Harold Simansky Reviews

Let's be honest, getting into a top MBA programme is not easy. Perhaps the easiest bit is the grades and the GMAT. Its straight forward and you just have to study to get the right score/grades. The difficult bit is actually deciding which school to apply to, navigating through the application process and in the end, perhaps the most difficult of them all, making a selection.

I worked with Harold to apply to 6 schools. My working with Harold actually happened by coincidence. I was first matched with another consultant with whom I felt like I was not connecting very well. Stratus offered to switch the admissions consultant I was working with and paired me with Harold. This experience showed me that they really do care and want me to succeed. Stratus is really there to help any way that they can throughout the process.

Harold is very experienced at MBA Applications. He knows what schools want to hear and how you can structure your applications to stand out from the crowd. His help on my applications have been invaluable. I had so many ideas on how to structure these very short essays and I really struggled to pick which ones are the stories I should tell. Harold helped me every step of the way and explained what I should do and why I should do it. Beyond the essays, he was always there to talk to me whenever I had a question. It really was a tremendous support to have an expert by you to bounce ideas off of.

Perhaps my most memorable experience is when Harold recommended a certain MBA programme to me that was not on my radar. He found a school and a programme that had a specialization in the area I wanted to work in. School is such a good fit and my application was so successful that I got accepted into the program with a 50% scholarship despite having a GMAT score that is 40 points below the average. I must say, scholarship more than justified the fees I paid to Stratus.

In the end, I benefitted greatly from working with Harold. Not only I succeed in getting into the schools I wanted, I also learned a lot about myself and the career that I want to pursue.

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Harold and Stratus were incredible and well worth the cost.

I began the application process early and worked with Harold for many months to begin refining my story to be as strong of a candidate as possible. Working with Harold through reflection periods were key to my success on the essays and crafting the right story to catch the admissions committee's eye. I know I would have written a completely different essay had it not been for Harold's insights into my own patterns of behavior that he identified just from speaking with me and understanding my background.

Harold went above and beyond every time - spending many hours on the phone and even meeting with me in person when I visited Boston to get a better understanding of who I was as a person and applicant.

As well, the complete Stratus package is incredibly thorough. With personalized interview assistance, multiple essay readers, brainstorming tools, etc. you are positioned for success and to be the most competitive candidate you can be. I would recommend the full package to anybody looking at business school who is willing to do thorough career and personal reflection.

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I loved working with Harold who provided me with assistance at every step of the way from helping me with structuring my essays to critiquing my cover letters.

He is a genuinely interested in making sure you go to the university that you want to and helps you make an informed decision. His greatest strength is his ability to create a conducive working environment that helped me open up to him and helped him understand what I really was looking for in an MBA program.He responds to your queries almost immediately and at the same time gives you ample time to work on your essays.

I would attribute my admission to Harold 100% and without him I know I would have had to struggle a lot more with my applications to get to where I am .

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I could not recommend Harold Simansky and the Stratus Prep team more for their MBA consulting services. Stratus Prep was incredibly professional throughout the entire process and Harold was extremely knowledgeable on the application processes at top business schools. Harold helped me refine and perfect my career story, objectives and overall application. Harold is an expert in helping people properly position themselves within their competitive category to maximize their chances of being admitted. He was immediately available any time I had questions or concerns, which was frequently throughout the process. If you want to put your best foot forward and increase your chances of being admitted to a top school then I highly suggest working with Harold and the Stratus Prep team.

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When I look back at all the purchases I have made throughout my life, I can say with absolute confidence that my Stratus Prep package was the best money I have ever spent in my entire life. They took an extremely stressful and intimidating process and broke it down into something that was do able. The results speak for themselves: I got into my top choice.

Their approach to constructing your application is all about selling yourself and what makes you unique in an authentic way. Everything ties back to the core characteristics that are identified and agreed upon at the start of the process. Those characteristics thread their way throughout your application. When it comes to the essay portion, your essays are reviewed by both your consultant and an independent party so that as many eyes as possible review your story.

I can’t recommend this service highly enough.

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I signed up with Stratus Prep early during the admissions season (~May) this year - I was lucky to have Harold as my adviser. We followed a very structured approach towards the entire application process, having preliminary discussions on 'themes' that emerged from my personal and professional experiences, and then layering those themes on all essays.

Harold is a great adviser, who always prompted me to think differently while writing my essays, and believed in completing multiple iterations until he was satisfied with the result. He offered great insights into the culture and other characteristics of all business schools I applied to, which undoubtedly helped me write my essays better. Moreover, he's a great person to talk to, and always kept the mood light with his jokes!

