It was an absolute pleasure working with SquareOne for my MBA application. The advisors have all the expertise, experience and dedication to help with anything you need for the application process. Square One offers a comprehensive process leading the applicants from figuring out their career goals with extensive research, to putting these down on paper connecting all the dots from your life experience - they truly create a top quality application.

The support and advisory also came beyond the application itself - besides getting your essays right on point for the admissions process, please also expect strong emotional support and a career narrative process that impacts beyond your application!

I would highly recommend their consulting service to anyone looking for no regrets!

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I spoke with almost a dozen consultants before landing on Square One. From the moment I spoke with Kathryn on our initial consultation call, I got the feeling that they were the most transparent organization and really had my best interests in mind. I didn’t feel like they were pushing me to buy more services than I needed like a lot of other companies. Additionally, Kathryn gave me the encouragement to pursue my dream schools on our call.

After I decided on Square One, it was time to choose an advisor to work with. I was initially planning to hire a standard advisor but after speaking to Kathleen Danoher, I was blown away by not only her rich professional experience but also her extensive experience of working with clients of diverse backgrounds. Most impressively, her earnest attitude shined throughout our interactions. I knew from that moment that I would not want to work with anyone else but her.

I was on a tight deadline applying to 12 programs in round 2. I really should’ve started earlier but it was the difficult situation I had gotten myself into due to putting off applications for far too long. However, Square One managed the deadlines beautifully and guided me on my MBA application journey amid my busy work/life schedule. They were on top of everything and made sure I needed to be where I need to every step of the journey. They were also able to fit in calls between my busy weeks of work travel and they were always there whenever I needed, typically getting back to me within just a few hours. I feel like the structured process Square One has built for building a career narrative, resume, recommendation letters, and individual essays really brought out the best version of myself on my applications.

I ended up doing 3 schools comprehensively with Square One and the applications I built with them gave me a solid foundation and the confidence to build the rest of my schools. My results were exceptional given my background, the selectiveness of the programs I applied to, and the competitiveness of the 2023-2024 cycle – I interviewed at 9 out of 12 schools (which included almost all T10 programs) and have been accepted to 6 so far, including two full scholarships, and a few other programs are still pending and/or I’m still on the waitlist for. I’m extremely grateful and lucky to have work with Square One and I would highly recommend applicants to work with them. I could not have done all this by myself.

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From my introductory call with Kathryn to my first acceptance – SOP was there through it all. I felt the attention and care that went into my MBA journey as soon as I received the personalized timeline that made me feel at ease instantly towards a daunting journey. I was en route to apply for R1 but was not hitting the GRE marks that I wanted – SOP quickly pivoted my timeline for R2 and began strategizing to help me have a strong application that highlighted my other strengths. Luckily I was able to hit the GRE scores I needed and with the guidance and continued support of SOP I was able to get accepted into both of my top choice schools with partial scholarships!

The entire process is extremely thoughtful and personalized to what you need as an applicant and I feel very grateful to have chosen Kathryn, Matteo and the rest of the SOP team!

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In my first "supposedly" 30-minute free consultancy meeting, the founder, Kathryn spent 1.5 hours discussing every "raw material" I had such as work experience, leadership activities, and goals. That's why I chose SOP over the top 5 companies that have the highest numbers of reviews on GMAT Club that I have talked with.

Then I work with my advisor on my application and interviews, Horatiu on my career narratives, and Kathryn on school selection, and final essay drafts.

I think the service of SOP is top-notch for 3 reasons.
1. Structured approach.
- Kathryn and my advisor helped me to build the school list that fits my risk appetite and then proposed a clear timeline to complete all the applications
- I got detailed guidelines for every part of my application, with tons of examples from other admitted students

2. Candid and helpful feedback
- In everything from career narratives, resumes, and LOR to essays, my advisor and Horatiu pushed me over my comfort zone and achieved the best of what I could do.
- Horatiu gave me a clear view of how I should build my career story, which I definitely could not build by myself. He had practice industry experience along with high-admission consulting for many students
- My advisor is an excellent writer who spent a lot of time brainstorming topics with me, gave me prompts to write the idea more clearly, and helped me to fine-tune my points in beautiful ways.

3. Impressive turn-around time
- My advisor gives me feedback in 12-36 hours, most of the time, even on holidays. This high-intensity support really helped me to complete all the materials I need.

Results:
- I worked with SOP at 3 schools and got admission to all of them: Judge, Yale SOM, and Kellogg. Even my manager did not think I could get into M7
- With the materials on hand, I applied to other schools and got admission from Ross with a full ride of $170K.

