As an individual from a science background hoping to transition into the business world, a top MBA seemed the clear choice. What was perhaps less apparent was the route to entry. Indeed with CV's, multiple essays, recommendations and detailed written applications the process was daunting to say the least. Square One Prep, and Kathryn more specifically were truly invaluable in guiding through this process and achieving success.

Kathryn provided a rigorous, systematic approach to tackle the application. She truly got to know me as an individual - beyond the numbers, and in the process enabled me to find and express my voice throughout each and every essay. Further unlike many admissions consultants Kathryn genuinely cares for her clients, and was available day and night for advice and support!

With her help I achieved admission to my top choice business school and could not be more grateful. If your contemplating the use of Square One Prep, pull the trigger and go for it - I guarantee you won't regret it!

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I first contacted Square One Prep, and specifically its owner, Kathryn, on the recommendation of a friend. I was initially skeptical as the fees seemed high especially considering that I am an Indian applicant. But after my first discussion with her, I knew, if I had to hire an admission consultant, it would have to be her. There were consultants who tell you what to write in your applications based on what you think the Adcom wants to hear (the polar opposite of what Kathryn told me to do)! Kathryn asked me to dive deep and think about why I really want to do a MBA and tell my story based on being authentic, real. She carefully listened and analyzed my profile to provide me a path ahead for my apps that actually aligned with my passions for what is happening with the automation revolution in manufacturing. Before I talked with Kathryn I was going with the "strategy consulting" angle that other consultants had told to go with even though I couldn't really create ties to my background or excitement about the direction.

Kathryn was encouraging and positive throughout my application process. The process is stressful enough and there were times I was apprehensive about proceeding ahead. But she was always just a call or mail away to support me when required.

But even after all this, I wasn't actually successful in my first attempt in R1. But she kept my hopes up even after that. She kept guiding me on my apps for R2 and constantly checking up on me. She even offered to look at several schools essays for free because she knew I couldn't afford her, but wanted me to have the best shot. She spent hours on my work - for free. My efforts and her dedication to my efforts and me finally paid off and I got into one of my target schools!

Her moral encouragement during my initial failed attempts kept my spirits up and helped me focus in R2. She went above her role as a consultant and rather acted as a guide. She made this incredibly exhausting process worth it. had she not helped me, I would not be heading to McDonough in the fall.

I suggest anyone thinking of hiring a consultant to just set-up an initial call with Kathryn and then...I trust that will be enough for you to know that Square One is not like other companies. You will find making your decision to work with them easy.

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Coming into the business school application process, I was a bit overwhelmed. With so many fast moving and detailed components that come with this competitive process – shaping your personal story, selecting the right schools, highlighting your unique strengths on your resume, choosing and managing recommenders, writing original essays, keeping track of various deadlines, and more – I needed an experienced, objective and insightful guiding hand to keep me on track and help me be successful in this journey. Square One Prep (and specifically, Kathryn) was just what I needed.
We started out with an in-depth conversation, where Kathryn was really able to get to know me personally and professionally. By understanding what was important to me, what professional and community experiences I had, what my career goals were and what my strengths and weaknesses were, together we identified areas to stress throughout my application as well as areas to mitigate or explain further. Coming from a background in management consulting, which is not especially unique in the business school applicant pool, it was very important to identify how to standout and Kathryn helped me do just that.
Next, Kathryn helped me assess which schools would be the best fit for me based on my interests and helped pull together a very useful timeline that would allow me to take a methodological, step by step approach to the application process. Over the course of the next few months, Kathryn worked diligently with me to stick to our timeline, answer my questions and craft six applications that I felt confident submitting.
When it came time to start preparing for interviews, again, Kathryn was there for me. We conducted several mock interviews, where she prepared me for any questions that might come my way and gave me honest and direct feedback about the strength of my responses. This was truly invaluable in allowing me to feel confident going into the live interviews.
There were many times throughout the entire process where I thought I knew almost everything on my own about a specific component of the application, for example, what a good essay topic might be, but then Kathryn helped me to think outside of the box and push myself to come up with something even better. She was a sounding board I could rely on to bring out the best of myself in my applications.
The results of our work together, I believe, speak for themselves – I was admitted into three of my top choice business schools (Fuqua, Tuck, and Columbia). I would highly recommend Kathryn and the services of Square One Prep to anyone who is going through this process.

