159
Technology
Engineering/R&D
Sponsored
MIT-Sloan
MBA
I am convinced that achieving admission to multiple top schools—including MIT and LBS—despite having scores that were not considered highly competitive, was only possible thanks to the support of Round One. The anxiety I felt when I first met Mr. Round in the summer of 2017—wondering whether it was really okay to move forward from where I was—turned out to be completely unfounded. I am grateful for the opportunity to share my experience with those of you who may be struggling now, and I hope this account will help ease the difficult decision of choosing a counselor, which is arguably one of the most important (and certainly not inexpensive) decisions in the MBA application process.
Mr. Round proposes a counseling schedule and assignments tailored to each applicant’s target schools and application timing. For someone like me, approaching this once-in-a-lifetime application with mounting anxiety, there were moments when I wondered, “Is this essay counseling really intensive enough?” or “Shouldn’t I be panicking more by early winter?” Looking back, I realize that this structure allowed me to focus on test preparation. In reality, the density of each counseling session was extremely high, and there were no issues whatsoever.
I had imagined essay writing as a grueling process—spending endless hours agonizing like a philosopher before finally reaching enlightenment. Round One completely dispelled that fear. Mr. Round is committed to reverse-engineering essays efficiently, asking questions such as “What kind of person does this school want to admit?” and “How closely do you match that profile?” With those questions in mind, we reviewed my life (primarily my professional career), objectively identified what was valuable, and incorporated it into the application. As a result, I was able to produce essays that reflected the reader’s perspective rather than becoming self-indulgent—and to do so in a relatively short amount of time.
Counseling sessions with Mr. Round are dialogue-based. As he asks questions like “Have you had this kind of experience?” or “What level of impact did that have?”, simply answering and articulating my thoughts naturally led to the formation of an overall storyline. While details vary by school, this process allowed me to establish a solid core narrative, making it low-risk and straightforward to add supporting episodes as needed.
I have heard that some counselors take advantage of differences in position or experience to treat applicants in a high-handed or abrasive manner. Respect is fundamental to any human relationship, yet unfortunately it seems to be forgotten by some in the admissions world. Mr. Round is the complete opposite. He always listens carefully, encourages you, and at the same time clearly tells you what needs to be said. He was a dependable mentor I could truly trust.
Mr. Round is exceptionally reliable. He keeps his promises, respects time, works carefully and quickly (including typing), and makes almost no mistakes. In addition, his responsiveness outside of scheduled essay counseling sessions is remarkably fast. If you mark an email as “Urgent”, you may receive a reply within minutes, and at the latest within a few hours. Thanks to the time difference, sending a request before going to bed in Japan often meant receiving a response by the next morning—an extremely efficient setup.
In business school applications, English is required far beyond just essays. Inquiries to schools, campus visit scheduling and thank-you emails, and detailed application form questions all demand careful wording and take time. Whenever I sent drafts of such communications to Mr. Round, he would revise and return them promptly. From the standpoint of saving time and communicating with confidence, this is undoubtedly one of Round One’s greatest strengths.
Round One conducts counseling via Skype, allowing sessions to be held regardless of location or time—whether connecting from an overseas business trip or a café. Because the number of clients is limited, rescheduling or adding sessions is relatively easy, making it possible to intensify interview training when needed and maintain a clear sense of momentum.
In face-to-face counseling, it can be difficult to take notes on the spot, or notes may end up as rough Japanese scribbles. Mr. Round summarizes discussion points in clear English bullet points and sends them immediately via Skype chat. Putting ideas into writing helps organize thoughts, allows for immediate clarification of misunderstandings, and was especially useful when creating concise interview Q&A summaries.
As mentioned above, the quality of Round One’s essay counseling is outstanding, and their interview training is equally impressive. I believe the dozens of interview training sessions I underwent from January onward were decisive in my admissions success. While the reverse-engineering approach carries the risk that some applicants may not fully reflect on their past experiences, relying solely on essay content during interviews can leave you unprepared for questions such as “Tell me about your leadership experience,” “What has been your greatest success or failure?” or “What international exposure do you have?” By refining anticipated Q&A together with Mr. Round through interview training, I reached a point where I could confidently play any card from my hand regardless of the question.
Although Round One is a small firm, I was able to meet Round One alumni at almost every school I visited during campus visits. This is clear proof of their strong admissions track record. Moreover, every alumnus I met said the same thing: “Mr. Round was expensive, but worth it.” Hearing this reinforced my confidence in Round One’s quality and highlighted the strong sense of community that comes with a boutique firm.
All counseling is conducted in English, but because Mr. Round is deeply familiar with common mistakes Japanese applicants make, he is able to understand you even if your explanations are somewhat disjointed. That said, not everyone feels they must build English discussion skills at this stage. If you feel that brainstorming or organizing your thoughts in English is too challenging, it may make sense to work in parallel with a counselor who can discuss ideas in Japanese.
Round One’s fees are not inexpensive (though they are not particularly high compared to other well-known firms). However, simply increasing the number of counseling hours does not guarantee better results. By conducting self-analysis and drafting outside of sessions and approaching each counseling meeting with a clear purpose, it is possible to minimize the required time. Mr. Round never inflates hours unnecessarily or seeks to profit by dragging things out.
During the initial Strategic Guidance session, an initial portfolio of roughly 8–10 schools is created. The standard approach is to proceed school by school following this portfolio. If there are schools you feel are unnecessary, it is important to discuss removing them early. In hindsight, I may not have needed to apply to so many schools, but during the application period, negative thoughts inevitably arise, leading you to apply more broadly. As a result, counseling fees can increase. I recommend finalizing your portfolio at least one to two months before applications.
There are questionable MBA-related businesses out there, but Round One is a service I can recommend with full confidence. Mr. Round’s character, track record, and strategy will be a lifeline for many applicants who feel lost. I sincerely hope that those of you reading this testimonial today will successfully gain admission and someday be the ones writing testimonials of your own.
