I wholeheartedly recommend Donna as an MBA admissions consultant. Throughout my application journey, Donna’s expertise, dedication, and guidance were instrumental in shaping my success.
From the very beginning, Donna showcased her profound understanding of the MBA admissions landscape. She took the time to deeply understand my strengths, experiences, and aspirations, allowing her to best help me craft my tailored application strategy that truly highlighted my unique qualities and goals.
One of Donna’s exceptional strengths is her meticulous attention to detail. She provided invaluable feedback on my approach to applications and essays, helping me refine my thoughts and strengthen my presentation with clarity and impact. I can’t thank Donna enough for her commitment to ensuring that my application best reflected my candidacy and goals.
Furthermore, Donna’s expertise in navigating the waitlist process at my top-choice program was amazing. Her guidance on how to effectively communicate my continued interest and commitment to the admissions committee was truly invaluable and help.
In conclusion, Donna’s expertise, attention to detail, and genuine dedication to her clients’ success make her an exceptional resource. With Donna’s guidance, I not only crafted a strong application strategy and essays but also successfully navigated the challenging waitlist process, ultimately securing acceptance to my top-choice MBA program. I am immensely grateful for her invaluable support throughout the process.
I had the privilege of getting to work with Susan as my MBA Admissions consultant. Susan was recommended to me by a friend who worked with her last year and spoke so highly of her that I knew she was someone I could trust to get my MBA applications across the finish line. Prior to working with Susan, I had written my MBA essays on my own the previous year with the plan to submit my applications without an MBA consultant. I had doubts about my ability to get my story across in my applications and I ultimately decided that working with an MBA consultant and waiting another year would give me the confidence I needed to put my best foot forward. Susan was living proof that I had made the right decision.
During my time with Susan, I had the chance to start over with my MBA applications and use the Introspection exercises to really reflect on who I was, what my passions were, and why I ultimately wanted to get an MBA. She helped me identify themes that represented who I was and channeled these themes throughout my application, essays, and recommendations. There were certain experiences I shared with her that I had not considered highlighting in my application but she saw those experiences differently, which allowed me to share a unique perspective of myself. Susan also leveraged her network and her Stratus teammates, such as Melisa Prevost (huge shoutout!), to help connect me with the right resources and chat with previous clients about their MBA admissions journey.
When it came to feedback, whether it was my essays, my resume, or my interview preparation, Susan was thorough and upfront, which made such an impact for me to not be afraid to change my content entirely or start over. She pushed me to go beyond my comfort zone by conveying my emotions in my essays and helped me to refine my resume bullet points and my interview responses to be succinct.
Overall, I can say that Susan was one of the best investments I could have made with my MBA admissions journey. Because of her, I was able to get into multiple M7 schools, including Wharton, my dream school, where I will be matriculating this year! Susan walks the walk and talks the talk and I could not be more thrilled to give her the highest of recommendations.
Asking Stratus to assist with my applications was one of the best decisions I made all year. As someone from an atypical background, it was critical that I had someone to guide me through the process. They helped me portray who I am in a way that would resonate with Admissions Committee members. … I was presenting the best “me” possible.
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. Susan successfully guided me in the application process to an M7 school which resulted in acceptance! Susan’s expertise assisted me with test selection/recalibration, brainstorming and writing essays, updating my resume, and preparing for interviews. 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.
You played a key role in this, and I am deeply grateful for the huge support and great/customized guidance you and my Stratus counselor have provided me.
Before I even got to the point of actually receiving an offer, I couldn't thank my counselor and you for your strategic inputs as well as the whole extended team enough not only for helping me build application materials I'm very happy with, but also for making me grow on a personal level throughout the process. I gained an incredibly clearer sense of what defines me, how I could be a better person, what impact I would like to create going forward, and how I could do it.
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.
From my first consultation call, my counselor was honest with me. She straight up told me that [Harvard Business School, Stanford GSB, Wharton] would be a very uphill climb but that she would do everything in her power to help me achieve that goal. My counselor was extremely supportive and provided a very personalized experience. She took the effort to really get to know me—where I come from, where I want to go, what my beliefs and motivations were, in order to help me tell my story. I am so grateful for everything she did for me. Yes, using an admissions consultant is pricey, but it is well worth getting into your dream school.
