I highly recommend Stratus and their consultants, especially Susan, who was instrumental in my success. Susan's guidance was invaluable, helping me secure admissions to several M7 schools. Her expertise and personalized approach made a significant difference in my application process. If you're considering deferred admission, Susan is the consultant you want. Her insights and support were crucial, and I couldn't recommend her more highly. Stratus, with Susan's help, exceeded my expectations and played a pivotal role in achieving my academic goals. Trust Stratus and Susan for a seamless and successful admission journey and especially if you are looking for deferred admissions help.

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Working with Jennifer was the best decision. When I decided to apply to business schools, I had no idea where to start the daunting process. Upon starting with Jennifer, I instantly felt better about the path forward. In every step of the way, I could always count on Jennifer to provide guidance. She was always willing to hop on a call to consult, answer a last minute email, or provide an encouraging word in the height of stressful moments. On top of all of this, she was genuinely invested in my success and future. Jennifer truly is the best, and I highly recommend working with her if you are considering starting the MBA application process.

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Going into the MBA application process, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. A colleague recommended I speak to Susan for an introductory conversation, and I immediately knew that she was the right person to guide me through this journey.

I can honestly say that it was solely through Susan's guidance that I could display my best, truest, authentic self in my applications. Right from the get-go, Susan worked tirelessly to draw out my essence. Her approach to do so was very unique- we spent months together on the early introspection exercises, peeling through the layers to understand my core personality. We then strengthened my narrative to create a strategy and brainstormed essays, while simultaneously working on other parts of the application (updating the resume, recommender memos, etc.).

Susan's commitment to her clients is unwavering. She was with me every single step of the way- right from the early discussions, to preparing for interviews, to writing waitlist updates, to negotiating scholarships and ultimately making a decision on which the right school for me would be.

Not only was Susan's guidance instrumental in getting me admitted into a dream MBA program, but she was also my biggest cheerleader throughout this process. She is a remarkable person, who is deeply invested in your success. As said, I simply cannot recommend Susan highly enough for anyone that is considering an MBA. Bringing her on board for your MBA applications is the BEST decision you will make!

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Melisa's is a true testament and exceptional blend of personalized support and genuine encouragement. From the very first call I had with Melisa about my MBA application, I could truly feel that the person on the other side knows her stuff and really wants the best outcome for you. From the outset, Melisa prioritizes getting to know you better on a personal level, fostering an environment of trust and openness. This approach made me feel that the application process is not just about ticking boxes but about authentically representing one’s personality and strengths. With Melisa's guidance, I was able to confidently put my best foot forward, knowing that my application is a true reflection of who I am. Throughout the journey, Melisa remains consistently supportive and cheering, demonstrating her sincere desire for nothing but the best, making the application process enjoyable. I would highly recommend working with Melisa if you are in the process of submitting your application for an MBA program.

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Transitioning from solider to civilian and returning from the east Africa region, where I was deployed with the Army, to NYC, posed unique challenges, especially as an MBA hopeful.

My path led me to pursue an MBA at Georgetown University, my dream school, with a focus on social impact, particularly in Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH). Throughout this transformative journey, the support and guidance I received from Stratus Admissions Counseling, especially from Sophie Hilaire, were unparalleled.

Sophie’s approach was not only professional but also incredibly empathetic. She understood the nuances of my Army background and helped tailor my application to highlight my strengths and unique experiences. Her insights were invaluable, especially in articulating my transition and future aspirations in the social impact space.

Thanks to their dedicated assistance, I am now set to begin my MBA at Georgetown University.

I highly recommend Stratus Admissions Counseling and Sophie Hilaire to any prospective student seeking a partner who offers more than just admissions strategy but a truly personalized plan towards achieving their educational/career goals.

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I would highly recommend Stratus Admissions counseling to anyone looking to have a calm and collected helping hand through the process. They took me in last minute (2 months before deadline) and helped me create an accelerated plan to get my scores and essays and questions together and I don't think I could have gotten into my M7s without their help. I was paired with Sophie Hilaire and she was amazing! As a veteran, I felt so much at peace having another veteran help me through the process. She took so much time out of her day to go above and beyond to give me quick feedback and random video conferences here and there to keep me on track. I really couldn't have done this without her.

