I made the mistake of not using Fortuna the first time I applied to business school (and believe me, it was a mistake - I did not get any acceptances). If you're applying to business school, don't make this mistake as I did.

When I decided to reapply, I was weary of using another firm given the experience I had. However, Judith proved right away how her and her firm would be extremely valuable. Even before I signed on, Judith spent significant time and effort discussing with me the ins and outs of the application process and my background.

When I signed on with Fortuna my day-to-day work was with Brittany. At first I was concerned because Judith had known my whole background and we worked well together. That fear quickly faded. Not only did Judith continue to work with me, but Brittany seamlessly joined in, providing great insight.

Having now worked with Brittany and another consultant from a competing firm I can say without hesitation that Brittany is the best in the business. She is very easy to work with, extremely responsive, and even more insightful. She's the safe harbor when you feel like you are caught in the middle of the storm with the application deadline approaching. Brittany will help you find your voice and put your best self forward on applications.

Another thing that separates Brittany from the rest: she genuinely cares about her clients. Some firms say they do, but Fortuna and Brittany walk that walk. Case in point: she put me in touch with her own personal connections to discuss the programs I was interested in and the career path I was interested in pursuing.

As a re-applicant, Brittany took a lot of time to review all of my applications and go through where she thought I could improve my second time around. Her analysis was excellent, evidenced by the fact that I am beginning at my dream program this fall (Northwestern JD-MBA).

All I can say is do not hesitate to use Fortuna and, when you call them, tell them you want to work with Judith and Brittany.

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I was accepted to LBS in R1 (i.e. in Nov 2016). What made this even more challenging was that I'm a reapplicant (wait-listed in Feb 2016) from an over-represented group. With such a short gap between applications, Emma's inputs elevated my application by making it more personal and more differentiated, thus creating a more compelling case the second time around.

Firstly, I wasn't confident if I should reapply given the short duration between apps (6 months!), so phase 1 of working I'd with Emma was a re-evaluation of my prior application. Emma's experience from LBS really helped - she brought a critical eye to my earlier application packet. Through the process, my feeling was that of a live ad com evaluation, and an honest assessment of why I was wait-listed and what I'd likely need to do to cross the next hurdle.

I followed this up with an hourly service for essay review and interview prep. Emma's prior consulting & LBS experience meant she was able to relate to my personal/ career progression, and highlight experiences that made me stand out. Our interactions were informal yet candid, which made working with her very easy even through a tight timeline and juggling multiple pieces of the application packet. Her feedback pushed me out of my comfort zone and towards crafting something that spoke less about only what I do, and more about who I am. Similar to the experience nearly everyone has had with Fortuna, Emma's turnaround was both super-quick and super-detailed (I still can't figure out how both go together :) ). From my first draft to the final version, I was able to clearly see the difference in story that Emma's inputs helped craft. Similarly during interview prep, Emma's inputs helped me better project who I am and brought a sense of informality to my story, as opposed to a linear approach that I'd typically have followed.

I definitely feel Emma's inputs helped me in crafting a better, more rounded and personal application second time around, and was the biggest influence in helping me secure a place at LBS within six months of a prior application decision. If you’re applying to LBS, Emma should be your go-to person!

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Hello friends !

My name is Ashish . I am a Mechanical Engineer , currently working in oil sector company Indian Oil Corporation Limited.

I was invited for interview by IE Business School and Indian School of Business . The day i received the invite , I joined Fortuna Admissions for the traditional interview preparation . The reason was the encouraging and cooperative attitude of Matt Symonds Sir during the Fortuna free consultation.

I was fortunate to be mentored by Lisa Ma'am (Former Admissions Director, IE Business School) . She conducted mock interviews , guided me on all aspects of my application , and provided detailed feedbacks for improvement .

Being from an over-represented pool of Indian Engineers and from a non-native English speaking country , initially I was nervous of the intense competition , but Lisa ma'am was very supportive throughout the process .Her greatest strength is that she treats her students as friends and follows a constructive approach when correcting their mistakes. Moreover , the words of wisdom from Lisa ma'am also helped me a lot in my interview of Indian Business School .

I have been admitted to both IE Business School and Indian School of Business. Joining Fortuna admissions was the best decision I made in my MBA journey .I recommend the same to all MBA aspirants !

Thank you Fortuna !

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I thoroughly enjoyed working with Fortuna team. Right from the first call with Matt to, the kick-off with Caroline to preparing my application with Melissa. The team was extremely professional and informative; they know their field.

They spent a lot of time with me understanding about my journey in life and guided me to pick up the right stories. Melissa has a great attention to detail and was able to pick up the insights which even I didn't know about me. I found the whole process to be very reflective.

I got accepted for MIT Sloan and I don't think I could have made it without Fortuna.

