I made the decision to pursue an MBA at an M7 school in the Summer of 2021. Prior to that, I had no friends, relatives, or even acquaintances in my circle that had went to an M7 – suffice it to say that my knowledge and understanding of the application process was lacking.

As I researched online, I quickly realized that the process was INTENSE. I eventually stumbled upon an admissions consulting ranking. Sad to admit, but I didn't even know admissions consulting was a thing haha. Susan was ranked No. 1 and had glowing reviews. Knowing an M7 was a long shot for me, I figured I might as well go with a top-ranked consultant to give me an edge.

From our first 30-minute consultation call, I immediately recognized the value that Susan brought to the table – She causally listed off programs, tips, and nuggets of information that I was completely unaware of. When we began working together, I was constantly amazed at how she could bring out the best in my personal experiences, and help me synthesize them into a strong, cohesive application. From my essays to my resume to my interview – everything was elevated as a result of Susan’s coaching. She knows what the admissions teams are looking for, and how to convey your story to show them you have what it takes. And our brainstorming sessions were essential in helping me solidify my goals.

Besides that, Susan has a TON of connections – whatever you’re pursuing she’ll have a previous client or associate that’s knowledgeable about a program and willing to talk to you. Through the course of working together, she introduced me to no less than 3 different amazing individuals that gave me invaluable insights. And even after working together she’s made it clear that she’ll always be willing to make a connection.

If you are considering working with a consultant, Susan is who you want. She truly cares. She is 100% in the trenches with you, helping and encouraging every step of the way. This is someone who has found her calling and is doing something she truly loves! I ended up getting into the M7 I really wanted, and I can honestly say it was a direct result of the guidance from Susan and the rest of the Stratus Admissions Team. Without it, my application would have been ok, but we all know that ok doesn’t cut it for b-school!

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Last year (2021), I took the GMAT and scored a 730. I did not want to take any chances with my MBA applications and wanted to work with the absolute best. I must have talked to at least 35 consultants across the globe. In our first conversation from the get-go, Donna blew me away. She was the first consultant who had gone over my resume and other details that I had shared with her before the call. She told me the strengths of my application and how she can help guide me in telling my story. Our call was scheduled for 30 mins. But it lasted almost 60mins. At the end of it, I knew she was the best consultant I had talked to. So when I asked her for the charges, I was slightly hesitant because I had not budgeted that much money for the applications. I asked Donna if I should buy her hourly services. She left the decision to me, but told me that if she puts in the hours, hourly services will cost me more than the comprehensive package. I slept over this for a couple of days but then decided that I needed to be in the right hands. And so I signed up for her comprehensive package.

I cannot thank Donna enough to have helped me find my voice to write the most personalized story that I could ever tell. She and I spent the first month only on me sharing my story with her and brainstorming the exact reason why I even wanted to do an MBA. Then once we had my story and reasons for MBA ready, she got it all reviewed by Susan Cera. They both guided me to the main highlights of my achievements and my goals post MBA and helped me articulate it as well as I could. When it was time to work on my resume and my essays, Donna did not cut ANY corners at all. She believes in "tough love" because she wants the best for her clients. During the entire essay drafting phase, we had numerous calls and she must have put countless hours in reviewing each draft that I was writing. And she was giving me detailed feedback about each draft. Only when she was satisfied, she would send the essays to the school reviewers of that specific school in their team at Stratus. And then they would give more detailed feedback on how to improve the application further. Never ever did she look at the clock and tell me that she has spent way many hours on my application that she would have liked. There were so many times when I needed to get on call with her on very short notice and before I would ask her, she would set up a mutually convenient time. Sometimes within 15 mins of our email conversation. She even helped proof-read the entire application with me. She will never write the essays or the application for you. Trust me, she will teach you how to craft your story. After all my applications were submitted (6 of them), she took my mock interviews and provided me with live feedback and also a recording of the entire interview for me to watch later and make specific notes in areas of improvement. Then there were days when I used to feel low and not confident if I will make it into any of my dream programs. And she would drop me a note or sometimes get on video call to cheer me up and motivate me and ask me to stay positive. She does not believe in forecasting how many and what all admits one will get. She only believes in crafting the best application and putting the best foot forward. I can confidently say that she must have put 100+ hours on my 6 applications.

