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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Working with Square One was a central part of my MBA application journey. I’ll start first with my outcome - a large scholarship to a top MBA program (HSW). I couldn’t be more excited to start this chapter and I’m incredibly grateful to Square One for equipping me with tools to represent myself in the application.

Throughout my engagement with Square One, I worked with a robust highly skilled team, spearheaded by Lara. What I most deeply appreciated about my team was that they never encouraged me to misrepresent or overstate any element of my application. Rather they worked with me to craft the most holistic picture possible of my skills, interest, passions and reasons that I’m so excited to pursue an MBA. They highlighted things I never would have thought to include and in doing so helped me put the best possible version of myself on the page.

I would be remiss to omit mentioning Square One’s founder Kathryn. While she was not part of my core advisory team, she was always willing to take a call (often very long calls) to answer my questions, guide me through application components for which I was uncertain, and eventually help me make the best possible decision for which program to attend (I was granted admission to 8 of 9 programs I applied to).

Square One is personal, professional, and I could tell from the start that they cared deeply about my outcome. I admittedly started the application journey late in the cycle. From Day 1, my Square One team created a complete schedule and tracker for milestones that I needed to hit in order to accomplish applying to a large breadth of schools. I have no doubt that my application process would not have been nearly as streamlined and stress free without Square One in my corner and I’d highly recommend their services to anyone applying to MBA programs (particularly the most competitive programs).

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Strengths:

Great structure, accessibility and attention to detail.

Would make the product better:

None come to mind. All my needs were easily addressed.

Working with Kathryn, Wilson and the Square One Prep (SOP) team was a fantastic experience and essential to my MBA application success.

After speaking to several consultants, I initially hesitated to hire one and delayed the decision for several months. However, Kathryn’s genuine investment in me as a person, not just as a client, convinced me that SOP would bring clarity to what often felt like an opaque and overwhelming process.

Despite my many doubts about my candidacy — including my age, GRE score (which I had not yet taken), lack of undergraduate extracurriculars, and unconventional work history — which other consultants had caused me to worry about, Kathryn made me feel confident about my prospects as an applicant to programs I truly wanted to attend.

Once I signed with the firm, Kathryn thoughtfully selected several coaches for me to talk about my goals. While they were all excellent, Wilson immediately stood out with both his acute analytical abilities and zeal.

Before our first call, he emailed me with genuine enthusiasm about my background while also identifying the concerns that were at the heart of my anxieties about the process. But when we spoke, it became clear that he did not see those things as weaknesses; only as plot points in the narrative we would create in telling my story to schools.

Working with Wilson was a terrific experience. He consistently went above and beyond, bringing a calm, confident, and thoughtful approach to every stage of the process. I always enjoyed our conversations and they always led me to think in a fresh way.

His insightful edits, strategic suggestions, kind advice, patient answers to countless questions, and responsiveness transformed what could have been an extremely stressful experience into something not only manageable, but genuinely rewarding and reflective.

While I did not use the team for every school I applied to, Kathryn’s well-designed systems and resources gave me everything I needed to navigate confidently through the applications I chose to complete on my own.

Even after receiving multiple admissions offers, the team has continued to support me, helping me negotiate scholarships and formulate rejection letters to schools that I’d never imagined would admit me.

They are a team I now feel genuinely close to now.

As someone who originally believed I should handle every application entirely on my own, I believe now that working with Square One Prep was not only worth it, but the best decision I made over the course of the entire MBA application process.

Working with SOP is the first investment one should make in their pursuit of an MBA.

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Strengths:

Industry knowledge, authenticity, and dedication

Would make the product better:

N/A

I got to know of Square One Prep (SOP) through a chance encounter with someone who had worked with Kathryn directly. After several free consultations with various consultants, including with the “big names”, Kathryn’s knowledge, enthusiasm, and unwavering belief in me (you) as a potential MBA candidate stood out - this feeling of renewed confidence after each conversation would become a consistent theme throughout my interactions with the SOP team.

I worked with Kelsey Wise (senior advisor), and was supported by the broader team of Kathryn (team lead), Pat (coordinator), and Horatiu (career coach). The process from early on was extremely structured, well-organized, and clearly communicated, and I knew what to expect working with SOP over the next few months; this process had clearly been refined through decades of experience in this field. In particular, I felt the career narrative work helped me to be more introspective and crystalize and communicate my career motivations. In fact, this work became the foundation of many essays during the application period.

From start to finish, the team made sure to emphasize the integrity of the process, and that presenting your authentic self and story was the foundation of the application. Kelsey brought positive energy to all our conversations, and struck a fine balance being a sounding board, and providing the guidance for me to brainstorm and craft my own ‘style’. From resume development, to interview prep, and even to waitlist strategy, the team has been consistently proactive and responsive, and I have always felt supported. In addition, I found incremental comfort that Kelsey would provide the final oversight on application materials.

Even outstanding applicants can fall short without the right story, which itself requires a great deal of introspection. I don’t think I could have gotten into the schools I was admitted to without the support of the SOP team. I highly recommend working with SOP for the application process and if you’re on the fence - about which consultant to work with, or even whether / when to apply for business school - schedule a consultation with Kathryn; I trust you’ll immediately experience her honesty and warmth just as I did.

