From the moment I had the chance to speak with Matt Symonds for a free consultation, I knew that I had arrived at the right place. Matt Symonds is, in my honest opinion, probably the single individual in the entire world that has the greatest level of insight into MBA admissions in top schools around the world. He regularly hosts conferences with all the admissions directors of the top MBA schools, and has an incredible level of insight into the process. Matt was wonderful enough to connect me to a few of his incredible team - Emma Bond, and Heidi, both of whom were world class. Ultimately, although I applied in the final round and come from a non-traditional MBA background, I received a substantial scholarship to attend my top choice school.

Throughout my life, there are only a few individuals I have met who have made me feel so incredibly blessed to have come across them and to have on my side, and Emma Bond is one of them. Coming from a non-traditional MBA background, I applied (with some nerves!) in the final round of the admissions cycle when there were not many spots remaining. Thanks to Emma's guidance, not only did I manage to get admitted, I also received a SUBSTANTIAL scholarship to attend my top choice school. As a late round admit, I believe that receiving such a scholarship would have been impossible without Emma's help and guidance with my application.

Simply put (as I am quite a demanding individual), I already had high expectations for admissions consultants, but Emma's level of insight, contribution, and the sheer difference she made to my application COMPLETELY blew my mind. Thanks to Emma, there were many things that DRAMATICALLY strengthened my application that would not even have crossed my mind without her, and would have been impossible to know without Emma's unparalleled experience and passion for London Business School (these are not things that you can find out by reading articles online - they really are UNIQUE and UNPARALLELED insights into the admissions process that only someone like Emma with deep experience can provide). It is my honest opinion that there is surely no one else on the planet that could be comparable to working with Emma for LBS. Emma's knowledge about the LBS admissions process and her way of guiding me through the entire application was absolutely incredible.

From the moment I spoke to Emma, I felt that I was in great hands: she is a tremendously friendly, intelligent, and hardworking individual, with a deep passion for helping her clients succeed. Emma helped me shape my essays (as a former member of the admissions team, she really knows EXACTLY what LBS is looking for) and she provided many rounds of input on my entire application, with extremely helpful and impressive feedback, and always replied with incredible speed! She did not hesitate to work on weekends, and I always felt prioritised, like I was the only person she was working with. Each time when she provided feedback, she helped take my essays and application to another level, and she even cleared her schedule to provide feedback all the way up until my application was submitted (even providing valuable feedback on all the minor details). I felt like Emma was with me every step of the way and it was enormously comforting!

When I received an interview invitation, Emma helped me prepare for the interview and made a massive difference in getting me ready for anything that could be asked by the interviewer. As an MBA interviewer herself, her feedback was incredible and really gave me a lot of confidence. When I sat my interview, using what I had practiced with Emma, I was lucky (and overjoyed) to nail the interview with her help.

It has really been an amazing experience working with Emma, and as I think will be clear by now, I feel so lucky to have met her! I can't thank you enough Emma, and the rest of the Fortuna team! As I hope I have made clear from this review, I really can't recommend Emma any higher. She is simply out of this world amazing. Anyone who gets the chance to work with her, I would say you're a very lucky person and you have a MASSIVE advantage over the competition!

I also had the GREAT pleasure of working with Heidi on my MBA applications, and she was phenomenal throughout the entire process. Ultimately, although I applied in the final round, I received a substantial scholarship to attend my top choice school! This would not have been possible without the help from Heidi and Fortuna. From the moment I spoke to Heidi, I knew that she was the right person to help me put together my MBA application due to her supportive demeanour and incredible knowledge about the process. Putting together an MBA application really is an art-form, and Heidi helped me craft my MBA application, starting from just some vague ideas to multiple amazing applications. She was extremely responsive at all times and was tremendously helpful in brainstorming my ideas and helping me to realise which of the experiences in my life were very valuable from the point of view of an MBA admissions team. As someone who has previously conducted MBA interviews herself before, Heidi's feedback and help with preparing me for me MBA interviews was exceptionally helpful and gave me great confidence.

I cannot recommend Heidi enough - she is a tremendously intelligent, caring, hardworking, and insightful individual with a fantastic level of insight into the MBA admissions process. She knows exactly what MBA admissions officers are looking for, and is an amazing person to have guiding you along the MBA journey. Thanks so much Heidi for all your help!

Read More

Judith was so helpful throughout the admissions process. I had previously applied to CBS, HBS, and GSB, and decided last minute to submit round 3 applications to CBS / LBS. Judith had excellent thoughts on both my essays and my application as a whole, and really helped me highlight the areas in which I improved since my last application. She was also very quick to respond to questions and concerns, which was important given my tight timeline. Fortuna's process is top-notch and they are very familiar with the unique application processes at each school. I cannot recommend Fortuna and Judith enough!

Read More

I worked with Sharon on my Fall 2020 MBA applications and I highly recommend her. Since the beginning of my journey to enroll in a top program, I was very anxious about the process due to my lower undergraduate GPA. Sharon not only guided me through the process by developing a systematic plan of action, she also helped me gain confidence about my chances for admission. Looking back, the best decision I made for applying to b-school was partnering with Sharon - I couldn’t have done it without her help and support in the process. She was less of a consultant and more of a mentor to me - to not only guide me towards efficient ways of networking and crafting essays, but she also thoroughly prepared me for interviews and how to approach interacting with b-schools in a more sophisticated manner. She was extremely patient with me, understood my shortcomings deeply and then helped me recognize my strengths and taught me how to leverage them in applications and while on interviews. She has a very warm and welcoming personality and great experience as a Fortuna Coach. Those who have doubts about themselves and those who aspire to be successful MBA candidates should definitely talk to Sharon! She will work with him/her to bring out the best in their background/create the best positioning possible. I wish I could add 5 more stars to this rating because in working with Dr. Sharon Joyce, I found the mentor I desperately needed. Thanks a lot!