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I did a lot of diligence going into the process, researching and speaking to probably about 10 different consultants. Being sold by so many different consultants, I really wanted true honesty from a consultant. It seemed like every initial phone conversation I had I was being told I could get into H/S/W. Fortuna separated themselves right off the bat in that regard offering me what I felt was an objective and realistic assessment of my chances at various schools.

I signed up for the comprehensive school package for 3 schools. Fortuna touts themselves as the "premium" option amongst their peers. Their ability to do this stems from the unique set up and group of talent at the firm. The core group of founders at Fortuna all have the highest qualifications (all ex admissions directors) and at minimum review the application for submission. The consultant you work with has daily dialogue with that core group regarding your application.

Catherine specifically went to extra lengths to help me. As we both live in the same city, she met every Saturday for about a two month stretch at a local Panera as I felt it was easier to work in person.

I am not sure if its because they are a newer firm with few clients but I received far more attention I expected. Another firm touts "48 hour email response time"... Catherine never took longer than 4 hours. I had an equally accommodating experience scheduling spur of the moment phone calls to review a question.

Overall very happy. If you are reading this, you are likely questioning why almost every consultant has 5 stars and probably questioning the legitimacy of said reviews. For what its worth, take it from me and give Fortuna a shot- it paid off for me.

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From the initial consultation through to writing essays and preparing for interviews, the Fortuna coaches are extremely knowledgeable given their experience at admissions departments across a wide range of top US and European business schools.

Their bespoke approach (multi-step timeline for comprehensive school package) resulted in them gaining a deep understanding of my background and experiences to date and the coach that I was paired with was efficient and responsive, regularly following up and responding to emails. Indeed, one of the coaches also went above and beyond by putting me in touch with someone with a similar background to mine for additional insights and advice.

Overall the process went smoothly and the coaches exceeded my expectations.

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I got accepted in INSEAD and LBS, and I am beyond excited.

With an average GPA, and over 30 years of age, most admission consultants considered me an “unfavorable” MBA candidate. However, working with Caroline (Ex INSEAD admission director) and Cassandra (Ex LBS & INSEAD admission officer) helped me to capitalize on the unique aspects of my story. Both Caroline and Cassandra are proactive, details-oriented, supportive, and genuinely resourceful. I always found their feedback sessions to be exceptionally useful and practical.

My only tip for those who are considering working with an admission consultant is to look for a consultant who actually worked in the "admission" of your target school. Seriously, don't waste your time with anyone else. I have met over 10 admission consultants who are either MBA graduates from top schools, or self-claimed admission experts. Both groups told me useless stuff. You need someone who knows the admission process and can confidently show you the real tips and secrets of your target school.

Thanks Fortuna for the dedication and professionalism. You made my dream come true!

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Julie assisted me in preparing my applications to the Booth and Wharton - Lauder MBA programs. This is my first time applying and I only apply to a selected few M7 schools, hence I was quite stressed out during the process. Julie provided me with candid feedback on my strengths and weaknesses as an applicant and clear strategies to tailor my applications to the schools, gave me specific suggestions on how to draft cohesive storylines, and always pushed me to sharpen my messages. Thanks to Julie's assistance, and some luck of course, I have been admitted into both programs. I am excited to start a new chapter of my life!

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I had free consultation with 3 companies in Jun. I felt most comfortable and engaged when talking to Matt (Fortuna), Though he also quote the most expensive package price :). Another free consultation I had was with a GSB graduate. He advised me not to consider M7, and probably not even S16. He suggested a few other schools, and i felt a bit discouraged.

I decided to follow my heart as Matt really made me feel he knows inside out the application process and sees my unique profile from the AO's prospective.

I am so lucky to be admitted to all the three schools I applied in R1 and I am going to HBS this fall!

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I signed up for a Comprehensive School Package covering two schools - INSEAD and Tuck. I was admitted into both.

The team at Fortuna Admissions played a significant role in helping me achieve this. My lead consultant was Caroline Diarte Edwards and Jessica Chung was my expert coach.

The first step of the program was a comprehensive strategy questionnaire, containing questions that kick started my process of self reflection. The questions guided me to think carefully about my values and key experiences, and this formed the core of all essays that I wrote.

Both Jessica and Caroline were always very quick to respond to my questions. Jessica consistently ensured that I was on course to complete my applications on time. I found the frequent conversations and brainstorming sessions with Jessica to be extremely useful in helping me pick the right experiences and personal qualities to focus on in my applications. I really liked that there was no spoon-feeding during the process, and instead the focus was always on helping me think in the right direction, therefore ensuring that my essays were completely authentic and reflected my own story.

The team was always supportive and encouraging, giving me the confidence to express myself in my application. As a result of their guidance, apart from having admits from my dream schools, I also have a better understanding of my own strengths and weaknesses, and what areas of growth I should focus on in the months leading up to my MBA.

I strongly recommend working with Fortuna Admissions for your MBA applications.

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