Stratus Admissions Counseling Admissions Consulting Reviews

As an MBA reapplicant to my dream school, I didn’t want to simply submit a similar application and cross fingers that it was going to be looked at with different eyes. I knew the areas that were under my control and the ones where I could use some help. I had an initial free consultation with Susan who helped me reassure that I could improve my application.

I got a 5 hour package (at the end I got an extra hour), where we worked on essays and interview prep. My consultant (Susan) was extremely responsive (always heard back in less than 48hrs) and she was able to put my story together in a way that I wouldn’t have thought. She was really good at pointing out certain aspects about my story that I was not considering or didn’t think they would add any value. I certainly felt I was submitting a much stronger application after hitting the submit button.

I got admitted to my dream school, and I know that it wouldn’t have been possible without her help. Beyond the outcome of my investment, was always very pleased with the service I received from my consultant and the Stratus team. I would highly recommend Susan and Stratus.

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Professional, accommodating, and personable. The Stratus consultants are organized, strategic and will help you obtain your goals. I could not be happier with the services they provided. They have a very methodical approach that accounts for your needs and helps you find the programs/schools that fit, and then devise a strategy to help you be successful. Their team-based approach ensures that your application materials and strategy are looked at by different eyes, each providing their input. I especially appreciated how accommodating Melisa was. We changed the rounds that I was applying for very close to the deadlines and she would turn around essay comments and respond to questions very quickly and thoroughly. Her support shepherded me through the stressful process. Stratus is an investment that is well worth it. I highly recommend utilizing the Stratus expertise!

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I will be joining Columbia Business School for FT MBA in Jan’18. Susan, Director MBA Admissions at Stratus, was my MBA admission consultant and my go-to person throughout my application journey. I owe my success to her and team Stratus. I can confidently say with no iota of doubt that I would not have got this admit without her support and guidance.

My GMAT is 720(Q50 V37) and I have ~10-year work experience in oil and gas industry. I used to work for one of the leading oilfield services providers and I have worked worldwide offshore in various setups (read remote environments with limited connectivity). Susan supported me through my unpredictable work travel plans and serious network issues and remained as an immense source of encouragement and positivity. She was always an email or a call away, which helped me keep my application process on track. This particularly was more relevant in my case as I come from a non-traditional background and not many of my peers/friends have done/applied for MBA. Susan helped me craft my story in such a way that I was able to present my candidacy in the best possible manner. Having said this, I would not shy away from mentioning that “crafting” part is not a one-day or a week job at Stratus. When I started working with Susan, I had a very detailed introspection, which was formally documented. This was the most challenging part for me. The constant struggle to decide or judge which achievement is good or not good enough for MBA applications was challenging. Fortunately, I had Susan by my side. She NEVER decided anything for me. She NEVER wrote for me. Instead, she made me THINK. This was not very obvious to me sometimes but as I progressed through the other steps of the application process (writing essays, admission interviews), I realized the importance of introspection. Having done all the thinking and brainstorming upfront, I became very adept at crafting my story and presenting my thoughts in a concise and effective manner in essays and later during mock and real admission interviews.

My introspection document became my reference to pick my stories/themes. The strategists at Stratus help you revisit your life experiences and accomplishments and discover yourself, albeit from the MBA-application-angle. With a very detailed introspection by my side, I had a joint meeting with Susan and Salma (former senior consultant at Stratus). Salma brought in her expertise and along with Susan, helped me distill my thoughts and pick the best themes from my personal and professional journey to be presented and highlighted in application essays.

Stratus follows a very structured approach to writing application essays. After Introspection and later school-selection, the second step is to write the outlines for the essays. In my case, these outlines were always first reviewed by Susan followed by the reviews by other consultants (school specific). What truly impressed me was Susan’s ability to convert my raw and very rudimentary thoughts to very powerful essay content. Harold who is another senior consultant at Stratus was my second reviewer and he always brought his unique expertise to the game. I was immensely benefitted by his dissection of my outlines and essays. Once the outlines were approved, writing essays became much simpler. What appeared to be a daunting task in beginning, became a second nature to me over a couple of months. Later during the interview preparation stage, I had access to all the knowledge and expertise at Stratus. After getting mock-interviewed by school-specific consultants and receiving a detailed feedback and great suggestions to improve, I never felt the need to look outside to fetch any information. The entire application process in itself is so taxing that diverting energy in different directions can prove to be counterproductive. Thankfully, it was not the case for me at Stratus.

