91
Healthcare
Medical
Scholarship
NYU-Stern
EMBA
Thanks to Round One’s support, I was admitted to all of the EMBA programs to which I applied (including New York University, where I was admitted with a scholarship of $30,000).
I am a female scientist who has been involved in pharmaceutical development at global companies in both Japan and the United States. Although I was residing in the U.S. for work, having graduated from a Japanese university and spent nearly my entire career working consistently in research roles, applying to American universities for the first time proved to be far more a process of trial and error than I had expected. Throughout the application process with Round One, both Ms. Round and Mr. Round demonstrated not only a deep understanding of what is required for MBA applications (as both are MBA holders themselves), but also strong insight into the challenges that are particularly common among Japanese applicants. As a result, they were able to help me preserve my strengths while appropriately addressing and reinforcing my weaknesses. In particular, Ms. Round, who was responsible for essay and interview counseling, was extremely accommodating in adjusting schedules to match my irregular EMBA application timeline, arranging sessions as needed to ensure I was prepared in time for sudden interview invitations. This support was invaluable.
Both Ms. Round and Mr. Round are exceptionally quick thinkers, and our Skype meetings were always highly productive. They provided necessary information almost instantaneously, and I often found myself thinking that if I could work as efficiently as they do, I would surely be able to accomplish far more in a much shorter amount of time. Ms. Round, my essay and interview counselor, took my lengthy and rather rough essay drafts and, in a very short time, not only refined the English but also transformed them into content-rich essays that made me think, “Yes—that’s exactly what I wanted to say.” I learned a great deal from her approach to structuring arguments and narrowing down key points. Both counselors are sharp and highly capable, yet always warm, humorous, and trustworthy. Thanks to their personalities, I was able to calmly discuss next steps while feeling reassured, and even the emotionally demanding process of application preparation—facing both my past and my future—became something I could approach positively and, at times, even enjoy.
After managing to complete my essays, I applied to NYU, Cornell, and Rutgers—programs whose structure and atmosphere I liked based on information sessions I attended. In particular, NYU admitted me with a $30,000 scholarship. Since scholarship decisions were based on additional essays, I truly believe that I would not have been able to secure this scholarship without Ms. Round’s support. Going through this process reaffirmed for me just how critical essays and interviews are in the application journey.
I was probably one of the less polished clients at Round One, but thanks to the patience, constant encouragement, and consistently appropriate advice from both counselors, I was able to somehow complete my applications while juggling a demanding work schedule—and ultimately achieve results I was very satisfied with. The fees were certainly not inexpensive, but not only was I able to apply efficiently with a strong pace-maker by my side, in my case the scholarship admission meant that I more than recouped the cost in the end. This was something I had never anticipated, and it made me genuinely happy and greatly relieved. Most people applying to MBA programs are working full time, and I strongly believe that Round One is not only an excellent resource for high-quality essay and interview preparation, but also a powerful ally in efficiently navigating the application process without disrupting a busy professional life.
