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Karen Hamou Reviews

Company: Fortuna Admissions

Karen, a Columbia Business School grad, brings deep consulting and retail industry knowledge and extensive international business experience to the Fortuna team. After graduating from Columbia, Karen joined Deloitte Consulting’s Strategy and Operations practice where she worked on a range of retail projects. While at the firm, she served as Deloitte’s on-campus recruiting representative at CBS, guiding over 130 CBS students through their consulting recruiting process. She also participated in a firm initiative advising junior consultants as they applied to MBA programs. At CBS, Karen was a Teaching Assistant for the core curriculum Managerial Statistics course at CBS’s Saturday EMBA program. She also TAed for the Cornell Johnson EMBA Metro NY program. Karen holds a BS in Civil Engineering from Columbia University, where she also minored in Economics and Spanish. Prior to business school she was a Retail Buyer at Abercrombie & Fitch and Casual Male Retail Group. Karen’s international business experience spans the US, Israel, India, Argentina, China and more. She speaks English, Spanish and Hebrew.

5.0 /5 Average Rating
Based on 46 reviews
May 19, 2024
shirpinchas

Joined: Jan 04, 2024

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
660 Q51 V27 (Online)

From the moment I had the initial consultation with Karen, I felt confident that with her, I would achieve my goals. Karen's guidance extended far beyond my MBA application. She understood my thoughts even before I voiced them and encompassed a holistic view of my career and life goals. Karen masterfully shaped my MBA application, transforming the journey into an extraordinary experience from day one. She devoted countless hours to helping me clarify my goals and motivations for pursuing an MBA, even before we tackled the application itself. Karen's deep understanding of the intricacies of MBA admissions significantly strengthened my application. She mentored me on how to reflect on my experiences and helped me connect the dots, planning my journey ahead. After receiving admission from three top schools, she was instrumental in helping me make my final decision. Even now, almost a year later, she continues to support me as I prepare for school.

I wholeheartedly recommend Karen to anyone navigating the MBA admissions process. Her dedication, expertise, and commitment to bringing out the best in me deepened my understanding of my journey and aspirations. Karen is truly amazing, I am grateful for the opportunity to work with her, and I am confident she will continue to be a vital part of my journey ahead.

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May 12, 2024
kinteria

Joined: Jul 18, 2019

Posts: 4

Kudos: 1

Self-reported Score:
710 Q49 V38

Karen is great coach and person!

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I started working with Karen about 5 months before applying. I was very nervous about the entire process since I had a sub-3.0 GPA and below average GMAT scores to all the schools I was applying to. Karen was quick to boost my confidence and tell me that I would get into a top program even when other consultants told me I would not get into a top program. She then helped me come up with a very compelling story, wrapping my family background, work experience, and goals in a way that showed a logical progression towards my MBA journey. I don’t think I could have come up with the same story if it wasn’t for Karen. After the story was in place, Karen helped me craft my essays for R1 decision. Even with a significant time zone difference, she always made time to meet, including during the weekend, to accommodate me. I decided to apply to the most selective schools on R1 but was not able to get any admissions. After R1 results, Karen kept reaching out to help me change my strategy for R2 even though the school package I bought was only for R1 applications. She shared my story with her colleagues and had a Fortuna Director help me with my essays and interview prep. I was ultimately admitted to Tuck in R2 and even got invited to interviewed at other M7 schools. I really enjoyed my time working with Karen and I would 100% recommend her. Try out a consultation with her, in my case after the initial 30-min chat I knew I wanted to work with her because she was very sharp and personable.

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April 26, 2024
MsDavey

Joined: Jan 06, 2021

Posts: 2

Kudos: 1

Karen is more than just a consultant; she is a true mentor!

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Karen didn't just help me with my application; she helped me shine through her incredible storytelling and essay ideas. These didn't just get me into M7 schools—they also helped me understand my career path before and envision my goals after the MBA. Even without hitting the 700 GMAT score, Karen brought my personality to life in my applications and supported me whenever I felt overwhelmed or doubted my chances because of my GMAT score. Her warm mentorship throughout the process really clarified which schools were right for me and where I could thrive.

