Lisa Cummings
Studied at Johnson Graduate School of Management (Cornell)
Works at Stratus Admissions Counseling
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About Lisa
After working in finance for over 10 years and getting an MBA along the way, I took a hiatus to focus on my growing family. A serendipitous meeting with an acquaintance led to me working as an admission advisor at MIT Sloan for 14 years. There I read thousands of applications and interviewed thousands of candidates for the MBA, EMBA, MFin, LGO and Sloan Fellows programs. I loved the work, meeting bright and engaging candidates, but increasingly felt that many applicants were missing key stories or information that would have allowed their applications to really pop. In my last few years at Sloan, an old friend convinced me to join her at Stratus Admissions and I have never looked back! Over the last 8 years I have been supporting MBA and other specialty master's candidates identify experiences and traits that allow them to present their very best selves to committees and as a result to stand out in competitive applicant pools. I have helped candidates with various employment histories, and, as a member of a Blue Star family, I particularly enjoy working with veterans and active duty military members who seek to pivot out of the service or who are building a military career and want to upskill. Outside of work I am a competitive tennis and platform tennis player, and an avid downhill and backcountry skier and hiker.
Why do I coach?
I get joy from helping from listening to and learning about my clients and helping them discover their best selves. In my time at Sloan, I learned that admissions committees can't make any assumptions about a candidate - they base their decisions on the written application they have in hand. There were so many times when I was reading an application and wished the candidate had taken their story one step further and given me just a few more key details so I could recommend an interview. Sadly, many of those files went straight to the ding pile. Now, it is so fun to be on the other side of the admissions table, helping candidates discover their best selves and stores and to fill any holes in their applications before their files end up in the hands of an admissions officer.
Work Experience
MBA Admissions Counselor
Stratus Admissions Counseling
2018 - Present
Leverage 20+ years of MBA and specialty master's admissions and career advising experience to coach candidates on application strategy, school selection, recommender preparation, essays and mock interviews; earning all 5 star reviews on Poets&Quants and GMAT Club and a 9.81 Net Promoter score. As a Blue Star family member I especially enjoy helping veterans transition from service to school .
Career Development Office Sloan School of Management
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2013 - Present
Coach students on developing compelling, results-oriented resumes and cover letters and prepare them for behavioral and industry specific interviews. Counsel MBA, LGO and Master of Finance students on job search strategies, career transitions, networking and positioning for target opportunities.
Admissions Consultant
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2004 - 2018
Read and evaluated applications for the MBA, MFin, LGO and Executive MBA programs. Interviewed and ranked candidates for each program. MBA Admissions Executive MBA Admissions MFin Admissions Leaders for Global Operations (LGO) Admissions Madrid-MIT M+ Visión Fellowship Evaluation Committee
Investor Relations
Tenneco
1996 - 1999
Served as primary liaison to institutional investors and Wall Street analysts, communicated company performance, industry trends, competitive developments, and strategic priorities to investment community and briefed senior leadership on market perceptions and trends.
Private Equity Fund Investor
New York & Company
1993 - 1996
Launched a $40M private equity investment fund, the first of its kind at U.S. Trust, collaborating with legal and tax counsel to structure an investment vehicle aligned with the firm's client base. Conducted due diligence on direct fund investments, including quantitive analysis of investment opportunities and expected returns.
Equity Research Senior Associate, Assistant Vice President
Prudential Securities Limited
1990 - 1993
Performed all research analyst functions including building earnings models, tracking industry trends, visiting companies and marketing to institutions. Recommended investment strategies to institutional and retail sales force.
Education
Johnson Graduate School of Management (Cornell)
Master of Business Administration, Finance
I was a student interviewer and also interviewed candidates in NYC as an alumna.
Wellesley College
BA, Political Science
Admissions Committee Experience
I interviewed candidates in NYC and then on campus as an alumna.