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I was initially very unsure if I wanted to hire a consultant to help me through the MBA process. I had a number of coworkers that were graduates of top MBA programs that offered to help when they could and I had heard mixed reviews on the value consultants actually add. I was skeptical if they would be worth the money.

I did a number of free consultations with many of the bigger admission consulting firms and Square One Prep was a clear stand out in my mind. From the first call with Kathryn I could tell she cared about her clients. She was very flexible in finding a time that worked with my crazy schedule and spoke with me for over an hour during our "30-minute" initial consultation. I appreciated her candid evaluation of my profile and how she identified weaknesses. I walked away from that call knowing what schools are seeking and feeling like an M7 school was well within my reach if I tackled the applications with Square One's help.

My Square One consultant was great. Kash worked hard to understand my story and by the end of working together I felt like we had become good friends, despite never actually meeting in person. Although it may seem minor, he was also able to offer much needed encouragement and motivation when I was feeling overwhelmed by the process. He helped me organize and present my story in a clear, compelling way that highlighted my strengths and what I would bring to the program. His help on my resume was invaluable. He was able to assist me in crafting bullets that clearly explained my impact to people who weren't at all familiar with the niche industry I work in. On the essays he helped me make sure each sentence made an impact and that I was not wasting precious space. Having Kathryn do reviews of the work was also extremely comforting. As a team, Kash and Kathryn made sure I was doing all I could to present myself sincerely and effectively.

Working with Square One Prep was wonderful and I have no regrets, despite initial hesitations about consultants in general. I ultimately got into one of my top choices, Haas, and I could not be more excited!

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I have to say Kathryn is a gifted admission consultant. I was a re-applicant and she was referred by a friend. I had talked to other admission consultants too but Kathryn was totally beyond my expectation since the very first call. She is very professional and intelligent but at the same time very caring and encouraging too, a combination hard to find, especially in an admission consultant. During the whole process, rather than being just an advisor, she became a stakeholder in my success and with her guidance I was able to secure a fellowship of $40K. In my opinion, her most outstanding professional attribute is her ability to consistently refine and super-efficient turnaround time. Moreover, her detailed and thorough mock interviews prepared me to walk into any admissions interview with complete confidence. I must say that investing in a partnership with Square One Prep was without any doubt one of the best decisions I ever made. Without any doubt, I would recommend Kathryn to all my friends.

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Square One Prep is simply the top admissions consulting firm in the business today. Originally referred by a former client of Square One Prep who was admitted to a top business school, I got to know Kathryn through multiple points of contact over hours of conversation that took place over years before I finally became a client. I am happy to say that throughout my interactions with Kathryn, I never once felt as if I was in the wrong hands given her truly limitless creative powers and unmatched attention to detail. At every stage in the process - narrative formation, resume preparation, essay crafting, and mock interviewing - I was completely blown away by the methodical approach she used to prepare me in the best possible way for success. All of our hard work paid off in the end, as I was admitted into multiple top-ranked schools as an unconventional, international applicant with more than a few blemishes on my profile, having ultimately accepted an offer at an M7 program. I would never have had the confidence to make it over the finish line without the coaching and mentoring of Kathryn, and will be forever grateful to her and Square One Prep for helping me achieve this major milestone objective in my life and career.

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Kathryn and her team were extremely helpful in setting up a framework for me to be successful in the MBA application process. As someone with a fairly generic profile, Square One worked with me to develop my story and create a resume and essays that allowed my strengths and accomplishments to shine and set me apart from other applicants. The team at Square One believed in me and pushed me to apply to schools I never thought I could get in to. There is a lot of ambiguity in the application process, but Square One’s deep knowledge of MBA admissions helped me feel confident in the work I was creating. Their help in school selection was paramount, as I was accepted in multiple top programs programs, including one with a scholarship!

I couldn’t imagine going through this process without Square One!

