Testimonial Detail

I used Square One Prep’s premium and hourly service for my Master’s in Real Estate program application. I am very satisfied and impressed with the results.

I am a very skeptical person when it comes to these types of services, feeling as if they just direct you down a path that you could find by just doing research online. In fact, I don’t think I would have ever used a service if my colleague didn’t recommend me the one that he (accepted to Stern) used. He told me that he interviewed MBA mission, Menlo and Square Oe Prep. I did the same.

I sent emails requesting to learn more about MBA mission, Menlo and Square One Prep’s services around the same time that day. Kathryn Lucas responded the same day to set up a one and one call. To me, a fast response time is not really impressive but to have the founder reach out and set up a call herself really showed me a level of care, leadership, and attention that I would later deeply appreciate.

Our call was good and humbling. I have done a lot of research myself on these programs and academic intent and credentials needed. I briefed Kathryn about myself, why I wanted to get a Masters in RE, and where I stood in the application/preparation process. She asked some easy questions to get the juices flowing but she soon started digging deeper, making me question if my application story was convincing, well – researched, and “big picture” enough. It was evident my application at that moment in time had many cracks. I am unsure if it was due to Kathryn’s extensive experience as an MBA admission advisor or in real estate development, but I immediately knew, despite all my research and prep, that my application just won’t be enough for the top Masters in Real estate programs in the US. The call was very personable, direct, and unapologetic. I liked it.

My calls with Menlo and MBA mission were overall good (given that they are successful firms), but lacked that personal touch and care. I knew that my situation of applying to a Master’s in Real Estate program was unique and wouldn’t fully form into any cookie cutter MBA plan. My application would have to be tailored for real estate.
I decided to go with Square One, premium service.

I was given the option to choose my advisor and to interview them. At the time I began using Square One, most of the of the senior advisors were fully booked for round 1 MBA applications. I appreciate how Square One does small batches but I was nervous. I was looking for someone who had real estate experience, time, and energy for my application.
I ended up choosing Cristina Castellano, a senior advisor and partnership manager. To me, her background was the strongest. I enjoyed interviewing her and talking about real estate without having to use too many layman terms. A concern of mine was her responsibilities as Square One Prep’s partnership manager. I was afraid that her partnership manager duties as well as other work may impact the level of attention and care she would give my unique application. This was not the case at all.

After many calls to nail my story, purpose, data points and career progression down (thank you Horatiu Stefan! ), Cristina and I got to work on my essays. In hindsight, I feel a little bad for the amount of work I put Cristina through. I am most definitely not a concise person when it comes to writing, believing that every detail matters and nor am I the most eloquent. Instead of writing essay drafts, I wrote dissertations. Cristina was great at compressing my mountains of ramble into purposeful diamonds. In short, we vibed.

The resume building, Letter of Recommendations, and all the other things you need in your application were done very well. Rather than go into those details, I think it’s important to highlight the responsiveness I had with my senior advisor and Square One Prep. Kathryn and Horatio were always an earshot away. I knew that I could just promptly call or text Cristina to set up meetings or answer some of my questions or even calm me down when I encountered application website issues. Horatio really helped me dive deep into “Why Real Estate” and directly/indirectly helped me think critically about what I want to do and who I want to be. Isn’t that crazy? One of life’s big questions answered. Horatio also went out of his way to do research on Masters in Real estate paths into private equity as well as find some real estate data points for me. Kathryn provided great feedback on final products and even gave me some reviews for free for my hourly service package.

I feel really confident about my application and look forward to my other school decisions. Having already gotten into one of the top programs, I already feel very content. Even if I don’t get into the other schools, I know it will not be because of me or my application but something I cannot control. In combination with the career path and purpose that Square One prep helped me internalize and my own hustle and grit, I know that I can succeed at any school and with any firm.

In real estate, we are all about “value-add” practices. I wholeheartedly believe that choosing Square One Prep as you admissions consultant will be the best thing you ever did.