69
Accounting Svcs
Finance
Self-funded
IESE
MBA
I first learned about Round One through a recommendation from a senior colleague. In addition to their strong track record of placing applicants at top schools, I was told that they were personable and capable of drawing out each applicant’s strengths while providing the level of hard work expected of a professional counselor. On that basis, I chose Round One—and it proved to be the right decision. I would also add that their deep understanding of my individual circumstances, their flexibility, and their unwavering encouragement—even when I was stuck—made a decisive difference.
I had long included an MBA in my future plans, and giving up on it was never an option. Because of that, even when I heard rumors that admission slots at top schools for fully domestic, self-funded Japanese male applicants were shrinking year by year, I initially thought, rather vaguely, “That won’t apply to me.” I was wrong. First, TOEFL score improvement took far longer than expected. When I began attending an MBA prep school, my TOEIC score was 850, yet it ultimately took me nearly two years to reach an acceptable TOEFL score. GMAT was even more challenging—no matter how intensely I studied, scores did not necessarily improve. I took the GMAT nine times (with a maximum of five attempts per year).
Throughout this process, I wanted to keep my options open by diversifying my target schools while still preserving the possibility of applying to top programs. Accordingly, I repeatedly told Mr. Round things like, “I plan to reach a TOEFL score of XX and a GMAT score of XX by month Y, and if I do, I’d like to apply to top schools in Round 1. If not, I’ll push to Round 2, and if the scores still aren’t there, I want to apply to the best possible schools at that point.” In reality, my score progress kept slipping, and each month I found myself saying, “I didn’t hit my target this month, but I should next month, so then…” Every time, Mr. Round flexibly adjusted my application portfolio. I often felt like I was making excuses, but Mr. Round—perhaps having anticipated this—consistently reassured me and accommodated changes to both strategy and schedule.
It was a grueling journey, but throughout it all, Mr. Round continued to believe in me and encourage me. For that, I am deeply grateful. In the end, I was admitted to IESE Business School, which was ranked the number one business school in the world by The Economist in 2009. I am currently enrolled, and to be honest, my English ability at matriculation was among the lowest in my class—it still amazes me that I was admitted. Most Japanese classmates are returnees or company-sponsored students, and I have come to realize that the oft-heard claim that it is increasingly difficult for fully domestic, self-funded Japanese male applicants to gain admission to top schools is no exaggeration.
I believe my admission was made possible not only by Mr. Round’s encouragement, which helped me persevere to the very end, but also by the essays and interviews we developed together. MBA life itself has been so rewarding that it has made the hardships of the application process fade into the background, but I remain profoundly grateful to Round One for supporting me all the way to admission.
