First, I worked with Donna for two schools and got 1 admitted (Darden) and 1 invited to the interview (Wharton) all thanks to her help (given my low test score, you could tell how she was great to make my application shine)

When it comes to my decision making, I wasn't sure whether I really need to get some helps from a consultant (specifically when it has a high price tag per hour). But now I can 100% assure that working with Donna is absolutely worth investment.

She's super responsive all the time during the process and you will see how this is important given a tight timeline of MBA application process. Also she made herself available whenever I need her help so having no pressure on how many hours I can take with her was a big plus. Speaking of this availability, please don't simply look at the hourly price tag because she put extra efforts and hours with you. This was most critical part for me. I needed a real partner who can be with me when I needed.

Also, I got a huge help to develop my story from her. Please take a look at her experience and she was leading the admission process, which was a huge plus as I was able to gain the perspectives of adcom and decide what topic I need to put or approach on any questions. Donna was really helpful for me to connect dots among many topics and themes in my life so that I can develop my best story fit to the school I applied.

One more great thing with Donna was that I heard from multiple consultants not only her. She has great team members who can share their thoughts and review on your application. I really enjoyed this team-based approach because I felt I got much more services than I actually paid for, and was able to take multiple perspectives on my essays. In fact, the admission process and review is done by a committee not by an individual, I think this team approach would make much more sense to me.

Optional comment for international applicants. As I am an international applicant, it was important for me to work with someone who has experience with international candidates so that my characteristics and stories with cultural context can be fully discovered. Donna has ample experience with candidates from multiple countries - both on reading their applications as a committee and consultant - which allowed me to evaluate how strong my stance and applications.

Read More

Donna is an excellent consultant and I would highly recommend her to anyone thinking about getting their MBA! She was an incredible resource and added significant value to my applications. I bought the comprehensive package and would absolutely say it was the right move. Donna helped guide me through the full process, from my introspection exercises to thoughtfully creating a story around my MBA journey and finally helping me prepare for interviews. She was extremely responsive and went above and beyond to make sure she got back to me quickly when we were bumping up against application deadlines. Most importantly, I could tell that she was genuinely excited for me when I finally got the call that I had been accepted at Columbia!

Read More

I cannot recommend Melisa enough. By the end of the 2020 R1 application cycle, I had not only gotten a full tuition scholarship to one of my top choices, I had learned a lot about myself and had become more confident in the direction of my career. From our very first call, I sensed an authenticity to Melisa that I hadn't sensed in other consultations. I started the application process with very little idea of why I wanted an MBA other than to pivot out of my current career or what the application process looked like. Stratus' process is tried and true. Throughout the first few weeks working together, we dug into experiences, events, and feelings that had mattered to me throughout my life, and, in doing so, I figured out what type of impact I wanted to have in my career. As a very private person, I was initially nervous to share some experiences because, while it was important to me, I didn't think anyone else would care. Melisa made me feel comfortable talking about myself and pushed me to think past the experience to examine why it was important to me. I felt like I was talking to someone I had known for much longer than just a few weeks. Initially, I told Melisa that I wanted to pursue consulting, and eventually, throughout the introspection process, I realized, thanks to Melisa, that another path was more aligned with my career aspirations.

Once we figured out my 'why' and 'how', Melisa helped me to nail down my story. I was worried I'd struggle to stand out as a male, finance applicant, but she helped me to leverage my personal experiences into a cohesive, unique story that pulled together my background, current career, need for an MBA, and future career aspirations. It was truly my story and I was proud of what we put together. Throughout the outlines and essay drafts, Melisa was always always always available to talk or ask questions. Every time I had an outline/essay returned, I felt like Melisa had really looked at it from an adcom perspective and provided thorough and thoughtful feedback that helped me to put my best self on paper.

After receiving interview invites, Melisa took me through a few mock interviews and provided some specific tips that really helped me to verbally communicate my story and experiences in a succinct, impactful manner. Come interview day, I felt prepared and confident in explaining the relevance of my experiences and story to an MBA and future career.

Melisa was a total pro all throughout the process. All edits and reviews were returned promptly, and in most cases early. She worked around my tricky schedule, and even made time on the weekend to help me brainstorm after we decided to scrap and restart one essay. Professional through and through.

More than anything, it really felt like Melisa was in my corner, and I am very grateful for that and all the work that she did. I would not have had the success that I did in the application process without her. She is the best and I highly recommend working with her!

Read More

Susan is an excellent consultant!! I highly recommend her for anyone who is applying to MBA programs. I started working with her in the spring of 2020 with the plan to apply that fall. First, before applications, we worked on short- and long-term goals and took a deep dive into my strengths in order to begin to shape my story. We brainstormed schools that would be the best fit for me and she introduced me to students and/or alums that I could talk to about their experience. She then guided me through the entire application process, including essays, videos, recommendations, interviews (with mock interviews), etc. I found her to be extremely relatable, professional, knowledgeable, and engaging. Susan always has a positive attitude which is very refreshing as the application process can be very daunting. I cannot thank Susan enough for helping me get into my dream school and first choice, Wharton, in addition to my other top choice, MIT Sloan. There is no doubt in my mind that hiring Susan was the right decision and I have already strongly recommended her to family and friends.

