75
Finance
Corp. VC
Sponsored
LBS
MBA
My GMAT score was in the low 600s. I can say from the bottom of my heart that the reason I was able to enroll at London Business School starting in the fall of 2012, despite having a low GMAT score, was entirely due to Mr. Round’s support.
When I first began preparing to study abroad, I was working in a regional location, and the fact that all work could be done online was the only deciding factor that led me to choose Round One. However, I ended up receiving services of a much higher quality than I had expected, and I was truly satisfied. For that reason, I would strongly recommend Round One to anyone considering an MBA abroad.
My path to an MBA was extremely challenging. Above all, I simply could not get my test scores up. I finally obtained a TOEFL score I was satisfied with at the end of August. Only then did my real battle with the GMAT begin. What I remember most vividly is my fourth GMAT attempt on December 24. I went from Tokyo to Osaka with firm resolve and confidence, believing this would be my last attempt—but the result was far from what I had hoped for, and I was completely crushed. I still remember reaching out to Mr. Round afterward, nearly in tears. The words he gave me were simple: “You’re still okay” and “Never give up.” I was overwhelmed by anxiety—fear that I might not get into any school at all, and the pressure that, as a company-sponsored applicant, I had to attend a school of a certain caliber. Mr. Round accepted all of that, and told me, “You are someone who belongs in an MBA program. If you don’t give up and keep moving forward, you’ll be fine.” Those words helped me regain my confidence and gave me the determination to keep going until the very end.
In the end, I decided to submit all of my second-round applications and place everything on my fifth GMAT attempt, adopting a strategy of sending my score afterward. This meant that I needed to add explanatory comments about my GMAT score, and despite the fact that it was the year-end holiday period—surely the busiest time of the year—Mr. Round carefully supported me in adding to and refining my essays. The first person I spoke with at the very start of 2012 was not my wife, but Mr. Round.
When it came to the critical timing of my fifth GMAT attempt and campus visits, Mr. Round listened closely and provided thoughtful, accurate advice. Ultimately, I took the GMAT for the fifth time in February, but once again did not achieve the result I had hoped for. Still, without giving up, I broadened my scope and applied to European schools as well. Even though the peak season had passed and he must have been utterly exhausted, Mr. Round patiently supported my application push, which continued through mid-March.
My application to London Business School—the school I ultimately enrolled in—was the last one I completed. Because Mr. Round fully understood all of my strengths across my career and helped consolidate them into my essays, I was able to submit what I believe was my strongest application, which ultimately led to my acceptance.
I have shared these episodes to illustrate Mr. Round’s outstanding character and his unwavering dedication, but I would also like to touch on the high quality of his services in (1) essays and (2) interviews.
Many people have already written about the high quality of Mr. Round’s essay counseling. What I would like to highlight is his exceptional ability to “put soul into an essay within a strict word limit.” When I tried to answer essay questions carefully and thoroughly, I often exceeded the word limit by a large margin. There were several times when, despite being busy with work and test preparation, I sent Mr. Round drafts that were far over the limit. Although he would say, “This will take time because it’s so far over,” he still carefully reworked them so that everything I wanted to say fit within the word limit. From my perspective, the results were almost always close to perfect. There were times when I wanted to significantly revise the content afterward, but no matter how busy he was, Mr. Round patiently reviewed those changes—sometimes even outside of regular hours—and continued to further refine the essays.
For someone like me with low test scores, interview performance was a lifeline. European business schools, in particular, seem to place even greater weight on interviews than U.S. schools. At IESE, for example, performance is evaluated through a full day of group work in Barcelona, and at LBS, applicants are required to deliver an impromptu short presentation (though this process appears to have been simplified compared to the past). That said, I believe Mr. Round’s interview lessons alone were sufficient preparation for top-school interviews.
In every interview, I was able to approach the process with confidence and composure. Because Mr. Round already had a deep understanding of my strengths and weaknesses from the essay counseling process, he deliberately targeted my weak points during mock interviews and pointed out areas where I had not sufficiently highlighted my strengths. In fact, during multiple interviews, I was asked questions that Mr. Round had already posed to me in advance, allowing me to respond logically and concisely exactly as I had prepared. As a result, I was rarely rejected after reaching the interview stage (though I was placed on waitlists), which I believe clearly demonstrates how effective Mr. Round’s interview lessons were.
Finally, I would like to send my heartfelt encouragement to everyone aspiring to pursue an MBA abroad. There may be moments when you stumble or fail—I certainly had many times when the journey felt painful, dark, and endless, and when I was tempted to run away and give everything up. Still, if you do not give up and continue believing in yourself, I truly believe that a path will open. The joy of receiving an acceptance letter from your target school at the very last moment, in May, is something that cannot be put into words.
And I am confident that Round One will fully support your efforts every step of the way. I sincerely wish each and every one of you the very best in the journey ahead.