Karen was there for me anytime, anywhere, and I genuinely believe I've made a friend for life. Her kindness, honesty, and straightforward approach, always accompanied by a smile and positive energy, made my application journey rewarding. I'm so grateful to her because I got into my dream M7 school and even snagged a scholarship!

Choosing Karen was the best decision of my entire application journey, and I'm thrilled to have gotten to know her!

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April 18, 2024
ayers55

Joined: Jul 05, 2023

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
760 Q46 V49

Amazing Experience Working with Karen

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I could not recommend Karen more to prospective clients. I was committed to applying but was not sure where to start with my story. While I needed to reflect myself, Karen asked very thoughtful and pointed questions and was able to draw a story out of me, highlighting unique experiences and pulling them together into a cohesive message. Beyond working on application materials, I found Karen's knowledge of the admissions process and behind the scenes insights incredibly helpful in navigating the admissions process over the long run. Karen is invested in her clients and I don't want to think about what my outcomes would have looked like without her partnership.

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February 08, 2024
cdh91

Joined: Mar 25, 2023

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Karen will bring out the best in you

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Working with Karen was a transformative and critically important experience during the grueling MBA application process. Her deep expertise and extensive knowledge of business school and application strategies were evident from the start.

Karen has an incredible eye for spotting the common threads in someone’s story that make them unique. Her years of experience helping craft a story that highlights the best in each applicant is evident. She has a natural talent for supporting and encouraging the people she works with throughout the process.

Karen not only provided me with the tools and insights to understand what schools are looking for but also helped me tell a coherent and compelling story that connected the dots in my life. Her encouraging, gentle accountability kept me on track, and her empathetic support from start to end was instrumental in boosting my confidence throughout this challenging journey.

I can’t imagine having gone through this whole process without Karen, and I am immensely grateful for her guidance and highly recommend her services to anyone aiming for success in their MBA applications.

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January 06, 2024
karndalal

Joined: Oct 05, 2022

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
780 Q50 V48

Karen is Amazing! (Wharton, CBS Admit, Scholarship at CBS)

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One of my coworkers worked with Karen and recommended her to me. I feel incredibly lucky that I had the sense to take the recommendation and begin working with Karen. My job is time consuming and I only have limited time outside of work to spend on my application, and Karen’s guidance made it possible for me to work on my applications efficiently, while helping me represent myself as well as possible in the applications process.
From the start, Karen was an incredible source of knowledge in the applications process. She analyzed my resume and my background and suggested ways that I could take my disparate experiences and mold them into a cohesive and logical story. We worked together on revamping my resume to make it more friendly to the applications process, allowing it to showcase both my professional achievements and a bit of who I was outside of work.
Furthermore, Karen was incredibly diligent in helping me work through my essays. We would constantly come up with new essay ideas and look for every potential improvement that we could make, and by the end of the applications process, between the 5 schools I applied to, we had iterated through more than 100 draft essays!
Karen continued to work with me through the interview process, and helped me understand what the interviewers were looking for, and what I should be prepared to discuss. She was always available to jump on the phone, and we ran through a mock interview together and brainstormed how to approach Wharton’s team based discussion process. Thanks to Karen’s help, I felt confident going into each interview and never felt like there was a question I did not know how to address.
In summary, Karen provided structure to my applications process, put an incredible amount of time and effort into helping me, and enabled me to showcase my strengths as well as I could in the admissions process. I would strongly recommend working with Karen if you want the best results possible from your business school applications.

