| All Reviews > Fortuna Admissions > Comprehensive School Package Reviews |
Product Fortuna Admissions Comprehensive School Package
Consultant Jenifer Raver
As a reapplicant, I was trying to figure out how to improve my application. Even though I went to Jenifer late in the application cycle, she helped me through every step in detail. Her consistent guidance and support was amazing. I discovered new angles to my stories through our discussions. Jenifer's warm and encouraging approach made the application process enjoyable. Throughout the application cycle (including closer to the deadlines), Jenifer remained extremely professional and responsive. When I was travelling to different time zones, Jenifer still managed to find windows to speak even on short notice. Her commitment and open communication made working with her very easy.
After securing admission in a top program, as an international student, the pandemic has brought a fair bit of uncertainty. Jenifer has been very helpful in guiding me along even during this time. I discussed changes in my personal situation and the impact on my MBA plans with her. As always, Jenifer has been immensely supportive with advise and with crafting the perfect message for the admission teams.
Product Fortuna Admissions Comprehensive School Package
Consultant Jenifer Raver
From the initiate call to working with my coach to director reviews, I felt strongly that the entire experience with Fortuna was personalized. From the beginning, my coach Jenifer was keen on building strong connection with me so that she could get to know me professional and personally. The connection made it possible for her to later personalize strategies and guide me to realize my full potential in applications. At every step, she provided me support thoroughly and patiently. No matter what situation I ran into, I felt I could rely on her expert opinions to exam my actions to take. It brought me peace of mind especially as I had an unconventional background with few connections in the B-school cycle. Along the process, I often came to her with my own research and opinions. Her deep insight of business schools and many years in education industry allowed her to positively challenge my thoughts. Those challenges only made my logic clear and writings truly reflect my characters. Moreover, although she managed multiple clients concurrently, she was able to provide a lot of personal attention to my cases and successfully managed all deadlines. I would credit it to her strong time management skill, clear communication, and genuine care to the people she works with. I interviewed many coaches before I signed with Jenifer, and later confirmed it was a wise decision. All in all, Jenifer is an excellent coach and a good friend. I highly recommend Jenifer to everyone who has the guts to take a shot at his dream schools.
Product Fortuna Admissions Comprehensive School Package
Consultant Catherine Tuttle
When I was weighing my options on whether or not to get an MBA, I was making really really good money. However, it wasn't what I ultimately wanted to do long term and knew that I needed to go back to school to ultimately get me into a more challenging and beneficial (long term role). For an MBA to worth my time, I knew I would have to get into a top ranked program. However, there was one serious problem with doing so: I had a terrible undergraduate GPA - A whopping 2.5. Something I never thought I would be able to overcome. I spoke to numerous admissions consultants through the free consultations they offer who advised me that while it was certainly possible to get into a top 30 program, that I shouldn't get my hopes up. Queue the scene from Dumb and Dumber where Lloyd Christmas says "So you're saying there's a chance" and that's about how I felt at that moment.
So that's when the work started:
I took an MBA math class to provide an alternative transcript (receiving an A) and I started studying earnestly for the GMAT. Target Test Prep (and Catherine at Fortuna,but more about her later) literally changed my life. While I was nearing the end of my test prep through TTP, Scott with TTP sent out an email recommending Fortuna Admissions consulting. Because I had a very low undergrad GPA (2.5), I knew that I had to hire an admissions consultant to give me a fighting chance at a top program. I reached out to Fortuna and spoke to Catherine Tuttle who gave me a sober but simultaneously encouraging outlook on my admissions chances. I ultimately chose to work with Fortuna and namely Catherine Tuttle because of the overwhelming majority of former admissions officers that are on staff there. I mean it was a serious peace of mind knowing that the former director of admissions at Wharton was reviewing my apps before I clicked submit. I needed real insight and I felt the best way to get INSIGHT was through someone who had actually been on the INSIDE.
We discussed my GMAT tests scores (710, good but not anything remarkable) , work experience, etc; and she encouraged me to actually aim higher than I had previously thought was possible (based on previous conversations with admissions consultants and forums like reddit). Catherine helped me pick the perfect amount of reach, target, and safety schools (ranging from 10th to 25th rankings). She was particularly valuable in helping me navigate the relative strengths of the individual programs for which I was applying and also in recommending programs that I had not previously considered. In fact, I will actually be matriculating at a program to which she recommended to me. Catherine was absolutely instrumental in helping me craft my "story" as well as the navigating minutia of MBA admissions such as networking with students, reviewing essays, picking recommenders, etc. Because of Catherine's help, I will be matriculating at a top 20 program this fall, something I never thought was possible 12 months ago.