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.
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!
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!
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, 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 want to thank you for the tremendous amount of effort, work, and support you have given to [my daughter]. No amount of words could ever come close to explaining how appreciative I am of you for being there for her. Wherever this sometimes-daunting journey leads us, I have faith it’s where we are supposed to be. So “thank you,” again.
Overall, I am highly satisfied with the counseling services of Stratus Admissions Counseling. They provided great support at each step to review, improve, and validate my MBA story. Initially, when I signed up with Stratus, I was very nervous about the application process. My counselor kept me motivated and on schedule.
I worked with Stratus for over a year on my b school applications. They provided excellent service while being easy and enjoyable to work with.
They helped me wrangle my personal and professional experiences and craft them into a compelling narrative. They were prompt in responding to all my questions and providing feedback on my essays. With their help, I was able to secure a 30% scholarship to a top 20 MBA program.
Apart from receiving excellent service from Stratus, they were extremely friendly and easy to work with. I always looked forward to my weekly or bi-weekly call with my Stratus counselor. And in the emotional peaks and valleys of the process, I always felt like I could be open with Stratus and rely on their guidance.
Joe and I worked together for almost a year crafting my story as a transitioning teacher. I had a very unique story to tell and he helped me learn more about myself and help shine myself in the best light possible to MBA schools. I had a very low GRE score which put me on the waitlist at many top-ranked schools. Joe was able to work with me to provide meaningful updates to those schools I was on the waitlist for and helped me with other schools I was applying to. Joe went the extra mile by providing meaningful advice on all the schools that I applied to, not just the ones I paid to work with him on! If you want someone who is caring, considerate, timely, and (most importantly) informative, Joe is the right person for you!
As a whole, Stratus Consulting has provided me with a plethora of resources that not only help with the MBA application process but carry on into recruiting and pre-MBA events! I cannot say enough that hiring Joe and working with Stratus was one of the best investments I’ve made!
The school I’m now attending is a huge testament to how fortunate I am to have worked with you, and yet, given how much I feel I’ve benefited from your advice throughout this process, my ultimate decision is just another way this experience exceeded my wildest expectations. Thank you for such a phenomenal experience.
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 was very happy with the help I received from Stratus. My counselor gave me helpful feedback and turned around edits in a timely fashion. I can say with confidence that my applications were significantly stronger because of his feedback and our rounds of editing. It was clear he has a lot of knowledge about the admissions process, and he was always able to convey his feedback in a direct and honest manner. Given how competitive the admissions process is, I’m really glad that I took advantage of this resource. The extra help goes a long way.
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.
[My counselor] has been available from dawn to dusk to go over drafts of my essays, help me develop my applicant file, and answer any questions I may have. Most importantly, her feedback has helped me stay calm and collected throughout the application process. I applied to 12 law schools and have so far heard back positively from nine, including two of my reach schools. I would highly recommend Stratus’s services to anyone who is unsure or nervous about the law school application process.
I am immensely grateful for Susan’s guidance, which helped me get admitted to my dream MBA program at Stanford!
Susan was instrumental in working with me to sift through essay ideas and find my “voice.” Susan prepared me thoroughly for my MBA interview, providing critical feedback on how my responses would be perceived from an interviewer’s point of view and helping me to gain the confidence to succeed. As a former admissions officer who has also coached so many other candidates, Susan brings a level of insight and judgment that friends, family, and colleagues cannot replicate. Furthermore, Susan encouraged me to apply for a merit scholarship, which I would not have considered on my own. Susan has helped me better understand myself even beyond the MBA application.
Looking back, I remember browsing these forums when trying to decide whether to work with Susan and her team at Stratus. I would say to my old self without hesitation to work with Susan – see it as a worthwhile investment in yourself!
I most definitely recommend Stratus, the attention to detail and care the team puts into their work makes a tremendous difference. I will be attending Columbia Business School in the fall and can say with confidence that I would not be here without Stratus.
