Kathryn Lucas Reviews

I’ll start with the results: in at Kellogg, Anderson, and Booth. At Booth I got a FULL scholarship!

When I called Square One Prep in July, I didn’t know what my goals were or what schools were right for me. I truly was lost, outside of knowing that b-school was the right move for me. I never would have gotten the results I did without Square One. They were patient, encouraging and strikingly knowledgeable. They got to know me – my background, passions and skills. They discussed various career paths with me to gauge my interest and help me define my ambitions. I really was clueless about what I wanted to do. I knew I liked retail, even though I was in the payments industry. That's where my career conversation started with Square One. But within two weeks, after working with my consultant - the owner of the company - I had absolute clarity about my ambitions.

My advisor motivated me throughout the process. It wasn't easy for me, and i can't really explain why except that I felt like I wasn't coming from a glamorous enough industry and had already blown my chances due to my poor performance in college (I partied too much - went to more football games than classes). I thought I might not be cut out for the rigorous application process. Let me tell you: the process is tough. But Square One was amazing every step of the way. Beyond helping me define myself professionally, they helped me convey to the admissions committees who I am personally. I shared things in my essays that were so not what I would have shared if I had worked on my applications on my own. I also used a tone - sometimes humorous one - that I never would have thought appropriate for b-school applications. But with my advisor's guidance I made decisions I couldn't have made on my own that absolutely made a difference. I can’t thank you guys enough. The clarity I now have about my future, the fact that I am about to live a dream, I owe to you! I also just feel like I know myself better, which is wonderful!

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As soon as I decided that I needed an adviser, I spoke with several MBA admission

consultancies including a well-known industry leader, but none offered assessments as sincere and

honest as Square One’s. Once I committed to working with Square One, my adviser responded with

her commitment and the utmost personal assistance. At one point, we talked for 6 hours over the phone.

         My adviser highlighted many parts of my past experience and qualities which I originally deemed insignificant, and strengthened my profile many times over. She also gave me clear reasoning behind all advice she offered, demonstrating her expertise. Even when things took an unexpected chaotic turn when one of my recommends became difficult, my adviser not only

showed full understanding, but also helped me choose an alternative recommender and patiently

repeated the entire recommendation letter process from scratch.

         I cannot thank Square One enough for my acceptance into INSEAD, my first-choice program.

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I tried another MBA Admissions Company before working with Square One Prep. Square One Prep was more attentive to my needs, more available (the time difference was not a factor once), and more hands-on about ensuring I understood what admissions committees want and what I needed to do to make my applications as strong as possible. My consultant got to know me as a person. She went beyond my resume and who I am as a professional. In doing so, she was able to quickly direct me when it came time to select essays topics and then develop strong products. With her help, I know I stood out as unique. I cannot thank her enough for her assistance as I was rewarded with offers to London Business School and INSEAD. I don't believe this would have been possible without her services.

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I was talking with a friend at CBS about applying to the school and he said I HAD to call Square One. I called the next day and was over-the-moon impressed with the consultant I talked with Kathryn (she was actually the owner); I totally understood why my friend had been so emphatic. We began working together right away and I cannot imagine what I would have done without her help.

My consultant had a genuine interest in getting to know me and was equally invested in the process and my success. Her direct and no-nonsense style coupled with her McKinsey-like ability to brainstorm and help me think strategically about my background and goals helped me write essays that better and more authentically told my story. When I called, I had already written my essays and resume. By the end of my first call, I knew that I would be starting over. Instead of feeling defeated, I felt rejuvenated. I knew I'd made the right decision when I called her.

I only applied to Columbia and somewhat late in the rolling admission schedule. My consultant helped instill the confidence and direction that I needed and was just as thrilled as I was to hear that I was accepted to CBS a few weeks ago!

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"Going with Square One Prep was the one of the best decisions I've made. They were excellent. First, the owner remained in touch with me for more than a year to help me make sure I was making the right decision for myself as it regarded when to apply to business school and where to apply. Once I signed on with Square One, their focus on me remained razor sharp and sincere. My advisor was just as engaging and devoted to me as the owner. While writing my essays it was really amazing to see how my advisor reviewed them from a different perspective every time. Her persistence, creativity, and patience were the game changer in bringing my applications to a place that made them stand out at top tier programs, and led me to get a scholarship! Without Square One's help, I know I never would have gotten get admitted to Fuqua and Kenan-Flagler. Because I made such a good decision when I chose Square One, I was faced at the end with a tough decision - which school to attend!"

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"I initially heard about Square One Prep through a friend who highly recommended the hands-on and supportive approach applied by this organization. My decision to pursue an MBA was difficult; it took a lot of time to internally justify because of the financial and personal sacrifices involved.

Square One was extremely helpful throughout my decision-making process, which was more than year, and helped me understand the merits of obtaining an MBA in today’s ever-changing marketplace. The Company’s leadership from the top-down was superb and extremely informed about what will stand out in the eyes of MBA Admissions Committees. Once I started the process, my consultant made ample time to address my needs, while at the same time challenged me to put forth my best work. What particularly impressed me was that my consultant helped me think about the assigned essay prompts from angles I would not have considered on my own and that would make me to stand out.

