I worked with Karen for almost a year for the 2021 intake application cycle. I would absolutely like to recommend her to MBA aspirants as she is great at what she does and is extremely supportive during the entire application process.

I started talking to Karen long before my GRE - she helped me understand what schools should I aim for, what is the score that would help me get there and motivated me constantly throughout the stressful GRE process.

Over our numerous strategy calls, she was very patient and quick in understanding my journey and why I made certain decisions - she was very quick to understand several technicalities and nuances in my journey and would help distill my experiences and achievements into a structure that would be appreciated by the ADCOMs.

During the peak of the application cycle - she was extremely efficient and time-sensitive! She would provide her review comments and advice very quickly and I could always depend on her for any last minute questions or concerns. Her speed and drive even made me push myself to get a lot more done! I always felt that she was looking after my best interests and even often provided tips and guidance for schools outside my package.

Would 100% recommend to work with her!

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I worked with Melissa on applying to INSEAD, as I considered her (and Fortuna) to be the INSEAD experts during my MBA consultant search. With Melissa’s help, I got into INSEAD despite a relatively low GPA (3.27/4.0) and lower than average GMAT (700 vs 706 INSEAD average). Melissa was very positive and always made time to talk when I needed advice from start to finish. She had great resume edits and pushed me on self-reflection for essay topics. On the essays themselves, she gave honest and direct feedback while still sounding motivating and encouraging. Super responsive as well – I could consistently count on a response well within 24 hours. Melissa also looped in Caroline (former Director of Ad. at INSEAD) from Fortuna to offer additional perspective, which was great.

At the beginning, Melissa gave me a good strategic sense of which schools I should consider and where my application would be viewed favorably. I ended up applying to Wharton as well – Melissa looped in Judith (former Director at Wharton) from Fortuna this time, which was much appreciated. Although I didn’t get in, I feel good that I made the most of my application thanks to Melissa/ Fortuna.

Last thing I’ll add is that my initial consultant hiring process was very smooth, because Fortuna has someone (i.e. salesperson but not pushy) who does an initial screening (vs most “free consultations” that have you speak directly to the consultant who is so busy and less likely to follow-up with helpful info). I appreciated this part of the process b/c having a point of contact from sales helped me find the best-fit coach within Fortuna and then made the onboarding process itself quite smooth. Overall, would definitely recommend Fortuna, especially for INSEAD.

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It was a great pleasure working with Michel and the Fortuna Admissions team on my MBA applications. I had a phenomenal experience with the 5-school package (Harvard, Wharton, Stanford, Sloan, CBS) and would highly recommend it to any prospective applicant.

I applied as a deferred enrollment applicant and I was so uncertain about my chance of getting in any of the schools, because I consider myself lack both working experience and impressive life stories. I was going on a very traditional track to IBD and didn't have something "interesting" to write about at that time. Throughout the application process, Michel took the time to get to know me on a personal and professional level. Although we had a 16-hour time difference, she always responded in a timely manner and consistently found ways to improve my skills to present myself to the admissions. Michel is extremely approachable and patient. We can always find a time to chat, brainstorm, or edit if I need.

Michel was a huge help during every stage of the application process. She helped me with things include what to include in my resume, to whom I should ask for recommendation, countless times of editing essays (she paid huge attention to improve every word) and preparation for interviews.

With Michel and Fortuna's help, I was very fortunate to be admitted by the Wharton Deferred Enrollment program! I can't wait to be there in around 2 years, and I sincerely recommend Michel as a consultant to whoever wants to take on the challenge and discover their potential in the MBA application process!

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Rachel is hands down an AMAZING coach. She was instrumental in my application and my admission to 4 top schools including my dream school: Harvard Business School! 

Early on, she invested the time to get to know me and understand my personal journey and my work experience. Because of her genuine interest in me, Rachel challenged me to dig deeper and to be introspective during the essay writing process. She was able to diligently sift through my stories to uncover recurring themes and help me refine my thoughts. She often challenged my assumptions and provided honest feedback even when it countered my initial thought process.
Looking back, I have so much admiration for the honest and tough feedback that she provided to help me craft a compelling story and find my own voice. 

Her ongoing encouragement was key in helping me surmount the roadblocks encountered in a particularly challenging year (test retake, writer's block, self doubt). She was particularly helpful in our mock interviews by providing direct and actionable feedback that enhanced my interviewing skills.

She was highly responsive and flexible throughout the entire process. Her turnaround time was exceptional. Our sessions were always productive and enriching. She leveraged the Fortuna network and knowledge base to help thoroughly answer my questions about the specificities of the different school programs.

