I was first introduced to Square One Prep by a friend that had a positive experience with Kathryn a few years ago and encouraged me to reach out. Initially I was a bit hesitant to engage an advisor for my MBA applications, however, after an enlightening intro call and a few follow up emails, I was convinced Kathryn and her team were the right choice for me. Their structured approach to building my profile and narrative paired with their profound knowledge of what is most important for the admissions departments of my target MBA programs helped ensure I highlighted the most impactful activities for each application. The SOP team was also always available to answer questions or advise on any topic, which really helped remove much of the anxiety of the application process. With their help I was accepted at my top choice program, even though I had a below average GPA and GMAT score. I can’t recommend them enough!

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I am technically a nontraditional applicant; I’ve been a nurse for 8+ years. I knew my competition for business school would be steep, but I knew that to give me the best odds hiring a consultancy was the best way to go.

In choosing which consultancy I took many free consultations. Each one ranged from 15-30 minutes, except one. That was with Kathryn at SquareOne Prep (SOP). During my initial call she listened with intent, she was transparent, but most of all, after hearing my story she told me she believed I could make the leap to business school. No other consultancy gave me this feeling and belief. Afterwards, she offered to take another call with me if I had anymore questions, but that initial call combined with SOP’s team-based approach wrapped up my decision.

Being nontraditional and not truly understanding all the avenues b-school would open up, SOP’s career narrative was integral to my entire application process. Luis was my career narrative advisor. He guided me through an intuitive and research heavy process that took time, but ultimately paid off. It gave me directions I ideally want my career to go. The goals he helped me establish were high but believable and also true to who I was. This process was as much about figuring out my goals as it was learning more about myself and what I want to accomplish in life.

Finding the right advisor to work with is an important part of choosing a consultancy. With SOP I was able to interview many advisors, all of whom had multiple years of experience working with prospective students. All of them were established in their careers and former b-school grads with high accomplishments pre and post b-school. The diversity of their trades and functions allowed me to find an advisor in an industry I am interested in, which aided my essay and resume development. I ended up choosing Collin, whose career is in an industry I want to end up in. His knowledge and experience in this industry helped during the career narrative piece, school selection, and also brainstorming sessions where we discussed my career in healthcare which he is very familiar with. He was transparent and efficient, and pushed me with each essay. I truly enjoyed working with Collin and highly recommend choosing him as your advisor.

What I think is most important when looking for a consultancy is looking for a team that pushes you to your limits and helps you reach your max. The team at SOP does just that and what they are incredible at doing is extracting the best of your abilities, stories, and insights and putting that into a cohesive story that turns out to be your application. You as a prospective student have the history and have done the work in the past, but SOP will help you realize the significance, the importance, and the potential of your past and make it work for your future.

Choosing a consultancy is an investment in yourself and your future. Choose a team that is as invested in your future as you are. For me SOP was that team and with their knowledge, resources, and skills I received an admit to a top 15 school! The work I did with them in 2021 has put me on a path that will forever change my life.

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I interviewed 7 different consultants as I was preparing for the business school process. The majority of them weren’t interested in getting to know me or my background – they wanted to fit me into a box (GPA, GMAT, career, etc.) and were quick to make judgments on my chances at certain schools. Kathryn, on the other hand, was eager to get to know me beyond my quantitative stats. Throughout the process, Kathryn, Lara, and the rest of the S1 team provided constant support and feedback to make sure that I was putting my best foot forward. I was fortunate to get into two excellent schools and am confident I wouldn’t be in this position without them!

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My MBA application journey is a bit longer than most applicants since I applied two seasons, and I’d confidently say partner with Square One is one of the best decisions I’ve made for my journey. I would not be able to have the outcome had I not partnered with Square One: getting into my dream schools and being awarded top dollar scholarships.

It all started in December 2020, when I rushed in looking for help with my Fall 2021 R2 application last minute, and that’s about 28 days to most of the schools’ deadlines. At the time, I reached out to all the top reviewed application consultants on GMATClub, given the time I had at the time, some took a very long time (over a week) to set me up for an initial consultation or simply told me we were out of time after 15min conversation, let alone telling me I was not good enough for the school I want to go or say it’s not feasible to apply R2. That was not the case with Square One! The founder Kathryn responded to me within a very short period of time after I sent in the consultation request and got on the phone with me the next day to talk about my profile and schools. We spent over an hour on the phone to make sure I’m clear of the service I’m paying for and comfortable with the partnership moving forward. In addition, given my tight deadlines, without I have commit anything with Square One, she set up calls for me with 3 of her top available consultants so I can evaluate who I’d like to work with day-to-day, along with built visual timelines for me on the schools we talked about. This initial experience made a solid foundation of our partnership and consistently carried through my entire experience with Square One: well organized, willing to listen, tailored experience, candid and transparent feedback, timely response, and positive outcome. And just to add one more: my day-to-day advisor Jeannice Tse is AWESOME!

