Stratus Admissions Counseling | MBA Admissions Consultants

I worked with Jennifer in round 1 on 3 schools in 2019. From the start, she helped me get to the bottom of what my story is, and how to best convey both my strengths and my goals. I approached Jennifer with fairly short notice to the round 1 deadlines (just under 6 weeks to the first deadline) and was able to meet all targets with ample time.

Her team provided a comprehensive support package. I received interviews at all 3 schools and heard news quickly from my top pick that I had gotten in. I believe with her help, I would have had a strong chance of getting in all 3 of those schools. I am going to a top 5 program, and another one of the interviews was a top 5 program.

I had the pleasure of working with Jennifer in 2019 and applied to 3 schools R1 and 1 school R2. I purchased the comprehensive 3 school package and then additional hours to complete my R2 application.

Jennifer is hands-on, engaging and extremely attentive to each student she works with. Jennifer was always available to meet to discuss various questions I had regarding my application.

I was admitted to both my 1st and 2nd choice schools and would not have been possible without the help of Jennifer and the entire Stratus team.

I had used MBAdmission previously to apply to schools and would 100% use Stratus over MBAdmission. The team you receive when working with Stratus are all dedicated to you, even though they have other clients, there are multiple levels of review and sincere, well thought out comments regarding your essays and strategies.

Stratus Consulting made the MBA Admissions process, which can be incredibly daunting, much more manageable through their day to day assistance with everything from creating a personal strategy, to determining appropriate individuals for recommendations, to reviewing multiple essay drafts. I would highly recommend their services.

The admissions process is long and demanding. As a foreigner and quite older than the average applicant, it was clear to me that contracting an admissions counselor was an investment, not an expense. I evaluated carefully different admission consultants: Stratus stood out among all due to their personalized approach and their substantial expertise. I feel they really listened to my personal needs and concerns; for example, I requested to interview my potential counselor to provide my approval before starting the engagement and they were happy to accommodate it.
I finally signed up for the two schools package and was paired up with Lisa Cummings as my primary advisor. I could not be happier! Lisa went the extra mile to understand my background and goals and ensured I presented my best self through the application package.
Lisa’s expertise and outstanding commitment were key to successfully navigate through Stratus sound methodology that supports the entire process – from school/program search to decision – and to take full advantage of the excellent support materials, including timelines and templates for essays.
The pieces of Stratus methodology that I valued the most are the introspection and the strategy exercises. They helped me uncover my own personal key background themes/strengths/motivations and define the best personal strategy to differentiate myself and put together a coherent and strong application.
I found this work to be not only helpful for the application but also for my future job search. I was assigned a strategy advisor as well to work on that piece with me and Lisa. My strategy advisor was Susan Cera who in my opinion did an excellent job not only with the strategy definition but also boosting my confidence.
Lisa also went the extra mile diligently and untiringly keeping my application package aligned to strategy, improving my writing, proofreading my essays and resume, coordinating additional proofreading by other experts, keeping the schedule to meet the deadlines, turning around work faster than committed to give me extra time for my own reviews and last but not least, giving me peace of mind throughout the process since I felt I was working in the right direction together with the best support there is.
I enthusiastically recommend Lisa Cummings and Stratus. I believe Lisa Cummings great empathy, commitment and expertise, and Stratus customer focus and sound methodology were key to my success.

The admission process is complex, long, and has lots of hidden, unevident aspects – getting some help from professionals would be a wise move for many prospective applicants. I would strongly recommend Stratus to anyone who needs help in applying to top-tier business schools. When it comes to succeeding in getting accepted to M7 there is simply no other company that would go above and beyond in supporting you as much as would Stratus.

Before choosing this company I have done quite a selection process of different admission consultants – Stratus stood out among all due to their sharp focus on helping me as their client and their extensive expertise.

During the whole process, I have never second-guessed my decision to go with them as Donna Bauman and Susan Cera did absolutely amazing job and, eventually, helped to get me admitted to Columbia Business School. As I said the process was long and, at times, tiring – Donna and Susan did absolutely fantastic job in helping me stay focused and advised extensively on different options and moves I should consider. I am beyond grateful to them for their help and highly recommend their service to anyone!

