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Finance
Finance
Sponsored
Emory-Goizueta
MBA
Matriculated school: Goizueta Business School (Emory University)
Professional background: Banking (9 years)
I first learned about Round One because many senior colleagues at my company had used and recommended their services. From the very first Skype meeting, I found it easy to talk with them, and I decided that I wanted to go through the MBA application process together with Round One. I engaged Round One for essay preparation and interview preparation.
Because my test score preparation did not progress as smoothly as I had hoped, I began preparing around September. Between work and test study, I had little time, and I started the process with only vague ideas even about basic short-term and long-term goals that every school asks about. However, through weekly Skype meetings, Mr. Round skillfully drew out my thoughts and guided me toward creating concrete and clearly articulated responses.
There are three types of interview training, but I particularly recommend Type A. After the mock interview, Round One provides an interview sheet, which was extremely helpful. For each interview question, the sheet not only records how I answered, but also explains how to structure the story, and even provides specific English expressions that would be effective. For questions that I could not answer fluently on the spot, I studied the sample answers in the interview sheet almost to the point of memorization. Thanks to this, I believe I was able to present my stories in a way that was easy for native speakers to understand during actual interviews.
In my case, most of my practice was with Mr. Round, but I also practiced several times with Ms. Round. The sharp questions Ms. Round posed helped train my ability to respond quickly under pressure. In addition, observing her manner of speaking and expression during interview practice gave me a valuable opportunity to learn how overseas professional women carry themselves.
Looking back after completing the application process, I do not think I could have secured admission without Round One. Even when my test scores were stagnating and I was panicking on my own, they calmly encouraged me—saying things like, “This happens often, so keep going” (the actual emails were, of course, much more carefully worded)—while clearly laying out my current situation and goals. Having a counselor who could provide calm, level-headed advice while running alongside me throughout the process was incredibly reassuring.
In addition, one of Round One’s strengths lies in the breadth of its support—ranging from managing the overall schedule of the entire application process to reviewing and refining emails sent to admissions offices, among many other areas. There are truly many merits that cannot be measured simply by cost alone. If you have even a slight interest in Round One, I strongly recommend reaching out by email and making initial contact. Finally, I wish everyone the very best of success in their applications.
