18
Gen. Trading
Mktg/Sales
Sponsored
NYU-Stern
MBA
I began my MBA application journey in September 2004 with the highly ambitious—and frankly reckless—goal of enrolling in the fall of 2005. At that point, I had not yet completed either the TOEFL or GMAT exams, and it was during this very early stage that I happened to meet Mr. Round by chance. I was fortunate enough to gain admission to several top business schools, but it was Mr. Round who created the pathway that made that good fortune possible. He trained me thoroughly through Essay Development and Interview Training, and while I learned many specific techniques, the most important takeaway was something far more fundamental: understanding, from the admissions committee’s perspective, what aspects of an applicant are genuinely interesting, and which points—when emphasized—can truly open the door to the admissions office. Learning where and how to apply that pressure was invaluable.
The very first principle Mr. Round drilled into me during Essay Development was this: “Answer the question precisely.” I quickly realized that, at the initial draft stage, this is surprisingly difficult to do. Even when I felt confident that I had written a draft aligned with the prompt, once I submitted it to Mr. Round, he often pointed out that the content was off-target or that I had chosen an inappropriate theme for the question. While this is only my conjecture, I believe that essay quality is often determined at this fundamental level, long before technique comes into play. Grammar and phrasing can always be refined later with the help of native speakers. What truly sets Mr. Round apart is that, rather than focusing on surface-level technique, he forces you to think deeply about what constitutes the core of a strong essay.
For example, there was an essay prompt that read, “Creatively describe yourself to your MBA classmates.” Under normal circumstances, one would struggle with what to write. However, as Mr. Round worked with me over time and came to understand my character, he was able to say, “For this prompt, the most appropriate topic would be XX or YY,” offering guidance rooted in a genuine understanding of who I was. That insight proved to be the shortest path to an outstanding essay. Even now, that particular essay remains my personal “best essay”—the one that expressed who I was most effectively. It may be possible to write a technically excellent essay based on something close to fiction, but such an essay will never truly reflect what emerges from one’s core, nor will it align naturally with the interview.
Given how far behind schedule my application process was, the reason I was able to turn things around so dramatically was largely due to Interview Training. I still remember, vividly, locking myself in a conference room during my company lunch breaks on weekdays before Golden Week, sweating through intense mock interviews with Mr. Round in preparation for visiting schools on my interview tour. Here, too, I was drilled on what should be said—and what should never be said. Through repeated mock interviews, the key messages I must never forget, the points I needed to emphasize, and how to open the admissions committee’s door became deeply ingrained.
After completing my actual interviews, I came to believe that the key to my success was this: I was able to open the admissions committee’s door and give them a sense of reassurance that I belonged there as a top business school MBA candidate. From a Japanese perspective, it is easy to think, “Saying something like that won’t matter,” or “Does mentioning this really make any difference?” Mr. Round was the one who bridged that gap in thinking. In that sense, his Interview Training went far beyond mere technique—it operated at a much deeper level.
As I wrote at the outset, my application schedule was far from one that would normally be expected to succeed, and I myself believed that my chances were extremely slim. In such a desperate situation, I believe the reason I was able to grasp that thin thread of success was that I could place absolute trust in Mr. Round—not merely as a consultant, but as a person. His precise, efficient, and waste-free advice was critical. Even now, I fondly remember how our hockey discussions, exchanged amid otherwise intense and serious sessions, felt like an oasis during the long and exhausting application process.
