I cannot say enough about the Square One Prep team and the guidance they provided during what was a stressful application process. I was initially wary of working with a consultant on my application and thought I could do it on my own, however, after a recommendation from a friend, I decided to check SOP out. Kathryn was able to get on a call the same night the intro was made and spoke at length with me about my background and aspirations. It was clear from this first call she was trying to get to know me and honestly advise me on what made sense over just selling their services. From there, I had the option to choose to speak to any of the available consultants to see who I connected with most, which I found very helpful. I was also provided with an incredibly detailed 2-month plan for applying to the 4 schools I had in mind (all this over 3 days and before any payment was made).

Throughout the actual process, the team's level of engagement took me by surprise as they ensured I didn't miss a beat on any of the application work, despite my best efforts at procrastinating every step of the way. Most important to me was how invested the team was in helping craft a story and career narrative that was true to me. When they felt I was not fully engaged in the initial story I was building, they took extra time to take a step back and really help me self-reflect and get to the core of what I really wanted out of the MBA experience and in the years that followed.

I also want to give a special shout to Garry, my consultant, who was a pleasure to work with - from the multiple essay revisions to my countless questions to the interview guidance, I felt he was truly invested in my success as both a friend and mentor, and I really appreciate all the work and effort he put in for me during the process.

In the end, I got accepted to my top schools in HBS & Sloan, but can truly never imagine having been able to do so without the help of Kathryn, Garry and the SOP team. I'm thankful I chose to work with Square One and highly recommend it for anyone who is considering applying for an MBA.

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The SOP team’s guidance made my business school application process very smooth and gave me confidence at every turn.

Kathryn’s approach included a detailed calendar as well as regular check ins to ensure I was able to meet the tight timeline required.

I knew I was in good hands from the beginning when we began with a deep dive into my goals. The team probed into my past experiences and motivations and ultimately helped me craft a cohesive narrative that was the backbone of my application.

Lauren, my consultant, was incredibly prompt and her candid feedback on my essays was crucial to delivering a solid final product. Bailey, Wendy, and Kathryn each provided thoughtful advice in their respective areas of expertise. It was this full team approach the ensured I was in good hands.

I would recommend SOP to anyone!

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Working with SquareOne Prep was the best decision I made when it came to applying to business school. At first, I had my sights set on one particular school, but Kathryn and her team challenged me to research other schools which opened my eyes to other programs that were a better fit for me. One of my favorite parts of the process (although not at the time!) was developing my career narrative, where we literally spent a few weeks talking about what my different career paths could look like after graduating. Not only did this help me out during the application process, but it really helped me figure out what I was truly passionate about and why I wanted to get my MBA. Kathryn and my personal adviser, Yarden, helped me every step along the way and stuck with me even when me test scores came out much lower than we had originally hoped. I had an uphill battle applying to competitive schools with such low test scores, so we really made sure everything else on my application was flawless. Through the ups and downs of the MBA application process, I am truly thankful for all of SquareOne Prep's help and would not be in the position I am today had it not been for them.

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I chose SOP because it was highly recommended by a personal friend and former client. When I started, I didn't have a strong reason for getting an MBA. Through their introspective approach, they pushed me and challenged me to bring my application to life. The entire mindset of my application changed. I started out as a CPA with little direction or understanding of what set me apart from other applicants. I eventually understood my own personal "assets" and how I was going to get the attention of adcoms. With SOP's help, I was able to craft a rock solid narrative of how I was going to use my CPA experience to make an impact in the manufacturing/operations space. By the end, they helped me place the strongest version of myself in front of admissions committees. I'm glad I trusted my friend and SOP.

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As my current job is very demanding and requires travel in short notice, I was thinking to hire an admissions consultant to help with the notoriously daunting MBA application process in Round 1 2020. At first, I was very skeptical about engaging a consultant as I was told no one cares more about my application success than myself. However, my SOP experience proved it wrong as client-centricity and professionalism is manifested in every step of the firm’s service. I couldn’t have received the three M7 offers without the unreserved help from SOP team!

I started due diligence on 20+ consulting firms in July after finishing GMAT exam. SOP founder Kathryn is the first I spoke to. She not only assessed my profile with candid opinion, but also helped me reflect deeply. I was uncertain about my application readiness, but I felt confident and deeply committed to pursuing an MBA degree in a top school after the call. This confidence seeded by Kathryn is key to persevere the 5-month intense process. All the free consultations I had later with other firms did not match the bar she set.

