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Caroline Diarte Edwards Reviews

Company: Fortuna Admissions

Caroline Diarte Edwards was Director of Admissions, Marketing, and Financial Aid for the INSEAD MBA program from 2005 until 2012. She holds an MBA from INSEAD (2003), is a graduate of the University of Cambridge, and has previously worked as a management consultant for Andersen (UK, France) and as a Business Development Officer for the International Finance Corporation (Indonesia). 

Caroline’s video interview about the MBA admissions process, criteria and guidelines as well as things to avoid is among the most viewed videos on the INSEAD YouTube channel, and she has featured in many international media including the FT, Wall Street Journal, Business Week, CNN, Times of London, China Economic Review, Spiegel, and NYTimes for admission advice and insight on business school trends. 

5.0 /5 Average Rating
Based on 16 reviews
July 12, 2021
KatKsr

Joined: Jul 12, 2021

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
700 Q44 V42

Professional and Tangible Help

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I worked with Caroline at Fortuna Admissions for my INSEAD application and am happy to say that I was accepted! Caroline's help was definitely key. She has such a strong knowledge of the INSEAD process and was able to provide practical tips and best practices specific to the school.
Working with Caroline was an enjoyable process, she definitely took the time to understand my story and background and provided feedback that accentuated it, and never made me feel like I had to be inauthentic. For the interview process, she had many helpful INSEAD-specific resources to share that got me feeling prepared and confident, and I received positive feedback in the moment from my interviewers.
I couldn't recommend Caroline, and Fortuna Admissions, more if you are applying to INSEAD.

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May 13, 2021
hflores691

Joined: Jun 15, 2020

Posts: 3

Kudos: 7

Verified GMAT Classic score:
690 Q45 V40

Amazing & Generous Help

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I came to Fortuna Admissions for help on the last few weeks of my application process. They were extremely effective and pinpointed key components I should improve in order to increase my chances. Caroline Diarte Edwards was my consultant. She went above and beyond to help me achieve my dream of getting into the INSEAD MBA program. She was extremely kind and generous with her time, knowledge, experience and resources. I highly recommend any potential MBA student to reach out to Fortuna Admissions (and to Caroline, especially) to increase your chances of being admitted to the business school of your dreams.

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May 15, 2020
ubax

Joined: Sep 12, 2019

Posts: 3

Kudos: 1

Admitted to MIT & INSEAD

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Caroline supported me from the very beginning when I was still preparing my GMAT. After getting a lower-than-average test score (below 700), she still continued his amazing support and did her best to compensate for this weakness in my profile.
While I was getting turned down by another consultant who did not want to “touch” my application due to the low GMAT, she highlighted other strengths in my profile that eventually allowed me to gain admission in all the schools that I have applied to (MIT, INSEAD).
Caroline’s expertise about MBA admissions and extensive network has been decisive and I don’t regret at all hiring her services. She knew where to focus our efforts (essays and letters of recommendation are too often underestimated) to make my application stand out among others. Thanks to her, I am now joining my dream school!!
For anyone considering hiring a consultant, if you can afford it, please do it. This relatively small investment (in comparison to the cost of an MBA) can make a huge difference and you will never be disappointed with Caroline and the whole Fortuna team.

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January 10, 2020
nongshimramyeon

Joined: Jul 31, 2018

Posts: 1

Kudos: 2

Verified GMAT Classic score:
710 Q49 V39

Road to Admission!

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I am very happy to have worked with Fortuna Admissions and with Caroline Diarte Edwards for my admission to INSEAD (my dream school) from the waitlist. When I applied, I pieced together what I thought was a strong application with help/proofreading from people who've been through the application process. Even so, I got waitlisted. What went wrong?

After sifting through reviews, I decided to engage the services of Fortuna Admissions, and I got to work with Caroline, who I had hoped to work with. Caroline is easy to work with even through a 16-hour time difference. She is very thorough – she’ll ask for all details of your application, including interviews and recommendations.

As past Director of Admissions, she has the ability to zoom in on all of those components and identify areas where the application might be weak. The expert perspective certainly helped me focus on where or what I could improve, and we worked together to polish my story. And through the process, I also felt that Caroline was personally invested in my success.

I couldn’t recommend Caroline and Fortuna Admissions more. If you’re in the waitlist, consider their services to get admitted. If you’re just starting an application, their services could help you craft a seamless MBA application. All these provided you do your part, of course! Highly recommended!

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July 12, 2019
steteto

Joined: Nov 03, 2018

Posts: 5

Kudos: 1

Verified GMAT Classic score:
650 Q43 V37

from wait list to admission

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I contacted Fortuna to get out of the INSEAD and IMD MBA wait list.
Caroline went through my application and gave me great suggestion on the strategy to take, her experience with INSEAD is a great advantage bus it is not limited to this school, indeed she has been very useful also for my IMD application. I do not believe that a consultant can do the magic and get you in your favourite program if your application in not good enough, but they can certainly help you improve a few things, and Caroline had been great at doing so!!!

Thanks a lot =)

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September 11, 2018
EaglesRugby

Joined: Jun 05, 2017

Posts: 7

Kudos: 4

Verified GMAT Classic score:
700 Q45 V40

From Waitlisted to Accepted

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Caroline Edwards of Fortuna Admissions had a detailed conversation with me after reviewing my application to INSEAD. I had been waitlisted, much to my dismay, after what felt like two perfect alumni interviews and countless hours drafting and perfecting application essays. Caroline was quick to point out my lack of international experience in my resume and also my average GMAT score (700) which is actually a bit lower than the average admitted INSEAD student. After much debate with Caroline we realized that I probably wouldn't be able to boost my GMAT much, and even if I would be able to it would take a lot of time and wouldn't over come other weaknesses in my portfolio.

