Summary:
I could not have been happier with the service I received at Fortuna, from my main coach, Karen Ponte and also from one of the partners, Emma Bond who provided input the final stages. I would 100% recommend them, especially Karen and Emma for LBS, though I have no doubt their other advisers and knowledge of other schools is as good.

About me:
- Non-traditional background
- Indian Male
- Post MBA aiming for consulting or healthcare industry
- 2.5 year work experience
- Top 20 UK university for undergraduate degree (First Class)
- GMAT 710

About my circumstances:
- I retook the GMAT a second time to improve my score to 710 from 690 in about July
- Started shortlisting schools around the same time and doing some research
- Reached out to Fortuna and other coaches towards the end of July, beginning of August.
- Matt Symonds responded and was the key differentiator compared to others, his quick understanding of my situation and helpful advice in targeting specific schools but also his realistic and open approach helped me decide on Fortuna.
- Engaged Fortuna for their CSP for London Business School (my top choice)

About my experience:
Writing applications is difficult and requires high levels of energy. I was not quite sure what to expect from the coach. But when I spoke to Karen for the first time on Skype, it was a very pleasant and informative conversation. We got set up using an excellent bit of project management software, which made the whole process a 100 times easier (than having to email things back and forth).

What I particularly liked was that neither Karen nor Emma were writing the essays or adding any content, but instead were drawing out the best (but true) version of myself to present to the admissions committee. They took time to understand my background (which was non-traditional) and we were able to turn this into a strength. Another area was bringing their own experiences in having read applications and knowing the right amount of information to include (for example I wasn't sure if I should talk about my family and that side of my life, or if I should keep it professional). They gave me the confidence in knowing that I was including the right information both my short answer questions and in the essays.

LBS threw in a surprise video interview this time around for the first time, but the coaches handled it very well and were able to provide some important feedback on how to handle this new assessment. The mock interviews with both Karen and Emma were also particularly useful in identifying commonly asked questions where my answers were not convincing or a little too generic.

Turnaround times were excellent with Karen more often than not replying within an hour of my posting a question etc. I was quite worried because I wasn't sure that one month would be enough (while working full time), but it worked out fine and I felt I had submitted the best application I could have.

I am thankful to them both, and would happily recommend their services to anyone, especially those that may have unusual backgrounds for MBAs.

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Life has not been the same since being accepted at INSEAD, and I don't want to imagine what it would have been like if I hadn't been accepted.

Prior to applying, my goal to get accepted to INSEAD was clear and I did not intend on taking any chances in this process, so I went with Fortuna.


The full package is a little bit on the pricier side, however keep in mind that the consulting team that you will be working with have in depth insider knowledge regarding the application process and will safely guide you past many easy traps along the way. The package also includes one on one preparation for interviews with your consultant, a full resume review, and a lot of cheering from the sidelines! I am eternally grateful to the dream team. Thank you Melissa, Matt and Caroline!

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Nonie has been with me from day 1 of my application preparation for INSEAD MBA. And this is the best decision I have made!

Whether you think your application is already solid or that you have to start from scratch, Nonie will play a key role in building the best possible application with you.

Nonie has been available all the time and her turnaround was all always very quick and of top quality. She consistently provided detailed comments, explaining her reasoning and thoroughly helping me to rethink all the details of my application until perfection. She has demonstrated her outstanding knowledge of the application process, of the school profiles and of the best way to put oneself forward. Her commitment and empathy were so high that I sometimes had the impression it was her own application and this gave me even more motivation.

A very important difference with other consultant is probably that Nonie call into questions all your arguments and examples to make sure that they are absolutely bullet proof. This forces you to think again and again but also prepares you for the interviews.

Finally, Nonie has been a very enjoyable person to work with. It is rare to show such top class professionalism and expertise and to be such a friendly and nice person. When you feel a bit down after weeks of working on your essay or when you are waiting for your results, Nonie is also even here to cheer you up!

I extremely happy that I have been admitted to INSEAD MBA, and I owe a big part of it to Nonie. But even if I hadn’t made it through, I would start the application adventure with Nonie again and again, as she no doubt helped me put my best feet forward! Thank you!

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Working with Melissa at Fortuna Admissions was a hugely useful and cost effective component to my admission into INSEAD. I had my application largely prepared and was looking for an experienced consultant to review and provide valuable insights about how my application would be received by the AdCom. I wasn't sure I needed to pay for the full application package. Fortuna's hourly consultation was just the solution that I needed. Melissa is hugely knowledgeable about the INSEAD application process (I can't speak for other schools, but expect her to be similarly tuned in). She provided very useful insight into the AdCom thought process and highlighted the areas of my application that were relatively stronger and weaker. With only a few hours of consultation, I noticed a material refining of my application which was very useful. Melissa's consultation comes with my highest recommendation. Good luck!

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I was very overwhelmed by the thought of facing mba applications. Especially for INSEAD, which has one of the longest applications of any MBA program. Fortuna really helped me get organized from day one, making sure I took adequate time to reflect on my background/motivations and develop a cohesive story, and then guiding me through each hurdle of the process. With my advisor, Nicola Sandford, as well as Caroline (former Admissions director at INSEAD) I had the confidence that I was submitting an application that not only displayed my story in the best possible light, but also directly targeted INSEAD. Because Fortuna has years of experience on both sides of the admissions process (both as admissions consultants and admissions gatekeepers), they really know how to get the best out of you. For example, while I did not have a ton of international experience prior to applying, Fortuna helped me successfully emphasize the things that were most relevant to the INSEAD admissions team. Nicola and the Fortuna team know INSEAD better than anyone, and I am forever thankful for their guidance over the past year.

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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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I found out about INSEAD in October, and decided to apply by the following spring. If it had not been for this great team, I think I will still be contemplating whether to go for it or apply a whole year later. I had the pleasure to work with Nonie, who helped me through drafting the essays within an extremely short schedule and I am very grateful for all the attention she gave to the work that had to be done. Although I found out about Fortuna Admissions Team from a search engine, I felt extremely confident from the beginning as all my questions were answered with great speed and sincerity by Matt. From start to finish, I enjoyed working with the team and I thank them all again for the full support I received in my application process.

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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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Without ever doing the work in my place, Fortuna pushed me to do it at my best. They really helped me synthesise my achievements, and choose which ones to present to best serve my stated goals. As I knew nobody among my friends, relatives or even acquaintances who had already applied to an MBA, working with Fortuna also helped me understand the hidden rules of this universe. It was also great to count on them for proofreading, as a non native English speaker. Finally, I appreciated the "team spirit", timeline, feedback and encouragement.

The storytelling work that Nonie helped me perform was also useful to me later for job applications.

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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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