I had an excellent experience working with Square One Prep and cannot imagine having gone through the MBA application process without them. I was fortunate to be admitted to my top choice, Stanford GSB, in Round 1, and I genuinely believe that outcome would not have been possible without the Square One team.

My experience with Square One was strong from the very beginning. When I first reached out to Kathryn, the founder, she responded almost immediately and mapped out a tailored, day-by-day, multi-month plan on Square One’s customized online portal (this was on our intro call, before I was even a client!) Her continued involvement until I received my acceptance added clarity and polish at key moments in the process.

While Kathryn was my first interaction at Square One, I had a full team supporting me, which was incredibly helpful and left nothing uncovered. Lara Avsar served as my primary advisor and led the day-to-day of my process, from resumes to essays to interview preparation. Additionally, Wendy focused on my career narrative development, Pat managed logistics and deadlines, and Kathryn provided strategic oversight and a second set of eyes throughout.

More specifically regarding Lara, she was absolutely exceptional, and I would recommend her without hesitation to anyone. She is extremely smart, creative, and genuinely kind, and she consistently challenged me to think more clearly and deeply about how I framed my experiences. This is critical to note – this was not a quick process, as Lara pushed me heavily by challenging assumptions, digging into details, and consequently helping to meaningfully elevate the quality of the narratives I was conveying throughout my application. This was possible for her to do because she, along with the other Square One advisors, take on only a handful of clients (no more than ~5-6) per application cycle. This was highly differentiated relative to what I saw from other advisors I had looked at, and it was what I believe drove a material amount of the value in working with Square One.

Overall, Square One is a unique, high-touch team, and I would strongly recommend them, and specifically Lara Avsar, to anyone serious about applying to competitive MBA programs!

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I used SQ1 packages as well as their hourly services with Kathryn and Kelsey as my consultants and was able to get offers with significant scholarships from 8 out 9 schools (a combination of M7 + T15 schools) applied in Round 1 for the full-time MBA programs. I cannot express my gratitude enough for the whole team at SQ1 for their support and expertise during this strenuous process - they were patient, knowledgeable about the MBA application and admission processes, and above all, very dedicated mentors and cheer leaders. Before deciding on SQ1, I did many intro calls with other big name consultants and never felt like they truly understood my story and some even told me to aim lower. But not SQ1. When I spoke to Kathryn and later Kelsey, I felt truly heard. They were more confident about me than I was myself at the time, and that what made them truly special because you want to work with people / mentors who will cheer you on and root for you (and not tell you to aim low). SQ1 team cares, and that's something you don't see often in this admission consultancy industry.

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I started working with Lara a month and a half before the deadlines, while I was still due to write my GMAT.
Lara truly stands out,
- She brought out the best in me
- Held me to a high standard and made me produce work that I was proud of irrespective of the result. She did not give up when I was stubborn about inaccurate points, and work really hard alongside me even when I was being "difficult" in a traditional sense. She is also blazing fast with her responses.
- Open to ideas, being challenged and taking risks together
- Mega helpful for interview prep, I did not use any external consultants for the interview
- Genuinely cares about long-term growth beyond applications. I became a better communicator and more reflective person in the process.
She's amazing, I'd trust her on helping me on topics beyond college apps.

Kelsey worked as a sounding board to us, she is amazing as well!

Square One has a unique but very structured and thought through approach. By the time you end up writing the application you are well prepared for the interview.

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The Square One process was seamless and truly a highly personalized experience. Working with Kathryn and Lara, my advisor, was incredible. I received admission to HBS, my top choice, and three other top schools I applied to, and I know this would not have been possible without their support.

My process began with an initial introductory phone call with Kathryn, followed by a very detailed call with Lara, where she asked thoughtful questions ranging from personal to professional. She genuinely cares about getting to know you. Square One’s process is unique in that they spend the first few weeks deeply fleshing out your career narrative and story. I had initially signed on with another advisor, and we immediately jumped into essays, which felt rushed. Square One understands that full alignment with your story creates the strongest application and ultimately leads to the most authentic interview. As a result of their process, my authenticity was able to truly shine.

