Square One Prep Admissions Consulting Reviews

I decided to go with Square One Prep after my free consultation call with Kathryn. She didn’t make empty promises like many other consultants had previously done. She told me clearly that due to my lower than average GPA, getting into my dream school (Stern) would be an uphill battle but that she would help me in every way she could. When applying to business school, having someone to give you thorough and candid feedback is extremely important and I wanted that attitude from the consultant I decided to work with. From the beginning, Kathryn was open and honest and gave constructive criticism when she felt like an aspect of my application could be better. She, along with the entire team helped me navigate the stressful application process and helped me organize all of my applications and deadlines which was very useful, especially while working a full time job. My consultant, Afiya, was always available when I needed her, either via text, email, or phone. Because of her, I was able to put forth my best self to the six business schools I applied to. SOP’s entire team truly want their clients to succeed and I am so happy that I selected them.

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I began the bulk of my MBA applications just months from Round 2 deadlines, along with a lower than average GRE for the programs I was aiming for. Luckily, a friend referred me to Kathryn. I had spoken to several consultants in the past, but Kathryn was unique: she encouraged me to aim high and was convinced I could succeed with a thoughtful application strategy.

Once we kicked off the process, Kathryn wouldn’t hesitate to reinforce a timeline, provide difficult feedback on an essay, or let me know when an aspect of my narrative wasn’t making sense. She was probably tougher than some of my most demanding bosses :) Her honest, yet encouraging approach pushed me to submit materials that reflected my best possible work.

With her guidance I was also able to weave a career narrative that truly excited me. At the end of the process, I knew that even in the event I wasn’t accepted to an MBA program, I would still have an invaluable outcome: a clearer vision for my life and a stronger understanding of my values, interests and goals.

Ultimately, I received invitations to interview with HBS and Wharton, and was accepted to Wharton with a scholarship. I’m excited for my next step and glad I chose to work with Kathryn!

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I cannot image navigating the complex and overwhelming MBA application process without Square One Prep. From my first consultation call onward, the SOP team was able to quickly address my weaknesses and play-up my strengths. Their expertise on what matters to top business schools shaped every aspect of my applications and allowed me to identify my most impactful personal and professional experiences to present myself as a high-value, accomplished candidate. When I began my work with SOP I was unsure of my ability to receive offers from the elite programs I wanted to attend. As of a week ago I have been accepted to both schools I applied to, both of which are ranked in top 5 nationally. I can honestly say the SOP team has changed my life for the better, and will highly recommend them to anyone interested in pursuing an MBA!

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I'm very glad that I worked with SOP's team that always goes above and beyond to help me achieve my goal. Kathryn and Mary helped me with any question I have and guided me along the application process. Mary is such a great consultant; she never settles for anything less than a strong application, and she helped me to push my limit. Kathryn and Mary are very experienced and able to identify key points to make one's application successful. I genuinely value Mary and Kathryn's helpfulness, quick turnaround and 24/7 dedication. I would recommend them to my friends for MBA applications.

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I am grateful to Square One team for their help in my lengthy process of MBA preparations. The process is built in such a way that, as a candidate, you are going through a deep phase of guided introspection, which helps you to calibrate your goals and expectations and lay out in essays your absolute best. You will first select a primary advisor out of a very talented pool, who will be 100% dedicated to you and your case, - you will work with the advisor on each an every element of your application until its almost perfect - then a pool of senior advisors steps in to ensure your papers stand the test of constructive criticism and address all the tricky questions that adcoms may have. I found the process challenging - in a way that the questions raised by Square One team made me think very deep inside my story and into what I want to do and where I want to be - without such guidance I would not have been able to go that far in my writings and probably would have sooner surrendered and accepted just 'good enough’ drafts - but which would not probably have allowed me to get into my school. Special thanks to the Chief of Staff who relentlessly kept on track every due date in my application process and sent friendly reminders which gave me a feeling of the entire team backing, and allowed me to focus on the needed aspects of my essays.