The team Stratus genuinely wanted me to succeed. This was very evident in every interaction and engagement I had with the team. Susan always ensured that I have the best resources to craft and present my application material. In addition to the access to other school-specific consultants at Stratus, Susan also brought in her latest knowledge about various other schools that I was targeting. This knowledge came in from attending various MBA conferences, sharing experiences of other successful Stratus clients and from her experience of being a former Adcom at Fuqua. But most importantly, Susan's positive and upbeat attitude helped me withstand the demanding journey.

Now, as I prepare to start my new journey at CBS, I can't stop thanking Susan. This is a dream come true for me. I always thought Columbia would be a long shot for me but Susan encouraged me to dream, prepare and apply to CBS. A dream that is a REALITY now!

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I owe Stratus Prep, and specifically Susan Cera, a lot when it comes to knowing how to shape my application and convey my story into the right words for each school I applied to. I ended up getting into a dream program, even with so-so GMAT scores, an average undergraduate GPA, and under 4 years of working experience. I signed up for the 4-school package and am proud to say I'm attending a top 10-15 program this Fall!

Susan was always available to talk through email, phone, or Skype even though we had a 3 hour coastal difference (California to NC). She had a good, upbeat attitude and always had something constructive to say from the initial application process to the mock interviewing. I was even waitlisted and she gave me sound advice throughout the lengthy waitlist process. I would definitely recommend StratusPrep!

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I’ve had the privilege of working with Joe over the course of 9-10 months and I must say… what an incredible experience! From the very beginning, Joe identified my weaknesses and developed a roadmap to address them.

After I took the GMAT, I was upset with my score, as I was a full 100 points below the average of my target school. As the final rounds approached and given my work experience, I decided not to retake the GMAT and to proceed with my school application. As an applicant who was applying on the final round with a low GPA and low GMAT, one thing was certain, my whole application had to be stellar in order for me to even have a slight chance of getting into the school I was aiming for. With Joe’s guidance, we completely revamped my CV and we spent quite some time on the essay question. Joe responded in timely manner and he always gave constructive feedback. He definitely pushed me to my limits and brought out the best of me!

The application process was quite the journey and I am so gratefully that Joe was by my side. I can confidently say that, without Joe, I wouldn’t have been able to get into my target school. The Veritas MBA consulting service was without a doubt, the best investment I’ve made and I highly recommend it to everyone!

Thank you Joe !

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Working with Stratus was the best decision I made during my MBA application process. I worked with them on a five-school package, and thanks to their fantastic team and approach, I'm going to my top choice this fall.

My primary counselor, Jennifer Jackson, was wonderful to work with. She was patient, kept me on track with the timelines for each school, and gave insightful feedback that helped me draw out my best stories for my essays and interviews. She was always positive and thoughtful in our interactions, which alleviated a lot of the stress that goes along with the application process. Jennifer was also incredibly responsive and usually got back to me within 24 hours, even over the holidays.

In addition to Jennifer's counsel, Stratus' team-based approach helped me put my best foot forward in each application. My senior strategist, Susan, was a fantastic resource. She was extremely knowledgeable about every school that I applied to, and gave great feedback on how to optimize the content in my essays for each one. Having a secondary reviewer and proofreader look over my essays in addition to my primary and senior strategists was a great value-add. They identified areas for improvement and gave me peace of mind that weren't any grammatical mistakes.

I also really appreciated Stratus' commitment to great customer service. I always felt like I was their only client and that my applications were their priority. I ended up getting into four schools and within an hour of each acceptance, I got congratulatory emails from a number of team members.

Stratus is well worth the investment and I highly recommend to anyone considering an MBA.

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To understand how good Donna Bauman is, I will first need to tell you a little bit about myself. I am from, perhaps, the most over-represented candidate pool (Indian male), and to complicate matters, I applied with a low GMAT, low GPA, middling extra-curricular activities, and (in my opinion) decent work experience in finance. With Donna’s help, I will now be attending one of H/S/W in the fall! Unequivocally, this would not have been possible without her.