Caroline ultimately recommended me to get another recommendation letter, revamp my CV to focus on my international experience, and draft a new cover letter to address my reasoning for why I should be admitted from the waitlist. The conversations with Caroline were genuine, and I felt that she was truly concerned for my situation. She made great recommendations and was able to help me prioritize my waitlist strategy quickly. I was ultimately able to get accepted into INSEAD of the waitlist, and I believe this is in big part a result of Caroline's help.

The price point is a bit high, but if you have your heart set on a specific school that waitlists your initial application, then I highly recommend this service.

Thanks Caroline and Fortuna.

-Roy

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January 27, 2018
DarkMashew

Joined: Jan 22, 2017

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
600 Q39 V34

Fortuna is Best-in-Class

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Contacting Fortuna Admissions is easily one of the best decisions I have made in my business school journey. I had been skeptical of the value from consultants in the past. However, after facing four rejections, I decided to contact several consultants as a means of revamping my strategy and tactics.

Caroline differentiated Fortuna Admissions by being an active listener, empathetic, and neutral in offering comprehensive advice from the beginning, which set a tone of trust and comfort that continued throughout the entirety of my engagement. She was genuinely vested in my success and accessible in all stages, from pre-application school consideration, profile fit, to admissions committee communication and negotiations.

On a working-level, Karen (expert coach) proved candid, clear, and exacting on the areas that needed my attention. We discussed my profile at length during our first session, wherein she took detailed notes to help translate my objectives, strengths, and weaknesses in a coherent and concise manner for my applications. She offered strong insights into the thinking of admissions officers and how to present a unified front as an applicant. We jointly addressed problems and revised my essays to paint a focused and aligned picture that articulated my vision, reasons for an MBA, and specific rationale for individual schools in a compelling fashion. We were able to jointly leverage content matter and tailor sections unique to each university, which altogether amounted to an enormous amount of value and impact in a relatively short amount of time. Karen demanded excellence (i.e. dozens of interactions and iterations for each school) and grasped both the granular details and holistic big picture to help me deliver my best in final drafts and interview preparation.

The duality of Caroline and Karen was potent indeed. Together they not only drastically enhanced my applications, but also instructed me on how to leverage offers to maximize my position and secure scholarships. And the results speak for themselves: I was offered two scholarships and a waitlist from top-ranked European schools, a turnaround from four rejections! Fortuna was invaluable in my process and I would wholly endorse their services to others to radically improve their chances of success!

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July 13, 2017
shan3

Joined: Jun 07, 2016

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
690 Q49 V34

Wish I had known Fortuna earlier

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I decided to use admissions consulting service at a pretty late stage for my application. After reviewing several companies and talking to some of them, I instantly decided to work with Fortuna. The first person I talk to, Matt, knows everything about the biz school dynamics and gave me so much encouragement. I worked with Caroline, whom I believe is the best fit coach if you want to apply INSEAD. I also have a short email contact with Emma, former Head of Admissions at LBS. She is also very professional and highly efficient. I finally got admitted by INSEAD and Judge. Thanks, Caroline!

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July 06, 2017
dont_give_up

Joined: Oct 17, 2016

Posts: 52

Kudos: 15

Self-reported Score:
750 Q49 V42

Go with Fortuna!

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I come from an overrepresented pool of applicants: Indian, Male, IT Engineer = 3 strikes right off the bat.

Given my handicaps, I realized to succeed in admissions I needed to work with the best consultants.

Seeing as Fortuna has a strong record I set up a call with Matt Symonds. Matt was so welcoming and helpful I decided to pursue working with Fortuna further.

Next, I got paired up with Natasha De Masi and Caroline Edwards. They setup a call to understand me and my profile better. Right from the get-go it was evident that they understood the challenges I had to overcome in my profile and how to bring out my advantages. Also they were really helpful in shaping my essays to make me stand out amongst the crowd.

I was incredibly impressed by their dedication to help me succeed. Natasha kept me honest and motivated to get things done. She has an incredible eye for detail and is a magician with words. At times I felt she was more invested in my application and success than I was!!

When I clicked submit for my application I felt that regardless of the outcome I had done my best and that working with Fortuna was the correct decision.

Ultimately I got admitted to INSEAD and given the odds in my profile this was nothing short of a miracle. However, this wouldnt have been possible without working with Natasha, Caroline and the rest of the Fortuna team!! Thanks Fortuna!!

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July 03, 2017
kywab

Joined: Jul 03, 2017

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
700 Q47 V38

Fine tuning my essays/CV + video interview prep

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I was actually recommended by a former INSEAD-er who was helped by Caroline. Before deciding on Fortuna Admission, I actually shopped around for some other consultants but figured I would get the best help from the previous admission director of INSEAD (and I only applied for one school - so the stake was quite high).

The initial call with Matt was of great help! I got a lot of useful advice on how I should improve and work on my CV before starting to talk to Caroline.

In terms of essays, my friend who was admitted to Kellogg helped me in reviewing and fine-tuning a lot of them but Caroline definitely took them to another level. For example, I had questions on how much I should elaborate on the essay ' What would you do if you were to stay in the same company and same department' and she made sure I had the right level of details but not too much.

As she didnt make any major changes on my essays, she offered to give me a 45min mock interview session on my video interviews for free and sent me materials to prepare. (very very nice of her!) It boosted my confidence before actually going through those intense 45second preparation and 60second reply sessions.

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