It was a pleasure to work with Jennifer. I started working with her close to the deadline for applications, and she was very helpful in identifying the most high-priority items and how to tackle them. She understood my professional goals very quickly and made suggestions of schools and essay topics that would align nicely. She also let me maintain my voice and personality throughout the process- something I found that other counselors did not respect as much. She was practical about what I could accomplish and demonstrated true compassion throughout the process.

While working in a foreign country, I had unexpected visa issues which dramatically accelerated my MBA timeline. I completed 3 MBA applications in one week which would not have been possible without Susan’s support. I had an hourly engagement with Susan and Stratus. She and her team were not only incredibly responsive on such a tight timeline, but more importantly, they were deeply invested in my story and candidacy. The introspection activities, essay outlining/reviewing, and interview prep that Stratus provided me led to acceptance at a top 5 MBA program, waitlist at a top 3, and rejection at another top 10 programs, all applications in the more competitive Round 3. As the headline suggests, Susan and Stratus go the extra mile to put themselves in the candidate’s shoes while being thoughtful and respectful in their guidance. Highly recommend!

Lisa is the best admissions and career consultant I’ve worked with!! Here is a brief background of mine. I went to a liberal arts college and I majored in Economics. I was hoping to get into a solid Master of Science in Finance program so that I could concentrate on gaining technical skills. Stratus seemed to have good reviews, so I thought about giving it a try by having a conversation with one of their consultants first (the first session was free) I ended up speaking with Lisa over the phone during my first session, and I knew I wanted to work with her immediately after our call.
If you are interested in going to a top business school, I highly recommend Lisa for three reasons. Firstly, Lisa truly helped me visualize my goals and understand the long-term value of a business school. Lisa has great work and life experiences. In fact, she went to work in finance also after a liberal arts education. Lisa perfectly understood my goals and concerns at this stage in life, and she guided me like a mentor. Secondly, Lisa is extremely professional and dedicated. As you know, it can take several months from application submission to admission decision. Lisa stayed on top of everything throughout the process, including a random thought of mine. For example, I had this idea of coming up with something creative to impress the admissions committee, but I wasn’t sure what would be the best form to deliver it. Lisa heard it and loved my idea of making a video. She was the person who helped me implement this idea and put it into real action. It turned out to be a big success. Finally, Lisa has a wonderful personality!! If you work with her, you will be charmed by her wisdom and thoughtfulness. I am thankful to have her as my admissions consultant and I hope to stay in touch with her!!

It was a great pleasure working with Joe! As a young applicant with a mediocre GPA, a relatively competitive but not stellar GMAT score, and a “soft-core” work experience, I had my doubts towards applying for business school. Joe helped me every step along the way in crafting up a good story to tell about myself. He was straightforward with my strengths and weaknesses and gave me detailed constructive feedback. Although none of the schools worked out in my five-school package, I got into Georgetown, which is still a top-notch program. I was well aware that my overall profile was at best neutral, if not weak, but I aced it with all the help from Joe. I would highly recommend him to anyone seeking to retain an admission consultant.

With Joe’s help, I was able to get into all the schools I applied to. Joe was a great asset to have throughout the process, as he constantly offered great advice and constructive criticism on how I could improve my application. He was able to make my application stand out. I highly enjoyed working with Joe and would strongly recommend him to anyone looking to apply to MBA programs!

Before writing about Donna, I’ll say it’s important to know what you’re looking to get out of an MBA consultant. I began the process with Donna with only 40 days until round 2 submission, so not only was I looking for guidance on school selection, application strategy, resume and essay review, and interview prep, I also needed a project manager of sorts to clearly lay out deadlines and allow me to use the little non-working time I had most efficiently. I had talked to several consultants and it was clear that Stratus had the full package. When I first talked to Donna I knew we would work well together (while the Stratus process is great, your relationship and ability to work with your individual consultant is the most important piece).

As far as value goes, I can’t praise Stratus, Donna, and Cartha enough. The introspective application strategy is something that contributed greatly to my essays and I would not have gotten there on my own. By connecting me with former clients and knowing where my strengths played best, Donna helped inform my school selection. My professional resume was turned upside down into a great MBA resume. The school-specific essay review, interview guides, and mock interviews were dead on. And apart from their own gain from my success, they were truly rooting for me throughout the process.

To speak to results, I applied to 4 top 10 programs, was admitted to 3, waitlisted at 1. Even if I started months earlier and had a wide network of recent MBAs, I’m not sure I would have produced the same quality of applications.

