Harold Simansky Reviews

I had always wanted to do an MBA, but I knew I had several weak areas in my application: I had bombed the GMAT twice, I had several gaps in my work experience, and I came from a field that wasn't overly analytical or quantitative. I knew that in order to realize my dream, I needed some professional guidance. I decided to work with Harold based on a recommendation from a friend, and it was one of the best decisions I've ever made.

Harold instantly recognized that I had a fascinating story to tell and helped me develop it. We started off brainstorming my life and career trajectory, and Harold worked with me to highlight the best and most relevant parts of my story. Harold recommended me to switch to the GRE given my learning style and even provided the names of some tutors to help me prepare for the exam. Harold helped me address my weaknesses in the application and provided additional resources and courses I could take to improve my quantitative abilities. Whether through essays or interview prep, Harold was readily available with feedback and support to help me along the MBA application process. I ended being accepted to every school I applied for and even received some scholarships. I could not have done this without Harold's guidance!

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It was July 2019 when I started thinking about getting an MBA. I didn’t even know what GMAT was back then. I changed career to a completely unrelated field 2 years ago, so I had no idea how to get my story straight. 5 months later, I was successfully admitted to my top choice M7 school by round 1. It was all because of Harold’s encouragement and guidance.

Harold has his own method and system to bring out the best story to tell. I came from technical and non traditional background and over-represented demographics. From our brainstorm call, he asked questions that helped me identify unique stories throughout my life to write about which I probably would have overlooked if I were to do this myself. He gave extremely helpful guidance on how to naturally connect these stories together.

He was also very encouraging when I was taking the GMAT. When I didn’t do well on the first attempt, he encouraged me to try again. After my second attempt, he told me to put GMAT aside and focus on the application, which was the best advice. He knew what was important for my application. He helped me steering towards the right direction.

Harold is very efficient. He almost always responds within 24 hours. He gives advanced notice when he will be out of office. Timing was never an issue between us. He reviewed every single detail of my application. It made me feel less anxious throughout the process.

For interview prep, Harold will adjust his questions depending on the school you are applying to. He gives tips on not only answering standard questions but also what is likely to happen right before and after the interview. He shares anecdotes from his extensive MBA consulting experience. I felt prepared going into my interview.

As a detail oriented person, he even gave me a lot of tips before I went to school visits, including what to look out for during class visits, things to keep in mind in general, and how to get the most out of such visits.

You will not regret hiring Harold as your MBA consultant. He will try his best to craft your story, prepare for your interview and do anything he can to support your application. I’m very satisfied for his service. By writing this review, I hope more people can benefit from his experience, skills and dedication.

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This is my 2nd time applying. I've work with a consultant when I first applied two years ago, so I am able to compare my experience.
Harold really stood out in two ways
1) Clarity - Harold has helped restructuring my stories in more concise ways for readers. He doesn't just tell you it is not working; he suggests here is how it may work.
2)Encouraging - Harold made the application process less stressful and more positive. He delivered his comments in a cheerful but constructive way.
3) I like the network Mbadmission provides. When I have tricky questions Harold can’t answer, he tapped into his colleagues network and got additional perspectives/feedback for me.

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Quick background: I am a 35 years old candidate with a traditional work experience (finance/investment). I first applied to B-schools about 5 years ago using a “consultant” who only worked with me on the essays. I applied to HBS, Stanford, Wharton and UC Berkeley. Dinged from ALL of them without an interview! I had a low GMAT (620) and my essays (in hindsight) were weak. I attempted the GMAT multiple times without success, so I decided to sleep on it for few years.

