December 2021: Selected for my company’s sponsored study-abroad program.

January 2022: Began studying for IELTS.

March 2022: Achieved the IELTS score required for applications.

April 2022: Began studying for GMAT. Contacted Mr. Round through a referral from a senior colleague at my company. After an initial meeting, enrolled in Round One. Subsequently held a Kick-Off Meeting to review the overall MBA application schedule.

May–July 2022: Focused exclusively on GMAT preparation; had no contact with Mr. Round during this period.

August 2022: Held a Strategic Guidance Meeting with Mr. Round to confirm the application portfolio, recommenders, and essay counseling schedule. From this point onward, essay counseling sessions were held once a week. My CV was completed within approximately two weeks.

September–December 2022: Prepared essays at a pace of approximately one school every three weeks. After obtaining a GMAT score suitable for application in early October, I conducted coffee chats with two to three alumni or current students per school to better understand each school’s culture and fit.

January 2023: Submitted applications to each school from late December through early January. Thereafter, conducted interview training sessions once per week. Received interview invitations sequentially and carried out mock interviews tailored to each school. Completed campus visits from late January to early February.

February–March 2023: Received admission offers sequentially (unfortunately, among the schools applied to, only LBS was rejected at the document screening stage).