Throughout the admissions process, Melisa and her team were nothing short of incredible! I just started my second quarter at UCLA Anderson, and I am still in disbelief at all the offers I was able to choose from when considering my MBA. My relationship with Melisa was amazing and it kept me motivated and confident throughout the entire journey. To be completely transparent, I had a few moments of “nervous breakdowns” (as many of us do when facing high-pressure challenges) but Melisa was always there to bring me back down to earth and provide reassurance. I came into the admissions process thinking I had it all figured out, not that Melisa changed my mind, but she did her due diligence to help me discover what it was I truly wanted, and more importantly where I would be the happiest. Melisa provided a road map every step of the way while setting realistic goals and timelines that I was comfortable with. Any possible worry I had in the admissions process whether it be choosing a program, writing essays, updating my resume, or preparing for interviews, Melisa provided support and helped me prepare mentally and emotionally. Any time the admissions process comes up in conversation, Melisa is the first person that comes to mind. I am proud to say that her guidance quite literally changed my life and allowed me to reach my full potential and attend the MBA program of my dreams.
After months of debating whether I should hire an admissions consultant and setting up informational interviews with multiple companies, I ultimately chose Stratus for their team-based approach to reviewing candidates' materials and the fact that their consultants were realistic but optimistic. While hiring an admissions consultant can certainly be pricey, I think it is well worth the investment to have a team of professionals supporting you along the way. It is also a small cost in exchange for peace of mind throughout the process (i.e, essentially a project manager to keep you on track and an editor to help you review), and in my case, help getting into my dream school with a significant scholarship.
I had an amazing experience working with Joe as my admission consultant. He truly went above and beyond in every aspect of the application process. Despite the 15-hour time difference between China and the west coast of California where Joe was based, he was always prompt and responsive in answering all my questions, providing feedback on my essays, and guiding me on school selection.
I remember having multiple drafts for my essays, and Joe took the time to provide detailed feedback for every single one of them. He patiently answered all my questions, even though I had a lot of them, and provided valuable insights and suggestions for improvement. As the submission deadline approached, I was amazed and truly grateful for Joe’s quick turn-around time, even sacrificing his sleep to provide feedback during odd hours, sometimes as late as 3 am or 4 am his time in the Pacific time zone.
Joe’s dedication and commitment to his clients were evident in every interaction. He was not only prompt in his responses but also went the extra mile to ensure that I was confident and well-prepared throughout the application process. His encouragement and support were invaluable, especially during times when I felt underconfident.
Overall, Joe is the most responsible and dedicated admission consultant I have ever worked with. His expertise, commitment, and encouragement helped me put forth my best application. I highly recommend Joe Farr to anyone seeking expert guidance and support in their MBA application journey.
Stratus Consulting made the MBA admissions process, which can be incredibly daunting, much more manageable through their day-to-day assistance with everything from creating a personal strategy to determining appropriate individuals for recommendations to reviewing multiple essay drafts. I would highly recommend their services.
I was very particular in selecting a consultant to work with. I wanted someone who would realistically evaluate my profile and chances at admission, but would also be encouraging and supportive to ease my self-doubt. Donna struck a perfect balance. Most meaningfully, she was an incredible cheerleader when I was at my most stressed while waiting to hear back from schools. She was always a call away, even on short notice, if I wanted to talk something through with her – whether it be how to phrase an email to an Admissions Committee member or the best tone for an interview thank you note.
Donna’s guidance was especially helpful when it came to my essays. She provided me with school-specific insights to aid in my writing process, keeping in mind the unique attributes that each school values. She reviewed the essays meticulously and gave fabulous comments that left me with a result that captured who I was inside and outside of the office.
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!
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!
I first connected with Melisa through the free, 30-minute consultation offered by Stratus Admissions. She went above and beyond my expectations from that first introduction. I didn't have a large budget to work with, so I purchased the hourly package and Melisa was so quick and efficient that I received more than enough feedback. She is the perfect mix of supportive and encouraging, while also being very rational and logical. I received an amazing scholarship to my top program because of her help. I highly recommend Melisa!
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.
I am so grateful for Jennifer’s support throughout the MBA application process. Her guidance helped me get admitted to HBS and several other T10 schools with significant scholarship money.
