance and encouragement, I would not have been accepted into my top schools. I am extremely grateful for their hard work and dedication, and I highly recommend Square One Prep to anyone in need of expert help with their applications.

Read More

Navigating the MBA application process was incredibly daunting for me, as it is for many people. With lackluster scores, I knew I had to excel in other parts of my application, so I sought out a consultant to guide me. That's when I found SOP, and I couldn't be happier with my decision.

My first introduction call with Kathryn blew me away. What was supposed to be a 30-minute call turned into over an hour of Kathryn genuinely getting to know me and my story. I had spoken with other companies before making my decision, but Kathryn made me feel most respected and heard. Her prompt responses were a lifesaver during such a stressful time.

After deciding to go with SOP, I worked very closely with Wilson, who is equally just as fantastic. Our efficiency together was unmatched, with turnaround times usually within 24 hours, compared to the 48 hours offered by other companies. Wilson helped me drill into the "so-what" and "why" behind my storytelling, which significantly strengthened my narrative—something I couldn't have achieved without his guidance.

Wilson doesn't settle for mediocrity. He constantly pushes the boundaries and challenges you to write something that is authentically you. Through this process, I found myself digging deeper into my experiences and aspirations, leading to essays that were not only well-written but also a true reflection of my journey and goals.

I also can't forget to mention Horatiu, who was incredibly helpful with my career narrative, and Kelsey, who ensured I received timely feedback on my essays. Their collective expertise and dedication were instrumental in shaping my application.

I make myself more clear how supportive the entire team at SOP was. When I was waitlisted at schools, every team member hopped on a call with me to talk through the process and develop a plan on how to convert—spoiler alert... It worked! Their collective dedication and expertise turned my waitlist status into acceptance, and for that, I am beyond thankful.

Thanks to SOP, my application was not only stronger but also authentically reflective of who I am. I wholeheartedly recommend SOP to anyone embarking on their MBA journey—they truly are your champions along the way!!

Read More

My team at Square One Prep did a phenomenal job helping me navigate the MBA admissions process.

From the very beginning, I felt like I was receiving personalized and detailed feedback tailored to my own profile. I really appreciate all the time my team took to understand my goals and my interests - from the initial intro call with Kathryn, to the SOP assessment call with my advisor Kelsey, to the career narrative brainstorming I did with Horatiu.

The SOP process might initially seem time consuming, but I promise it is 100% worth it. Thanks to the countless hours my team spent working with me, I was able to write unique and engaging essays that not only conveyed my career goals, but also showcased my personality and my interests.

I couldn’t have asked for a better advisor than Kelsey. For each school, we’d have a kick-off call to brainstorm ideas for the essays. These brainstorming sessions felt easy and productive, due to all the time we had spent introspecting into my goals and my formative experiences. Kelsey was also super responsive throughout the whole process and gave me essay feedback in a timely manner, which allowed me to iterate quickly and try out many essay ideas.

The help from the team didn’t stop after I submitted the applications. Kelsey and Kathryn were very helpful in preparing me for the interviews. Interview prep also helped me realize the value in the career narrative writing process that I did earlier with Horatiu – during the interviews, I was able to explain my career goals and justify my thought process with clarity and confidence.

I have to give Kelsey a special shout-out for helping me prep for the HBS interview, based on her own HBS admissions experience. We did multiple rigorous mock interviews, and she gave me endless tips on the types of questions to be prepared for. I’m happy to say that all my interviews went well and resulted in acceptances!

I’ve already recommended Square One Prep to my friends interested in pursuing an MBA, and I’ll continue to do so in the future!

Read More

Overall, Square One Prep’s approach to the application process is highly effective and helpful. They pace you through approachable steps, allowing your work to culminate into your strongest application and instilling earned confidence in pursuing your goals. The guidance and coaching of my Square One advisors enabled me to be my very best in applications, interviews, and interactions with schools.
Kathryn’s commitment to client success sets a dedicated tone that carries through the working relationship of the entire team. Amalia was an incredible advisor day in and day out. The application process requires you to dig deep and be authentic and Amalia not only supported me through those moments of self-discovery, but also kept me on track and motivated! Her intellect and precision made the most effective use of my time, something I value deeply as a full-time professional. I highly recommend her as an advisor. Additionally, Wendy and Kelsey K. played crucial roles in shaping my career vision into tangible, achievable business goals.
As a non-traditional applicant who was at first unsure of the right resources to leverage in applying to schools, I encourage future applicants to engage with Square One, knowing they will help in making your goals become reality.

