Strengths:

Deep school knowledge
Many years of experience
Storytelling

I loved working with Julie! She is so knowledgeable about the programs I was interested in and is incredible at storytelling. I trusted her opinion and felt comfortable asking her any question. I paid for the comprehensive package and she worked with me to create a schedule that tailored my needs and was always willing to meet or answers questions ad hoc. I also appreciated that she looked to her peers at Fortuna who were experts about Kellogg / Booth for additional advice / reviews of my application. She helped me get into both Kellogg and Booth with a combined scholarship of over $200,000!

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Working with Mel has been a transformative experience. Her coaching style is refreshingly direct and personalized. She invests time in understanding your unique story and aspirations, which allows her to provide tailored, insightful guidance.
What sets Mel apart is her unwavering commitment to bringing out the best in her clients. She's not afraid to challenge you or point out areas that need improvement, always with the goal of elevating your application to its highest potential. Her feedback is clear and actionable, striking a perfect balance between providing direction and encouraging independent thought.
Mel's approach pushed me out of my comfort zone in the most productive ways. She didn't spoon-feed answers but rather guided me to discover my own strengths and articulate them compellingly. This process led me to produce some of my finest writing in years, particularly in my essays.
Her method is not just about crafting a strong application; it's about self-discovery and personal growth. Mel's coaching helped me uncover aspects of my experiences and skills that I hadn't fully appreciated before, allowing me to present a more authentic and impactful version of myself.
I credit Mel for not only improving my application but also for enhancing my self-awareness and communication skills. Her influence extends beyond the application process – the insights gained through our work together will continue to benefit me in my professional journey. For anyone seeking a coach who will truly invest in your success and push you to reach your full potential, Mel is an outstanding choice. Her guidance has been invaluable, and I'm deeply grateful for her role in my application journey and final acceptance into INSEAD EMBA. Thank you Mel!

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Heidi was wonderful to work with! She really worked to get to know me on both a professional and personal level and was so supportive throughout the entire process. The initial assignments that she gave were particularly beneficial in helping me to craft a compelling and cohesive career vision and highlight leadership stories to use in my interview and application. With most of the work and reflection done upfront, I was able to go into my essays feeling confident. Even after the bulk of the work was done, Heidi continued to provide support and guidance, and it was awesome to celebrate together once I got news of my acceptance! I cannot recommend Heidi & Fortuna enough. Thank you so much, Heidi!

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Working with Rachel was easily the best decision I could have made throughout this entire business school admissions process. It was clear from the outset that she really knew what she was doing. She took the time to get to know me and my background instead of prematurely jumping into the applications and essays. Throughout our time together, she would bring up anecdotes I had previously shared with her that I myself had forgotten about! She was strategic about maximizing the value of each story, word, and character. Rachel was both incredibly thorough and highly efficient. Her feedback was always insightful, pushing me to think deeply about what I was trying to convey and how to do so most effectively. In the midst of a high-pressure work environment, Rachel helped me stay on track and kept my morale high. I truly enjoyed our conversations. Having her in my corner alleviated so much of my anxiety surrounding the entire application process. Even when I felt like something was "good enough," Rachel pushed me to make it even better. She worked with me right up until I submitted each application and later supported me in preparing for interviews. I received admission to one of my top choices with a partial scholarship. I highly doubt that either would have occurred without Rachel's steadfast support!

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Strengths:

Sharon is absolutely wonderful and a pleasure to work with. I am so appreciative of her insights and expertise on the frequently confusing MBA application landscape. He guidance on every aspect of the application, from essays and resumes to rec letters and interview prep, was all very helpful.

Would make the product better:

No areas of improvement

Sharon and Fortuna could not be any better. I can confidently say that my application process would have been significantly more stressful and probably had a different outcome had I not worked with Sharon. I applied and was accepted to two school, one of which was an M7 and the other was a T10. Sharon is very thorough, dedicated, patient, kind, and organized. Additionally, it is extremely beneficial how Fortuna brings in other consultants to review certain products to provide an outside view and perspective on essay responses and resume drafts. I cannot say enough how great of an experience it was to work with Sharon, and would recommend her to anyone considering applying to Business School.