This time around, I did an extensive research on consultants, including various interview calls. Some of them are highly ranked with extensive experience. Many of those highly-ranked consultants tried to persuade me to only apply to top 30 schools, international schools (outside of US) or executive MBA. It was obvious they cared about their “success rate”. Harold was completely different! From the first call, he was very honest about my profile, but also very supportive. I still remember his words: “if it is a dream school, then we are applying to it, but we also need to explore other schools”. My initial list was Stanford, UC Berkeley, MIT and Yale. We also added Duke, but pushed Yale for later given the timeline. And guess what? I Got interviews from 3 of 4 schools and got accepted to two schools. I slightly improved my GMAT to 650, but decided to try the GRE. I got around 315 in the GRE (with 165 in quant), so Harold recommended I only submit my GRE score, which I did.

During the process, Harold was impressive in his quick responses and great feedback. Thanks to the time difference, we were working 24/7. I would wake up super early morning (which is late evening his time) to work on his comments that he sent few hours ago, and he would work on my changes while I was at work. I never had to worry about weekends with Harold! He was always online. What I realized is that the harder I worked, he would match my efforts! Few times he would prioritize other students for a day or two but that’s just because they have deadlines coming in. At the end of the day, it is YOUR application, so the more effort you put in, the more you will get from Harold, and he delivers!

In addition to his impressive efforts, Harold has a great experience and insight when it comes to schools. He would help you focus on the aspects of your story that would make you stand out.

I am forever grateful to Harold for all his hard work and making a dream come true, especially to someone who is considered “old” and a has a mediocre test score! If I had to do it again, I will go with Harold without hesitation!

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I struggle to emphasize just how impactful working with Harold was on my MBA application process. Starting from the first meeting, to helping me choose between acceptances, Harold’s help and advice was invaluable.

I started working with Harold the June before Fall Round 1 deadlines. From the beginning he was great about taking the intimidating MBA application process and breaking it down into simple steps with an achievable timeline. Harold’s assistance in crafting my story and really honing in on my strengths and weaknesses and how they matched to my target schools set me up for success from the get go.

Harold’s impact on my application essays was extraordinary. Both in helping me with the big picture of the story I was trying to tell, and the final edits and tweaks to make the essay as specific to my target school as possible, his work was critical to my success.

Harold’s knowledge of top schools and what they are looking for in candidates in unparalleled, and this is most evident in his help with interview prep. I was invited to interview at three of the schools I applied to, and Harold was instrumental in my preparation, including offering mock interview practice.

Finally, I want to highlight the ease of working with Harold. He is always very prompt to respond to any question or request, and quick to review and provide feedback on essays. He takes great pride in his work, and truly gives person attention to all his clients.

I can confidently say that Harold’s services are worth every penny. I will be starting at my top choice MBA program this fall, and could not have done it without Harold.

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I had a terrific experience working with Harold. I was on the fence about working with an admissions counselor once I decided to apply to business school. A friend connected me to Stratus, and I am very glad I chose to go ahead with it.

From the start, I found Harold to be very insightful and his style to be very compatible with what I was looking for. I had taken the GMAT by the time we started working together, and was focused on the personal statement. I had a very clear idea of the part of my story that I wanted to tell in my application, but felt that my early attempts were not doing it justice. Harold helped me to pull everything together, not only for the essay itself, but also more broadly as I reflected on what my narrative had taught me. In the end, I was very proud of the personal statements I wrote, and felt confident they were genuine representations of me.

Throughout the process, Harold was extremely responsive. He had a very good balance of checking in when I had not reached out in a while, but understanding when I needed to work through things at my own pace. He was there whenever needed, from reviewing drafts to talking things out. Beyond the essays, he also provided me with advice on various other aspects of the application. The result was a successful set of Round 1 applications, with admissions to HBS and GSB, the two schools I applied to. I could not have asked for a better outcome, and I am thankful for Harold’s support throughout the process. I highly recommend working with him!

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From our first consultation, he made my anxiety and intimidation associated to the whole process disappear. He patiently heard about my background and experiences, and quickly identified the big themes that he could see playing in my favor. He gave me the hope and confidence (in addition to the tactical and editing support, of course), that got me into 7 highly competitive MBA programs, despite having relatively low standardized test scores. Thanks to his incredibly valuable help, I will be heading to Cornell this fall!

