Testimonial Detail

As an EMBA applicant with a non-traditional career path, I wanted to make sure that I was working with a team of professionals who would help me put my best foot forward. I interviewed multiple consulting firms but chose Square One Prep because of their clearly-outlined approach, Kathryn’s background (similar post-MBA industry), and the fact that Kathryn believed I was a great candidate for the schools to which I was applying.

As expected, the process was exacting and the hardest part for me– and also the most rewarding– was the Career Narrative. If you don’t know exactly what you want to do and why, Kathryn and Wendy, SOP Career Narrative Expert, will make sure you get there within a handful of phone calls. But be prepared: no one makes rapid progress without a little stress. Ultimately, crafting the Career Narrative significantly improved the quality of my essays and gave me clear direction.

I worked directly with Mary Winograd, who was fantastic. She turned around documents much faster than expected and her edits/comments always pushed me to dig deeper. She was very accessible and made sure to check in and push me the two times I fell behind. With Mary’s help, I crafted an application that I was very proud of.


In the end, I received an acceptance phone call from Columbia within a week of interviewing and I’ll be enrolling this fall. I’m not sure how it would have ended up without Square One, but I know I wouldn’t have put together as strong of an application without them. I’ll be recommending them in the future.