Status: First-time applicant
Pre-MBA industry: Banking/Private Equity
Years of experience at time of matriculation: 5
GMAT/GRE score: 770
Undergraduate GPA: 3.88/4.00
Admitted to: Haas, HBS, Kellogg, Wharton
Scholarship(s): $70,000
I’ll begin by saying that I’m ‘that guy.’ The white guy who went to an Ivy League college, did well in class while doing sports as well, then did investment banking for a couple of years followed by PE for a couple more, had a strong GMAT showing, and want to stay on the PE path. I KNEW getting into b-school would be a cinch. Then I talked to Square One Prep and was humbled pretty fast. They opened my eyes to the fact that being “that guy” can make the application process tougher, not easier. I had never failed, and didn’t want to start now. I also didn’t want the fact that I’d been lucky all my life, free of any defining or hardships per se, to work against me.
Square One Prep, through a lot of patience, educating and pulling back layers I didn’t know I had, helped me see that I’d had defining moments and do have a distinct story. My consultant was indispensable from strategy through execution. The results: in at HBS, Wharton, Haas and Kellogg, with $25,000-$40,000 scholarships.