Stratus Prep

Stratus Prep is an amazing place for all legal counseling and test prepping. Their instructors are very knowledgable and very qualified and their classes are very focused and helpful. The scheduling of their sessions are also very flexible allowing me to decide what days and times were best suited for me. For my LSAT course I saw a huge improvement in my overall scores from the beginning of my test taking and have been able to peak my scores at a very acceptable level. They are also very understanding with finances and are willing to help making plans for those with financial needs like myself. I am very excited to take a repeat of the course to further increase my scores and would recommend anyone interesting in pursuing a career in the legal world to take this course.
Zachary Zain

My overall experience with Stratus Prep was very positive. I will say though — the reason I had a great experience was because the consultant that was assigned to me (Claudio) was absolutely outstanding. If it wasn’t for Claudio, I probably would have given Stratus ³⁄₅ stars, but I’ll get into those reasons later.
Claudio’s assistance was instrumental in me having a real chance to be competitive for business schools. It wasn’t until I hit submit on all my applications that I realized my application materials (resume, essays, overall narrative) would have been far inferior if I had done everything by myself. Claudio and I spent many hours via phone calls/​Google Hangout/​emails going over my personal story and honing it down to convey the best version of myself. He asked me the tough questions and pushed me to be specific in my story, helping me narrow down to the things that I’m passionate about and having all of that communicate clearly in my applications. There was nothing like having an expert in my corner providing me tailored advice and answering every question I had. It was basically like having a best friend who was completely devoted to helping me get into my dream school.
Claudio was fully dedicated to my success. He was knowledgeable, encouraging, and forthright in his feedback. I was most impressed by his commitment to excellence — if he didn’t know the answer to a question, I could trust that he would conduct full and honest due diligence before getting back to me. He absolutely made my Stratus Prep experience.
With all that said, my opinions about Stratus Prep as an overall company… I occasionally got vibes that made me feel like they weren’t being fully transparent. Examples: before Claudio, I was assigned to another consultant. One day, I received a surprising email from her saying that she would no longer be working at Stratus Prep effective the next week. When I reached out to Shawn O’Connor (founder of Stratus Prep), he said that her departure was unexpected to him as well and that I would be assigned another stellar consultant. It took them several months to assign me someone new (granted, I had signed up for Stratus Prep about half a year before even beginning the application process), but it would have been nice to have been matched earlier so that I could get a head start. Overall, it was a blessing in disguise because my new consultant turned out to be Claudio. One more example: midway through my application prep, Claudio informed me that Shawn would be taking a less active role in Stratus Prep due to health issues. I saw on Twitter later though that he is running for public office. Perhaps his health issues/​political campaign occurred at the same time, but it just made me think that Stratus was trying to be sneaky about it. I just would have appreciated it if they told me everything. But one reason I even went with Stratus Prep was because of Shawn’s expertise on HBS, and it was a little disappointing that I couldn’t receive more consultation from him personally.
All in all, these were minor concerns and I had a great overall experience. Just keep in mind that your Stratus Prep experience will completely depend on the consultant personally assigned to you. A close colleague of mine also hired Stratus, and she was not satisfied with the consultant she was originally assigned. I told her to request that she be switched to Claudio, a request that Stratus happily honored. She was also incredibly impressed and satisfied with Claudio’s service.
I used Stratus for my applications to HBS (rejected with no interview), Sloan (invited to interview), and Tuck (self-​scheduled interview). I also applied what I learned in working with Stratus to complete the following applications on my own: Wharton (invited to interview), Haas (invited to interview), and Stanford (rejected with no interview). I find out all admissions results next week, and I think I have a great chance getting into all the schools at which I interviewed (Claudio and I did at least five mock interview calls, which definitely helped me feel confident for all my interviews).
I would not have gotten this far in the process without Claudio’s help. I highly recommend Stratus if you can get Claudio!

Overall, I was really happy with my experience working with Stratus Prep. They were extremely helpful in brainstorming and formulating my «story,» which is an essential ‘make-​it-​or-​break-​it’ component of the MBA admissions process. Sometimes I felt they were a little slow in getting back to me (the main office), and sometimes my counselor wouldn’t answer my emails right away (which, to be honest, when you are paying this kind of money for a service I DO expect a quick response rate). Otherwise, I would recommend using them if you have the money to spend and if getting into business school is worth it to you; I ended up getting into my school of choice (Columbia) with a below-​average GMAT score for the school, so I’m obviously super thrilled. My counselor was incredibly smart and really helped bring my application to the next level; I’m honestly not sure if I would have gotten in otherwise. Thanks, guys!

