I enrolled with Fortuna admissions to help with my applications to MBA at INSEAD and LBS. I found their consulting service very professional and organized. Nonie Mackie was assigned as my coach and she worked with me on my applications over a period of 3 months. Nonie was especially approachable and is a very passionate individual. She made it very easy for me to work with her, allowing flexible timings for our meetings and usually with a quick response time. She was very persistent in getting the best efforts out of me in terms of the right stories and in organizing and structuring the content for essays to suit the admission criteria of the school. Nonie gave very honest feedback on the application and was in full control of all the aspects from resume to interview prep. Yet another positive aspect about Nonie is that she goes an extra mile to pull out information and reference materials that helps with the application. Overall I am very pleased with the coaching Nonie provided me and with the services of Fortuna Consulting.

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My Background: Asian-American male in finance with a strong GPA and GMAT score. Generally, I had a very strong profile on paper in terms of academics and career.

My Top Choice: Wharton.

Results w/ Fortuna: Accepted to Wharton and Columbia ($100,000+), and invited to interview at HBS. I only applied to these 3 schools.

Reason for Choosing Fortuna: During my initial free consultation with Matt Symonds, I found it refreshing to speak with a consultant who provides an honest assessment of the services that would be of most value to me. Matt took the time to understand my profile and suggested an hourly package to help hone my messaging. He also ensured that I could retain my voice and give full freedom to my recommenders. In contrast, many other consultants insisted on having a heavy hand in the essays (basically writing it for me) and controlling the recommendations – not my cup of tea.

Experience w/ Michel Belden: I highly recommend Michel and can’t give her enough praises. Michel’s proven experience with the Wharton process was one of the key reasons that I chose to work with Fortuna. Michel really helped me articulate and structure my message and made sure I wasn’t leaving any stones unturned in my story. She was incredibly thoughtful and gracious throughout the process, going above and beyond during the holidays by remaining accessible when I was in a time crunch. I can’t thank her enough and highly recommend you consider working with her.

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Caroline Edwards of Fortuna Admissions had a detailed conversation with me after reviewing my application to INSEAD. I had been waitlisted, much to my dismay, after what felt like two perfect alumni interviews and countless hours drafting and perfecting application essays. Caroline was quick to point out my lack of international experience in my resume and also my average GMAT score (700) which is actually a bit lower than the average admitted INSEAD student. After much debate with Caroline we realized that I probably wouldn't be able to boost my GMAT much, and even if I would be able to it would take a lot of time and wouldn't over come other weaknesses in my portfolio.

Caroline ultimately recommended me to get another recommendation letter, revamp my CV to focus on my international experience, and draft a new cover letter to address my reasoning for why I should be admitted from the waitlist. The conversations with Caroline were genuine, and I felt that she was truly concerned for my situation. She made great recommendations and was able to help me prioritize my waitlist strategy quickly. I was ultimately able to get accepted into INSEAD of the waitlist, and I believe this is in big part a result of Caroline's help.

The price point is a bit high, but if you have your heart set on a specific school that waitlists your initial application, then I highly recommend this service.

Thanks Caroline and Fortuna.

-Roy

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I am from a non-traditional MBA background and believed a coach is necessary to help me navigate the highly competitive and complex process of MBA application.
Thanks to Nicola, Matt and Caroline, the journey was instead really enjoyable.

I chose Fortuna because of the recommendation from a good friend and the fact that, as ex staff from INSEAD, some of the coaches have deep insights about my dream school.

Nicola and I are in nearby time zones across the Tasman Sea(AU and NZ), allowing the communications being very timely and convenient.

As I said, the entire process was very well planned with a clear timeline. I was able to focus on tasks in hand and knew everything is under control. There are specific tools and guidance for each step along the way. For example, the initial comprehensive questionnaire was extremely valuable as a tool for self-reflection and gathering material for essays.

For the whole time, Nicola was extremely helpful. She had enlightened me to discover the meaningful stories of my life. In terms of the application, the essays and forms were carefully reviewed by Nicola and Caroline for dozens of times. Nicola also helped me with interviews and the scholarship application.

In summary, Nicola is a great coach and I highly recommend anyone choosing her and Fortuna Admissions. Without their help, I probably wouldn't survive the admission competition and eventually receive an offer from INSEAD. A big thank you to the team.

Lastly, I have to mention the Youtube channel and the website of Fortuna Admissions, which are great resources for MBA applications.

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I do not come from a typical background for MBA programs and thus had little clue about the whole application process. Moreover, my work was quite demanding and thus I did not actually have much time to write the essays.