I interviewed a lot of admission consultants, but what set Donna apart was her commitment, candor, and experience. Let me elaborate. Donna has a ton of experience working as an admissions committee member, and this gives her a unique sense of how best to position your story. Having been on the other side, she will be able to give you insights into how your application would likely be perceived by the admissions committee. International candidates, this is especially important for you. Donna has seen thousands of applications from international candidates. As an Indian male, I came from an incredibly competitive pool, but Donna’s insights helped me differentiate my application, and play up my strengths to help compensate for the low GPA and GMAT.

But there are other ex-adcoms in the admissions consulting biz, so what sets Donna apart? Her candor and commitment. From my first consultation call, she was honest with me. She straight up told me that H/S/W would be a very uphill climb, but that she would do everything in her power to help me achieve that goal. I respected her honesty, and continued to see it throughout the application process. In addition to her honesty, Donna was extremely supportive and provided me with a very personalized experience. Right from the beginning, she challenged me to introspect deeper. She took the effort to really get to know me – where I come from, where I want to go, what my beliefs and motivations were, in order to better help me tell my story.

Donna reviewed innumerable edits (on outlines, essays, resumes, emails) right until the very end, and went above and beyond what I expected– offering so much time to my story building, essays, navigating recommenders, and interview practice (even to schools I didn’t apply to with her). She was very patient with my million questions and edits. She would reply very promptly (same day), devoted an incredible amount of time to my application, and came up with insightful suggestions, edits and reviews to help me tell my story better and to tailor it effectively to each school.

I would be remiss to not mention my senior strategist, Harold, as well. Harold’s experience with finance candidates is invaluable. But more than his experience with finance candidates, he has an acute understanding of what each school wants to hear, and was so incredibly encouraging – especially at critical moments when I needed it. I very much appreciated his help in building my story, and his insightful comments on my essay outlines and the essays themselves, and would not have been able to turn out the applications I did without his help. Harold needs to be your senior strategist.

To summarize: Go with Donna! I am so grateful for everything she did for me. Yes, using an admissions consultant is pricey, but it is well worth getting into your dream school. I am confident that Donna will help you tell your best possible story. Not only is she an amazing admissions consultant, she is also such a great person, and I wholeheartedly recommend her to you.

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Melisa was wonderful to work with! She provided great feedback on resume and essays, was always willing to help, and go above and beyond. She was always prompt at responding, and would check-in anytime I fell off the wagon due to work deadlines. I worked with her mostly over email, except for the first skype call. The communication was great (even when I was traveling with a 10+hr time difference) and timely. She really helped me stay on track and submit a stellar application. I got into the school of my choice (Berkeley Haas) and Melisa's help played a huge role.

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I had a rudimentary idea of what I wanted to write about, but working with my Stratus Prep Counselor elevated my essays to a higher level and helped me craft a unique story that wove together my passions, experiences and goals. Beyond the technical aspects, my Counselor helped me maintain sanity through the stressful MBA admissions process and gave me invaluable advice and inspiration when I needed it most. Ultimately, I was invited to interview at 7 of 8 schools and was accepted into my preferred program. I firmly believe that Stratus Prep strengthened my candidacy tremendously. I highly recommend that others consider their services!

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Stratus Admissions was exactly what I was looking for in a MBA admissions consultant. I originally signed up for the two school package with Donna Bauman and could not have been happier with my selection.

Overall, everyone from the senior strategists to the sales team makes you feel as if you are their only client. My admissions consultant, Donna, was wonderful throughout the R1 and R2 admissions process. She really pushed me to dig deep and encouraged me to slow down, reflect, and put my best application forward. During the application process, Donna was there for my every question and always available to bounce ideas off of, even on the weekends! The thoughtfulness of Donna's feedback and advice throughout my business school application process really made me feel as if I were her only client.

Additionally, what I really found unique and beneficial about Stratus was the team-based approach whereby a senior strategist and school-specific reviewer were available to share their expertise, rather than just be isolated to a single consultant.

This fall, I was fortunate enough to be accepted into a M7 MBA program. I highly recommend Stratus Admissions if you are considering applying to a MBA program. Although costly, the benefits gained from having someone to continually motivate and push you to put your best work product forward throughout the grueling admissions process are priceless.

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