I promised to write this review 2 years ago, and because they did such an amazing job and I got into business school, I am just now finding the time to do so (fellow grad schoolers will understand)! I literally would not have gotten into any of my chosen schools without Stratus Prep. GMAT coaching with Jim helped me raise my score by 100 points, and Shawn and Samantha were enormous aids, helping me focus and articulate my goals and providing an actionable roadmap to reach them. They are very knowledgeable about the particulars of the application process as well as the unique personalities of each school, and are both supportive and honest, which is important during what can be an emotional process. While in retrospect I probably did not need to purchase a multi-​school package, as I am a strong essay writer, the peace of mind of knowing I had someone to answer all of my questions at any time was invaluable (none of the attendant guilt of constantly bothering friends), and I do not regret spending the money. Thanks, Stratus Prep team!

I am writing this review because I know, for prospective LSAT-​takers, deciding to invest their time and money into an LSAT prep course is not an easy decision, and I genuinely hope people can make better decisions than I did. I don’t want anyone else to experience the frustration and negativity I experienced here.
I would NOT RECOMMEND Stratus Prep to anyone thinking of taking the LSAT or applying to law school. Similar to a previous post here, their services — tutors and administrative staff — are terrible. I wasted THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS here, and I wish I had gone somewhere else.
I paid for tutoring, classes, and counseling. I had to quit the class after the very first one (instructor spent 5 hours going over materials I think you can learn in 3 pages of a prep book). I turned to tutoring, which I had high hopes for, but one tutor I worked with was not even going to law school and didn’t know much about the test (I genuinely think I knew more about the test than the tutor) which explains why s/​he couldn’t adapt to individual student’s needs.
I still remember the horror/​shock/​frustration at their inefficient methods in approaching LSAT questions.
LSAT is all about time-​management. Anyone can answer a question right if given unlimited time. On average, you have a bit over one minute to answer one question, so it’s extremely important to have time-​efficient methods to accurately answer them. However, Stratus Prep instructors use absurdly and unnecessarily complex methods that can detrimentally slow down your process. I’ve studied with pretty much all of the prep books most recommended to LSAT students, so I’ve seen both efficient and inefficient methods, and in my opinion Stratus Prep’s is the LEAST EFFICIENT I’ve seen by far. I would be curious to find out (and admittedly, incredibly surprised) if anyone has gotten high scores using their methods. For example, the way they diagram and notate in the games section seems too complicated, time-​consuming, and unfit for a test like this. What is worse is that they are so stubborn in using their methods, they cannot change or adjust to their individual student’s needs even if you’re being tutored, which is the whole point of being tutored in the first place.
When I inquired about refund since I can’t take their classes or get counseling, it took them weeks to get back to me only to say, Nope — sorry, no refund policy. I wish they had told me about this earlier when I first made the payment, but no one was available to explain that to me. I believe their system can be better organized.
One positive aspect was that the two instructors I worked with seemed like genuinely sweet people. They just seemed inexperienced as instructors, and Stratus Prep’s teaching methods were frustratingly inefficient. My overall experience with Stratus Prep was very frustrating and stressful, as if studying for the LSAT itself isn’t stressful enough.

I used Stratus Prep a few years ago during my application process to law school, and they were great. I subsequently recommended them to everyone I knew applying to law school, and two of my best friends used the service. I am writing this review because I am embarrassed about the way they were treated and really upset that it was my fault for recommending the company.
It appears that after the founder, Shawn, became more successful, Stratus Prep really lost touch with the service I experienced, which was exceptional. I understand that he left to run for office and that things have just gotten worse.
One of my friends had so much trouble getting a good tutor here, had one completely disappear on her, couldn’t get anyone at the company to call her back, and ended up writing a Unilocal review as a last resort. Stratus Prep contacted her and asked her to take it down and offered admissions counseling services as compensation. She took the offer, but now her admissions counselor won’t even respond to her emails. She actually had to pay another company because he ignored her emails and calls for months. She is trying to apply this cycle. I had another friend that had a very similar experience when applying two years ago. During the stress of the application process, one should not have to literally stalk their tutors and counselors for the help that they paid (a lot of money) for. This is completely unacceptable and I feel so guilty for recommending Stratus Prep to them, and am writing this review to prevent others from being let down during a very important and stressful time.
Used to be good, but now definitely go elsewhere.

I used Stratus and it was an incredible process.
A good consultant isn’t even going to come close to writing anything for you. A good consultant is going to force you to take the time and put in the effort to generate meaningful responses to every facet of presenting yourself to Business School.
Vanessa and Shawn worked tirelessly to ensure I was putting my best foot forward. For me this process started 8 months before the first application was even due. We worked each week on brainstorming and refining my story: looking at each individual application holistically.
For those who believe they should have no problem getting into their target school and thus assume a consultant would be of no value, they should consider that some scholarships are awarded based on application strength. I personally believe that Stratus Prep helped the application board see my value as a future alumni, which in turn helped in their award determination.
Now as Booth Alum, I can’t imagine how my life would be different if for some reason I hadn’t gotten into Booth or hadn’t been able to go. In retrospect, the small amount the services cost was well worth the result.
(I wanted to point out that I was not local to Stratus Prep and have never met Shawn or Vanessa in person — this did not matter, they made themselves available around my schedule)

I used Stratus prep for my graduate school applications for social work! Dan was super helpful and helped me get into my school of choice! I would highly recommend them.