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Working with Kathryn, Alessandro (Advisor), Wendy and Cristina from Square One Prep has been instrumental and integral in earning admits to LBS, Oxford and Cambridge. Kathryn has been an amazing coach, expert consultant and awesome mentor throughout the entire process. She provided me with strategic guidance, incisive insights and comprehensive advice throughout each phase and facet of the MBA application process. I really appreciate Kathryn’s well-intentioned candour and advice on the MBA application process, including school selection, application work schedule, essay review, video essays edits and interview prep which had helped me put my best foot forward on each step of the process and calm my nerves! Kathryn had provided unparalleled admissions advice throughout the entire admissions process which have allowed me to craft the most impactful applications.

My advisor, Alessandro has been an amazing and exceptional mentor, expert coach and advisor throughout the entire application process – from initial onboarding / profile assessment, career narrative, formulation of post MBA goals, school selection, tailored application essays for each of the schools, filling of application forms and extensive interview and video-essay preparation. Alessandro is an expert coach and has provided me indispensable advice on school-specific application strategies, crafting of unique and compelling essays and guiding me through a highly introspective and holistic process to determine why MBA, why Now, and my post MBA career goals etc. Alessandro is an amazing guide, and provided invaluable school-specific feedback, coaching and edits to ensure that my essays holistically conveyed my voice / personality, unique experiences and authenticity. Alessandro had also provided unparalleled guidance and training on strategic interview strategies to ensure that my answers were well-structured, comprehensive and succinct to ensure that I had aced all my interviews with flying colours!

Working with Kathryn, Alessandro and Wendy has been incredible, as they provided me with critical insights and feedback to substantially strengthen my essay drafts, including personalisation, elicitation of my voice, structure and advice on focal areas of the essays. Through the highly extensive career narrative module led by Wendy, I was able to introspectively brainstorm and research on my post MBA industry and goals. Kathryn, Alessandro and Wendy had fleshed out the cogency of my post MBA goals and ensured that I crafted realistic goals which were achievable and substantiated with industry context / trends (given my profile). Through SOP’s guidance on the career narrative module, I was able to craft a powerful post MBA goal narrative which had immensely strengthened my applications.

I am extremely fortunate and lucky to have come across SOP when searching for MBA consultants. SOP also provides highly tailored and bespoke advice specific to my profile. SOP’s advice had helped me to direct my focus on areas in the application process which are pivotal to admission. Kathryn, Alessandro, Wendy and the team were also highly responsive to my numerous questions throughout the application process.

I had a phenomenal and outstanding experience working with SOP. The SOP team are true experts in every area of the MBA admissions process. I highly recommend working with SOP on the MBA application process – an expert consultant, partner and guide for admissions to your choice MBA programs!

I can’t thank you enough, Kathryn, Alessandro, Wendy and Cristina!

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Kathryn, Kathleen, Wendy and team have been phenomenal in supporting me through my MBA journey. I still remember my first call with Kathryn back in 2020 when I was first exploring pursuing an MBA – it has been an extremely fulfilling journey from then to today, having received 2 MBA admits from my dream schools. Throughout this process, Kathleen, my first point of contact, ensured I was comfortable with the pace of my applications. Kathleen and Wendy pushed me to think critically about my post-MBA goals. The team helped me bring out extremely unique aspects within my application that I would not have otherwise been able to do on my own. Lastly, the team always went above and beyond to support me during this process – be it early morning/late night calls, quick turnaround for review of essays, reviewing additional elements beyond essays or moral support every time I questioned my own abilities. Even now that I’ve secured my admit, Kathryn has been extremely graceful in guiding me as I decide between schools. All in all, you can’t go wrong with Square One Prep! 😊

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Happy to report that I have been accepted to the MBA programs at Oxford SBS, Cambridge Judge, and INSEAD! I got rejected by LBS - which Kathryn let me know was the school that I was least likely to obtain acceptance for ahead of time. She’s a pro!

Kathryn was referred to me by a Haas MBA grad who attributed a significant amount of secured scholarship to Kathryn’s insights. I’m so glad she was!

I couldn't have had as competitive of an application without them! Their direction and timely guidance was super valuable, all with the attention and care of a close confident. 

I am so thankful that I chose to work with SOP!

From the first minutes on the free consultation, I knew that Kathryn was 100% passionate about supporting applicants achieve their goals.
Shout out to Collin, my direct consultant, and Horatiu for their support!

