If you thought the GMATs were tough, think again. The application process will push you, make you doubt your dreams, despise word limits, and feel unprepared to compete against thousands of other equally qualified candidates.

This is where Square One prep comes in. I’ve gone through 8 free consultations and didn’t feel confident with any of the other companies selling this “service”…that is until I spoke with Kathryn. Her passion to see me succeed was authentic as well as her desire to go above and beyond. While other companies were prompt to end the free 30-minute call, Kathryn and I must have spoken for over an hour.

My partner, as this is a partnership, Sarah was a key factor in my success. Don’t let her sweet personality fool you. I quickly found out that she’s surgical with her words and will push you and make sure that your “story” makes sense. She was always there to answer all my questions, most of them likely silly and trivial as I had no experience in applying to graduate schools. But she patiently guided me throughout the process to ensure that I don’t make mistakes – mistakes I would’ve definitely made without her.

Speaking of “stories”, I think this is one of the most important aspects of this process. Applying to school isn’t just about trying to impress the adcom with what they want to hear. This process, or rather journey actually should help you clearly define your goals, realistically, and put them into words so that others can understand them. Without Sarah, I’m not sure if I could’ve realized my own unique “story” to share with the adcom and now, with my future classmates.

In the end, I ended the first step of my journey getting into one of my top choices.

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The test center was to my surprise, very clean and professional. I say that it was to my surprise because I've heard some horror stories from my friends about his or her experiences with taking GMAT in Manhattan. However, i arrived promptly 15 minutes before my exam, and the front desk was helpful. I think the front desk has been coached or has some sense of awareness that they were very polite and courteous to not only myself, but to other test takers who arrived at the same time. The test center itself was calm, peaceful and easy to navigate. I would recommend this place to anyone commuting or living in the city to take the test.

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