MBA Admissions Counseling Packages Reviews

I worked with Donna Bauman on the MBA Early Edge for about six months and then with Susan Cera on my applications for about eight months. Working with the Stratus team is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. At Stratus, while I had a lead mentor in Susan, so many other staff members helped me with various aspects of my application. Susan brought in different expects based on their expertise and what I needed to present my very best self.
In addition, Susan helped me craft a vision of who I am and what I want to accomplish, not just for two years in business school, but in my professional career. She asked strategic questions to bring out my true self. We developed a strong relationship and she took so much time to get to know me beyond simply my business school aspirations. She was personally invested in my success. She is also super connected with MBA students and officers. She connected me to at least one student at every school I was applying to.
Susan is also very ethical. She supported my recommenders and helped me provide them with guidance rather than simply writing the recommendations for my recommenders to submit. In essays, she provided feedback and questions and left the final decision making to me so my authentic-self shined.
From my first conversation, I knew Susan was the perfect person to help me present my best self to MBA admissions committees. She is passionate, knowledgeable, well-connected and ethical. While I am excited to be done with the admissions process, I will miss working with Susan, Donna, and the Stratus team. Susan and Donna are the best!

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I had the chance to work with Temi as a counselor at Stratus, and I can say that her help was critical to me ultimately getting into my dream top-10 school.

I found that her guidance through preparation of my materials and the subsequent formation of an application strategy gave crucial structure and nuance to developing my candidacy for grad school.

There were times where we disagreed on content to be included, and where I initially became frustrated by our differences in viewpoint and/or opinion. However, Temi did an excellent job of listening to my frustrations when we disagreed, and then presenting her case. More often than not, I agreed with her fully articulated viewpoint.

When all was over, we managed to complete 6 applications to top tier MBA programs, and I managed to get the result I wanted: a spot at an elite MBA program.

Thanks Temi, and thanks Stratus!

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I would highly recommend the profile development services offered. I'm a fairly organized person but I know that having some external accountability and guidance is valuable which is why this service appealed to me. The great thing about Stratus is that they have a comprehensive framework that they guide prospective applicants through so that you know there isn't anything you are forgetting in terms of making sure you're presenting a well rounded self to admissions committees. This is a worthy investment and a great way to make sure you get yourself ready to apply to grad school. Your advisor will check in with you occasionally and you'll get an updated document from them showing what you've done and what you're working on by the next time you connect. If nothing else, you will be much more confident in yourself going into your applications.

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I'm from Australia and opted for a 3 schools package with Joe Farr as my main consultant. I chose Veritas because of its tailored approach in which I could mix and match my team of consultant to best suit my needs, goals and working style.

Joe was sensational! Despite the fact that I am across the world from him, I have developed a strong relationship with Joe. He took a lot of time upfront to understand my profile, goals and personality. I think that this was key for him to be able to help me successfully craft my story, identify my strengths and weaknesses and how to increase my chances of admission. He dedicated a lot of his personal time to help, and I'm truly appreciative of that. As a finance professional who also has a property development and accounting background, I will be using the MBA to transition into sports management/marketing. Joe shares my passion for sports and marketing and hence, this was a great fit. He really helped bring out my passion whether it was over our hour-long (sometimes 2 hours) Skype calls or lengthy emails.

Despite delays on my end, Joe accommodated my last minute questions and was even promptly responding to my questions via email on the due dates of applications. His customer service levels were exceptional. He also helped me work with the different school specialists to ensure the best final product.

Joe also took the time to meet me when I flew to the US for interviews. If you want a truly personalised approach and someone who will demonstrate a vested interest in your future, you definitely want Joe on your side! Aside from professional help, it was an absolute pleasure to chat with him and hear about his experiences. A great guy!

