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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After speaking to several admissions consultants and not being able to differentiate between them, I became weary of spending so much money for what seemed to be merely essay reviews.

But when I had my initial consulting session with Matt, I was blown away by his in-depth understanding of the MBA programmes I wanted to apply for. Unlike other admissions consultants, Fortuna was the only one that proactively suggested I apply for the INSEAD MBA programme earlier (which was very helpful for my employment situation). I instantly knew that I wanted to work with them.

With the deadline less than a month away, I doubted my ability to get an application in on time. However, having one call with Caroline enabled me to draft all my essays with points I knew would appeal to INSEAD adcom. Over the next two weeks, Melissa was a joy to work with - she responds within 24 hours (I was impressed with how responsive she was on weekends). I have a tendency to write too much in my essays, and Melissa always knew exactly what to emphasise on and what to cut out. Even when I felt that my essays, application form and CV were complete, Melissa generously offered more reviews.

If it were not for Fortuna and Melissa, I definitely would not be starting at INSEAD in three months'! Thank you.

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Working with Fortuna Admissions is probably the best decision I made during my MBA admission journey. I have a pretty competitive profile (Consultant / IT / Male / 30) and my GMAT was not stellar (680, well balanced) so I really needed someone to put my story in the best perspective as possible. Thanks to this collaboration I have been admitted to a top MBA! I had several free consultations with other competitors but I have to say that Fortuna made the difference since they took time to study my profile prior to our call and gave me meaningful advice even before we started working together.

I chose the full package (essay + interview + scholarships support) and I was assigned to Melissa. She is really a great coach and gives useful advice. She perfectly knows what to say and not to say, how to say it, which is in a perspective of writing essays, priceless! She was very available (2 days in average for a full review of your essays depending on the quality) and I did not feel any uncomfortable situations, I could ask any questions I had, and she is really honest with you.

The full package includes a full review of your file from Caroline Diarte Edwards, former director of admission at INSEAD, and her feedback was really important to ensure that your story is compelling enough and you did not miss anything important.

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My experience with Fortuna Admissions was absolutely delightful all the way from the initial free consultation call with Matt to the application package editing and interview preparation with Melissa and Caroline. They all are great professionals and wonderful people, who are honest, responsive and serious about their commitment to helping you reveal your best for the school and for yourself. I was admitted to INSEAD, and I am positive that this achievement would not have been possible without Fortuna’s assistance. My case was not easy in any way - besides apparent weaknesses of my profile such as age a few years higher than average for the school, I had 4 days old daughter when I started working with Fortuna, and I had exactly six weeks before the application deadline. Originally I had planned to apply to two schools, and I am so happy that I followed Matt’s advice to focus on just one school, INSEAD, which was better for my future career plans. For me, a technically inclined person, writing seven essays in a foreign language was challenging. Those six weeks were hard at times, but Melissa’s and Caroline’s determination and support gave me confidence to persevere. Their comments to my essays had always been insightful and thorough. I highly recommend Fortuna’s team to any applicants to a top school. This will be an amazing experience!

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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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I decided to apply to INSEAD with just over 4 weeks remaining before the next deadline. So I reached out to a few firms for initial consults and Fortuna stood out from the beginning as being most knowledgeable on INSEAD.

Matt gave me great insight on the admissions process during the first meeting and was very genuine in setting expectations. He put together an action plan very quickly and connected me with my coach - Melissa.

Melissa is an amazing coach and she previously worked for INSEAD admissions which was very re-assuring to begin with. I ended up taking her help on INSEAD as well as HEC (was admitted to both). She really took the time to understand my background and helped me identify the best talking points and come up with a strategy. She was very encouraging throughout the process and was always quick to provide feedback on essay drafts and to respond to questions. At the end Caroline gave my essays a second review and knowing that a previous director of admissions at INSEAD blessed my application was very comforting when I finally hit ‘Submit’.
Working with the team at Fortuna was the best decision in my application process and expect to take my learnings from the experience well beyond the applications. I recommend them to anyone exploring the journey of MBA applications.

Thank you for all your support and guidance!

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I decided to go with Fortuna after another consultant suggested that I set my goals lower than INSEAD. I wasn't going to pay someone a whack of money if she didn't have the same vision as me. My initial discussions with Melissa, Matt, and Caroline at Fortuna made me realize that I did have a great story – we just needed to frame it in the right way. I want to thank Fortuna for believing in me – because with Melissa's help, I was able to assemble a winning application package for INSEAD in less than 6 weeks. She took the time to get to know me, then highlighted the aspects of my profile that would be most attractive to the admissions committee. She leaves no stone unturned when reviewing essays, putting herself in the shoes of the admissions committee. However, the most important part is that she invests herself in her client's dreams: my goal of attending INSEAD became her goal as well. The entire experience with Melissa, Caroline, and Matt at Fortuna was first class.

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It has been a pleasure to work with my coach Melissa Jones. Thanks to her and her encouragements, I was able to transform my essays into a winning application. No stone is left unturned from the school selection, CV review, data application form, the countless essay reviews, the interview preparation and the final decision. Melissa (and Caroline my senior coach) were always readily available for a chat, it was especially useful when I had doubts regarding which schools I should apply to.

The interview preparation is one of the best feature : it takes the edge of the actual interview and helps you improve your weaknesses. I did very well on the interview I prepared with Fortuna and could feel the difference with the interview for another school I prepared on my own.

The access to Fortuna’s network of former admission directors and officers is invaluable when you have questions regarding other schools. This is a special strength of the Fortuna Admissions network. If you are applying to European business school, they may have a strong advantage over American admission companies, which are more US-focused.

I very enthusiastically recommend Melissa and Fortuna to any MBA applicant. I would not have made it without their support.

Don't hesitate to PM me if you have any question.

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