From the first call with him, I felt I had a team —someone with deep industry knowledge and experience that would be rooting for me in every step of the process. And, as the months went by, his work surpassed my expectations in every possible way. Not only did he help me explore my background to craft my story, but he was able understand my motivations and goals, and help me connect all the points together with a level of clarity that I would have been able to achieve on my own.

I booked Stratus Admissions’ 5-school deal because, after I spoke with him, I could not imagine doing any of my “top choice” schools on my own. Harold and his team were so committed to my success, that they went above and beyond to help me with those schools as well as with reviewing my final essays for a few other schools. He always answered my emails in less than 24 hours and made me feel like every question was a valid one. Not only did he review versions of my outlines, drafts, and final essays, but he also gave me advice on how to handle school visits, he read over some of my “thank you” emails, and was there to support me in absolutely any aspect I needed.

Additionally, Harold gave me valuable insights regarding common interview questions for all the schools where I interviewed, and made sure that I could conduct mock interviews with “school-specific” experts from his team.

To be honest, I could keep going forever, but will just summarize it in three main points: (1) Harold was not just my admissions consultant, but he actually became sort of a best friend/therapist to help me deal with the stress of the process and push me forward. (2) He has an incredible amount of experience and knows all the top schools thoroughly, so he is able to give his clients the insights and actionable feedback that helps them craft their best story, and (3) he is so invested in your success, that he will be flexible in every way he can and will work with you to make sure you achieve the best outcome, not matter the circumstances.

Anyone out there trying to work with an admissions consultant, DEFINITELY speak with Harold!

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I loved working with Harold Simansky! He was prompt and accessible - even over the holidays, which was critical as a round 2 applicant. Harold was generous with his time, and always struck a great balance of practicality, efficiency, and effectiveness in his advice and comments. He went above and beyond in the drafting process by consulting with his colleagues and giving me honest feedback to ensure that I had the strongest application. Strongly recommend the standard package w/Harold for at least 1 school!

I also loved working with Stratus as a whole. Their process was incredibly helpful in thinking through my career trajectory and understanding what I was looking for in my MBA experience. Additionally, the depth of resources that Stratus had to offer was extremely helpful in getting my application right. Being able to receive extra reviews from school specialists and interview prep from alumni was amazing. Great to feel like you have a whole team behind you!

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I have been admitted to one of the best MBA programs in the world, and I would like to share my decisive experience with Stratus with you – specifically with Harold Simansky and Susan Cera, who helped me made my dream come true.

First things first. If you contemplate to apply to a top MBA program, here are some questions for you:
- Are you a great test taker?
- Do you know exactly what you want to get out of your MBA?
- Do you know which school is the perfect fit for you and can you list 5 solid reasons on the spot?
- Are you lucky enough to have relatives/friends that attended your dream school?
- Do you already have a degree from a notable university?
- Are you an excellent essay writer?
- Do you have relevant work experience?

If you answered all questions with yes, you are unquestionably blessed, and you might not need to hire an admissions consultant in the first place (even though hiring one might make your life easier throughout the tedious MBA application process). In case you are not so fortunate (like me), you might want to hire someone to guide you through the whole process, and to make sure you will not only get those answers as straight as a die, but also will help you to get into your business school of choice.

MY BACKGROUND
I am an international student from Europe, female, average age, with around 5 years of work experience. I did not attend any Ivy League college, I attended a university that no foreigner has ever heard of, and I also did not exactly graduate with honors. In fact, no one in my family had ever attended any college before. I also had never written an application essay in my entire life. On top of this, I am the most horrible test taker. Yet, I had this ineradicable desire to attend a top full-time MBA program in the US.
It took me numerous attempts, plenty of prep hours, loads of money, and countless nervous breakdowns to finally hit a good result on my admission tests. I was very close to throwing in the towel a few times, and I had already given up on my dream and I had started to look for top 20-50 schools, and even gave up this dream altogether, but Harold managed to help me get back on my feed again. And guess what, I succeeded!