As I mentioned, my first application season was the Fall 2021 R2 application, and with the help from Jeannice, Kathryn and Wendy, we quickly laid the foundation of my story and career plan for me and started writing essays, and typically the edit comes back quickly yet candid. I knew I was not their only client, but they always made me feel that I was their priority: I was very happily surprised with how quickly they got back, but I would say it was a lot of work and I sometimes wonder if the three ladies I mentioned above ever sleep given how early/late I get edits back and how dedicated they were to just my application package alone. That said, there were times I got stuck and cannot produce work to pass to their standard and felt that they were too hard on me given my tight timeline, but that’s why I hired them to start with which is to produce time-sensitive great quality application package. Quickly after submitting my applications, I got invited to 4 out of the 5 schools I applied for an interview. Unfortunately, due to the COVID triggered MBA application surge which created a more competitive application environment, I was waitlisted but not admitted to the school I wanted to go to (I was also furloughed at the time with a low undergrad GPA as a background). And you may know Square One publish their stats, so I was one of the rejects from that year, but the story didn’t just end there.

After the rejection, I felt stuck, but Jeannice and Kathryn reached out and said they believed in me as a candidate and the quality of my package, we just need to give one more try. Not only that, Kathryn offered Pro Bono for Fall 2022 applications for all schools. That said a lot about a company and the person I worked with. With their help and more time on hand than last year, we quickly identified a game plan for the R1 application and started putting together packages. We did not disappoint this time: I finally got multiple offers (some with scholarships) into the dream schools I wanted to go to! I was so thrilled, and the team cheered me for the success!

While I reflect MBA application journey and celebrate my success, I thank Kathryn, Jeannice, and Wendy for always believing in me and being supportive every step of the way, and trying their best to always put me as a priority. I’m glad, I ran into Square One, and confident my story and experience wouldn’t be alone. Choose Square One, you are already one step ahead in your MBA application!

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Square One Prep was so critical for my MBA application. Even before I hired them, they were generous enough to meet with me and discuss a plan for my application. They even stayed in touch with me for over a year to check in and see how I was doing with my career and test prep. Once I hired them, they were able to help me build the strongest application possible. Because I worked full time, they worked with me at night and on the weekend. Through support from my advisor, Collin, and Kathryn, I created an application that was well thought out to the very last detail. Even work that I did not think was that important at the time turned out to be extremely valuable at a later time. They were also able to help me think through the path that I wanted to take after my mba - I had a good idea of the direction I wanted to take but they helped me take that a step further by having me plan out a year by year career pathway which was very important in telling admissions committees my story. They guided me through everything - including resume building, career narrative development, interview preparation, and everything else in the application process. I honestly believe that I would not have gotten into my top 2 choices of mba programs without Square One Prep.

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Working with Square One Prep made the difference in submitting my best applications. My search for my MBA school started over a year ago with minimal background knowledge of what was involved during the application process when I first called Kathryn for a free consultation. At this point, I was unsure exactly what I wanted to do, but I figured at least SOP could point me in the right direction. Kathryn did just that and continued to follow up with me throughout the following months to check how I progressed. This started a great relationship, and I could already feel how much she wanted to help me succeed.

I struggled through multiple GMAT attempts and continued to focus solely on the GMAT to achieve the score I felt was possible. I thought I could not reach my goals without a high GMAT. This began to set me back, and I ended up missing a whole year of round applications. After debating whether or not to pay for a consultant, I decided to reach back out to Kathryn to let her know I needed help and wanted to team up with SOP.

This was by far the best decision of my application process. Instantly, Kathryn and her team had me progressing on my applications and developing a plan of exactly how I wanted my career path to advance with an MBA and what schools I should be interested in. They never made me feel like my dreams were not possible with a lower-end GMAT score. If it wasn’t for their complete knowledge on what it takes to get into the top MBA programs and resources to use, I could say that I may still be focused on my GMAT score and missing another year of applications.

The multiple levels of review with the SOP team were personalized, and the continuous collaboration led my final applications to perfection. I was amazed by the work I was submitting. They got me to really think introspectively, to discover my true career narrative. Although the process of applications can be overwhelming at times, I felt like I was on top of my applications with the outlined schedule and multiple steps along the way. There is absolutely no way I would have pulled off all that I did without SOP’s team. Working with SOP is totally worth it, and I would do it again 100 times out of 100. I already miss working with all who were involved in my applications.

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I wouldn't have gotten to Chicago Booth without Square One Prep. I'm a Brazilian student from an alternative background - nonprofits and startups - and an average GMAT (710). This led me to doubt myself regarding even applying for an MBA. However, Kathryn made me trust myself since our very first call. She paired me up with Darcy, who was rigorous and kind throughout the whole process. Darcy replied quickly to my emails and WhatsApp messages, was available even on Sundays, and gave me specific and challenging feedback on every piece of writing of the application. Her obsession for clarity pushed me to improve constantly on the story I wanted to tell. Her emotional intelligence was key when I was tired and feeling down. If you are having doubts about their services, don't. I guarantee it's worth your money.

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I am really happy with the process and results SOP offered. Now that I am already admitted into CBS, I can assure you that every service SOP offers is exactly the way they describe it and the execution is very methodical. I strongly recommend going into their webpage and checking the “process” chart since it is very accurate.