So if your profile doesn't fit the box for the program you are shooting for, I highly highly highly recommend Fortuna. Yes, admissions consultants can be expensive, but you get what you pay for. However, in the scheme of things, that cost is nothing compared to the opportunity cost of missing work for 2 years and the cost of tuition. You might as well have peace of mind knowing that you are going to the best school possible. Ultimately, I was admitted to a top 20 program and multiple top 25's (with scholarship). My story is an admissions miracle that I know for a fact that would have not happened without Catherine Tuttle's help.
Product Fortuna Admissions Comprehensive School Package
Consultant Jenifer Raver
I worked with Jenifer Raver and the experience was truly rewarding. I got into one of the T10 with scholarship and will be heading there this fall. I remember it was last year this time when I had the first meeting with Jenifer. Having already talked to many consultants who tend to sell you the same pitch and rosy prospect, Jenifer really stood out for her tremendous caring for clients. It was from that meeting I made the decision to work with her and I couldn’t be happier.
The application process can be a rocky road filled with surprise (both good and bad). At the time I was the only one apply for MBA at my office and felt like I was on a solo mission in a vacuum. Fortunately, the collaboration with Jenifer mitigated that. I really appreciate her being responsive whenever I need her to discuss an idea or the draft, as well as checking on me if not hearing back from me for a while. Sometimes I’m sidetracked because of other things and it’s always helpful to have her reminding me of the timeline. Her background as a Wharton grad and admission officer also allows her offering insight from the prospective that I sometimes couldn’t think of, helping me putting the narrative into perspective and pushing me to think about what I really trying convey to the admission committee. Her understanding of top MBA program and experience from working with clients from different background gave her the knowledge and competence to discuss each program’s unique advantage and suitability very clearly.
I would recommend Jenifer to anyone who is considering working with an admission consultant and believe her insight would help applicants fulfill the potential to the greatest extent.
REVIEWER IDENTITY VERIFIED by score report [?]
Product Fortuna Admissions Comprehensive School Package
Consultant Taniel Chan
I had a fantastic time working with Taniel, seeking his advice on both my MBA/MPP applications. While Taniel is an amazing consultant overall, there are three things that really stood out for me:
1) His comments and advice are very spot-on, where he is able to point out areas for improvement immediately to make the story a lot more tied together
2) He graduated not too long ago so he is close to a lot of ongoing developments in the school and knows exactly what one should add to his/her application to make it as relevant as possible
3) He truly values your development, even if that means putting in more time than was initially discussed. E.g. sometimes when our chat went over time he'd still continue, if something we were discussing wasn't completed. He even just chatted with me as a friend more about his experience recently after I was admitted.
I'd highly recommend everyone to reach out to Taniel! He was crucial in my applications' success.
Product Fortuna Admissions Comprehensive School Package
Consultant Jenifer Raver
It was enjoyable working with Jenny. She is very patient and also very knowledgeable on business school application. She guided me through the reflection on my past experience and helped me find out my selling points to Bz school. We worked closely on drafting my essays and created a suitable application package for each school. I really learned a lot from this experience and be more clear about my career goal. We did proper planning and finished all application in good standard. It was a hard time waiting for the result, and Jenny gave me a lot of good advice and encouraging me. In the end I got in one of my target schools with scholarship. I am very grateful for all helps from Jenny,
Product Fortuna Admissions Comprehensive School Package
Consultant Karen Hamou
My experience with consultant admissions Karen Hamou was incredible. When I first contacted Fortuna Admissions, I was immediately drawn by the professional approach, but also motivation that all team members give you from the very beginning. I first had a coaching call with one of the Directors, who showed that he really believed in me and my strong potential.
Then he recommended me to Karen, and I quickly felt that we were on the same wavelength. She boosted my confidence level and adrenaline in no time, and really dug deep to understand thoroughly my story and key milestones that paved my career path. I would say that Karen was not only my savior and cheerleader during this stressful journey, but she also was such a wise friend to talk to who gave me a powerful advise every step of the way. From the very beginning, she asked me to fill out a long questionnaire with all the details of my life, both on a professional and personal level. Then she helped me craft my resume, and it struck me how fast and efficient she was in responding, with a turnaround time of 24-48 hours at most. Same thing goes for the drafting of the essays, we had many feedback sessions going back and forth in the edits, and she was always available and fully committed, responding in a record time with a high quality output. I learned so much from her, on how to be succinct and straight to the point, focusing on the essence of the story, without losing focus. She also encouraged me a lot by highlighting the strong value of my stories and uniqueness of my personal hobbies (being a filmmaker).
Karen worked with me very closely on the interview process as well, and I was quite impressed by her outstanding way of coaching me in a methodical way on all the scenarios, and we did some mock interviews as well. She was always there when I needed it the most, like a soldier, supporting carefully each step of the way.
