Allison and the Square One Prep team are in a league of their own. Choosing them was one of the best decisions ever, not just for the application process, but my career overall.

I joined Square One Prep as an unsuccessful reapplicant at top MBA programs. Past rejections made me realize that I needed professional guidance and Kathryn, who leads the team, quickly offered a call and did a free detailed ding analysis which helped me understand why I struggled. She also explained why she believed in me in a very personalized way, and after talking close to 4 hours over several calls, I started to believe again. This was all BEFORE I actually chose Square One and paid anything.

I picked Allison as my main consultant, she is a gem and I would recommend her to anyone. Allison is kind, empathetic and sharp as a razor. We went through countless calls and e-mails, and once she got to know me better, she was able to suggest stories before I could recall them myself. I could also learn much on my own thanks to Square One’s in-house portal with essay samples and other useful materials.

Altogether, I received support from a whole group of experts with Allison being my stellar guide, Horatiu in charge of career narrative, Pat providing logistical support and Kathryn overseeing the process. Yes, with Square One Prep, you get a whole group of top-notch experts. And they are all very understanding about your profile, personality and time availability.
Under Allison's guidance, I felt at peace that my application is as strong as it can be. And it paid off royally. I was accepted to the top program in my selection (and a couple others), which I honestly still can’t believe 😊I can only say — even if you’re in doubt, give Square One a shot!
Overall, not only I got to my dream program, but the consulting experience was way better than I imagined. No one felt out of place, no one was selling me stuff I don’t want, and no one was fake. Just quiet confidence of people you’d like to have a beer with. Enrolling with Allison and Square One changed my life and that's why I’m happy to share it here.

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Strengths:

1. Personalized service
2. Patient and real
3. Personal and very close to admissions process

Would make the product better:

1. Pricing can be more encouraging

I worked closely with Kathryn Lucas on my applications. Right from a free consultation through to final admit, she and her team held the pen, translating my personality and achievements into a be spoke application that would be irresistible.
Aside from the routine organized and disciplined approach, she brought a lot of thought leadership and sense of precision that only a few could. Her team was exceptionally supportive and patient and ensured that we did not miss timelines and targets. Kept spirits up when things didnt seem very encouraging and yet help the beacon of hope.
She and her team are fully supportive of every candidate and translate their strengths and accomplishments into a perfect package that great schools cannot deny.
I sincerely reveled at the experience of working collaboratively and would strongly suggest her involvements.

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Strengths:

Individualized strategy
Career planning
Supportive team
Essay samples collection

The SOP team is incredible, and I can’t recommend them enough. Kathryn, Kelsey, Horatiu, and Pat guided me through every step of the MBA application process and truly helped me put my best foot forward.

SOP tailored my application strategy with care, always putting me and my goals first. Kathryn was consistently available to talk through questions or concerns. Through challenges and moments of low confidence, the team supported me, never making me feel like a bother or an inadequate applicant. Horatiu helped me work through multiple career narratives until we landed on the right one, and when I felt overwhelmed, we adjusted my timeline by applying early only to Fuqua and shifting other schools to round 2. That decision paid off with an early Fuqua acceptance, saving me time and unnecessary applications, and letting me focus on even more aspirational schools for round 2. Pat was instrumental in keeping everything organized and holding me accountable.

Even with a not so ideal GRE score, Kathryn and Kelsey encouraged me to keep going. Kelsey created a judgment-free space for our work together, helping me put together an authentic application. She was more than an advisor—she was a true cheerleader and support system.

I can’t imagine going through this process without SOP. I’m so grateful to the entire team for helping me start my MBA journey.

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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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