If you’ve come across Melissa through your due diligence, then you’ll have likely already read that she is one of the best admissions consultants in the market. If you haven’t done much due diligence yet, then let me tell you why I think Melissa IS the best admissions consultant in the market:

I was very thorough in my initial search of consultants, turning over every rock under the admissions consultant sun. I decided to move forward with Melissa for a few reasons. First, she offered the richest insights into the schools I was targeting, as they related to my profile and interests. Second, she provided me with a clear picture of what it would take for me to be in a good position to gain acceptance to my target schools. Third, her insights are based in her vast experience as a former admissions committee member of a top program and also from her experience of working with countless hopefuls like myself. Lastly, and most importantly, I decided to work with Melissa because of a referral from someone, who I really trust, who was confident that working with Melissa would see me get the school acceptance that I was working so hard towards.

My profile: a lofty goal of getting accepted to a top MBA program, a low GMAT score (50 points less than average score for program), several career changes within 10 years that included a five month backpacking trip, a non-target undergrad with a low GPA, a few years older than the class’ age average, and I was on a tight timeline. Oh yeah, my partner was also applying to the same MBA, so I had to somehow weave that into my story, too.

As you can tell, I didn’t need a consultant - I needed a miracle. Luckily, Melissa was just that.

Without Melissa, I would have surely struggled to weave my winding career choices into a strong and cohesive story. She went the extra mile(s) to see it through. Melissa’s support was unwavering and vital in helping me accomplish my goal: acceptance to a top MBA school.

Melissa’s approach is equal parts science and art. First, she uses a tried and true process that will get your full story on paper. Next, she provides a touch of genius that helps you highlight your traits/strengths/weaknesses that will help you stand out. The end result is a concise, unique, and noticeable narrative that the admissions committee NEEDS to see from your profile in order for you to overcome the very low odds of getting an interview. Simply, she is dialed into a frequency for preparing admissions applications that is remarkable – hard stop.

Above all, Melissa wants to see you succeed as much as you want to see yourself succeed.

In sum, Melissa has earned her stellar reputation from helping prospective students reach the highest of MBA heights; you’ll be very fortunate and grateful to have the opportunity to work with her.

Read More

I worked with Julie for my application to Chicago Booth's part-time MBA program. She not only helped me articulate my strengths. weaknesses and purpose of pursuing an MBA, but also made herself available all the time for my application. She made the most dreaded experience of writing essays into an enjoyable one. The points she made about my interview preparation notes really helped me nail the interview. Working with her really helped me drive the application home and get an admit to Booth School of Business. I highly recommend working with Julie for a sure-shot admit to a top-tier school

Read More

I initially reached out to Fortuna Admissions via their website early on in my admissions process, before I'd even decided exactly which schools I should apply to. Fortuna's intake process begins with setting up a few "fit" calls between you and some of their consultants based on your target schools. You'll then decide who is the best fit for you. For me it happened to be the second person I had a "fit" call with, Cassandra Pittman.

Cassandra was amazing throughout the entire process. On our first call she made me feel confident about my chances, while being realistic as well. My profile was very unique, and after speaking with her I knew she would be able to help me craft a compelling narrative for my target schools.

Additionally, once we began the process and started getting deeper into my motivations and goals, she also helped me re-shape my list of target schools. Franky speaking, both the schools I ended up gaining admission to were not on my initial target list! So I am grateful for Cassandra having the breadth of knowledge on all the programs out there and suggesting those which she thought would be the right fit for me.

Now onto the actual process.. You'll submit your first draft of each application essay to Cassandra and she will work with you to help bring things within the word count and ensure your narrative is coming through in the strongest way possible. Additionally, she has a nuanced knowledge of the characteristics that each school is looking for and will help ensure that is coming through as well. You can go through as many of these revision cycles as you like until you feel the essays are ready. At this point, you will send the entire application draft to one of the Fortuna Directors (former ad-comm members from your target schools), and they will weigh in with any feedback on the overall application. I should also add that Cassandra has an extremely quick turnaround time, which comes in handy if you're working against a tight deadline.

Fortuna also has an in house MBA-CV expert who is ex-Wharton ad-comm, and will help you get your MBA CV perfect. It's worth noting that an MBA-CV is completely different to your traditional CV. Furthermore, they also provide you with excellent frameworks on how to approach your referee's and provide them all the information they'll need to write your LOR's with ease.

Last but not least, Fortuna went above and beyond what I'd paid for when I got to the interview stage at one of my target schools by setting up a 1:1 meeting for me with one of their Director's who used to be part of that school's ad-comm. It was extremely helpful for me to speak with them before my interview, and gave me a sense for how I should prepare and put my best foot forward. Of course, Fortuna also provides you with a wealth of school specific interview preparation materials, and you can book 1:1 interview prep sessions with Cassandra as well.

In the end, I got into 2 out of the 3 schools I worked with Fortuna for so I'd highly recommend them!! There's no way I'd have ended up at LBS without their help!

