Heidi was able to help me refine my application by helping me to explore my personality and key motivations in greater detail, enabling me to considerably strengthen my application. I was ultimately successful in several applications. Fortuna also took the time to have a personalised call at the beginning of the process.

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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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Working with Melissa at Fortuna Admissions was a hugely useful and cost effective component to my admission into INSEAD. I had my application largely prepared and was looking for an experienced consultant to review and provide valuable insights about how my application would be received by the AdCom. I wasn't sure I needed to pay for the full application package. Fortuna's hourly consultation was just the solution that I needed. Melissa is hugely knowledgeable about the INSEAD application process (I can't speak for other schools, but expect her to be similarly tuned in). She provided very useful insight into the AdCom thought process and highlighted the areas of my application that were relatively stronger and weaker. With only a few hours of consultation, I noticed a material refining of my application which was very useful. Melissa's consultation comes with my highest recommendation. Good luck!

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I contacted Fortuna with a tight timescale to apply for R4, less than three weeks before the deadline. I talked first to Matt and it clicked quite well. He explained everything about the process and took way more time than the allotted 30 min free consultation (as opposed to other consultancies where I felt rushed), including acknowledging the shortcomings of my application and addressing my concerns with it. After our first conversation he proposed a custom hourly service plan which seemed very sensible to me, so I went ahead with it and started working with Melissa.

Melissa took the time to go through all the data I provided and created a picture of me. During our phone and mail interactions we shaped that picture, with my draft essays and CV as starting point, to create a killer application. We chose on what to focus and dug in the areas that needed some more work. It was really easy to work with Melissa: she's a very open individual, response times were really fast (despite a 6h time difference) and the recommendations were spot-on. We even had one hour left by the time I submitted the application, so we used that for my interview preparation, which was also really useful and efficient.

All in all, A+ for Fortuna and specially Melissa!

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I found out about INSEAD in October, and decided to apply by the following spring. If it had not been for this great team, I think I will still be contemplating whether to go for it or apply a whole year later. I had the pleasure to work with Nonie, who helped me through drafting the essays within an extremely short schedule and I am very grateful for all the attention she gave to the work that had to be done. Although I found out about Fortuna Admissions Team from a search engine, I felt extremely confident from the beginning as all my questions were answered with great speed and sincerity by Matt. From start to finish, I enjoyed working with the team and I thank them all again for the full support I received in my application process.

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"INSEAD was my goal and with the help of Fortuna team that dream came
true. Susanne was a tremendous help, she not only helped me with my
essays but also kept me motivated throughout the application process.
One of the best qualities about Fortuna team is that they encourage
you to tell your story in your own words. I learnt a lot about myself
as well in the process. I would recommend Fortuna without a doubt to
anyone who is struggling with essay questions or even confidence. They
will guide you towards your goal and will be your biggest cheerleader.
I would like to thank Susanne and the entire Fortuna team with all my heart. "

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At first I was reluctant to work with consultant to help me with my applications as I wasn’t sure of their effectiveness, so I did a lot of research before deciding to work with Fortuna. The key factor in my decision was a Skype call I had with Matt Symonds, where we went through my resume, profile and goals with complete honesty. After this call I was able to see strengths and weaknesses in my profile I hadn’t seen before. This gave me a lot of material to boost my self-confidence and to work with in my applications. The whole process of preparing the material for each application is very smooth and well designed in order to optimize your time and show the admission officers who you really are. Working with consultants who until recently made the final decision on whether admit someone into the program is definitely an advantage, as they know exactly what the school is looking for and how to tackle each essay. I worked with Melissa Jones and I truly believe she’s the best consultant I could’ve worked with; she was extremely dedicated and she gave me awesome insight on ideas to highlight and also complete support and guidance through the whole process, even after having submitted the applications. I applied to both INSEAD and Cambridge Judge and was admitted to both. I’ll be starting next January in INSEAD with a 20,000 EUR scholarship!!

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After being rejected last year from several programs, I knew I needed to take a fresh look at my application and if I would even have a chance reapplying. So I reached out to Matt at Fortuna to see if it would be worth it to reapply. Matt spent over an hour on the phone with me and was extremely knowledgeable. He thought I had a chance, but he also mentioned that he worked with a former Wharton Admissions Director named Judith who could review my previous application to see if I had a chance. Judith reviewed my previous application and quickly provided valuable feedback about a couple of holes that could be fixed. I immediately made the decision to move forward with Fortuna and I am extremely glad that I did.

Judith was absolutely amazing throughout the process. She provided great and very specific feedback that maintained my voice, but just helped to slightly tweak the messaging and impact. She was also extremely prompt and we were able to go through multiple revisions of essays in a single week. With each iteration helping to tighten the story and flow of the essays. As an hourly client, I especially appreciated how efficient she was in her feedback and advice because I was able to pack in far more than I initially expected. Overall, I highly highly recommend Judith. She was fantastic!!

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I was thoroughly impressed by Fortuna Admissions. I would recommend Fortuna to anyone who is seeking admission to a competitive business school and wants to submit a strong, polished profile.

Two things really struck me in working with Fortuna:

1) They really get to know you before you dig deep into the application process. Judith became familiar with my background, to the extent that she pointed out that there was a cohesiveness to my education, professional background, and strengths that I wasn’t aware of. Not only did this significantly improve my application, but I can communicate in a more compelling way about my background.

2) They are extremely intuitive and detail-oriented. The feedback they gave me on my essays was extremely helpful. I wasn’t going into nearly enough detail in my essays—I mean, I thought I was!—but Judith pushed me to really get into the “why,” why I was passionate about my professional goals.

Finally, the other perk of working with Fortuna is that they know this business inside-and-out. There were things I learned about the application process and making the most of my application materials that I didn’t get from reading “MBA Admissions Strategy” by Avi Gordon or listening to dozens of MBA Podcaster podcasts or picking my MBA cousin’s brain.

Also, this sounds miniscule, but the one other thing that I really liked about working with Fortuna is that 80% of my anxiety about applying to business school went away. I knew that I was working with professionals, they were aware of my deadlines, and it was my job to stay organized and just focus my energy on writing great essays.

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Fortuna and their team have been incredibly helpful and wonderful to work with. As an international reapplicant who faced multiple "dings" last year, I decided to reach out to Fortuna for some advice this year. Their team showed me the weaknesses in my application, as well encouraged me to dig deeper into my stories so I could bring out my strengths. I'm so glad I got their help as I'm heading off to CBS next year!

I would definitely recommend them, especially for international students unfamiliar with the application process of top MBA programs. I would also recommend reapplicants to consider getting an initial consultation with Fortuna - this is most worthwhile.

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