When I was searching for an admissions consultant, I looked for two criteria

1) The admissions consultant should be incredibly knowledgeable about LBS
2) The admissions consultant should have a personal interest in my success and that I shouldn't just be another number in a sea of clients.

Given Emma's experience of working as part of the LBS AdCom, it became clear after our first introduction that she knew LBS inside-out. What surprised me was how personally invested she was in the whole process and made me feel like I had someone in my corner whom I could rely on.

Emma is insanely dedicated. She turns around material within 24 hours so I never felt like I had to hurry. Before many school admission deadlines, she even worked over the weekends to make sure that I was putting my best application in. No matter the number of revisions, she keeps working with you to make sure that your application is the very best it can be.

Where I was really blown away was Emma's guidance on essays. She helped me develop a strong essay strategy that would bring out the strengths in my application. She even connected me with an alum from LBS who had a similar profile to me so that I could gain additional perspective for my essays. I can confidently say that without Emma's help, there is no chance that my essays would have ended up as powerful and impactful as they did.

Emma is an incredibly kind person but she is also very candid about your profile and where you need to improve. She does not waste time beating around the bush and I really appreciated this honest approach. I found that having those candid conversations allowed us to create a strategy to accentuate my strengths and downplay my weaknesses.

I got admitted to London Business School and I couldn't have done it without Emma's support and encouragement. If LBS is your #1 choice, I strongly recommend working with Emma to make studying at Regent's Park a reality!

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I first heard about Fortuna Admissions through my sister, who had engaged their services years ago in her own MBA journey, and spoke highly of their level of professionalism and high quality of their services. I contacted Fortuna and after a short period of deliberation, I decided to settle on Lisa Bevill as my personal coach in my own MBA journey based on the list of programs I had planned to apply to. This choice of mine was probably one of the best I have ever made in my life.

Words alone does not do justice to Lisa for her invaluable contributions to my own journey. I was concerned when I first embarked on my journey that I might not possess the qualities that my desired programs was looking for. But Lisa never once doubted that I had what it takes to be a part of those MBA programs. Throughout the application process, she was extremely attentive, being responsive to requests for help whenever it was possible, consistently reviewed my applications, gave helpful hints and insights as to the admission process of each school and what the school wants from each candidate, provided feedback where necessary to add impact to my applications, and most importantly of all, provided motivational support that encouraged me to put my fears aside and move on; that last point is something I cherished the most, for it gave me the courage to move on when fear threatened to overwhelm me.

For these reasons stated above, I would highly recommend Lisa Bevill, and by extension, the team at Fortuna Admissions, for providing such personalised and fabulous service to clients!

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I had an initial call with Matt Symonds, during which we discussed my background, goals, and school choices. Given my focus on Europe, Cassandra’s experience with top European schools really stood out and made me interested in having her as my coach. I therefore asked to be connected with her and ended up working together as part of a CSP for LBS and during a few additional hours for some other schools.

The greatest benefit that I derived from working with Cassandra was belief. I was nervous at the start of this process and didn’t completely acknowledge the strengths of my profile. However, Cassandra was able to not only steer me in the right direction in terms of the application but also was always available to address my concerns and questions - over messages, emails, calls, and video meetings. As someone who didn’t start with having MBAs in my network, I also greatly benefitted from Cassandra’s support, expertise, and big-picture perspective in ensuring that my essays were always logical, aspirational, and human. The nice thing about the CSP was that my full application was also reviewed by a director, who has tremendous knowledge of the school. In addition, I was able to make use of a mock interview with Cassandra, during which she gave me actionable feedback around both things that I was doing well and things that I could do better, and helped me go into my interview with confidence.

To anyone who is willing to drive their own application, but would love to have a champion and expert by their side, I would highly recommend working with Cassandra! She truly helped me in my moments of self-doubt and helped me communicate my story in the most impactful manner!

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I worked with Jenifer for my Wharton application. She was really helpful with helping me build my narrative, create a differentiated profile for myself, and working with me to build a network with the school. She is very good at seeing exactly who someone is and finding the best in them. Although I did not get into Wharton, I think she did a lot to help me create a much, much better application than I would have been able to create otherwise.

Additionally, she went the extra mile and helped me build a working plan for next year on the best way for me to improve my profile further for these highly competitive schools.

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My journey with Fortuna started a couple of months prior to the INSEAD application deadline and I worked with Jenifer throughout the entire INSEAD application process. Jenifer was able to provide a wealth of knowledge alongside bespoke advice to help me achieve an R1 offer. Through our detailed initial consultations, Jenifer was genuinely interested in my life and as such, was able to guide me in crafting my own story, showcasing and balancing both my strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, Jenifer pushed me to improve my GMAT score from 700 to 740. I would recommend Jenifer to anyone that is looking to achieve their MBA admission goals.

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Fortuna was first recommended to me by a friend, I didn’t think i would need them. It was the best thing i ever did signing with them and having them help me through the whole application process. They where superb, i had the best Emma Bond helping me along with the rest of the team. It’s money well spent , they helped me shape a strong application and their experience really helped, 12 out of 10 . Emma really put a lot of time and effort from CV prep, Essays , mock interviews and overall prep, it was a very good experience, thanks to everyone at Fortuna Admissions and Emma in specific.

