Premium Service Reviews

I couldn’t be happier with the MBA application consulting services I received from Square One Prep (SOP)! From the very first introductory call to making the final decision to attend a suitable MBA program, the entire SOP team provided invaluable guidance and advice. Throughout the process, it felt like a true partnership between me and SOP. It was clear that the team was invested in my overall success rather than be limited to providing services within pre-defined hours or pre-set criteria.

Luis Bellon provided critical career positioning advice essential for crafting the MBA resume, storyline, and applications. John Shaw gave important essay feedback, answered application questions, and provided emotional support and consolation when the nerves started to act up. John's reviews ensured that my unique professional background and elements of my true personality really came out in my writing. Kathryn Lucas, the SOP founder, made herself personally available for calls, reviews, and emails. Bailey Miller almost acted as my personal assistant, ensuring everything kept moving along in a timely manner.

The streamlined approach the SOP team followed and the promptness of the responses to any kind of questions throughout the process made me feel very confident in their services. 2020 was predicted to be one of the toughest application seasons, so I’m extremely happy with the final outcome of my applications! The SOP team has a proven track record of getting aspiring candidates into their dream colleges – and I can now attest to their ability firsthand. I know I can count on some of the SOP team members I worked with as future mentors and friends. I wouldn’t do my MBA applications any other way!

Read More

I cannot thank Square One Prep enough for all that they have done for me. With help from the magic team of Ram, Kathryn, Bailey and Wendy, I got into Wharton. I would highly recommend SOP to any aspiring MBA applicant.

What stood out for me from the get-go was how invested they were in my success. When I first reached out to Kathryn, I got a response almost immediately and the entire team showed the same level of responsiveness and commitment throughout the process.

Though the application process was quite daunting at first, Square One's structured approach helped make it easier to navigate. When I started out, I wasn't very clear on whether I really wanted to do an MBA. But the career narrative exercise with Wendy, Ram and Kathryn, where we talked about my long term goals and the steps that I could take to achieve them, helped me gain this clarity.

After the career narrative exercise, I worked primarily with Ram who was my main advisor. Working with Ram was an absolutely wonderful experience. Ram is not somebody who only wants to help you get into the best business school. He is somebody who really wants to help you succeed in life. This was evident right from our first interaction where he spent hours getting to know me better - my background, interests, aspirations, accomplishments and even my failures. He constantly pushed me to dig deeper, introspect and reflect, so that I could understand myself better and craft an authentic and compelling story in my essays.

Ram is also someone who doesn't want to settle for anything below the best. There were some essays that we went over more than 20 times, brainstorming multiple ideas until we landed on what felt right! He was always available over phone and email if we had anything to discuss. With his vast experience mentoring people, Ram almost always had the answers to any questions that I had around how I should structure my essays. However, what I really liked was that he never directly handed the answers to me. Rather, he kept nudging me in the right direction so that I could come up with the answers myself. This helped me craft a story that I truly believed in, and also served me well in the interviews.

Ram's writing skills are phenomenal. He has the ability to take any sentence you write and rephrase it in the most succinct way possible so that it can have maximum impact. He also has the ability to convert a seemingly mundane idea into something special.

All in all, I had a great experience with Ram, Kathryn and the entire Square One team. I could not have done this without them, and would strongly recommend them to any aspiring MBA applicant.

Read More

Square One has an extremely thorough process to create strong business school applications. Kathryn and her team diligently ensured my application was buttoned-up - they helped me refine my resume and create a compelling narrative illustrating how business school supported my career objectives. Mock interviews with Krasina and career narrative discussions with Wendy prepared me for interviews with MBA admissions team members. Thanks to the help and support from the Square One Prep team, I received interviews from 2 out of the 4 programs that I applied to (all top programs) and accepted an offer from my top choice - Columbia Business School.

Read More

I thoroughly enjoyed working with Square One Prep throughout the application process. Their approach is transparent, efficient, effective, and well-organised. They take the time to get to know you, your background, and your ambitions to help you portray yourself as authentically and clearly as possible.

The career narrative process pushed me to define and detail my story which manifested in stronger essays and interviews. Feedback from interview preparation illuminated when and how I could communicate better to the admissions committee.

Whenever we had a call, I never felt like they were rushing through our allotted time. In fact, they always stayed longer if I needed. They made themselves available and responded immediately over email. The customer service was impeccable.

The honest and direct feedback throughout the process showed that they weren’t just trying to please me as a customer but truly wanted the best outcome for me.

Read More

At the start of my MBA journey I was very nervous about the application process. Those nerves quickly went away once I spoke with Square One Prep. During the initial call, Kathryn was very candid and honest about my chances due to my low GPA, but she made it clear that their dedicated team would help maximize my chances.

