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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At SOP I've seen the advisors are rooting for your success and make sure that you're doing the best you can. Horatiu really helped me navigate through my career plans and carve out a precise career goal. Sooky was the constant cheerleader who was patient with my long lines of edits and redoings. Kathryn was always available and ready to help. In the short time that we spent together, I learned a lot. Alongwith the incredible people, the processes and the structure at SOP really helps you navigate through the ambiguity of the admission process with confidence.

My best wishes are with SOP :)

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While I had a high-level idea of what my story would like, SOP’s unique value proposition is that the team knows exactly which parts of my story to highlight to send in a strong application. I remember how Wendy was on phone with me for hours till I nailed my career narrative. Being an engineer with an analytical bent, I have the habit of putting answers in the right boxes, but she and Kathryn forced me to think deeper and connect the different ends of my narrative together.

Thinking back to undergraduate applications, there were times then when I realized that I should have talked about an activity until it was too late or didn’t realize they were meaningful to include except they were. But for my MBA applications, Garry’s help in framing up my activities list at the start of the process was super helpful as it allowed me to take a step back, see this Excel sheet, and decide what I do want the admissions committee to know and what I can choose to ignore. This enabled me to build a resume that reflects my best achievements.

I was the happiest with how my essays turned out – truth be told, I am not a good storyteller. I remember being on long calls with Kathryn and Garry. I would get frustrated at times but I loved how Kathryn and Garry patiently helped me synthesize a good story that reflected my true self and experiences and how those could be connected to my MBA and post-MBA goals. Garry’s turnaround times on my essay helped me stay on track and maintain momentum.

Additionally, the SOP portal and Bailey’s quick responses, coordination with the team, and flexibility with schedule helped me be on top of application timelines. I ended up completing my HBS and Wharton applications 3 weeks before deadline!

I did talk to quite a few consultants before I started the process, but it was Kathryn’s straight talk, and belief in my story that led me to choose SOP. While I felt other consultants wanted to play it safe, Kathryn encouraged me to go with HBS and Wharton; and choose more schools later if need be. The confidence I got knowing there was an entire team pushing me - SOP’s team - was reassuring. If you are on the fence, not sure if you want a consultant or which one to choose, I encourage you to schedule a call with SOP and have an honest conversation with them. Those first few calls with Kathryn snow-balled into me being in a privileged quandary of choosing between Wharton and HBS.

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Square One did an excellent job in framing each stage of the application process and laying out the marching orders. They were thorough, responsive, and great in helping to paint my story in the best light!

I found that outlining my career narrative with Square One saved me significant time in writing essays and presenting my application holistically. They were also excellent in helping me narrow the content of my essays to fit the specs while maintaining the essential content.

They also did a good job in helping me navigate the waitlist process for one of my top schools, where I ultimately got accepted and matriculated.

Overall, I'd recommend Square One if you are looking for a service to help keep you on track throughout the application process without feeling overwhelmed or stressed.

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Kathryn and Eva were critical to my R1 applications. They helped me (i) refine my career narrative and narrow my school selection through earnest conversations, (ii) tailor essays that were unique to my experiences and voice, and (iii) keep to a very challenging timetable (especially given we started working together only about 1.5 months before R1 deadlines). In particular, without Eva chasing me down and holding me accountable to deadlines, providing invaluable support when I was at a loss for words in my essays, and encouraging me every step of the way, I wouldn't have been able to juggle the demands of a full-time job and a challenging round of applications.

Although we did not work together on my R2 applications, the work that we did during R1 was instrumental and formed a strong foundation for my successful applications. I was very fortunate to have worked with Kathryn and Eva and would recommend the Square One team to anyone who is considering applying to business school.

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I was a client of Square One Prep after being referred from a former classmate and was ultimately accepted to a top school where I applied. Square One Prep was the right choice to prepare all the applications and was without a doubt an invaluable benefit to my candidacy. Without Kathryn and her team, I probably wouldn’t be attending my dream school in the next couple of months!
I paired up with Eva who was a great source of motivation (which was critical to write the best essays and applications). I truly had a fantastic experience with Eva who wasn’t my initial advisor, but who made up immensely for the lost time at the beginning of the process. Regular calls with Kathryn and Eva around career narrative gave me a sense of full support from the team.
When I think of my first draft of resume and essays, I know that Square One Prep was instrumental to craft the best stories, filled with self-reflection, creativity and logic, to support my applications. Their approach is very methodical and served as a guide for me during these weeks of preparation.
I know Square One Prep was the best decision I took and I am recommending this team to current colleagues and anyone considering an application advisor ahead of b-school application process. I even got in the process an unsolicitated scholarship!