I don't think everyone needs an admissions consultant, but if you are unsure and you need some extra help, its a great investment into your future. I am very happy with my choice to go with Stratus and would recommend them to anyone!

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Making the decision to work with Susan at Stratus Admissions was by far the best decision I made in my MBA application journey. From our first conversation, I could tell Susan was deeply invested in my success and that she would be my biggest cheerleader - all of which proved to be true. Her expert guidance, tailored advice, and unwavering support were instrumental throughout the process. Susan's personalized approach instilled confidence in me, ensuring that my application authentically represented my story & aspirations while aligning with the values of my target schools. Susan is honest and helped me to address any potential red flags with my application head on. She was by my side for every step of the process from learning about me and my story on a deep level to essays, resume updates, interviews, and even in my decision making process & scholarship negotiation. I am immensely grateful for Susan's expertise and genuine investment in my success. With Susan's help, I was able to gain admission into multiple schools with generous scholarship packages and will be attending my dream school in the fall - a school that was a major stretch and was more of a dream before I met Susan who helped to make it a reality. If you're applying for MBA programs, Susan is without a doubt THE one to work with!

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After doing the initial 30-minute chat, I knew Melisa would be an incredible thought partner to help with my MBA journey. From the early stages of crafting school lists to the final stages, including navigating the waitlists, Melisa was so helpful! During the process, she served as a great sounding board, pushing me to improve my application and providing invaluable insight into the MBA application process and minds of admissions committees. Always responsive to my many, many questions/emails and always willing to provide feedback in a supportive but critical way. Truly, nothing but great things to say about the experience!!

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Sophie is the MBA counselor you need if you’re driven, ambitious and want to give your best shot to colleges you consider beyond your dreams

Results: Going to Stanford - Admitted to 3 M7s, waitlisted at 2 other M7s.

Background: I’m an Indian applicant from the most ‘overrepresented’ demographic there could be.

I had exploratory calls with 14 different counselors, both locally and beyond. Within the first 15 minutes, Sophie helped me identify strengths in my application that everyone else (including me) had overlooked. From the outset, I knew working with her was going to be one of my best decisions.

I’ve identified some dimensions one can evaluate MBA counselors on, and shared my experience with Sophie on each below:

1. Empathy - Producing great essays for top colleges needs you to be honest with yourself and dive deep into your personal story. This will often mean revisiting parts of your life that make you uncomfortable. It is thus important to have a counselor who you trust discussing your vulnerabilities with. In this regard, Sophie has a unique talent for instantly creating a safe space when she senses what you’re discussing means a lot to you. At the same time, she knows how to deliver constructive criticism, and you’ll get the hint when it feels like you’re trauma dumping an essay for no good reason. Because of these open conversations with her, I felt confident in sharing these stories in my applications. It was because of her that I was able to discuss many aspects of my life in essays and interviews that I’d have simply swept under the rug working on my own.

2. Approachability - Sophie exudes warmth and energy when you talk to her; she’s super easy to work with. There were several times I struggled to explain problems I faced in expressing some ideas. Even when I was unable to put my finger on what was bugging me about an essay I wrote, she seemed to understand exactly what I was struggling with and gave perfect advice on how I could approach it differently. Such intuitive insights from her were responsible for several step shifts in the quality of my essays.

3. Mindset - Sophie has a winner’s mindset. She isn’t there to just do a job, she is committed to your success. There was not a single moment in the entire process where she didn’t match or exceed my pace. The bottleneck was always how much effort I was willing to put in. Turnaround times were great and she was always available for calls when I needed. Not once did I find myself sitting idle because I was waiting to hear back from her. Further, she isn’t someone who’ll leave you with ‘passable’ work. She was willing to iterate with me until I fine-tuned each essay to perfection, until it got to a point I looked at the essay and was sincerely amazed at what I’d created.