While I am still waiting on one decision, I have been accepted at an M7 program (and got accepted in another highly selective T10 program)! None of this would ever have been possible without the help from Donna, Susan, and the rest of the staff at Stratus. I cannot be more thankful to each one of them. At this point, I am confident in saying that I was truly blessed to have been referred to by GMATNinja and that the money that they charge is way less than what Donna (and the team) truly deserve. The fact that she helped me get into a dream school and has been there for me every time I needed it, is something that I cannot be thankful enough for. She is my guiding light. My angel. I am writing this review so that it could help motivate others to join her and get the best in their applications for themselves. She is the best in the business and I wish her all the luck and love and more than she expects. I wish I could give her 10 stars. :)

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I come from a technical atypical background with a lower than average GPA for M7 schools without anyone in my friends/family circle having pursued an MBA. Naturally, I the MBA admissions process was a big mystery to me so I decided to look into admissions consultants. I talked to a few but stopped the process the day I first chatted with Susan Cera from Stratus Admissions. We immediately clicked because of having similar backgrounds and more importantly because Susan seemed very down to earth and was also very honest with her assessment of my overall profile. Once I took care of the GMAT in May, off we went with our journey. Btw, Susan said she will be my biggest cheerleader throughout the day I signed up with Stratus and that could not be more true.

For the first half of the summer Susan and I met every other week and would discuss in detail my background, my stories, the big defining moments of my life and Susan would provide constructive feedback throughout these take home introspection assignments. I could tell the team at Stratus over the years have put in a lot of work by looking at the activities and questions Susan would ask me about my background. By July we essentially had crafted and narrowed down my personalized MBA strategy - essentially the why MBA, why now but tailored to me. This included an overview of some key stories, themes and arcs that I would highlight in my essays.

At this point Susan introduced Melissa from the Stratus team to take a look at my story and provide an unbiased and fresh perspective. Melissa pointed out a few areas for us to focus on moving forward.

Next came in resume building and honestly, words cannot describe how pivotal Susan was in this. Due to my technical background I essentially had to do a complete makeover and Susan's skill, or should I say, art, came in to the rescue. I could tell Susan gives in her 100% because she was not satisfied until the finished results meets her high standards.

Finally, when it came to essay writing Susan worked tirelessly with me to provide ideas, tips, and overall strategies that I should employ when writing my drafts. Her feedbacks were spot on, and more importantly if at anytime I'd get stuck during the essay writing process she would promptly hop on a quick call to help me get unstuck. Once the interviews started rolling in, she helped me prep up for those using a combination of mock interviews, themes/arcs to talk about and the do's and don't of interviews tailored to each specific school.

I applied to 6 T20 programs in Round 1, got into 2 T20s with $$, WL at 1 T10, and got into one of my top choice M7 with some $. Do not think any of this would be possible without Susan. I'm glad I went with Stratus and I'm glad I got to know Susan and what a kind, warm, wonderful and amazingly talented person she is. I would 100% recommend Stratus/Susan to anyone exploring admissions consultants.

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Initially, I was pretty overwhelmed with the MBA application process. I don’t have many friends or family members who’ve gone through it and didn’t know what to expect, but from my first consultation with Jennifer, I knew I’d found someone who could guide me. Jennifer actually took the time to get to know me beyond my “stats”, and I appreciated that Jennifer talked me through all the Stratus packages without trying to upsell me. I ultimately went with the one-school comprehensive package, and Jennifer was super helpful in giving advice that I could apply across the other schools I was also applying to, too.

In terms of support, Jennifer and the Stratus team were fantastic. I struggled a lot to articulate my career goals until I started working with Jennifer - and within a few weeks of working together, I had a crisp, articulate career path mapped out for the next 3, 5 and 10 years! Jennifer kept the whole process organized and manageable with a calendar, modules, milestones, etc. Her approach really took all the stress out of applying to MBA programs, so I could focus on self-reflection, and because of her I actually enjoyed the process of applying to b-school!

The last thing I’ll add - Jennifer is really encouraging. I wasn’t even considering applying to Wharton until Jennifer encouraged me to, and I ended up being admitted with a scholarship. Ultimately, her guidance helped me land acceptances from 6 of the top 10 programs, with scholarships at all of them - something I couldn’t have imagined in my wildest dreams!

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I worked with Stratus over the summer through their MBA Strategy package. I would 1000% recommend Susan (and Stratus) for anyone who's looking for additional support during the application process. Susan and I worked over the summer to hone in on my "why" and how best to communicate my application story. Susan is incredibly thoughtful in her feedback and has a knack for guiding you along the process for distilling your story into its truest form. She was my biggest cheerleader throughout the process (and fielded more than one panicked email), including after my package concluded and I moved on to writing my essays. Without a doubt, my application was better for having worked with Stratus and 4 admits (including two M7s with $$) confirmed it. She is such a blessing to have in your corner during the craziness of MBA applications. You won't regret going with Stratus!

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I decided to work with Susan after consulting with a few different firms/consultants. Susan really understood my background (engineering/tech industry) and goals, and she cared about helping me put my best foot forward in the MBA admissions process. I worked with Susan on the four school package and was admitted to one of my top choice programs!

I started working with Susan a couple of years ago, but I ultimately decided to defer applying until this past year. Picking things back up with Susan was extremely easy - she remembered me and what we had worked on before. Susan was super helpful and supportive throughout the entire process, from helping me uncover my story to practicing mock interviews until I felt comfortable. Her feedback on my MBA resume was especially helpful - I’ve even incorporated her feedback into my professional resume!

