Excellent Coaching and Expertise

I was referred to Nonie Mackie from Fortuna Admissions through a friend. My first experience with the Fortuna team was via free consultation with Matt Symonds. I was very impressed by the amount of information and the insights he had about me, which showed that the team puts effort in getting to know a candidate and their candidature for MBA programs before even signing up for a package. I was thoroughly convinced during the call and signed up for the ‘Comprehensive School Package’ with Nonie Mackie as my admissions consultant.

The process of Fortuna is very well structured. After signing up, a candidate is taken through a journey of deep introspection by working on a ‘Strategy Questionnaire’. The questionnaire along with the strategy calls become the blueprint for the journey ahead. Writing essays for INSEAD seemed very daunting for me at first, but it was the questionnaire and my calls with Nonie that lighted the way while I was working on my first drafts of the essays.

Nonie is a fantastic coach, very warm and empathetic yet direct and honest when needed. Nonie was always forthcoming and asking if I needed to jump on a call to brainstorm or power through any mental blocks while writing the essays. She also kept track of our timeline and helped manage our deliverables by nudging me if we were losing pace. Regardless of the time pressure, she was extremely focused on making sure that each aspect of the application from essays, the online application form to all other materials were of the highest standard. I will say that Nonie has through and through understanding of what exactly a b-school is looking for. She always encouraged me to explore my story, and with each new facet she would refine my overall narrative to become more holistic and balanced. Her constructive feedbacks transformed all my materials into a winning application.

Her inputs along with reviews from Caroline Edwards Diarte, a former admissions director at INSEAD were absolutely key to put the best application forward. I was applying only for INSEAD, and both Nonie and Caroline were the best experts to coach me, they have consistently been my biggest cheerleaders through this journey. After working with them through multiple iterations and getting the go-ahead from Caroline, who herself shaped the INSEAD application as we see it today, I was confident that my application cannot get any better and could only get so much better because of them.

Once I was invited for alumni interviews, I was very anxious. The mock interviews with Nonie were my sole source of confidence and prepped me to have the right state of mind during the interviews. My experience with the actual interviews was exactly the same as my mocks, so I was very comfortable in the actual interviews. What I valued the most in my mocks with Nonie was her focus on polishing the rough edges while making sure that my authenticity shines through.

Regardless of the school you are applying to, my recommendation would be to have faith in Fortuna Admissions and trust their expertise. Their team has former admissions gatekeepers from all the top schools, and they know exactly how to deliver your best application. Once you are signed up, my only suggestion would be to trust each of their inputs and diligently follow their process.