I had the fortune to be mentored by Kathryn and Allison in RD 1 of the 2022-23 application cycle. I could not recommend SOP enough. They really delve deep into the applicant’s life, encouraging them to embrace their individuality and share inspiring stories from their life experiences with the adcom. The time you spend with SOP is an investment in yourself. They force you to self-reflect and get clarity on your motivations, an exercise that will come to define your future. By the end of the journey, you will really know the answer to two questions everyone will ask you - Why MBA? And Why Now?

After consulting a few firms, I chose SOP because of Kathryn’s honest and straight forward approach. She not only expressed confidence and enthusiasm in my profile, but also backed up her recommendation to focus on M7 schools with statistical data, sharing the probabilities for success based on past results – an approach I found unique to her. However, she was also brutally honest: cautioning me that especially for schools like HBS/GSB/Wharton, no one is a shoo-in, and while SOP team can help me craft the best possible application materials, there is still an inherent element of luck in the highly competitive process.

The Career Narrative that you build with SOP before working on any aspect of the applications may seem like extra work, but, it will make you question your goals and motivations, and come up with a conclusive, air-tight career plan. It will help you beyond MBA admissions.

I could not have imagined myself going through the process without the generous support from Allison. She is responsive, caring, and is always ready to lend her hand. Her level of commitment is evident from the fact that at one point, we were working on 8 essays simultaneously! And as an Indian applicant, managing applications even though we were in different time zones felt like a walk in the park because of her efforts. She would stop me from overworking on my essays and over prepping, instilling in me the confidence I needed most also as a re-applicant. Allison has established herself as a trusted advisor that I look up to – and I know the lessons I learned from her were not only helpful in the application process; but will also carry me forward in the professional world, where effective communication and storylining are so crucial to one’s success.

I could not recommend SOP enough – SOP’s unwavering support, commitment, and human touch are the reasons why I was able to succeed in a highly competitive season (as a re-applicant, admitted to 1 of HSW, interviewed at 2)

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As an Indian male applicant, who by MBA standards was likely on the older side, I knew the odds of cracking my dream schools were stacked against me. Right from my initial screening call with Kathryn, Square One Prep felt different than other admission consulting companies. I wasn’t nudged to aim lower or outright told that I am being “unrealistic”. It was a refreshing change to end my initial screening call with a consultant without feeling dejected (or questioning whether applying to my dream school is even worth it).
My experience of working with the Square One Prep team was phenomenal. I appreciated the candid feedback I received at each step of the way. While I felt a bit frustrated at times about the second and the third (and in some instances fourth) level of questioning, it’s that questioning that helped me dig deep and answer questions with genuine authenticity. Going through the process of taking a step back and reflecting on what truly matters to me, I learned so much about myself. I’d be amiss if I do not mention my consultant, Kelsey Wise, who was just the best person to work with. Her constant support, guidance, and most importantly, encouragement played an integral role in my application process.
When I decided to choose the “risky” strategy of applying to all reach and lottery schools, Square One provided me with an honest assessment of what my approach entailed. Of the 6 schools I applied to in Round 1, I got interviewed by 4 of them - HBS, MIT Sloan, Booth, and Yale SOM. Having gone through the process of self-introspection throughout the application process (with guidance from Kathryn and Kelsey), preparing for my interviews did not feel daunting. I was able to convert all 4 interviews into acceptance offers. In fact, I received substantial merit scholarships from Booth and Yale (given my background and the competition pool, this was not even in the realm of possibilities in my wildest imagination).
As I gear up to attend my dream b-school, Harvard Business School, in the fall, I cannot thank the Square One Prep team enough to help my dream become a reality. If you are considering getting a consultant for your application process, look no further than Square One Prep – the team will go out of its way to ensure that you are putting your best foot forward!