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A couple of my friends had previously collaborated with Square One and successfully gained admission to their dream colleges. Their glowing recommendations led me to engage with her for my own applications. From our initial conversation onwards, it was clear that Kathryn's expertise was invaluable. Because I did premium service, she guided me through the entire application journey. Initially intending to apply to two schools, I later decided to pursue a third option. Despite this last-minute addition, Kathryn and her team ensured that we met all deadlines promptly. Working closely with Horatiu, my career narrative expert, and Wilson, my advisor, was an absolute pleasure. Thanks to Kathryn and Wilson's dedicated support, I secured admission to all three schools I applied to. The process was not just about gaining acceptance but also about reflecting on my career journey and appreciating my progress. Kathryn and her team transformed what could have been a stressful experience into a fulfilling and exciting opportunity. Without their expertise and guidance, this achievement would not have been possible.

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I could already feel the attentiveness and guidance that would characterize my entire experience working with Square One from my first phone call with Kathryn. When I decided to engage a consultant, I spent almost 2 hours on the phone with Kathryn, who drilled down beyond the usual surface-level chat in a preliminary call, and spent a lot of time to hear out my goals, ambitions, and desires while being honest and realistic.

I loved the Square One approach of having a full team as a multi-layer review on every piece of work that we developed. The structure, that initially may seem daunting, is all deliberate and sets you up for success. I was certainly challenged by some of the deliverables, such as the career narrative, but it paid dividends as I got into application work, and in interviews.

I worked with my advisor, who I cannot say enough amazing things about. After giving my life story, of both ups and downs, we developed a framework of my unique perspectives and traits that could serve as potential essay topics. This framework, along with the career narrative all fed into the essay work, which ended up becoming much easier than I had thought possible. My advisor and Kathryn gave me wonderful feedback that resulted in introspective essays I am extremely proud of. I simply would not have been able to get to this point by myself. My advisor was incredibly attentive, and always had thoughtful feedback on my work in a very timely manner. She also helped me prepare for interviews with rigorous mocks that helped me figure out how to effectively convey my message. And generally, whenever I had questions, my advisor was easily reachable and responsive to address any and all of my (many) questions.

The Square One team also truly has your best interests at heart. They suggested specific schools to be done comprehensively or hourly depending on the overlap and cost-effectiveness of each application.

Beyond the applications themselves, Square One taught me how to bring the best of myself and how to think about how to represent yourself and highlight your most meaningful qualities. I was kept accountable, received support, feedback, and wisdom. I am so happy that I worked with my advisor, Kathryn, Cristina, Wendy, and the full Square One team on my applications. I had the support of so many wonderful experts that are invested in my success.

I’m delighted to say that the process paid off with the added bonus of meaningful scholarship, which was never in my wildest dreams!

But my story doesn’t end there. After applying to all my selected schools, I found myself waitlisted at two schools. My advisor and Kathryn heard me out on my desire to convert these waitlists to admits and came up with a plan. Just because I had already received admits did not mean that Square One rested on their laurels and moved on to the next client. We developed how to effectively provide meaningful updates to the programs and my advisor and Kathryn helped me convert an M7 admit! Just writing this brings such a huge smile to my face!

I’m so delighted to start the next chapter of my life and look forward to matriculating in the fall!

I was so convinced that Square One is the ideal consultancy to work with, I referred friends while still going through the application process. Like me, they have been very successful in their own processes, securing admits AND scholarships too!! I have and will continue to recommend Square One without a doubt to anyone who is committed to applying to business school. Like the Square One website says, “take a deep breath and relax,” you’re in great hands!

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As someone from a non-traditional background applying to top MBA programs, I am confident that working with Square One Prep (S1P) has been integral to my Round 1 application success. I first connected with Kathryn approximately 8-9 months prior to the R1 deadlines. We had several phone calls in the lead-up to my decision to commit to S1P. During these calls, she was incredibly transparent and encouraging, dedicating a significant amount of time and effort.

After speaking with a few consultants at S1P, I committed to the program and chose Kelsey as my consultant, about 3.5 months before the R1 deadlines. I decided to work with Kelsey because of her energy and dedication to my success. Working with her was truly incredible; she was my champion, sounding board, and editor all rolled into one.

The process of completing the applications with S1P was very structured, which helped me avoid feeling stressed or overwhelmed. It was an essential support system, and I could not have completed eight strong applications for R1 without S1P's assistance.

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