5
Finance
Banking-Inv.
Sponsored
NYU-Stern
MBA
Admitted School: New York University, Stern School of Business
Other Offers: Carnegie Mellon University; Emory University
TOEFL: 273
GMAT: 690
Background: 8 years in banking (at time of enrollment); company-sponsored
I am scheduled to enroll at New York University’s Stern School of Business this coming fall. Over the past year and a half—a period during which I was extremely busy with both work and study-abroad preparations—it was Mr. Round who supported me throughout. I hope the comments below will be helpful to those who are about to begin searching for an essay counselor. Many other clients have already written in detail about the strengths of Mr. Round and Round One, so I will focus here on additional perspectives that stood out to me.
MBA admissions are a highly unique experience, completely different from the university entrance exams many of us went through in the past. Of course, there are obvious differences, such as the fact that everything is conducted in English and involves TOEFL, GMAT, and essays rather than traditional exams. However, what is equally—if not more—distinctive is the cultural context. I believe there are two key aspects to this. First, an MBA is not a conventional academic education process. Applicants must understand that it is, in many ways, a business process. Regardless of whether one agrees with this approach, it seems that it is not enough to simply demonstrate an attitude toward learning or general potential; rather, candidates who are perceived as being able to produce results quickly—that is, to succeed—are selected. Second, there are fundamental differences between Japan and the U.S. in how “success” is defined and what qualities constitute a successful individual. For example, there appear to be major differences in how communication skills and leadership are understood. I will leave it to each reader to experience these differences firsthand in the future, but it is important to be aware of them from the outset.
Because MBA admissions are so unique, relying too heavily on a purely self-directed approach can be risky. Ultimately, of course, your own judgment and determination matter most. However, in order to fully exercise those qualities, it is essential to rely on the guidance of someone who is deeply familiar with the MBA admissions process. In that context, securing a strong essay counselor and a strong strategic advisor is critical—and ideally, they should be the same person. Essays are the single most important task in the middle phase of the application process, and they are likely where you will invest the greatest amount of time and energy. Having an essay counselor who can also serve as a trusted advisor throughout the entire admissions journey is incredibly reassuring. Situations in which the essay counselor changes from session to session, or where overall strategy is handled by someone else entirely, are difficult to recommend—both in terms of depth of guidance and time efficiency.
The strengths of Mr. Round have already been well documented by other clients in this section. His personality, professionalism, and experience are truly exceptional, and there is little more one could ask for. In addition, the system whereby the same counselor works continuously with the same client throughout the entire process is extremely well designed. As noted above, this is a crucial point. While other prep schools may also have excellent essay counselors, it is often difficult to secure the same counselor consistently over time. Through my ongoing exchanges with Mr. Round, I experienced firsthand how he came to understand my background, draw out my strengths, and craft appropriate expressions tailored to each individual school. As my trust in his abilities and character deepened, the pace of my work accelerated accordingly. This kind of productive spiral is only possible through close collaboration with a single, trusted partner. The fact that Mr. Round resides in Canada and that communication is primarily conducted via email could be seen as a weakness of Round One. However, in reality, it was precisely this email-based system that made it possible for a busy counselor and a busy applicant to deepen their working relationship in a consistent and meaningful way.
Some people say that an MBA is ultimately about networking. As I have not yet begun my MBA life, I cannot say for certain, but even through the MBA admissions process alone, I was able to build many valuable friendships. Places where such connections are formed include TOEFL and GMAT prep schools, MBA fairs, and essay schools. Because Round One operates on an email-based system, some may assume that there is limited direct interaction among students. However, in our cohort, we took the initiative to form an email network when we had opportunities to gather. Perhaps because we all shared the same counselor, information exchange became extremely active. In fact, the network I trusted most and relied on most heavily was the Round One client network itself. If you become a new client and are reading this, I encourage you to consider building such a network as well. I believe it will further enhance the value of Round One’s services.
