Matteo Rattighieri Reviews

In the whirlwind of my MBA journey, Square One Prep emerged as a transformative force. Having prepared for the GMAT, then applications, and then facing multiple rejections in the previous application cycle, I found myself exhausted and disheartened.

Selecting a consultant was a critical life choice I had to make, especially as a reapplicant. After a friend’s endorsement who had worked with SOP, I hopped on a call with Kathryn – the founder of SOP. I still remember our initial 1-hour call - where we talked about the process, which schools to target, and most importantly her belief that my dream schools were within my reach. What I loved about SOP approach was there would be a team of experts to support me – Matteo as my advisor, Horatiu, Cristina and Kelsey, with Kathryn also involved in reviewing.

The process is very structured (with strict timelines) – school selection, recommender selection, career narrative, resumes, and the Assessment Call with your advisor. I spent close to 4 hours on the call – with me narrating my life journey to Matteo, and then we could figure out which aspects of the journey we could highlight in the essays, resume etc.

I’m thankful to everyone on the team, but most importantly Matteo who has been my guiding light throughout the journey. Matteo made it clear that his role was not simply editing my essays or giving a lot of suggestions. Instead, he gave honest (and once brutal) feedback and encouraged me to write the best essays I could – and I’m very grateful for his approach. His attention to detail in the essays allowed me to curate very personalized essays for each school. The support of other team members Horatiu, Kelsey, Cristina was equally commendable– they’re all experienced and available to talk about anything – you just have to email them.

I enrolled on a 3-school package – but received help and resources for additional school applications as well. My top choices were Fuqua, Tuck and Kellogg – and while other consultants might encourage ‘safe’ choices, Square One never told me to settle. When I finally received interview invites from almost all schools I’d applied to, I had a mock interview with Matteo. While my first mock wasn’t good, by the 2nd mock I was ready and during the real interviews I presented my candid best to the schools.

Thanks to the Square One team, I received admits to Ross and Fuqua (with scholarship), among others. Beyond the tangible outcomes, what’s most valuable for me is the personal growth I achieved. I came out of this process more self-aware, improved my writing, structured thinking and communication skills – and I’m sure these qualities will benefit me immensely in my future career. For anyone navigating the highly competitive b-school application process, my sincere recommendation is to just schedule a call with Kathryn and understand the process. If you’re seeking top-notch guidance from a team deeply invested in your success, then Square One Prep is the way to go. SOP is more than a consultancy – it’s a partner committed to your personal and professional success in a way very few people out there are!

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Square One Prep's tailored approach and deep understanding of MBA admissions helped me introspect and craft a compelling application that reflected my unique story and aspirations. The structured timelines, selecting the right schools and recommenders and realistic targets set by SOP were invaluable, making my application process seamless and successful. Their guidance not only highlighted my achievements but also clarified my goals with clarity and conviction.

Thanks to Matteo, Kelsey, Kathryn and Horatiu, I not only received admits from my dream MBA programs, but also developed a deeper understanding of myself and my aspirations. I have recommended SOP to a couple of my friends who are aiming for an admit next year.
Hope they are able to get a similar result as I did :)

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From my introductory call with Kathryn to my first acceptance – SOP was there through it all. I felt the attention and care that went into my MBA journey as soon as I received the personalized timeline that made me feel at ease instantly towards a daunting journey. I was en route to apply for R1 but was not hitting the GRE marks that I wanted – SOP quickly pivoted my timeline for R2 and began strategizing to help me have a strong application that highlighted my other strengths. Luckily I was able to hit the GRE scores I needed and with the guidance and continued support of SOP I was able to get accepted into both of my top choice schools with partial scholarships!

The entire process is extremely thoughtful and personalized to what you need as an applicant and I feel very grateful to have chosen Kathryn, Matteo and the rest of the SOP team!

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Square One Prep played a crucial role in guiding me through my business school applications. Despite starting the process late in the application cycle and having a busy work schedule, the team at SOP diligently checked in with me and ensured that I stayed on track to complete my applications on time. Their holistic approach, which involved crafting a compelling career narrative, providing multiple expert reviews of my essays, and offering interview preparation, greatly contributed to my acceptance into one of my preferred schools. I wholeheartedly recommend SOP to anyone aspiring to gain admission to the world's top business schools.

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I’ve been in touch with Kathryn Lucas, the founder of Square One Prep (SOP) for years and she’s always been supportive and served as a soundboard to me even prior to my application year.

The SOP group became my dream team of trusted advisors and highly experienced mentors in my journey to B School.

Following a structured approach that helped manage timelines effectively, they went the extra mile to ensure that every component of my applications is crafted to perfection. The ideation and brainstorming sessions helped lay a solid foundation for my overall career narrative and essays. The team helped me craft compelling stories and really differentiate myself.

Throughout the process, they were super responsive and always available to address any concerns. With their support, I felt the utmost confidence submitting applications and performing in interviews.

