Square One Prep Admissions Consulting Reviews

Looking back, I cannot imagine applying to business school without Square One Prep. My advisor's advice, feedback and perspective served as the building blocks in my preparation. Every step of the way, her invaluable input increased my confidence, eased my concerns/anxiety and gave me the reassurance I needed. Her objective assessment of my strengths/weaknesses and guidance helped me shape my application, optimize productivity and manage my time effectively. What was terrific and comforting about my advisor was that she made me feel as if she was exclusively working for me, as she was remarkably accessible and responsive at all times of the day, night and week – she worked tremendously hard to ensure she made herself available. I am in a time zone that is 12 hours ahead of New York and yet that never hindered our communication. Additionally, her genuine desire to see me succeed spurred me on to work harder and create stronger pieces of work. Juggling a demanding job in investment banking while applying to schools was a real challenge and having a such a dedicated, knowledgeable coach encouraged me to invest the required amount of time and energy into perfecting my applications. Her affable nature and great communication skills in tandem with her sharp insights made it an absolute pleasure to work with her. She made my application process a smooth ride. She made getting into Wharton, my #1 choice, seem like a smooth ride too!

I would highly recommend Square One Prep to anyone who wants to get into a Top 3 school.

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So fare I've gotten offers from Tuck, Sloan and Wharton and gotten full fellowships from both Tuck and Wharton. Not bad!

I can't thank Square One Prep enough for being by my side for months as we worked tirelessly on my applications in unpredictable spurts due to my hectic work schedule in banking. Even though I was in China and my consultant in the US, I never sensed the time difference between us. She was always available. She was always eager to help me go the extra distance to create distinct applications that would enable admissions committees to grasp who I am, and how I am unique despite being an Asian in financial services (investment banking).

Thank you!!!!

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I was a re-applicant. I did my applications on my own last year and can honestly say that within 15 minutes of my free call with Square One, I knew things would be different this time around and wished I'd made the call to them last year. Last year I was arrogant. I'd gone to Harvard undergrad and had an interesting career thus far. Not the greatest GMAT score. But I am from a minority group and thought all that would make up for it. It didn't. And boy was I humbled. I was even more humbled when I talked with Square One. I was so impressed with how much I learned on my first call and how sincerely interested in my success the owner of the firm was. She was a straight shooter with me. It was unlike my other free calls with consulting firms where I felt like I was getting a car salesman job, like I was being told what everyone else is told. With Square One, I could tell the owner put real thought into my situation before talking to me. In fact, they were the ONLY firm who asked to see prior applications before my free call. Now I'll admit I worried that once I started work with my advisor, I would no longer feel like I was in great hands, that my advisor wouldn't measure up and impress me as much the owner did. Kathryn Lucas really is charismatic and knowledgeable. I would have been ok with a slight decrease in quality since her advisors don't own the company, and I can only speak for my personal advisor. He was just as great at Kathryn.

Simply put, Square One Prep's team was instrumental in my getting into Kellogg, UCLA, and Columbia. They helped me break down the application process into manageable steps and put together a narrative of my career path that reflected my strengths and aspirations. They pushed me when I needed it. They were upfront about potential weaknesses, always spot-on when I needed something tweaked in my essays, motivating, and always available when I needed to discuss an approach to my candidacy or just talk to get a new boost of energy. As a result of our work together, in addition to getting into three schools, I received a fellowship (full-tuition scholarship) at Columbia!"

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I strongly recommend Square One Prep.
I am from outside the US and found the whole process baffling. I was unsure if my qualifications were sufficient because I had a pretty low GPA and GMAT. I didn't know where to begin with essay topics or writing as I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a strong writer. I wasn't even sure which programs were the best, in general and for me. Square One was extremely helpful in taking the time to understand my story, validate my experience was sufficient (with some shoring on my part), strategically help me select topics as well as write well on them, and suggest other programs that weren't on my radar. In fact, the school, I'm going to wasn't on my radar at first!
I am also one of those people that needs a bit of kick to move things forward. Square One will definitely will let you know if you are falling behind and encourage you to pick up the pace. They will also push you to introspect and grow as you develop your work. It really is quite a process.
Also there is so much advice out there on the internet. It's ridiculous. It was great to have someone qualified to distill down the best admissions strategy. Square One had extreme clarity about how to structure things to help showcase my best attributes. They also simply told me to stop surfing the net for advice, to just trust them. Square One didn't just offer sound advice; they really were a full-service guide to me. They did it all with personality which made the entire stressful experience less so.
I'm heading to MIT Sloan which is the perfect school for me. I definitely don't think this would have happened if it wasn't for the guidance and support of Square One."

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If you are serious about gaining admission to the most competitive business programs in the world, you need to have an edge. I am by no means the perfect candidate: I have average college grades and a slightly below average GMAT score, but I was accepted at Yale, Darden, Tuck, and Kellogg. Square One Prep's expertise helped me shape my story and portray my experiences as an Army officer in a way that was both highly relatable to the admissions committees and true to myself.

I am confident that whatever your background, Square One Prep will invest in you the way they did in me and give you the edge to succeed.

