Strengths:

Personalized coaching with the support of an entire team, responsive, and experienced

Would make the product better:

NA

Square One Prep was the best decision regarding I made regarding my business school application! I originally thought I’d be able to tackle the application process myself, but I found out very quickly that the process is very nuanced and a even an outstanding applicant can thwart their chances by putting together a lackluster application. I had consultations with some of the biggest MBA consulting firms and independent consultants, but Square One stood out to me as the best fit, as I was getting the dedication of a single consultant, but my application was being supported by a team of experts. Allison was constantly by my side to push my best application forward, and Kelsey’s final reviews and comments helped me nail my essays and post-interview reflection. Kathryn was always in touch to answer any questions I had throughout the process. I couldn’t recommend Square One enough and I am happy to have been admitted to the two schools I applied to (Wharton and Harvard). I will be attending HBS in the fall! I couldn’t have done it without the team :)

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Strengths:

-

Would make the product better:

-

Working with Kathryn was the best investment I have ever made. I can say unequivocally that I would not have been admitted to Stanford GSB without her support, and she played a critical role in my other school admits to Wharton, MIT Sloan and Chicago Booth.

Kathryn is the very best in the business. Her knowledge of the MBA admissions process is second to none, and her advice was consistently sharp, thoughtful, and exactly what I needed at each stage of the journey. I came into the process with a long and complex personal background story, and Kathryn was exceptional at probing in exactly the right places, quickly identifying the details that mattered most, and helping me shape them into essays that were both authentic and MBA-appropriate.

In addition to her expertise, Kathryn was available day and night to help me navigate any issue, whether big or small. Her level of commitment was extraordinary. I would find it very hard to believe that the time Kathryn invests in supporting her clients is matched by any other MBA admissions firm. Throughout an intense process, she made me feel fully supported from start to finish.

The wider Square One Prep team also provided outstanding support throughout the process. The career coaching with Wendy was particularly fundamental to my successful admits and will also help me be intentional during the MBA experience itself. The support I received was comprehensive and highly personalized.

I recommend Kathryn and the Square One Prep team without reservation.

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I was recommended by a friend to work with Square One, and the experience working with them was fantastic and well-structured. From the initial call with Kathryn, Square One stood out to me as an organization that would be extremely forthcoming and honest with me, as well as being truly invested in my individual success if I were to work with them.

The team helped me develop a custom working plan that held me accountable to specific deadlines in their process, which was crucial as I decided to apply under a compressed timeline. My primary consultant was Lara -- I appreciated how direct she was and she really pushed me to be my best. During our brainstorming sessions, my ideas were often rough clay and she showed an incredible ability to help me turn them into a legitimate story. Most of all, I was a big fan of how human the process of working with Lara felt. She was very open about her own life and helped guide me through this introspective journey.

Horatiu and Pat were great contributors to my experience too, helping craft my career narrative story and ensuring I was running in-line with our schedule. Sincerely grateful to all of the individuals mentioned above for their help!

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I had a fantastic experience working with Square One Prep this past admission cycle. I was fairly uncertain at the beginning of the cycle that I was a good candidate for top MBA programs and whether I wanted to commit to the applications, but Kathryn and her team gave me the confidence and structure that ultimately led to receiving offers from all 8 schools I applied to, several of which with full tuition scholarships.

The process started off with a Career Narrative deep dive with Horatiu, which was an excellent way to reflect on what makes you unique as an applicant and how to emphasize that throughout your school essays. Horatiu was professional and insightful, all while consistently driving for deeper and deeper reasoning. By the end of the process, I had tremendous clarity on my motivations and future.

As I moved into individual school applications, Kelsey’s positive energy and consistent probing created a great, trusting environment that enabled me to produce high quality essays that embodied my career narrative and gave deep insight into who I am as a person. Kathryn, Pat, and Kelsey held me accountable to a good rate of progress where I never felt rushed but consistently had to work hard to meet deadlines for all 8 of my schools.

Lastly, I had a great interview prep experience prep with Kelsey. She gave a me a solid framework of preparation that focused heavily on introspection and conciseness, which was exactly what I needed to nail my HBS interview with confidence.

I’d love to work with this team all over again and couldn’t recommend them any more highly!

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Strengths:

white glove service for reasonable price!

Would make the product better:

n/a

Working with Square One Prep was easily one of the best decisions I made during the MBA application process. The process can be nuanced, daunting, and unforgiving, but my first conversation with Kathryn immediately put me at ease.

What stood out to me early on was how genuinely invested the team was in my success (beyond just the MBA application). It never felt transactional. I always had the sense that they truly cared not just about the outcome, but about helping me put forward something that actually reflected who I am.

Lara, in particular, made a huge difference. She was incredibly encouraging, but also wasn’t afraid to give me tough, honest feedback when I needed it. I spoke to many consulting firms, but I felt a natural click with this team from the start. Lara pushed me to be sharper, more introspective, and more precise in how I told my story.

The broader team kept me accountable and on track throughout. There’s a lot of ambiguity and second-guessing in this process, and they consistently cut through that noise. I always knew what I needed to be doing and why. I am so happy I went through this process with them!

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Strengths:

I enjoyed the collaborative nature of the work, having a team of people to rely on for different things rather than one single person.

Additionally, the dashboard thats built out supports not just the school I worked on, but the rest of the schools that I applied to individually greatly helping with my personal accountability.

