Blog:
When Should I Apply to Business School?
May 29, 2024
As top business schools start to release their application deadlines and essay questions, a common question we at Stratus hear is “When should I apply?”—or more specifically, “In which round should I apply?” Most schools have three rounds of MBA application deadlines: generally in September/October (Round 1 [R1]), early January (Round 2 [R2]), and April…
Tips for Your Columbia Business School Application Essays
May 28, 2024
Columbia Business School Application Essay Tips, 2024-2025 Columbia Business School (CBS) has made several changes to its essay questions for both January and August term applications this year. August term applications have three rounds of deadlines (Round 1 is September 10, Round 2 is January 7, and Round 3 is April 1). The school has…
Tips for Your Berkeley Haas Application Essays
May 22, 2024
Berkeley Haas Application Essay Tips, 2024–2025 Berkeley Haas has decided to meet the activity of the past year with a steady hand, keeping its essay questions similar to 2023-2024. This means the adcom must have liked what they saw in candidates’ responses last season. Here are some thoughts to help you stand out in your…
Four Tips for Prepping Your Business School Recommenders
May 14, 2024
MBA letters of recommendation are a critical part of every business school application, but don’t panic! If you haven’t done so already, we at Stratus suggest that you start by reading our “Four Steps to a Five-Star MBA Recommendation.” Although recommendation letters are the part of your application over which you have the least control,…
25 Questions to Ask Students and Alumni While Researching MBA Programs
May 13, 2024
Connecting with students and alumni is an important part of researching MBA schools. Business school is a considerable investment of time and money, so digging a few layers deeper by speaking to current MBA students and alumni at your programs of interest will help you find the right programs. Additionally, schools want to know you’re…
Four Steps to a Five-Star MBA Recommendation
May 7, 2024
During my 15 years on a business school admissions committee, I read thousands of MBA recommendation letters. Every so often, in the best possible way, an MBA recommendation letter would STOP. ME. IN. MY. TRACKS. This kind of MBA recommendation letter had the power to change the trajectory of an applicant’s business school admissions journey,…
Four Ways an MBA Can Help You Get into Consulting
May 6, 2024
The first time I heard of McKinsey, I was in a container in Afghanistan. We were counting down the days until the end of our deployment, and some of us were pondering what life would look like once we left the Army. A friend told me all about McKinsey, and I decided that was my…
Five Tips to Build Your Quantitative Profile
May 2, 2024
Business school applicants are more diverse today than ever before. Throughout the last decade, business schools have worked hard to increase the range of industries represented in their classes. Last year, I worked with consultants, finance professionals, and engineers, but I also worked with applicants from nonprofits, sales teams, and conglomerated family businesses, as well…
Six Things to Do in May While You Wait for MBA Essay Prompts
May 1, 2024
As the weather gets nicer and you look forward to summer, it might be harder to focus on your business school applications. There’s so much you can be doing in May to make it easier on yourself in the coming months—so you can enjoy your summer and still be ready for R1 deadlines! Here are…
The Best MBA Programs for Investment Banking
April 29, 2024
Although investment banking is not as popular of a career choice for MBA students as it was a few decades ago, plenty still use the MBA degree to transition to finance careers including investment banking, corporate finance, and private equity/venture capital. Working as an associate in an investment bank provides a solid foundation in understanding…
Four Tips for Dealing with Imposter Syndrome When Applying to Business School
April 26, 2024
Applying to an MBA program can be daunting. As you polish up your resume, wrack your brain for application essay ideas, and obsess over your standardized test score, feelings of self-doubt and imposter syndrome often creep in. You might start questioning if you really deserve a spot in your target MBA program or if you…
Top MBA Programs for Entrepreneurship
April 25, 2024
I chose to pursue my MBA because I knew that I wanted to start my own production company. My goal was to develop ideas for content in different forms of media and manage the business plans for those concepts on my own, without giving up that power to someone else. While looking for MBA programs…