Status: Third-time applicant
Pre-MBA industry: Private Equity
Years of experience at time of matriculation: 5
GMAT/GRE score: 710
Undergraduate GPA:3.2/4.0
Admitted to: Columbia
Scholarship(s): $80,000
Following some prior difficulties with the business school application process – I had applied the prior two years with no success, I found Square One Prep through internet research. During my initial consultation in June, the owner identified many problems in my previous applications, starting with the resume itself and ending with the essays. The owner was kind enough to then meet with me and my parents for one hour, so that I could explain my professional background and reasons for wanting to leave my current job at our family business for an MBA.
After identifying a group of realistic schools for my profile, she then partnered me with one of her advisors who put me on a strict schedule given I was applying to six schools and had a very demanding job that involved a lot of travel. I appreciated that my advisor was available at most hours of the day/night to speak with me. That became especially important after we significantly transformed my resume and started work on my essays. Most of my essays went through 10-20 rounds of edits before a final draft, and it was entirely worth it!
After I got 2 interview requests, my advisor coached me by going over a list of 100 potential interview questions. This made me more than ready for my Columbia interview, which I aced. Once I found out that I was admitted to CBS early decision, I withdrew my applications from the other schools where I may yet have gotten more interview requests had I stayed in the pool.
Getting into Columbia was especially satisfying, given I considered not even applying as a result of my previous failures, but Square One Prep encouraged me to try again, sure that with a much stronger and well thought out application I would succeed. Columbia had always been my first choice and Square One Prep helped me achieve that goal.
I recommend them to anyone who wants to succeed when they apply to business school!