207
Finance
Banking-Inv.
Sponsored
Berkeley-Haas
MBA
First of all, thank you very much for your interest in reading this admissions experience.
MBA applications are a long, lonely, and often grueling battle, but with Mr. Round’s support, I was somehow able to see the process through to the end.
In the hope that this account may be of even a little help to others, I would like to share the following: (1) my background, (2) test scores, (3) schools applied to, (4) an overview of the application process, and (5) the ways in which Mr. Round supported me.
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Industry: Finance / planning and sales support within the sales division of a large corporation
Tuition: Company-sponsored
Overseas experience: None (aside from a two-week working holiday during university and several overseas business trips)
TOEFL 99 (R:28, L:22, S:22, W:27) → I struggled until the very end to balance my scores across sections…
IELTS 7.5 (R:8.0, L:7.0, S:7.5, W:6.5) → I ultimately used IELTS
GMAT 650 (V:35, Q:44, AWA:5.0, IR:7) → Whenever my Verbal score was good, I stumbled on Quant, but this was my best result
GRE 316 (V:150, Q:166, AW:4.0) → Roughly equivalent to a GMAT 650, and this is what I used
EA 155 (V:11, Q:14, IR:10) → I achieved this score on my fourth online attempt
Haas: Admitted → Enrolled
IESE: Admitted → Declined
MIT: Waitlisted → Declined
CMU Tepper: Waitlisted → Declined
Stanford MSx: Rejected after interview
Columbia: Rejected without interview
Duke Fuqua: Rejected without interview
Michigan Ross: Rejected without interview
I was selected as a candidate for my company’s sponsored study-abroad program in March 2022, which marked the beginning of my application journey. I first focused on preparing for the TOEFL and IELTS, and around April decided to seek the support of a counselor.
After speaking with senior colleagues at my company who had successfully completed MBA applications in the past, I learned about Round One’s services. I contacted Mr. Round right away and had my initial assessment meeting in May. During that session, he carefully explained the details of his services, and I was particularly drawn to the high-quality, small-cohort approach and the network that remains valuable even after the application process. This led me to decide to work with Mr. Round.
From around August, I began working seriously on my essays. The basic process involved brainstorming ideas with Mr. Round in response to each school’s essay prompts, drafting essays on my own, receiving detailed feedback, and then further brainstorming to refine specific points. For me, this cycle was extremely efficient and easy to work with.
In my case, I struggled to achieve strong scores on the GMAT, GRE, and EA, and had difficulty moving beyond the score-building stage. However, during our weekly meetings, Mr. Round repeatedly encouraged me by saying, “Your essays, career, and overall presence are all strong—if you just get invited to interviews, you’ll be fine!”
I applied to all eight schools listed above in Round 2. Ultimately, I proceeded with an approximately GMAT 650-equivalent score, which is by no means competitive for top schools. To make up for this weakness in interviews, I prepared thoroughly through mock interviews conducted by Mr. Round.
In addition, in order to make more persuasive comments during interviews and demonstrate commitment, I organized campus visits to North American schools between submission and interviews. Mr. Round was very supportive and provided helpful advice on the logistics and strategy for these visits as well.
As a result, I was admitted to Haas and IESE as noted above, and I am scheduled to relocate to the U.S. West Coast this summer.
From August onward, I generally had essay counseling sessions once per week. This meant writing essays in preparation for each session, revising them during the session, and brainstorming ideas for the next prompt, which made Mr. Round an invaluable pace-maker in keeping my essay work moving forward.
Even when I had a clear sense of what I wanted to say in my essays, I often struggled with how to express it naturally in English. In those moments, I relied heavily on Mr. Round. I would first write drafts in my own English and explain what I was trying to convey during our sessions, and he would then revise the text in polished, natural English that captured my intent.
Because my test scores did not come together easily, it took time to finalize my application portfolio. We carefully considered questions such as which schools should be treated as safeties, whether to include schools outside North America (IESE was added at the final stage), and whether to include schools that accept EA scores. Guided by Mr. Round and supported by data, this process was extremely smooth.
Taking into account each school’s interview style, Mr. Round prepared anticipated questions and conducted multiple mock interviews with me. Many of the actual interview questions were very similar, which allowed me to perform calmly on the day.
Mock interviews were conducted via Skype, just like regular sessions, and the meetings were recorded so I could review them later. This helped me identify and correct bad habits during interviews (in my case, looking away from the camera while thinking and using filler words).
Because I was aiming to compensate for weaker GMAT scores through strong interview performance, this part of the process was particularly critical for me. Being able to prepare thoroughly with Mr. Round’s guidance was, I believe, one of the key factors behind my success.
Thanks to Mr. Round’s personality, my weekly sessions became something I genuinely looked forward to during an otherwise difficult MBA application process. Reporting small improvements in scores, having strong essays reviewed, and sharing news of interview invitations all helped keep my motivation high.
Personally, I believe that Mr. Round’s ability to boost motivation is one of Round One’s greatest strengths.
Finally, I sincerely hope that your own MBA application journey will be a positive one. I encourage you to seek Mr. Round’s support and do your best to achieve admission to your target schools. If you have any questions after reading this testimonial, please feel free to contact me through Mr. Round—I would be happy to help.
