I interviewed multiple admissions companies and Fortuna stood out for their attention to detail, expansive view of the world, and succinctly getting to the heart of things.

I have seen these same qualities in my every interaction with Karen, starting from our first conversation. Karen has been my cheerleader and supporter through every step of the application process, getting me essay edits back in less than 48 hours, answering all my questions big and small, and helping me really refine the essence of my story and what I can bring to an MBA program. I really appreciated her flexibility in working around my schedule (we’re in very different time zones) and in helping me think strategically when I encountered challenges in my personal life during the application process. For most of us this process is a daunting one that is a test of stamina, willpower, and self-belief, but knowing Karen was on my side really helped me manage the stress and uncertainty.

I highly recommend Karen to anyone looking for a supportive, strategic, and empathetic consultant during the MBA admissions journey.

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I bought a one-school package with Nonie and that was the best investment I have made in my MBA journey.

Before signing up with her, I have read many reviews and contacted many admission coaches only to have most of them tell me that the chance of getting into a top 10 business school MBA program is slim due to my lower than average GMAT score. The first impression I got from Nonie is that she can quickly identify the strengths and weaknesses of a candidate and come up with a very bespoke admission strategy, on the other hand, she also made me believe that I can achieve the goal.

Working with Nonie is also a pleasure, she is candid, honest and methodical. We have set many small deadlines for application materials and Nonie constantly checks in on the progress if my essays or other aspects of the application. On many occasions, she and I have worked out of office hours to deliver quality files before the deadline. The end result is, I submitted both my LBS and INSEAD applications a few days before the deadlines.

I also found my mock interview with Nonie was very helpful as well. I was initially intimidated by the idea of video interviews as I had no experience in the past, but working with Nonie who guided me through the themes of the and LBSand INSEAD video interview, I felt I was more confident and relaxed in my video interviews.

I ended up getting interview offers from both LBS and INSEAD and decided to accept the offer from LBS. I would like to thank Nonie for her hard work supporting my admission journey every step of the way and I would like to recommend Nonie to everyone who aspires to get on the same journey.

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Deeply knowledgeable on the business school admissions process, Melissa provided me with some very detailed and constructive feedback on how to best showcase my professional accomplishments in my essays & resume, and stand-out to the admissions committee. She also helped structure my essays to highlight my key personal achievements and put forth a well-balanced view of my personality; ultimately helping me make it to the interview shortlist. Subsequently she also provided me with a lot of resources and guidance on how best to prepare for the interview, and present myself on the day.
Extremely professional in her work, Melissa was always quick to get back with her reviews without compromising on the quality of her inputs, yet being very friendly and extremely approachable at all times. It was an absolute pleasure working with her, and can only offer my highest levels of recommendation for her work. I will always be grateful to her for helping me get admitted into my dream b-school.

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Nonie possesses ALL the traits of an exceptional coach, she is methodical, organized, punctual, professional, flexible, candid, provides immensely valuable feedback, and ultimately empowers you to put your best application forward. On top of all this, she is also a joy to work with.

We worked together extensively on all aspects of my application, but Nonie's impact was particularly pronounced in my essays. I compared the initial drafts and final product and was amazed at the positive impact Nonie's feedback had on me and my essays. Often I found I knew what I wanted to say, but not necessarily how to best present it, and Nonie always provided her support to ensure my point was made. As it relates to interview techniques, I am quite a comfortable interviewer (making this more challenging for Nonie!) but even with a strong base, Nonie picked up on several small details which were difference makers that I had overlooked for ages - I still use them to this day. Lastly, I built a relationship with Nonie over the course of months of sharing stories, garnering her feedback and working together. I'm hoping to have the opportunity to thank her in person for her work! Nonie also draws on her experience with INSEAD, and stays in the know on updates and things to be aware of. While the MBA application process can be intense and stressful, I found myself enjoying it while working with Nonie.

Overall, I cannot recommend Nonie enough. If you are serious about ensuring you put the absolute best application forward, it is a no-brainer to speak with Nonie about how she can help you achieve your goals (and enjoy the process while working towards them).

