Status: Re-applicant
Pre-MBA industry: Strategy Consulting
Years of experience at time of matriculation: 4
GMAT/GRE/EA score: 735 (90V 86Q 83DI)
Undergraduate GPA: 3.95/4.00
Admitted to: Booth, Columbia
Scholarship(s): $80,000
Service Type: Premium
Started off with a quick intro call with Kathryn, who actually made it not-so-quick – she really spent the time to understand my profile and give guidance, the call ended up being more than an hour!
My consultant was Allison – and I also got the entire team of Wendy for career narrative, Kelsey for application management, and Kathryn to sign off every material! Not just Allison, whose support was obviously crucial for my admission to M7 schools, the entire team has also been extremely supportive from day 1. Some key things I like from SOP:
1. Specific and insightful advice: Guidance and comments are always clear and (positively) prescriptive, with clear explanations why doing X is better than Y. From recommendation letters to essay writing, step-by-step guides and thought frameworks are provided for you. For someone applying with a tight timeline and a busy work schedule during the day, this was extremely helpful.
2. Willingness for thought partnership: I often bring different approaches to the table, discussing pros and cons, and probe the “why” behind the team’s advice (especially Allison!). Definitely not because her advice is questionable, but because b-school applications can go so many ways. And Allison has never once failed to spar with me and help me arrive at a satisfactory answer.
v
3. Going the extra mile: I was running behind schedule most of the time. Apart from the team constantly monitoring the schedule and giving pushes, Allison also sped up her turnaround time (at least 2x the normal review speed) to help me meet the deadline, working days and nights and weekends! Really really appreciate this.
In short, SOP has your best interests at heart and I would definitely recommend them.