150
Finance
Banking-Inv.
Sponsored
NWN-Kellogg
MBA
Professional background: Japanese financial institution (7 years), company-sponsored study abroad
TOEFL: 107
GMAT: 740
Matriculated school: Northwestern (Kellogg)
Admitted to: Dartmouth (Tuck), Yale (SOM), Duke (Fuqua), NYU (Stern), Virginia (Darden), Cambridge (Judge), IE, Emory (Goizueta)
Not admitted to: Columbia, Oxford (Said)
I will be enrolling at Northwestern University (Kellogg) starting in fall 2017, and I am deeply grateful that this acceptance is entirely thanks to the support of Mr. Round (and Ms. Round). Many others have written about their experiences regarding their personalities, so I would like to focus instead on the service aspects that I can confidently recommend.
As many have already noted, at Round One you receive comprehensive scheduling and support throughout the entire preparation period for studying abroad—not only for résumés and essays. After my company-sponsored study was approved and I was required to enroll somewhere within just over a year, having overall schedule management support was extremely helpful.
From sharing information about school information sessions, résumé preparation, regular essay counseling, campus visit planning, to interview training, engaging Round One meant receiving some form of support for virtually everything required to undertake the MBA application process.
When I initially had no idea where to begin, I was tremendously supported throughout the application period by the fact that there was always a system in place where I could consult and receive guidance.
What I found particularly outstanding was that support extended beyond résumés and essays to include all written communication required in the application process. This includes inquiry emails to admissions offices and application documents—literally “everything” is reviewed. There are inevitably documents where it is unclear how they should be written, but each time I was able to consult and receive guidance, which was extremely reassuring.
When selecting a counselor, you may struggle with the trade-off between English proficiency (foreign counselors) and attentiveness to service (Japanese counselors), but I believe Mr. Round is a rare counselor who possesses both at a very high level. As a Canadian, his command of English expression is, of course, excellent, but having worked with Japanese clients for many years, he also demonstrates a deep understanding of Japanese needs. Even when advice is given verbally, it is always documented in written form.
This may seem like a minor point, but it is actually very important. Because Mr. Round limits the number of applicants he works with, responses are generally provided within one to two days. Especially during busy periods, timely replies become critical, but there was never a case where I marked something as URGENT and did not receive a response within one day.
Additionally, the ability to flexibly adjust counseling schedules as needed is another advantage that comes from working within a small-client model.
I also asked Mr. Round (and occasionally Ms. Round) to handle interview preparation following the essay phase. By working with the same counselor who helped craft the essays, we were able to determine interview content together while taking into account my strengths and weaknesses, points of differentiation, and how I could contribute to each school. This continuity was greatly appreciated.
In particular, given the cultural differences between Western and Eastern contexts—where qualities valued in Japan may not be evaluated in the same way (and vice versa)—the culturally informed feedback I received was especially valuable.
There are many essay counselors available, but I believe there are very few who can oversee and support the entire process as a whole. Since you will be working with a counselor over a long period of time, finding someone who is a good fit is most important.
That said, if you are seeking comprehensive, end-to-end support throughout the entire process, I can recommend Round One without reservation.