STRATUS
I came across Stratus when I watched some videos on YouTube about top MBA programs. I initially purchased some hours of admissions counselling with them, it was pretty late in the process back then, but for some reason I thought I should still give it a go. Back then, I knew I had a subpar GMAT and overall I did not believe I was the most competitive candidate. I was matched with Harold, who gave me some “homework”, which essentially required me to reflect on my whole life and my innermost ambitions. This step was one of the hardest and most time consuming ones in the whole process, but it laid the groundwork for my essays. I did not submit my application back then, and Stratus was so kind to credit the full amount of my initial purchase towards another purchase, which I almost gladly did. Yes, the fees for a school package raised my hackles, but I knew this would be an investment with a ROI beyond quantification. I knew that I needed their help, if I wanted to go to my dream business school anytime soon. I considered other companies, however, Stratus convinced me the most. Stratus’ consultants all come from top business schools across the country. Stratus has a great network, and very experienced and brainy consultants.
Whenever I brought up a school and area of interest, Harold always instantly provided me with a current student and alumni I could talk to, they all replied within a day or two.

HAROLD SIMANSKY
I perceive Harold as a very professional, ingenious and serene person. Throughout our collaboration, he was always very creative and honest. He did not sugarcoat anything at any time, which was disillusioning for me at the beginning, but it undoubtedly was vital to create my best possible application.
Harold was always very responsive and available - he often responded immediately, weekends and holidays included. I do not remember a time when it took him more than 24 hours to respond, unless he had announced it in advance. Harold also connected me with numerous people from different schools with backgrounds and experience in the field I was interested in; all of them gladly answered my questions. This was invaluable, as it was decisive in my decision to which schools I would apply at the end.
Harold is very invested, he really went out of his way to get me into the school of my dreams. In my case, it would have been much easier for him to convince me to apply to a less competitive program, however, together we managed to find and get me into the school that is the very best fit for me, and I could not be more grateful for that.

SUSAN CERA
Susan was the second reviewer of my essays and I had the chance to meet her in person to prepare for my interview. Susan is just brilliant, she is a very amiable person, very down-to-earth and yet very accomplished. She gave me many valuable insights, way beyond any information I could possibly find on the www. I really appreciated her inputs throughout the process and I cannot thank her enough for her help.

FINAL WORD
I want to stress how important it is for an admissions consultant to understand who you are and what you really want to get out of an MBA. When I stared my MBA journey, I had no idea what I really wanted. I initially wanted to apply to some M7 schools, just because. What I did not know back then was how important fit is. I probably would have never considered the school that finally became my dream school (and the absolute perfect fit for me), if Harold and Susan would not have taken the time to really get to know me, provided me with some very insightful information about that school and insisted that I take a closer look. Without Harold and Susan, I would not have already moved countries with mind-boggling elation, excited for this once-in-a-lifetime experience!

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I was recently admitted to the MIT Sloan Fellows Programme. I am an Indian entrepreneur with 11+ years of work experience and a 740 GMAT.

Taking this opportunity to review Harold Simansky, I would like to appreciate his support through out my application process. He has the following advantages that proved invaluable -

1. Extremely quick to respond and available 24x7. He often replied to my mails within minutes.

2. Is adaptable and understands the applicant's needs and story quick. I was running on tight deadlines for completing my application. Harold was flexible in his approach and fortunately able to work within my timelines due to which I could balance the application process with my work commitments easily.

3. Has great clarity of thought and solves queries instantly. As an entrepreneur with significant experience, I had many leadership experiences that I would have liked to share. Harold was quick to give me a feedback and help me remain focused on what I wanted to convey.

In addition, I would also like to thank Salma Qarnain from Stratus Prep, who helped me introspect during the application process. It was truly a rewarding experience working with her as well.

Thanks Harold and Stratus Prep for all the support !!
Ambuj

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