After a terrible experience with a local consultant resulting in getting rejections from multiple MBA programs, I started researching an admissions consulting firm which could keep up with the high standards that top universities expect.
I approached two companies. The first one claiming to be the most prominent in the industry, they avoided even the free consultation that they advertise and they just sent me some emails, an approach I did not like at all so I did not pursue with them. The second company was Fortuna. I had a thorough conversation with Matt, and eventually I decided to apply to INSEAD with Fortuna.
The consultant I was appointed was Melissa Joelson. Melissa played a huge role in my eventual acceptance to INSEAD. First of all, we had many 1 on 1 zoom conversations throughout the process which I believe were much better and efficient than a mere exchange of emails and allowed for better communication, bonding etc.
Second, she made sure that every achievement that I had made throughout my life was well portrayed. There were several times that I would mention an action/achievement that I thought was unimportant, but she would insist on including it and explained what positive impact it could have on my application.
In addition, she made sure every paragraph, sentence and word was properly crafted and up to the high standard that the Adcom is waiting to see. If you decide to work with her be prepared to revise each and every part of the application multiple times before reaching the desirable result. She will also make sure that everything is on point well before the deadline. We submitted the application in less than a month, a request I had made when we started our cooperation.
Overall, Melissa made sure that we presented the best version of myself to the Adcom. The worst thing a candidate could do is not have a personal “id” in their essays, a faceless piece of writing that will just pile up to thousands of rejections. Melissa made sure that through the essays I showed INSEAD who I am and what is special about me so that INSEAD considered and accepted me.
Melissa was also truly committed to our cause, during and after the application process, providing me with her opinion regarding any questions that troubled me. It was the only application that I submitted and was 100% confident that I would secure a spot. I just knew that there was not a single reason why I should be denied, as everything was so well thought out and written beautifully and professionally.

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Emma was a valued expert and guide for everything in the admissions process. She provided support in many areas, including understanding what a school values and how to frame essays, ideating content for responses, line-by-line editing, interview prep, and more. She clearly possessed a deep knowledge (including personal relationships) with the target schools. I was accepted to both MBAs that Emma helped with, in no small part thanks to her critical eye and guidance. Emma is able to help on a range of topics, whether it’s cutting down on word count for a near-finished essay or helping to brainstorm from square 1. Above this all, she is kind and empathetic, providing a great presence in an otherwise stressful process.

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Jenifer came highly recommended to me by a close friend who had worked with her in a previous cycle and earned admission to GSB (along with several other amazing programs). I’m so grateful for that introduction: from my very first phone call with Jenifer, I knew that she cared deeply about getting to know me and helping me tell my story.

I’d decided to work with a consultant relatively late in the admissions process and initially felt stressed about the timeline. I was applying to 3 schools, and I had to retake the GMAT, brief my recommenders, update my resume, write my essays, and fill out applications all in the span of about 10 weeks. Jenifer put me at ease and helped me put together a realistic gameplan to tackle all of this. She was incredibly supportive and spent hours helping me craft my personal and professional stories in a way that was authentic and compelling. Her guidance and wisdom were instrumental in helping me put together the best applications possible for all 3 schools.

Thanks to Jenifer, I was admitted to HBS, GSB, and Wharton (with a scholarship!). I cannot recommend Jenifer highly enough to anyone who is looking to apply to an MBA program – she’s incredible!

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Silpa helped prepare in less than a month to gain admission to Yale SOM. Silpa was critical to my admission to the MAM program at Yale, and I can't imagine going through this process without her. Having to work full time, I honestly had no idea how to prepare a compelling, strong application. Silpa genuinely went the extra mile to help me on this journey; she was flexible and always provided brilliant still, fast and actionable feedback from day one. I especially appreciate her candid yet friendly approach to challenging me to go deeper when reflecting on my stories for the application and to write compelling essays by being concise and keeping on track of the key details of my stories as well as aligned to my personal story and goals. Finally, thanks to Silpa's approach, I secured an interview with Adcom (Silpa helped me prepare and feel confident that I would nail it) and gained admission. I highly recommend Silpa and the Fortuna Admissions team to anyone looking for the industry's best admission partners and advisors.