I highly recommend Stratus overall and in particular would recommend Lisa Cummings who helped coach me through essays, resume, and interview prep. I was accepted into MIT and believe she was essential to that process. Lisa was firm in her direction and keeping me on pace, yet patient with my more nuanced questions that came up. A good consultant is not writing your essay or resume but is ensuring you are presenting the best possible version of yourself. Lisa taught me to think of it as a branding exercise – does your story make sense, are your themes coherent, are you speaking directly to the program of interest. I spoke with a half dozen consultants plus two at Stratus before making a decision. These types of services are not cheap so it is essential you find someone that you can work well with and understands the program you’re interested in. The staff is very flexible and responsive and have a very refreshing approach to how they handle clients compared to other services – mainly that the consultants do not handle the sales and pricing conversations, which I found in other programs often made me feel like I was buying a used car. I found a package that worked best for me and do not regret it one bit.

I highly recommend Jennifer Jackson of Stratus. Although Jennifer advises some applicants from the very start of their business school application process, I engaged her after I had written self-reflections and begun drafting essays. I wanted someone to serve as a sounding board for my ideas, and to offer tips on expressing myself effectively in writing and in interviews.

First, I appreciated that Jennifer could adapt her approach to clients of all readiness levels. As mentioned, I came to Jennifer having already completed a fair amount of preparation. Instead of making me rewrite my thoughts in her templates or follow her usual process, Jennifer got to know me through the materials that I had already put together myself. Her adaptiveness saved me time and ensured that I got what I was seeking out of our sessions together.

Second, I enjoyed the advantages that came from Jennifer’s membership in the larger Stratus organization. As a few examples: Jennifer shared guidance from the most knowledgeable individuals in her network. She set up a Wharton practice group interview, led by another Stratus employee, alongside other applicants from Stratus’s clients. And I received encouraging emails from both Jennifer and Susan Cera, head of Stratus, as I went along. I believe that these advantages are distinct to organizations, as opposed to independent advisors.

Third and most importantly: Even as an applicant who had already done some preparation, I benefitted from Jennifer’s advice. As a sounding board for my ideas, Jennifer helped me to identify my most compelling stories, recognize areas where I could add depth, and cut color commentary. She also pointed out stylistic areas to improve in my interviewing style, and our practice boosted my confidence.

All in all, it was a pleasure working with Jennifer and Stratus. I would recommend them both to clients at any stage in the business school application process. (And I was ultimately accepted at two of the top five U.S. MBA programs first-round.)

Working with Joe was great! He provided very constructive feedback on how best to tell my story. He worked with me every step of the way and took the time to get to know me and my experience to make sure my story was authentic to me. I really enjoyed working with him and would highly recommend him to anyone applying to b-school!

As a non-traditional candidate, I was really nervous about making my experience seem relevant to b school admissions committees. After searching around for several different consultancy services, I decided to go with Stratus, both for their competitive price and their clearly structured plan to help candidates achieve their business school goals.

I was lucky enough to be placed with Donna, who really made my experience applying to business school eye-opening and interesting. We began with an introductory call where Donna really looked beyond my CV to see what was at the heart of my decision to apply, and made multiple suggestions on schools I previously hadn’t considered. After that, the path was very clear: we had regular deadlines, lots of e-mail communication and several calls with really useful and pointed feedback that I could easily integrate. Donna held me hand through this long process and made sure I was reflecting what was truly me at each stage.

If you are looking for a consultant that will do the work for you: this isn’t it. Donna always encouraged me to dig deeper, to re-tweak until it was perfect and to let my authentic voice shine through: guiding me as I went along this journey without ever inserting her own thoughts into my narrative. It was mine to craft, but I really valued Donna’s support to craft it in a way that would look good for business schools.

When it came to interview stage, Donna helped me by conducting a challenging yet realistic interview and by giving helpful feedback afterward. I went into my interviews feeling confident and they both went really well! I ended up getting an offer from both schools I applied to as well as a generous scholarship offer from one. Definitely recommend!

I worked with Donna on a 4-school package and couldn’t be happier with the results. Donna knows the ins and outs of the process and so much more. We worked on my key themes (that become building blocks of the application), school selection, a resume revamp, and created a winning strategy. Everything was methodical yet never did I feel that the relationship was “transactional”. Donna truly puts herself in your shoes and becomes a mentor. The perk is that you also get a team behind Donna, including other senior consultants and school-specific consultants, to provide a comprehensive impression of your application.

