About Stratus Admissions Counseling

Getting an MBA is possibly one of the biggest investments of your life. As you ponder this $200K-plus investment, you are likely to realize that you cannot do something as important as this on your own. Although friends or colleagues might be able to help, rarely do they have enough expertise to increase your chances of acceptance to a top program (even if they are current students or alumni), and how much can you really bug them? That is why half of all MBA applicants use an admissions consultant, according to the Association of International Admissions Consultants (AIGAC). Given that the acceptance rates at most top programs hover around 15%, it’s a good idea to have an expert guide you. Click here for eight things to consider when selecting an MBA admissions counselor.

• Stratus has a unique team-based approach to admissions consulting. Just as the admissions committee will conduct multiple reads of your application, our team of highly skilled admissions experts will repeatedly review your application materials and provide feedback throughout the process. Your Primary Counselor, Strategist, School-Specific Reviewers, and Proofreaders will provide you with a full range of support and multiple sets of eyes on your application—an approach unmatched in our industry.
• Stratus invests in your MBA goals like no other firm, which is why we offer a four-school guarantee on our comprehensive MBA services. If you work with Stratus on a comprehensive package of four or more business schools in Round 1 and are not accepted to any of those MBA programs, we will support your applications to two more schools in Round 2—at no additional cost to you!
• Stratus has helped over 3,000 applicants from more than 50 countries gain admission to their dream business schools—and earn millions of dollars in scholarship money.
• Since we believe this is a deeply personal process, we work with business school applicants via email, phone calls, and video calls throughout the process.
• All Stratus counselors keep up with the latest developments in business school admissions practices. As members of the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants (AIGAC), we have a close relationship with business schools and admissions staff, so we understand what the ideal applicant “looks” like for each school. Our team meets regularly to discuss admissions trends, our clients’ results, and new developments. And given our team-based approach, we are constantly talking to, emailing, and sharing information with each other.

As much as we wish we could guarantee acceptance for all our clients, admissions is a subjective process. However, with more than 16 years of experience helping thousands of applicants get into business school, we know what it takes to be successful, and we guide each of our clients through the process using our years of expertise. To that end, for our comprehensive MBA applicant clients, we do offer a four-school guarantee. If you work with Stratus on a comprehensive package of four or more business schools in Round 1 and are not accepted to any of those MBA programs, we will support your applications to two more schools in Round 2—at no additional cost to you!

We are a team of thoughtful and experienced coaches who have graduated from leading business schools and have experience across a variety of functions, industries, and geographies. We are former admissions officers at esteemed MBA programs who have reviewed tens of thousands of applications. We are mentors, professional advisers, and strategists. We share our experience and knowledge with each other and with our clients. Most importantly, we are a team dedicated to your success.

Learn more about our MBA Admissions Counselors here.

We offer a variety of admissions consulting services to fit any budget. Although many of our clients choose to work with us on comprehensive packages, where our counselors support you through the entire process for a flat fee, we do also offer hourly and other targeted admissions consulting services for those looking for advice and guidance on just one or two areas of their MBA application or for those in a time crunch.

View our MBA admissions consulting services here.

Stratus Admissions Counselors work with applicants anywhere from just a few weeks to several months. We try our best to work on any timeline, but you should understand that the more time you have to work on your applications, the better. The majority of our comprehensive clients work with us for 8 months, developing their application strategy before brainstorming essay topics, outlining and writing essays, reworking resumes, choosing and coaching recommenders, and preparing for interviews.

Stratus’s MBA blog is full of information about the admissions process, including application essay tips, resume and short answer guidance, advice on recommendation letters, interview assistance, and so much more. Our free webinars are also a great way to learn more about various aspects of the application process; we offer them regularly. We also recommend that you explore the admissions section of your target schools’ web sites. Most schools also offer admissions blogs that provide information straight from admissions committee members.