I found Stratus's approach of involving a secondary 'school expert' reviewer very useful - I don't think any other consultant can possibly offer such insights. Stratus was also able to turnaround all my essays (proofreading, expert inputs) within 24 hours - which was really helpful as I submitted some applications pretty close to deadline day!

I had a great experience working with Harold and Stratus Prep, and they were instrumental in helping me get into my dream B-school - I would highly recommend working them!

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I had a terrific experience working with Harold. His advice, guidance, and support throughout the application process was quite helpful. His assistance made my application process much more manageable, and less stressful.

I applied to four schools. He offered valuable insights on how I should approach each program's application and his feedback on my essays always seems to be on-point.

I appreciated how he would push me to drive to greater levels of detail and specificity in my writing to make my essays really come alive.

He was also highly responsive. I could always count on him to get back to me with answers or feedback quickly, or to at least acknowledge that he had received my email and would get back to me as soon as he could.

I was accepted into two of the programs to which I applied, one with a scholarship. I withdrew from one of the other programs, and was rejected by the fourth program.

In short, I really appreciated having Harold on my side and I would definitely recommend him to anyone exploring MBA admissions consulting services.

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I initially started trying to tackle MBA applications on my own. Right before Round 1 deadlines I realized my applications were not nearly the caliber they should be to get into one of my ambitious schools. I was initially very shocked at how expensive an admissions consultant could be but settled on Stratus Prep quickly after talking with some of their staff and appreciating how easy they were to talk to.

I worked with Harold Simansky and immediately we began crafting my story. His push to make me dig deeper was a tough experience, but ultimately so rewarding as we were able to create a solid framework for my strengths, story, and where I'm looking to go. The experience itself really helped me understand why I wanted an MBA and what some realistic goals were.

Harold was able to help me write and shape essays that were lightyears ahead of the essays I wrote by myself. He helped me shape each essay for what the school and prompt were looking for, and cut out any material that really didn't provide a purpose or differentiating factor. I was nervous about how quickly I would receive feedback, but always impressed by the speed and quality I received, even as I was finishing applications around Christmas time.

In the end, I got into a great program I really didn't think I had much of a chance with. I'm so grateful for the help that Harold and all the Stratus Prep team was able to provide.

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At the time of writing this review, I have not yet heard back from all of my schools. I am awaiting four and have an interview for one upcoming.

What I can confidently say is that my experience with Harold has been nothing short of extraordinary. I believe that he and I connected well right off the bat and he quickly grasped unique details about my background that could help me stand out in the selection process.

I knew Harold and I would mesh well when right away he was willing to forego initial formalities and take a unique "brainstorming" approach to my introspection - and what we established was truly remarkable and customized to my background.

Along the way, with numerous edits and iterations of essays, Harold was very direct with keeping me focused on clear answers to the essays and ensured that every inch of my essays was adding value in one form or fashion. For each school, multiple Stratus Prep counselors reviewed my essays and offered feedback - also extraordinarily insightful.

Harold is very accessible, despite having a number of other clients, and was able to keep tabs on my working on multiple schools at once. For my last application, I decided to pursue it within a week of its due date, and without hesitation, Harold helped me make it happen with ease.

Harold was extremely genuine and honest when it came to school selection - encouraging me to apply to a couple "stretch" schools but then directing me towards schools more in a "target" range that he felt were a good fit for me. After conducting my own research of the schools he recommended, I was impressed with how right he was.

I am confident in what I submitted and in my upcoming interview(s) because of my work with Harold. I can also say that, based on feedback I received from both of Stratus' other senior consultants, that working with any of them would be incredibly helpful.

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I had a fantastic experience with the Stratus Prep team's counsellor Harold Simansky. He helped me build my story authentically and comprehensively and identify my goals through introspection exercises. He helped me ensure that my experience before b school through my story was in perfect sync with my post MBA goals. Next, I was also supported through the b school search process. Considering the number of b schools and all the varied rankings available, I felt Harold's advice was invaluable during the b-school selection stage given my specific career goals and personal inclinations. Next, when it came down to the essay editing process, his support was timely and exceptional with every edit till the final essay was ready. Harold also collaborated with his team mates whenever there was a need and I must thank Vinod for his great advice during the essay editing process. During the interview stage, I got a mock interview done with Harold which was very helpful and increased my confidence immensely. I also received a lot of questions to practice with. All in all, my experience was outstanding with the Stratus Prep team and with the counsellor Harold in particular ---the result ---I got into my first choice B school with a pretty average gmat score!

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