My experience with Sq1P was shaped by the fact that I was reapplying. Before I started to work with Sq1P team my aim was to apply to HBS and GSB only. Thanks to Sq1P I understood how complex and difficult the application process was and that in fact I didn’t realize this. I think that the most important recommendation I personally received from Sq1P was to reshape my list of targeted schools.

Sq1P team helped me to build my application, one piece after another. We started with detailed analysis of my career and personality which later helped us to create consistent application. Working with their team was a pleasure – they were very responsive, providing me their support for 24/7 and flexible as they always were ready to fit to my schedule.

Sq1P presents open communication. They simply tell you what they think, as they truly believe that’s the only way to help you craft outstanding application. This truth is not always easy and comfortable, but that’s the way it is. Sq1P will push you to think harder than you think but deliver results. After they helped me prepare my written application they spend enough time preparing me to my interview. I think around 90% of questions were repeated during my interview what proofs their knowledge and experience with recruitment processes to the most important MBA programs.

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My experience with SOP began with a free consultation with Kathryn, the founder. I assumed it would be brief and impersonal. I could not have been more wrong. Kathryn spoke with me for over an hour, taking time to discuss my background, my goals and potential application strategies. Her honesty was refreshing. She didn’t hesitate to point out potential weaknesses in my application, but was also quick to suggest strategies to mitigate those weaknesses. I found this honesty and expertise to be constant throughout the process, and present in all members of their firm.

SOP was a critical, invaluable resource to guiding me through the ENTIRE process. They helped me articulate a career narrative, create an impactful resume, craft high-quality essays, and navigate the letter of recommendation process. Wendy, my career narrative expert, sharpened my narrative by asking tough questions. Darcy, my day-to-day advisor, constantly challenged me to dig deeper and provided untold value to my essays. Bailey, SOP’s chief of staff, ensured the process was moving along on-schedule. All the while, Kathryn remains actively engaged in the process. Every step of the way.

I would have never gotten into Wharton without SOP. There is zero doubt in my mind. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience – including even learning some things about myself along the way. To Kathryn and the SOP team, navigating the MBA admissions cycle is not a job, it’s a passion. If you’re going to apply, you’d be crazy not to work with them.

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I was ambitious and only went for M7 schools in round 1 even though I did not have the strongest gmat score and did not have an exceptional undergraduate gpa. At the end of my first call with Kathryn I can say that I had transparency into exactly how Square One would help & more importantly I felt that she was personally invested in my success - I didn’t feel that way about the other consultants I spoke with.

I was fortunate to have partnered up with Matteo Rattighieri (my advisor) who was very supportive and knowledgeable. He was quick to respond to me, ensured that I met deadlines and gave me constructive/helpful feedback. He had a great way of strengthening the way I present myself in my resume and essays without overpowering my voice.

When I was not able to get accepted into an M7 school the Square One team encouraged me to keep applying and ensured me that I belonged at a top business school. They stayed with me as I gave round 2 another shot, helping to review my essays and Matteo would hold interview prep calls with me which were more challenging than the real interviews - this helped me be relaxed and confident. Round 2 ended up being a success - I got accepted to all of the schools that I applied to and was even offered a scholarship. I cannot thank Kathryn, Matteo, Wendy & Bailey enough- they helped me fulfill my dream of going to an Ivy League business school.

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It’s been an absolute pleasure working with Beth from Square One Prep (SOP). A few things that stood out to me were firstly, the wide variety of consultants they have on-board. I actually found someone who had similar work experience as mine which made our brainstorming that much easier. It’s difficult to communicate the joys of being a teacher to someone who hasn’t been one before!

Secondly, I like the structure that SOP provides to the application process. It’s well defined and personalized at the same time, this helped articulating my career goals and drafting my essays. Also, the way they reviewed every component of my application with multiple people reading it and giving their feedback was crucial because I sometimes needed that 3rd person's opinion. This process really helped me revamp my application and from one waitlist in R1, I went to a 100% admit rate to R2.

Thirdly, I absolutely loved how invested they were in my application journey. I would receive an email from every SOP person I had worked with for every interview admit and final admit that I would receive. It made me feel like they were celebrating my successes with me and it never hurts to have to have some cheerleaders!

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While I had a high-level idea of what my story would like, SOP’s unique value proposition is that the team knows exactly which parts of my story to highlight to send in a strong application. I remember how Wendy was on phone with me for hours till I nailed my career narrative. Being an engineer with an analytical bent, I have the habit of putting answers in the right boxes, but she and Kathryn forced me to think deeper and connect the different ends of my narrative together.

Thinking back to undergraduate applications, there were times then when I realized that I should have talked about an activity until it was too late or didn’t realize they were meaningful to include except they were. But for my MBA applications, Garry’s help in framing up my activities list at the start of the process was super helpful as it allowed me to take a step back, see this Excel sheet, and decide what I do want the admissions committee to know and what I can choose to ignore. This enabled me to build a resume that reflects my best achievements.

