Status: First-time applicant
Pre-MBA industry: Government
Years of experience at time of matriculation: 8
GMAT/GRE score: 750 (V: 41 Q: 50)
Undergraduate GPA: 8.2/10.0
Admitted to: Anderson, Booth, HBS, Wharton
Scholarship(s): $80,000
Service Type: Premium Need-based
To say that I was clueless about the B school application process would be a gross understatement. In fact, it was only over my first call with Kathryn Lucas from Square One Prep that the process began to seem anything close to possible. From the get go she was clear, frank and target oriented. Her no-nonsense approach was a much needed breath of fresh air in a process with an abundance of far-fetched short-cuts. But due to financial reasons, I signed up for a one school package even though I was applying for 6. I picked Stanford so as to cover a larger array of content. Kathleen, the advisor I worked with, was nothing short of perfect. She was very perceptive and really coaxed me to write an essay that rang true. It was the right amount of guidance and she encouraged me to discuss and debate the edits until I felt like I owned them. The content we developed for the Stanford application helped me to a great extent in shaping the rest of the applications. But the most important takeaway from my experience with SOP was developing the career narrative with Luis, Kathleen and Kathryn. I began the process with a great deal of cynicism, knowing fully well that I have to develop a story that seems both realistic as well as inspired to the AdCom. But Luis was such a great coach and asked such pointed questions that I, honest to god, developed a clarity in my professional goals! That one, I am going to keep with me long after the MBA is done. Thought I couldn’t get through Stanford, I did get through Booth, Wharton and Anderson and that is, in no small part, thanks to Kathryn, Kathleen and Luis at Square one prep.