152
Finance
Banking-Inv.
Sponsored
IESE
MBA
I was accepted to IESE Business School.
School of Enrollment: IESE Business School
Assigned Counselor: Mr. Round
I first met Mr. Round at the Imperial Hotel in February 2016. Tall and slender—perhaps even a little intimidating? That was my first impression of him. However, once we started talking, I was struck by his clear, polished, and careful English, and above all by his impeccable manners. I distinctly remember thinking that he was, in some ways, more Japanese than many Japanese people. That was the beginning of our “two-person, side-by-side journey.”
There are many factors to consider when choosing a counselor, but for me, proven results were especially important. As many people may know, Mr. Round was once the right-hand man of a well-known essay counselor in this field, and even after founding Round One, he has continued to work year after year with clients from top-tier companies. From the standpoint of experience and results, I believe his credentials are beyond question.
There are various types of counselors, but what truly distinguishes Mr. Round is that he provides a “comprehensive full package” that covers absolutely everything involved in the MBA application process. In the period just before Round 2 deadlines, schedules become extremely tight, and one misstep can easily result in missing an application deadline. Mr. Round keeps track of every school’s schedule and clearly identifies what must be done by when for each application.
Of course, applicants themselves should also manage these details, and I did so as well. However, I had heard from acquaintances that during peak season, some counselors become so busy that they only respond when clients proactively reach out—sometimes too late—causing application strategies to fall apart. In that context, Mr. Round’s proactive oversight was something I found deeply reassuring.
He reviews every page of each online application before submission, checks all email correspondence with admissions offices, and even supports campus visits. While at times I wondered whether such thoroughness was really necessary, it was precisely because of this level of support that I was able to focus fully on TOEFL, GMAT, and deep essay development.
This is something I had also heard repeatedly from alumni who previously worked with Round One: Mr. Round always does his utmost to accommodate client requests. In my case, as a company-sponsored applicant, I could not defer my enrollment start date and therefore needed to construct an application portfolio ranging from top-tier to lower-tier schools. At the same time, because my test scores improved slowly, I ultimately ended up applying to a large number of schools across the spectrum.
By December, when counselors are at their busiest, I found myself wanting to add applications to lower-ranked schools based on my current scores, while still not wanting to reduce applications to higher-ranked schools. From Mr. Round’s perspective—handling many clients simultaneously—this must have been an extremely difficult request (and in fact, it seems it truly was). Even so, he absorbed the burden and accommodated all of my requests.
I had heard this point as well from senior applicants, but at the time I did not fully appreciate its importance. However, as my scores stubbornly refused to improve, Mr. Round repeatedly encouraged me through Skype and email. It was almost as if he could sense when my resolve was weakening—just as I was about to give up, a message from him would arrive.
He is, in many ways, more Japanese than the Japanese. Time and again, I found myself thinking that this must be why he has been so deeply trusted in Japan for so many years.
MBA applications are profoundly lonely. Supervisors, colleagues, subordinates—even family members—cannot truly understand the hardship of the process. Before starting, I often heard phrases like “my counselor was so strict it nearly drove me to a breakdown” or “without my counselor, acceptance would have been impossible,” and I did not fully grasp what they meant. Now, I do.
A counselor is absolutely critical. Given my score trajectory, my status as a company-sponsored applicant, and my personal temperament, choosing Mr. Round was not just the right decision—it was the only possible decision. I truly believe there could not have been anyone else.