Amazing experience with Donna and the Stratus team. Super fast response time and always on top of things. I got into several dream schools with combined scholarships that made over 2000% return on my investment. Heading to a top 10 school. Good luck!!

I worked with Donna on my US MBA applications. Donna exemplified the most essential quality needed in a consultant – being invested in the client’s success. She worked beyond the time limits to give my application the best chance I could possibly get.

I worked with Donna on my school selection, essays and resume. Compared to many other consultants that I have met, she showed intimate knowledge of most schools (gained through school visits) and advised me on possibilities of cracking a given school keeping in mind my post-MBA career ambitions. On essays, she helped shape a compelling story in a manner, which only an experienced consultant could have done. But most of all, the killer-punch was the resume. She helped me completely reshape my “career-resume” to an “MBA-resume”, which I felt was an important piece of constructive feedback.

Overall I highly recommend Donna and it was a pleasure working with her.

P.S.: I am happy to say that based solely on Donna’s advice I applied to one of the M7 schools and got an interview invite. Donna also helped me with my interview preparation specific to the school. Great working with here through-out!

I had the unique experience of working with Donna and Stratus for two application seasons. In 2016, Donna helped me get accepted by three elite MBA programs. However, unforeseeable circumstances forced me to postpone my plans to pursue an MBA. Because I had such a great experience in the past, when I was ready to reapply, I contacted Donna immediately to ask her if she was willing to help me again. This had proven to be one of the best decisions that I have ever made, as I was accepted by five elite MBA programs this year with scholarships from four of them.
During this journey, Donna was always super responsive, even during weekends and holiday seasons; the average turnaround time was around 12 hours. She managed to help me prepare seven high-quality applications within one month! She was also always thinking about what was best for me; I felt I was treated not as a client but as a friend and a family member. When things were not going as planned, she was there to encourage me and help me brainstorm new ways to improve my candidacy. When I was behind schedule, she pushed me so that we could move forward. When I was accepted by my dream school, she was there first to congratulate me. Nowadays when the application season is over, we still chat regularly to discuss my progress. I am extremely grateful for her dedication and commitment to my success.
I honestly think I could not achieve what I have without the support from Donna and the entire Stratus team. I would recommend her to anybody I know who is interested in pursuing an MBA education!

I would highly recommend the profile development services offered. I’m a fairly organized person but I know that having some external accountability and guidance is valuable which is why this service appealed to me. The great thing about Stratus is that they have a comprehensive framework that they guide prospective applicants through so that you know there isn’t anything you are forgetting in terms of making sure you’re presenting a well rounded self to admissions committees. This is a worthy investment and a great way to make sure you get yourself ready to apply to grad school. Your advisor will check in with you occasionally and you’ll get an updated document from them showing what you’ve done and what you’re working on by the next time you connect. If nothing else, you will be much more confident in yourself going into your applications.

I began working with Jennifer in June 2017. At the time (similar to many prospective applicants!), I was juggling full-time employment and GMAT studying. Facing the applications themselves seemed daunting. Working through Stratus’s introspection activities with Jennifer gave me a starting point and was an incredibly helpful way to frame my ‘story’ and clarify my MBA and post-MBA aspirations.

Jennifer worked with me to set a realistic timeline given the large number of schools I was planning to apply to and, while she was always flexible when work or life got in the way, was great about keeping me on track throughout the process. She was extremely responsive and knowledgeable about the programs I was applying to – if I ever had a question about a program that she couldn’t answer, she would reach out to her peers at Stratus to help me get the needed information. I particularly recommend the comprehensive counseling package. Having the opportunity to receive structured feedback from multiple sources at Stratus, including my assigned senior strategist Susan Cera (who was also fantastic to work with!), a proofreader and a school-specific specialist for each program, ensured I was putting forth the best possible application.

Thanks to the help of Jennifer and the Stratus team, I was ultimately accepted to three top-10 programs and will be headed to my dream school this fall!

I had a really great experience working with Donna Bauman. She was exceptionally encouraging and supportive throughout my application journey. She was always willing to provide helpful, honest, and timely feedback (within 24 hours) and was able to be flexible to accommodate with our time zone differences for interview preparations. Most importantly, she really took the time to understand my unique background and aspirations and was a true advocate to ensure that I conveyed my unique story across my applications. I would highly recommend Donna and Stratus to anyone looking for an admissions consultant!