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During my application, Jessica helped me define my career goals more clearly, which was essential to better decide on the schools I wanted to apply to. Jessica is extremely detailed and is always available for any questions. In addition, the support of Julia Brady in reviewing my essays was key to polishing them and giving them greater consistency.
I highlight their patience and unconditional support to guide me to show my best in the essays and interview. Without their support, I would not have managed to enter a top mba in the USA after being invited to several interviews. I totally recommend them!

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I was targeting INSEAD and had HEC Paris as back-up plan.
I was lucky to work with Nonie to refine my application strategy. Though being very positive overall, she gave substantial pieces of advice which made me change a lot both my essays and CV.
Another crucial aspect was timing. We had two weeks before INSEAD round 2 application deadline and still achieved to apply on time (though looking back I would not advise anyone to rush in a similar fashion!) thanks to her reactivity.
In the end, I was waitlisted (and later accepted) by INSEAD and accepted with 10K€ scholarship by HEC, and I have chosen to go INSEAD.
Thanks again Nonie

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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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Why did I seek admissions advising?
Early in my business school application journey I spoke with MBA colleagues and friends to understand what lessons could be learned from those who had already walked the path. The resounding advice: do not underestimate or neglect the non-GMAT components of the application. I would be remiss not to reinforce that same message for anyone embarking on their admissions journey.
My success and acceptance to a top program can be attributed to taking that advice to heart and putting it into action by Partnering with Sharon Joyce and Fortuna. If you are serious about your application and you want the best in the business, this is it.

Why Fortuna?
• Scalable offerings – Fortuna offers both hourly billing and comprehensive packages. My coach Sharon kindly indicated that hourly should be enough for me to achieve my goals, but I opted to go with the comprehensive one school package anyway because I felt I needed every edge I could get. This was important for me because it established a sense of trust early on. Sharon was not trying to talk me into anything I didn’t need and placed my best interest at the forefront early on.
• Top Talent – I had the please of meeting many of the coaches and directors throughout the process. Fortuna without a doubt has some of the most talented and well-connected staff in the game. Each coach has different strengths related to the application process, specific programs and geographies, so do your diligence upfront. You will also benefit from the cross-pollination of coaches e.g., I decided later in the process that I may toss an application at a European program and that week Sharon had me on the phone with the ex-admissions director for INSEAD.

Why Sharon?
If you have read Sharon’s Fortuna profile or other reviews, you know by now that she has an innate and unmatched ability to extract, polish, frame and re-frame individuality - the single most important element that your application should aim to embody: YOU. I will keep this short as other reviews have touched on this point – but if you value this trait, there is not another human being that can match her talent in this space. Period.
The reason I prefer to draw your attention to Sharon’s other attributes is that in my own coach selection, my only apprehension was in answering the question: is she too specialized in this individualization thing? What else will I get? Allow me to enlighten you:
• An exceptionally brilliant, charismatic human being: If you need as much help as I did, you are going to be spending a considerable amount of time with your coach. You want someone who you are not only comfortable with, but enjoy spending time with. Sharon is an absolute delight - her passion for her work and genuine interest in you make the long hours and difficult moments not only endurable, but enjoyable.
• A strategic thought partner: I had very little direction when Sharon agreed to work with me. I was not even able to articulate why I wanted an MBA or why I chose the schools I did. I don’t recommend anyone come in at ground zero as I did, but the point is: Sharon met me there with grace and asked the right questions to give me the direction I desperately needed.
• An insider’s perspective: Sharon has years of experience in academia, and specifically as an admissions director for a top ten program. Her ability to channel the perspective on the receiving end of the application and apply it to how your application will be perceived is invaluable.
• A source of energy and accountability: I was already working 60+ hours a week and I knew I needed someone to push me. I was upfront about this with Sharon, giving her the permission to push me hard when it was needed. She heard me and took on the role that I needed - pushing when it was time and counseling with clear eyes when I was overwhelmed and disoriented.
• Clear direction; direct and honest feedback: My favorite thing about Sharon – she is not afraid to be direct and honest. In retrospect, she saved me from some very bad essay, video, and resume ideas, and did so very quickly backing her position with strong reason and real-life examples. She is not abrasive, but she is very direct. If she senses you heading down the wrong path, she does not give you a long cryptic fable to take away chew on. Instead she gives you direct, honest, and logical feedback. When time is of the essence, this is a highly valuable trait.
• Value beyond the contract: Beyond providing the services outlined in the Fortuna contract, Sharon is willing (within reason) to operate outside of scope. This was never anything I asked for or expected. For example: I shared that I was working with my organization to further develop our Inclusion and Diversity framework and principles. Later that night I had three perfectly relevant research papers in my inbox as well as an offer to connect me to the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for a top five MBA program.

To conclude, the best way I know how to help you understand Sharon, is by referencing an artist at work - as this is what she truly is. She can step back and see your canvas from a far, coming back the next day to add some hatching there, some shadowing there, and sfumato where it’s needed. She will continue to do this, sometimes unnoticeably, until the end when you view the entirety of the application for the first time and realize just how polished and harmonic each component has become.

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