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Working with Emma has been the most amazing experience! With her help, I was admitted to Wharton ($100K scholarship) and SOM (full tuition scholarship). I highly highly recommend her to anyone aiming for the top schools in the US.
Emma really takes the time to get to know you and give tailored advice specific to you, your schools, and your goals. She was there throughout the entire process - from the brainstorming and resume refinement to the interview prep and scholarship negotiations. She is extremely knowledgeable, organized, and efficient. Even in the peak weeks when application deadlines were approaching, her quick turnarounds didn’t waver. Emma strikes the perfect balance between telling you what you need to hear and being an inspirational and supportive coach.
As I’m sure most of us would be for our applications, I was insanely particular about making sure everything was perfect. With one of my schools, Emma gave me feedback on twelve drafts of my essay before I decided to scrap it and go with a different idea (with only two weeks to go till the deadline). She patiently consulted me on my new concept until I was 100% confident about it.
I was initially unsure whether I even needed to work with a consultant, but in hindsight I can confidently say the investment more than pays off. And without a doubt, I would recommend picking Emma to set yourself up for future success!

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Strengths:

When I first started working with Patty, I was overwhelmed by the admissions process. What immediately stood out was her ability to break everything down into manageable steps and make it feel achievable. She has this incredible knack for understanding who you are as a person and helping you bring out your authentic story in a way that feels natural but also incredibly compelling.

Patty’s attention to detail is another huge strength. She doesn’t let anything slip through the cracks—whether it’s fine-tuning an essay or preparing you for an interview, her insights and feedback are always spot-on and make a tangible difference.

What I appreciated most, though, was how invested she was in my success. Patty isn’t just a coach; she’s a true partner. She celebrated my wins, kept me motivated when things felt tough, and was always available to answer questions or offer guidance. Her encouragement and confidence in me made all the difference.

Overall, Patty’s strengths lie in her expertise, her personalized approach, and her genuine care for her clients. She’s not just helping with admissions—she’s helping you become your best self.

Would make the product better:

Honestly, my experience with Patty was outstanding, and I achieved everything I set out to accomplish with her guidance. However, if I were to suggest ways to make her services even better, here are a few ideas:

Structured Progress Tracking:
While the process was clear overall, a simple progress tracker—maybe a shared document or platform that outlines milestones, deadlines, and remaining tasks—could help clients stay even more organized and on top of everything.

Client Community:
Creating a private group or forum where past and current clients can connect and share their experiences might foster a sense of community and allow clients to learn from each other.

When I first started working with Patty, I was overwhelmed by the admissions process. What immediately stood out was her ability to break everything down into manageable steps and make it feel achievable. She has this incredible knack for understanding who you are as a person and helping you bring out your authentic story in a way that feels natural but also incredibly compelling.

Patty’s attention to detail is another huge strength. She doesn’t let anything slip through the cracks—whether it’s fine-tuning an essay or preparing you for an interview, her insights and feedback are always spot-on and make a tangible difference.

What I appreciated most, though, was how invested she was in my success. Patty isn’t just a coach; she’s a true partner. She celebrated my wins, kept me motivated when things felt tough, and was always available to answer questions or offer guidance. Her encouragement and confidence in me made all the difference.

Overall, Patty’s strengths lie in her expertise, her personalized approach, and her genuine care for her clients. She’s not just helping with admissions—she’s helping you become your best self.

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Heidi is an excellent advisor, serving as an invaluable additional pair of eyes in conjunction with my primary coach. She brings deep expertise on what schools like Stanford GSB is looking for, and was able to give insightful input on how to differentiate oneself in the essays. Heidi was also very helpful with interview prep, where she conducted a thorough mock interview and gave me constructive, detailed feedback on the areas I should work on. During the process, she was able to be supportive while also productively challenging me to dig deeper and sharpen aspects of both my written application and interview responses. Heidi is fantastic at what she does and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience - I strongly recommend her, especially for those interested in schools like the GSB.