Susan always listened patiently, especially when I was feeling unsure or unmotivated and needed a pep talk, and she promptly gave feedback on deliverables and replied to all of my questions. I highly recommend her if you want to work with a consultant who cares about you as a person - she will help you achieve your goals!

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Honestly, thank you Donna! I was admitted to 2 M7, and waitlisted at a T10 with Donna's guidance. I was rejected at 2 other M7s.

Here is the thing: I am an international student so I didn't have experience going through such a rigorous admissions process when I was in my undergrad. At the same time, I am also extremely Type A so I wanted someone who would answer the inanest questions. Donna and the Stratus team did exactly that. The package helped me reflect on my life goals, and how the MBA would contribute to that trajectory. I think this is the basis for good essays. Then, throughout the writing process, Donna offered me feedback (what kind of tone should I take for different schools, what type of essays have been successful in the past etc.), along with "school experts". Beyond the essays, we also worked on how to write an MBA resume, how to best direct my recommenders on LOR, how to cater my interviews for each school - basically, every step, I wasn't alone.

Now, let's talk about the emotional aspect of this process. I was up and down like crazy - one month, I got 2 interviews; the next, I got rejected by 2 schools. Donna was there to help with my self-doubt, and I think that was an important part of making it through this process in somewhat of a good mental mindset.

Finally, I spoke to multiple consultants when I first looked into admissions consultants. Many consultants were very hard focused on my stats (which are comparable given the schools but not anything spectacular). One consultant even told me I probably had a rough chance at the schools on my list. Other consultants were too busy and took on a lot more clients than they should. One of Donna's first questions for me was: "what is something you spend too much time on but have no regrets?". In reflection, I think it's because Donna cares to get to know her clients' stories, and ultimately, the stories are what will differentiate you from everyone else with a high GPA/ GMAT/ MBB etc.

Good luck!

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The MBA application process can be overwhelming, and in hindsight, it’s hard to imagine going through it without Donna’s support. Donna is an expert storyteller, and whenever I felt stumped by an essay prompt, it made a huge difference to be able to consult with Donna to go over the options we had to tell the strongest story to each school. Donna truly made the effort to get to know me through the introspection work we had done together early in the process, and she had advice on areas of my experience to focus on in essays and interviews that I probably wouldn’t have come up with on my own. Donna’s feedback on my work was always honest, constructive, and fast, and motivated me to stay on schedule despite other personal and professional distractions. Donna is extremely reliable and trustworthy, and I can’t recommend her highly enough!

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Jennifer Jackson has been a fantastic guide and sounding-board to me for the 2 months during which I was putting together my application at Kellogg, including the video essays and the interview. I was initially not confident to apply in Round 1, since I thought I needed more time to prepare my essays and ask for recommendations at my company, but Jennifer's confidence in my candidacy and her meticulous planning convinced me that I could indeed submit a strong application in Round 1. Kellogg is a big application, and we worked together every second day from August onwards (her professionalism is impeccable; I always got a response within 2 business days!) to refine my Resume and career goals, write strong essays that brought out my professional and personal journeys to the fullest, and to speak with my recommenders about my professional achievements and awards. Susan Cera from the Stratus Team also kept a close watch on the development of my application and helped round out the rough edges. Not only this, Jennifer also helped me prepare for the video essays, scholarship essays, alternate program essay and my interview by conducting mock interviews, where she gave me extremely detailed feedback on my answers considering their format, tone and content, which I found extremely helpful during the D-day! In general, Jennifer is kind, generous and has an ability to put anyone at ease and open up to her, a commendable quality in a consultant who needs to help you select your best stories for the application.
I had chosen Stratus as during my very first 30-minute free consultation call, Susan Cera had taken the time to review my Resume in detail and had come prepared to speak to me, something I did not see other consultants do during free chats. I am so happy with my decision, and am headed to Kellogg next year!! It'll still be some time before I believe this!

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After what I might've called a traumatic undergraduate college admissions experience, I feel confident saying I've finally moved past it after the tremendous success I've now had with getting into business school. I owe most of this success to Donna. Out of the 6 schools where she helped me, I got into 4 (Northwestern Kellogg, UVA Darden, USC Marshall and UNC Kenan-Flagler) and all with significant scholarships. I started working with her in February and feel I was really rewarded with almost a year of advice and mentorship throughout this often very stressful process. My initial drafts for my essays were very rough and Donna helped me refine them through more than 8 drafts sometimes, until we both, plus the additional objective third party reviewer at Stratus, felt they were strong - and they were! I got in! I feel very lucky to have worked with Donna and couldn't recommend her enough to anyone who is embarking on this process. Start early! It pays off in spades.

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