From the moment I got on the phone for an introductory call with Kathryn, I could see that Square One had a process that worked. There were clear steps that the team walked me through that pushed me to get to the bottom of my career aspirations and motivations for business school, resulting in an application that was far more genuine and credible than what I could have put together through independent self-reflection. My advisor, Amalia, was always willing to jump on a call to talk through countless iterations of essays and asked me questions that caused me to think deeply about how I wanted to present myself as a candidate. I am thrilled to be heading to HBS for the MS/MBA dual degree program in Biotechnology: Life Sciences and could not have done it without the support of this team!

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T-15 admit posting my honest thoughts about working with Square One. I didn't have a lot of guidance while making the decision to hire or not hire an admission consultant, so hopefully this will help someone else make that decision.

Initially, I was hesitant to hire a consultancy - mostly out of pride that I could do it all just as well myself (false). I ultimately made the decision based on where I was at that point in my life: I had lots of other heavy time commitments and wanted a coach to help me through it. The biggest thing that hit me right off the bat was just how unprepared I was to submit high-quality apps quickly. Obviously, any consultant would want you to think that, but when I really took a hard look at the timing for submitting to all the schools on my list I knew they were right about that.

Looking back, I’m very glad I hired Square One. Not only did Square One help me submit the strongest applications possible, they also helped me clarify and refine my career goals to the point where I felt 100% comfortable detailing my career goals and reasons behind them during interviews. In short, Square One was an invaluable strategic and logistical asset during my application process. Kathryn was an awesome motivator and usually responded within 15 minutes to any questions of mine (of which I had a lot). Mike, my advisor, was an amazing guide and I loved working closely with him throughout. I’m pleased to be heading to a T15 this fall and I know Square One was an important factor in helping me get there.

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As somehow who was balancing a lot of work in a short amount of time leading up to business school applications, I truly believe that Square One Prep was the perfect choice to keep me on schedule and push me to submit my best application. Their team-based approach was very unique compared to the 10+ other services that I spoke with and is what ultimately led to my decision to chose Square One. They have experts on every aspect of the application (resume, career narrative, essays) and provide / update a detailed timeline as you begin to work through your deliverables. They will also hold you accountable to hit your deadlines which is exactly the push I needed given my busy schedule. Colin, who was my day-to-day advisor, was available to hop on the phone with me whenever I had questions or was struggling to come up with ideas. Kathryn was also very involved in the entire process, providing her detailed thoughts on every aspect of my application.

All in all, I have nothing but good things to say about Square One and truly believe they were an instrumental part of me getting accepted to Columbia. My biggest advice for any applicants who are considering, or have already chosen to work with, Square One is to trust the process. Especially during the times when you feel you may feel overwhelmed, just know that their biggest priority is making sure that you submit your best application and will do everything they can to get you there.

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Throughout my application process to graduation, the Square One Prep (SOP) team was an amazing and indispensable resource. If it hadn't been for their help and guidance, I'm certain that I would not have achieved the same application results. Specifically, Matteo Rattighieri was my advisor. He provided relevant, constructive input on all aspects of my application, from resume and essay composition to interview preparation and even waitlist strategy execution. He demonstrated outstanding attention to detail and helped me devise a personalized strategy that emphasized my application's strengths while minimizing its weaknesses.

Overall, by working with Matteo, Kathryn, and other SOP team-members, I felt fully supported throughout the application, especially as a candidate applying to multiple schools with rather tight, back-to-back deadlines. The SOP team-members were incredibly responsive and took my own application with as much dedication as they would their own. If you are applying to competitive programs, I highly recommend forming a partnership with the SOP team!

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I purchased a two school package for HBS and Stanford, plus used SOP's feedback on those schools to guide my other applications. I also purchased a few extra hours for my MIT pre-interview essays.

SOP made me feel taken care of from project planning to finalizing my HBS post-interview essay last week. Not only did I get consistent, timely feedback from Lee, my advisor, but I also received specific feedback on my story/narrative from the specialized career narrative advisor Wendy and additional essay reviews from the founder Kathryn.

For each essay, you first work through iterations with your advisor and then you go through 1-2 additional reviews with Leadership. Although Lee was great to work with, I loved how I didn't rely on just one person to give me feedback/advice. Having your essays go through 2-3 reviewers ensures that the message is being presented clearly. And don't expect the second essay review by Leadership to be light touch! I had to revamp my entire first essay after Leadership demolished it. Not a fun or quick process, but I was confident knowing that the resulting essays were fully validated.

If you're struggling to choose between different admissions consultants (just as I was before I applied), ask how many hours they provide as a part of their package. Square One is the only service that I saw so openly share the estimated hours they will spend for you. Once I asked some other consultants who had lower prices for packages, I quickly realized SOP was the best value and worth the extra price.

One last point: Lee, Kathryn and the other advisors don't sugarcoat feedback. At first it can feel a bit jarring, but you realize quite quickly that this is the best way to get the results that you're aiming for. They pushed me to submit better content, and that helped me get interviews/offers at a number of my top schools.

Even though I didn't get an interview at Stanford, I honestly believe the only reason I'm waiting on my interview results from HBS is because of working with SOP. If you're looking to make yourself as competitive an applicant as possible, SOP is a great choice!

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I'll start with results - with good work experience, decent academics, great GMAT score, and non-existent extracurriculars, I was denied from 2 of HSW, waitlisted at 1 T10, and admitted to 1 M7, where I'll be matriculating in the fall!