I signed with SOP right after speaking with my consultant Iris Tian, an intelligent, thoughtful and patient lady. She agreed to keep open communication and promised to push me to my limits, the very things I needed from a consultant. I can say she more than delivered that promise as she turned out to understand me even more than myself at the end of the partnership. Despite 12/13-hour time zone difference, Iris is always available for me via email/WhatsApp/call and accommodates my ever-changing work and travel schedule. As I applied for 7 schools in Round 1, deadlines are approaching at around the same time, but Iris was able to deliver with consistently high standard of quality, sometimes even with several hours of notice and I feel sorry for that (e.g. I sent her a draft before going to bed in Asia time, and received her mark ups before I went to work the next day morning so that we can send to Kathryn for leadership review before finalizing to meet the application deadline in 2 days).

What also set SOP apart is that I got a whole team to support me throughout the challenging yet rewarding journey. Apart from Iris, Kathryn gives candida advice at all critical moments to help me make important decisions and controls quality of all key deliverables. Wendy, the career narrative consultant, weaves my broken thoughts into a compelling career story that I leveraged to convince every school I applied for. Bailey, Chief of Staff, not only arranged logistics in the most organized manner, but also promptly addressed my random application questions to give me peace of mind. It is the unparalleled teamwork that underpins my application success. I sincerely appreciate the partnership with SOP and would genuinely recommend it to anyone who is at square one with applying for his or her dream schools!

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I can't thank Kathryn and the team at Square One Prep enough for all their help and support. From finding which were the best schools for me, to crafting a plan on how to get the most out of school visits to ultimately brainstorming and creating a full MBA package, Kathryn was there every step of the way and I can't imagine going through the process without her help. The candid and thorough feedback I received throughout the process allowed me to create the best application possible. Kathryn worked tirelessly and was incredibly hands on as we created essays and letter of recommendation packages. Her commitment to helping me was boundless as she knew how much it meant to me to get into the right MBA program. She knew how to get the best out of me and highlight my strengths throughout the application. I owe so much to Kathryn and the Square One team!

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I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed my Square One experience. Before I started working with S1, I didn't think I had a realistic shot at any of the MBAs inside the top 25. Kathryn encouraged me to think and dream bigger, and ultimately convinced me that top 10 programs were well within reach. Kathryn and her team (a big thank you to Bailey for keeping me on track and Wendy for helping me with my career narrative) did an amazing job of working hand-in-hand with me to make sure I found a coach (Annie) that was a perfect fit for my background and admissions goals. Annie pushed me every day to craft essays and personal stories that helped me stand out during the admissions process, and made sure I was 110% prepared for my in-person interviews. Even if I had been rejected by all of my schools, the journey of thinking critically about my future and my career would have been well worth the investment. To end up getting accepted to Ross and Michigan SEAS with a $10k scholarship is more than I could have hoped for going into this process. To anyone who is doubting their chances of attending a competitive MBA program or unsure about working with S1, my success proves that the S1 team can make miracles happen!

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SOP's model of having a personal consultant and leadership team for quality check throughout the application process is extremely efficient and helpful. My consultant was really easy to talk to and would ont hesitate to tell me if my essay/idea wouldn't work. She did a great job of pushing me to self reflect to find my own voice and bring my essay to the next level. Kathryn and the rest of the team was also instrumental in keeping me on the right track. Their service is worth every penny. I would highly recommend SOP to any friends or co-worker looking for MBA application consultant.

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Picking the right consultant is tough, as there are more than a handful with great reviews and pretty similar offerings out there. I chose Square One after a long, candid conversation with the founder. I was impressed with their data-driven track record and Kathryn’s honest assessment of my potential but the need to dig deeper into my story. After choosing Square One, I enjoyed working closely with my advisor (Dan K) and the rest of the SOP team throughout the application process. They pushed me to really self-reflect, which was equal parts challenging and satisfying. I ended up only applying to three schools in Round 1 and landed a seat in Booth’s Class of 2022!

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I highly recommend SQ1. The truth is finding a good consultant is tough and can't be a very scientific process. Reason being - most people would only choose 1 consultant to partner (a sample of 1 is not representative) and a lot of times success or failure of mba application doesn't have a direct causation with the consultant you choose. But what i can tell you is - I did 14 free mba consulting calls and i am glad i partnered with SQ1. Folks at SQ1 genuinely care about their clients and the consultants here only work with 1-3 applicants at the same time.
I worked with Mike who was super patient and strategic in providing application tips, pushed me along this rough journey and applied his knowledge and rigor to lead your path.
You will find the career narrative to be super helpful as that's the starting point of your essays, the team will challenge you hard and help you to find something that makes sense and genuine.
Trust me you won't go wrong with choosing SQ1. Good luck with you application!!!

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