In September 2022, I connected with a few consultants from other firms, looking for guidance on how to craft my application in time for R2 deadlines. I felt incredibly overwhelmed and stressed out when speaking with consultants from other firms. At the time, I was working diligently to boost my GMAT score and really needed someone to support me and hold me accountable on my applications.
When I met with Jennifer for a consultation, I could immediately tell I was in good hands. I worked on 3 schools with Jennifer and always felt that I could count on her honest, candid feedback. She is incredibly encouraging, knowledgeable, and effective in helping each client reach their goals. Jennifer pushes candidates to dig deep to reflect on what inspires/motivates them, and she provides exceptional support in clarifying your personal mission in a way that highlights your unique attributes and authentic voice. She is incredibly professional and responsive (I got always got a response 48 hours!), and a wealth of knowledge on what adcoms are looking for across MBA programs.
I found Jennifer’s advice to be incredibly candid, encouraging, and growth-oriented. She helped me build confidence in my story throughout the application/interview process. Her deep understanding of the HBS process in particular helped me with the interview and allowed me to be VERY well-prepared for all the types of questions that they can ask.
For anyone who feels unmoored by daunting MBA application process, working with Stratus will provide the structure and support you need. I am so excited to be starting at HBS in the fall — many thanks to Jennifer! 10/10 would recommend investing in yourself and working with Jennifer.
I received several M7 acceptances with Lisa’s help. Her biggest strength is that she will help you put your best foot forward on each application and every interview you will get.
Lisa understands admissions at b-schools. She has years of experience in admissions at a top business school. She understands what admissions offices look for in b-school candidates.
Lisa is excellent at identifying your strengths, weaknesses, and story. She spends a great deal of time learning about you, your background, what makes you tick, accomplishments you are proud of, and the strengths to highlight and the weaknesses to minimize on your application. This personal touch, tied in with her deep knowledge of b-school admissions, is an excellent combination to create a winning formula to present yourself exactly how b-schools want to see their applicants presented.
Lisa holds no punches and drills into your story, essays, and interview answers. She isn’t going to let you slide with anything that isn’t your best. She’s going to point it out, and work with you to make it your best. However, she communicates in a very effective way. She conveys her critiques less as criticisms and more as opportunities. You feel empowered and excited when she tells you that you can make something better.
Lisa is always available to you. She responds to emails quickly and always makes time for calls to explain the nuances of some of her ideas and the business school requirements.
Stratus has excellent resources, including experts on all of the major b-schools. Lisa routinely shared my essays and ideas with school experts who were able to provide valuable feedback to tweak a few things to capture the spirit of the individual programs.
The most difficult aspect of the interviews is the unknowns. What questions will they ask? What answers do they want to hear? How much of the school should I discuss? Lisa provided me with school-specific questions and completed a mock interview with me and offered to continue doing mock interviews for each school. I walked into each of my interviews having already heard each question they could ask, practiced answering them, and received feedback on what I did well and what I could improve. I knocked my interviews out of the park because of that.
The best investment is an investment in yourself. Get into the best b-school you can. Use Lisa to help you achieve that.
Lisa was an absolute superstar through this entire process, and beyond. She not only did an amazing job of guiding me through voicing my own story, but helped me create an amazing application for school but also aiding me as I reflected on life and what I wanted from my future, all without being overly hands-on. I cannot thank her enough for everything. After I was accepted, she then continued to make herself available as I spoke through a few important decisions. It felt as though she were a mentor and even a friend by the end of the process.
[My counselor] helped instill confidence in me for my applications and was vital in my navigation of the application process. She was instrumental in my acceptance into Columbia, along with my scholarship offers to Duke and Texas. I recommend Stratus to everyone who asks me what helped me the most in applying to law school.
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 can’t thank you enough for your support. … You served both as a sounding board and an influential voice throughout the process. I have said many times, I shudder to think of what my application would have looked like without you.
I got accepted to my dream school and received a generous scholarship offer, despite having a GPA and GMAT score lower than the school’s average and I could not have done it without the help from Sophie and the rest of the Stratus team. Sophie was an incredible mentor throughout this whole process, she help me frame my story in a way that was genuine but also highlighted characteristics that would leave an impression on the admission committee. Stratus was the best investment I made during this whole application process and I would absolutely recommend Stratus Consulting to anyone who wants to get into the best B-school possible.