I talked to 5 consultants on intro calls before picking SOP, and as many have noted, Kathryn blows them all out of the water. She spent over an hour with me assuaging my concerns, helping me pull out of a spiral with all that goes into the MBA process, and gave candid feedback that I was taking a high risk approach, but not one that was impossible to achieve (which looks prescient given my results!)

The consultant selection process was somewhat frustrating for me, so I'll try to save you some time - the massive advisors were pretty clearly not as invested in my success after putting the deposit down, while the small advisors seemed pretty disorganized. I narrowed to the more mid-sized providers of Veritas, Fortuna, and Square One Prep, but the differentiator for me was the specificity of SOP on how much time they will spend with you – and I think they actually may have underestimated that amount of time. This was never self-driven either – if an essay or career narrative wasn’t complete, we set up another call or another review. Lara, my day-to-day advisor, pushed me where I needed more help (essays and career narrative), while not wasting time where I was already relatively well prepared (resume and interview). She was equal parts taskmaster and champion, which made getting to the end of a difficult essay particularly rewarding.

Other Pros:
• Access to Founder – Kathryn read every essay I sent through to SOP and participated on every career narrative call. I’m honestly not sure how she finds the time
• Organization – Bailey really kept me on track and scheduled, which for someone that also has a busy work life was vital for staying focused. She actually created a proposed schedule for me while I was still deciding what consultant to go with as well

Cons:
• Costs – SOP is just more expensive than some of the other options out there. I personally think they do more with you relative to other consultants and make it worth it, but that’s a personal choice I was okay with.
• Career Narrative – I was encouraged to look at traditional post-MBA roles for my career narrative given my background. It’s impossible to know without the counterfactual, but I think I may have been more successful at getting an interview for some of my target schools if I had adjusted my career narrative toward something that would have more real-world impact, particularly for Stanford.

Overall, would definitely use SOP again, and have already sent a few friends their way!

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I’m so happy I heard about square one prep from a friend! Hiring them was one of the best decisions. Coming into the process I had only a vague idea about why I wanted to go to business school and wouldn’t have been able to answer any application questions. They helped me sharpen my vision and pushed me to think about things that I otherwise wouldn’t have. My advisor, Lindsay, was fantastic and supportive throughout the whole process. She went back and forth with me so many times about my essays. Kathryn, the founder, would then edit and approve them before I submitted. Their comments were so helpful and I appreciated that they were willing to look at essays multiple times if they felt they weren’t ready. It never felt like they were just checking boxes. I knew they were truly invested in my success. I ended up being accepted to my top choice!

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I used SOP premium service to maximize the chances to enter into a top 10 MBA program. The situation was challenging as I was a R2 to R3 applicant, extremely busy (as a strategy consultant in the Middle East) with no much time to prepare, no GMAT score (yet), and, overall, the timeframe to succeed was extremely tight.

First, I had the chance to have several long inspiring and insightful chats directly with the company CEO, Kathryn, which literally opened my eyes on my strengths and weaknesses.

Second, I had the option to choose as a personal advisor Ram, a venture capitalist, who was 100% aligned to my career aspirations, and provided me constant feedback on my work.

I can say with no doubt that SOP services are priceless and a true personal and professional growth experience - even if you don't get your desired admission, the learning that you get in storytelling and persuasion is really top notch.

Long story short, thanks to process (and also psychological) support of Kathryn and Ram, I managed to get admitted to my #1 choice (top 4-5 MBA program globally) and I can say that the way I shaped my essays and my career narrative would have been completely different without their advice.

If you want pragmatic, honest, tailored and effective advice for your business school counselling go definitely with SOP.

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When I decided I wanted to pursue an MBA, I honestly had no idea what to expect from the application process. Not only I am the first person in my family to attend graduate school in the US or pursue an MBA, but I also made the decision just a month before my first application was due. A friend recommended Square One after her own wonderful experience with the team. Kathryn was quick to reply to my email and set-up a call, speaking with me for well over the 30 minutes allotted time to understand my background, discuss my goals, and provide honest feedback on my applicant profile. The advisor I had reached out to before speaking with Kathryn had responded to my request with 2 one line emails - one asking for my job title, and the second saying she would not recommend applying as my role was still “analyst.”

After our initial conversation, Kathryn and her team designed a schedule for both schools I was applying to and were extremely flexible with my busy work schedule. The team and I spent several calls discussing my career goals and introducing companies or fields I wasn’t previously aware of to help me define what I want to do over the next 5 - 15 years. Separately, my advisor, Collin, spent hours with me on everything from talking through biotech companies and trends, to answering my (likely hundreds of) basic questions on MBAs, and much in between.

What started out as a confusing, behemoth (and honestly frightening) process was made simple and well-defined by Kathryn, Collin, and the rest of the team. I’d recommend Square One to anyone considering an MBA.

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Square One Prep was instrumental in my acceptance to my top choice business school, Darden. As a younger applicant from a non-traditional professional background, I often doubted my
chances of acceptance, but Square One Prep believed in me from day one. During my initial call with Kathryn, I was immediately impressed by her knowledge of the application process and appreciated her candidness regarding my candidacy.

Working more than full-time, studying for the GRE, and applying to six schools simultaneously was not an easy feat, but the full Square One Prep team, especially Kathleen and Bailey, ensured
that I met all deadlines and provided the consistent encouragement that I needed. With support from Kathryn, Kathleen, and Luis, I crafted a compelling career narrative, defining my short-, medium-, and long-term goals, which translated into confident and strong essays and interviews.
Through many iterations and topic calls, my advisor Kathleen helped me develop essays that stood out. She was also an exceptional resource for my many questions (and worries).

Overall, I can’t recommend Square One Prep enough!

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