Stratus Admissions Consulting

I used Stratus Admissions Counseling last year for my MBA application. They assigned a team of four consultants to me. It was a wonderful experience! I got into Wharton—very thankful for the support I got from Stratus.

I worked directly with [a counselor] who was patient enough to work with me across six time zones and two continents for six months, assisting me with a total of six applications. She was incredibly insightful about the entire process and provided consistently valuable feedback, enthusiasm, and advice, even when I was starting to inevitably get tired. I cannot recommend their services enough.

I started the application prep process a bit confused, lacking comfort in recognizing and accurately expressing important parts of my stories and future goals. But if 20 years from now, if someone wants to know who I really am, what deeply matters to me in life, what has shaped me at times, and what I would like my main accomplishments and impacts in life to be, I could just share my MBA essays with him/her.Thanks to the tremendous support and incredibly genuine guidance from my Stratus counselor, from day one, I ended up submitting my applications in a serene mood, in a peaceful state of mind, very happy with everything I shared with the Adcoms because I shared my authentic self. I knew that the school or schools that would accept me would do so based on my real personality, story, and aspirations in life.One thing worth mentioning is that when you decide to go with a Stratus MBA Consultant, you really gain a whole support system with a dedicated strategist, as many school-specific reviewers as MBA programs you are applying to, and proofreaders, all of them always present whenever necessary.

I cannot recommend my Stratus counselor highly enough – if there was an 11/10 option she would be worthy of that score and more. I knew that I was going to be working with a top-notch admissions expert from her reputation, but the experience I had greatly exceeded my expectations. She took the time to really get to know me so that I could identify what is unique about me and present my most authentic self through my essays and interviews, and through her introspective inquiry process helped me come to realize my personal and career ambitions. She provides super timely feedback and communication, and was even willing to give me helpful pep talks and prep sessions before interviews to keep me on point. She was able to flawlessly apply the lens of a tenured admissions officer with her feedback on all areas of my application, including making my resume more poignant and impact-oriented. While I was waitlisted and was losing faith in myself, she encouraged me to not give up and helped me secure interviews/acceptances from that seemingly unfavorable position. What meant the most to me was seeing how invested she was in my success at every node of this long journey. I ended up getting into Harvard as well as multiple other top business schools with scholarships/fellowships – something unfathomable to me as I was worried about having a low GPA, being a re-applicant with no success my first go-around, and providing a GRE score instead of GMAT. I do not believe I would have achieved my dream of going to Harvard if I had anyone else in my corner coaching and supporting me. I am beyond grateful to have had the absolute best in the business on my team and I could not recommend her highly enough if you want the same.

From day 1, Melisa has been such a pleasure to work with. She was very accommodating to my busy work schedule, and she helped me narrow down my list of schools to match perfectly with my interests and goals. She brought insight and experience for each program I applied to and helped me highlight my strengths throughout my application. I could tell that Melisa genuinely cared about my success, and now I see her as more of a friend than an admissions consultant. I would recommend Melisa to anyone interested in pursuing an MBA!

The team at Stratus really was thorough with helping edit my essays, and they all came out remarkably polished. I could not recommend [my counselor] enough, as with her help on a two-school package, I got into both schools with scholarships! My sister who went through the MBA application process with [another] firm remarked that Stratus was much more accessible, responsive, and had more resources than what she got. Overall, I could not be more thrilled with my choice of Stratus, and with the scholarship, it was an investment that paid huge dividends!

After my first attempt in 2020 to tackle the admission process alone and not securing a single admit, this time, I decided to work with an admissions consultant. Soon after my initial call with Donna, I knew that she would be the perfect fit!We started around 3 months before the R1 deadline and from the get go, Donna would spend hours on call getting to know me and brainstorming ideas to come up with the key strengths we wanted to portray. It felt like Donna was always truly invested in my success. I ended up applying to 5 schools and Donna, unlike other consultants I initially spoke with, encouraged me to apply to my dream schools.Once we started working on the essays, I was surprised by the detailed insights that Donna sent out — often with in a day and sometimes, even a few hours! There was a remarkable difference between my first draft and the final essays — Donna’s feedback, along with the school specific reviews really helped me put my best foot forward! The Stratus process truly worked wonders.In the end, I secured admits from two M7 schools! Throughout this entire process, Donna has been more than a consultant — a mentor and a friend. Even after I secured these admits, Donna connected me with her previous clients at these schools to help inform my decision. Working with Donna on my applications was one of the best decisions I have ever made! If you want to put your best foot forward — I would highly recommend Donna.

