At first, I reached out to Stacy Blackman consulting for a free consult. My test scores were borderline, and I didn’t come from a traditional background or company that produces many MBAs to top b-schools. I specifically asked the consultant about one top-5 program in particular, hoping they could help “handicap” my odds at acceptance. Sadly, I was told point blank I’d be better off looking at tier 2 schools. That experience left me feeling dejected, questioning whether I even had a shot at my dream school…

Enter Fortuna! My initial discussion with Matt Symonds was slated to take hour but we ended up chatting for around two! He assured me that not only did I have a shot, but that I was a strong candidate. I could tell that to Fortuna, I wasn’t just a set of numbers to be plugged into some arbitrary formula that would decide whether or not I was a good candidate, but rather a unique individual with a story to tell.

Matt lined me up w/ Melissa, and I can’t say enough about her as a coach. Melissa is a Rockstar! She has this amazing ability to be brutally open and honest in a way that helps you peel back the inconsequential and focus on your core strengths and abilities, highlighting who you truly are. She was extremely thorough in gathering all the data and helped me realize that specific experiences, and aspects of my background that I thought were insignificant would really resonate with the adcom. In all honesty, if you don’t end up hiring her as an admissions consultant consider hiring her as a life coach, she’s that good!

Long story short, I was accepted to my dream program, and I’m positive that Melissa and the team at Fortuna played an integral part in making it happen!

Read More

Before working with Fortuna, MBA applications seemed daunting: Is my career goal statement strong enough? How will my plans to switch industries be received by an admissions committee? Are my essays compelling? Does my school list and application strategy make sense? I was an applicant coming from a non-traditional background hoping to make a career/industry pivot, and these questions seemed especially unnerving.

My worries vanished after my first meeting with Catherine, during which she answered all my questions with confidence and warmth. Catherine made herself available throughout the application process, never batting an eye at any late-night, stress-induced messages. Truly, working with Catherine made the process feel easy.

There were a few key ways in which Catherine helped in particular:

Finalizing the MBA resume: Catherine is a resume expert! Her feedback on my initial drafts was specific and actionable. I know that her input helped my resume stand out.

Crafting a career goal statement: This was perhaps where Catherine pushed me the most. She provided me with concrete resources that challenged me to expand upon my career goals and to explain how my industry-pivot was a logical one. After the expansion process, she was essential in helping me articulate my career goal as succinctly as possible.

Reducing essay versions needed: After speaking with so many applicants who shared the number of drafts they wrote before submitting their applications, I was shocked by how quickly I completed my essays. This was all thanks to Catherine's feedback, which helped me identify areas of my essays that needed to be cut down/deleted, or elaborated upon. With Catherine's help, essays that probably would have taken over a month to complete were submitted in a matter of days.

Emotional support: Throughout the entire process, it was a relief to know that at any moment, I could reach out to Catherine with questions or concerns. I appreciated Catherine's candid yet supportive communication-style.

After what ended up being a surprisingly enjoyable application process, I was admitted by my two favorite programs.

Thank you so much, Catherine!

Read More

I contacted a few companies when I started my MBA journey and almost all of them told me my dream schools were not a likely possibility. Fortuna was the only exception; they believed in me from the very start! Karen took the time to really understand me, my background, and my ideal career trajectory.

Since I obtained my ideal GMAT score in late November, she helped me streamline all 5 of my applications to M7 schools in only one month. She worked around the clock nonstop and was always available when I needed her. She ultimately became the mentor and cheerleader I needed during this frustrating process.

Out of 5 applications, I received 4 interviews. She worked with me prior to every single interview, helping me clearly tell my story and why I was a good fit for each school. As a result, I was admitted to three top programs. I am absolutely ecstatic with the results and I cannot recommend Karen enough!!

Read More

It has been a long journey but at the end I am admitted to 3 Business Schools included my dream school. I am an international candidate on the older side that never applied to a US School. Heidi helped me going through the process with a clear mindset and guidance, motivating me but always with a down to earth approach. I felt she was genuine and very experienced on how to best tackle the next steps.
After submitting my application she went through the interview process and she even recommended me to her colleagues for a second opinion.

You profile is what it is but working with Heidi and Fortuna guarantees you the best chance for your application.