At the very beginning of the process, what attracted me to SOP was that they gave me the chance to have three free consultations (two with Kathryn and one with my future advisor Allison), something other firms didn’t agree to do. I already knew that I wanted to apply to HBS, GSB and CBS, and Kathryn gave me a thorough explanation of my strengths and weaknesses and described the areas I could improve to be able to get into those schools. During the first consultation, I told Kathryn I had a weak GMAT score and she honestly told me she couldn’t work with me if I only wanted to apply to those three schools. This surprised me and told me A LOT about the firm since she could have easily said yes knowing I didn’t have too many chances of success. So, after I retook the exam and got a better score, we agreed to start working together on my MBA application.

During the process I worked most of the time with my advisor Allison Nelson. What I liked about her was that she was completely to the point – no bs, no false expectations, always honest and succinct in her answers. She pushed me to write some of the best essays I ever wrote, prompting me to think about my past experiences and helping me build a strong story. She always reminded me to send the drafts back to her and kept me on track every time I was falling behind schedule. Something that caught me off guard during the process was the work I did with Luis Bellon. Luis is a master storyteller and made me think the most how I wanted to present and pitch my story. I struggled during this process because it pushed my confidence boundaries and I ended up taking more time that I was comfortable with taking.

Overall, I have to thank the three of them for giving me advice and emotional support in every single step. I recommend SOP to anyone who wants to apply to business school.

PD: I selected the three-school premium package

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I had a very pleasant experience working with the team at Square One and would highly recommend the team’s services to anyone interested in applying to business school. I first heard about Square One through my cousin, who had a very positive and extremely successful experience working closely with Kathryn and the team. Having not been too familiar with the landscape of business school advisors and their respective styles initially, I was really impressed by Square One’s highly tailored, thoughtful and organized approach, which was very apparent from my initial conversations with Kathryn.

Once I decided to proceed with applying to business schools, Kathryn surrounded me with a supportive, reliable and tight-knit team that was committed to helping me craft my personal narrative. I was specifically fortunate enough to work with Wendy, my career coach, and Ale, my direct advisor. Along with Kathryn, Wendy and Ale were instrumental in helping me articulate my story to date as well as my near and longer-term visions. Throughout the application process, they were all focused on allowing me to preserve my own voice and personal interests, while simultaneously optimizing my profile as a candidate. In order to do so, they spent a lot of time getting to know me as not only an applicant, but also as a person, which I found to be very unique. In addition, they were extremely attentive to my needs and questions, maintaining almost daily dialogue with me via the phone and emails. Ultimately, I was able to leverage their experience and insights to develop a genuinely compelling application that afforded me the opportunity to interview with and get into top programs such as Wharton.

I am delighted with the results of my work with Kathryn, Wendy, Ale, and the rest of the team at Square One, and would emphatically recommend their services to anyone looking to partner with an MBA admissions consultant!

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As a re-applicant, I was tentative about going through the admissions cycle again, especially since I wasn't clear about what went wrong the first time. I was also conscious of making similar mistakes compared to my first set of applications. This was when a friend referred me to Kathryn and I had my first introductory call with her.

From the outset, Kathryn did a great job of studying my previous application packages and pinpointing areas of weakness I hadn't seen before. She is honest and blunt, without sugar-coating her feedback in any way for the sake of 'winning over' an applicant, which I really appreciated and felt a lot of other admissions consultants do not explicitly do. It also helped me build a strong trust equation with her and the team. Her open and objective approach to diagnosing problems, and providing actionable feedback also convinced me that SOP was the right partner for me as I went into the 2022 admissions cycle.

Since Day 1, the Square One team has been absolutely fantastic in terms of walking through the basics of what is a long and grueling marathon. The challenge for me felt more daunting as I was a reapplicant with a largely similar profile to the previous year, which required me to tell a more nuanced story than last time. Kathryn, Wendy, and my SOP advisor, Garry, were immense in helping me through that as well as much more. The Career Narrative is an approach unique to SOP and was hugely valuable to me as it forced me to introspect more deeply about my goals and reasons for pursuing Business School, adding a strong sense of uniformity and cohesion to all of my materials across multiple schools, which is key when building a compelling narrative. Wendy also does a great job in terms of cross-questioning your research and thought process, forcing you to iterate multiple times until you have a vision you can be proud of and talk about in great depth during interviews.

My SOP advisor, Garry, was also a constant source of calm and support throughout the entire process. Often I found myself worried about impending deadlines and work still being done on each of the essays, but Garry's patience and clarity always helped keep things on track and helped me reach the finishing line with minimum fuss. His experience of working with a number of candidates with a similar background to mine also helped tease out the unique aspects of my own candidacy and position them in a more nuanced yet explicit manner compared to my previous applications, adding a whole new dimension to my materials. He constantly pushed me to dig deeper and was constantly available (even at odd hours!), whenever I needed to clarify any questions.

Overall, I would wholeheartedly recommend Square One Prep to anyone looking to apply to a top MBA program. Without them, I wouldn't have received offers from multiple top schools. Their structured approach (shout out to Allison as well!) and deep expertise will never allow you to feel overwhelmed by the process, while their patient and warm approach will make you feel like you're navigating this journey with a friend.

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