Stratus Admissions Counseling

Q: Tell me a little bit about the firm. Size, number of full-time or part-time admissions consultants, how long you’ve been in business, and who do you serve?

A: Since 2006, Stratus Admissions Counseling has leveraged its unique team-based counseling model to serve more than 5,000 applicants from more than 50 countries, earning tens of millions of dollars in scholarships along the way. Our team of 18 MBA admissions counselors from leading business schools isn’t easily categorized. We are led by Susan Cera, who was number one on Poets&Quants’ list of the top 20 admissions consultants of 2021, and our team includes a former MIT admissions officer, a Wharton grad who scaled Everest, and an HBS grad with experience in talent management. While we have experience across a variety of functions, industries, geographies, and cultures, we are bound by a shared passion for serving our clients at our highest levels.

Q: What is your firm best known for?

We are increasingly known for our Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 86, based on the feedback we have received from our 2021–2022 clients. Created by Bain Consulting, NPS is a measure of client loyalty, ranging from -100 to +100; any score above 0 is considered “good,” and 86 is almost unheard of (Apple’s iPhone, for example, scores a 51).

Q: What makes your firm unique and differentiates you from other firms, large or small?

A: Our team-based approach sets us apart from other firms. Just as an MBA admissions committee will read your application multiple times, our team will repeatedly review and provide feedback on your application materials throughout the process. We match you with a primary counselor, who doesn’t just help you with your application but is also your mentor. In addition, an MBA Strategist provides feedback at key points along the way to ensure that you get the benefit of multiple perspectives on your progress and goals. Our MBA admissions team has firsthand experience with virtually all the top 20 MBA programs, and every client essay undergoes a “blind read” by a school-specific reviewer, mimicking how the admissions committees typically read applications. Finally, a proofreader ensures that your grammar and punctuation are on point before you submit your completed files.

Each member of our team has different strengths and can offer applicable information and insight to help candidates present their best qualities in their application.

Our MBA counselors at Stratus Admissions Counseling take great pride in connecting with their clients, helping them uncover their unique stories, articulate their goals, find the best-fit schools, and submit their strongest possible applications.

Q: Do you have a roadmap or formula for the MBA applicant?

A: At Stratus, we don’t put our clients in a “box” based on their personal or professional background. Rather, we take the time to understand each applicant’s strengths and goals individually so we can help them create a compelling narrative that will truly resonate with the admissions committees.

The Stratus Comprehensive Package covers three phases of work: Strategy Development, Application Development, and Post-Submission Support. The Strategy Development phase, which typically lasts four to six weeks, includes time with your Primary Counselor on a regular basis (typically once a week) to go through a series of introspection and self-reflection activities that will uncover your story and help develop what we refer to as your MBA Strategy. This is reviewed by the MBA Strategist in advance of a three-way call with your Primary Counselor and the MBA Strategist. Next is the Application Development phase, during which your primary counselor will work with you on revamping your resume, putting together outreach for your recommenders, and researching programs before you move forward with brainstorming, outlining, and editing your short answers and essays. Your primary counselor will typically initiate a call with you to kick off each new item, but moving forward with edits is done via email with Track Changes in a Word document (or Google Docs). When you and your Primary Counselor feel that your essays are in good shape, they are sent to a School-Specific Reviewer who will offer feedback and suggestions to strengthen your materials for that particular program.

Our proofreaders serve as the last line of defense for punctuation and grammar on your resume and essays. Once you submit your applications, your primary counselor remains with you to provide continued support for any additional information (e.g., supplemental essays, videos) needed if you are invited to interview. Your primary counselor will also prepare you for any interviews you are invited for. Once decisions are in, Stratus will continue to assist you as you navigate any waitlist situations, negotiate scholarships, or decide between multiple offers.

Q: Since you opened doors, how many MBA seekers have you helped to gain acceptance? How many successful applicants?

A: We estimate that since our start in 2006, we have helped more than 3,000 MBA applicants gain acceptance to prestigious business schools around the globe. We have also helped hundreds of graduate school and law school applicants successfully navigate the admissions process.

Stratus doesn’t make admissions decisions. We simply help our clients understand themselves and how admissions committees evaluate and select candidates so they can put forward their best and unique selves in the application process. When asked via survey, “On a scale of one to ten, how likely are you to recommend Stratus to a friend or colleague?,” 90% of our 2021–2022 clients who responded said nine or ten, with the other 10% saying eight.

Q: How can an applicant tell if your firm is a good fit for them to help them through the application process?

A: Stratus conducts hundreds of free consultations annually, and we strongly recommend that anyone interested in MBA admissions consulting services engage with us this way to learn what sets us apart. We provide a team-based admissions experience like no one else. Meanwhile, we approach our clients with a warm and supportive attitude, lifting them up and helping them craft their strongest candidacy. At Stratus, there are no gimmicks or games. We don’t sell ourselves with vague promises or false claims of scarcity. We develop trusting relationships that endure and lead to intense client satisfaction and loyalty.

Q: Do you ever refer people to other firms?

A: Because our team includes many full-time admissions consultants with a variety of backgrounds and experience, we have not needed to refer clients to other firms, though we certainly respect our colleagues in the industry.

Q: Give us one free tip for applicants:

A: Take the time upfront to conduct serious introspection and self-reflection so you can understand where you want to go professionally and why an MBA is the appropriate next step. This will help you identify the programs that will best prepare you to achieve your aspirations.