Background: I am an Indian male, who studied engineering. So I am part of the most oversubscribed demographic. The aim was an M7. With this in mind, I went into my consultant search, and after speaking to a few, I felt everyone was great, but when I spoke to Jennifer, I was really impressed with her positivity and encouragement. The whole experience felt like a mentor-mentee relationship, rather than transactional.
She made me feel very comfortable and confident, something that definitely kept me going through the tough process.
I also appreciated the Stratus team based approach, along with Jennifer, my material got reviewed by a school specific reader as well as a proofreader. Getting everything in one place made it easy to focus on the important stuff. Their documentation and guides are extremely detailed and helpful.
Jennifer was very helpful in brainstorming ideas, without influencing or changing the narrative. She always asked good questions and pushed me to think deeper about my motivations and intention, giving valuable input wherever necessary.
She helped me keep on schedule, and was always prompt with her replies and feedback. I always looked forward to speaking to her, along with discussions on the applications, she would just give that extra boost of confidence that kept me going.
When I got interview invites, she immediately scheduled mock interviews. I mock interviewed with her almost 5-6 times, each time it was school specific. She even gave me some advice for schools I decided to apply on my own. When some initial rejections hit, she was very supportive, and kept the morale high.
It was a tough application cycle. I applied to 10 schools – Got interview invites for 6, and finally got into 3 schools. I finally decided to go to Kellogg.
If you are looking for someone who can bring out the best in you and keep your confidence high throughout, I would blindly go for Jennifer. The entire Status process is very comprehensive, and the team is very credible and supportive.
I couldn’t have asked for a better mentor and support resource throughout the MBA application process than Melisa. As a first-generation graduate student and child of immigrants, I was quite intimidated to start the application process. Melisa really took the time to get to know me as a person, understand my story and how it tied to my goals and gave me the confidence and support that I needed to really excel at the process. I also did not have a traditional MBA background but Melisa really helped me convey my unique traits and skill sets to admissions teams.
I looked into other consulting options and did not find anyone as kind and approachable as Melisa. She went above and beyond and truly took the time to help me achieve my goals even though I felt a few programs were out of reach for me. She also has a very flexible working style that works quite well for the working professional and others juggling multiple responsibilities. She kept in touch via email throughout the process and also gladly took virtual meetings whenever I needed the extra time to talk things through.
Because of Melisa’s guidance and support, I will be attending a top 10 MBA program on a full scholarship, and I can’t think of a better outcome or fit. I strongly recommend Melisa to any prospective applicant and look forward to seeing all the great things she will continue to do!
I contacted Stratus late in the game of my application process. I needed as much help as possible in less than a week’s time before applications were due. Though I had the grades, my LSAT score was just average, and I needed my essays to shine. I spoke with other companies, but in my first conversation with [my counselor], she showed me that she didn’t consider me just a “client,” another application, or a number. She cared about my story, my experiences, [and] what was important to me, and helped me to use those things to craft applications that not only showed schools why I was a unique candidate but that reflected me as a person and showed them why I was a candidate they wanted. Her personal attention didn’t stop there. She was willing to work with me in the short time we had and to work around my crazy schedule. Calls, emails... even while she was at the airport getting ready to board a flight. [She] and Stratus followed up with me after applications were submitted as well to check in. This is the team you want backing you in one of the most stressful times of your life.
Working with Stratus Admissions was one of the better decisions I have ever made. Not only did they do their job—get me into one of my dream schools (Berkeley Haas)—they did so much more. Thanks to Stratus, I have reflected on my unique career and life goals in such detail that I have gone from having a vague idea about what I want to do to knowing concrete plans that I am so excited to pursue. They also helped me figure out what my resume gaps were and find ways to address the gaps. The result has been me getting more involved with the community, creating one of the most rewarding experiences I have had in recent years.
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.
I applied to only one school with no backup plan, and Kelly was my secret weapon. She helped me tailor every part of my application and interview to successfully resonate with my target school. This means that she not only knew everything there was to know about admissions for my target school but also how to work with me to perfect my messaging. She was also friendly, responsive, candid, and just nice to work with.