I loved working with Kelly Lundy from Stratus! After looking into multiple admissions consultants, I decided to sign up for the hourly package with Kelly. Her expertise and deep knowledge of MBA admissions, especially as a Columbia Business School alum, was evident from our first consultation. With her experience in the tech industry, she offered personalized advice and targeted feedback on how to craft my essays. sharpen my resume, and prepare for my interviews! Initially, I found the essays to be very challenging. But with Kelly’s feedback, I was able to hone in on my career goals with school-specific details. Kelly also helped me improve my resume to quantify my impact and leadership experience. She was very quick with her feedback and edits, especially in the final days leading up to the deadline. During our mock interview, Kelly provided me with sample questions and advice that made me feel extremely prepared for the real interview. I also appreciated her checking in on me throughout the entire process! She was so encouraging and supportive. Applying to MBA programs can be a stressful time, but Kelly made the process so seamless!I could not have gotten into my top-choice school this fall without Kelly’s help. I 100% recommend her for anyone considering an MBA admissions consultant!

I had the unique experience of working with Stratus Admissions Counseling for two application seasons. In 2016, my counselor helped me get accepted to three elite MBA programs. However, unforeseeable circumstances forced me to postpone my plans to pursue an MBA. Because I had such a great experience in the past, when I was ready to reapply, I contacted my counselor at Stratus immediately to ask her if she was willing to help me again. This has proven to be one of the best decisions that I have ever made, as I was accepted by five elite MBA programs this year, with scholarships from four of them.

I highly recommend working with Stratus Admissions. My counselor worked with me to set a realistic timeline, was always flexible, and was great about keeping me on track. She was extremely responsive and knowledgeable about the programs and would reach out to her peers at Stratus to help. I was ultimately accepted to three top-ten programs and will be headed to my dream school this fall!

Donna is a fantastic resource to anyone seeking guidance and support in their MBA application journey. With her expertise, dedication, and personalized approach, Donna helped me secure an offer from one of the top MBA programs despite a below average GPA and test scores for those schools.From our very first interaction, Donna displayed a genuine interest in helping me understand my aspirations, strengths, and weaknesses. Before starting any school-specific applications, we went through a rigorous process of understanding key aspects of my profile that I could highlight and organizing those components into an arsenal that I could draw from. Thanks to this kind of preparation, when it came time to writing essays, I was able to spend less time on coming up with ideas and more time thinking broadly about the narrative I wanted to communicate.Throughout the admissions process, which can be more akin to a marathon than a sprint, Donna helped me create a strategy of regular communication with admissions committees and constantly developing areas of my application that may be viewed as weaknesses. The right strategy will elevate your candidacy above any one grade or score, and through consistent effort and willingness to improve your profile, you will stand out.To anyone who believes that the right school is out of reach for them, I strongly recommend Donna and the team at Stratus as partners in the MBA admissions process. Donna stuck with me throughout the application cycle and I couldn't be happier with the result!

I worked with Jennifer Jackson at Stratus to prepare for my business school applications for Fall 2020 admissions. I was apprehensive of using a consultant at first, but after talking to many colleagues, I quickly noticed that it was more common than expected.Jennifer provided that final validation I needed in my last applications, primarily with my essays and interview preparation. I came ready with my story for school before we started working together, but she had those resources ready just in case. For my essays she ensured that my voice was consistent and authentic, and also that I highlighted characteristics in myself that the schools were looking for. For interviews, she provided guides for each school that invited me to interview and also did a couple of mock interviews.Yes, consultants are expensive and I was fortunate to be in a position to use one. If it's outside your budget, nothing to fear - you can still get into a great school. But if it is within your means, it's worth considering.

