24
Manufacturing
Corp. VC
Sponsored
NWN-Kellogg
MBA
Precisely because I lived in a regional area, I found Round One’s services extremely appealing. Many counseling services are Tokyo-centric, but Round One is one I would strongly recommend to applicants living outside major metropolitan areas.
When I first heard that “Round One is an online counseling service,” I worried that the distance from my counselor might make the relationship feel impersonal or detached. That concern turned out to be completely unfounded. I came to trust Round One wholeheartedly and, as a result, was admitted to multiple top schools. Below, I would like to succinctly explain—through the eyes of a regional applicant—just how outstanding Round One’s services are.
All essay counseling and interview training at Round One is conducted entirely online. This is an enormous advantage for applicants living outside Tokyo. In my case, I was able to save approximately five hours per round trip that would otherwise have been spent traveling to Tokyo. Naturally, this also translated into significant cost savings. I had used other services before, many of which required frequent trips to Tokyo, resulting in considerable wasted time and energy. By choosing Round One, I was able to reallocate that saved time toward GMAT preparation, essay writing, and interview training. For busy applicants living in regional areas, this is an extremely important benefit.
I feel confident saying this because I have used multiple counseling services. The quality of Round One is overwhelmingly superior. With other services, I often traveled all the way to Tokyo only to leave sessions thinking, “What exactly did I gain from today’s session? I came all the way to Tokyo for this…” There were even occasions when a counselor asked during a session, “What should we do with the remaining time?”—leaving me feeling that precious time had been wasted. Ultimately, I was unable to build trust with that service and decided to discontinue it.
Round One was completely different. We created a long-term schedule together, set clear goals for each session before it began, worked through them thoroughly, and ended each session with a genuine sense of accomplishment. Compared to other services, the efficiency was unmatched. With no wasted time, I could clearly feel myself making steady progress day by day. That is precisely why trust naturally developed. Living in a regional area, I had almost no friends around me who were also applying to MBA programs, but thanks to the structure and sense of progress provided by Round One, I could clearly see how far along the “mountain” I had climbed and approach the application process with confidence and peace of mind.
Finally, I would like to emphasize how often Round One motivated me. MBA applications are inherently stressful, but Mr. Round had a remarkable ability to “get me fired up” in the right way. His sincere attitude toward thinking through my life together with me, combined with sessions that were sometimes infused with humor, made the process genuinely enjoyable. Although I initially felt uneasy about not having face-to-face counseling, those concerns disappeared after just a few sessions.
At one point, I sent Mr. Round an email saying, “Today’s session was really fun.” In response, Mr. Round replied with the following message. I would like to quote it here, as I believe it perfectly conveys the warmth and strengths of Round One:
“Indeed, I’m glad that we had some fun today with X School’s questions. I know that applying to B-school is very challenging, but if we can enjoy it, then it makes the process a little less difficult. I think the secret to R1’s success is that we love to work with bright people like you and to help you find the path to your ultimate success. You’re doing a great job so far. Keep up the good work, YYY-san!”
Counseling is, at its core, a relationship between people. Everything depends on whether a relationship of trust can be built, and that requires close, consistent communication. As someone living outside a major city, I trusted Round One completely and was able to fully leverage the strengths of its online model. That is precisely why I was invited to interviews at numerous top schools and ultimately gained admission to my target school.
Challenging oneself to pursue an MBA while living in a regional area is no small undertaking. After being admitted, fellow admits and alumni often said to me, “It must have been really tough applying from outside Tokyo.” Each time, my response was always the same: “It was tough, but Round One was always there supporting me.”
If this account can be of any help to those pursuing the MBA challenge while living outside major urban centers, I would be truly glad.
School Attending: Kellogg School of Management
Also admitted to two other Top 10 schools