I was the happiest with how my essays turned out – truth be told, I am not a good storyteller. I remember being on long calls with Kathryn and Garry. I would get frustrated at times but I loved how Kathryn and Garry patiently helped me synthesize a good story that reflected my true self and experiences and how those could be connected to my MBA and post-MBA goals. Garry’s turnaround times on my essay helped me stay on track and maintain momentum.

Additionally, the SOP portal and Bailey’s quick responses, coordination with the team, and flexibility with schedule helped me be on top of application timelines. I ended up completing my HBS and Wharton applications 3 weeks before deadline!

I did talk to quite a few consultants before I started the process, but it was Kathryn’s straight talk, and belief in my story that led me to choose SOP. While I felt other consultants wanted to play it safe, Kathryn encouraged me to go with HBS and Wharton; and choose more schools later if need be. The confidence I got knowing there was an entire team pushing me - SOP’s team - was reassuring. If you are on the fence, not sure if you want a consultant or which one to choose, I encourage you to schedule a call with SOP and have an honest conversation with them. Those first few calls with Kathryn snow-balled into me being in a privileged quandary of choosing between Wharton and HBS.

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I have made some good and tough decisions during my application process but working with Square One Prep was the best one of all. Even though it might seem expensive for a Latin-American budget, after you team up with them, you realize that every penny you spend is more than worth it. I want to use this testimonial, to publicly thank Kathryn for including me in their Need-based Program and giving me the chance to work with a dream team: her, Bailey, Wendy and Garry.

At the beginning of my journey I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to work with an advisor, but after I had a free consultation call and spoke with Kathryn for an hour, I understood that if I wanted to have success and secure a place in one of the best programs of the world, I had to partner up with Square One Prep. On our talk, she gave me the confidence I needed and helped me realize all the hard work that I still had in front of me (I thought that the GMAT was the hardest part of the process, but sure it wasn’t). From the beginning she had high confidence in my chances and said that I should follow my dream of studying at both Stanford and Harvard.

I was lucky enough to partner up with Garry, who replied to my emails in hours, gave me the best possible advice, was hard with me when I wasn’t giving my best in any part of the process and even gave me feedback by listening to the responses of my TOEFL speaking questions. I have to say that picking Garry and partnering with him made the path easier for me, since he became the partner/mentor that I needed at my side during the process. I can’t thank Garry enough for being so supportive, patient and helpful. I also want to thank Wendy for all the hard work that she put into my career narrative and Bailey for always be there when I had any struggle with my process.

I will always be grateful to Kathryn and all the Square One Prep team for all the hard work that they put into my candidacy. I would highly recommend SOP to everyone and want to tell all the future applicants: don’t waste your time finding a better team to work with, because I’m sure that you are not going to find it. I am realizing my dream of attending Stanford and HKS thanks to Square One!!!

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I started researching about admission consultancy firms in July and arranged consultation calls with a couple of companies. SOP stood out with Kathryn’s personalised approach. She patiently listened to my rationales for a MBA and provided honest feedback. Kathryn was unlike the other firms who conducted the calls robotically. This was also why I eventually chose SOP over other firms. The personal touch made all the differences.



I decided to work with Beth (my day-to-day consultant) quickly after our initial introduction call. During the call, Beth was very energetic and positive. She just seemed to me to be a very likeable person and I had a good feeling about the idea of working with her. Her professional background in impact investing was also proven to be very helpful in helping me craft my MBA application given our similar interests in the field.



I applied to schools in both R1 and R2. Over those 8 plus months, Beth remained professional yet was always supportive. Not only did she provide me with many great ideas for my essays, more importantly, she was a great listener and supporter who could always give me the confidence I much needed as I navigated my application processes. She was easy to talk to and always challenged me to reflect on my stories and motivations such that we could craft a thoughtful application.



Guidance and comments from Kathryn and the Leadership team were also instrumental as they have read hundreds of applications and could always provide insightful guidance on how I could approach my applications. Also, as English is not my native language, Beth and SOP’s help in polishing my essays was extremely helpful.



Many thanks to Kathryn, Beth and the SOP team for making my MBA journey possible. When I first started my application, I didn’t know what to expect. SOP helped me to tackle my application strategically in an organised, efficient and well-informed manner. I was able to navigate the journey with full confidence and focus my energy in crafting the application.



I was concerned about the costs of hiring an admission consultant at first but eventually decided that the money would be worth it if I could gain that peace of mind for my application. And I eventually got a meaningful fellowship that is way more than sufficient to cover the consultancy fees I paid!

