I am an R2 admit to London Business School, class of MBA2023. I applied to both Stanford, and LBS in R2 and gotten interview invites for both and got an admission offer from LBS.

Before working with Emma, I had done a ton of research on the consulting services and had quick calls with various established consultants. Emma and the Fortuna team were extremely supportive yet customized in their engagement approach. Even before formally engaging with the team, she made sure to understand my background to give solid advice on approaching b-school applications.

Throughout my MBA application journey, Emma was always responsive to my questions and turnarounds on essay edits. There were periods during the whole journey where the MBA application process had to take a step back for work; Emma was very understanding but also gave strong reminders on progress. Thanks to Emma's help, encouragement, and quick turnaround, the stress was manageable and she made the whole process even enjoyable.

One of the key highlights of the Comprehensive School Package is that she reviews every aspect of your application holistically to make sure your profile and branding are consistent across all inputs (essay, resume, etc) and the impact of this really shines through after working with Emma; she made sure to use different inputs to enhance different aspects of my profile valuable to the LBS. This is also incredibly helpful given it's tough distilling your life story into a written application and making yourself shine among other outstanding candidates! Coming from Asia, I have the natural tendency to understate my profile; Emma was absolutely instrumental in ensuring my achievements shine through while keeping the appropriate language and voice intact.

After receiving the interview invites, she also coached me on interview prep to highlight my candidacy to business school - balancing between showcasing both my professional and personal fronts and weaving in the LBS support through her second-to-none knowledge of LBS. I was quite nervous in my first round of interview prep and Emma was generous to conduct another round for me to internalize the comments and improve. This generosity spirit also shows during the Stanford application process. Few days to the application deadline, we realized my essays did not highlight my profile well after multiple rounds of editing. She did not hesitate to give me the feedback despite the time pressure; and we worked closely to rework the essay for final submission. I credit her candor during the application process, for my Stanford interview invite in spite of my low(er) GMAT score and typical consulting profile.

I strongly advise that anyone keen on LBS or business schools to work with Emma; her advice is invaluable not just for business school application but re-evaluating your career & life aspirations in the process.

Read More

I was a R2 re-applicant to the London Business School and with Emma's guidance, I was able to receive an offer to the Full-Time MBA Class of 2023.

I approached Fortuna Admissions after having read such great reviews about Emma Bond. My first conversation was with Matt Symonds who was very patient in understanding my profile and requirement. He then connected me with Emma Bond, who is a very positive, sincere and kind coach. I feel lucky to have got the opportunity to get her guidance in my re-application.

She was very supportive and motivating throughout my application journey. Her extensive experience and insider knowledge about LBS proved to be of great value to me. Emma was always very responsive to any questions or queries and also willingly accommodated my last minute meeting schedule change requests.

I initially booked the hourly coaching service, in which Emma reviewed my previous application in depth and then came up with a strategy for my new application. She was also quick in reviewing essays.

After I got the interview invite, I then took the MBA Interview Package with Emma. She provided valuable insights on how to do well in the interview and even conducted mocks with me. She also provided tips on how to do a successful video interview - which is another component of the LBS MBA application.

I think Emma is truly a lovely coach and her guidance has been invaluable. I strongly recommend Emma Bond and Fortuna Admissions, specially to individuals interested in applying to the London Business School.

Read More

Overall experience with Fortuna Admission team was great and would definitely recommend using their services if you need help with shaping your story!
First, I had a meeting with Matt Symonds, who lifted my hopes and tried to highlight the features of my story that business schools would love. This was ~45 minutes call which helped me take a different perspective on my profile and reflection! (Also, it is free)
Once I committed to Fortuna, I started working with Emma on my MiM application. She was very responsive and very helpful whenever I needed her. I would never be able to pull through that process without her help.
The specific features I liked about Emma:
- First we met up to get to know each other and discuss the essay topics and short answer questions. Emma is a great listener and at the same time she challenges your ideas to make sure you express yourself in the best possible way.
- Once I got into writing the essays, Emma did an amazing job! She corrected the grammar, flow, and the overall message of the essays. Emma has a really great understanding of what the b-schools are looking for in your essays! I was actually surprised by the amount of help I received, since the MiM package is only 4 hours - Emma definitely spent more than that on my application!
- After I got an interview invite, I purchased an additional hour to do a mock interview. Emma asked me basically the same questions I was asked during my actual interview and provided me with great feedback. She took notes of everything I said and once we were done she went through each of the questions providing me with weak and strong points of my answers.