Would make the product better:

n/a

I’ve been extremely pleased with Square One Prep’s service in the last half year. I was admitted to my dream program with scholarship as a result of months of collaborative work with Lara and the rest of the team.
What stood out most to me was their structured approach to the MBA application process and the ability to work with multiple members of the team throughout. A big part of the value was also accountability — I had an ambitious school list and am terrible at personal accountability. Realistically, I wouldn’t have been able to apply to all the schools I wanted to without Square One's structured timeline and team pushing me to reach my own goals. And that's before even getting to the quality of the work itself!

Lara, my primary counselor, really helped me dig deeper into my application profile, challenging me to reflect and think about my background and goals before going into essay work. The product of these work sessions are polished essays that feel authentic but still higher quality than what I would have submitted on my own. Throughout the process, I appreciated Lara’s ability to push my own thinking, her responsiveness, and her wonderful feedback on every part of my application.
The clarity in my own story and self-awareness around my goals that Square One helped me develop showed up not only in my essays, but also came through in my interviews and my overall confidence going into the MBA process.

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Square One Prep (SOP) was recommended to me by a friend from undergrad who is currently attending Wharton. As I decided on applying to MBAs rather late in the cycle (late July), I
decided on the spot to work with the founder Kathryn and her team after my free consultation with SOP, and I could not be happier with the results. While SOP's pricing is on the higher end, I feel it is justified by their personal attention to me and general attention to detail. The principal consultant I was paired with, David, is not only helpful but also accommodating on times to meet and speak despite his full-time work commitment. Meanwhile, Kathryn's input when I finalize
something has often offered a fresh perspective and therefore is valuable. I also really appreciated the SOP team's quick response time (less than 24 hours and usually much quicker
than that). With the structured approach from crafting my narrative, brainstorming application materials including essays, and managing my day-to-day to-do list, SOP did their best to enable me to present my best self and make the application low stress. Thanks to the SOP team's help, I was able to secure admission to two M7 programs, including my dream program (where I now attend). I would wholeheartedly recommend SOP to everyone (and in fact I have been - to a few friends who are
also pondering an MBA).

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Strengths:

- Detailed and structured planning
- Positive attitude
- Availability

Would make the product better:

NA

Square One has been instrumental in guiding my efforts to succeed in my MBA applications. My initial calls with other consultants had been demoralizing because their teams disregarded any chance of me getting into my dream programs because I did not fit their ideal candidate profiles
and so they kept asking me to only aim for lower tier schools. With SOP, the first thing I noticed was the care they took into understanding the needs and capabilities of the candidate. Kathryn spent much more than the 30 minutes intro call and was very reassuring and helped me believe in my own chances of getting into the programs that I really wanted to be a part of, as well as charting a plan of action for the schools I should target. I subsequently began work with my dedicated consulting team of Amalia, my main advisor. Kelsey, a partnership manager who helped me with scheduling my application efforts on seven schools, and Wendy, my career narrative expert. 
Amalia was an excellent advisor, continually providing me with immediate and pertinent feedback on my essays, application and any doubts I had throughout the process. She helped ensure that my personality came through in my work while suggesting ways I could improve its brevity. Together with Wendy, we first solidified my career pathway from a distant dream goal to one that gave me clarity on how to achieve said dream through concrete career moves. This
foundation not only helped with the direction my essays would take but also in being more picky with my schools to ones that would serve these goals well. Kelsey continually kept ensuring I was on track to finish all my applications which was an ordeal with 7 concurrent applications. 
I received admissions to both Haas, Yale SoM and Fuqua (with scholarship) and am thoroughly satisfied with this outcome. I would strongly recommend this team to anyone anxious about their MBA journey.

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Strengths:

Collin Brady was outstanding to work with throughout the Kellogg EMBA application process. He took the time to understand my professional background and goals, which meant his feedback wasn't generic — it was targeted and strategic. His essay editing was sharp; he pushed me to tighten my narrative and highlight the right experiences without over-polishing my voice out of the writing. He was equally strong on LOR guidance, helping my recommenders frame their letters in a way that reinforced my overall candidacy. Interview prep was thorough and gave me real confidence going in. Collin and Kathryn also kept the whole process organized and on schedule, which matters a lot when you're balancing a demanding full-time role.

Would make the product better:

Nothing. It was an extremely well managed experience and wouldn't have changed anything about it.

I worked with Collin Brady at Square One Prep for my Kellogg Executive MBA application and would recommend the experience without hesitation. Collin brought a strong combination of strategic thinking, detailed editing, and genuine investment in my candidacy. He helped me craft essays that felt authentic while clearly articulating my "why Kellogg" and "why now" story. Beyond essays, his guidance on letters of recommendation and interview preparation was equally valuable — he approached each element as part of a cohesive application strategy rather than treating them as isolated tasks. The process never felt stressful, which I credit to Collin's responsiveness and organization. For anyone considering an EMBA application alongside a full-time career, having a consultant who respects your time and pushes your thinking is invaluable. Square One Prep delivered exactly that.

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Strengths:

- Support from a well-structured team
- Specialists in career / personal / professional development
- Extremely relevant and responsive feedback
- Constant support throughout (even moments of "tough love" were much appreciated)

If you're reading this, you still have time. I met with a managing director at another consultancy (one of the big ones) and she told me I wasn't HSW material. Well, as a HBS class of 2028 admit, I have bad news for her...

SquareOnePrep believed in me, supported me, and turned me into the professional I am today. It's expensive, but it's absolutely worth every penny. Kathryn Lucas is the Nick Saban of MBA consulting, and if she's in your corner, you're winning a national championship. At first, I did have doubts, but I have no regrets. SquareOnePrep is world-class service with a world-class team.

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