Status: First-time applicant
Pre-MBA industry: Banking (Operations, Investment Management)/Strategy at an Accelerator
Years of experience at time of matriculation: 5
GMAT/GRE score: 700 (V: 40 Q: 47)
Undergraduate GPA: 3.73/4.00
Admitted to: Wharton-Lauder, Sloan
Scholarship(s): $233,000
Square One Prep was the only firm I wanted to partner with through the MBA application process. Their personal and tailored approach to working with candidates was exactly what I needed.
I knew I wanted to work with Square One even before the end of the free 30-minute consultation. Kathryn, the founder, asked me thoughtful and prodding questions about my work experience and post-MBA goals. She had an incredible ability to immediately identify gaps or weaknesses in my story/progression that I hadn’t even considered. On our call alone, she pushed me to explore the “why’s” and the “how’s” and wasn’t satisfied with canned answers. It was the wake up call I needed before sitting down to put together a thoughtful application.
Once I started the process, I felt like I was Square One’s only client. My Square One partner answered every question I had — from the broad strokes ones to the most minutely detailed ones, the anticipated ones to the emergency-late-night-pre-submission-button-click ones. She kept me centered, motivated, and on target. She was always incredibly responsive and proactive, ensuring I was staying on schedule. Even when I realized I had overlooked something on one application and made a last minute decision to apply to an additional program, she continuously delivered the highest quality of service.
Applying to MBA programs is a mentally grueling, exhausting, and often painful process. Square One’s infrastructure made the process as seamless and user-friendly as it could be. I felt prepared and supported every step of the way with a personalized schedule. From the resume, to the LORs, to the essays, it was like I had a whole “team” behind me. I write “team” because it’s all of the on-demand information, expertise, and infrastructure you could ever need to support you as an applicant — but the end product is 100% you and your voice. Square One Prep’s value is ensuring that your application shines the best light on who you are, what you’ve done, and what you want to do. Because of my partnership with Square One, I know that my application showcased the best version of me.
I was hoping to be the last pick of each school I applied to — the one who snuck into the accepted class. With Square One, I got a full ride to one top five MBA program and an $80,000 scholarship to another!