While I had some awareness of the MBA application process, I underestimated the time, effort and commitment that the process would require over a period of time.  She was tactical and helped me stay on track of each step of the process. We worked through numerous essay edits and introspective exercises, even in the wee hours sometimes. Her can-do attitude, her empathy, and her attentiveness are unmatched!

Beyond being an amazing coach and subject matter expert, Rachel is a genuine and caring person who offered me support and advice as a friend would. While working with her, I have also gained an amazing advocate and mentor. I could not recommend her enough! 

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Michel has been extremely helpful in my MBA admissions process. I entered this cycle as a deferred MBA applicant, which I knew wouldn't be easy, and I was able to get into Stanford and Wharton with Michel's help!

To begin, she broke down how I should approach the process of applying to difficult MBA programs. From helping me ideate different essay topics to conducting mock interviews, she was willing to go above and beyond in order to ensure that I felt prepared and confident in every single aspect of my application. She displayed a unique ability to help me see the bigger picture and develop a roadmap, and I felt that this was essential when I was writing my essays and preparing for interviews. Having bought the comprehensive package, another thing about Michel that I really appreciated was that she did not try to rush me through the process or set a limit to the number of hours I could ask for her help. In the heat of the essay writing period, she was willing to meet with me multiple times a week to go over numerous revisions and essay versions, which I felt was something incredibly unique about Michel and Fortuna. Having that immediate access to advice and analysis on my application was critical to my success at Stanford and Wharton. I highly recommend Michel and Fortuna to anyone beginning the MBA application process!

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First off, Fortuna knows its chops and is truly the best in the business. Karla is amazing.
I was a re-applicant who had worked with someone else previously and not even sure whether business school would still make sense for me. Whereas other consultants told me that I likely didn’t have a shot at some of the places I had earlier applied to, Karla had a completely different and refreshing take. She believed in me from our first introductory call. She is so insightful and knowledgeable about what top schools are looking for, something that was instantly evident to me while talking to her, and helped me present my story in the most compelling way. She worked tirelessly with me on all aspects of my candidacy from the essays to the interviews, beyond what I could imagine from any other consultant! She was my biggest cheerleader, advisor, and trusted friend through the whole process, encouraging me whenever I had any doubts and helping rein in my little worries :)
She also brought in Judith specifically to help review my materials including for Wharton and Judith was similarly a delight to work with, going above and beyond!
With their help, I got accepted to 4 top schools (M7) and even received scholarships. I am so very grateful to Karla for her support and believe that her guidance made THE difference this time around. I honestly can’t recommend her enough!!!

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I bought the comprehensive package for one school - INSEAD, and I chose Nonie Mackie as my consultant. Finally, it turned out that this is the best decision I've ever made during the application journey.

Just from the first Skype call with Nonie (the free version consultation), I realized that she's the person who can help me, not just because that, as the Former Assitant Director in the INSEAD MBA Program, she is very knowledgeable about INSEAD culture and taste of admission committee.

Before the call, I researched several other admissions consulting firms and scheduled virtual meetings with their consultants. I've had no feeling that there is one consultant like Nonie who cares about YOU, not the business. It proved in the 2nd conversation with her. She read carefully about my Strategic Questionnaire and knew me better than myself. She could identify my strengths where I didn't see but where the admissions officers may want. The most important thing is that Nonie followed what inside a person and she wanted to know me and dig up unique experiences and hidden values from myself.

Nonie is very patient and humble, with much experience in INSEAD and with her previous clients. I am not a native English speaker, and I always shared my concerns and left the most difficult decisions with her. She would be very patient to ask each question timely. She even replied to me sometimes during the holiday because I started preparing in a tight timeline (please prepare in advance and give you enough time). Throughout the whole journey, Nonie guided me step by step.

I had a low GMAT score, therefore, to me, essays would be kind of game-changers. When Nonie and I worked on my essay edits, I believe that she spent a lot of time thinking strategically and thoroughly. As you know, there are many questions in the INSEAD MBA application. But, for each question, after several times fourth-and-back tweaks and edits, Nonie turned my essays into something! Because Nonie followed my experience and strengths, all the essays are shining and enjoyable to read for me. I worked full-time and had long working hours. By choosing Nonie and Fortuna, I saved time to finally achieve my goal. For example, for other various deliverables, such as resume, online application, recommenders, Nonie also consistently supported me.

About my interview preparation, Nonie’s assistance during the video interview and alumni interview process were very helpful. Such high-quality mock interviews gave me confidence for the actual interviews.

Overall, I very much appreciate Nonie’s endless help and support during my MBA application process. I got admitted to INSEAD MBA and would highly recommend Nonie for candidates chasing their dreams.

