Emma Bond - Amazing coach and friend in the MBA application process!

I am an R2 admit to London Business School, class of MBA2023. I applied to both Stanford, and LBS in R2 and gotten interview invites for both and got an admission offer from LBS.

Before working with Emma, I had done a ton of research on the consulting services and had quick calls with various established consultants. Emma and the Fortuna team were extremely supportive yet customized in their engagement approach. Even before formally engaging with the team, she made sure to understand my background to give solid advice on approaching b-school applications.

Throughout my MBA application journey, Emma was always responsive to my questions and turnarounds on essay edits. There were periods during the whole journey where the MBA application process had to take a step back for work; Emma was very understanding but also gave strong reminders on progress. Thanks to Emma's help, encouragement, and quick turnaround, the stress was manageable and she made the whole process even enjoyable.

One of the key highlights of the Comprehensive School Package is that she reviews every aspect of your application holistically to make sure your profile and branding are consistent across all inputs (essay, resume, etc) and the impact of this really shines through after working with Emma; she made sure to use different inputs to enhance different aspects of my profile valuable to the LBS. This is also incredibly helpful given it's tough distilling your life story into a written application and making yourself shine among other outstanding candidates! Coming from Asia, I have the natural tendency to understate my profile; Emma was absolutely instrumental in ensuring my achievements shine through while keeping the appropriate language and voice intact.

After receiving the interview invites, she also coached me on interview prep to highlight my candidacy to business school - balancing between showcasing both my professional and personal fronts and weaving in the LBS support through her second-to-none knowledge of LBS. I was quite nervous in my first round of interview prep and Emma was generous to conduct another round for me to internalize the comments and improve. This generosity spirit also shows during the Stanford application process. Few days to the application deadline, we realized my essays did not highlight my profile well after multiple rounds of editing. She did not hesitate to give me the feedback despite the time pressure; and we worked closely to rework the essay for final submission. I credit her candor during the application process, for my Stanford interview invite in spite of my low(er) GMAT score and typical consulting profile.

I strongly advise that anyone keen on LBS or business schools to work with Emma; her advice is invaluable not just for business school application but re-evaluating your career & life aspirations in the process.