Since 2006, we have helped thousands of MBA applicants from more than 50 countries gain admission to their target business schools—and earn millions of dollars in merit scholarships—with our unique team-based, personalized approach. Our dedicated team of experienced MBA admissions counselors is there every step of the way to help YOU as an applicant.
Just as business school admissions committees will read your application multiple times, our staff of highly skilled admissions counselors, the majority of whom are former admissions committee members, will repeatedly review and provide feedback on your application materials throughout the process. We not only pair you with a dedicated Admissions Counselor who will coach, mentor, and guide you—we also connect you with an admissions strategist, school-specific reviewers, and a proofreader who provide additional support.
Our team members combine decades of wisdom and experience with profound insights on how admissions committees think. Having relevant information and critical work experience means our team understands the hard work and the nuances involved in pursuing a higher-education degree. As alumni of top-ranked business schools, we can also speak to the challenges of and offer introspection about the business school application process. Our expertise will help you find schools that will be the best fit for your career goals.
Whether you’re looking to revise your application essays, receive guidance on articulating your goals, update your resume, or prepare for your interview, our counselors will be by your side throughout your admissions journey. They can identify and help mitigate weaknesses in your profile, all while keeping you motivated during the sometimes grueling application process.
We at Stratus invest in your MBA application goals like no other admissions consulting firm. If you are working with us on four or more business school applications in Round 1 and are not accepted to any of those programs, we will support your applications to two more schools in Round 2—at no additional cost to you! That’s how committed we are to your success.
Our team-based, personalized approach to MBA admissions counseling has helped young professionals gain admission to all of the top-ranked business schools worldwide, including Harvard Business School, the Stanford Graduate School of Business, UPenn Wharton, MIT Sloan, Columbia Business School, and INSEAD, as well as dozens of others.
At Stratus, we take our clients’ success seriously, and it shows! With a 83 Net Promoter Score, our clients are fiercely loyal and highly satisfied with our services. We are proud of our hundreds of five-star reviews on Google, GMAT Club, and Poets&Quants from past clients. In addition, in 2024 Stratus was named the #1 medium-sized MBA admissions consulting firm on Poets&Quants with an "eye-popping" 9.9/10 client satisfaction rate. Not only that, but our Director of MBA Admissions Counseling, Susan Cera, was named the top MBA admissions coach in 2021 and a top-five admissions coach in 2022 and 2023. Senior MBA Admissions Counselors Donna Bauman and Melisa Prevost have also been recognized with perfect 10/10 scores. We are not just consultants—we are leaders in our field.
It isn't every day that you come across people whose work and guidance will forever change your life. Susan Cera & the Stratus team helped change mine in the span of weeks. If I could give Susan more than 5 stars and pay her true value, she is off the star charts and worth every penny. A true leader, strategic, inspirational, and bold - thank you Susan and Stratus team for changing my life.
Thanks to Donna, I secured admission to two M7 schools with merit scholarships at both (even with a weaker GRE quant score, something I was nervous about throughout). I highly recommend working with Donna for your MBA Admissions journey – she’s the best partner I can imagine!
I cannot sing your praises enough. I am at Michigan thanks to all your help! Every time people ask for advice about the process, I always recommend they check out Stratus. You have been a huge help over the past several months. There is no way I could have done it without your guidance.
Stanford GSB Application Essay Tips, 2025-2026 The application essays for the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) are among the more expansive and demanding of those for the top MBA programs; the GSB truly wants to get to know you. With a 650-word essay that necessitates some soul-searching, 350 words on your interest in Stanford...
Picture an urgent meeting in the Oval Office. A vigorous conversation is underway, and it includes this cast of characters: Now ask yourself… If you were in this room, who would you be? Take your time, and write down your thoughts. If you’re keen on several of these roles, rank them by preference. Then ask:...
Berkeley Haas Application Essay Tips, 2025–2026 Berkeley Haas decided to simplify its application this year, reducing the number of essays and changing its primary essay to a video. Here are some thoughts to help you stand out in your Haas application. Demonstrating how you embrace or embody one of Haas’s four Defining Leadership Principles —...
NYU Stern Application Essay Tips, 2025–2026 NYU Stern’s collaborative, dynamic, and diverse culture is truly shaped by the school’s location in the heart of New York City and can be defined simply as IQ + EQ. The cocurricular program “Change: Studio” highlights Stern’s commitment to embracing and facilitating change, and the school’s essay questions for...
Learn how Stratus’s team approach can help you get accepted to your top-choice business schools. Start with a FREE consultation with one of our Admissions Counselors. Our team is ready to dive into your goals, answer your questions about your profile and the application process, and help you boost your appeal to admissions committees!