Joe Farr

Highly recommend Straus, Susan & Joe to anyone looking for expert guidance through the MBA admissions process.

From the very first ‘free consultation’ call, they diligently heard my stories, dilemma, goals, and provided a balanced, rational feedback, outlined a clear roadmap, and helped me navigate the full process – through multiple T10 interviews, offers, and beyond. This was especially valuable having a unique career path + a percieved fatal flaw in my background.

Be it during the application process, or interview prep, or even brainstorming school selection, Joe always went the extra mile to ensure that I was confident and well-prepared in my decisions – which was invaluable during times when I was confused/overwhelmed.

Overall – 10/10 recommend.

Navigating the MBA process was really stressful for me and felt like a black box, and I had a very low Q score to compensate for in writing all my essays. My budget meant that I couldn’t commit to buying a full package, so signed up on the hourly rate. Joe was super helpful in brainstorming, proofing, and editing all my essays, all the while mitigating the stress of the MBA application process by offering clear and concise feedback that always made for a better essay. He also was genuinely invested in my process, and was there to help calm any nerves that came up. I gained admission to several of my top schools and am very appreciative for the role that Joe played in helping me do so.

I worked with Joe on an hourly basis for essay and general application support, as well as for mock interviews. My GMAT score was not amazing (at or slightly below the average for my schools), and I came to him with very limited time before round 1 deadlines. Joe was immensely helpful from the earliest stages through even helping with scholarship negotiation discussions post-acceptance.

During the application process, I was already confident in my general story that I wanted to tell, but Joe really helped me refine it and pull out what is most important to discuss in the essays (with very limited space when you start writing!). I also consider interviewing a weakness of mine, so he helped tailor my responses, live reactions, and gave me more confidence. Very grateful to have worked with him!

I would recommend Joe to anyone if they are feeling overwhelmed with the overall MBA admissions process and have concerns over their candidacy (I had low test scores). I immediately felt at ease with Joe as he outlined all of the steps, helped with school selection, provided additional testing options/ guidance and reviewed all my application materials. I think the most useful exercise was the comprehensive introspection we did that really helped me craft my story and I think is the reason my essays and interviews went so well. I’ve gotten into 5 out of the 8 programs I applied to with hefty scholarships. Joe gave me the confidence to apply to these top schools in the first place!

I could not recommend Joe Farr from Stratus enough!! He was exceptional to work with. I come from a non-traditional background and a very niche industry where people don’t usually get MBAs. I was afraid ad com wouldn’t understand the work/impact from my career. I met with several admission consulting firms. Some of them were not encouraging of my story and wanted me to change it for the essays. Others were fine, but when I spoke with Joe I felt that he understood exactly how to strengthen my story and present it authentically. He helped me be purposeful in my school search. We did a lot of introspection work that made writing my essays much easier. He would take the time to provide detailed feedback for my essays and got that back to me very quickly. When interviews came around he was helpful in providing tips and strategies for answering specific questions. With his help I got interviews to 7/8 schools, and acceptances to Michigan (full ride), UVA (full ride), Duke (full ride), CBS ($$$), Northwestern ($$$), and Yale ($$). Now that I am deciding exactly which offer to accept he has helped with scholarship negotiations and identifying which offers will help me the most in my career moving forward. 10/10 recommend going with Joe.

I had the privilege of working with Joe Farr and the Stratus team for R2 applications to the Class of 2026 intake, earning acceptance to my dream MBA program, as well as admittance to multiple other Top 10/15 business schools. This is truly a feat I could not have dreamed of prior to beginning my collaboration with Joe. Working with Joe was a massive blessing, and I am truly grateful I decided to do so.

From the onset and throughout the entire process, Joe demonstrated genuine, unwavering support and belief in my MBA aspirations. Before we worked together, I was anxiety-ridden over the entire MBA application process – so much information about applications exists online, that I found it difficult to discern fact from fiction. Joe was attuned to this, and helped me develop the confidence and motivation to work through any prevailing uncertainty by providing exceptional guidance through every question I had (and I had many!).

Joe was more than a consultant – he was the best mentor I could have asked for throughout the MBA application journey. We worked through an extremely holistic approach together, a process that included identifying crucial lived experiences and developing a genuine sense of career goal direction. Joe is a strategist at heart, tremendously gifted at asking the right thought-provoking questions that help you consider and reflect on your sense of self – I truly believe that this was critical to crafting meaningful responses to application essay questions.

Joe is also undoubtedly a master communicator. In MBA applications, every word used counts – and Joe truly challenged me to extract meaning from every sentence and every word to ensure that I communicated my ambitions and fit for programs with passion, meaning, and purpose.

