Testimonial Detail

draft

476

December 10, 2019
Client from: Canada
Status: First-time applicant
Pre-MBA industry: Investment Banking/Strategy
Years of experience at time of matriculation: 6
GMAT/GRE score: 730 (V: 41 Q: 49)
Undergraduate GPA: 6.9/9.0
Admitted to: HBS, Wharton

I could not be more thankful that I had the whole Square One Prep behind me as I went through my b-school applications.

For background, I wasn’t sure about going to business school and decided to only apply to three reach schools. In my search for a consultant, I called ~8 consultancies. Most of the calls left me feeling frustrated with the industry and highly skeptical about my odds. One consultancy even told me that they wouldn’t work with me unless I signed up for a 10-school package (!?). My conversation with Kathryn, however, was the complete opposite. She told me that the schools I was applying to are highly selective but that I had a real shot. Despite the 30 minute consultation time, she gave me advice and answered my (numerous) questions for an hour.

The SOP starts by helping you craft a career narrative and plan. I didn’t realize it at the time, but this was the most valuable part of the SOP package for me. Wendy (SOP’s career counselor) asked me so many thoughtful questions along the way and made it a deeply introspective and gratifying process. My narrative ended up being so robust and detailed, that I found myself looking back at my career narrative throughout my application process, when prepping for my interviews and even now as I think critically about what I want to do post MBA.

My consultant, Kathleen was extremely professional, responsive and knowledgeable on the schools I applied to. At the beginning, I found starting essays very daunting. She encouraged me to take baby steps by just putting unstructured thoughts on paper and then slowly building up the narrative from there. Despite time differences, Kathleen always got back to me within 12 hours even when there were heavy edits involved. Without her, I wouldn’t have been accepted to my top choice school! Throughout the process, the team made sure that I was on track by sending me reminders and prompts every time I was behind.

Thank you to the whole Square One Prep team!

Leave a comment