Going with Stratus was hands down the best decision/investment I made during the MBA application process. Melisa took a genuine interest in my application and success; it really paid off. Her knowledge and help was both comprehensive and school specific. She guided me through the entire process and was extremely easy to work with. Melisa also worked very efficiently which I appreciated since that allowed me to move at the best pace possible. I would highly recommend Melisa and Stratus to anyone who is serious about getting into a good program.

I had a great experience working with Melisa. I purchased the hourly package and we used the time to work on my resume and essays. I was very much a non-traditional applicant and had no idea about the business school application process, but her guidance made the whole thing a breeze. She had extensive knowledge of every school on my list and made sure each application fit its respective school perfectly.

When it came to actually editing my resume and essays, Melisa was very efficient with her time, which I really appreciated considering I was paying by the hour. She sent back all her edits within a day, and every single suggestion was valuable. I applied in Round 2 so all the deadlines were right after the holidays, but she made herself available even then.

Most importantly, she genuinely cares about your success! She asked for and appreciated updates well past the application phase. She even introduced me to another one of her clients attending the same program as me so I could start connecting with future classmates right away. I would highly recommend Melisa to anyone looking for an application consultant.

I will be the first to admit that I was skeptical about using an MBA admissions consultant. I went back and forth about the idea for at least six months while I did research and after talking with several consultants I finally went with Stratus. I couldn’t have been happier with my choice. Donna Bauman was the best thing that happened to me along the way to applying to business school. Donna took the time to not only help me with the application process but also to help me make some difficult personal decisions about where to apply, decisions that were greatly assisted by her own personal anecdotes and experiences. Through a clear and concise pipeline we worked together every step of the way, with Donna taking time out of her evenings and weekends to help with my often last minute modifications and revisions. The employees at Stratus went above and beyond to help work around my schedule and timeline throughout the MBA application process, and after the hours and hours spent talking to Donna on the phone I now consider her a friend. Several months ago I was accepted to my #1 pick school, and awarded a hefty scholarship to boot, making Stratus more than worth the price I paid.

When I first considered using a consultant, I was hesitant to commit to the price of a comprehensive package without truly understanding what working with a consultant would be like. The Application Fundamentals and Strategy option with Stratus was a relatively low-risk way to start the process and gave me the flexibility to choose how I wanted to proceed (i.e., working solo, purchasing hours, or upgrading to a comprehensive package) thereafter. I was worried that in using a consultant, I would lose my “voice” trying to fit into some consultant mold, but the outcome was quite the opposite. The Introspection process forced me to think about how different experiences in my life have shaped me personally and professionally and to examine post-MBA career options that fit with both my experiences and aspirations. Susan helped me identify themes across these different goals and experiences. The upfront work I did with Susan laid the foundation for my application strategy, kept my story grounded, and was directly applicable to several essays and even interview questions. It also helped guide my conversations with supervisors when I asked them to write my LORs. For me, the Application Fundamentals and Strategy option was a great way to “try out” working with a consultant while still moving the ball forward on my applications. I did end up upgrading to a comprehensive package. Susan, Harold, and the rest of the Stratus folks were great resources throughout the process and gave quality feedback on essays and interview prep. The application process is a grind, no matter what. There really aren’t short cuts. But for me, it was helpful to have a knowledgeable sounding board/resource throughout the process. I overall had a great experience working with Stratus, and I am excited to be attending an M7 school in the fall.

I recommend working with Stratus Admissions to anyone who is serious about applying to top MBA programs. I began working with my consultant, Donna, through the MBA Early Edge Package about 18 months before I applied to schools. Through the Early Edge Package, we identified opportunities to strengthen my application profile with enough time to make important improvements. Many of the improvements became core pieces of my essays and interview answers. Since Donna and I had already been working together for a year through the Early Edge Package, we were in a great position to hit the ground running when essays and applications were released. Donna was very responsive, genuinely interested in my success and provided excellent, school-specific feedback. Her experience as as a full-time MBA admissions officer prior to Stratus allowed Donna to provided expert advice on each application and guidance navigating the stressful application process. With Donna’s insight and the support of the entire Stratus team, I was admitted to my dream school and look forward to attending a Top 5 MBA program this year! If you are serious about attending an elite MBA program, starting with Stratus as early as possible will help achieve your goals!