Balancing work demands with MBA applications is inherently challenging, yet I wholeheartedly believe that working with Joe not only made it possible, but also made it enjoyable. I learned so much throughout the process, and always felt as though I had a very strong support team in Joe and Stratus. Joe is amazingly responsive to emails and Zoom call invites – he always made me feel like a priority, and was always available to ensure that I had the resources and perspectives to keep moving forward with my applications.

Joe is a top professional and an absolute expert in the MBA applications space. To anyone who is serious and motivated to pursue a top MBA program, I highly recommend working with him and the Stratus team to ensure that you put your very best foot forward for these highly competitive programs.

I highly recommend Joe Farr to anyone aspiring to get into a top business school. Thanks to his guidance and expertise, I was admitted to Wharton received a $40,000 fellowship.

Joe’s assistance went beyond navigating the Stratus process; he provided invaluable insights into what I truly wanted out of life and business school. Through thoughtful discussions and probing questions, Joe helped me clarify my goals and aspirations.

Joe played a crucial role in helping me overcome the obstacle of a low undergraduate GPA. His expertise in helping me present my strengths and weaknesses was instrumental in securing my acceptance to Ross, Tuck, Tepper, Kellogg, and Wharton. He guided me in showcasing my growth, leadership skills, and unique attributes that demonstrated my readiness for business school.

Overall, Joe Farr’s guidance and expertise were crucial to my success in the admissions process.

Joe and I worked together for almost a year crafting my story as a transitioning teacher. I had a very unique story to tell and he helped me learn more about myself and help shine myself in the best light possible to MBA schools. I had a very low GRE score which put me on the waitlist at many top-ranked schools. Joe was able to work with me to provide meaningful updates to those schools I was on the waitlist for and helped me with other schools I was applying to. Joe went the extra mile by providing meaningful advice on all the schools that I applied to, not just the ones I paid to work with him on! If you want someone who is caring, considerate, timely, and (most importantly) informative, Joe is the right person for you!

As a whole, Stratus Consulting has provided me with a plethora of resources that not only help with the MBA application process but carry on into recruiting and pre-MBA events! I cannot say enough that hiring Joe and working with Stratus was one of the best investments I’ve made!

I had an amazing experience working with Joe as my admission consultant. He truly went above and beyond in every aspect of the application process. Despite the 15-hour time difference between China and the west coast of California where Joe was based, he was always prompt and responsive in answering all my questions, providing feedback on my essays, and guiding me on school selection.

I remember having multiple drafts for my essays, and Joe took the time to provide detailed feedback for every single one of them. He patiently answered all my questions, even though I had a lot of them, and provided valuable insights and suggestions for improvement. As the submission deadline approached, I was amazed and truly grateful for Joe’s quick turn-around time, even sacrificing his sleep to provide feedback during odd hours, sometimes as late as 3 am or 4 am his time in the Pacific time zone.

Joe’s dedication and commitment to his clients were evident in every interaction. He was not only prompt in his responses but also went the extra mile to ensure that I was confident and well-prepared throughout the application process. His encouragement and support were invaluable, especially during times when I felt underconfident.

Overall, Joe is the most responsible and dedicated admission consultant I have ever worked with. His expertise, commitment, and encouragement helped me put forth my best application. I highly recommend Joe Farr to anyone seeking expert guidance and support in their MBA application journey.

Admittedly, I did not work with Joe in an official capacity. However, we went back and forth over email after a brief call, and he sent me lots of advice and links, and follow-up information. I felt like Joe really went the extra mile to help me out, even in an unofficial capacity. Due to Joe’s advice, I’ve received full tuition offers from a handful of top MBA programs. His advice was invaluable to me! I highly recommend working with Joe on your MBA applications.

I cannot thank Joe enough for being my consultant. I had my doubts about applying for any MBA Programs because I had a mediocre GRE score and very little work experience. Joe was very straightforward and gave me detailed constructive feedback for my resume, application, and interview. I only applied to one program during Round 3 and by some miracle, I got accepted into Haas. I know I couldn’t have done it without Joe. I would highly recommend him to anyone looking into competitive programs with a low GPA/Test score or little work experience.

I recently worked with Joe Farr and he made my experience amazing! When I started the process I was so worried about my Essays because I am from Cuba and never wrote an Essay before, even more concerning applying for a top school. Joe worked with me for very long hours going back and forward with reviewed Essays. I haven’t seen a person with such professionalism and integrity. I would recommend Joe to anybody looking to work with a consultant that has a brilliant mind and feels the process as his own. After working in a very tied schedule because I wanted to apply for round 1 and started the process very late, I told Joe I felt like going to war with him on my side and winning. We were both very tired but victorious!

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!

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!