Status: First-time applicant
Pre-MBA industry: Analysis in Venture Capital/Strategy Consulting
Years of experience at time of matriculation: 3
GMAT/GRE score: 710 (V: 39 Q: 48)
Undergraduate GPA: 3.96/4.00
Admitted to: Haas, Sloan
Scholarship(s): $120,000
I was initially very unsure if I wanted to hire a consultant to help me through the MBA process. I had a number of coworkers that were graduates of top MBA programs that offered to help when they could and I had heard mixed reviews on the value consultants actually add. I was skeptical if they would be worth the money.
I did a number of free consultations with many of the bigger admission consulting firms and Square One Prep was a clear stand out in my mind. From the first call with Kathryn I could tell she cared about her clients. She was very flexible in finding a time that worked with my crazy schedule and spoke with me for over an hour during our “30-minute” initial consultation. I appreciated her candid evaluation of my profile and how she identified weaknesses. I walked away from that call knowing what schools are seeking and feeling like an M7 school was well within my reach if I tackled the applications with Square One’s help.
My Square One consultant was great. Kash worked hard to understand my story and by the end of working together I felt like we had become good friends, despite never actually meeting in person. Although it may seem minor, he was also able to offer much needed encouragement and motivation when I was feeling overwhelmed by the process. He helped me organize and present my story in a clear, compelling way that highlighted my strengths and what I would bring to the program. His help on my resume was invaluable. He was able to assist me in crafting bullets that clearly explained my impact to people who weren’t at all familiar with the niche industry I work in. On the essays he helped me make sure each sentence made an impact and that I was not wasting precious space. Having Kathryn do reviews of the work was also extremely comforting. As a team, Kash and Kathryn made sure I was doing all I could to present myself sincerely and effectively.
Working with Square One Prep was wonderful and I have no regrets, despite initial hesitations about consultants in general. I ultimately got into one of my top choices, Haas, and I could not be more excited!