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I highly recommend working with Melissa Jones as an admissions consultant. I feel fortunate to have benefited from Melissa’s expertise, guidance, and encouragement. I was recently admitted to my top-choice of a top-tier business school and Melissa’s support was critical to me achieving my long-term goal.

Melissa is the ultimate professional and will provide you with invaluable support as you navigate the often daunting business school admissions process. Melissa’s objective perspective on my application and areas for improvement were helpful as it provided me with visibility about what I needed to work toward. Melissa was also extremely patient, as she reviewed and provided feedback on multiple iterations of my application. She was always so encouraging and I appreciated her honesty.

As well, Melissa, along with the Fortuna team, have developed valuable internal processes that will provide you with the structure you need to successfully navigate the business school applications process. Part of this included a review of my CV, and Jody, Fortuna’s resume expert, along with Melissa, provided me with feedback that enabled me to develop a compelling CV that complemented my essays. I have nothing but positive things to say about my experience working with Melissa.

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After hearing about how other people applying to business school were using consultants, I knew I wanted to use one as well. When I first started looking at the different consulting companies, I had taken the GMAT once but cancelled my score because it wasn't in the range for the schools I wanted to attend (M7). After taking some time off from studying, I was getting back into studying but my score wasn't improving as much as it needed to and I wasn't sure when I'd hit the score I needed. Regardless, I reached out to a few companies and scheduled initial consult calls. The first company I reached out to didn't even want to talk to me because I hadn't retaken the GMAT yet and basically told me in so many words that I didn't go to Harvard undergrad and didn't work at Goldman Sachs or Blackstone so I had no chance at my top school choice. To say I felt demoralized is an understatement. I spoke with a few other consultants and while most were nicer, they pushed me to spin my post-business school goals in a way that felt disingenuous to the story I wanted to tell because it was what admissions wanted to hear.

When I talked to Judith and Karen at Fortuna, it was a completely difference experience. They were so understanding of my goals and how I wanted to convey them in my application and supported me in getting started on applications while also balancing studying for the GMAT. While I know many people navigate the process successfully without a consultant, I needed somebody who knew how to navigate it most efficiently that I could bounce ideas off of for multiple iterations at any time of day. Karen was amazing at helping bring the best content and presentation out of me while also helping me stay true to how I wanted to present it. Karen was a lifesaver during the application process. With her help and organization, I applied to my top 4 school choices in Round 1 and she helped me strategize for potential Round 2 applications that thanks to her help I didn't have to prepare. I was accepted in Round 1 and even offered a very generous scholarship and I really think her expertise at helping me prepare for the application / interview was key in these results.

My friend is also applying to business school this year and using a different consulting company. In talking about our experiences with our consultants, it's really night and day. Karen and everybody at Fortuna is so generous with their time and just proactively reaching out to wish you good luck with interviews / decision results and sets you up with everything you need for success. I would think that this is similar to the experience you'd have with other consultants, but my friend sadly hasn't had the same experience (but take this with a grain of salt, as it's just one data point).

All in all, I'm very happy with my experience. With Karen, I was able to tell the story I wanted tell and have a positive outcome. While Karen helped polish my story (and it needed alot of polishing), she didn't change its fundamentals. Her patience and care made me feel supported every step of the way. I think a good consultant is an unconditional cheerleader that's still realistic, and Karen was this for me.

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I knew going into the application process that I definitely wanted to work with a consultant, since I did not know anything about the business school process. Luckily, my friend recently worked with Michel and strongly recommended her, and I didn't hesitate to move forward with her after our initial consultation! My work with Michel and Judith, as well as the broader resources of Fortuna's platform, has been extremely valuable and key to my acceptances to three top business schools (2 M7s).

Working with Michel was incredibly easy. I found Michel to be very quick to respond, thoughtful, and honest. She would always find time for us to chat, even if she was out of town herself. I especially found Michel very skillful and patient with helping me prepare mock interviews. Interviewing is something that has always scared me, but after even our first mock interview I felt so much more prepared and knowledgeable about how to convey certain stories and how to speak confidently.

