145
Finance
Banking-Inv.
Sponsored
Yale-SOM
MBA
Company-sponsored, finance background, 7 years of professional experience, planning to enroll at Yale SOM
During the application period, I encountered various events and challenges, but I was ultimately able to gain admission to a highly preferred school and am very satisfied with the outcome. I come from a purely domestic background and did not use English at all in my professional work, so I was at a significant disadvantage in terms of English ability. In addition, I began the MBA application process with virtually no understanding of what it entailed. In this situation, I firmly believe that it was Steve’s counseling that led me to admission. Below, I would like to share the reasons why I chose Round One and why I am glad that I did.
I first learned about Round One through an introduction from a senior colleague at my company. According to that colleague, many past company-sponsored candidates at our firm had used Round One, and in fact, many of those candidates were admitted to and enrolled in top schools. Because my goal was to attend a top U.S. business school, this strong track record was extremely appealing, and Round One naturally became my first choice.
I first met Steve in the spring of my application year. I was quite nervous beforehand, but once we started talking, I remember feeling very relieved by how calm, approachable, and personable he was. Once the actual counseling began, each phase—test preparation, essay development, and interview preparation—presented major challenges. However, my sessions with Steve were always enjoyable and often included humor, to the point that they felt almost like a refreshing break rather than formal counseling. At the same time, his feedback was consistently precise and on point, which left me extremely satisfied with the counseling overall.
Generally speaking, counselors tend to focus primarily on essays and interview preparation, but the services provided by Round One truly spanned a wide and comprehensive range. In addition to essay and interview support, they willingly assisted with tasks that are surprisingly burdensome, such as completing application forms, editing emails to admissions offices and interviewers, and providing advice on campus visit schedules—things that other counselors might not have handled. In an environment where Japanese was not understood, this kind of comprehensive support was an enormous source of reassurance.
Although the application journey was demanding, looking back, I gained an incredible amount of experience and am truly glad that I took on the challenge. Especially when targeting top schools, the required standards are extremely high, yet in Japan, awareness and information about MBA admissions are not always widespread, which can easily lead to information gaps. In this environment, I believe Round One was the ideal counselor for preparing applications. For those who are planning to apply, I recommend choosing a counselor as a partner with whom you will share a long journey. I wish you all the very best.