I couldn’t be happier with my results! I’m extremely grateful for this partnership and would highly recommend their services!

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Kathryn and her entire team are true professionals. When deciding on a consulting firm to hire for the application process, I interviewed a few other firms, and none demonstrated a greater command of the process than Square One Prep’s team. Kathryn approaches each of her clients with the straightforwardness that you need as a top business school applicant.

Square One Prep’s process pushes you to look inward and gives you the tools and support you need to turn your ideas into a thoughtful, well-crafted application. Their strategy goes beyond essay edits by working with you to present yourself as effectively as possible in each application.

Your advisor will match every ounce of your hard work with the thoughtfulness and rigor that other firms simply do not offer. It truly feels like you have a full team working with you, taking so much of the stress and guesswork out of the application process. With the Square One Prep team behind me, I received over $350,000 in scholarships to my most desirable programs. I couldn’t have done it without their support.

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The application process for MBA admissions to US B-schools is very different to college admission processes in my home country. To present the most compelling culture-adjusted narrative to the admissions committee, I felt I needed professional help and I chose Square One because of its methodical approach to the applications.

I couldn't have asked for a better team for my applications. With Kathryn's honest feedback, Haratiu's analysis of my career narrative and Matteo's essay strategy and iterative analysis, I was able to craft a successful application. What differentiates Square One from the rest is that the team is as invested as you are in your application - which also means that as an applicant you need to be open to feedback, often brutally honest ones, every step of the way.

If you are looking to create a strong application and are committed to putting in the time required to draft one, don't think twice and have your first call with Kathryn.

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Looking backward to the massive work completed with the SOP Team, I strongly recommend partnering with SOP to navigate and successfully finalize the application process. SOP has developed a tailored, structured, rigorous, and methodical approach, which helps to stay focused, push the thinking, and manage the deadlines.

Working with the SOP Team, I matured a great sense of trust, crucial to producing the best application possible. Since the beginning, it was clear we were all working toward a common goal. In the beginning, Kathryn (The founder) dedicated plenty of time to discuss my background, strengths, weaknesses, and objective to help me build a unique application package. We discussed for more than 1 hour, despite the fact that the call was scheduled for 30 mins!

My day-to-day advisor was Matteo. We knew each other already before preparing the application. He has been my mentor for more than 3 years. In all the different steps of the process, Matteo was always ready to brainstorm in advance, sharing unique insights that helped me push the thinking and improve the quality of the application. While preparing the application package. Matteo was always ready to provide feedback and suggestions via phone and email, proactively providing ideas and new perspectives for me to expand and elaborate. Finally, Matteo was also fundamental during the interview process, with multiple mock interviews done together. Having known Matteo for 5 years now, I strongly suggest him as SOP advisor.

Luis (career narrative) was another important person in the journey who helped me refine my career goal and speech for the interviews.

Overall, I thank Kathryn, Matteo, and Luis for giving me their advice, insights, and support, along with the different process steps. I strongly recommend the SOP Team to anyone approaching the MBA application season.

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I reached out to SquareOnePrep early in the summer as part of my reach-out to multiple other consultants. I was quickly impressed by the fair and sincere feedback from Kathryn, and she took the time to really understand my profile and requirements.

Their process is pretty elaborate and thorough: from onboarding to ideation to application. It enabled me to choose colleges, recommenders and figure out timelines in an informed manner. Multiple conversations around goals and core ideas ensured my applications presented a compelling case. I then worked with Matteo across colleges, and he offered sound advice and inputs throughout the process. Since he understood my industry and my work really well, it enabled a robust creative process of ideating essays and stories. He was honest and straightforward in his feedback while providing strategic inputs to improve the essays - an underrated aspect since it's easy to hit a wall while writing and iterating stories. Even while preparing for interviews, the feedback Matteo provided was precise, actionable, and candid. At every point, I felt there was constant and prompt support from the SOP team; and in a journey as daunting as the MBA application process, it helps to have a team backing you throughout.

Coming from the most competitive background, I eventually landed a dream college, and I couldn't have been happier to have made it! SOP helped me put my best foot forward, and I'm so glad I chose them!

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Kathryn and the Square One team were instrumental in my success with business school applications. Kathryn spent 2-3 hours with me over multiple phone calls answering my questions even before I had committed to working with her company. Her willingness to go above and beyond on the front end is the reason I chose to work with her firm. Once I had officially signed up with Square One, I was on a very tight time frame for second round application deadlines. I purchased an hourly package and was advised by Matteo. With Matteo’s day-to-day guidance and Kathryn following along and diving in when needed, we successfully got three applications submitted. In an extremely short time frame during the holiday season, Square One amazed me with the fast paced and detailed feedback they gave me on my application materials. I was fielding and responding to emails and calls with Matteo on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve, and New Years Day. Square One truly cares about their clients and makes themselves more than available at ALL times. I am pleased I chose Square One and would strongly recommend them to any business school applicant considering hiring a consulting firm.

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