4. Influence - Applying to top MBA colleges will always be an exercise in mental fortitude and grit. While you are the only person responsible for managing your motivation, an indifferent counselor can certainly make things difficult. Someone who doesn’t believe in you will make you fight uphill in a battle where odds are already stacked against you. Sophie, on the other hand, is a natural leader who engages with you on a personal level. I needed to write 17 distinct essays in 2 months working full time, applying only to ‘stretch’ colleges. Naturally, there was a moment or two filled with self doubt, but it usually took just one casual conversation with Sophie before my motivation meter was back to full. When taking on a challenge as monumental as this, she’s the kind of partner you need in your foxhole.

6. The myth, the legend - I could go on for hours about how great she is at MBA counseling. But that’s not even a tenth of how awesome Sophie is. Her visible stats are already impressive (Army, Wharton, McK). But the more you learn about her, the more reasons you’ll keep finding to fanboy over. Through the bulk of your applications, you’ll probably be interacting with your counselor more than your colleagues, maybe even your family. Why not work with someone who’s not only a great counselor but an endlessly inspiring, interesting person as well?

7. Process and logistics:
Sophie’s process is extremely well curated and, in my opinion, nearly perfect. It’s efficient, and minimizes yield loss to make sure you’re always working on something that’s setting you up for success on the next thing. I’ve detailed the steps below:

Introspection - The introspection phase made me dive deep into my life story, with two crucial outputs:
- Defining my personal brand: by understanding myself better, I was able to define who I am in a way that was easy for others to understand - with enough examples to back it up.
- Identifying skill gaps: I already had a good idea of why I was doing an MBA. But through the introspection phase with Sophie, I was able to dive several layers deeper. By the end, I had nuanced answers for each skill gap in neatly defined bullets highlighting why it was a gap, why I needed to fill it and how the MBA would help me.

School research -
Same as before, I already had a good idea of why I was picking the schools I was applying to. But Sophie helped me dive many levels deeper. For every school, I was able to 1 - find exact resources to fill my gaps across several dimensions (curriculum, culture, resources, etc.) and 2 - speak at length about how I would make the school a better place given the skills I had. And because of the work we did earlier, this was a lean process with zero waste. Whether it be a conversation with an alumni or scouring the website, I had a clear idea of what I wanted to understand.

Essay feedback -
Each essay went through multiple iterations of feedback and modification until both of us felt it was the best it could be. The process was fairly efficient with minimal yield loss. For each essay, I drafted an outline and discussed it with Sophie. Based on her feedback, I’d go back to the drawing board and redraft / modify my essay. We would iterate on this step by step, gradually condensing down to word limit.

Interview prep -
After the introspection, school research, and essays, I felt positively thrilled going into the interviews. Most of my groundwork was already done. The only remaining bit was to structure my behavioral stories, which was fairly straightforward. Sophie helped me do mocks for the interviews and gave actionable feedback to improve each time. By my second interview I felt ready as a tank - I was prepared for everything that could be prepared for, leaving my mind free to genuinely enjoy the conversation with my interviewers and be ready for any curveballs. A lot of how your interview goes ultimately depends on how confident you’re feeling with yourself. As a result of all the work we’d done in the preceding months, I was as confident in my interviews as I should have been.

Summary:
Sophie was the difference between my success and failure in this process. Thanks to her, I was able to create applications that I know were the best I could do - which is what really matters. If you work with her, I am confident this is the feeling you’ll walk away with as well.

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Even if you die Stratus Consulting will still not give you refund.

I had an incredibly disappointing experience with Stratus Consulting. Despite their promising advertisements and commitments, their service was far below what was expected. I encountered numerous issues during my consultation, which not only wasted my time but also cost me financially.

The most frustrating part of my experience was their rigid refund policy. They refused to offer any form of refund. This inflexibility shows a lack of consideration for customer satisfaction and service quality. I tried multiple times to resolve the issue amicably, explaining my situation and seeking a fair resolution, but the company was unresponsive and dismissive. Their customer service is severely lacking; they do not value client relationships or the basic principles of customer service.

It’s appalling that a company operates with such disregard for client feedback and post-service support.

I strongly advise potential customers to look elsewhere.

There are many other firms that not only provide superior service but also respect their clients enough to offer protections like refunds when services do not meet reasonable standards. Save your money and your time!

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