This is my first Unilocal review and I an writing in support of Strautus Prep! I used them for application cycle this past year and got into Wharton where I will be attending this fall. I just wanted some professional opinion on my essays which I think are personal and can be hard for a friend to critique. Jeff, a Wharton alum, was very helpful and often gave my essays to second reviewed to comment on as well. I think the iterations really helped, especially since English isn’t my first language. Overall — professional grooming always helps in a highly competitive process!

I feel like these sorts of businesses need a «Your mileage may vary» disclaimer due to how variable each client’s individual profile and aspirations are. It’s equally difficult to credit or fault Stratus with acceptance or rejection from your desired school (s). One should also familiarize oneself with what Stratus can and can’t help with upfront.
In my case, I tentatively retained Stratus for two rounds of applications – all top-​tier schools, but for my profile, still aligned with the undergrad Safety-​Middle-​Reach framework. I did manage to get in Round 1 to my top choice school even having started the application process relatively late in the game, so I am overall pleased with the quality of the advising.
What Stratus does right: The extremely regimented introspection and school research phases of their engagement may seem tedious and unhelpful, but in retrospect, they really did make the overall application, essay writing (and even the school selection) process significantly easier.
What Stratus could improve on: If you are like me, you were contemplating two rounds of applications in case Round 1 was a bust or ended in deferral. Stratus will strongly recommend you prepay for all the schools you plan to apply to and generally does not refund these fees. Responsiveness of your assigned adviser (?) could also be improved on.
I personally did not end up requesting or needing interview prep, so I can’t speak to that.
If you are unfamiliar with business school admissions and don’t have access to many resources recently through the process, try giving Stratus a call to feel out if it’s a good fit for you.

I, overall, had a very positive experience with Stratus Prep. Because I am already hyper-​organized and did well on my GMAT, I didn’t buy a package, but rather purchases a few hours of MBA application consulting to help me define my «story» and understand what top 10 programs were really looking for in their ridiculously open-​ended essay prompts.
I applied to 4 schools in R1 and got 3 dings and a waitlist. Because I ultimately started with Stratus Prep 5 weeks prior to the first R1 deadline, I blame my dings on my rush to fit in as many apps as possible into R1, at the expense of my essays — they weren’t entirely fleshed out, conceptually. So with more time spent on the essays in R2 (plus a few other application boosters: promotion, accounting class, interview prep) I ended up getting into to both of my R2 schools (with fellowships!) and will be going to Chicago Booth in the fall.
I’d say the most value from Stratus Prep came from (1) the upfront time my consultant put in to talk through my personal and career history to help me identify what made me interesting and unique and (2) the school-​specific interview prep for both of my R2 schools.
Response time was sometimes an issue when it came to the tight R1 deadlines, so I’d really recommend getting started early. Good luck!

I enjoyed working with Stratus Prep for my MBA admissions process and would recommend them for anyone who, like me, needed an extra push to stick to a timeline and make sure you cover all aspects of the application process.
I got the two school package. I started early in the year, before taking the GMAT and by the time I finally got the score I wanted/​needed, they changed my counselor. I was not very happy but in the end it worked out very well since I got along with my new counselor much better than my previous one. She was a graduate of one of my top choice schools and was very supportive through the whole application process. She answered emails in a timely manner, was always ready to give me personalized feedback, pushed me to go the extra mile and stick to a timeline. The most helpful thing, which made it a worthwhile investment, is that they really helped me tell my story in the best light possible and in my opinion this is the most valuable thing an admission counselor can do, besides proofreading your essays.
The only reason I’m not giving them 5 stars is because I thought the level of help they provided for the interview preparation did not match the first part of the application. I had a very hard time scheduling my mock interview and the feedback that was provided was high level.

My experience with Stratus Prep has been good. Most of my applications were not successful but that is a result I believe of the schools I chose. Shawn treated me with the utmost respect and offered to work with me on round two schools or a reapplication strategy and even offered test prep to ensure my success.
If I had to do it again, I would definitely work with them.

