213
Technology
General Mgmt
Sponsored
MIT-Sloan
SFMBA
While attending a major test-prep school and preparing for the GMAT/EA, a senior colleague who had been admitted to the program advised me:
“After test preparation, you’ll face extensive application materials, including written documents and video essays, so it’s best to secure an excellent advisor early. Mr. Round is highly recommended—he provides comprehensive, individualized support for each applicant’s submissions.”
Acting on this advice, I contacted Mr. Round and met with him in March 2025, before completing my test preparation.
Personally, I am not confident in English, and during our first meeting I spoke haltingly and awkwardly. However, Mr. Round—who has extensive experience living in Japan and supporting many Japanese applicants—was warm, encouraging, and decisive. On the spot, he clearly outlined the path to admission and the key steps required.
I also met with several other consulting firms, but ultimately chose Mr. Round because:
After completing my test preparation in May 2025, I received weekly counseling sessions. His support in building a realistic, end-to-end admissions schedule was essential in managing what is otherwise a long and demanding process. Knowing when to rest and when to focus intensely allowed me to sustain the effort without burnout—like running a marathon at a steady, manageable pace.
Over the roughly one-year application journey, I often felt loneliness and anxiety. Mr. Round consistently encouraged me as a true partner, sharing past clients’ experiences and realistic scenarios to keep me grounded and motivated. As a mid-career MBA applicant, concerns about potential rejection and its implications for my career were significant, but his support was outstanding from a mental-health perspective as well.
For written materials and MIT-specific video essays, he provided comprehensive guidance—from structuring core strategies and understanding evaluation tendencies to refining them into polished, professional expressions. At times, after counseling sessions, I would reconsider and say, “Actually, I want to convey this feeling instead,” or “I want to emphasize this point,” effectively overturning prior decisions. Even so, he continued to support me positively and constructively throughout.
If my own child were to pursue study abroad in the future, I would unquestionably ask Mr. Round to provide support.
Thank you very much for your meticulous guidance—including consideration for my family’s well-being—throughout this entire process.
