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Consultant Julie Ferguson
I came to Julie Ferguson without a clear understanding of the application process and a jumble of ideas and thoughts on what I wanted to say in my essays and do in my career. She helped organize my thoughts, which not only helped my application but also helped me look inwards and recognize what my goals / capabilities are in my career. She has a great personality (eternal optimist) and makes you feel accepted and supported throughout the process. I felt like she was in the trenches with me and emotionally invested in my future.
It was a great working with her. Her contributions added a lot of value and I think the value of the service was well-worth the cost. I was admitted into Booth and Wharton MBA programs.
Product Fortuna Admissions Comprehensive School Package
Consultant Malvina Miller Complainville
If you're aiming for a top MBA program like HBS, Malvina is the coach you've been searching for. Her structured, project-based approach turned the daunting application process into a seamless journey.
Storytelling : Malvina doesn't just scratch the surface; she mines your experiences to craft compelling narratives that capture your uniqueness.
Project-Based Approach: We ran the whole process like a smooth project. Scheduled touchpoints, offline reviews, and flexibility made the endeavor fit effortlessly into my busy lifestyle and time difference.
Collaborative: Your voice amplified by Malvina's guidance creates a compelling application. She adds the polish without losing the essence.
Interview & Post-Reflection: Malvina's coaching in these areas was a game-changer. Her tips and rehearsals made me confident and articulate, turning the interview and post-reflection into strong pillars of my successful application.
Positivity and Support: The MBA application journey is an emotional one, but Malvina's consistent positivity and encouragement kept me focused and optimistic.
In summary, Malvina is more than just an MBA coach; she's your strategic partner in this important life milestone. A heartfelt thank you for her invaluable role in my HBS admission!
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Consultant Karen Hamou
I realized I wanted to get an MBA around March 2023 - very close to the end of the admission cycle. In finding Karen, she was one of the few people I talked to who believed in me rather than encouraging me to wait until next year. She was willing to help me this late and she committed so much time helping me brainstorm essays, guiding me through all the steps, and of course being very punctual and timely with her edits. Going in, I felt overwhelmed with how I'd craft a great story given I had just been laid off but Karen eased those concerns in a way that added to my career arc. Karen is awesome at extracting every single detail in your story in a thoughtful way and then shaping them into a narrative that works.
Although it didn't work out with the two schools I originally applied to in R3, she quickly helped me devise a strategy to take advantage of the next round's J-term cycle. With a little tweaking in my application and intensive interview prep that Karen provided, I was able to earn admission into a top MBA program.
I would 100% recommend Karen to any applicant who wants to go to his/her dream school. She is invested in your success from Day 1, understands every aspect of the process and can provide valuable tips/tricks, and most importantly guides you into becoming the best version of yourself
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Consultant Taniel Chan
I had a great experience with Taniel, who helped me get admitted to my #1 target school!
Taniel provided highly valuable support throughout the entire MBA application process.
In the beginning, he invested his time upfront to make sure he understood my background and personal history. This enabled him to help me unpack my story, and craft the narrative around my MBA essay.
As part of the process, he provided strategic advice around recommender selection, and the key 'selling points' he thought I needed to highlight as part of my application.
He was also incredibly helpful in terms of helping me prepare for my interview. I walked away from our mock interview session with much more clarity on what and how I should try to communicate in response to potential interview questions.
Overall Taniel's help went a long way in making me feel supported throughout the application process. I'd highly recommend his services.
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Consultant Matt Symonds
I worked with Matt on my Round 3 application to the Stanford GSB, MIT Sloan and the Wharton School. I was a non-traditional applicant with a government background, applying a bit later in my career than the average - and had previously received some less than enthusiastic advice from consultants encouraging me to consider safety schools or delay applying. This made sense on the face of it: the odds are very low for those schools as a R3 applicant, and they didn't want to set me (or themselves) up for failure. But Matt took a totally different tack: I felt he took a real interest in me as a person, understood my goals and rationale, and went beyond the stats to see the strength in my application. He totally understood the reasoning behind going for it in R3, put himself on the line to tell me what he honestly thought, and provided me the vital encouragement to keep going. Close to the deadline, he was available over the weekend to iterate my essays and review the final elements of my application. I felt that his advice was always helpful - and crucially, helped to bring out my authentic voice, not just what adcoms want to hear. Matt's advice and encouragement were crucial to getting me over the line and securing offers from all 3 schools. Thank you Matt - you're a good man and a pleasure to work with!
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Consultant Melissa Kate Joelson
I was so lucky to be able to work with Melissa Joelson. I had a difficult timeline for my applications and she worked with me to make sure we could achieve what I needed to in a short window. When reviewing my essays, Melissa was amazing at asking the right questions and prompting me in different ways to think about how to further flesh out my thoughts or to get to the heart of what I was trying to communicate. She never tried to change my voice or vision, but rather to help me present it in a more effective way. She showed so much kindness, compassion, and support along the way. I really felt like she was invested in my success and not just in the application process. Thank you, Melissa!
