111
Government
Legal
Sponsored
UCLA-Anderson
MBA
When I decided to apply to U.S. MBA programs as a company-sponsored candidate, I had just over three years of work experience (even when calculated at the time of matriculation), and my career path was somewhat different from a typical business background. As a result, I felt particularly anxious about preparing my essays and interviews. I therefore concluded that I needed advice from a trustworthy counselor, and although it was relatively late in the process, I decided to engage Round One for counseling.
From developing my application portfolio and brainstorming ideas for essays and my résumé, to preparing school-specific essays and conducting mock interviews, being able to work consistently and collaboratively with Mr. Round throughout the entire process was, I believe, a major factor in my success. In other words, because he had a complete understanding of my career, strengths, and weaknesses, I was able to receive advice from a consistent perspective at every stage of preparation. As mentioned above, I was somewhat self-conscious about having a background that placed me in a minority among MBA applicants, but Mr. Round’s advice never tried to force my profile into a mold. Instead, it was grounded in my actual background and focused on building a more compelling and persuasive story from it—an approach that truly opened my eyes. Mr. Round also has a thorough understanding of each school’s characteristics and nuances, and whether the essays were more orthodox in nature or fell into the category of so-called “creative essays” (such as presentations), I was able to prepare submissions for every school that were significantly improved in both content and structure compared to my initial drafts.
My work with Mr. Round, who is based in Canada, was conducted via email and Skype, but I never felt any disadvantage from not having in-person meetings. Matters that required direct discussion were handled through regularly scheduled weekly Skype meetings, while aspects that were more efficiently managed via email were handled that way instead. By using each medium appropriately, I was able to make the most effective use of my limited time while preparing in parallel with a demanding work schedule.
As a brief aside, after the application process concluded, I had the opportunity to attend a dinner with Mr. Round—who was visiting Japan at the time—and several other clients who were also heading to top schools. It was an enjoyable experience spending time together around Mr. Round, and it also proved to be a valuable opportunity to expand my professional network. Including Mr. Round’s past clients, I believe it is possible to build a broad network in terms of applications, school selection, and career development.
The MBA application process is a challenging journey—especially for applicants like me who grew up in Japan with limited overseas experience—and I believe it is something that can only be overcome with the support of many people. In addition to family, friends, and professional connections, a reliable counselor is one of the most important pieces of that support system. If you are determined to secure admission to your target school, I strongly recommend that you first reach out to Mr. Round. (In my case, I was fortunate that a slot opened up just as Mr. Round was wrapping up work with other clients, but because he limits the number of clients in order to maintain service quality, spots are likely to fill up quickly. If you are interested, I recommend contacting him as early as possible.)