Nicola exceeded my expectations. Due to my busy schedule, not only that she always came back to me within 1-2 days (including weekends on odd hours!!!), but throughout the whole application process I actually realized that I also got to learn how to present and write about myself in a humble yet very competent way. The whole process for me was truly a coaching experience and was not just a mean to get the application submitted.

She always remembered even very little details about my whole profile which has helped me connect the dots to write cohesive essays.

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Consultant: Karen Ponte.

I was applying to EMBA to top two European Business schools. The competition is fierce there, so I wanted to have a consultant.

I was not sure what consultant to choose, so based on the feedback in the internet and from my friend I peaked several consultants for the first free consultations.

With Fortuna, Everything started from 40 mins free conversation with Matt. Matt had so much experience and info about schools. the conversation was absolutely incomparable with other consultants that I peaked.

So I decided to stick with Fortuna and took a full package for one particular school. Fortuna provided me a consultant that worked before in that school. That school was my main priory in the beginning between the two that I chose. However after events in those schools my main target has changed. Fortuna was really flexible and they kindly provided me another consultant instead- Karen Ponte.
Karen is just amazing, with no exaggeration! Karen used to work in that school, so she knew not just the process or what I need to show, she actually new people and so many small details about application process and essays.
I honestly believe that If I didn't have Karen, I would never be accepted to my Dream school. After first conversation I understood, that Karen is really experienced in that process. Karen was flexible and really quick with all the advises on the story and changes in my essays. Importantly, I had only around 3 weeks for the whole application process. so we started quickly from References, and Karen pointed exact sides of my profile (knowing it and discussing it with me) that should be highlighted by Referees. Karen has amazing drafting skills, and she really improved my essays.
When I got an appointment with Admission for the school, we went through everything. Karen helped me to build the right story in the presentation.
After I was admitted and got the offer, which I happily accepted, Karen helped me with Scholarship.
Karen had conversations with me almost daily, and responded always on the same day. It was so important for me, as I am full-time employee with sometimes demanding schedule.
I am really thankful to Karen and I highly recommend her.

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Julie was exceptional. As candidate from a small firm and a tier two liberal arts college, Julie worked diligently to help me stand out in wholly unexpected ways. She showed me how a weekend hobby wasn’t just a hobby, but a way to make my candidacy standout.
Where Julie shines is the essay. About five times, per essay I’d find myself stuck, but each time Julie was there with some wild idea that was just enough to get me going. She diligently edited the barrage of drafts I threw at her. The essays we produced were the cornerstone of my application. Admissions officers from three separate programs highlighted my essays as the key strength of my application.
Like working with any great coach, if you put in the work, you will see outstanding results.

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Thanks Sharon for prepping me for the interviews. I got admitted to UCLA Anderson, UC Berkely Hass, Yale SOM and MIT Sloan. Some of them offered almost full or half scholarship.

When I contacted Sharon for interview preparation, the deadline was approaching and I have nearly zero knowledge about the interview. Thank Sharon for the quick response and talking with me on such a short notice.

I truly enjoyed the 2-hour conversation with Sharon. She was able to provide insightful feedback and suggestions during the conversation, and also answered my follow-up questions via email with great patience. She gave me a good start on my interview preparation by identifying my strengths and weaknesses.

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Yes, as mentioned in previous reviews, Melissa certainly has unparalleled insight into the admissions process which is clear in her invaluable feedback on the essays.

However, I believe that Melissa's true strength as a coach was her ability to get me through the self-doubt, writer's block and the numerous other obstacles that had almost caused me to give up on the application entirely.

Melissa showed a balance of patience and persistent encouragement, intuitively knowing to send amazing motivational videos and mental hacks that helped me work through the things that were holding me back.

With her support, I actually ended up enjoying the application process and was very proud of the final result. I also got admitted into my dream school!

I could not have asked for a better coach.

She genuinely cared, was very insightful and knowledgeable, and showed diligent attention to the slightest detail.

Melissa, it was wonderful to work with you. Thank you so much!

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I could not have asked for better experience working with Jessica. We focused on my top choice only and I ended up being admitted to the school. Throughout the few months we worked together, Jessica was always responsive, discerning and honest. She provided valuable insight of what the program’s admissions committees are looking for, which helped me keep my essays in the right direction. I also appreciated her providing clear timeline of how the application should move forward and making sure I was on track. With Jessica’s help on my interview skills, I was able to walk into the actual one feeling confident.
I would highly recommend her to any future applicants. Thank you Jessica!

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