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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
MBA applicants have a lot of options with regard to standardized testing. The choices range from the GMAT to the GRE and even the Executive Assessment (EA). Additionally, several schools offer test waiver options. Although the GMAT used to be the only game in town, the GRE and EA have grown in popularity over the...
If you are reading this thinking, “I’ve got lots of time before the Round 1 2025–2026 deadlines,” think again! Although September may seem far away, preparing now for Round 1 applications will enable you to develop a well-thought-out and comprehensive application by reflecting on your story and creating the strategy to pull out all of...
An estimated 80% of all businesses are considered family businesses to some degree. Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of business schools offer one or more courses focused on the unique challenges of running a business that means a whole lot more to you than just making money. If you are already working in a family business,...
Finance is one of the largest industries that business schools draw from. Here, I use the term “finance” broadly, including corporate finance, investment banking, equity research, private equity, asset management, and others. MBA admissions committees like candidates with experience in finance, as they generally have the quant skills needed to succeed academically. The flip side...
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!