Eventually, the result was fantastic: I got into my dream schools for my Executive MBA: Columbia / LBS Global EMBA program, and Chicago Booth. I would highly recommend working with Karen, this was life-changing and she definitely makes the whole experience a lot smoother and easier !
REVIEWER IDENTITY VERIFIED by school email address [?]
Product Fortuna Admissions Comprehensive School Package
Consultant Heidi Hillis
I have just been admitted to my top three schools (including my dream school Stanford GSB)!!!
As an international candidate with an untraditional background, I was not sure where to start or how to move throughout the MBA application process. On top of that, I did not have a lot of time as I started working on my application only two months before the deadlines. However, I was fortunate enough to have Heidi on my side.
Heid was super knowledgeable about every element in this process, to the smallest details in every school I planned to apply. Sometimes it seemed as if Heidi completed her MBA at all M7 schools (and not only at Stanford GSB). Heidi’s experience, down to earth well-structured approach, and crazy response times (less than 24 hours, even on holidays!) made the difference.
In addition to being a great admission consultant, Heidi is a great interviewer. As a nonnative English speaker, I was stressed by having to interview in English. However, Heidi was able to provide some great feedback and tips throughout the mock interviews that we conducted. She even introduced me to her colleagues in Fortuna, who gave me extra practice and insight.
As a closing mark, I have to say that Heidi is not only super professional but also the nicest person. Applying to business schools can be an intense and stressful process, yet when you have Heidi on your side, it gets much better.
Product Fortuna Admissions Comprehensive School Package
Consultant Melissa Jones
At first, I reached out to Stacy Blackman consulting for a free consult. My test scores were borderline, and I didn’t come from a traditional background or company that produces many MBAs to top b-schools. I specifically asked the consultant about one top-5 program in particular, hoping they could help “handicap” my odds at acceptance. Sadly, I was told point blank I’d be better off looking at tier 2 schools. That experience left me feeling dejected, questioning whether I even had a shot at my dream school…
Enter Fortuna! My initial discussion with Matt Symonds was slated to take hour but we ended up chatting for around two! He assured me that not only did I have a shot, but that I was a strong candidate. I could tell that to Fortuna, I wasn’t just a set of numbers to be plugged into some arbitrary formula that would decide whether or not I was a good candidate, but rather a unique individual with a story to tell.
Matt lined me up w/ Melissa, and I can’t say enough about her as a coach. Melissa is a Rockstar! She has this amazing ability to be brutally open and honest in a way that helps you peel back the inconsequential and focus on your core strengths and abilities, highlighting who you truly are. She was extremely thorough in gathering all the data and helped me realize that specific experiences, and aspects of my background that I thought were insignificant would really resonate with the adcom. In all honesty, if you don’t end up hiring her as an admissions consultant consider hiring her as a life coach, she’s that good!
Long story short, I was accepted to my dream program, and I’m positive that Melissa and the team at Fortuna played an integral part in making it happen!
Product Fortuna Admissions Comprehensive School Package
Consultant Catherine Tuttle
Before working with Fortuna, MBA applications seemed daunting: Is my career goal statement strong enough? How will my plans to switch industries be received by an admissions committee? Are my essays compelling? Does my school list and application strategy make sense? I was an applicant coming from a non-traditional background hoping to make a career/industry pivot, and these questions seemed especially unnerving.
My worries vanished after my first meeting with Catherine, during which she answered all my questions with confidence and warmth. Catherine made herself available throughout the application process, never batting an eye at any late-night, stress-induced messages. Truly, working with Catherine made the process feel easy.
There were a few key ways in which Catherine helped in particular:
Finalizing the MBA resume: Catherine is a resume expert! Her feedback on my initial drafts was specific and actionable. I know that her input helped my resume stand out.
Crafting a career goal statement: This was perhaps where Catherine pushed me the most. She provided me with concrete resources that challenged me to expand upon my career goals and to explain how my industry-pivot was a logical one. After the expansion process, she was essential in helping me articulate my career goal as succinctly as possible.
Reducing essay versions needed: After speaking with so many applicants who shared the number of drafts they wrote before submitting their applications, I was shocked by how quickly I completed my essays. This was all thanks to Catherine's feedback, which helped me identify areas of my essays that needed to be cut down/deleted, or elaborated upon. With Catherine's help, essays that probably would have taken over a month to complete were submitted in a matter of days.
Emotional support: Throughout the entire process, it was a relief to know that at any moment, I could reach out to Catherine with questions or concerns. I appreciated Catherine's candid yet supportive communication-style.
After what ended up being a surprisingly enjoyable application process, I was admitted by my two favorite programs.
Thank you so much, Catherine!