Strengths:

See below

Would make the product better:

Nothing

Susan Cera was truly amazing to work with, as were the other members of the Stratus team who supported me throughout my MBA application process. I ultimately got into each of the schools I applied to—several of which felt like “reaches” when I first began—and I don’t think I could’ve done it without Susan and Stratus.

Susan is a true expert at her job and helped me effectively navigate every aspect of the MBA application process, which is time-intensive and can feel daunting at times. She was there every step of the way, rolling up her sleeves alongside me as I shaped my narrative, wrote my essays, drafted my applications and resume, prepared for interviews, and ultimately decided which school to attend. Every time I faced a situation I wasn’t sure how to approach, Susan knew exactly what to do. From the very beginning, she took the time to truly get to know me—spending months before I even started writing essays helping me think through my professional, personal, and educational experiences, my values, and my future goals, and tying those together into a cohesive narrative. She did an amazing job of helping me recognize themes in my life that hadn’t been top of mind but that are very true to who I am and ultimately shaped much of my application process. She worked tirelessly alongside me as I translated those themes into cohesive essays and applications that genuinely reflected who I am, and later as I prepared for interviews. I felt like I had Susan’s full attention the entire time—she was incredibly responsive; we often spoke multiple times per week and iterated on my essays several times each week. She put tremendous effort and thought into every aspect of my application and interview process and provided insightful feedback that helped me frame and elevate many parts of my application in more effective ways.

Susan and Stratus have the MBA admissions process down to a science—not in a cookie-cutter way, but in a way that is highly personal and provides the structure, methodology, and resources that enabled me to navigate a complex, multi-step, months-long process. Susan broke everything down into discrete steps, each with resources and guidance to help me approach it correctly—from brainstorming relevant life experiences, conducting school research, and developing my key themes and application strategy, to crafting my MBA resume, briefing my recommenders, writing my essays and applications, and preparing for interviews. I felt in control at every stage because I knew exactly what I needed to do and what to expect next. Stratus brings together so many unique resources from its years of experience—I not only worked closely with Susan, but also received feedback at multiple points from Melisa and Lisa as I refined my narrative and prepared for interviews, as well as from reviewers who are experts in each school’s application. I also had the opportunity to connect with past Stratus clients and students at my target schools to learn directly from their experiences.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed working with Susan, feel like she really got to know me personally and really invested in my success. I could not recommend working with her and Stratus more highly.

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Strengths:

- Team Based approach
- Amazing Advisors
- Discounts for forte program members

Would make the product better:

Nothing, they’re amazing!

Choosing Stratus was the best decision I made during this entire MBA journey. Being a younger candidate, I knew my path would be difficult to get into my dream M7 program, but Stratus supported me in every part of my journey and not only helped me get an acceptance, but also a massive $140K scholarship!! This would not have been possible without the help of Donna, who is the ABSOLUTE BEST!

Donna helped me work on and refine every single step, right from creating an application strategy, setting goals, reviewing essays, refining my resume, and getting me prepared for the interviews. The best part about stratus is the team based approach. Apart from Donna, the other counselors also provided a lot of help and great feedback to get the best version of my application ready. There were several moments when I felt confused, burnt out, and contemplated everything, but Donna constantly supported me and helped me set realistic timelines to be able to manage all my applications. Thank you SO MUCH to the entire team, and I would 100% recommended Stratus to anyone thinking about getting help in this process.

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I worked with Donna Bauman on my EMBA applications to six top business schools (four of them M7) and was admitted to all six. Two of the schools also offered merit-based scholarships of around $20K each, which is relatively rare for EMBA programs. Looking back, I genuinely believe these results were a byproduct of the process Donna guided me through, not just the final applications themselves.

Where Donna added the most value early on was helping me slow down and deeply explore my past experiences. The introspection phase wasn’t about “finding good stories” for essays; it was about understanding patterns, themes, and motivations that I hadn’t fully articulated before. That work completely changed how I thought about my own career and leadership journey, and it became the foundation for everything that followed.

From there, Donna helped me create a clear application strategy across schools, what to emphasize, what not to force, and how to stay authentic while still being intentional. When we moved into brainstorming and essay writing, I could clearly see how different this approach was compared to simply drafting or polishing content. Before working with Donna, I had even considered using ChatGPT to help write my essays. At the time it felt efficient, but after going through this process, I now see how risky that would have been. There is a real and obvious difference between AI-generated writing and essays grounded in deep self-reflection. My final essays sounded unmistakably like me.

Donna also helped refine my resume so that it aligned with the broader story I was telling, rather than just listing achievements. Everything felt connected instead of piecemeal. The team-based approach at Stratus was another big plus; I received feedback from multiple consultants at different stages, which felt very similar to how admissions committees actually review applications.

Interview preparation was another area where Donna made a huge difference. I completed six mock interviews for six schools, and I could feel myself improving after each one; more clarity, better structure, and stronger presence. By the time the real interviews came around, I felt prepared but still natural.

Finally, even after the offers came in, Donna helped me think through my options objectively, not just rankings. Throughout the entire process, she was always responsive and consistently offered candid, honest advice, even when it meant challenging my initial thinking.

Working with Donna Bauman and the Stratus team was easily one of the best decisions I made during my EMBA journey. I would highly recommend them to anyone aiming for top EMBA programs and who wants a process that genuinely adds value at every step, not just better essays.