Read More

From our initial call, Melisa made it clear the process was more than just helping me gain admission to my programs of choice. Instead, we spent a significant amount of time identifying my core values and how these shaped my long term goals. This in turn helped to lay the foundation for why I was looking to pursue my MBA in the first place.

In 2020 the application process was constantly evolving, but Melisa was my sounding board throughout the uncertainty. She was always very timely in her feedback and available by phone or email whenever I needed. Even small things like sending me school events or LinkedIn profiles that matched my career interests demonstrate how Melisa really goes above and beyond. Additionally, while you work with one consultant, you benefit from the collective knowledge of the Stratus team which is tremendously helpful as well.

As I write this I am deciding between two of my top choice programs with a fellowship offer. While the decision to work with a consultant is significant investment of time and money, I believe it’s well worth it as you come out of the process with a clear understanding of yourself and a roadmap for how to achieve your long term ambitions.

Read More

Jennifer helped me get into my dream school and made the application process as stress-free as possible! Jennifer took the time to get to know me, my background, and what I was hoping to gain from an MBA, and she helped me narrow in on the schools that would be the best fit for me and highlight my strengths through my application. I really appreciated how she provided guidance and suggestions that helped me take my essays and applications to the next level but never tried to change my writing style or the essence of what I wanted to portray. She was so supportive throughout the process, provided an achievable timeline, and was a calming presence as I submitted my applications and prepared for interviews. She has a thorough understanding of schools and the application process, and she provided valuable insights that I never would have known without her. She made the application process enjoyable, and she even helped me learn more about myself that I will carry with me beyond business school. She was always quick to respond and accommodated my schedule for calls and prep. I am so thankful to Jennifer for all of her amazing guidance and would highly recommend working with her!

Read More

I worked with Stratus for over a year on my b school applications. They provided excellent service while being easy and enjoyable to work with.

I was pretty unfamiliar with the application process and really didn't know what schools looked for in applications. I have an unusual work experience- 3 completely different industries in multiple geographies. They helped me wrangle my personal and professional experiences and craft them into a compelling narrative. They were prompt in responding to all my questions and providing feedback on my essays. With their help, I was able to secure a 30% scholarship to a top 20 MBA program.

Apart from receiving excellent service from Stratus, they were extremely friendly and easy to work with. I always looked forward to my weekly or bi-weekly call with Susan. And in the emotional peaks and valleys of the process, I always felt like I could be open with Stratus and rely on their guidance.

Read More

I found stratus at the MBA fair last year and so was able to compare prices and offerings. I got the package for 4 schools and it came with a free "Early Edge" package. In the early edge stage, it helped to be able to think about what types of promotions and experiences to pursue. I also appreciated always having someone to ask for advice about how to approach a admissions office in the early stage. I was in the unique situation where I had not yet taken my GMAT and Covid hit. So, I decided early May to apply last minute in late May. This was an extremely accelerated timeline and Temi was amazing about being there for me late at night to make sure that I was able to submit my apps on time. I applied to Kellogg and Columbia and was accepted at both without a GMAT score which means the essays she helped me with were a success. Grateful for the support!

Read More

Susan played a critical role in helping me make my dream of getting into Stanford MBA program a reality. She supported me all the way through the application process, from deciding which Round to apply, to crafting essays and preparing for the interviews, and helped me with every single question I had - even the most stupid questions that were on my mind.

It was important to have Susan's shoulder early on, as she helped me work out a powerful strategy and point my efforts in the right direction. In the brainstorming process, she came up with novel ideas that I somehow did not come up with on my own. Those ideas turned out to be key to my application strategy. Strategy is important, but so is implementation.

Susan was surprisingly fast to reply to my emails, especially given the amount of value her emails contained. I feel it's important to reemphasize this - every single piece of correspondence from Susan contained HUGE value for me! Her feedback on the essays helped me focus on the most impactful points, leaving non-value adding details aside, thus making the most out of the limited word space I was allowed in the essays.

I cannot overestimate the importance of Susan's help on the so-called stupid questions. Honestly, I did not expect that I would have so many of those. Turned out, the application file itself was so lengthy and contained so many little questions that seemed to be tricky. I felt that, when combined, answers to these little questions could make a difference between being admitted and being rejected. Luckily, Susan had the kind of empathy I needed to feel comfortable asking her these stupid questions.

When it came to the interview stage, Susan once again helped me focus on the most impactful parts of my story so that I felt confident sharing my story with the interviewer. It was important that I was prepared for the interview in advance, since this preparation translated into my confidence during the actual interview. I definitely would not have this courage if I was not sure I was telling the right stories to the interviewer. Susan made me believe I was.

Simply put, I would have never gotten into the Stanford MBA program without Susan's help. And I am forever grateful to her for helping me make my dream a reality.

Read More

I had a great time working with my consultant, Temi. She took the time to understand who I am based on my background and experiences both personal and professional before diving into essays and interview prep which I think was a fabulous approach. This rapport and the Stratus strategy/process helped me to build winning essays that landed me acceptance to my top choice in MBA program. I had a very busy schedule and very short turnaround time while applying for business school and Temi showed me so much patience, determination and attention to detail. I wanted to do better for myself but also as a result of her motivation. She put me in touch with many people from her Stratus team, including Susan Cera and Melisa Prevost, and past MBA candidates who gave tangible advice for my essays and interviews. I was 100% satisfied after every cent was spent on this package with no regrets. I would highly recommend working with Stratus and definitely with Temi!

Read More