I would highly recommend Square One to any of my peers. With their help, I procured a spot in the one program I applied to: Stern’s Spring Part-time MBA program. Because of them I am about to start a new phase in my life journey that I am confident will help me get to the next level in my career."

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I was three years out of an Ivy League undergrad, management consulting, 780 on the GMAT, and had put in two terrible applications, at GSB and SOM. I wasn't called by either. Next year, I applied early to only Sloan, taking Squareone's exceptional and reliable advice, and was admitted first round! Kathryn helped me reflect and identify new and more compelling stories to tell. More importantly for me, they ensured I kept on my toes and put in the best application I could, or I'd have been scrambling at the last minute like the last time. (Thank you so much for your patience and intelligence Kathryn!) I'm so glad I took their help!

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As an Ivy League English major and son of a professional editor, I have had occasion to work with many editors over the years, and I can say unequivocally that my consultant at Square One Prep was the best yet. In fact, she wasn't just an editor; she was a strategist.

She helped me with applications to five schools that in total required over 20 essays. Our essay topic calls were colorful and made me dig deep. Her comments and questions on my drafts, combined with her deep knowledge of the admissions process and the schools themselves, pushed me to hone my message until, in each case, I was clearly articulating what I wanted to do with my MBA studies, why I would be successful in b-school and, most importantly, why I was a perfect fit for each target institution. I learned that it is about a lot more than showing fit through my profession and goals. My consultant's attention to detail, pulse on what committees are seeking, and excellent writing skills were immensely helpful. In the end, with each school, I put together a collection of essays that captured who I was as a person and told a compelling, memorable story. As a happy camper who is heading to my dream school, Stern, next year, I would recommend Square One Prep’s services to anyone determined to succeed with the application process.

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  I came across Square One Prep when I was looking around for an admissions consultant to help me through the application process, which was a bit of a mystery to me given my background as a medical doctor. I had no idea how to compete against the thousands of applicants who were from top consulting and financial firms and were surrounded by b-school alumni in their firms to look to as mentors. After speaking with all the top admissions consulting firms out there, I decided on Square One Prep.
        
My consultant employed a systematic approach to help me with my applications, and that structure gave me confidence. She helped me identify my strengths and then bring them to life in my essays, resume, and letters of recommendation, which would otherwise have been vague. During the entire process my consultant was always available (even after midnight), gave great feedback and offered candor, which I really valued even though it led me to start some essays over from scratch. She also helped me create and sustain a pace, and with my hectic on-call schedule that was no easy task. I had a wonderful experience, and would have said that even if I'd not gotten into a program, as I learned so much about myself, something I didn't expect even though my consultant told me that would likely happen. I got into both Wharton and Fuqua, and couldn't be happier.
        
I HIGHLY recommend Square One Prep to anyone applying to business school, especially if you aren't from a typical consulting or business background.

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Square One Prep was pivotal to my success. With an EXTREMELY tight timeline, I was concerned that I'd missed the R1 window. I started with only two weeks to prepare applications for 4 schools - HBS, Stanford, Wharton and Booth. In hindsight, that was a big mistake. I had talked with several consultancies when I still had about 3 months to work on my apps. I couldn't decide who to move forward with (or if I saw the value in working with them) and then got busy with work. A few firms stayed in touch with me, one of them being Square One Prep. Something about the owner's correspondence with me struck a chord. I felt like she actually cared about my success and worried that I was letting the R1 window pass me by. I liked that she also told me she felt I may be underestimating what the process takes and sent me application schedules - customized for me - so I could see how timelines were tightening. Her correspondence was personal, whereas the other firms' emails to me felt like boiler plate text. That is why I decided to work with Square One. I worked with them on two schools - Stanford and Booth. I thought HBS and Wharton were so straight-forward I could do them on my own.
Truthfully, if time hadn't become such an issue I would have done all the schools on my own. Because I was from Singapore, went to an Ivy League undergrad school, had done well, and was excelling in a management job with a world-class company in Japan where I'd learned the language on the job, I really thought every business school would want me. I didn't have the strongest GMAT score, but I thought everything else would more than make up for that.
I butted heads with Square One a lot because I was stubborn and uncomfortable with being introspective. Many things they urged me to do, I wouldn't - whether it was about following the schedule they put together for me, using different recommenders than I did, choosing different essay topics for Stanford than I did, talking about some of my work experiences differently on my resume, etc. Each and every time, they rolled with the punches. They dealt with me not following the schedule (I took two days off one week in I was so tired by how taxing the process was), they helped me with my LORs when both of my recommenders failed to take the endeavor seriously (getting LORs came down to the wire), they helped me make my Stanford essay ideas work even though they felt I should have explored other ideas, and they accepted it when I wouldn't change resume wording per their advice. I wasn't an easy client in the written app. work. I became a dream client once we got to the interview stage because by then I had developed humility and perspective about the process. All stuff that Square One tried to give me from the first day they talked to me.
Because Square One provided the structure, consistent guidance, and ability to adapt to my ever-changing needs and demands, I will be joining Chicago Booth with a merit-scholarship in hand!
Square One Prep was a terrific investment to say the least! I could kick myself for not working with them on all my schools and for being so resistant to their guidance. But I'm a big believer in not having regrets. Plus, again. I'm going to Booth with a scholarship!

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