Testimonial #

Industry

Function

Funding

School

Program

122

Finance

Info Tech

Sponsored

ESSEC

MBA

Testimonial #: 122

Industry: Finance

Function: Info Tech

Funding: Sponsored

School: ESSEC

Program: MBA

Extremely demanding

Although the MBA application process was extremely demanding for me as a purely domestic applicant, thanks in part to Round One’s strong support, I was ultimately able to gain admission to my target school, ESSEC in France.

A recommendation from a senior colleague at my company

I first learned about Round One through a recommendation from a senior colleague at my company. In addition to their excellent track record of counseling in Japan, I was deeply impressed by Mr. Round’s calm and sincere personality when I met with him in person. I felt that I could work well with him, and decided to engage Round One for counseling.

I struggled greatly

I struggled greatly with test preparation, but thanks to Mr. Round’s impeccable schedule management, I was able to devote almost the entire spring and summer to test preparation. From fall through winter, weekly essay counseling began, but given that my test scores were still not where they needed to be, Mr. Round adjusted the workload by reducing the essay burden and placing greater emphasis on test preparation. As a result, I was just barely able to achieve the minimum required scores—IELTS 7.0 and GMAT 640—by the end of the year, and I believe these scores ultimately made the difference in my admission results.

Gained admission to EDHEC, ESSEC, and USC

Because so much emphasis had been placed on test preparation, Mr. Round then reviewed my essays intensively over the year-end and New Year period. Although things were hectic, I was somehow able to complete the application process. Thanks to the subsequent careful interview training as well, I was ultimately able to gain admission to three schools: EDHEC, ESSEC, and the University of Southern California.

I was by no means an outstanding applicant

The aspect of Round One’s services that I found most valuable was their consistent ability to provide optimal counseling tailored to my situation, even though I was by no means an outstanding applicant. MBA applications rarely proceed exactly as one hopes, and the process often involves repeated setbacks. In such moments, I strongly felt that it was because of Round One that I was able to persevere and overcome those challenges together.