To summarize, I doubt I would be able to do it on my own (especially that I started my application 2.5/3 weeks before the deadline!). Emma structured my approach to the application and provided me with great feedback on everything I did. I would definitely recommend Emma and Fortuna if you are looking into MiM programs or b-schools in general!
My best investment of 2020!

Read More

I worked with Emma to apply to an early careers program at one of the top universities worldwide.Emma guided me and helped make the application process easy and simple. Without her I know that I would have been lost and confused. I loved working with her and her help has been instrumental to my acceptance at my dream school. I cannot thank her enough and really recommend her to anyone that is thinking of applying to a masters program. I convinced all my friends and family to apply through her.
I recommend her because she is very thorough and has a lot of knowledge on what the universities are looking for. She has a lot of experience and that experience is invaluable to anyone applying to a top university. She has helped me edit my Essays and CVs while not taking away my voice. She helped me enhance my application and for that I am very grateful. I also worked with her on interview prep and our mock trial was exactly like my interview. Her comments and suggestions made my interview go smoothly and helped me make a good impression.

Read More

I am a recent admit to LBS and could not have achieved that without Emma's help. She really is one of the best in the business and was top notch in every aspect in my dealings with her.

In particular, Emma is extremely responsive (eg, when reviewing drafts of applications under tight timelines), has second-to-none knowledge of LBS and the key people there (on account of her background as a former admissions officer) and really goes the extra mile to help you perfect everything in your application. I also did interview prep with Emma a few days beforehand which was invaluable in helping me be less nervous on the day and identify points where I could improve.

Emma is also just very down to earth and made what was a stressful application process much more simple and fun - I always felt like I had a huge advantage with her in my corner. I am delighted that I went with Emma and I really can't recommend her enough - particularly if you are applying to LBS.

Read More

I opted for the Admissions Director's Evaluation over the Comprehensive Package because I already covered a lot of ground with MBA research and applications when I started researching consulting services. I was really just looking for a service that could help get me across the goal line. If you are pressed for time with applications or unsure where to start your MBA journey, I believe the Comprehensive Package with Emma could be very useful.

Emma was an absolute rock star throughout the whole process and knows LBS inside and out. She was INCREDIBLY responsive and did a great job of explaining what LBS is looking for in its applicants. Trying to distill my entire life's experience into 2 essays and an application form was an incredibly difficult task, but Emma knew exactly how to showcase the aspects of my life/experience that LBS values. This is an exceptionally difficult year for admissions, so your essays and your "story" are more important than ever - Emma will help you make your best self shine on the page.

Emma did such a great job with the Director's Evaluation that I also signed up for the interview prep with her. LBS has a much different interview process than most programs, so there's a lot of value in getting more bespoke tutoring.

If you're applying to LBS (or any top 10 global program), Emma/Fortuna is an investment you will not regret.

Read More

From the moment I had the chance to speak with Matt Symonds for a free consultation, I knew that I had arrived at the right place. Matt Symonds is, in my honest opinion, probably the single individual in the entire world that has the greatest level of insight into MBA admissions in top schools around the world. He regularly hosts conferences with all the admissions directors of the top MBA schools, and has an incredible level of insight into the process. Matt was wonderful enough to connect me to a few of his incredible team - Emma Bond, and Heidi, both of whom were world class. Ultimately, although I applied in the final round and come from a non-traditional MBA background, I received a substantial scholarship to attend my top choice school.