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Square One Prep has an incredible ability to help you find your voice. When I first approached the process, I was worried. I had worked in several industries and worn lots of hats. I truly was about as nontraditional as one could be. Additionally, although I had lots of ideas about what I wanted to do in the future, I didn't know where to begin with telling my story in a way that would make me seem like someone who's been working toward getting my MBA. I didn't know how to explain the career transition I was eager to make.
My consultant was indispensable. Without her, I can't imagine crafting a story as clear and compelling as my application turned out. I applied only to my top choice school, Tuck, and they admitted me in the first round.
After speaking with me for four hours--my initial assessment call, my consultant was able to help me strategically pick out key elements in my background to highlight in my resume and essays. She knew exactly what would resonate with the admission committee. She also knew how to bring focus to my various career visions and help me develop a career narrative that brought together all of my seemingly disparate work experiences. It didn't happen overnight. But my consultant was by my side, guiding me the entire way. She was not only thorough, smart, and available 24/7, but she was also incredibly friendly. I thoroughly enjoyed collaborating with her.
I would recommend Square One Prep to anyone who wants to take the mystery and fear out of the application process, enjoy what is supposed to be daunting, and is serious about getting into their top choice program.

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With a liberal arts undergraduate degree and a military background, I was extremely nervous about applying to business school. Square One Prep came highly recommended to me from friends that were also in the military. Working with them was absolutely critical to getting accepted into my dream school, and being close to my family. Square One not only helped me translate my military experience into something the admissions committee could understand and relate to, they also helped me discover what was truly important to me in terms of a future profession. Of all the consultants I talked to, I chose Square One because they gave me honest and direct feedback, even on the first call, and did not sugar coat my weaknesses; rather they helped me come up with ways to overcome them. My consultant was always available, day, night or weekend with timely, spot-on responses to my queries. Not only was my written application strong, so was my interview. The mock interview my consultant gave me is what sealed the deal for me. It set me up to ace the real thing and get that invitation to matriculate.
If you are serious about getting into a top school, look no further than Square One Prep.

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Stanford GSB here I come!!! Working with Square One Prep was just fantastic. My consultant was extremely supportive, always responsive and full of great ideas to help bring my applications to the next level, and then the next level. She knew I had an uphill battle as I am someone who already has investment banking and private equity under my belt; yet here I am saying that I want to stay in private equity---how "vanilla" is that? And how do I prove the need for an MBA?

Well, with Square One Prep's constant attention and ability to push me to think about my past, present and future in a way that helped me better define who I am and break away from the all the other applicants who, on the surface, have profiles similar to my own, I developed a sincere, unique story. Thank you so much for being so invested in my success. Getting into my top choice is really a dream come true!

Something I found really special about Square One was their candor. My consultant initially told me that Stanford was out not a good school for me, due in part to how "vanilla" my ambitions were and because I didn't seem to be driven by passion - passion to do good in a way that was genuinely outward looking and thoughtful. She was right. So we took Stanford off my list of schools because I understood what my consultant was saying. Six weeks later though, I had a breakthrough while working on the essays for another school with her. She probed and probed and suddenly got me to share something from my past that I'd always been embarrassed by but in many ways, I realized by talking to her, define me. By coming clean about a personal struggle, and learning from her that it was nothing to be ashamed about, together we suddenly saw how I could turn my vanilla ambitions into something that was anything but vanilla. Would I still be doing PE? Yes, but with so much more purpose. I was so excited. Then, when my consultant told me that I now had the ingredients to be taken seriously by Stanford, I was ecstatic. Because we worked at such a great pace, we had plenty of time to add Stanford back into our plan. It was the last application we worked on, and the first school I got admitted to!

If you’re applying to business school, I’d strongly recommend you work with Square One Prep

Oh, I also got into Tuck, Haas, and Booth!

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Me? A younger applicant (less than 3 years, with absolutely no extracurricular involvements since college, but a strong career, GMAT score, uni performance, and personal story (that I would have not tapped into without the help of my admissions advisory group). I can’t imagine having made it through the application process, let alone getting accepted into Stanford and Wharton, without Square One Prep. My consultant not only provided quick turnaround and flawless strategic editing on my resume as well as draft after draft of the essays, but she really pushed me to make sure I was telling the right stories and conveying them in the strongest way I could. Looking at the before and after of my essays is just incredible! Looking in the mirror before and after is incredible as I see myself in a new way - bloody silly but true. My consultant's great knowledge of the application process and what each top school is seeking in combination with her invested attitude really helped me stay sane during the process. She was always supportive, and went above and beyond what she had to throughout my application journey. Thank you!!

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Square One Prep played a huge role in my ability to get accepted at Wharton. I took a big risk, applying to only one school. But I knew where I wanted to go. I needed a partner who would support my appetite for risk and believe in me. Square One Prep did believe in me. They proved that by staying in touch with me for more than a year - as a free resource to me - before I decided to pull the trigger and apply. That really showed me what kind of company they are. I didn't feel like a transaction. I felt like they really cared.

My consultant was always available, had a no nonsense style, and was very organized. These attributes were very important to me. I needed someone who could adjust to my travel-heavy schedule, not beat around the bush, and keep me on track to meet important deadlines. She executed in every department.

Additionally, going in, I really underestimated just how much time, thought, and effort I needed to put in to the process to put together a competitive application. I also didn't understand that I would be deemed a younger applicant or that my low GMAT score would be problematic. My consultant not only educated me, she walked me through how to tackle my relative inexperience compared to my competition and helped me choose the best way to mitigate my low GMAT score. Having someone who knows exactly what the adcoms want, and don't want, was a lot more valuable than I originally anticipated.

The admissions process is extremely competitive. I couldn't have pulled it off without Square On Prep. I highly recommend them to anyone who is serious about getting into any leading MBA program."

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