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Most of the reviews that you will read about Square One Prep will rave about the free consultation with Kathryn. There’s a reason for it. Kathryn is special. She is passionate about what she does and that reflects in the interest she takes in getting to actually “know” each applicant. When I began my application process, I believed I had decent stats and a good shot at the Top 10 B-schools. However, my consultations with the more well-known firms destroyed my confidence when each one of them asked me to lower my expectations. Kathryn was the only one who cared to look beyond my stats and spent 1.5 hours trying to fully appreciate my profile and my story. However, as admissions consulting is a significant investment, I spoke with 11 admissions consulting firms, watched several P&Q videos, and read hundreds of testimonials on GMAT Club, before confidently signing up for SOP.

Quite frankly, SOP has a no-nonsense business model. They will not lure you with attractive discounts and last-minute offers, will not compel you to sign up for a multi-school package right away at a special price, or charge you hidden fees. They have a transparent pricing policy and are slightly expensive than larger players who play of economies of scale to drive down prices (and perhaps the quality of advice). It was all worth it.

SOP gave me multiple options to choose an advisor (someone who will directly work with you on your applications). I chose to work with Kathleen who is undoubtedly one of the nicest persons you’ll ever meet. She gave me great advice on how to think about my stories and was super quick to respond to my queries over email or on the phone. She’ll never let you feel that you are alone in this journey and will give you the much-needed moral support at each stage of the process. She has a hands-off approach to consulting and will not spoon feed ideas. Instead, she will urge you to be original and reflect on your life stories. I preferred this approach as I had done significant research on the admissions process before signing up and I wanted my essays to be authentic - just fine-tuned with some expert guidance. However, if you require more hands-on guidance, I’m sure you’ll get that too. Also, the leadership team will review your essays and resume too before finalization, which helps to get additional perspective on your ideas/stories.

No matter which school(s) you choose to work on with SOP, getting your career narrative right is going to be critical. Here, Wendy provided valuable advice which helped me on ALL my applications (every B-school wants to know about your career goals either through an essay or during the interview). Another important aspect of developing your applications alongside a full-time job is to stay disciplined and adequately informed, Here, Bailey ensured that all my applications stayed on track and I had access to all the resources I needed to craft a solid application.

Overall, I had a great time working with Square One Prep and would highly recommend them to all prospective applicants. Thank you Kathryn, Kathleen, Wendy, and Bailey. I couldn't have done this without you.

I am sure you would have read several reviews like I did and will most likely forget the specifics. So, if there is one thing that I want you to take away from my experience, it is this: in admissions consulting, like in life, it helps to work with those who believe in you and the power of your dreams.

All the best!

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I had calls with over 5 different companies and 15 consultants, but Square One Prep seemed the most thorough and detail-oriented company and they did not disappoint! With a below-average GMAT I got admitted into Stanford GSB, MIT Sloan and Wharton!

What surprised me the most about Square One Prep is the detailed methodology developed by Kathryn over many years - bringing in several experts like Wendy, the career expert, Bailey, who sets the pace of the work, Ram Iyer, my consultant and, of course, Kathryn herself, to get to know me and craft a strong and genuine story, focusing on what is relevant for business schools and leaving out the rest. The result was an application which I loved.


I mainly worked with Ram Iyer, for over 4 months, we had long phone calls and email exchanges during that period almost on a daily basis. Ram Iyer's quick-witted mentality and empathy allowed him to get to know me much better than anyone else has ever done in such a short time span. Those initial conversations for the Square One Prep assessment proved extremely valuable later in the process.

Over these 4 months, Ram Iyer helped me define my story and refine relevant content for each application to put together a compelling application. On some essays we made over 20 revisions and collaborated to refine my ideas and maintain my voice in the essays. He also conducted mock interviews over the phone and gave me tips that made me more confident with a business mindset that interviewers are looking for. He prepped me before the Wharton and Sloan interviews giving me tips from his extensive business experience. I walked into the interviews confidently and obviously did well.

His writing skills are superb; he is very eloquent and is able to express complex ideas in simple language. He is a tireless worker, expeditious and efficient, even when working with tight schedules. Ram Iyer does not need to prepare to do something; due to his broad experience, he can quickly understand any situation, and give the best advice on how strengthen a weakness or put an idea into words.

Ram Iyer and the Square One Prep process and team were the key to my success. Thank you!

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I mean this from the bottom of my heart: I never would've gotten into Wharton without Square One. I started the MBA process pretty late into Round 2 as a young, non-traditional applicant (coming from education). I never thought I'd have a chance at a top MBA this year, but after speaking to multiple resources, I decided to take a shot. After conversations with a lot of different consultants, I opted to go with Kathryn and Square One due to her honesty and confidence in the application process.

I received guidance from the Square One team on every facet of the application process. My consultant, Iris Tian, was also a former teacher and is the most supportive and helpful person I could've possibly asked for. My career narrative expert, Wendy, was instrumental in helping me define my career narrative as a younger applicant. When I submitted my apps to my three schools, I genuinely believed I could not have put a better application forward. Ultimately, I interviewed at two of the schools and was accepted at Wharton with money. It feels like I'm dreaming, and I am so grateful for choosing Square One!

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