Generally I would say Michel took a lot of the stress out of the business school application process that I would otherwise have. From helping me brainstorm essay topics to pumping me up for interviews, and finally debriefing after interviews, I have so much appreciation for the care Michel took into being my advocate and supporter, and I know she will continue to put in the same time and effort with her future clients.

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Willie was the perfect consultant for a non-traditional applicant like myself. I shopped several potential consultants and it was evident from day one that Willie understood my non-traditional story better than anybody. He consistently helped me to better frame my story in a more favorable light.
His insights consistently blew me away and I’m confident that he was the difference maker than enabled me to gain acceptance into HBS and other top programs with scholarships.

Yes, hiring a consultant is expensive. However, if Willie can substantially increase your odds of admission as he did for me, this investment will pay for itself countless times over. Having worked with him, I have zero doubts about his abilities. I owe him tremendously and without question, my time with Willie is the best investment I have ever made.

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At the outset, I had very high expectations because of all the great reviews about Karen and Fortuna. My high expectations were not just met but were exceeded.

Karen didn’t just help with essays, but she made every single part of the process advance as seamlessly and smoothly as possible – taking a lot of stress away – and ultimately allowing me to put my best foot forward. All throughout my time working with Karen, she really did care about me and worked very hard reviewing and helping me craft my material. She did so in a very timely, professional and caring way.

Karen was not just my admissions consultant – instead, she was more like a sports coach – she sat in my corner and her insights, encouraging voice and detailed questions helped propel me to a level I would not have reached without her.

The quality of her advice, MBA-specific knowledge, and essay reviews/comments/edits are unparalleled. She is also an extremely strong wordsmith and I’ve learned many things about writing from her.

Summary of key aspects of Karen’s help:
1. Resume – through phone calls and many rounds of review, Karen helped me produce a resume that I was proud of. She dug deep into my choice of particular words/phrasing. By listening to my career experience, she helped me select the most impactful things to show. All throughout the rest of the process, Karen retained my key work experience information and often prompted me to inject a certain piece of work into a part of an essay where it was relevant. Often surprising me as to how good her memory of my work experience was.

2. Essays – helped me understand and articulate my story better. Through many rounds of detailed review and questioning, Karen helped me craft powerful and compelling texts about my career journey, and why MBA and this school.

3. Biodata forms – similar to the above, Karen helped me craft the best possible content into extremely tight forms

4. Interview prep – I was invited to 3 interviews and was admitted to all 3 schools. A big reason why was the live mock interviews (including Wharton’s TBD) that Karen conducted with me. She would finish each mock interview with a candid assessment of my performance on each question. When the real interview came around, I felt very well prepared

5. General prep for MBA fairs – Karen helped me plan/refine/practice my elevator pitch for meeting admissions staff at MBA fairs

6. Fee discussion with schools – post-admission Karen has continued to share her MBA-specific knowledge with me, to help me navigate the complexities of deciding which school to attend and financial aid

7. Backed by Fortuna – Karen is amazing, but she is also backed by a strong team. Secondary reviewers performed a final review of all materials.

Karen was far better than other consultants I’ve seen my friends and workmates rely on. Karen dug deep underneath the surface, remembered critical details about me, and really pushed me to produce great content.

I can 100% vouch for and recommend Karen.

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I am very happy to have worked with Fortuna Admissions and with Caroline Diarte Edwards for my admission to INSEAD (my dream school) from the waitlist. When I applied, I pieced together what I thought was a strong application with help/proofreading from people who've been through the application process. Even so, I got waitlisted. What went wrong?

After sifting through reviews, I decided to engage the services of Fortuna Admissions, and I got to work with Caroline, who I had hoped to work with. Caroline is easy to work with even through a 16-hour time difference. She is very thorough – she’ll ask for all details of your application, including interviews and recommendations.

As past Director of Admissions, she has the ability to zoom in on all of those components and identify areas where the application might be weak. The expert perspective certainly helped me focus on where or what I could improve, and we worked together to polish my story. And through the process, I also felt that Caroline was personally invested in my success.

I couldn’t recommend Caroline and Fortuna Admissions more. If you’re in the waitlist, consider their services to get admitted. If you’re just starting an application, their services could help you craft a seamless MBA application. All these provided you do your part, of course! Highly recommended!

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