Stratus is Poets&Quants’ Top Medium-Sized MBA Admissions Consulting Team
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.
Why choose Stratus?
Team-based, personalized approach to MBA admissions consulting
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.
Expert MBA Admissions Counselors
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.
Personalized services for every step of the process
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.
MBA Four-School Guarantee
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.
We have a proven record of success and a clear understanding of how to help you get into your target MBA programs and reach your career goals
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.
Five-Star Reviews on Google, GMAT Club, and Poets&Quants
Net Promoter Score
in Merit Scholarships since 2021
Ranked Medium-Sized MBA Admissions Firm in 2024
Business school applicants love working with us! Read what just a few of the thousands of happy Stratus clients have to say:
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.
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.
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.
Latest Blog & Resources
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The business of health care is growing—and with it, the number of MBA programs that have strong resources in the industry. In this post, we at Stratus provide a comparison of MBA programs with strong health-care offerings across club, recruiting, entrepreneurial, and cross-disciplinary opportunities. The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania Wharton’s Health Care...
The Best MBA Programs for Investment Banking
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
Applying to an MBA program is daunting for everyone. As you polish up your resume, wrack your brain for application essay content, 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 or if you can still hack it...
Six Tips for Business School Reapplicants
If your 2024–2025 MBA applications were not successful, don’t despair! Take a little time to absorb the disappointment. After all, you spent significant time and effort 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 follow...
Schedule a free consultation!
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!