Testimonial Detail

Lara, Kathryn, and SOP are miracle workers!

Let’s get the outcomes out of the way: SOP helped me achieve admission to both HBS and Wharton! From start to finish, it took less than one month!

I had two friends who both had successful outcomes refer me to Square One Prep but I was someone who thought I could navigate the process on my own. It was December 14, less than a month before Round 2 deadlines were due and I was still debating whether I even wanted to apply to business school. I had a few half-baked essays and knew I had not strongly communicated my narrative.

Kathryn hopped on the phone with me on a Friday afternoon, walked me through the SOP process, and sent me a schedule on how we would make two schools work in less than 30 days. She was direct honest, and most importantly caring. By Saturday morning, Kathryn was my sounding board on whether I wanted to “hit the brakes on the process” or “pump the gas”. Kathryn wanted me to make this personal decision and there was no pressure on whether I pause or continue the MBA process. I decided SOP was for me on Saturday morning and by Saturday afternoon, Kathryn had me set up with intro calls with multiple advisors. This was on a SATURDAY. This was beyond anything I expected, Kathryn and her team truly go above and beyond. Any other company would say we’ll get back to you Monday, Kathryn and Lara got back to me in 10 minutes. They care about your experience in the process (not just the outcomes) and you truly feel that.

On Saturday evening (at 8 freaking PM!!), I had my first call with Lara Avsar who would change my life. Lara took the time to understand my story and my “why”. It wasn’t just let’s build an application, it was let’s know who you are, why you are who you are, and how you and the business school can fit together.

Lara was patient, caring, and helped me reflect on who I was as a person, and craft that story. She made time on the weekends, at night, and in the early mornings to make sure I was supported throughout the entire process. Her expertise in crafting vignettes and focus on storytelling was extremely impactful in my essays. I truly felt that Lara cared about me as a human being and that the application was a byproduct of the deep thought work we did together! I consider Lara someone who has changed my life and I’m extremely grateful for all of her time and support during this entire process. I do not doubt that Lara will be an advisor for life!

SOP overarching strategy was extremely effective and everything was perfectly planned thanks to Pat! Kathryn made herself available 24/7 to review the work and provide her expert guidance on where we were tracking and direction on strengths/weaknesses.

During this process, I also had the pleasure of working with Horatiu. Horatiu is an expert at crafting a tangible career narrative and this is an element of the process that I think also sets SOP apart from the rest. Horatiu and team help you discover a career narrative that you’re passionate about and something that can be used well beyond business school.

Overall, I can confidently say I would not have achieved the outcomes without Square One Prep. More importantly than the outcomes, I know the SOP experience will pay dividends well into the future. I’m extremely grateful for Lara, Kathryn, and the entire Square One Prep team!