Blog:
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…
The Best MBA Programs for Consulting
April 23, 2024
I remember researching business schools back when I was still in the Army, before I applied to MBA programs. As a nontraditional applicant, I felt intimidated by the post-MBA world, as this would be the first time I’d have a “real” civilian job. With droves of leadership experience but not much knowledge around what a…
Five Things You Need to Know About Taking the GMAT/GRE
April 12, 2024
As MBA applicants know, standardized test scores are a vital part of the business school application process. For you, the candidate, it is important to understand the testing process, timelines, and differences between the GMAT and the GRE. This year, some of the test differences have changed as a result of the newly launched GMAT…
Six Tips for Business School Reapplicants
April 6, 2024
If your 2023–2024 MBA applications were not successful, don’t despair! Take a little time to absorb the disappointment. After all, you spent significant time and effort in crafting these applications. As soon as you are able, however, focus on the future. Many MBA candidates are successful in their subsequent applications! Here are six tips to…