I am an applicant in the final round of the MBA application process. Among the various consultants available, I chose Melissa. I made this choice because she responds promptly and has a very organized approach to structuring my essay. She meticulously reviewed my life and work experiences and provided tailored advice for the schools I wanted to apply to. She also understood the potential weaknesses in my experiences and helped me address them in the optional essay, allowing the admissions team to better understand who I am through my application documents. The essay was completed in just about two weeks, which put my mind at ease for other application matters.

During the interview process, Melissa also shared some interview tips to help me prepare with confidence. I am genuinely thrilled to have successfully applied to my dream school in the final round, and I am very grateful for seeking Melissa's assistance from the beginning.

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Stats / Outcomes: 710 GMAT (lower quant score, higher verbal), 154 EA, Overrepresented Background. Accepted to Yale, NYU, and Georgetown (with some $). Interviewed but dinged at CBS; interviewed and currently waitlisted at Duke.

Melissa was an excellent consultant. She was very patient and a good listener as we refined my story together. She also offered great insight into what schools look for. Together we were able to delve into my backstory and goals and connect the dots into a thoughtful narrative.

As far as consultants go, I think Melissa is an amazing one! That said, I do want to temper expectations on how far a consultant can bring you. They are great at being a thought partner to sound ideas out and offer very valuable insight into what programs are looking for (Melissa did a great job at this and it really helped me shape my story to emphasize the right parts). However, you still have to put in the leg work to shape your story and sometimes be proactive in following up with them on key questions. It's a wonderful accelerator, but a big part of it is still dependent on how much you put in. (For example, I found it very helpful refining my story further by talking to friends rather than just with a consultant).

Melissa is kind, patient, insightful, and great at connecting you with other folks on her team when she thinks you would benefit from another perspective. She helped me connect with Matt to finalize my list of schools (a Fortuna pro who regularly interacts with all top 25 schools and gave incredibly helpful insight), and a couple admissions consultants who came from some of my target schools so that I could better understand the culture. She also convinced me to take a new test to make up for my lower GMAT quant score (something I truly never thought I would do because I hated tests so much, but that I am incredibly glad I did).

I wrote 5 total applications (Yale, CBS, Duke, NYU, Georgetown). I got Melissa's help via the "all in" package on Columbia and NYU, and a couple hours of advice on my remaining 3 schools. Overall, I was accepted to Yale, accepted to NYU from the waitlist, and also accepted to Georgetown with some generous financial aid.

One piece of advice that I would give potential applicants is that an admissions consultant is a great help - but remember to keep pushing your own path forward in tandem. Keep going to admissions events (even after applying), connecting with alumni and students to understand culture, and be proactive in your own journey. I also supplemented some of Melissa and team's advice by talking to very close friends about my story - they were able to share stories about my life / frames of reference that I never would have thought of as being relevant before.

I am very happy with my experience and would highly recommend Melissa, but I wanted to call out the disclaimers above because when I was first reading reviews like these, I remember getting somewhat of a wrong impression. As such, I wanted to share my lessons learned. Best of luck in the process - you got this!

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I worked with Melissa over the past few months on my INSEAD application. I am happy to announce that I've been admitted to INSEAD!

I chose to work with Melissa and Fortuna Admissions because they are truly the experts when it comes to global MBA programs. Melissa has worked at INSEAD, and Caroline, one of the co-founders of Fortuna, was the Admissions Director at INSEAD for several years.

I was really nervous going into the application journey - MBA application process can be quite overwhelming! I felt reassured while working with Melissa - she is truly an INSEAD expert and knows exactly what the school is looking for in candidates. We worked together to craft my story that would make me stand out from other candidates. I felt that Melissa is superb when it comes to strategizing and communication - I was able to build a strong and impactful story thanks to Melissa. Melissa is highly effective too- she always responded to me within one or two business days!

Melissa is also very accomodating. Much of my work with Melissa was done through an online platform that Fortuna uses. I am someone who likes to build relationships over calls. Melissa was willing to meet me virtually to discuss my application and I appreciate that she was able to adapt to my working style.

I also liked how Caroline reviewed my application towards the end. Given her experience as an Admissions Director, she added great value to my application too.

I loved working with Fortuna because the coaches I've encountered at Fortuna work with great integrity. If you're looking for an admissions coach who will write your essays for you, Fortuna is not the right partner for you. Melissa didn't write a single sentence for me, but gave extremely detailed feedback on all of my essays. I truly believe that Melissa helped me to become a better writer.

Working with Melissa and the Fortuna team was truly an amazing experience. If you're looking for an MBA admissions coach, especially to get into top global MBA programs such as INSEAD and London Business School, I highly recommend that you work with Melissa.