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I am incredibly happy to have worked on my applications with Square One Prep. Thanks to them I am now headed to HBS in August. Every penny spent was worth it. Before I started my applications, I was quite exhausted from full-time work and GMAT prep, and I had doubts about the strength of my profile. I needed someone who could give me a reality check and clearly outline what needs to happen to put my best foot forward. Despite talking to several consultants, I was immediately drawn to SOP following my call with Kathryn because of her candidness, personal touch, and genuine interest in my background. My team consisted of Anna Tsilidou (primary advisor), Kathryn Lucas (senior leader), Cristina Castellano (project manager), and Horatiu Stefan (career narrative expert). I am forever thankful to every person on my team and I am particularly grateful that I worked with Anna as my primary advisor. She is a total superstar - confident, energetic, creative, and incredibly smart. I learned so much from her. She is extremely hard working and will demand absolute excellence from you. If you're lucky enough to work with Anna, you're in good hands (as long as you're ready to work hard)!!
1) Personal support - this is technically not something you even pay for but the team does an outstanding job in supporting you personally. In my case, I was hesitant in my decision-making and lacked strong self-belief. But the team consistently encouraged me and gave me the confidence to push myself hard. In fact, I didn't plan to apply to Harvard because I was pessimistic about the outcome. Luckily for me, the team (and especially Anna!!) convinced me that Harvard was absolutely worth a shot and I went for it. The second aspect of personal support is accountability and project management. The team treats the application process extremely seriously and recognizes that, in order to deliver a strong application, you must start early and work regularly. Cristina and Anna would regularly check in on my progress, communicate deadlines, and help resolve problems along the way. Expect to be reprimanded if you are not meeting key dates. The outcome matters to the team just as much as it does to you, so they ensure you stay on track.
2) Responsiveness - A+++ the team is a rockstar on this. Questions/concerns/general thoughts are answered or escalated quickly and immediately.
3) Application support - after all the work with SOP, everything from my resume to essays to interviewing abilities was of exceptional quality. As an engineering who had gotten used to technical writing, I was amazed at how much better my writing could be once Anna started pointing out flaws in sentence structure, word choice, meaning, redundancy, and so much more. My resume also got an amazing, much-needed transformation. Not only did I myself learn a lot but I also ended up putting together an incredibly strong application package. The results prove it: out of the 6 schools I applied to, I received 6 interview invites. The work didn't stop at the interview stage; the team set me up for success there as well. Doing several mock interview with Anna helped me hone in on my flaws and shake off the nerves before the big day. If you put in the work and trust the team's guidance and expertise, you will finish incredibly proud of all your documents.
4) Career narrative - I didn't have a clear vision of my business school goals, so doing this work early paid major dividends throughout the application process. The team makes you start thinking about your professional interests/ambitions and putting it all on paper. Each interest/ambition is then pressure-tested in the context of your background until you settle on one and then you continuously research and refine it until you eventually put it to the test with a detailed review from Kathryn. I'd even say that you overprepare on this aspect to the point that a question about your career goals will no longer seem intimidating, no matter if the question is in an essay or an interview. Horatiu was the perfect person to guide me on this because he is patient, thoughtful and knowledgeable.

If you're looking for a team that is dedicated, structured, responsive, well-versed in business school applications, and heavily invested in your success, then you can't go wrong with SOP. Best of luck!

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Before starting my MBA application journey, I basically had no idea what was involved in the
application process, and now having gone through this process, I am 100% convinced that I
would have not been successful without Square One Prep's help. Kathryn, Darcy, and the entire
team were right next to me on every step of the way. Their expertise and experience are truly
next level. Not only did they guide me and help me, but they actually pushed me to create
better applications. Additionally, the SOP portal/calendar is a phenomenal tool to help keep
track of all the deliverables and forecast how to best allocate your time. The resources available
to you are fantastic. If you are thinking about starting the MBA application, you *have* to do it
with SOP.

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I was referred to Square One by a friend pursuing his MBA at Wharton, and working with Kathryn and Allison was pivotal in me securing admission offers and scholarships from Booth, Kellogg, and Stern Business Schools.
From our very first interaction, the energy and meticulousness that Kathryn and Allison brought to the admissions process amazed me. I initially had no idea what I wanted to do with my MBA, but Horatiu and Allison helped me explore careers that interested me and then craft a narrative based on it. I also had no practice in writing for almost a decade so I needed a lot of hand holding that Allison graciously offered. By the end, I was able to independently write my essays that got me an interview from the Wharton EMBA program.
In the middle of my application process, I had a family issue followed by my own illness, which prevented me from working on my applications. Throughout the challenges, the team was always empathetic and supportive of me that helped me get back on my feet successfully.
I also found the application process in itself to be incredibly enlightening. The deep self-reflections that Allison and Kathryn guided me through while writing my essays helped me develop a clarity of purpose and confidence in my own abilities. It has helped me take better charge of my career and perform outstandingly well in my current role.
Square One truly feels like a family that helped me improve continually and I highly recommend working with them.

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As a white accountant coming from the banking industry with GRE scores that were not in the range that I wanted, I knew getting into a top business school would be competitive. I talked to three business school consultants, two of whom simply told me that my target schools would not be achievable with my scores and background. One of them said that they would not even partner with me because they did not think I would be a success. In addition, neither of those other consultants understood anything about how my GRE scores compared to those of students at my target schools. Luckily, I talked to Kathryn at Square One Prep. She was willing to spend an hour with me on our introductory call to address all my questions and concerns. She was the only consultant that understood how my GRE scores compared to those of students at my target schools, and she had the hard data to back it up. She was honest with me that the process of applying to my target schools would be hard work, but she instilled in me the confidence that I could succeed. She knew because she had worked with candidates like me and had also led those applicants to success. Kelsey, my personal consultant at Square One Prep, was immensely helpful throughout the process. She was patient yet responsive, and whenever I needed to work with her on something urgently, she always made the time to be able to discuss the issue at hand. She had a strong eye for detail and her creativity and perspective was immensely helpful in empowering me to craft my story so that I could convey it best in my applications. I ultimately was accepted to a top 10 school along with scholarships to two other top 25 schools. I could not be happier with my results, and I am looking forward to continuing my education to build my dream career!