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When I first started the search for admissions consulting services, I searched online and read review after review. Every single review I read seemed to be the normal response..."I couldn't have done this without their help, etc". I called a few consulting services for their free evaluation but I always felt like they were interviewing me to see if I fit inside their box as if they had a formula to follow. I wanted to find a service that had a proven formula but also one that was unique to me. I stumbled upon Square One Prep and with each review I liked them more. I reached out and spoke to Kathryn and after one phone call I knew Square One Prep was the one.

You get to choose a few consultants to interview before you are paired up and after speaking to Jeannice Tse, I wanted to work with her. I can't say enough good things about her. She was with me from start to finish.

The application process is long and tedious especially if you are applying for multiple schools. There were peaks and valleys . When you get an essay full of red scribbles or an email that says scrap this and start over, you start to second guess if this was the right choice. They are there to fully support but they do give honest feedback so know yourself and your style beforehand I followed Jeannice and Kathryn's lead and I couldn't be happier.

Trust me on this. Square One Prep. You won't be disappointed. They are the real deal.

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I am very glad that I took the decision of working with SOP team. I have scheduled a free 30 min. consultation call with Kathryn. The call lasted for over 50 minutes and she did not hurry up and gave sufficient time to understand my background. I was very impressed by the in-depth knowledge that Kathryn has about the important things we should focus to make our application stand out. I have worked with Kathryn, Lee, and Louis and it was a dream team that anyone can have to reach the finish line. They were always persistent and will push you to get the best out of you. I am very thankful to them for their guidance and that helped me to achieve my goal of admission in Kellogg.

I would highly recommend SOP team for the help of your admissions. They will always be there for you in your application journey and give more than 100%

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I enjoyed working with Kathryn throughout the entire application process. Her experience dealing with both students and admissions committees was invaluable and definitely gave me the edge I was looking for.

Kathryn and her team have an ability to compartmentalize the administrative part of the application process, while also supporting in the creation of the applicant's story for the writing sections.

While the fees are high, I believe that working with Kathryn was a worthy investment - especially when considering the entire tuition and non-tuition fees of a program. I truly believe I would not have gotten accepted into my program without her help.

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I have only positive things to say about Square One Prep. I was a re-applicant to business school and recognized how important SOP would be to my success. My experiences were sort of all over the place and my team, consisting on Kathryn and Darcy, really helped me craft a good narrative.

SOP really is a finely tuned machine. They are incredible at giving honest and essential feedback and do so in an extremely timely manner. I think Kathryn and Darcy truly cared about my success and helped me in all facets, not just my application but in my confidence as well.

I really am in debt to SOP and their team for helping me throughout this process. The MBA application process is a beast but SOP made it feel like it was very manageable through a very regimented and structured process.

I can’t thank Darcy and Kathryn enough for working with me. I really had no confidence prior to this process and now I’m ready to soar into my MBA.

Thanks for everything team SOP.

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I spoke to several admission consultants before signing up with one and chose to go with Square One. Kathryn spent more time than the stipulated 30 mins, and didnt spend a single minute hardselling her firm or badmouthing the competition, but rather understanding me as a person and my motivations / story. She actually asked me hard questions to rethink the reason for doing an MBA, and I only signed up some 6 months later when I was more informed of the path I was choosing.

I worked closely with Lara Avsar, and it was an absolute pleasure working with her. We hit it off from the first call itself, because of some common elements in our backgrounds and experiences. Lara took time to thrash out the story with me, and often pulled out elements that I would’ve downplayed or overlooked. She did a great job pushing me to think deeper and also meeting deadlines, in order to get the essays out on time. We did the application set for 4 schools in 4-5 weeks and I couldn’t have asked for a better partner to have worked within such tight deadlines. Interview prep was also very useful since Lara pointed out very specific areas of improvement before my final interview.

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