Square One Prep Review

The business school application process was, without doubt, one of the most stressful and agonising periods of my life. But I’m sure that it would have been a hell of a lot worse and less successful without Kathryn’s help.

When I began researching application consultants, what made Square One stand out was the fact the “free, 30 minute consultation” that all of the consultancies offer lasted about an hour and a half with Kathryn. Unsurprisingly, I was deeply impressed by this level of dedication before I had even decided to commit to Square One.

Although the relationship I had with the consultant that I selected was disappointing, Kathryn was always available to talk to and was extremely quick to step in and offer to be my consultant when I shared my concerns (which led her to let go of that consultant). From then on it felt like I had a full time consultant who was always on call. With her help, I was able to complete all of the applications I wanted to. No mean feat, since I applied to seven schools and had just over a month to do them all, which was made even harder as it was over the festive period. One particular highlight (or lowlight, depending on your point of view) that summed up Kathryn’s commitment was working with her on Christmas Day on one of my applications.

As the interview stage came into view, there was little doubt that I was a truly awful interviewee who needed a whole lot of extra practice. Kathryn was not going to let me go into my interviews until I was truly ready. We must have spent a good 6-8 hours on the phone preparing for my various interviews, which, fortunately, had the desired effect and I came out of each of my interviews feeling confident that they had gone well.

Finally, when I had been put on the waitlist of a couple of schools and had given up virtually all hope, Kathryn refused to let me be defeated and helped me draft letters that finally led to me being offered a place at INSEAD.

In short, I have little doubt that I would not be starting an MBA at INSEAD this fall without Kathryn and Square One’s help. No matter what it took, Kathryn was always there to help. I can’t thank and recommend her enough