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January 03, 2024
comingforbschool

Joined: Dec 05, 2023

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
760 Q49 V45

Karen Hamou - Stanford GSB Success Story

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Karen spent hours with me discussing my story and how to weave all the pieces together. She found ways to help me bring in seemingly disparate experiences I'd had under umbrella themes that gave me fodder for my essays, long and short. Ideating and working with Karen made the daunting process enjoyable, which I never thought I'd be able to say! We spent time getting to know each other and connecting which allowed Karen to help me tell my story and give me honest feedback when I needed it. Karen is so genuine, talented, and brilliant at what she does. I have told all of my friends to use Karen's services when they apply for MBAs, PhDs, and JDs in the future, and I hope Karen can help coach me throughout my career.

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December 27, 2023
noahbeatty

Joined: Dec 27, 2023

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
750 Q49 V44

Karen Hamou - Worth Every Penny

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One of my friends had used Karen the year before I started my MBA apps, and recommended her to me. Looking back, taking that recommendation and hiring Karen was the single best choice I made through the entire MBA application process. A few key points about my experience with Karen:

1.) Karen is extremely skilled at helping you craft your story. I was unsure that my story would be particularly compelling to the admissions committee, and didn't know how to approach my essays. Karen took time to really get to know me and understand my background, and helped me write a story that was logical, memorable, and a great presentation of who I really am. I started out feeling like my essays and my personal story could be a weak spot in my application, and by the time we had finished them I felt the total opposite, that they were the strength of my application.

2.) Karen is an absolute professional. She is always quick to respond, thorough, and willing to help with any question that I had (I had many). Her calendar is available to you as a client and you can enlist her help with anything that comes up, which is an invaluable resource. She is also with you every step of the way, including comprehensive interview prep after the applications are submitted.

3.) Lastly, Karen is a great person and a pleasure to work with. I had a lot of fun brainstorming and bouncing ideas off of her on our many zoom calls. You can tell she takes great pride in her work and truly enjoys helping people reach their dreams of attending a top business school.

If you are considering applying to MBA programs, hiring Karen is the best choice you could make. I knew next to nothing when I started the process and was totally rudderless, but Karen got me on track and helped me create an application that was better than I'd ever imagined it could be. If your goal is attending a top business school, hiring Karen is the best investment you can make.

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November 06, 2023
peh8239

Joined: Nov 06, 2023

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

JD/MBA Success

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I was accepted into a T14 law school and was debating whether or not to apply to the joint degree program with the business school (a top-ranked school.) I contacted Karen three weeks before the deadline, debating whether or not it would be feasible for me to apply. I had somewhat of a nontraditional background and was unsure I'd get in, especially because the transfer program is highly competitive. However, within three weeks, Karen completely revamped my application. On an extremely tight schedule, we went through various rounds of edits. She made my resume business school-friendly, edited my essays to highlight the ways in which my skills could be applied to a business setting, and coached me on my interview. Karen was extremely detail-oriented, working through every single aspect of the application and helping me to craft a cohesive and compelling narrative that stayed true to myself while also signaling certain requirements to the admissions committee. I would not have gotten into the program without Karen's help, and am so glad I reached out to her! I'm indebted!

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August 04, 2023
Allenliu4

Joined: Aug 14, 2016

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
710 Q49 V37

Karen is awesome

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I realized I wanted to get an MBA around March 2023 - very close to the end of the admission cycle. In finding Karen, she was one of the few people I talked to who believed in me rather than encouraging me to wait until next year. She was willing to help me this late and she committed so much time helping me brainstorm essays, guiding me through all the steps, and of course being very punctual and timely with her edits. Going in, I felt overwhelmed with how I'd craft a great story given I had just been laid off but Karen eased those concerns in a way that added to my career arc. Karen is awesome at extracting every single detail in your story in a thoughtful way and then shaping them into a narrative that works.

Although it didn't work out with the two schools I originally applied to in R3, she quickly helped me devise a strategy to take advantage of the next round's J-term cycle. With a little tweaking in my application and intensive interview prep that Karen provided, I was able to earn admission into a top MBA program.

I would 100% recommend Karen to any applicant who wants to go to his/her dream school. She is invested in your success from Day 1, understands every aspect of the process and can provide valuable tips/tricks, and most importantly guides you into becoming the best version of yourself

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