135
Accounting Svcs
Accounting
Scholarship
UCLA-Anderson
MBA
Self-funded, purely domestic background, 27 years old, CPA, planning to enroll at UCLA.
Determined that this would be the year I applied no matter what, I hurriedly began searching for a counselor in August 2015, even though my GMAT and TOEFL scores were not yet in place. I searched extensively online, considering whether to choose a Japanese counselor, looking at name recognition, fees, and other factors, but there was limited information and nothing that felt decisive. Realizing that worrying would not move me forward, I contacted Round One, which had received high praise on blogs written by senior applicants. Looking back, I believe this was the right decision. I was able to join Round One as a waitlisted candidate for the 2nd round and began receiving services in October. In the initial Strategic Guidance session, we set my target schools. I did not originally have a school that I felt I absolutely had to attend, but through discussions with me, Mr. Round suggested many schools that matched my interests. Some of the schools he suggested seemed quite ambitious given my scores at the time, but from those options we built my target school portfolio. UCLA was one of the schools included at that stage.
The essay counselor assigned to me was not Mr. Round, but his sister, Ms. Round, an INSEAD MBA graduate. At first, I felt a bit disappointed, as I had hoped to be directly supported by the firm’s principal. However, that feeling disappeared almost immediately once the services began. I can now say with complete confidence that I am truly glad I had the opportunity to work with Ms. Round. The level of service was outstanding. My reasons are outlined below.
When deciding whether to choose a foreign counselor, you may worry that a non-Japanese counselor might not be able to provide the level of attentive, detail-oriented service that Japanese applicants expect—but there is absolutely no need for such concern. I never once felt that responses to my questions were slow. For example, if we finished a session with ten minutes remaining, she would suggest carrying that time over to the next session, and her attitude of valuing every single minute conveyed a strong sense of professionalism. In addition, because essay editing sessions conducted via Skype relied primarily on chat-based communication, even as a purely domestic applicant I had no difficulty communicating. I was also able to review the comments she provided during editing afterward, which was extremely helpful.
I took both the essay counseling service and interview training, and the feedback I received was concrete and highly effective—most of it consisted of points I would never have noticed on my own. For essays, she worked with me to find ways to explain my professional expertise as a CPA in terms that would be understandable to others. When it came to setting my career goals, her advice served as a clear guidepost for defining concrete objectives. In interview training, I initially had no idea how I should be responding, but in the very first session I received feedback spanning six pages. This included detailed advice on interview behavior (e.g., “You move your hands too much while thinking,” “When you clear your throat, you should say ‘Excuse me,’” etc.), which was incredibly instructive. As I continued with training, I could clearly feel my own growth.
Her warm support also became an emotional anchor during the demanding application process. Conversations with her were genuinely enjoyable, and looking back, I do not recall receiving any harsh comments from her at all (perhaps I am simply thick-skinned), as she was always encouraging. There was a time when, due to work obligations, I submitted a low-quality essay draft and disappointed her, but even then she did not scold me—she accepted it calmly. Feeling deeply apologetic, I was motivated to work harder next time.
In the end, I was able to secure interviews from many of the schools I applied to, and I received offers of admission from every school where I interviewed. Despite having GMAT 680 and TOEFL 103—scores that were by no means highly competitive—I was admitted to UCLA and even received a $40,000 scholarship, which I firmly believe is thanks to her support. In addition, I am deeply grateful to Mr. Round for his guidance on test preparation strategy and for advice throughout the broader MBA application process, such as how to write thank-you emails to interviewers after interviews. If I were to go through the MBA application process again, I would choose Round One without hesitation. If you are reading this and wondering whom to choose as your essay counselor, take a leap of faith and contact Round One. I am confident that Round One will meet—and exceed—your expectations.