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Strengths:

Coaches at Fortuna were incredibly thoughtful, capable, and inspiring. I initially met with Karen Hamou and discussed my top schools with her. Based on my industry experience and the schools I was interested in, she introduced me to consultants that would best fit my needs. I consistently found through my conversations with Karen and Silpa that the consultants at Fortuna have an ethos of empowering prospective applicants with kindness and candor.

Would make the product better:

Nothing really comes top of mind. I was very satisfied with my experience of working with the Fortuna team.

I worked with Silpa on my Round 1 applications and she helped me get into HBS and the Wharton/Lauder program! When I initially met with MBA advisers, Silpa stood out to me as incredibly professional, grounded, and thoughtful. When working with her, I found that she is an exceptional thought partner, coach, and adviser.

I was initially daunted by the workload and competitiveness of the process but Silpa helped me break it down into manageable steps. She made working together on the applications genuinely fun, pushing me to dream big about what I could use my MBA to pursue post-grad and giving me the confidence that the career milestones I had achieved already were enough to give me a shot at the business schools I was applying to.

Silpa is not only kind and inspires you to think boldly, but is also fiercely capable. She leverages her years of experience in GSB admissions to help you weave together different aspects of your identity and history. She makes you feel truly seen, remembering details you’ve told her in the past to highlight in your essays, or even just personal life updates you told her about months ago.

Finally, I’ll note that she is incredibly thoughtful in her coaching style. When we practiced for the HBS interview together, she offered me feedback in between questions where I could sharpen my answers, rather than saving all of her feedback for the end. She noted that she found it more helpful to give the feedback in the moment to keep the information fresh. After our preparation, I felt more confident going into my HBS interview and was able to treat it more like a conversation about my interests rather than an interview.

Working on the MBA application takes over much of your life for a year. If you want to land a spot at a top program while also having fun in the process, I highly recommend working with Silpa!

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Strengths:

The comprehensive package allows both the client and the consultant to fully dive into the process without having to worry about running out of time or needing to buy more hours. We were able to carefully dissect the essays from each school and come up with tailored approaches to the various applications. I think this added time allowed her to get to know me more on a personal level, which helped her improve my essays even more.

Would make the product better:

I honestly have no recommendations for improvement - I thought the process was phenomenal.

It was an absolute pleasure working with Michel. When I started my MBA application process in April, I was initially hesitant to use a consultant, but after having an initial consultation with Michel we immediately clicked, and I knew it would be worth the investment. I decided to use a 3-school comprehensive package with her to work on Stanford, HBS, and Berkeley Haas, and then supplemented additional applications to Duke, CBS, and Yale with hourly work.

We started working together in April and thought through my short term career plans, long term career vision, resume, and recommenders. We then dove into drafting outlines for essays, researching specific programs at my target schools, and crafting a strategy for reaching out to alumni/current students. I was coming from a relatively unconventional background in agriculture, but Michel took the challenge head on and helped me create a story that flowed through into my essays and interview prep. We met with each other over 40 times throughout the Round 1 process, and Michel was always quick to respond and easy to reschedule when needed. When I started to hear back about interviews, Michel helped me prep by doing mocks and giving me insights on what each specific school would be looking for.

I was ultimately admitted to all 6 of the schools I applied to, and I can say without a shred of doubt that it would not have been possible without her. She not only helped me articulate my story in a clear and concise way but also helped ease my concerns when I lacked confidence and helped answer questions when I had them. Going into the process, I felt like I didn't have a true advisor that I could trust to shepherd me through, and I am so grateful I found Michel.

10/10 cannot recommend enough. If you are applying to business school, she is the MBA consultant you want.

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