While I am generally very organized with work, I knew navigating MBA admissions on top of a demanding job and other obligations would be a different beast. I chose to pursue consultation services to help with time management, "gut checks" on essay topics of choice, and guidance on resume and career goal positioning.

The main reason I chose Fortuna was because of the faith they had in me. When I was exploring consultation services, a number of places said they wouldn't take me as a client with my current GRE score, or that they'd prefer to talk after I took the GMAT. My school goals were aspirational, yes, but I knew I was competitive. Fortuna knew it, too.

Catherine was a calm, consistent, thoughtful and responsive guide. She balanced constructive criticism with encouragement and answered questions/concerns in real-time, even though I was on an hourly rate.

I am ecstatic with my results and highly recommend Catherine and Fortuna for anyone pursuing MBA admission.

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My experience working with Fortuna and Jessica was fantastic! Despite purchasing a limited number of hours fairly last minute, Jessica was extremely responsive and hands on in her approach. She was thoughtful from both a strategy and editing perspective, and it certainly helped me get my apps done on time.

Jessica was also helpful in providing resources to assist with the interview even if it was not the primary focus of my work with her. If there were any area to improve, it would be more recommendations about content. However, overall it was a truly fantastic experience and I would recommend her and Fortuna to any applicant applying to business school.

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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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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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It was only a week away from the deadline when I decided to retain an MBA admission consultant because I was struggling with the optional essay. I contacted several companies that provide MBA admission consulting service, and Fortuna was the only company that was able to meet my deadline. Sharon from Fortuna contacted me within 24 hours and worked with me over the weekend to review my admission package. Not only she provided great guidance on my optional essay, she also offered incredible insights on my other essays and the entire package. Since I had already spent more than one month writing my other three essays, I thought they cannot be any better until Sharon mentioned a few points. Looking back, I would have not got into Stern without correcting those mistakes on the essays.
I cannot thank Sharon and Fortuna enough for what they have done. Sharon sacrificed her weekend and weeknights just to make sure my work is perfect. I would highly recommend Fortuna and Sharon to any MBA applicants!!!

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After an unpleasantly protracted experience with a New York based admissions consultant, finding Fortuna and, more importantly, teaming up with expert Fortuna coach, Sharon Joyce, was the ultimate windfall. Sharon helped me navigate the application process every step of the way with her unparalleled expertise and insight. She is a gifted editor who turns essays around with expedience. Whether by phone, email, or text, Sharon always makes herself available. Working with Sharon was a very refreshing experience; her witty sense of humor and encouraging coaching style are game changers. Sharon was the defining factor in my acceptance to the school of my choice. Without her unmitigated help and attention, I would have struggled to meet deadlines and achieve success in applying to top MBA programs. In every regard, Sharon has the winning formula!

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After conversing with Matt and Melissa, it was clear to me that Fortuna would meet me where I was (schools selected and story roughly drawn out) and take my ideas to the next level. I thoroughly enjoyed working with Melissa who is efficient and proactive and provides thoughtful guidance relevant to the programs. She demonstrated knowledge of the difference between programs and connected me to resources that eventually would help me make my decision. After working hard on the applications and interviews I was able to secure a spot at my top choice MBA program in Europe. Massive thanks to Matt and Melissa for being there throughout the process!

Even if you have a strong sense of story and have zeroed onto your top choices, I highly recommend Fortuna and Melissa to hone your message and put your best possible case on the table. It makes all the difference.

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I worked with Amy on my application for two schools – LBS and Kellogg and I am more than thrilled by the outcome from both schools. I couldn’t stress enough that this wouldn’t have been possible without her guidance.
One of the advantages of working with a Fortuna coach is access to well-structured resources. I was short on time when I started my applications and Amy really helped me bring my timelines back on track. The guideline documents provided by her really helped me expedite the process and put together a strong first draft.
Amy not only helps you in identifying your strengths and bringing them to life, but also in addressing your weakness head-on in your applications. When she reviewed my first draft of essays she said, “we need to make every single word in your application count” and she stuck by it till the end. Her attention to detail is impeccable and she really helps you put forward the best version of your story in a well-articulated succinct manner. She questions every aspect of your story making sure you have left no loopholes. There was a time when I felt the essays were in a really good shape but she still thought we could make them better. Amy is also very collaborative and we reached out to Emma (Director) for a fresh perspective once we had a strong story in place, which proved to be extremely helpful.
Having been on the admission committee herself, Amy has immense knowledge of the process and the school which becomes a huge asset and a confidence booster. I took her help to prepare for my interviews too and I couldn’t have been better prepared. No part of the interview came to me as a surprise and there were no questions that I hadn’t prepared for or thought about.
Choosing her for my application process was one of the best decisions I made. Amy is so warm and helpful that she makes it look so easy. She is now more of a guide I look up to than an admission consultant. To any applicant seeking expert help especially for LBS, I highly recommend Amy!

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I’ve spent the duration of my professional career (over 5 years in total) working to separate myself from my lackluster undergraduate performance. So, when I decided to apply to institution ranked in the top 10 globally, I researched extensively how I could overcome my >2.9 GPA as a social science major. After unsuccessful attempts (both on my own and with a well-known MBA consultant), I opted to take a chance with Fortuna based on overwhelmingly positive feedback on this site.

After an initial consultation, I was paired with Emma Bond which turned out to be match made in heaven. I came to Emma with a high-level understanding of “my story” and how a MBA could help me achieve my career goals. However, Emma strategically poked holes in my story where required and skillfully helped to fill in any crucial details. Additionally, Emma provided a depth of information across all programs that was a result of her and her colleagues direct experience. Her expertise on how each program evaluates candidate could not be replicated by other means. Her insider knowledge allowed me to put forth the most compelling body of work to each program.

Throughout our engagement, Emma was incredibly pleasurable to work with. She was willing to accommodate my rather demanding work schedule and turned around drafts very promptly. But, I could also rely on Emma to politely push me when necessary to stay in sync with our aggressive timeline. It became apparent that Emma was genuinely invested in my success. Emma set a high standard for work because she knew that’s what it took. I found myself digging deeper to turn around stronger drafts so I wouldn’t disappoint Emma. When I put forth work that she didn’t think was up to par, she didn’t hesitate to roll up her sleeves and masterfully guide me on how the work could be improved. Most notably, Emma helped me interject my personality into the essays and short answers in a professional and charismatic way. Emma’s involvement helped to cultivate applications much stronger than I believed were possible. As a result, I was invited to interview at multiple schools that I was repeatedly told were “out of my league” from other consultants.

When it came time to prep for interviews, Emma was well-prepared to make the mock interview best replicate the actual experience. She asked refreshingly challenging questions and spent extra time ensuring that my answers were as sound as possible. With her preparation, I marched confidently into my interviews and nailed it.

Ultimately, I gained admission to my dream school and punched well above my weight. If you want to maximize your odds at gaining entry to a top MBA program, especially London Business School, you need to work with Emma. She cares about her clients on a whole different level and has the experience to push you above & beyond your capabilities. I’d best sum up our time together as transformational.

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I worked with Heidi on my MBA essays and resume, and I highly recommend her! She was very responsive and insightful. She helped me establish a good foundation of ideas for my essay before I put pen to paper, so I found that the essays were easier and faster to write, with fewer iterations. Given the tight-timelines with applications, I especially appreciated Heidi's responsiveness. In addition, she's really personable and easy to talk to. Heidi has both undergrad and MBA degrees from Stanford, but I found her helpful to work with on non-Stanford applications, as well. I really enjoyed working with Heidi and highly recommend her!

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