Square One also stands out in how they guide you through every step. I had support from Kathryn whenever I had general questions about the business school process and support from Lara for anything related to my resume, essays, and interview preparation. They are intentional about not taking on too many applicants at once, which clearly shows in the level of attentiveness and care. Having worked with another advisor previously, the difference was immediately noticeable. My other advisor was clearly spread too thin.

Most importantly, Square One challenged me. Kathryn and Lara brought out the best in me and were honest when I needed to step up or make changes. That accountability was critical to my success. I received real time feedback and was able to improve my work daily, which directly led to my results. With their support, I was admitted to four top MBA programs, including Harvard, Columbia, Kellogg, and Booth, and received scholarships at some. I am incredibly grateful to Kathryn and Lara and would recommend Square One to anyone!

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I had an excellent experience working with the Square One team! Kathryn was a wonderful guide, and I appreciated her honesty and candid advice throughout the process. Torey was a great advisor as well – he kept me on track, offered good guidance and we developed a really productive collaborative relationship. He took the time to get to know me on a deeper level, which became helpful when thinking through my goals and developing my essays.

Square One’s initial career narrative exercise was very helpful, as it really solidified my career goals and reasons for doing my MBA, and became the groundwork for both my essays and interview. I don’t know if either would be as refined if I hadn’t created the narrative beforehand. Torey was also great at keeping me on schedule and holding me accountable for completing work on time – with all that goes into business school applications, this was probably the most valuable part of working with Square One.

I’d definitely recommend Square One to anyone seeing help with their applications. I got into both the schools I applied to and couldn’t do it without them!

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Strengths:

Detailed review, brainstorming, a ton of resources

Would make the product better:

N/A

Working with Square One Prep was instrumental for me to get into my dream MBA program. Cristina ensured I was able to convey my story in a polished and packaged manner by consistently pushing me to dig deeper when putting together my applications. Cristina was available at all times to brainstorm or bounce ideas off of. She, along with Horatiu, spent an incredible amount of time helping me think through how to best present myself and my ambitions in my application, and it paid off. The Square One Prep hands on approach was key, and I really appreciated the time everyone on the team put in, keeping me honest through the schedule, and time boxing the whole process. I’d recommend anyone who aspires to get into their dream MBA program to work with them.

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Strengths:

- Personalized approach
- Consistent communication
- Incredibly responsive

I first heard about Square One Prep from a good friend of mine who had decided to use them for help pursuing an MBA. Initially I was hesitant, but from the first consultation call with Kathryn I knew that my concerns were unfounded and that I'd be putting my best self forward by working with them. Not only does Square One take the time to figure out how to form your best application; they first help determine if an MBA is the best path for you.

At every step in the application process my team seemed to know how I was feeling before I did. There were constant check-ins to gauge how I was feeling, the progress I was making, and what next steps would best help me. Their expertise was invaluable and presented in a way that was neither daunting nor discomforting. Plus, when my first choice school did not extend an offer to interview my team immediately pivoted and helped me prepare for interviews with the other two schools I had applied to. 

Not only am I sure that working with Square One Prep resulted in submitting my strongest possible application, I question whether any application would have been submitted without their help, guidance, and structured support.

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Strengths:

Square One Prep’s biggest strength is the clarity and structure they brings to a very overwhelming MBA admissions process. They clearly articulated all of the nuances of the process. I remember showing up to MBA fairs and hearing very basic questions from other candidates and thinking I'm light years ahead, all due to the structure that Square One brings.

From the start, they helped me translate a technical, nontraditional background into a compelling, cohesive story that admissions committees could easily understand. My advisor's feedback was thoughtful, candid, and iterative; they didn’t just edit essays, but taught me how admission committees think to better convey my story. I also found the team exceptionally responsive and invested; I consistently felt supported and well-informed at every stage of the process.

One other unique aspect of Square One is their career counseling. Not only will they help you get all of the application pieces in place, but they will help you better understand yourself: What are your career goals? Why grad school? Why this grad school? I have a much better vision for my career thanks to working with Square One.

Would make the product better:

There's not much about the process I would improve. One minor improvement could be to front-load essay examples or templates early in the process, especially for candidates coming from a more unique background (i.e., highly technical or military). While the examples provided were excellent, having a few more tailored reference points earlier in the process could have helped me brainstorm my own essays. That said, this is a minor suggestion in an otherwise very strong experience.