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Consultant Taniel Chan
I am thrilled to express my deepest gratitude for Taniel who played a pivotal role in my admission to Wharton.
From our very first interaction, it was evident that my consultant possessed a remarkable understanding of the intricacies of the MBA admissions process. He took out time to understand me, my strengths and what I bring to the table and instilled in me a newfound confidence throughout the entire process.
What truly sets Taniel apart was his unwavering commitment to my success. I reached out to him very late for the application - but he was always available and very prompt in going through numerous drafts of my application during the Christmas holidays. He had a meticulous eye for detail and he truly helped me bring out my voice in the best possible way
He also helped me through the interview process for Wharton and his feedback on the mock TBDs was extremely useful on the final day and helped me put in my best effort forward.
Thank you Taniel for all your help! Eternally grateful - really couldnt have done it without you!
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Consultant Emma Bond
Emma has been monumental in the success of my applications - admits from Kellogg, Tuck (40K scholarship), Fuqua (80K scholarship) and LBS. Due to being late in the application process, high cost of admissions consulting and a general lack of direction, I was quite overwhelmed till even a few weeks before the application deadlines. Emma proved to be a knight in shining armor who brought that much needed direction with her expertise in the process which is otherwise a black box. She was so diligent and methodical in reviewing the essays and storyline. Even with the time crunch and last minute notices, she was able to take something raw and help make it into a strong story. From essays to job description to video essays, the perfectionist in her sharpened every aspect of the application to make it holistically attractive to the Admission committee.
But her expertise aside, what set her apart from most consultants was her investment in me beyond a transactional relationship. Her genuine concern and warmth was so crucial in getting through a process which is otherwise very daunting.
I would say I couldn't have found a better consultant to go on this journey with because she cuts across the transactional relationship between a client and consultant, while bringing such depth of knowledge and understanding of the process that one can't help but feel safe and reassured.
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Consultant Melissa Jones
Stats / Outcomes: 710 GMAT (lower quant score, higher verbal), 154 EA, Overrepresented Background. Accepted to Yale, NYU, and Georgetown (with some $). Interviewed but dinged at CBS; interviewed and currently waitlisted at Duke.
Melissa was an excellent consultant. She was very patient and a good listener as we refined my story together. She also offered great insight into what schools look for. Together we were able to delve into my backstory and goals and connect the dots into a thoughtful narrative.
As far as consultants go, I think Melissa is an amazing one! That said, I do want to temper expectations on how far a consultant can bring you. They are great at being a thought partner to sound ideas out and offer very valuable insight into what programs are looking for (Melissa did a great job at this and it really helped me shape my story to emphasize the right parts). However, you still have to put in the leg work to shape your story and sometimes be proactive in following up with them on key questions. It's a wonderful accelerator, but a big part of it is still dependent on how much you put in. (For example, I found it very helpful refining my story further by talking to friends rather than just with a consultant).
Melissa is kind, patient, insightful, and great at connecting you with other folks on her team when she thinks you would benefit from another perspective. She helped me connect with Matt to finalize my list of schools (a Fortuna pro who regularly interacts with all top 25 schools and gave incredibly helpful insight), and a couple admissions consultants who came from some of my target schools so that I could better understand the culture. She also convinced me to take a new test to make up for my lower GMAT quant score (something I truly never thought I would do because I hated tests so much, but that I am incredibly glad I did).
I wrote 5 total applications (Yale, CBS, Duke, NYU, Georgetown). I got Melissa's help via the "all in" package on Columbia and NYU, and a couple hours of advice on my remaining 3 schools. Overall, I was accepted to Yale, accepted to NYU from the waitlist, and also accepted to Georgetown with some generous financial aid.
One piece of advice that I would give potential applicants is that an admissions consultant is a great help - but remember to keep pushing your own path forward in tandem. Keep going to admissions events (even after applying), connecting with alumni and students to understand culture, and be proactive in your own journey. I also supplemented some of Melissa and team's advice by talking to very close friends about my story - they were able to share stories about my life / frames of reference that I never would have thought of as being relevant before.
I am very happy with my experience and would highly recommend Melissa, but I wanted to call out the disclaimers above because when I was first reading reviews like these, I remember getting somewhat of a wrong impression. As such, I wanted to share my lessons learned. Best of luck in the process - you got this!
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Consultant Heidi Hillis
I worked with Heidi on my MBA applications, and she helped me get into my top choice school. I'm so grateful for her advice and guidance. She has a very deep understanding of the process and how to create the strongest possible application, and this helped take much of the anxiety out of the process for me. I was able to approach my application and my story with much more confidence because Heidi took the time to understand me/my interests and help me solidify the themes I wanted to highlight. Heidi provided thoughtful guidance every step of the way (and helped me identify where my application could stand out). She was was able to be constructive and provide feedback while always being supportive and helping me believe in myself. I highly recommend working with Heidi!