I was accepted into Kellogg Round 3 and without Donna, it would not have happened. I chose the hourly package, as I was in a few MBA prep programs, but without Donna, I would not have been accepted. Donna truly cared about me as an individual and not just a number. She was very candid, but warm at the same time. Her adcom experience is invaluable and she will give you the insights you need to improve your application. I felt very prepared for the video essay and my interview because of my time with her. She was so positive and encouraging it really helped to calm my nerves. I am forever thankful I chose to work with Donna.

I loved working with Harold Simansky! He was prompt and accessible - even over the holidays, which was critical as a round 2 applicant. Harold was generous with his time, and always struck a great balance of practicality, efficiency, and effectiveness in his advice and comments. He went above and beyond in the drafting process by consulting with his colleagues and giving me honest feedback to ensure that I had the strongest application. Strongly recommend the standard package w/Harold for at least 1 school!I also loved working with Stratus as a whole. Their process was incredibly helpful in thinking through my career trajectory and understanding what I was looking for in my MBA experience. Additionally, the depth of resources that Stratus had to offer was extremely helpful in getting my application right. Being able to receive extra reviews from school specialists and interview prep from alumni was amazing. Great to feel like you have a whole team behind you!

Stratus Prep is a service that takes all the natural materials of your life and teaches you to apply immense pressure to them, resulting in an amazing application for business school.My counselor, Michael, worked with me for months on analyzing my life and identifying the best stories for me to tell. We then worked on perfecting my essays over dozens and dozens of drafts. He helped steer me towards great recommendations and made sure to help remedy the weakest points in my resume. In the end, I got into my dream school!While that result isn't guaranteed, it would've been a lot harder for me to get there without the Stratus team.

Admission process is complex, long, and has lots of hidden inevident aspects - getting some help from professionals would be a wise move for many prospective applicants. I would strongly recommend Stratus to anyone who needs help in applying to top-tier business schools. When it comes to succeeding in getting accepted to M7 there is simply no other company that would go above and beyond in supporting you as much as would Stratus.Before choosing this company I have done quite a selection process of different admission consultants - Stratus stood out among all due to their sharp focus on helping me as their client and their extensive expertise.During the whole process I have never second guessed my decision to go with them as Susan Cera and Donna Bauman did an absolutely amazing job and, eventually, helped to get me admitted to Columbia Business School. As I said the process was long and, at times, tiring - Susan and Donna did absolutely fantastic job in helping me stay focused and advised extensively on different options and moves I should consider. I am beyond grateful to them for their help and highly recommend their service to anyone!

I was very happy with Stratus's services. I did a first 30 min free session with my advisor and felt very confident about the process. We worked a lot on it, and the progress showed more and more every week.I got to get into my dream program at my dream school, and couldn't be happier about it. I am grateful for Stratus and Larry Roshfeld for helping me get what I really wanted.I recommend both Stratus and Larry 110%!

I owe Stratus, 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!

When I started on my MBA application journey two years ago, I was pretty far from being the ideal candidate. I did not graduate from an ivy league university, I didn't come from a traditional business school industry, and my story was nothing remarkable, or so I thought. Working with my Senior Strategist, Susan, first in the MBA Early Edge program and then in the MBA Admissions Counseling package (along with my MBA counselor, Jamie) infused me with a confidence I can't describe. With their guidance and support, I was able to start thinking next-level about my applications, my mission and my future. I will be starting at a top-20 school in the fall full-time program and I couldn't be more proud of the hard work it took to get here!

I recently used Stratus Admissions for round 1 applications to business school. I was paired with one of their top counselors, Cartha. Looking back (and having been accepted to my top choice), I can confidently say that her guidance was absolutely instrumental in my bid. From brainstorming essays to preparing for the interview and everything in between, I could always tell Cartha had taken the time to think critically about my story/application and she ultimately provided excellent advice every step of the way. She was always responsive and made herself available around a challenging work schedule. I would enthusiastically recommend Stratus (and Cartha if she is available!) to anyone who is seriously interested in maximizing their chances of getting into their dream school.