Read More

It was an amazing experience working with Nonie on my application. She is extremely committed and if you are ready to put in the hard work, Nonie's guidance can turn your application into gold. She was extremely flexible and accommodating. Her encouraging words helped me stay motivated throughout the process and she helped me prioritise the many activities on my profile. Nonie's turnaround was always quick and her detailed comments were instrumental in helping me structure my experiences most effectively. She has an eye for detail and her INSEAD background helped me understand the school and my fit much better. The mock interviews prepared me for all sorts of questions. Nonie was available and supportive during the entire journey and her enthusiasm about my candidature always filled me with positivity. Working with her was effortless and fun and it was an absolute pleasure to have her as my coach.

Read More

I fully recommend the comprehensive package from Fortuna Admissions; from the first sessions to get to know me and my goals, to the final mock interviews, Cassandra was the best! I truly felt she was invested in my application and wanted me to get accepted into my dream school.

Cassandra helped me identify the strong points of my profile, and bring them out in the best possible way to show how I could succeed in the INSEAD classroom. She also challenged my short and long term goals, resulting in me thinking them over and over. I still have the same goals as before I started the application process, but now I am more convinced than ever of the path I want to take. I would not have this conviction and determination without all the sessions I had with Cassandra.

The application process is truly a self-discovery period, and I am glad I navigated through it with the help of Fortuna Admissions.

Read More

I worked with Fortuna and Cassandra for LBS MBA application (One-School Package). I am extremely satisfied with the service Cassandra provided. To summarise, Cassandra helped me with all application materials from idea collection, application strategy, application materials review and interview preparations. Cassandra reviewed my draft application at least 5 times and she was able to bring additional values and unique selling points tailored to my application upon every review. This is incredible!

Cassandra is very responsive over phone, email and Zoom. She was always there for me whenever I needed. During the mock interview stage, Cassandra provided huge support to coach me better storytelling. And she made sure I was confident and ready before the Alumni Interview. Another huge credit to Cassandra is that she almost reviewed every single email communication I made to the school across numerous contexts and application stages. I found this to be extremely beneficial.

Another benefit of working with Fortuna (one-school package) is that you get second level review by one of the Fortuna Directors, i.e. Emma for my LBS application. Emma has tremendous experience with LBS admissions and her review was also super detailed. We constantly received invaluable inputs from Emma upon her every review. After numerous re-drafting and communications among Cassandra, Emma and myself, we made a stellar LBS application!

In a nutshell, I am very satisfied with the service Cassandra and Emma provided and highly recommend Fortuna to future MBA applicants.

Read More

I had the pleasure of working with Michel Belden to prepare for my deferred enrollment applications to business school during my senior year of college. I would strongly recommend working with Michel - she helped me discover and drive my application narrative from the first draft of my essay all the way through to the post-interview reflections many months later. With her guidance, I was accepted to 3 M7s, including HBS.

Michel reviewed my essay drafts all the way through "V10" with sharp insights in each edit. We brought my many-page monstrosity to a tightly-executed narrative that succinctly encapsulated my application narrative. She responded quickly to the many questions I had and has a fast but thorough turnaround to her reviews. With the comprehensive school package, she was instrumental in preparing for my interviews and planning the answers to my post-interview assignments. She and Judith Hodara cheered me on through the entire process and made it thoroughly enjoyable.

All in all, I would definitely recommend Michel to anyone looking to enhance their business school application!

Read More

Thank you Julie for all of your help! Julie made the MBA application process simple and manageable from start to finish. She is very thorough with her work, yet makes the essay writing process fun and introspective. Most importantly, she does not hesitate to offer suggestions that can ultimately make an average application that much more competitive. I really appreciated her willingness to talk through any and all parts of the application process. Julie helped me think of opportunities that I would have not otherwise have considered. Excited to have been admitted to Kellogg and couldn't have done it without Julie!

Read More

highly recommend Sharon due to her ability to help me be more introspective in my essays and to find the right story/voice in my materials. I didn’t have a strong understanding of what business schools are looking for and Sharon was able to help fill that gap. With her phenomenal knowledge of the schools on my list, she helped me understand how my unique background aligned with the mission of the schools I was targeting and how to bring those stories out in my application essays and while on interviews. Please note I am an engineer by training, so not a storyteller by nature! Her continuous encouragement and positivity bolstered my confidence during the MBA application process and her prompt replies to me, whether over email or text, were appreciated during what is typically a stressful time. There were a few occasions when I urgently needed her assistance and she always responded in a timely manner, even when she was travelling. I appreciated the genuine care she placed on the success of my application and I am thrilled to have been admitted to a top program on the East Coast and was also awarded a generous scholarship.

Read More

I chose to go with Fortuna after my initial consultation paired me with Jessica. Her background and experience closely aligned with my interests and the top school I was considering, which made it an easy decision to chose Jessica/Fortuna over other consultants.

I come from a fairly non-traditional background and had scores slightly below the average for my top schools. Jessica did an amazing job helping me frame my experiences and define my story in a way that ultimately set me up for success throughout the application process. Our conversations were always candid, constructive, and helped me reflect more about why I am pursuing an MBA and what my ambitions are. I was admitted to my top choice school for their full-time MBA program after applying in Round 2, and I don't think that would have been possible without Jessica's help and support. Thank you Jessica!

Read More