While I am generally very organized with work, I knew navigating MBA admissions on top of a demanding job and other obligations would be a different beast. I chose to pursue consultation services to help with time management, "gut checks" on essay topics of choice, and guidance on resume and career goal positioning.

The main reason I chose Fortuna was because of the faith they had in me. When I was exploring consultation services, a number of places said they wouldn't take me as a client with my current GRE score, or that they'd prefer to talk after I took the GMAT. My school goals were aspirational, yes, but I knew I was competitive. Fortuna knew it, too.

Catherine was a calm, consistent, thoughtful and responsive guide. She balanced constructive criticism with encouragement and answered questions/concerns in real-time, even though I was on an hourly rate.

I am ecstatic with my results and highly recommend Catherine and Fortuna for anyone pursuing MBA admission.

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I didn't have the chance to work with Malvina on my applications, but had the pleasure of her help on my HBS interview. Despite her being located in London, she was highly responsive and flexible in accommodating to my work schedule to speak with me on the phone and answer my questions. Malvina was extremely knowledgeable of the HBS interview and was able to make the whole prep process very tailored. Based on my application, she was able to suggest areas of my profile I should highlight, what the interviewer may ask, and how to respond to those questions. The interview process is daunting, but Malvina was patient and honest yet supportive which made it all the more enjoyable. I couldn't have gotten into HBS without her help and I 100% would recommend Malvina!

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I worked with Michel from early on my decision to apply for B-school. I knew that I was going to apply Round 1 and that I would be on the younger side if accepted by the schools I wanted to get into. So I did my extensive research and chatted with 6 different consulting agencies before finally choosing Fortuna.

What really set Fortuna apart from the other agencies is the level of care and detail Michel went into crafting my story. I come from a traditional consulting background but I was looking to make a career pivot with my MBA to go into something a lot more untraditional. Michel spent hours on the phone with me really dissecting why and how I came to the conclusion that business school is the right move at this stage of my career. Once that was set, we went about creating the right narrative for my applications.

Throughout the process, Michel was extremely responsive and provided strong feedback on my essays, resume, video interviews, in person interviews, recommender selection etc. Along every step of the process it became very obvious how experienced and knowledgeable Michel was with this entire MBA process. And because we started very early in the year, the pace was very manageable and at no time was I overwhelmed or stressed out.

I found it very helpful that Michel knew me very well and was able to call back on all of my extracurriculars in order to help prep me from the essays to the interviews. After each interview, Michel and I called to debrief and prep for the next one.

Ultimately I was admitted to 2 schools and waitlisted for my third! All top 10 programs! I'm thrilled and could not have done this without the expertise of Michel. If you're looking for a compassionate, understanding, patient and knowledgeable MBA consultant, Michel is the way to go!

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My experience working with Fortuna and Jessica was fantastic! Despite purchasing a limited number of hours fairly last minute, Jessica was extremely responsive and hands on in her approach. She was thoughtful from both a strategy and editing perspective, and it certainly helped me get my apps done on time.

Jessica was also helpful in providing resources to assist with the interview even if it was not the primary focus of my work with her. If there were any area to improve, it would be more recommendations about content. However, overall it was a truly fantastic experience and I would recommend her and Fortuna to any applicant applying to business school.

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I enjoyed working with Fortuna from my first interaction with Matt. They provided loads of advice on the first intro call - far more than other consulting firms I spoke with - and sold me quickly. My consultant, Sharon, was personable and helpful throughout the process. It was tougher than usual because we lived in time zones 14 hours apart, but she regularly scheduled calls in her evenings because it was more convenient for me. I appreciated her pushing me to re-work my essays multiple times. Would recommend the services, particularly for school selection and keeping me on a steady schedule to get my applications in on time.

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Working with Karen was great, she was hugely supportive, knowledgeable and helpful. Additionally, I got into my top choice and I am thrilled about that. Would absolutely recommend working with Karen in the future. She responded quickly, happily answered all of my questions, and had a lot of background on the program and plenty of insights into the strategy for managing applications and prioritizing programs. So thankful to Karen for all of her support and insight during this lengthy and time consuming process. Really appreciated all of the help during the application process because there were moments when it was challenging and difficult.

