My overall experience with Stratus Prep was extremely positive, and while there are definitely flaws in the process, the company gets five stars from me because I absolutely would not be in the same place I am now without them.

A bit of background - I signed up for the 4 school MBA package (I chose 4 schools because they guaranteed that if I was rejected from all 4, they would work with me in Round 2 to re-apply). Before applying, my main reason for choosing to have a company guide me through the app process was my low GPA - I wanted guidance as to how to alleviate that. Stratus Prep, and specifically my counselor Temi, did a whole lot more than tell me how to make a good application with one less-than-stellar piece of the puzzle.

The beginning of the process for me with Stratus Prep was stressful. My initial assigned counselor told me during my first call that I would not get into a top tier school and should look at 'B level' programs. She told me I was over a year out from applying, and to get in touch with her in 6 months. I shrugged her off, and luckily, a month later, was told she was no longer with the company and was assigned a new counselor.

The second counselor I was assigned to was an older gentlemen who, while nice and helpful, seemed a bit out of touch with the application process. We had two initial phone calls and then planned a face-to-face meeting. I was skeptical about his ability to really get me where I wanted to be. Two weeks later, I received yet another email that my counselor was no longer with the company and a new one would be assigned to me.

My frustration grew and I complained to Shawn directly. He promised he would assign me a third, and final, counselor - Temi. She turned out to be heaven-sent. She was encouraging, thoughtful, helpful, and responsive. She offered advice without being pushy, and supported me both when I wanted to laugh and wanted to cry. The thought exercises and all the stuff they make you fill out that you don't want to will be worth it at the end of the day, no matter how inconsequential it may seem at the getgo. Trust me on this. Temi guided me in the right direction without putting words in my mouth, led me to write essays that I was proud of, and, at the end of the day, helped me turn in outstanding applications that I would have never been able to put together on my own.

I ended up applying to three schools, all Top Ten programs, and was accepted to two and waitlisted at one.

A final word - The most integral part of the whole package is definitely the consultant you are paired with. My biggest piece of advice to you, should you choose Stratus Prep, is to be vocal about finding a good counselor. If you don't vibe with someone, ask for someone else. If your counselor isn't responsive, ask for someone else. Once you find the right person to work with, Stratus Prep will prove itself to be more than worth its price.

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It was a pleasure of working with Shawn O'Connor and Jeff Mroz. From start to finish both Shawn and Jeff provided me with both support and advice. Although their process is rigorous, at the end if you want to get into a good business school it is definitely worth it. Through multiple iterations my initial drafts were changed considerably in order to put together the best application possible. Jeff was also very helpful with the interview process, as well as making a final decision on what school to go. I would highly recommend Stratus Prep to anyone who wants to get into a great school.

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I engaged Stratus Prep way back in 2013 when I was applying for the 2014 MBA season. They were flexible enough to allow me to “defer” to the 2015 application season if I, together with my counselor, felt that it would be in my best interest to do so because of my relatively low GMAT score. I couldn’t get my score up in time to apply and decided to defer to the 2015 season. My Stratus Prep counselor Jeff was really patient with me guiding me every step of the way and encouraging me to work harder on my application. Shawn O’Connor was also instrumental in his feedback in the entire process, from selecting schools to final preparation for my interviews. While I didn’t get into my top school choice, Stratus Prep helped me get into a top-15 school even with my low GPA and below average GMAT score. Would definitely recommend these guys!

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