Read More

I couldn't be more thankful for Karen's (and Judith's!) support throughout the entire MBA process. I knew I was in great hands at every step of the way - from the beginning steps of my application essays, through interviews, through crafting a waitlist strategy. I received effect and timely advice, and felt that Karen helped me tell my story and illustrate my potential better than I ever could by myself. Karen kept me organized, energized, and calm throughout the entire process, and I have already recommended her to multiple people. I wouldn't have been admitted to multiple M7 programs without you -- Thank you, Karen!

Read More

Karen brings three key things to the table: 1. stellar organizational skills, 2. deep experience in crafting compelling stories, and 3. sustained and personable support (and trust me you will need a lot of it)

My background was not the easiest to work with: management consultant with an undergraduate degree in business and a below average GMAT. To add to this, I was also only looking at top schools. Over the course of several months, Karen challenged me again and again to go deeper in my stories to find the relevant examples that would bring my story to life. I received candid feedback in a timely manner and could always count on Karen's extremely fast turnaround time for essays.

Above all, I particularly enjoyed how involved Karen was. She believed in me, my story and the hard work we put in. I always knew that Karen had my back and when I received the first rejection letters, she made sure that I would remain motivated. She went above and beyond, even going outside her mandate to help me on additional essays to get scholarships.

I have nothing but great things to say about Karen and I trust that whoever hires her will get the same service as I got. As for me, I am going to Booth this fall and could not be happier.

PS: as for Fortuna, I liked the fact that there is a 2-step process, first with your consultant and then with a director!

Read More

I bought the 3 school package with Sharon Joyce and it was the best investment I made in preparation for the business school admission process! I strongly recommend working with Sharon as an admissions consultant.

In June/July 2019, I interviewed multiple admissions consultancies and I'm telling you right now, stop what you're doing, stop talking to anyone else, pick up the phone and call Sharon!! By the end of our first call together I already knew Sharon was different and that I was in incredible hands. She had this remarkably wide, expansive view of the world and my place in it, yet also picked up on little (most would think innocuous) details in my stories that would go on to play major roles in our future brainstorming sessions/my essays. She has this incredible empathic ability to understand you, make you feel understood, and then bring out the best in you and your work all the while making you feel calm and relaxed during one of the most stressful times of your life. 

From resume building to formulating clear career goals, from writing and editing essays to interview preparation, she was instrumental in helping me reach the most optimal and consistent presentation of myself. Her perspective and strategic guidance were invaluable, as were her 'second-to-none' organization skills and methodical preparation. She was available, flexible, undoubtedly one of the most sincere people I have ever met. In the fall, I will be attending my first choice and dream MBA/MPH program (Berkeley Haas). There is no doubt that her expertise was essential to helping me accomplish my goal. 

I will forever be grateful to Sharon for her hard work, dedication, and ceaseless belief in me.

Read More

I worked with Fortuna on an application to a global top 10 MBA program. I sincerely believe that Fortuna, and my coach Cassandra in particular, were instrumental to my subsequent admission. To put it briefly, Cassandra is an true pro. My experience collaborating with her on this application has felt like a year’s worth of professional coaching condensed into a matter of months. She is an expert in personal branding and offered an invaluable lens on my application materials, helping me produce essays that truly spoke to my strengths. She was a consistent presence throughout the application process, swiftly responding with feedback on my drafts and carving out time in her schedule to work with me. Her investment in me gave me additional confidence in my submission. Our interview prep also proved to be a key advantage for the alumni interviews; Cassandra helped me cover all my bases and highlight my key experiences. In summary, I believe that Fortuna and Cassandra helped me paint from my professional and personal experience to produce the best application possible. I am incredibly grateful for their invaluable guidance and thankful for the opportunities they’ve helped make a reality.

Read More

I'm extremely happy that I chose Judith and the Fortuna team to work with me on my b-school applications. I had low standards for myself going into the process, and with Judith/Fortuna's support, I was able to get into my top choice school (HSW).

I worked primarily with Karen on my applications, but Judith provided valuable support throughout the entire process. When Karen was out of office at times, Judith did not hesitate to step in and provide her undivided attention. She was amazing from the start, coaching me on my recommender briefs through a short-notice phone call over a holiday weekend, to final checking my essays multiple times for each school. I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Judith and would highly recommend her for anyone looking for an experienced advisor to boost your chances of gaining admission to the top business schools.

Read More

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.

Read More