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I worked with SOP for Round 1 applications (Fall 2023 intake), on a Premium package for 1 school. I thought Allison, Kathryn, and Horatiu were good partners and found their process and advice very helpful for managing the various parts of the application, especially my recommenders. I was admitted to the M7 school we worked on together, and much of the work we did together helped me get 2 other offers (T15) and a waitlist (T10) in R1. I also applied to 2 more M7s in R2 (HSW), and received one invitation to interview (TBD on the remaining school).

Things that were great:

1. SOP's work on my resume was excellent. I would have not considered crafting my resume the way we did together (b-school resumes are very different from professional resumes), and the upfront work I did with SOP carried through to all my applications across rounds 1 and 2. As a corollary, the discovery call and worksheets that I completed with my consultant were helpful both for self reflection and for getting specific advice/input from my consultant throughout the process.

2. I loved SOP's recommendation management process. Again, I wouldn't have thought to organize the process in the way SOP did, and it saved me and my recommenders a lot of time and hassle. Both my recommenders had to write letters for 6 schools, some of which had no overlap at all, but SOP's structure made it easy to navigate and feel confident about what my recommenders were submitting.

3. The career narrative work was excellent. We did this very early in our process, and at the time I didn't necessarily view this as a very important exercise. But having a detailed, data driven career plan before I even started writing my first essays made it very easy for me to answer all career related questions in applications and interviews throughout the application cycle.

Areas for improvement:

1. Iterating on written work was sometimes a struggle - I personally work better with live feedback and discussing why something works/something doesn't work, but I typically received feedback as track changes in my word doc. As a result, I sometimes received edits that changed my intended meaning, and the back and forth slowed us down. I would've preferred comments and actionable advice over inline edits, which would've allowed me to absorb the feedback and implement it in my own way. Along the same lines, I wish we'd spent more time brainstorming on essays before starting to write - I work better that way.

2. SOP's document library is massive, but difficult to navigate. I would've liked to have a smaller selection of curated essay/resume samples, or at least to have gotten a few relevant highlights for me instead of trying to skim through 50-70 files by myself.

I recommend SOP, and specifically applaud them for their methodical approach to applications. I think applicants who have some familiarity with the MBA application process, and already have a somewhat strong POV about their candidacy, stand to benefit the most from working with Allison and Kathryn. Best of luck on your B-school application journey!

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Making the choice to apply to business school is a hard decision to make. It is not always clear why you should go, when to apply, or even if you should apply all together. While most MBA advisors would encourage you to apply to generate business, Kathryn and the team at square one prep actually helped guide me through this decision, spending many hours discussing where I wanted to take my career and how business school could help me get there. When I felt that in 2021 I wasn't ready to apply, they supported my decision and allowed me to defer working with them by a year and this is what I think makes them so great, they adapt their working style and support to each candidate. Whether it was Kathryn and Horatiu helping me craft my career narrative or Cindy my advisor working on each essay, they all took the time to get to know me and help craft a story that was true to me and my goals.

As a result of their continuous and tailored support, I was admitted to 4 schools, Kellogg, Wharton, Tuck, and INSEAD all schools based on my resume and prior academic experience were likely reach schools! I definitely could not have achieved this without the Square One Team.

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I cannot recommend Square One highly enough! The Square One team coached me through every aspect of the application from essay ideation through execution. Their team based approach meant that I received multiple opinions on each component of my application, ensuring that it was as strong as possible. As a result, I was accepted to both GSB and HBS. Kathryn, Sooky, and Wendy were incredible partners throughout the process and made what otherwise could have been a tedious process fun and engaging. Definitely use Square One if want to make sure the best version of yourself comes through on paper!

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My experience with Square One Prep was amazing from start to finish. From the initial conversation with Kathryn, I could tell the team truly cared about helping candidates achieve their business school dreams and that initial feeling never waivered throughout my time working with Kathryn, Kelsey (Advisor), Wendy and Cristina. The team went above and beyond to help me develop my post-MBA goals into a compelling career narrative, compose the most powerful essays while never drowning out my voice and prepare me for subsequent interviews. The business school application process can be incredibly stressful at times and the Square One Prep team helped to keep me on track at during the most difficult parts of the process. I am especially grateful of Kelsey’s help in this regard – she truly made this journey feel like a partnership and she was with me every step of the way to make sure the applications I turned in were the absolute best.

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