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!

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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!

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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.

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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!

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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.

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Like a lot of people who are applying to business school, I was overwhelmed by the amount of things that I had to do - whether that be crafting the right story, getting strong recommendations, or drafting essays, I kept thinking that I couldn’t do this on my own.
I took an introduction call with Kathryn that was extremely reassuring. I could tell that I would be in good hands, and the most important thing to me was that I knew there was a clear plan for my future success in applying to business school.
Kayin, my personal adviser, was instrumental in this process. He worked with me to constantly iterate on my essays and narrative and provided invaluable career advice that I will take with me to this day. I would have been lost multiple times throughout my b-school application journey without him and I can’t recommend him highly enough.

The common theme here is that the entire team at Square One is amazing: Luis, who pushed me to realize my best possible career narrative, Bailey, who was so extremely helpful in her encouragement and her bottomless knowledge about the application process– thank you all. For those looking to hire an admissions consultant, I PROMISE you it’s worth it to hire Square One Prep.

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I researched several different MBA prep companies and chose to partner with Square One Prep after connecting with Kathryn, who spoke to me at length, answering all of my questions with detail. As someone unfamiliar with the MBA admissions process, I found this particularly helpful to set expectations and understand what programs look for.

Working with Kathryn and Luis to craft a career narrative and clearly articulate my career goals was really helpful as someone with undefined and ambiguous future plans; though challenging, this process set me up well to write my essays and frame my application.

Lakshmi was a great consultant to work with; she was responsive and meticulous, always available to answer questions and provide feedback on innumerable drafts and iterations. I felt like we connected well and through the whole process, she was reassuring and empathetic, while still pushing me to put out my best work.

Ultimately, I was admitted to Wharton and couldn't have done it without the help of Square One Prep - their guidance was invaluable and they really had my back throughout the whole application process.

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As a fairly average candidate with dreams of attending a top 10 MBA program, I chose Square One Prep to help guide me through the process. I had discussions with numerous consultants and what drew me to Square One Prep was Kathryn's honest advice and depth of knowledge in both my desired industry and the MBA application process itself. After my initial conversation with Kathryn, I knew I had the best shot at being admitted to a top MBA program working alongside SOP.

Kathryn and Lee helped me along every single step of the way: from choosing the right schools, navigating an approach to secure my recommenders, shaping my resume, constructing essays, and conducting interview preparation. The process was clearly outlined from the start, with an easily accessible timeline, so there was no point where I was flustered or felt like I needed to rush my application before Round 1 deadlines. Beyond keeping me on track, Square One Prep ensured my work was top quality while also maintaining my own voice. Even on the 12th or 13th versions of essays, the team never hesitated to put in the extra time to guide me, making sure my materials were in the best shape possible.

Through this work with SOP, my somewhat average GMAT and GPA were strengthened by the rest of my materials. I was admitted to four of my dream schools, including Kellogg, Tuck, Darden, and Fuqua, with $70K in scholarships. I cannot recommend Kathryn and Square One Prep enough for anyone going through the business school process. THANK YOU!

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When I began my MBA consultant search, SOP immediately stood out from the rest. Kathryn responded to my email within minutes and then less than an hour later we were on a call discussing my MBA aspirations. As someone with a traditional background and very average stats, I was concerned about crafting a unique, compelling story that would resonate with adcoms. My advisor, Matt Haldeman, and the SOP team did just that. Matt got to know me on a deep, personal level and helped me create an authentic, but unique story that I would not have been able to create by myself. Additionally, I knew the MBA admissions process would be incredibly stressful and demanding. Matt and the SOP team supported me and their structured process helped keep my extremely Type A tendencies at bay.

In summary, I believe SOP was the reason I gained admission to multiple T10 schools in this incredibly competitive year. SOP was the white glove service that I needed and I’d recommend them to anyone as they begin their MBA journey!

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The MBA process is a whirl wind process that is full of both too much and too little information. You’ll listen to advice from mentors, alumni, friends, and family all while trying not to take what you read on blogs and forums too seriously. It is a vast ocean of perspectives and possibilities and I wanted someone to be my rock to guide me through it. SOP was my rock.

I was recommended to SOP by a colleague who had actually used another consulting service that translated into two waitlists at Wharton and HBS. After pivoting to SOP who guided her through the waitlist process (an adventure in and of itself), she got into both.

The word she used to describe her SOP experience was “honest” and honesty is exactly what I got. My 30 minute intro call with Kathryn lasted easily over an hour giving me a very frank perspective on my profile. Most importantly, Kathryn told me my dream schools of Wharton and HBS were possible, if I was willing to put in the work. Kathryn wasn’t just selling me by telling me what I wanted to hear. In fact, Kathryn was very frank in saying if I wasn’t up to snuff for a school she would tell me. Her honesty is what cultivated a trusting partnership with SOP, which is crucial in this process. There will be times when you believe you’ve written a knock out essay full of insights gleaned as you stared at yourself hard in the reflection of your laptop screen. Nope. “Doesn’t work”, is what you’ll hear back. Having a partner you trust across Kathryn, your SOP advisor, and the whole SOP team you work with (a whole team!) knowing they are pushing you to bring out the best in your application is what gets you to that next level.

This process is full of emotional swings and speculation. Throughout the entirety of it, I was able to rely on Kathryn and my SOP advisor to give it to me straight and drive me to create the application that got me accepted Wharton’s HCM program. It was a dream that I didn’t fully believe was possible until Kathryn gave me the confidence that it was and then provided the support to make it a reality.

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