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Kathryn Lucas was incredibly helpful in guiding my through the process. From the beginning, she took the time to speak with me as well as provide several former clients as references so I could make sure that Square One was the right fit. I was familiar with the process and started my application in advance so I wasn't pressed for time. I thought I was ready for the process, but Kathryn was invaluable.

On our first call she listened and took detailed notes on my "story." This was incredibly helpful in the first step of crafting my resume and informed the rest of our conversations. While I thought my resume was in decent shape, Kathryn re-tooled it for business school applications (as opposed to job searches). I would not have thought to make several of the edits or include some of the activities / descriptions that she did.

For my essays, Kathryn helped me brainstorm and review numerous drafts. She was always quick to turnaround edits and point out what she thought didn't work. Her advice was always direct, honest, and usually correct (though it sometimes took me a while to come around!).

I needed Kathryn's help the most on strong letters of recommendation and the interview. Kathryn was able to strengthen the letters of recommendation just by changing a few key words and without changing the content. For my interview prep, she gave me question-by-question feedback after a mock interview. She took the time to do a second mini-mock interview and even commented on the difference her advice had made.

With Kathryn's help, I was able to get into my top choice! I would absolutely recommend Square One Prep. Knowing I had Kathryn throughout the process and could email her with any questions I had (down to asking what time acceptance emails would be sent!) was incredibly helpful.

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When I first began thinking about applying to business school, I felt completely overwhelmed and didn’t know where to start. Fortunately, a good friend had worked with Square One Prep the prior year with great results, and put me in touch.

Right away during our initial call, I could tell that Kathryn “got” me in that magical way you hope a consultant will. She understood my career progression and accomplishments of course, but she also understood the subtle qualities that make me unique as a professional and as a person. That’s the SOP difference—the ability to hone in on, fully embrace, and express what makes you special to an adcom. For those of us coming from overrepresented industries, that’s a game changer.

Working with a consultant should feel like a seamless partnership, and that’s exactly what I experienced with Kathryn. She spent countless hours with me brainstorming content and revising drafts together until we were both satisfied with the final version. She was available 24/7, even late at night or on the weekend, which was ideal (I have work days that regularly extend past midnight). Her responsiveness was incredible too, always replying within minutes regardless of the hour. 
Kathryn constantly challenged me to push harder and dig deeper, not just with my applications but also my career goals. I learned so much about myself through the process, and felt completely taken care of. For a grade-A overthinker like me, Kathryn was a lifesaver. 

With Kathryn’s guidance I was able to craft a clear and compelling narrative that expressed who I am. I will be heading to HBS in the fall, and fully recommend SOP!

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The help that I received from Square One Prep transformed my application from mediocre to great in just a matter of weeks. I thought I had it covered, but minutes into my initial phone evaluation, it was clear that my application was disjointed and I lacked a vision. Immediately, Kathryn, put together an action plan outlining the steps that I needed to take to strengthen my overall application.

We started with my resume. When I look back at what I was planning on submitting to my dream school, it’s embarrassing. Not only did I lack the specificity needed to demonstrate the impact I had throughout college and my career, even the format was horrendous. Kathryn was able to share a large quantity of successful resumes (with personal information removed) so that I could understand what business schools expect. After a few revisions, my resume was ready for primetime.

She then proceeded to review my letters of recommendation and gave incredible advice on how my recommenders could make them even better. This was really critical for me because one of my recommenders had never written one before. While my recommendations highlighted that I would be a great candidate, at times the language and examples were not specific or powerful enough. She gave concrete feedback on where the letters needed to be reworked so that admissions officers could attain a better picture of my potential.

With the essays, she gave me the hard feedback on when I lacked a clear vision, was not using my authentic voice or went too far and no longer seemed practical. She also questioned whether some ideas were right for the questions I was asked to answer. Her guidance helped me be true to myself while answering the exact questions from the school.

Lastly, the interview prep was so helpful! She gave me a list of 50+ questions to practice with. After our mock phone call she provided the critical feedback I needed to hear so that I could knock the real interview out of the park. She also gave tips on how to handle certain situations should they arise on interview day.

I highly recommend Square One Prep for anyone who wants to put forth their best application. Even if you think you are covered (like I did), I have no doubt that they would take your application to the next level. Without their help I would not have gotten into my dream school (Stanford!).

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