Status: First-time applicant
Pre-MBA industry: Hardware Engineering
Years of experience at time of matriculation: 0
GMAT/GRE/EA score: 338 (168V 170Q)
Undergraduate GPA: 4.00/4.00
Admitted to: Booth, Columbia, HBS, Sloan, Wharton – all Deferred
Service Type: Premium
My team at Square One Prep did a phenomenal job helping me navigate the MBA admissions process.
From the very beginning, I felt like I was receiving personalized and detailed feedback tailored to my own profile. I really appreciate all the time my team took to understand my goals and my interests – from the initial intro call with Kathryn, to the SOP assessment call with my advisor Kelsey, to the career narrative brainstorming I did with Horatiu.
The SOP process might initially seem time consuming, but I promise it is 100% worth it. Thanks to the countless hours my team spent working with me, I was able to write unique and engaging essays that not only conveyed my career goals, but also showcased my personality and my interests.
I couldn’t have asked for a better advisor than Kelsey. For each school, we’d have a kick-off call to brainstorm ideas for the essays. These brainstorming sessions felt easy and productive, due to all the time we had spent introspecting into my goals and my formative experiences. Kelsey was also super responsive throughout the whole process and gave me essay feedback in a timely manner, which allowed me to iterate quickly and try out many essay ideas.
The help from the team didn’t stop after I submitted the applications. Kelsey and Kathryn were very helpful in preparing me for the interviews. Interview prep also helped me realize the value in the career narrative writing process that I did earlier with Horatiu – during the interviews, I was able to explain my career goals and justify my thought process with clarity and confidence.
I have to give Kelsey a special shout-out for helping me prep for the HBS interview, based on her own HBS admissions experience. We did multiple rigorous mock interviews, and she gave me endless tips on the types of questions to be prepared for. I’m happy to say that all my interviews went well and resulted in acceptances!I’ve already recommended Square One Prep to my friends interested in pursuing an MBA, and I’ll continue to do so in the future!