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I reached out to Fortuna when I was waitlisted at LBS after round two. Matt Symonds paired me up with Emma Bond and she immediately reached out to me to review my submitted application. Emma's turn around time was extremely quick - even with an 11 hour time difference. She reviewed my application over the weekend and made detailed notes on areas that I could expand upon. Emma was also very personable and easy to talk to, and she made great suggestions on additional steps I could take to demonstrate my excitement for the LBS program. She also mock interviewed me, and in my follow up interview with LBS we touched on all of the points Emma and I had already discussed. When I received my acceptance just two weeks later I knew that it was in large part due to Emma's guidance. I can't imagine a better consultant - I would highly recommend!

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My wife used Heidi during her MBA application process and got into HBS and Lauder. Having seen her up close through my wife's experience, Heidi was a no brainer for me when it came time for me to apply as well.

She was patient with me through the process, providing the strategic review I needed early on about the pros and risks of my profile for my target MBA programs. This helped me to prioritize and tailor my key messages to my schools. When I was receiving conflicting messages in the late stages of finalizing my essay, she made time on short notice to speak through the options and coached me to make the decision which was right for me - I deeply appreciated that her style isnt to tell you what she thinks is best but to coach you to find your voice.

She was also invaluable in my mock interview prep sessions, providing focused and tactical feedback on how I needed to approach them.

I was accepted to HBS and grateful to Heidi for her support through the process.

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Heidi is fabulous and I highly endorse/recommend her!

I applied to 3 top-5 Schools and got accepted to one and waitlisted to another. Heidi was instrumental in helping me achieve these results: she really helped me go deeper and show my best version. Although I knew how I wanted to position my application and why I wanted to study an MBA, she was a great soundboard to discuss alternatives, making my application much stronger. She’s a great thought partner with an excellent knowledge of what Schools are looking for.

Beyond being an amazing professional, she’s an excellent person - kind, open and easy to talk to. All in all, I highly recommend anyone considering applying to Business School to work with Heidi.

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I worked with Julia on an hourly basis, focusing on two of the four applications I submitted in Round 2.

While I thought I had some decent ideas for my applications going in, Julia was instrumental in giving me a better understanding of what I needed to make my applications stand out. From initial brainstorming and strategy sessions, a comprehensive resume review, and close partnership during the essay writing process, she helped me be compelling and concise in conveying my background, my experience, and how these schools would help me achieve my goals. I was able to apply Julia's guidance to my other two applications as well and achieve a fantastic outcome in the end: interview invites to all four schools and acceptances to Tuck and Darden.

Julia is an amazing partner to have in the application process and I highly recommend working with her!

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I cannot express enough how fortunate I was to consult with Sharon as I navigated the MBA application process. Sharon has a vast wealth of knowledge and experience to leverage, and her insights were always incredibly helpful whether it was regarding my essays, letters of rec, or resume. In addition, Sharon was wonderful in terms of flexibility and ability to help me build out a plan of attack for my applications. Further, Sharon really took her time in getting to know me and my goals so that she could help craft the best application and what school would be the right fit for me. By the end of the whole process, I got into both of my target schools (Anderson and Haas)! I truly don't know how I could have gotten through everything without her. I highly recommend to anyone who wants help with any part of their MBA application!

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Back in 2021, when I started applying (for the second time) to b-schools, I was very certain that I wanted to work with someone who was high on EQ and would understand my profile and goals. Emma was a wonderful consultant and someone I could reach out to whenever I needed some structure and calm - be it while working on essays, prepping for interviews or waiting for the schools to release their results.

I worked with Emma for 2 top b-schools (one in EU and one in the UK) and got into the school of my choice. She ensured my goals were crystal clear, helped me edit my CV & essays and did not hesitate while pointing out ambiguities. Talking to her (on Zoom or via email) always calmed me down and her strategies to navigate the admissions process made me even more confident of my candidacy. What more do you need?

I am so grateful to Emma and I cannot stress enough on how wonderful it was to go through this journey with her!

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