After reading glowing reviews here and on GMAT review, and seeing that Shawn seems to be well-​established in this field being a Forbes contributor and all, I signed up for MBA school counseling with Stratus Prep, and currently working with them on some applications. I’ve got to say, thus far, I’m pretty disappointed. I find that I need to chase quite often for a response or feedback, and questions are sometimes reverted unanswered or incompletely answered. Not hearing back for 5 days is a pretty big deal when you are trying to prepare 3 applications in one month.
The quality of the actual counseling seems pretty standard as well. I wouldn’t say the quality is necessary bad, but just isn’t worth the $ 6000 I spent on getting help with 3 school. I didn’t feel comments or feedback was substantially superior to those I received from my boyfriend, for example. If you are diligent about editing your essays and getting feedback from those around you, you should be just as well prepared.
I haven’t applied to any schools yet, but I’m not convinced what they offer will really make that much of an impact on my chances.
I’m still hoping things will get better, and there are some upcoming services that I just don’t know about yet. I paid for this service to relieve some stress of applying for school, but I’m actually more stressed from all the chasing and feeling that I wasted a good month’s salary. If things do turn out for the better, I will update my review. If you are looking for help with your MBA applications though, I would suggest you look elsewhere.

Strongly recommend for LSAT class and law school consulting. I used both and was admitted to top 3 law schools. The class was incredibly thorough and teachers stayed after to answer questions, respond to emails with individual questions.etc. The consulting was also fantastic. I worked 1:1 with an individual who read and edited my essays, resumes, helped me draft a law school list… etc. The process was incredibly stress free working with stratus and I think they made significant gains in my ability to gain admission at top programs.

I really just came on here to see how Stratus Prep is doing but after reading one of the other reviews I felt compelled to sign up for an account and defend Shawn and Stratus Prep. I took their LSAT class in 2009 and could not be happier. Compared to my friends who took Kaplan or Testmasters, I felt infinitely more prepared come test day.
First, let’s start with Shawn. Valedictorian of his class at Georgetown, JD/​MBA from Harvard, perfect or near perfect scores on every standardized test under the sun. Compare this to the «instructors» (read: incoming law students) at Kaplan who received 164’s and were then told to teach directly from their book. Shawn knows every LSAT question backwards and forwards and is always willing to answer questions, not only during class but even during the numerous proctored practice tests Stratus Prep offers well before test day arrives. Additionally, he gives you his e-​mail address and allows you to send questions directly to him when you are having difficulties with a test you take at home. I remember getting an e-​mail back from him almost immediately after sending him a question at 11:30pm! Not to mention, he is one of the funniest and wittiest people I’ve ever met.
I can’t speak as to the quality of the other instructors because when I was at Stratus Prep (then called TestWell), Shawn was pretty much the whole of the LSAT program. However, knowing Shawn, I can only see him hiring knowledgeable instructors who he vets thoroughly. That being said, there is only one Shawn O’Connor and he very well might be the best LSAT instructor in the whole of New York City. Also have a friend who did admissions counseling there and raved about it.

i have been working with stratus prep in the past few months on both GMAT and MBA admissions, and it has truly been a wonderful experience. i especially enjoyed working shawn, the founder of stratus prep. he is super smart, very knowledgeable and extremely professional. he himself has both a law and MBA degree from harvard, and all of the gmat tutors and admissions advisors at stratus prep hold either law or MBA degrees from only the most prestigious institutions. there is no doubt in the quality of the stratus team.
i had a great GMAT tutor. he clearly knew the material well and was able to explain/​break down problems in the simplest way. he also tailored his teaching style to suit my needs, and i really appreciated his flexibility.
as for admissions counseling, the experience was just amazing. shawn really took the time out to understand my background, experience, strengths and weaknesses, career objectives, as well as my reasons for getting an mba. he assigned me an advisor (a harvard business school alum) who is familiar with the schools i’m applying to, and regularly checked in on my progress. i worked closely with both of them on application strategy, essays, and interview prep. they are extremely knowledgeable about all of the programs and schools i selected. while i wrote all of my essays myself and the content is 100% true to my own experience, they provided great guidance on strategic/​structural direction and edits that showcased the best part of me and my fit with the schools. most importantly, they really know their stuff, and they always responded quickly and thoughtfully to all of my inquiries, and worked closely with me even under super tight timelines. they were also a great help when it comes to mock interviews (went through pretty much all of the questions that i encountered in the real interviews), and as a result, i was fully prepared for my interviews.
while i’m still waiting to hear back from the schools i applied, i can say that shawn and his team at stratus prep have been extremely helpful and absolutely wonderful to work with! they are truly the experts in this field and i would recommend the service to anyone who’s looking to apply to business school.

I took an LSAT course in the Fall that was a complete waste of $ 1200.00
The tutor was impatient, did not stop to answer individual’s questions and in general had a negative attitude toward the law. On the first day of class he made sure to tell us that even though he was a law student at NYU, he had no intention of becoming a lawyer. He sneered on one occasion when I told him that I was interested in critical race theory and in general had a terrible disposition that made me not want to be there.
After the 3^rd or 4^th class, I was so disatisfied that I tried to cancel the course and received an email from Shawn the owner threatening to sue me if I did not pay the full tuition!

shawn pays people to write reviews– do not use this service!!!