Catherine Tuttle - Fortuna

Before working with Fortuna, MBA applications seemed daunting: Is my career goal statement strong enough? How will my plans to switch industries be received by an admissions committee? Are my essays compelling? Does my school list and application strategy make sense? I was an applicant coming from a non-traditional background hoping to make a career/industry pivot, and these questions seemed especially unnerving.

My worries vanished after my first meeting with Catherine, during which she answered all my questions with confidence and warmth. Catherine made herself available throughout the application process, never batting an eye at any late-night, stress-induced messages. Truly, working with Catherine made the process feel easy.

There were a few key ways in which Catherine helped in particular:

Finalizing the MBA resume: Catherine is a resume expert! Her feedback on my initial drafts was specific and actionable. I know that her input helped my resume stand out.

Crafting a career goal statement: This was perhaps where Catherine pushed me the most. She provided me with concrete resources that challenged me to expand upon my career goals and to explain how my industry-pivot was a logical one. After the expansion process, she was essential in helping me articulate my career goal as succinctly as possible.

Reducing essay versions needed: After speaking with so many applicants who shared the number of drafts they wrote before submitting their applications, I was shocked by how quickly I completed my essays. This was all thanks to Catherine's feedback, which helped me identify areas of my essays that needed to be cut down/deleted, or elaborated upon. With Catherine's help, essays that probably would have taken over a month to complete were submitted in a matter of days.

Emotional support: Throughout the entire process, it was a relief to know that at any moment, I could reach out to Catherine with questions or concerns. I appreciated Catherine's candid yet supportive communication-style.

After what ended up being a surprisingly enjoyable application process, I was admitted by my two favorite programs.

Thank you so much, Catherine!