Status: First-time applicant
Pre-MBA industry: Electrical Engineering
Years of experience at time of matriculation: 6
GMAT/GRE score: 750
Undergraduate GPA: 3.4/4.0
Graduate GPA: 3.1/4.0
Admitted to: Columbia
I spoke with 8 MBA consulting firms before finally deciding to go with Square One. Why? The owner was very generous with her time in explaining my MBA options and application strategies to me, even before I became a client. She was friendly, patient, knowledgeable about what the different schools look for in an application, and willing to talk to me as many times as I felt necessary to ensure I was making the right decision for myself – about what schools to apply to and what firm to work with.
Once I signed on, my advisor was always on top of things and would make sure I was too; this was important to me especially during essay writing and managing my recommenders, which was both time-consuming and labor intensive.
Above all, the part that really made Square One stand out was that, unlike most MBA consultants who recommend applicants apply to certain reach schools, a few realistic schools and a few safety schools based on a 5-minute glance at your GMAT, GPA and your unpolished resume during your first phone consultation, Square One encouraged me to aim for my dream schools. They believed in my ability to succeed, despite my coming from a heavily represented group. Their belief in me was critical as it led to a great team effort and me ultimately getting into Columbia!