Thank you Melissa and the Fortuna Admissions team!

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I can't imagine going through the MBA admissions process without Melissa Jones at Fortuna. Melissa’s positivity and clear understanding of the process from the initial consultation made working with her one of my easiest decisions. Coming from a nontraditional background, with a low test score, and an unclear idea of post-MBA industry/goals, I never thought I would have a chance of getting into multiple US top schools, let alone my dream school (Columbia). Melissa supported me through the entire process, from helping me determine a school list and establish a clear post-MBA vision to cheering me on through multiple poor test attempts.

Melissa is incredibly mindful of deadlines and her diligence is exactly what I needed to stay on track with all aspects of each application. Her prompt communication and thorough reviews always made me feel like I was her only client!

I am appreciative of the time Melissa spent genuinely getting to know me early on in the process, making me self-reflect, play to my strengths, and really stand out with essays and overall applications that I’m still proud of. She is an encouraging coach who truly cares and will be there every step of the way - from resume building to interview prep to everything in between. Melissa knows and understands the admissions process inside and out and certainly made the process fun and the least stressful as it could’ve been. I feel very lucky to have had her through it all and recommend her to anyone.

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Working with Fortuna was an absolute pleasure, especially working with Melissa. She really helped to get my application together and her communication was super efficient and effective .

Melissa really took the time to get to know me as an applicant and she was continuously available to support me. Her wise tips were a valuable resource during my application journey and she really gave me a good boost at each stage - from essays to interviews. I was ultimately admitted to my school of choice.

I would recommend Melissa to anyone. She is effective and also comfortable working against the clock operationally and across different time zones.

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The Fortuna team is very professional and helpful. Jennifer Raver knows everything you need to know about MBAs. In the one hour consulting session, she provided me with a lot of useful information even before I was committed to work with Fortuna.

I later worked with Melissa Jones. She was so encouraging that I found the whole application process not as daunting as it could be. Melissa was a good story teller. She was able to capture what I wanted to express in my essays and elevate them to the next level. She was also open-minded. She was willing to work with me in the creation of my essays with satisfying turnaround time. I'm happy to have her in my application journey.

Also, the Fortuna app, Podio is a great tool which enabled my smooth communication with my coach. Overall, perfect experience!

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Melissa was my primary coach at Fortuna Admissions. I had a great experience working with her and would definitely recommend to others looking for an admissions coach.

Melissa was very organized and I always felt like I was a priority even though I know she had many other clients. I appreciated how prompt and efficient she was in answering my emails and editing my applications. Overall it was a fairly stress-free experience- she helped me create a plan at the very beginning so we were prepared well ahead of deadlines which gave piece of mind.

In the end I was extremely happy with the results- I was accepted to schools in Europe, Canada and the US.

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I had a great time working with Melissa for the past few months as we navigated the business school application process. I was really worried at first because my GPA was much lower than the school averages, and I knew my GMAT score was not going to be high (I'm a horrible test taker). Melissa stayed calm the whole time and really helped me highlight my strengths in the essays and through the rest of the application. She stayed very calm and was extremely supportive. I appreciate her immense knowledge of the process, guidance and support, and clear communication.

Melissa's extremely knowledgable about the process and can help you fight for your best chance! I highly recommend her. I had a much lower GPA and test score, and got into my first top choice schools. I honestly don't think I would've been able to do this without her.

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Melissa helped me get into a top 10 MBA program. I highly recommended working with her. My MBA journey started a few years ago, when I had reached out to Fortuna to work on a few MBA applications. I was matched with Melissa, who provided invaluable advice around how schools review applications and how I should frame my story. At that time, I had decided to put my MBA ambitions on hold and continue working for a few more years.

When I decided to reapply to just one school, I reached back out to Melissa, who was incredibly responsive and worked around my schedule to ensure that we got the application submitted in what was a very, very short amount of time.

Melissa knows what schools are looking for and helped me craft a story that really allowed me to put my best foot forward. I thought my story and career to date were pretty cookie-cutter. Melissa really helped me find my distinctive factors and helped me refine my story, which allowed me to submit a great application.

As an added bonus, she’s super friendly and awesome to work with.

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Happy to say Melissa helped me get into my dream school - INSEAD! I was looking for admissions consultants to give me peace of mind throughout the typically stressful application process. Fortuna was a clear winner due to their INSEAD expertise and network. Melissa gave me confidence throughout and even went the extra mile in connecting me with alumni.

Fortuna is very structured in their counseling which worked great for me. The majority of our communication was over email or Podio software, with 3 calls. This worked for me due to my busy schedule, however if you are looking for someone to take several 1:1 calls then it may not be the best fit for you.

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