Read More

I highly recommend Square One Prep as a resource for anyone applying to business school. My key goals during the application process were to remain true to and portray an authentic picture of myself in my applications. I communicated this upfront with Kathryn and was immediately impressed by her desire to help me achieve this goal. She answered all of my initial questions—even the most pressing ones—and was accessible throughout the process, including to hop on a call during the work day with less than an hour notice! Furthermore, my work with Kelsey W, Horatiu, and Kelsey K was essential to cultivating my authentic narrative and gaining the confidence necessary to succeed in writing essays and performing at interviews. Throughout the process, Kelsey W was and will continue to be a mentor who challenges me to perform my best!

I started the application process with little hope for admission—then I found Square One. I now move on from the business school application process with not only acceptances to all of my dream schools, but more importantly, a deeper understanding of self and clearer picture of what I’d like to do in the future. This is all thanks to the unparalleled commitment to excellence that all my advisors at Square One Prep demonstrated throughout my application process.

Read More

Certainly applying to business school is such an intense process. If I were in the same position starting my application process, I would blindly partner with Square1Prep again. You really need the right people by your side.

I knew that I had to work hard if I wanted to achieve my dream of getting accepted to a top MBA program. When I finally got the GMAT score I aimed for, I was only 2 months away of Round 2 deadlines. I didn't know if I was competitive enough or what strategy I needed in order to maximize my chances of acceptance and scholarship. Partnering with Square1Prep was the best decision I took. Kathryn and her team really know the application process and have a very structured and easy to follow planning tool that allowed me to have realistic expectations of which and how many schools to apply. I ended up with a very ambitious but realistic plan to apply to 8 schools. I managed to do it! Not only did I put a lot of effort but also the team at Square1Prep, and Kathryn specially, were really out of their way to help me achieve that goal with incredible results.

Apart from that, I would say that they also helped me grow personally. Self awareness is key in the application but it is not directly proportional with the time you invest in it. Depth and right guidance is crucial. I think that starting with Robin, my consultant, to Horatiu, my career narrative expert, to Kathryn and Kelsey as my Leadership team, all of them were instrumental in making me believe in myself, my story and my ambitions. Their guidance delivered with honesty and kindness was crucial to allow me to really understand how I had evolved over my lifetime and how that was important to who I am as a person and my potential. I stopped feeling that my lack of extracurriculars made me a bad candidate. Instead, I focused on making all those unique things about myself shine and ended up with the most personal and powerful application.

I will be forever grateful with Kathryn and her team for their kindness, honesty and efficiency. They made my application process as easy as possible (though it's very hard work), my application materials as impactful and competitive as they could get, and, finally, made me a more confident and self-aware person. Thanks team.

Read More

I had a very positive experience working with Square One Prep (SOP). I chose SOP because of how dedicated the team is. I interviewed 7 MBA / MA admissions consultancies and saw that SOP was the most dedicated to getting invested in all areas of my application upfront and early. A major highlight of the experience was working with Horatiu Stefan, SOP's "career narratives" coach. The career narrative process at SOP is important because it helps you determine 2-3 paths that you're uniquely positioned to follow in your career, and SOP helps you narrow down on a path that a) fits your personality / interests / mission and b) appeals to admissions offices (i.e., somewhat relevant to your past experiences and a promising probability of achieving / being successful). Outside of the career narrative process, my day-to-day consultant, Amalia della Paollera, spent hours with me, revamping my resume, crafting essays, and preparing for interviews. She got to know me on a personal level which was helpful in how she was able to get me to complete deadlines, stay true to myself, and balance being "human" and "professional" to admissions offices. She was dedicated to the SOP process and getting into every detail of my applications to maximize my chances of success. Ultimately, I was admitted to the Harvard Kennedy School on a full-ride scholarship, a huge accomplishment that wouldn't have been possible without the SOP team.

Read More