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Joe Farr, with Veritas Prep, not only helped me get accepted into many top-notch MBA programs but he also suggested I apply to the program I am now enrolled in! Yale SOM wasn't even on my radar. I never imagined being accepted to an Ivy League school! Joe thought it would be a good fit for me, and sure enough... I'll be attending Yale SOM in the fall! Veritas Prep really helps you flush out YOUR story and teaches you how to make sure the school sees your best traits. I was a very unusual candidate. Joe helped me create an application that highlighted my uniqueness while also illustrating why I would make a great fit. I am very thankful for Joe and his team!

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I will be the first to admit that I was skeptical about using an MBA admissions consultant. I went back and forth about the idea for at least six months while I did research and after talking with several consultants I finally went with Stratus. I could not have been happier with my choice. Donna Bauman was the best thing that happened to me along the way to applying to business school. Donna took the time to not only help me with the application process but also to help me make some difficult personal decisions about where to apply, decisions that were greatly assisted by her own personal anecdotes and experiences. Through a clear and concise pipeline we worked together every step of the way, with Donna taking time out of her evenings and weekends to help with my often last minute modifications and revisions. The employees at Stratus went above and beyond to help work around my schedule and timeline throughout the MBA application process, and after the hours and hours spent talking to Donna on the phone I now consider her a friend. Several months ago I was accepted to my #1 pick school, and awarded a hefty scholarship to boot, making Stratus more than worth the price I paid for their services.

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I found Stratus at an MBA tour event I attended last summer, and am glad that I chose them for their expertise and guidance. Melisa was an excellent counselor who took the time to understand my unique background and goals with pursuing an MBA and helped me to articulate my story through my essays and interviews. She was also accommodating with regards to scheduling our check-ins and mock interviews sometimes in the late evenings and on weekends to plan around my work hours. The tireless support and encouragement from Melisa (and Susan my senior counselor) throughout the entire application process was very valuable and I'll be attending one of my top dream schools this fall!

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I highly recommend working with Stratus Admissions. I had the pleasure of working with my consultant, Jennifer Jackson, beginning in June 2017. At the time (similar to many prospective applicants!), I was juggling full-time employment and GMAT studying. Facing the applications themselves seemed daunting. Working through Stratus’s introspection activities with Jennifer gave me a starting point and was an incredibly helpful way to frame my ‘story’ and clarify my MBA and post-MBA aspirations.

Jennifer worked with me to set a realistic timeline given the large number of schools I was planning to apply to and, while she was always flexible when work or life got in the way, was great about keeping me on track throughout the process. She was extremely responsive and knowledgeable about the programs I was applying to – if I ever had a question about a program that she couldn’t answer, she would reach out to her peers at Stratus to help me get the needed information. I particularly recommend the comprehensive counseling package. Having the opportunity to receive structured feedback from multiple sources at Stratus, including my assigned senior strategist Susan Cera (who was also fantastic to work with!), a proofreader and a school-specific specialist for each program, ensured I was putting forth the best possible application.

Thanks to the help of Jennifer and the Stratus team, I was ultimately accepted to three top-10 programs and will be headed to my dream school this fall!

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I had a really great experience working with Donna Bauman. She was exceptionally encouraging and supportive throughout my application journey. She was always willing to provide helpful, honest, and timely feedback (within 24 hours) and was able to be flexible to accommodate with our time zone differences for interview preparations. Most importantly, she really took the time to understand my unique background and aspirations and was a true advocate to ensure that I conveyed my unique story across my applications. The Stratus team is professional, personable, and has a very thorough process. I would highly recommend Donna and Stratus to anyone looking for an admissions consultant!

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When I started on my MBA application journey two years ago, I was pretty far from being the ideal candidate. I did not graduate from an ivy league university, I didn't come from a traditional business school industry, and my story was nothing remarkable, or so I thought. Working with my Senior Strategist, Susan, first in the MBA Early Edge program and then in the MBA Admissions Counseling package (along with my MBA counselor, Jamie) infused me with a confidence I can't describe. With their guidance and support, I was able to start thinking next-level about my applications, my mission and my future. I will be starting at a top-20 school in the fall full-time program and I couldn't be more proud of the hard work it took to get here!

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