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Working with Melisa was one of the best decisions I made during the MBA application process. Applying to MBA programs is no walk in the park, and I truly appreciated her guidance every step of the way, from helping me identify the right schools for my goals, crafting an authentic yet compelling story in my essays, to deciding which school to attend.

She provided thoughtful, strategic advice throughout my application process, yet always empowered me to make the final decision, never pressuring me towards a choice I wasn’t comfortable with. While the process felt long and, at times, overwhelming, Melisa was a constant source of support and encouragement. I always felt she genuinely cared about me and was invested in my success.

Thanks to her support, I was accepted to multiple programs with scholarships, including my top choice. I’m incredibly grateful for her help and wholeheartedly recommend working with her!

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Susan went above and beyond my expectations of an MBA consultant going into this process. She is a true professional, and her and the team at Stratus are exceptional. She added so much value to my application, helping me explore my past experiences to shape my key themes, create a strategy for my application, brainstorm essay content, update and refine my resume, and prepare for my interview. She also encouraged me to submit a late application to my top school, and I ended up getting into my top MBA program a year earlier than I thought I would! I am so grateful for Susan and all the help she gave me in helping me achieve my MBA goals.

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Working with Donna was one of the most enjoyable and most valuable parts of my MBA application journey.

Donna was extremely helpful from day one! We started with her self-discovery phase, which helped me more deeply understand myself, my needs, and my aspirations. She has a very well-structured process that guides you to reflect on what drives you and why you really want to do an MBA. The learnings I gained from that part of the process were actually valuable beyond the MBA applications, helping me think more broadly about my career and long-term goals.

In terms of essay writing, Donna again has a structured process that really works (you can tell she is extremely experienced and has been doing it for years). She starts with an essay outline that is thoroughly reviewed and discussed before moving into writing drafts. Donna's use of Stratus’s broader network of school experts was also incredibly valuable. She connected me with people who knew my target programs inside out, which helped me tailor my essays and give them that extra edge - that was a game changer for me!

Donna and Stratus’s resume update support was also extremely valuable. They are incredibly thorough, paying attention to even the smallest details and when all those refinements come together, I truly believe they make a big difference in the final result. Again, I came away with many broader learnings that I’ll carry forward when updating my resume in the future.

Be aware that this whole process is hard work. But this is another area where Donna really adds value as she keeps you on track with well-thought-out deadlines and an easy way to manage and track progress. She also properly holds you accountable, which really helps keep momentum. I always felt like there was a solid plan in place, and that made a big difference.

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Working with Donna through Stratus on a four-school package was the best decision I made during the MBA application process. From day one, she helped me navigate every aspect of the journey — from refining my resume and building a thoughtful school selection strategy to tackling essays and preparing for interviews. Her guidance made the process far more manageable, especially when it came to understanding the unknowns of the application and interview process.

For the essays, Donna pushed me to reflect deeply on my experiences and helped shape them into compelling, cohesive narratives aligned with my goals. We went through six or more drafts for all four schools I worked on with Donna, and her detailed feedback helped me elevate each version.

It was also extremely reassuring to know that the four-school package included Round 2 support if needed. Having that safety net gave me the confidence to give my all in Round 1.

In the end, I was fortunate to have strong options, and Donna was a steady, supportive sounding board as I weighed my final decision. When I visited one of the schools I was accepted to, Donna went above and beyond — giving me a personalized tour of the town and even offering me a ride to the airport. That experience highlights the level of care and commitment she brings to her work.

I’m truly grateful for her insight, responsiveness, and unwavering support throughout the process — it made all the difference.

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Working with Jennifer Jackson at Stratus was crucial as an older, non-traditional MBA candidate planning a significant career pivot. The most helpful part of working with Jennifer, and the Stratus approach more broadly, was all the preparation we did before starting the application. Stratus understands that MBA applications require significant introspection; Jennifer really helped me dig deep, and it was clear she was genuinely invested in my success. Without Jennifer's help, I firmly believe my outcome would have been different. I highly recommend Jennifer and Stratus to anyone considering pursuing an MBA and believe that Stratus is well worth the investment.

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Strengths:

Timely feedback, supportive, pushed me to dive deeper into my story, provided insightful suggestions that enhanced my overall applications!

Donna made a huge difference in my application journey. She was very thorough with her suggestions and straightforward when she felt like my story wasn't strong enough. She pushed me to think deeper in my past experiences and made personalized suggestions on which schools/programs are the best fit for me and my career goals. I ended up getting into a very unique M7 program that I am thrilled to be attending in a few months!!
The team-based approach Stratus has was also very unique and I feel supported throughout my experience. While Donna had been with me every step of my application journey, I was advised and motivated by Susan and a few other experienced consultants based on the schools I applied to.

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Strengths:

The customizable options for application support and the ease of scheduling with your chosen consultant.

Working with Sophie made the whole process feel like more than just an application. Her background as a veteran and outdoor enthusiast created our initial connection, but her supportive and positive attitude solidified my desire to work with her. Sophie went above and beyond - coaching and mentoring me through not only the applications, but also helping me refine my life goals. Sophie was always available to answer questions, help review essays and provide overall support. The whole Stratus team was easy to work with and provided thoughtful encouragement throughout my applications. I have no doubt working with Sophie directly contributed to my success with multiple admission and scholarship offers.

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