They are not kidding when they say dedicated and hands on approach, my consultant, Alejandro, and the rest of the team put a huge emphasis on developing a career narrative that truly reflects your goals and who you are. The whole process was one of self-discovery and introspection for me and I was able to build a career plan that is going to help me beyond my MBA. But, to me the thing that I will always be grateful for is the confidence they instilled in me since day 1. The SOP team and specially my consultant Alejandro were always there to answer my questions and helped me navigate the stressful application process.

Square One Prep was my secret weapon and I never would’ve dreamed of having such great options. I can’t recommend Square One Prep enough; they really are miracle workers!

Read More

I can safely say that I wouldn’t have gotten into my top choice (Wharton), especially given all the uncertainty COVID-19 introduced to the application cycle, without the support & thoughtfulness of the Square One team.

From the initial consultations with Kathryn, Square One set itself apart by demonstrating a clear focus on helping my applications reflect who I was rather than a template of a business school applicant. The feedback from the initial consultation with Kathryn onward was always much more specific and actionable than the generic “you seem like a fine candidate, and I’m sure we could tell you more with another session” feedback I received from larger admissions consulting firms.

Kathryn, Bailey, Wendy, and Piersten all took the time to really understand my career trajectory and MBA goals. Moreover, the whole team was always willing to interrogate my assumptions and push me to think more deeply about the process. Square One ensured that my final applications were all well-crafted and holistic (and mostly in early!).

Everyone was incredibly responsive and provided all the hand-holding I needed (which was a lot of hand-holding) throughout the process. I want to particularly shout-out how smoothly the letter of recommendation process was handled, as it was something I was very nervous about heading into the application process. Piersten really worked to make the entire experience seamless.

Square One allowed me to maintain my sanity during a usually stressful process in an unusually stressful year, and for that, I cannot thank them enough!

Read More

I could not have had a better experience with Square One and specifically Mike White and Kathryn. First, their dedication to getting to know me as a whole and helping me craft my story was beyond what I could have asked for. Their insight and feedback was invaluable and constructive at every step of the process. Second, I constantly received undivided attention. Whether it was another revision of an essay, interview prep, or just bouncing ideas off of Mike, I always had his focus. The entire Square One team was consistently accessible to me and willing to hop on a call last minute without question. Lastly, Mike and Kathryn were always looking out for me and ensuring that I make the most of my financial investment in Square One. Unlike other companies, they never tried to overcharge or sell unnecessary services. I am beyond grateful and proud to have worked with Square One!

Read More

Working with Kathryn, Allison (my day to day advisor) and the rest of the Square One team was amazing. They did a great job keeping me organized and providing me strategic guidance throughout the application journey. I worked with the team on the 2 schools that I applied to R2 - one full package, and one on an hourly basis.

I was still taking my GMAT when I started working with the team, and Kathryn coached me through school selection after I received my scores back. Kathryn was always available to listen, strategize and think through the unique situations that I encountered throughout the process.

Allison, my day to day advisor, was simply amazing. She was incredibly compassionate, supportive, and invested, and helped me bring my personal statements to life. She was also a great coach during interview prep and helped me determine the best combination of recommenders.

I truly believe the combination of working with Allison, Wendy (my career narrative advisor) and Kathryn (who reviews final versions of all essays) gave me the best shot with the profile that I had.

Read More

Coming from a consulting background with average GMAT/GRE scores, I knew before I embarked on my MBA application journey that partnering with the right advisor(s) was going to be the key differentiator to ensure my success. I had intro calls with 7 different business school consultancies and SOP stood out from the very beginning. Kathryn spent well over an hour with me to understand my background, goals, and encouraged me to apply to my reach-schools. After I decided to work with SOP, I had the opportunity to meet several day-to-day advisors on the phone, and I ultimately decided to partner with Lee; I could not be happier with this decision. She was not only always available, but she asked the right questions to make sure that my application showed depth and personality. Lee would also periodically send me articles and insights that were related to my long-term professional goals, so I know I was always on her mind, even when we were not on a call together. I'm willing to bet that you won't find that anywhere else. MBA applications (especially at the M7 level) are always competitive and can be extremely challenging both emotionally and psychologically. SOP was there to support me every step of the way and I am certain that working with them was 100% the right call!

Read More

Without Square One Prep I can honestly say I would not be going to business school. They brought structure to a daunting process and provided comprehensive support throughout. The career planning process was brilliant. I had no clue what I wanted to do after business school but the SOP team helped me find purpose. Dan guided me through writing the application essays strategically, providing insightful commentary and keeping me on schedule to meet my application deadlines and I received additional support throughout from Kathryn and the rest of the team.

Working with SOP has been an absolute pleasure and I would happily recommend them to anyone applying for an MBA.

Read More