Status: First-time applicant
Pre-MBA industry: Financial Services
Years of experience at time of matriculation: 6
GMAT/GRE score: 740 (V: 40 Q: 50)
Undergraduate GPA: 2.67/4.00
Career Gap: 3 months
Admitted to: Fuqua
I started working with SquareOne Prep after I took my GMAT, a few months before R1 applications were due. The highly personalized nature of their process was what made it stand out from all the other consultants I talked to (Veritas, Stacy Blackman, ARINGO, VantagePoint, etc.)
I was paired with a consultant that was my primary point of contact, and my consultant was responsive pretty much 24/7. It felt like an actual partnership where we were working on these applications together. I brainstormed my career narrative with Kathryn, the founder of SquareOne, and my consultant. The fact that SquareOne publishes their track record made me feel reassured.
My big challenge was that my GPA was 2.7. They worked with me to help me tell my story, so that admissions committees would understand me and my application. I can’t emphasize this enough but the level of individualized attention and time they spent made me believe they were extremely vested in my success.
Be ready to commit time to working with SquareOne though. They were flexible with my demanding work schedule as well. I would get answers within a few hours to any email I sent.
Also we didn’t just do one or two drafts of my essays. Some essays went through 8 iterations. With SquareOne, it felt like my applications were truly top-notch. Beyond that, working with SquareOne was fun. I would definitely look forward to group calls and working with my consultant.
Another thing is that SquareOne covered every step of the process from the brainstorming essay phase to the interview phase. We spent almost 2 hours of preparation per interview.
I received admission to Fuqua and I am waiting on decisions to other schools as well.
I have told my brother and close friend to use SquareOne, and I highly recommend SquareOne to anyone who wants a highly personalized MBA consultant that wants you to get in as much as you do.