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I had strong test scores (GMAT 770), some interesting experience, top 5 undergrad school, but also average grades (3.2 GPA) and had bounced around in my career a lot. I was pretty much clueless about where I had a chance of getting into. Ultimately, I would described my results as mixed, but Kathryn gave me tons of confidence and working with her was a joy.

I called 10-15 consultants for free consultations since I knew I would need a lot of help presenting a clear, succinct narrative about my varied experiences. Almost all of them told me I had no chance at HSW (and maybe they were right) and discouraged me from applying. One even told me I should wait a year and then maybe I'd have a chance at a top 15 school. My feeling was that most consultants are highly motivated by their acceptance rates, so they're incentivized to take fewer risks with their clients.

The thing that really struck me about Kathryn was that she actually encouraged me to shoot above my expectations, and she conveyed a real conviction that she could help me get there. The fact that she was willing to risk hurting S1P's acceptance rates by having me apply to HSW convinced me that I could trust her 100% and that she really thought we could accomplish those goals together. This was in stark contrast to many of the other consultants I spoke with, and convinced me she was the advisor I should work with.

Kathryn is extremely diligent and accessible. She helped me at crazy hours day and night, and she was immediately responsive if/when I wanted to make last-minute changes on due dates.

She makes you feel challenged throughout a tough, extensive, honest reflection process, but you come out with lots of confidence and a better understanding of yourself. It's a surprisingly introspective process. She asks questions you might not have thought of, and uncovers experiences from your past you forgot about or didn't realize were relevant. She does a remarkable job of helping you discover what's important to you and what will be important to present about yourself.

Kathryn was helping me craft a narrative about my experience in the human capital space, which I suspected might be challenging at some places but unique/compelling at others. I was disappointed to be rejected without interview at H/S/W + Sloan -- I thought S1P and I had done a great job putting my best foot forward, but of course I knew all of these might be reach schools for me. The good news is that I was accepted with a $25K fellowship at another M7 school, which I was thrilled about. Again, my career background was non-traditional and I got a huge range of feedback from different consultants, so it really was difficult for me to gauge how strong a chance I had at each of these schools. That said, Kathryn helped me build strong applications I was confident in, and even though I was rejected from 4 of my 5 schools, I think the unique case she helped me build really stood out and paid off with a big win at one of my top choice schools.

The fellowship more than paid for the cost of S1P's services, and I suspect without them I would have been either rejected or accepted without fellowship. So I think the investment in S1P actually saved me money in addition to helping me get in.

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I’ve had a great experience working with SOP and managed to get a $60k scholarship at a top 20 school. Their resume service is impeccable: my consultant Kunal helped me articulate my work experience in a way that made my resume really stand out.

Kathryn really “gets” what’s needed to reveal a good application – I figured this out while discussing career goals, where she knew and could logically explain career goals that don’t make sense and ones that do. I believe this is very important in the admissions process.

The other great thing about SOP is that while they’re very structured in their approach and push you to stick to deadlines, they’re also a source of encouragement and support. Kunal took personal care to coach me into giving my best when my confidence levels weren’t high. I think this is a crucial, intangible element that helps with emotional preparedness during the process.

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Square One has been fundamental in helping me gather and consolidate my thoughts for the MBA application process. Kathryn and Amalia did an amazing job pushing me forward and taking the best out of me so that I could craft my best stories.

Applying to an MBA is a challenging process by its own nature, since you are competing with goal getters and top performers from all over the world, and I believe their support and experience with schools was key to make my application very competitive and unique. They will be very honest about your performance, personal and professional story and weakness and the process will make you more mature. They helped me from the brainstorming process up to interview preparation, and allowed me to choose what I wanted to talk about, boosting the way I presented my story.

I wholeheartedly recommend working with Square One Prep

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As a reapplicant one can assume you want to know what went wrong with your original applications. Kathryn took the time to review in detail all my essays and resume prior to having an initial call with me to discuss my plan of action. It was clear to me that I had to tighten up my story. I chose to work with SquareOne because I felt that the team had genuine confidence in my profile. This was not the case with several other firms I spoke to. Together with Kathryn and Katherine, we discussed in DETAIL how I can focus my applications and shape my career aspirations whilst staying true to my own voice. Admittedly, I struggled with this and it took team effort to express my vision effectively. Finally, I want to highlight the value of having over 20 successful sample essays to read per school of choice. One gets a feeling for the necessary variations in style.

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