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As a non-traditional candidate coming from one of the over-represented background, I have the average work experience and went to the average school. I applied for the class of 2022 on my own and was rejected by all schools without interview. After deciding to reapply with the help of admission consultant, I did several 30min free consultations with different firms. Everyone, except for Fortuna, told me to forget about HBS/GSB. Then I started to work with Tatiana, who helped me getting the interview, then waitlist at Stanford, as well as the acceptances from Kellogg and INSEAD.

This is what helped me get to this point from where I started:

1. Developing my personal narrative. Tatiana spent several 1-hour sessions on the phone with me going through my life stories since childhood in detail. She was very patient, empathetic, and inquisitive. I became comfortable with her immediately. She has a very deep understanding of human psychology and was able understand my stories/points very quickly. This process by itself was quite therapeutic. She also took notes on everything while we speak and helped me connecting all the dots at the end.
2. Leveraging my non-traditional background. While I tried to fit my work experience into the mold of business, Tatiana helped me identifying elements that are unique and attractive to schools and then amplifying those elements in my application. This really helped me standing out from a crowded applicant pool. She understands what makes an applicant special to the admission committee and her unique perspective added tons of strength to my application.
3. Career coaching. When new career opportunities presented themselves during my application, I was able to discuss everything with Tatiana and get solid advices from her. Her experience of working in very diverse range of sectors/industries helped me identifying and prioritizing opportunities for my own career development and consequently, strengthening my application.

At the end of the process, I gained not only offers of admission, but also confidence and career advices that will help me in the long run. Throughout this journey, Tatiana was tremendously supportive and her expertise made me confident that I have put my best foot forward this time. I would recommend Tatiana with my full heart!

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My experience working with Sharon was nothing short of phenomenal. Coming into the game with a sub-par undergrad engineering GPA, I knew that I was at a massive advantage from the get-go.

Sharon was incredibly easy to talk to and dove straight into the application process with me starting from the very first minute of the initial session - not a single minute felt like a waste. Sharon was able to identify my strengths almost immediately, and was really able to help me bring out my own unique perspective and voice in my essays and overall application in a way that I wouldn't have been able to do by myself. The entire process would have definitely taken me easily at least 3 times as long if I had done everything alone. I was working on a time crunch, since I repeatedly took the GMAT, up until literally one week before R2 deadlines, leaving me with less than half a week to perfect the rest of my application. Sharon was able to help me craft together EVERYTHING for a Haas reapplication - resume, essays, interview prep, and overall application - within the unbelievable span of 3 days. She was readily available, always just a text/email away, and was extremely responsive, even on the weekends. I was finally admitted to Haas, a Top 10 program, and could not be happier, given my GPA handicap going into the process.

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Karen is such a fantastic coach - I cannot recommend her highly enough!! See below for key reasons why Karen is so fantastic. If you have the chance to work her, do not hesitate!!
1. Consistently shares the WHY (teaches you how to think - not what to think):
1. When I first spoke to Karen, I was on the fence about applying in the 2020-2021 cycle. She recommended that I apply now but I was still skeptical. It was the WHY (the context) she shared that ultimately led me to apply earlier than I originally had in mind.
2. When it came to writing my essays, she stopped me in my tracks when my initial idea was not up to par. She highlighted the ideas that had merit and pushed me to dig much deeper. There was about a month during which Karen continually challenged me to start from my scratch on my main story - when I finally came back with my final version, she confirmed that it was compelling and shared several ideas on how I could build on that theme across my application materials
2. Inspires you to go beyond your limits (takes your performance to the next level):
1. I had some pretty tough times with the GMAT. I was prepared to take it at one point but had to sideline it for months because of a religious commitment. When I took my first in-person test, I scored a bit below the score I wanted and I was crushed. When I IM’d and spoke with Karen, she provided an objective assessment of my score and also was a great sounding board as I thought of what I would do differently in my next attempt. I took the exam again two weeks later and got the score I needed to apply. I only knew that I didn’t need to take it a third time because of Karen’s advice. Karen reviewed my scores and confirmed that my GMAT + above-average GPA would not block me from receiving interviews at any of the HSW - she was right (received interview invites at all 3 in same round + major merit-based scholarship).
2. Lastly, she pushed me to sharpen my communication during interview prep. I went in thinking I was prepared and left with so many ways I could improve beyond what I viewed as “great”. She met with me several times to practice the interview types across HSW and other schools - that timely support made a huge difference.
3. Really cares about seeing you succeed (helps you manage through the highs and lows of the process)
1. Karen was optimistic and supportive throughout the process. I got on numerous calls with her over the nearly 12 months that we worked together. Not many folks knew I was applying to business school and I didn’t have the luxury of applying through a program like MLT, so it made all the difference to have something in my corner whom I could always contact

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