Status: Re-applicant
Pre-MBA industry: Education Consulting
Years of experience at time of matriculation: 6
GMAT/GRE score: 330 (V:165 Q: 165)
Undergraduate GPA: 1.64/4.00
Graduate GPA: 1.56/4.00
Admitted to: Anderson, Tuck, Wharton
Scholarship(s): $70,000
Service Type: Premium
I joined Square One Prep as an unsuccessful reapplicant at top MBA programs. Past rejections made me realize that I needed a professional guidance, and I reached out to see if I have a chance at all as I was beating myself over the head. When I reached out to Square One, Kathryn quickly offered a call and did a free detailed ding analysis which helped me understand why I struggled last year. She also explained why she believed in me in a very personalized way, and after talking close to 4 hours over several calls, I started to believe in myself again. This was all before I decided to proceed with Square One instead of other consultants.
After enrolling, Square One offered me to chat with my potential consultants, and I chose Allison for her combination of empathy and straightforwardness. I got lucky – I filled the last free slot she had for my application cycle and I couldn’t be happier. During our countless calls and e-mails, Allison always enabled me to explore my own thoughts and stories while steering me towards productive outcomes. Once she got to know me better, she was able to suggest stories before I could recall them myself. I could also learn much on my own thanks to Square One’s in-house portal with essay samples and other useful materials.
When we moved to crafting my career narrative, I started receiving support not just from one, but from a group of experts. Each focused on their own part of the process but also discussed their thoughts with others. Horatiu helped me explore my career vision, and the final story felt credible and exciting. Pat supported the whole process logistically, guiding me through practicalities and notifying me about tasks I underestimated. Everyone was very understanding about my profile, personality and time availability with a demanding job.
I spent most of my time with Allison, and although the MBA application process is grueling, our calls were actually my favorite part of the day. Especially with Kathryn checking our outputs as my leadership team lead, I felt at peace that my application is as strong as it can be. And it paid off royally. I was accepted to the top program in my selection (and a couple others), which I honestly still can’t believe for someone of my background 😊I can only say – even if you’re in doubt, give Square One a shot!
They go above and beyond to find your best match at every step. First, they want to make sure that they are the right company for you, and that they can help you with your goals too (before you enroll as a client), then they enable you to pick your desired consultant, and then advise on your school selection. One example – during our very first call Kathryn assessed me as a XYZ-school type of person, and even though I barely knew this program, I found I really bonded with their students well and ultimately received an admit too.
All in all, not only I got to my dream program, but the actual consulting experience was way better than I imagined. No one felt out of place, no one was selling me stuff I don’t want, and no one was fake. Just quiet confidence of people you’d like to have a beer with. Enrolling with Square One was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made and I’m happy to share it here.