Read More

I wasn't 100% sure what to expect when I sought a coach for my MBA applications, but Jenny Raver far exceeded any of my expectations. The application process is a mentally, emotionally, and time-wise taxing journey - I couldn't have done it without Jenny's patience, personalized guidance, and incredible ability to connect the dots across my life / accomplishments in ways that enriched my belief in my own potential. If you're looking for a coach who knows the process inside out and has your back beyond professional success, I would look no further than Jenny, with whom I look forward to staying close with over future milestones in life.

Read More

I first worked with Sharon during the summer of 2019 and she helped me massively overcome hurdles I faced in the application process. Working with Sharon on the "early stage planning" MBA process aided me tremendously in strategizing my weaknesses and strengths in applying for full-time programs. Sharon's expertise with top programs, Clifton Strengths, and her ability to give sound and cogent advice make her a great consultant to work with!

Since working with her I've proudly applied to several top MBA programs (full-time) with confidence and am currently awaiting final decisions. If your certain you want to pursue an MBA however need help in the planning and strategizing piece I cannot recommend working with another consultant but Sharon!

Read More

Karen helped me throughout the admission process and she helped me telling my personal story in a way that I could not have done by myself. Her comments and feedback are professional, right on point and very constructive. She knows the specificities of all the top schools.

Her advices and help were extremely valuable if you wish to attend to a top business schools. Karen took the time to really understand me, my background, and my ideal career trajectory. She was extremely fast to reply to all my requests and many edits.

I got into my dream school thanks to her.

I strongly recommend her. She is the best.

Read More

I wanted to apply for USC or UCLA for MBA because I live in Los Angeles area. Fortuna was very helpful in matching Jessica with me. I really enjoy the process that we set up multiple calls in different phases and I was able to complete an outstanding resume and essay within 3 weeks! I only used 4 hours of consulting services I would say that the money was well spent! After I got the interview, Jessica also gave me tips to prepare for the interview as well as lots of follow up! She was really helpful throughout the process and I would strongly recommend her to anyone who is looking to apply for an MBA.

Read More

I was a round 2 applicant and started the application process pretty late. I only applied to HSW because my current career path doesn't require me to have an MBA and I would only want to get into the top ones that worth the investment.

I had a "touchy personal story" for my essays but needed someone to help on grammar and make it more eloquent. A friend of mine referred me to Fortuna and Judith matched me with Michel. I sent Michel my already-edited v8 of the essay draft reviewed by multiple family and friends. I didn't much more content changes from Michel but I was very surprised to find out that Michel basically had edits on every single sentence and wanted me to elaborate more on the connection between my personal story and how I could contribute to MBA classrooms.

Also, even if you have already started to work with other consultants on your application process, I would still highly recommend to work with Fortuna for TBD mock interview from Wharton if you get an invite. I actually had two mock interviews with two organizations, but it was very obvious that the mock conducted by Judith was way better. Had I known this beforehand, I probably would only mock with Fortuna, but I'm just a super timid person and I needed that double security...

I have a below-average GMAT (and I'm an Asian - I know, very unforgivable...) and didn't really have much entrepreneurial background, so it wasn't surprise me that I didn't end up getting into HBS and GSB, but I got into Wharton with a significant amount of scholarship. I probably couldn't achieve this without Fortuna's help.

I know a lot of people out there already have perfect GPA and perfect GMAT score, but having a consultant really helps you position yourself and differentiate you from other perfect candidates. It is critical to have someone like Michel or Judith who have worked in Admissions to guide "HOW" you do that. If you are super confident in yourself, at least hire them for some hourly help!

Read More

Cassandra has been the most important piece of the very intricate puzzle that is the HBS application. From start to finish she has been there not only in the application related issues, but also in the more personal decision I had to make in the last 18 months as a professional and (incredibly) as a friend.

Crafting a convincing application takes a lot of time and effort, and it is crucial to have someone guiding you each step of the way which is able to look at your profile from an external (expert) view.

Cassandra will be the most important investment you'll make to get into your dream school!

Read More

Emma is such a wonderful consultant that very much cares about you as a person and in helping you get to your dream school.

As a former member of the admissions committee at LBS, Emma has insightful perspective of what the admissions committee are looking for when reviewing a candidate. After reviewing my application, she helped pull everything from my experiences to show me in the best light and make my application truly shine.

Emma is incredibly easy to talk to, funny and goes above and beyond to make herself available to provide guidance and advice. She encourages, but at the same time she is honest about the things that you need to hear and the weaknesses that you’ll need to find solutions for through other parts of your application. The application process is a tough process —so having someone in your corner like Emma with all of her knowledge and experience as a sounding board made me feel as if I had an outside perspective on whether I was pursuing the right path and narrative.

In terms of working with Emma – she was incredibly helpful and prompt in her responses. Emma is an essay editing queen and takes a lot of pride in her work, which absolutely showed. She turned around my materials quickly, usually in 24 hours, and always came back with a lot of detailed notes on how I could improve and make things better. Even when I changed parts of my application at the last minute on the day of submission, she cleared out time to provide mark-ups and guidance at the last second. She was also great at providing constructive feedback that made it easy for me to understand how to move forward. My essays and short answers were significantly stronger because I had her guidance. She was also super helpful with interview prep and gave great detailed feedback on what you do well and where to improve.

With Emma’s help I was able to get in my top school in R3 even though I had an area of weakness in my application. If you are looking for a consultant, I highly recommend working Emma, especially if you are looking at LBS. She brings so much expertise, but more importantly she cares and is invested in her client. I’m glad to have had her in my application process!

Read More