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I was hesitant to pay the hefty price tag for the full package with Fortuna, but they have delivered over and above what I expected.

I was lucky to work with Melissa Jones who has unparalleled insight into the admissions process which is clear in her invaluable feedback on the essays.

However, I believe that Melissa's true strength as a coach was her ability to get me through the self-doubt, writer's block and the numerous other obstacles that had almost caused me to give up on the application entirely.

Melissa showed a balance of patience and persistent encouragement, intuitively knowing to send amazing motivational videos and mental hacks that helped me work through the things that were holding me back.

With her support, I actually ended up enjoying the application process and was very proud of the final result. I also got admitted into my dream school!

I could not have asked for a better coach.

She genuinely cared, was very insightful and knowledgeable, and showed diligent attention to the slightest detail.

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I enrolled with Fortuna admissions to help with my applications to MBA at INSEAD and LBS. I found their consulting service very professional and organized. Nonie Mackie was assigned as my coach and she worked with me on my applications over a period of 3 months. Nonie was especially approachable and is a very passionate individual. She made it very easy for me to work with her, allowing flexible timings for our meetings and usually with a quick response time. She was very persistent in getting the best efforts out of me in terms of the right stories and in organizing and structuring the content for essays to suit the admission criteria of the school. Nonie gave very honest feedback on the application and was in full control of all the aspects from resume to interview prep. Yet another positive aspect about Nonie is that she goes an extra mile to pull out information and reference materials that helps with the application. Overall I am very pleased with the coaching Nonie provided me and with the services of Fortuna Consulting.

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My Background: Asian-American male in finance with a strong GPA and GMAT score. Generally, I had a very strong profile on paper in terms of academics and career.

My Top Choice: Wharton.

Results w/ Fortuna: Accepted to Wharton and Columbia ($100,000+), and invited to interview at HBS. I only applied to these 3 schools.

Reason for Choosing Fortuna: During my initial free consultation with Matt Symonds, I found it refreshing to speak with a consultant who provides an honest assessment of the services that would be of most value to me. Matt took the time to understand my profile and suggested an hourly package to help hone my messaging. He also ensured that I could retain my voice and give full freedom to my recommenders. In contrast, many other consultants insisted on having a heavy hand in the essays (basically writing it for me) and controlling the recommendations – not my cup of tea.

Experience w/ Michel Belden: I highly recommend Michel and can’t give her enough praises. Michel’s proven experience with the Wharton process was one of the key reasons that I chose to work with Fortuna. Michel really helped me articulate and structure my message and made sure I wasn’t leaving any stones unturned in my story. She was incredibly thoughtful and gracious throughout the process, going above and beyond during the holidays by remaining accessible when I was in a time crunch. I can’t thank her enough and highly recommend you consider working with her.

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Caroline Edwards of Fortuna Admissions had a detailed conversation with me after reviewing my application to INSEAD. I had been waitlisted, much to my dismay, after what felt like two perfect alumni interviews and countless hours drafting and perfecting application essays. Caroline was quick to point out my lack of international experience in my resume and also my average GMAT score (700) which is actually a bit lower than the average admitted INSEAD student. After much debate with Caroline we realized that I probably wouldn't be able to boost my GMAT much, and even if I would be able to it would take a lot of time and wouldn't over come other weaknesses in my portfolio.

Caroline ultimately recommended me to get another recommendation letter, revamp my CV to focus on my international experience, and draft a new cover letter to address my reasoning for why I should be admitted from the waitlist. The conversations with Caroline were genuine, and I felt that she was truly concerned for my situation. She made great recommendations and was able to help me prioritize my waitlist strategy quickly. I was ultimately able to get accepted into INSEAD of the waitlist, and I believe this is in big part a result of Caroline's help.

The price point is a bit high, but if you have your heart set on a specific school that waitlists your initial application, then I highly recommend this service.

Thanks Caroline and Fortuna.

-Roy

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