Throughout my life, there are only a few individuals I have met who have made me feel so incredibly blessed to have come across them and to have on my side, and Emma Bond is one of them. Coming from a non-traditional MBA background, I applied (with some nerves!) in the final round of the admissions cycle when there were not many spots remaining. Thanks to Emma's guidance, not only did I manage to get admitted, I also received a SUBSTANTIAL scholarship to attend my top choice school. As a late round admit, I believe that receiving such a scholarship would have been impossible without Emma's help and guidance with my application.

Simply put (as I am quite a demanding individual), I already had high expectations for admissions consultants, but Emma's level of insight, contribution, and the sheer difference she made to my application COMPLETELY blew my mind. Thanks to Emma, there were many things that DRAMATICALLY strengthened my application that would not even have crossed my mind without her, and would have been impossible to know without Emma's unparalleled experience and passion for London Business School (these are not things that you can find out by reading articles online - they really are UNIQUE and UNPARALLELED insights into the admissions process that only someone like Emma with deep experience can provide). It is my honest opinion that there is surely no one else on the planet that could be comparable to working with Emma for LBS. Emma's knowledge about the LBS admissions process and her way of guiding me through the entire application was absolutely incredible.

From the moment I spoke to Emma, I felt that I was in great hands: she is a tremendously friendly, intelligent, and hardworking individual, with a deep passion for helping her clients succeed. Emma helped me shape my essays (as a former member of the admissions team, she really knows EXACTLY what LBS is looking for) and she provided many rounds of input on my entire application, with extremely helpful and impressive feedback, and always replied with incredible speed! She did not hesitate to work on weekends, and I always felt prioritised, like I was the only person she was working with. Each time when she provided feedback, she helped take my essays and application to another level, and she even cleared her schedule to provide feedback all the way up until my application was submitted (even providing valuable feedback on all the minor details). I felt like Emma was with me every step of the way and it was enormously comforting!

When I received an interview invitation, Emma helped me prepare for the interview and made a massive difference in getting me ready for anything that could be asked by the interviewer. As an MBA interviewer herself, her feedback was incredible and really gave me a lot of confidence. When I sat my interview, using what I had practiced with Emma, I was lucky (and overjoyed) to nail the interview with her help.

It has really been an amazing experience working with Emma, and as I think will be clear by now, I feel so lucky to have met her! I can't thank you enough Emma, and the rest of the Fortuna team! As I hope I have made clear from this review, I really can't recommend Emma any higher. She is simply out of this world amazing. Anyone who gets the chance to work with her, I would say you're a very lucky person and you have a MASSIVE advantage over the competition!

I also had the GREAT pleasure of working with Heidi on my MBA applications, and she was phenomenal throughout the entire process. Ultimately, although I applied in the final round, I received a substantial scholarship to attend my top choice school! This would not have been possible without the help from Heidi and Fortuna. From the moment I spoke to Heidi, I knew that she was the right person to help me put together my MBA application due to her supportive demeanour and incredible knowledge about the process. Putting together an MBA application really is an art-form, and Heidi helped me craft my MBA application, starting from just some vague ideas to multiple amazing applications. She was extremely responsive at all times and was tremendously helpful in brainstorming my ideas and helping me to realise which of the experiences in my life were very valuable from the point of view of an MBA admissions team. As someone who has previously conducted MBA interviews herself before, Heidi's feedback and help with preparing me for me MBA interviews was exceptionally helpful and gave me great confidence.

I cannot recommend Heidi enough - she is a tremendously intelligent, caring, hardworking, and insightful individual with a fantastic level of insight into the MBA admissions process. She knows exactly what MBA admissions officers are looking for, and is an amazing person to have guiding you along the MBA journey. Thanks so much Heidi for all your help!

Read More

Emma is such a wonderful consultant that very much cares about you as a person and in helping you get to your dream school.

As a former member of the admissions committee at LBS, Emma has insightful perspective of what the admissions committee are looking for when reviewing a candidate. After reviewing my application, she helped pull everything from my experiences to show me in the best light and make my application truly shine.