Before working with Square One Prep, the MBA admissions process felt confusing and very very intimidating. I had a good profile for an MBA, but I struggled to translate my story to the page and understand how admissions committees would view my background (or how to explain a technical background to an admissions committee.) Square One completely changed that - they helped me develop a clear narrative, improve my essays, and approach the admissions process in a scheduled, paced, and strategic way. Throughout the process, I felt consistently supported, challenged, and guided. My advisor's feedback pushed me to improve and she wouldn't accept anything but my best work. It felt like my advisor and the entire Square One team (you get to work with a whole team of amazing people) truly cared about me and not just my outcome. However, thinking back on the process, I know I would not have achieved the same amazing results without Square One. I would highly recommend them to anyone serious about putting their best possible application forward.

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Strengths:

Exceptional application strategy: Expertly positioned my profile to balance an extremely quantitative background with a more emotionally intelligent, leadership-driven narrative, resulting in a compelling and differentiated application.

Direct, high-integrity “tough love”: Provided candid, unfiltered feedback and was never afraid to disagree or push back. They consistently challenged my assumptions, forced me to think outside the box, and redirected me when a different approach would yield better outcomes.

Outstanding career narrative development: The work done to shape my long-term career story, including role clarity, goal articulation, and networking strategy, was simply excellent and became a clear strength across my applications and conversations.

Would make the product better:

Clearer probability framing at the very top tier: For ultra-competitive programs, more explicit discussion of acceptance probabilities - even for strong candidates - could help manage expectations and reduce post-cycle second-guessing.

Did you enjoy the process?
Yes - I genuinely enjoyed the process. What could have felt transactional or overwhelming instead felt collaborative, energizing, and deeply personal.

Was it stressful?
The MBA application process is inherently stressful, but Square One Prep significantly reduced that stress. They pushed me to start early, maintained disciplined timelines, and gave me the space to reflect, revise, and improve without last-minute pressure.

Were they helpful?
Incredibly. Beyond application mechanics, Lara and the Square One Prep team leveraged their own personal and professional connections to help refine my career narrative and validate my goals. They were also consistently there for me emotionally as a sounding board, a source of reassurance, and a steady presence during moments of doubt or uncertainty.

Did they meet your expectations? Why or why not?
They far exceeded my expectations. Early on, I was told by others that an M7 school was likely out of reach given my background. With Square One Prep’s guidance, I finished the process with two M7 admissions and over $300K in merit-based scholarships, making my MBA not only possible but financially compelling.

Would you recommend them? Why or why not?
Without hesitation. This was a true partnership built on trust, honesty, and genuine care for my success.

What was their greatest strength?
Strategic application and career narrative development. The team expertly balanced my quantitative background with leadership, emotional intelligence, and long-term purpose.

What was their weakest skill?
If anything, earlier benchmarking against ultra-selective outcomes could further help with expectation-setting, though this did not detract from an exceptional experience.

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Strengths:

Comprehensive, thorough, personalized admissions prep

Would make the product better:

n/a

It has been a dream for me attend business school and I knew I had a very high risk appetite going in: applying to only m7 schools. No one in my family had gotten their MBA from a top business school and I wanted to ensure that I put my best foot forward. A friend of a friend had recommended Square One Prep, so I decided to book a free consultation with Kathryn. The meeting lasted well over the allotted time and it felt like such a natural conversation where she was trying to get to know me: my goals, my hobbies, what drives me, what my passions are, and why I wanted to pursue an MBA at this time. I got to know more about how thorough and personalized Square One’s process was as well. I then was able to have conversations with a couple different consultants and decided to work with Catherine. She is incredibly diligent, empathetic, and a wonderful person to work with! She has a quick turn around time for edits on deliverables, kept me accountable for resume, LOR, career narrative, and essay deadlines, and truly created a safe space for me to be vulnerable and share my voice through my writing. I was incredibly impressed by how involved the team was with each step of the application process, not once did I feel overwhelmed or like I was going through this process alone. Catherine and the Square One team were my biggest cheerleaders even after I submitted my apps R1 and helped me prep for interviews, pre-interview assignments, and cheered me on throughout all my acceptances. I got into MIT Sloan(with $$), U Chicago Booth, Kellogg(with $$), and Columbia because of the Square One team and I cannot thank them enough for their support throughout.

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