169
Transportation
Finance
Sponsored
Yale-SOM
MBA
Thanks to Round One’s support, I was able to secure admission to Yale despite having only a limited preparation period starting in June of the year prior to enrollment.
My long-held goal has finally come true, and I will be enrolling at the Yale School of Management starting in fall 2019. Throughout the application process, I made full use of Round One’s services. Below, I would like to share my experience, focusing on how Round One supported me.
School enrolled: Yale University / School of Management
Other offers: Darden, UNC, CMU, Emory, Kelley, Fisher, Olin
TOEFL: 102
GMAT: 690
Background: 6 years at a railway company (2 years in operations, 2 years each in planning—HR and accounting), company-sponsored applicant, almost no overseas experience
The most significant value of this phase was Mr. Round’s advice on school selection. As noted above, given my limited preparation time, I was unable to attend many information sessions. Based on my career goals and test scores, Mr. Round helped construct an application portfolio focused on schools that were a strong fit for me.
Thanks to this well-calibrated school selection, I was able to write persuasive essays aligned with each school’s strengths. Even now, with more time to reflect, I believe my school list was highly appropriate (and I feel that I would not have been admitted had I applied to finance-focused schools).
Ms. Round—who has prior admissions experience—was instrumental in transforming what could have been unremarkable stories from a typical Japanese large-company background into compelling narratives worthy of top schools.
While deciding on essay topics, depth of school research, and how to explain program fit was ultimately my responsibility, Ms. Round refined my drafts by improving wording and grammar without fundamentally changing the content, turning them into engaging and polished essays.
When I struggled to articulate difficult experiences, even providing keywords was enough for her to craft language that made me think, “Yes—that’s exactly what I wanted to say.”
I believe that being invited to interviews at multiple top schools was largely thanks to Ms. Round’s editing. Even when I requested multiple revisions right before deadlines, she willingly accommodated them and helped me finalize essays I could submit with confidence.
When I took my first Type A interview training session in December, I could not even clearly articulate my “Why MBA.” Through detailed written feedback, I received guidance on how to improve both content and delivery.
Type B interview training consisted of a roughly 30-minute mock interview followed by verbal feedback. I completed Type B training for each school, learning how to address “Why this school?” as well as behavioral questions commonly asked across programs.
In particular, for behavioral questions where my initial answers were weak, I received concrete advice on how to phrase my responses more effectively. With each session, I became increasingly capable of delivering answers that could genuinely persuade admissions committees.
Before passing my company’s sponsorship selection, I had not seriously considered the application process, and MBA admissions were filled with unknowns. Round One supported me from multiple angles—not only essays and interviews, but also detailed application form entries, score update communications with admissions offices, and thank-you emails after interviews. There were times when I felt anxious, but I truly believe that trusting Round One’s guidance and pushing forward was the key to my success.