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Strengths:

Working with Kathryn, Amalia, and the whole SOP Team throughout the admissions process was an outstanding experience. They were consistently timely and highly responsive, which made an otherwise stressful process feel much more manageable and organized. What stood out most was how thoughtful and insightful their feedback was: they pushed me to reflect more deeply and helped bring out the strongest, most authentic version of my story in my essays. Their guidance materially improved the quality of my applications, and I genuinely felt they were invested in helping me put forward my very best work.

Would make the product better:

N/A

Kathryn, Amalia, and the entire SOP team were incredible to work with throughout my MBA admissions journey. From day one, they were exceptionally responsive, organized, and thoughtful. I always felt supported, even during the most stressful parts of the process. Their feedback on my essays was consistently sharp, strategic, and deeply personalized.

What impressed me most was how invested they were in helping me put forward the absolute best version of myself. They didn’t just review essays -- they helped me refine my narrative, clarify my goals, and bring out strengths and experiences in a very effective way. Every interaction felt intentional and high-touch, and it was clear they genuinely cared about my success!

I’m thrilled to say that I was admitted to all three schools I applied to: Harvard, Stanford, and Wharton!! I'm extremely thankful to have had Kathryn, Amalia, and the SOP team in my corner. They are exceptional at what they do, and I’m incredibly grateful for their partnership and support throughout this journey!

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Strengths:

I had a team of 4, compared to working just with 1 adviser. There was Kathryn (the founder, who is chop chop I loveeeeeeee), Lara (my main adviser, my school alum, all in all so fire!), Pat (overall coordinator, so so encouraging), and Wendy (the lovely career adviser who went through the career narrative process together for months).

From the start to finish (even after I got multiple offers), the team (especially Kathryn! she honestly responds within hours if not minutes, I can't help but wonder how is her sleep hahaha) got me through the thick and thin. First, I had such a short timeline to prep - only half-decided to apply in June (yes 3 months before R1 deadline). Second, I was legit ready to say in my apps that I need to go now because my work visa is expiring and I need to remain in the U.S. Third, everything, and I'm talking about everything, went wrong with my GMAT preparation (which had nothing to do with SOP). In fact, because of Kathryn and Lara's sage advice, I didn't go completely stressed out over GMAT and was able to secure a 99th percentile 1st time attempt with 3 months of prep. Yes!

On Lara, I COULD NOT have asked for a better adviser. We clicked instantaneously. Honestly a word of advice is choosing your admissions consultant team wisely. I am beyond grateful to have found her through SOP. She saw something in me I truly had no idea of prior to going through this application process. She told me on Day 1 that success (in terms of admission results) is a byproduct of my journey, and that is in fact so so true. From 0 clue what I was gonna write about, to wow crafting a truly impactful and coherent story showcasing who I truly am from birth to now, Lara did some black magic.

On Kathryn, I am equally so so grateful to have had her on my team. Initially I was shock that she dedicated more than 2 hours listening to my life story. Who does that?! Then, I got scared (but also glad) when she was chasing me to talk to all her advisers hahaha. Honestly she took matters to heart - I joke with my parents and friends that she cares more about my own application journey than myself. And it's true! Without her advising me to start writing application essays while prepping for GMAT, and without the whole team at SOP with me, I could not imagine churning out the most robust application essays for 7 MBA programs. Kathryn is also kind and honest, which are qualities truly rare in the MBA admissions industry where people pray on applicants' fear. SOP is nothing like that.

I feel also fortunate that I've also encountered some of the most incredible people in this trade/the world. I could see on every single day while working with Kathryn, Lara, Pat, and Wendy that they love what they do. I'd gladly pick SOP all over again if time traveling back to last summer!

Would make the product better:

Honestly nothing. Kathryn and the team have dialed this process to a tee. All I can say is that if you are not ready to have the most responsive team with the most transparent pricing/experience/expertise, or you are not ready to work towards success through coaching and caring mentorship, SOP is not the right place for you. HOWEVER, if you want anything similar and/or beyond, SOP is second to none.

Full disclaimer - I'm not being incentivized in anyway for this review, besides paying it forward and hoping my review could help guide others in choosing the best admissions consulting team. I have interviews a slew of advisers, some are companies and some are individuals, and here's my takeaway.

I've talked to companies such as mbaMission to pretty negative experiences (Katharine Lewis), who wouldn't start working with me until 2025 October and said I might be able to only get into Anderson/Marshall type of programs (this could not be further from the truth). Comparatively, I got into every single school I applied to (including M7 with $100k scholarship) except 2 and SOP started working with me in June 2025 and we crafted out the best application roughly by end of October. I also chatted with multiple individuals from Leland - they were all pretty young and predominantly a 1-man/woman gig. I would NOT place my future in 1 sub-35 year old's hand, especially given the fact that I had multiple viable career pathways but not sure which one to pick for my application. Kathryn and Lara truly guided me through what could've been doomsday chaos, I'm not kidding.

Lastly, I care about the values of the people I choose to work with, and every single day I can tell without doubt that these are honest, supportive people. This made working with my team such a positive reinforcement that I'm almost always excited to click onto the SOP email for feedback and/or suggestions.

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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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