Emma is incredibly easy to talk to, funny and goes above and beyond to make herself available to provide guidance and advice. She encourages, but at the same time she is honest about the things that you need to hear and the weaknesses that you’ll need to find solutions for through other parts of your application. The application process is a tough process —so having someone in your corner like Emma with all of her knowledge and experience as a sounding board made me feel as if I had an outside perspective on whether I was pursuing the right path and narrative.

In terms of working with Emma – she was incredibly helpful and prompt in her responses. Emma is an essay editing queen and takes a lot of pride in her work, which absolutely showed. She turned around my materials quickly, usually in 24 hours, and always came back with a lot of detailed notes on how I could improve and make things better. Even when I changed parts of my application at the last minute on the day of submission, she cleared out time to provide mark-ups and guidance at the last second. She was also great at providing constructive feedback that made it easy for me to understand how to move forward. My essays and short answers were significantly stronger because I had her guidance. She was also super helpful with interview prep and gave great detailed feedback on what you do well and where to improve.

With Emma’s help I was able to get in my top school in R3 even though I had an area of weakness in my application. If you are looking for a consultant, I highly recommend working Emma, especially if you are looking at LBS. She brings so much expertise, but more importantly she cares and is invested in her client. I’m glad to have had her in my application process!

Read More

I was interested in schools in the UK - and working with Emma was the absolute best decision I made! She has years of experience working on the admissions team at London Business School, in addition to experience at other schools including Imperial.
Right away, Emma took the time to get to know me on a personal level. It was clear she has mastered the admissions process and was able to provide strong direction, insight, and strategy. I was waitlisted at my top school (LBS) and Emma helped me through this stressful process every step of the way. I ended up getting admitted, and I honestly could not have done it without Emma's help and support! If you're applying for MBA programs (especially in the UK), I highly recommend Emma with a ringing endorsement. In addition to her talent and experience, she is truly wonderful to work with and is so thoughtful and caring!

Read More

I took the premium package service with Emma Bond. I received offer from my number one target – LBS. Overall, my experience working with Emma has surpassed my expectation.

Emma is a superb writer. As a former admissions director who has reviewed hundreds of thousands of applications, she knows exactly how to turn your thoughts into words that the admission officers like. Her use of words is beautiful but concise. I often struggle with the word limit, and every time she was able to help me get down to the requirement without impacting the depth of meaning I wanted to convey. Sometimes I even felt that I only needed to simply write down my thoughts and Emma would always have the magic to turn them into pieces of art.

Emma helps you come up with the right story. We had a brainstorm session for each school that I applied and each session was a pleasant for me. Emma is a good listener and helps you identify the spotlight in your story. She also has great attitude. I remembered I wanted to change the entire logic and structure of my HBS essay midway through the process and she had no complaint about it. She worked diligently with me on that essay and we were able to achieve a satisfactory piece of work in the end.

Emma is professional and responsive. I remember even when she was in the middle of her vacation at a place where WIFI is super limited, she still got back to me as soon as she can. At normal times, she returned work within 1 day even though the official turn-around requirement is 2 days. It really helped me achieve tight timeline. Additionally, many other consultants usually took recommendation letters lightly, but Emma spent time with me and my recommender to come up with the right materials in application.

If you’re applying to LBS, Emma is no doubt THE best consultant you can find in the market. As a former admissions director, she knew the inside out of LBS. She still maintained direct contact with insiders. I was not very confident after my 1-on-1 interview, and she was able to ask feedback from the current admissions director which gave me a huge comfort. Emma knows exactly what LBS looks for and will give you the best chance to get that offer.

Finally, Emma prepares you well for interviews. The LBS video interview is tricky and high demanding as it requires candidates to respond promptly on the spot. Emma went through the interview process with me twice and made me confident enough to face the challenge. I still remembered the feeling when I was doing the real thing – I felt calm, well prepared, and excited to answer the questions.

Read More